Has the “safety net” grown into “middle class welfare?”

| August 1, 2011

Yesterday I heard part of an interview with noted social scientist Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, which I recorded on my Palm Pre Z-corder app – well at least part of it. He pointed out that our government has moved beyond the point of providing just the necessary “safety net” …   […]

New fuel efficiency standards target is 54.5 mpg by 2025

| July 29, 2011

President Obama announces the new fuel efficiency standards with a few early jokes regarding his daughter and driving before stressing the prices of fuel and the demand “worldwide” for oil. His “fix” is to take steps to control prices through and energy strategy that 1) increase domestic production, 2) getting rid of tax subsidies to […]

Political commentator or comedian – where is the line?

| July 23, 2011

I enjoy political humor as much as the next guy … and have a pretty good tolerance for the lambasting of politicians whether it is by rightwing talk radio or leftwing comedians (most deserve it). In fact, I enjoy listening to a few of the well known loudmouths as a way to hear left and […]

New Senate Debt Plan Emerges – WSJ.com

| July 19, 2011

Press Conference President Obama 07/19/2011 A surprise jolt of bipartisan support emerged Tuesday for a $3.7 trillion deficit-reduction plan that had been in development for months, though it was thought to be dead just several weeks ago. Roughly half of the Senate’s 100 members sat through an hour-long briefing on the plan, which was designed […]

Lubricheck gets a little more press

| June 28, 2011

Last month I posted on a new start-up project raising funds for an engine oil analizer gadget … Lubricheck … and heard the @wsjthismorning radio spot/podcast talking about it.

Helloooooooo … and a little pulled-pork

| June 23, 2011

Subject line stated in a  Jerry Seinfeld voice …   Helloooo | Seinfeld Yes … I stopped in on my daughter this week while traveling and enjoyed seeing her new apartment a bit more organized that when she moved in. The new “orange” wall was bold for my taste but brightened her living room and […]

Ten second sound-bite: KT McFarland

| June 20, 2011

Every once in a while I hear short and succinct statements which makes me wonder why politicians in a “United” States of America complicate issues for our country — is there that much disagreement over everything? Not promoting and maintaining one language … English …  as our national language, in the end the lacks commonsense […]

Book: We Were Pirates by Robert Schultz and James Shell

| June 12, 2011

Enjoying a World War II audio narrative and reading about the book We Were Pirates.  It is a book that help us understand the life of WWII American submariners, particularly Torpedoman Robert Hunt and his point of view. He shared his memories and his collection of photos and documents from his service aboard the USS […]

The truth emerges regarding Rep Weiner’s tweeted photos

| June 6, 2011

Over and over again, “men” in powerful positions repeatedly show little self-control or respect for their elected positions (or their families) while serving in congress … or governorships or even as President. Today, the week long scandal involving Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and his Twitter account and the tweeting of images of himself to a […]

“We choose to go to the moon” speech is 50 years old

| May 29, 2011

Amazingly … President John F. Kennedy’s speech setting the goal for the United States to “go to the moon”  was given 50 years ago. Most in this country has heard parts of this speech and JFK’s delivery is burned into memory of many of my generation. For those too young to have heard the entire […]

Algae based biofuel company Solazyme goes public

| May 27, 2011

I’ve been watching (but not participating) in the initial public offering of Solazyme (SZYM), one of the first algae based biofuel companies to come to the market. Although they haven’t been trading for much more than an hour, the price well well above their $10 target and $19.70 open. As I post this over my […]

CNBC anchor Mark Haines dies at age 65

| May 25, 2011

Although I’ve never been a big Mark Haines fan, he was part of my routine for the 22 years he was on as on CNBC as one of the founding faces. I saw him the way many watchers and coworkers did, as a “crusty curmudgeon” on Squawkbox. I  would often catch myself “squawking” back at […]

CNBC’s Phil LeBeau interviews VW’s Jonathan Browning

| May 24, 2011

Volkswagen Group’s Jonathan Browning, President and CEO (Volkswagen of America, Inc) gave a quick interview on an important day for VW’s new Chattanooga Tennessee facility. It is exciting to American workers building what hopefully will be a great mid sized car: 2012 VW Passat. CNBC: Phil LeBeau‘s interview with VW’s Jonathan Browning

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper

| May 5, 2011

With the fascination of Seal Team Six’s operation in taking down Osama bin Laden, the timing of former Seal Team Six member’s Howard Wasdin’s new book couldn’t be better. He was interviewed by WSJ’s Lee Hawkins after the successful mission in Pakistan on Sunday and offers a little bit of detail one what it takes […]

Politicians, the Fed, the economy and John Malone

| April 30, 2011

I get so frustrated when I hear smart and successful men like John Malone speak and yet very few seem to be listening, particularly those who are in positions to implement change. His comments the other day during a business interview makes complete sense to me; he even offers up a few practical ideas. If […]

The Process – poetic thoughts penned by a new doctor

| April 22, 2011

Not wanting to let this little bit of poetry disappear, I’m archiving it to my blog for both for posterity and pride (I made my daughter Katelyn record her poem – below). Although I’m not sure who the ultimate reader or listener will be, I’ve got a feeling that those attending medical school or young […]

The Rockford Files redux on NetFlix

| March 30, 2011

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A new button for embedding audio in WordPress

| February 2, 2011

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“California is the place you oughta be …” so goes the song

| January 30, 2011

My daughter headed across the country on Saturday for what should be an enjoyable month of February working in California. As part of her M4 rotations, Katelyn will be staying with her long time friend Nora in Santa Clara and will be working at a hospital in conjunction with Stanford School of Medicine. The opportunity […]

Stock markets in a sea of red do to unrest in Egypt

| January 28, 2011

As the middle east boils and Egypt joins Tunisia in a public uprising against their governments, world markets grow nervous seeing oil rise 4% today on worry over disruption. Not only is our U.S. stock market giving back it’s gains from the past few days, but the political unrest a half a world away reminds […]

Our Sputnik moment … now and then

| January 28, 2011

In the State of the Union address this past Tuesday night, President Obama reflected on the space race as a time American’s found themselves behind in technology and rose to the occasion as Americans competed with the Russians in the frontier of space. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” Obama said. As a result, we […]

Looking for more ways to tax: cellphones and ebook downloads

| January 1, 2011

According to a Smartmoney.com article by AnnaMaria Andriodis, we could see states and counties increasing taxes on new technology such as cellphones and e-books. Unlike Uncle Sam, state and county governments are required to balance their budgets and as local sales taxes and both the real estate and income tax stream of tax revenue dwindle […]

Giants 2010 World Series Champs

| November 1, 2010

The San Francisco Giants and their solid pitching shut down the high powered hitting of the Texas Rangers to become the 2010 World Series champs. The final score in the game was 3 – 1. I’m disappointed not to see the series go further towards game 7 as I wanted to see those aging Ranger […]

A default ringtone can tell a lot about a cellphone

| September 3, 2010

Listen to the short audio clip (below) of William Shatner on his “communicator” during a New York Times Magazine interview; see if you can figure out what kind of cellphone he is using? 🙂

How do airlines stack up when it comes to fuel efficiency?

| August 12, 2010

For personal transportation miles-per-gallon watchers, like many VW TDI drivers I know, an article in Thursday’s WSJ that translated US based airlines fuel efficiency into automotive MPG standards, might be of interest. In the past, frugal flyers may have looked at the numbers in order to save a buck, but now more and more travelers […]

Politically liberal Dan Baum and “Happiness is a worn gun”

| July 29, 2010

While traveling this week, I enjoy a point of view and odd story for NPR which had self-proclaimed “liberal Democrat” Dan Baum about his Happiness is a worn gun article in Harper’s Magazine on the radio. (currently a PDF version of the article here) He addresses the subject of the love of guns from the […]

Humor: Glenn Beck’s ‘Whitehouse Only’ Red Phone rings

| July 23, 2010

For those who watch the Fox News Glenn Beck television program, you’ll recall one of Glenn’s props is a “Red Phone” which supposedly has a private number that has been given to the Whitehouse — so that they can correct any misinformation. In the year or so it has been installed it never been used […]

Bernanke and Laffer on the U.S. economy

| June 10, 2010

After forwarding an “opinion article” (PDF) by supply-side economist Arthur Laffer from the WSJ to friends yesterday, I snipped some audio (mp3) from him in an interview  today with Neil Cavuto after Fed chief Ben Bernanke offered his thoughts on the U.S. economy.  

Maintenance weekend on 1998 Toyota Rav4 and Taylor’s rant

| May 9, 2010

My wife’s aging 1998 Toyota Rav4 has been a great car for 215,000 miles. We’ve had minimal maintenance over the years and although it is showing signs (and has been) of heavy use, it’s still running strong. The Rav4 has offered both my kids a good platform to “learn to drive” and has seen its […]

Newt Gingrich on the illegal immigration problem

| May 6, 2010

Here’s Newt Gingrich in a one minute MP3 sound-bite offering clear, concise and commonsense solution for our SW border problem. His short talking points would make a great template for those in Washington DC who are suppose to be securing the borders, addressing illegal immigration and protecting the citizens of this country. The short audio […]

Wimoweh, wimoweh … it makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

| April 26, 2010

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Slower than expected release reinforced by Adobe’s CEO

| April 19, 2010

Delayed or no delay? In an interview with Fox Business News, Adobe‘s CEO Shantanu Narayen commented that Flash 10.1 for mobile devices would be available in the second half of 2010. Earlier this year many Palm webOS users expected to have Flash available much sooner (link) and have been disappointed in the delay. Some suggest […]

Didn’t think I’d go without an April 15 TAX day post, did ya?

| April 15, 2010

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Public pensions and retirement double dipping

| April 1, 2010

How can federal and state government save nearly $400 Billion in tax dollars each year? Modify the public union retirement and pension benefits to mirror what is in private sector. John Fund, a columnist for the WSJ,  talked about the political class vs. private class this morning. If politicians have the will (or are forced […]

Federalism and the expanding United States government

| March 31, 2010

The federal government after the Civil War expanded in both its size and influence over states and individuals. The United States did this to regulate industry as businesses grew to encompass several states. The concern over securing civil rights for all citizens as well as  providing some social services continued by Washington D.C. as the […]

More debt for you, me and definitely our kids

| March 26, 2010

After heated debate over the cost of a trillion dollar health care bill, the numbers for President Obama’s budget and deficit spending projection just got worse. It looks as if the deficit and debt is 1.2 trillion worse than a few months ago … that’s 1.2 TRILLION with a “T.” According to WSJ economist Steve […]

Leo Laporte offering a few thoughts on Palm

| March 23, 2010

As  Palm Inc continues to suffer on Wall Street, some technology experts are wondering if this company is nearing the end?  TWIT guru Leo Laporte commented a few minutes before his call in program this  past weekend and pondered if there was  any chance of  an acquisition — perhaps a company needing Palm’s webOS.   […]

Blind to the lack of cost control in current health care legislation

| March 19, 2010

Personal Opinion post: I’m attempting to be understanding of those with different political philosophies than myself as they relate to reforming health care. That said, I can’t imagine those who support progressive social and economic re-engineering of our nation even stomaching the shenanigans currently going on in Washington DC? At times like these, it may […]

Will new legislation really improve our nation’s banks?

| March 16, 2010

I don’t want to be too critical about the ‘difficult for me to understand’ banking reform legislation, but after hearing comments on a WSJ podcast (below), the politically one-sided rush to reform does leave me concerned; it sure would be nice to have bi-partisan support for a banking oversight bill. My concern: If the Fed […]

Testing Posterous.com with an MP3 link

| January 26, 2010

Listening to Great Lakes folk singer Lee Murdock; a link sent from a sailing friend. For the most part I’m posting here to see how Posterous.com and the MP3 repost to MyDesultoryBlog is handled. EDIT: Audio doesn’t post correctly … tweaked for a pop-up MP3 Link instead.

Sharing a “Christmas Afloat” Captain Fatty Goodlander Yarn

| December 14, 2009

With the republishing of a Christmas article on Facebook from sailing author Gary “Fatty” Goodlander, I’ve been re-thinking my vow to avoid this social networking site. Facebook being my kids preferred peer-to-peer (no geek humor intended) communications medium, I’ve avoided it not wanted to look like a ‘helicopter parent. So far, its not been all […]

NPR news story on remembering Capt. David “Seth” Mitchell

| November 2, 2009

Although most of my conservative friends would be appalled I listed to National Public Radio, they produced an appreciated story reflecting on the life of Capt. David “Seth” Mitchell, 1 of 14 Marines killed on October 27th and played the story nationally (MP3 Link). It was good to hear how the community of Loveland (NE […]

Stitcher podcast application for the Palm Pre

| October 7, 2009

The new podcast listening app available for the Palm Pre has just improved the sophisticated smartphone ten-fold when in comes to listening to audio. On the heels of the iTunes sync webOS 1.2.1 release/repair/update, the App Catalog new arrival of Stitcher now makes listening to podcasts a cinch. After a quick download and install (providing […]

WMUB Help Desk Live ustream.tv broadcast

| May 5, 2009

The second live broadcast of the WMUB Help Desk podcast on ustream.tv. (testing the embed) Hopefully the archive version will be available ‘here’ after the Tuesday morning 5/5 live recording. EDIT: Podcast version available here.

Keeping podcast content up to date on my mobile

| March 25, 2009

I was talking to a friend about Miami University old WMUB’s  “HelpDesk” radio program which has moved  to the podcast only format now that the radio station is no longer broadcasting its own content (ended in February 2009). He asked me how to listen to the program now that it is no longer on the […]

President Bush holds final press conference

| January 13, 2009

1/13/2009 – Wall Street Journal President George W. Bush held his  final press conference on Monday and was extremely candid while reflecting on his mistakes, yet reminded Americans just how challenging the job of President of the United States is. I wanted to archive the last press conference for posterity sake and  in part because […]

ChaCha.com Beta for answering questions

| June 9, 2008

I was asking a question about raccoons in my prior post and figure it might be the perfect opportunity to talk about an interesting cellphone/text messaging service — ChaCha. The FREE service requires that you register your email address and cellphone number with ChaCha and uses “human” researchers, called “guides,” to text back an answer […]

Busy getting ready for Graduation

| May 29, 2008

My son graduates high school on Saturday so we are busy prepping for open house and family. The raccoon is gone, one “dead” smelly baby has been dug out of the insulation in the garage and another was treed last night by Tootsie (probably will try and reenter the house again? All in all I […]

Lonestar and ‘CallRec’ Software Test

| May 29, 2007

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Donna Lange: Keepin’ On

| April 7, 2007

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Neil Armstrong vindicated in grammar debate

| October 10, 2006

Posting Audio and Video on blogs

| June 16, 2006

I’ve often been asked if it is acceptable to post audio and video clips on a blog. My answer is a that I believe it is appropriate; the broadcasting industry would probably disagree. I hope they eventually see the benefits from the free advertising and that it does not infringe on their work … I’ve […]

NPR interview with Mike Pelly

| June 30, 2005

National Public Radio’s Morning Edition ran an interview with Mike Pelly (Olympia Green Fuels) on biodiesel on June 29th. It was a well done short 4 minute PR interview (right click/save-as for MP3 Audio)that was balanced politically. Mike Pelly tells Steve Inskeep about biodiesel in this short interview. Pelly is a well know biodiesel advocate […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog