Happy Flag Day – an excellent podcast from Mike Rowe
RichC | June 14, 2017
Flag Day 2017 — “Something To Stand For” by Mike Rowe of MikeRoweWORKS
Definitely Desultory – Who are the four kings in a deck of cards?
RichC | June 14, 2017
#TeamFiona playing cards on sale for short time at Cincinnati area Kroger It is strange after 50 years that curiosity finally piqued my interest as to how the four kings on playing cards came to be … who are they? Of course the beauty of having the Internet at your fingertips is that finding “an” answer […]
It seems inevitable gasoline and diesel taxes will go up
RichC | June 13, 2017
There was a time when I thought I could count on Republicans who now control the House of Representatives, Senate and Whitehouse in Washington DC to reduce taxes — how naïve of me. The latest going around is how "gasoline and diesel taxes haven’t been increase in years and how they need to go up […]
Music Monday: Wichita Lineman sung by Glen Campbell #vinyl
RichC | June 12, 2017
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Thinking of a college roommate and his family today
RichC | June 11, 2017
It was one short year ago (6/11/2016) that the the news shocked me that one of my college roommates collapsed and died while cycling near Columbus Ohio. My college orientation roommate and one of three 4th year roommates, Bill Gordon was an avid cyclist and was probably in far better physical shape than most, but […]
TechFriday: Apple announced iOS11 at the WWDC17 conference
RichC | June 9, 2017
Along with all that is happening with hardware and innovation at the Apple developers conference — WWDC — one of the more anticipated upgrades to the mobile operating system was announced. Along with the likely "millions" of suggestions from daily users, my iOS11 suggestion/request was probably lost in the shuffle … although I’ve made the […]
Archive: A look at allergy medication options
RichC | June 8, 2017
A lot of people struggle with seasonal allergies, but for me it seems to be something I’m noticing later in life? As with most minor health issues, we deal with it and move on when it goes away. This past month or so the runny-nose and watery eyes symptoms have bothered me enough to take […]
Sandal sun stripes, yard work and finding fingers and fist
RichC | June 7, 2017
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Guest post: Monitoring Remote Locations #DIY – by Jeff Pitts
RichC | June 6, 2017
One of the fun areas of IT that has been growing in recent years is the “maker community” of products for do-it-yourselfers. These devices range from the Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, Photon, Arduino, etc. The movement is bringing electronics to those of us that have that tinkerer mindset, but it also extends the opportunity to […]
Priorities: Get your chores done, then you can watch the game
RichC | June 5, 2017
One of the more interesting photos making the social networking circles was that of a man mowing his lawn as a nasty looking tornado was churning in the background. According to the news, the man said "I was keeping my eye on it." That said, this is NOT the kind of guy you want to […]
Elio Motors make appearances and send out optimistic updates
RichC | June 5, 2017
BUT … I would be remise not to share a few of the negative articles regarding Elio Motors weak fiscal condition, but would like to think this car will still be built. Last month Digital Trends published their update. Elio Motors, the Arizona-based startup that promised to change the way Americans commute, is in dire […]
Rethinking our National Debt while still encouraging growth
RichC | June 4, 2017
From a small business perspective, excessive debt is near the top for reasons entrepreneurs fail in business. In my experience there are bankers and leasers with terms in the lenders favor, but not in the borrower’s favor. Bankruptcies are harmful not only to the person and family going through the ordeal, but on the creditors […]
Stratolaunch emerges from the hanger
RichC | June 3, 2017
Stratolaunch, cited as the "world’s largest plane," has been under construction for four years, but is finally ready to come out of the hanger. The plane has a wingspan larger than a football field and according to the design firm Stratolaunch Systems, is designed to carry rockets into the stratosphere before firing the payload into […]
TechFriday: Apple iPhone8 and iOS11 as WWDC 2017 nears
RichC | June 2, 2017
Who doesn’t love anticipating "the next big thing" when it comes to tech, especially the mobile tech we used everyday? I for one am ready to replace my iPhone5s with some new hardware — if for nothing else, a snappier interface (it just feels slow). The plan for about a year has been to wait […]
Once upon a time, we did sail on Lake Erie #TBT
RichC | June 1, 2017
After searching through directories of a couple older computers looking for a document unrelated to the photo above, I ran across this picture of our family on our sailboat Tulla from the miid-1990s. I may have posted something (???) in a sailing related post years ago, but don’t think so? Anyway ia #TBT (ThrowBackThursday) post […]
Panorama while taking a break from yardwork #MemorialDay17
RichC | May 31, 2017
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Remember and honor those who paid the ultimate price
RichC | May 29, 2017
While looking back at previous year blog posts Memorial Day prior to making a 2017 update in order to see how I may or may not have recognized this sacred day, I realized just how many there were and it made me think about just “how many” have paid that ultimate price. Be sure to try and set […]
Sad to see such talent pass away- Gregg Allman dead at 69
RichC | May 28, 2017
The news on Saturday was depressing as that it was announced Gregg Allman passed away at 69 … I was just commenting about a few of my Music Monday posts that included Coyotus Maximus (his self-described nickname) and the Allman Brothers Band since our politics did not mesh. A talented and musically influential force not just for […]
TechFriday: Circumventing AdBlocker detection websites
RichC | May 26, 2017
Are you tired of more and more sites with pop-ups blocking content and asking your to whitelist their sites from your browsers ad blocking extension if you want to read their content? Then read on. First, I’m an advocate for advertiser supported websites and appreciate readers who occasionally read and click the few ads that are semi-hidden […]
How do mothers keep their babies safe in the world today?
RichC | May 25, 2017
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Artwork or recyclable copper scrap metal?
RichC | May 25, 2017
I’ve seen crazier ideas, so before I dismiss my wife completely for seeing this as artwork, it will get moved from the recycle bin to a temporary hanging spot in my shop. I could have lied and claimed this was "my latest eccentric artwork." Brenda would like me to make a frame or shadow box […]
Houston, we have a problem – a SKUNK problem
RichC | May 24, 2017
As less developed areas evolve from rural to suburban, many homeowner and the critters who call the area home, are faced with figuring out how to live together or struggle to set boundaries. We have never lived in urban or fully developed areas so dealing with Ohio’s variety of wildlife is normal. In the early […]
Looking for a good deal on a new car?
RichC | May 23, 2017
Cars inventories are building up, especially “cars” as compared to SUVs, etc. … so for the best deals (negotiation power) on new cars start with what isn’t moving. If an SUV is a must, the mid-sized models might make for the best deal and if it is “just reliable transportation” you need, there are a […]
Music Monday: The Byrds and Mr Tambourine Man from 1965
RichC | May 22, 2017
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The Quants Run Wall Street Now – @WSJ
RichC | May 21, 2017
LINK to WSJ article
Matched content ads by Google Adsense
RichC | May 21, 2017
For those of you who are regular visitors to MyDesultoryBlog and are not running an ad blocker plugin on your browser, you may have noticed a small snippet of new ad content in the sidebar. Last month, GoogleAdsense offered an upgrade to this blog’s minimal advertising experiment. The new ad content promotes “matched” internal content from similar previous posts […]
The economy: 5 Lessons From 1Q 2017 – Jim Glassman
RichC | May 20, 2017
Every once in a while comes an “it’s a small world“ surprise and one wonders, “why didn’t I know this?” This past week, my sister-in-law sent me a link to an article from her husband Dan Glassman’s brother Jim. The link was to Jim’s Linkedin page and opined on the economy. I figured … we […]
Obviously some strong microbursts blasted SW Ohio?
RichC | May 19, 2017
It takes a bit of wind to blow a grill off the patio, but with the wild storm blasts rolling from the south and west the last couple of days, that is just what it did. (and I think the back wheels were locked!) I picked up the pieces last night (but not on the […]
Tips on making Gmail easier to use by Joanna Stern, WSJ.com
RichC | May 18, 2017
Great tips from tech writer Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal on dealing with a few Gmail nits most of us using Google’s free services have. See her article at WSJ.com. 1. Priorities, Priorities You may not know it, but Google’s email bots have not one but two ways of automatically organizing your messages: […]
Birthdays, baby Annalyn, mothers, grandmothers and LOVE
RichC | May 17, 2017
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New book: White Working Class by Joan C. Williams
RichC | May 16, 2017
The Kindle ebook reader is my preferred choice ever since getting my "own" ereader. My buddy Jeff has found a new way to entertain me … gifting Amazon books (this one for my birthday). I sense that he assumes everybody reads as much as he does? I assure you that I do not … but […]
Music Monday: License to Chill, Carolinas and reminiscing
RichC | May 15, 2017
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The Volkswagen TDI diesel scandal timeline and summary
RichC | May 14, 2017
My take after reading the informative Volkswagen Diesel Scandal timeline article published in the New York Times a couple months ago was that the stricter diesel engine emission standards imposed by the U.S. EPA forced Volkswagen in a corner. With the prospect of losing business, they opted to "cheat" in order to continue selling their […]
Happy Birthday Katelyn – Happy Mother’s Day to a new mom too
RichC | May 14, 2017
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The ocean and whales – giants among us
RichC | May 13, 2017
A few years ago I posted an image of a sailboat having an encounter with a whale … just imagine swimming or paddling with something this big … there are truly giants among us. (The Fin and Blue Whale)
TechFriday: Epson Workforce M1560 monochrome all-in-one
RichC | May 12, 2017
The "cheap" replacement Epson printer arrived on Thursday and I was very disappointed in the quality of the multi-function-device that replace the Epson WF 545. Unfortunately several years after the previous, the WF M-1560 is of even poorer quality and even slower as a scanner. It was surprising to me. The positive is that it […]
A final update: Our kitchen project is nearly finished
RichC | May 11, 2017
The previous later evening blog update when the contractor left was a bit of a blurry photo, so I wanted to include a better photo and opted to give the Lumix GX8 pano-mode a try (above). Since I was not sure exactly how it would turn out, opted for a normal wide angle image as […]
Why do some Japanese cars have such large spoilers? #humor
RichC | May 10, 2017
Ah … so that’s why they add the picnic table to the trunk of so many Japanese cars! Saw this cute photo shared by an automotive journalist friend on a social network and couldn’t help but make a comment and include.
Spinning Fork: Our favorite restaurant and reminiscing
RichC | May 9, 2017
Rarely do I endorse many establishments on the blog, but Spinning Fork in Fairfield, Ohio is not a problem for me. The casual family owned Italian restaurant has been our favorite since 1995, although it was in a different location a bit further north on Dixie Highway/ Route 4. Besides the excellent food, the friendly […]
Music Monday: Whenever I see your smiling face
RichC | May 8, 2017
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American Packard Museum visited by Mercedes Club of Cincinnati
RichC | May 7, 2017
Taylor and I joined in with a group from the Mercedes Benz Club of Cincinnati on a visit to the American Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday. The tour group was lead by an informative lecture from a long time Packard historian and lasted most of the afternoon. Surprisingly I never visited the museum with my […]
The kitchen construction is nearly complete with TV and all
RichC | May 6, 2017
Our kitchen update is nearly finished and we only have a few touch up items, the correct under the counter LED lights and a freezer door replacement to go. The mounted TV is now working with everything self contained on the sliding mount and everything works off of a single power plug. I’m still having […]
TechFriday: Options for server now that ISP blocks port 80
RichC | May 5, 2017
Ever since the switch from Time Warner to Cincinnati Bell Fioptics, the Raspberry Pi2 and Pi3 that I’ve been using for testbed Linux servers have been out of commission. I’m struggling to come up with a way to bypass the Port 80 block that CB and many ISPs put in place to protect users equipment […]
Checking on the price of a new freezer door for our refrigerator
RichC | May 4, 2017
The contractor that dented our Samsung refrigerator ask me to get a replacement freezer door so I called J & J International at 800-627-4368 and had to log a case #149782 and give them our model and serial number before they could research and price the part. Hopefully if I order it they will continue […]
Replacing an All-In-One with an Epson GT-1500 scanner
RichC | May 3, 2017
A lightning strike looked as if it had taken out my Epson Workforce 545 multifunction fax/scanner/printer/copier … which of all the office devices is probably the one I could most afford to lose. I suspect the "jolt" or whatever caused catastrophic failure came over the phone line, since devices plugged into the wall, APC unit […]
Babysitting duty and exploring where I grew up
RichC | May 2, 2017
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Pressure eases on Federal Reserve to continue rate hikes
RichC | May 1, 2017
The rate of U.S. inflation for March was slower than expected just one month after hitting a five-year peak. The number reflects lower gasoline and consumer goods prices, including automobiles. Thiis could ease pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, even though central banks have telegraphed increases this year. The U.S. economy is […]
Could it be a phantom electrical leak or just a bad battery?
RichC | April 30, 2017
The BMW X5 35d is still without a new battery as the replacement batch is still not available to ship. I’m hoping the new mid-May date for delivery will not be postponed again. Last week just as I was running out the door for the airport, the car would not start again. Seemed to have […]
Thanking God for His artwork
RichC | April 29, 2017
Just as I was beginning to “once again” ponder the wisdom of keeping our sailboat in Florida while still working, taking care of a home and being pulled in different directions … an early morning walk back to Encore reminded me that it is healthy to slow down, de-stress and appreciate the daily paintings He makes for […]
Looking back a few years to when I started to blog
RichC | April 28, 2017
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Looking for a beaten up stock? Look at FireEye – $FEYE
RichC | April 27, 2017
Once a cloud-computing software security darling, FireEye has taken it on the chin and then some. Concerns still abound, but from most accounts, a bottom in stock price may have been found. It is particularly encouraging that Goldman’s Gabriela Borges, a software security analyst, has issued a “buy” recommendation and believes the stock will rally 18% […]
Reading and downloading ebooks on my Kindle Voyage
RichC | April 27, 2017
After borrowing my daughter’s Nook, and my friends Kindle, I finally have my own ereader — thanks to MyDesultoryBlog readers and discreet Google Ad clickers. I now can travel and read comfortably without disassembling the keyboard off my iPad Air2 and "hefting" the much heavier and larger tablet in front of my face. My second-hand […]
What deduction will you lose in Trump tax plan?
RichC | April 26, 2017
CNBC posted a simple chart in their article looking at #taxreform, cuts and simplification as to what deductions might be eliminated.
Investors sure do love to hear about tax reform and tax cuts
RichC | April 26, 2017
What a start to the week for the stock market! There is optimism that something "will" get done with taxes, unlike #RepealAndReplace legislation. The news is that President Donald Trump will be unveiling his proposal to cut corporate taxes on US companies’ foreign profits and slash the top tax rate has investors in the "buy" […]
Mounted the large 4K TV temporarily in the new kitchen
RichC | April 25, 2017
The granite countertops were installed last week, still putting us a couple of weeks from having a usable kitchen as the construction continues to crawl along (no plumbing, cooktop, backsplash, trim, electrical or paint). It is tough being without a functioning kitchen and washing up dishes in the laundry room is getting old … but […]
Mellow Music Monday: Down in Belize with Jerry Jeff Walker
RichC | April 24, 2017
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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.