National Debt now $35.4 TRILLION. That’s $2.3T more in a year.

| October 2, 2024

The government under Biden/Harris has been totally irresponsible when it comes to spending.  They’ve shown zero interest in working towards a balanced budget and have put us another $2.3 TRILLION dollars further in debt (they are spending way more than they collect in taxes). Of course there’s nothing new to this fiscal malfeasance … it […]

Watching as Hurricane Helene aims for Florida’s Big Bend

| September 26, 2024

Hurricane Helene (2024) looks to be big enough to pack a massive punch. Hopefully all in the  low-lying area of Florida’s big bend and gulf coast area are evacuating.  From my perspective, my daughter and her family are on a Disney Cruise and will stay at sea at least 12 hours longer as they wait […]

Republicans at unparalleled unity after their 2024 Convention

| July 20, 2024

Every once in a while when reading a favorite 3-column news website for “political animals,” TheHustings.News, I will reply with a comment — especially when I receive an email from the editor who ask me to add a “right column” post or comment. 😉  So this week as a non-writer, I responded while watching the […]

Tech Friday: OS woes and a Mars Edit software update

| July 12, 2024

Although the Late 2012 Intel-based iMac is “aging better than President Biden,”  my desktop iMac is struggling and is no longer being used as my primary computer. Still … it does work as a larger twin 27” screens desktop computer along side my MacBook Air M2 these days. Recently I cross my fingers when updating […]

WordPress 6.5.5 security update and database backups

| June 25, 2024

Nothing like holding your breath while updating overdue Linux versions and WordPress to start the day. Whew … all is still well with a couple servers and WordPress installs. Good to feel like things are up-to-date.

Retirement: Workers Don’t Expect to Work Full-Time Past 62

| May 19, 2024

It is time to face the inevitable that working later in life is not a reality for most people. As I commented on a Barron’s article last week, you “better have a Plan B or even a Plan C” in case there is a health concern that prevent working later in life. From personal experience, […]

Tech Friday: Time to update Linux servers and backup data

| May 3, 2024

A bigger than usual update this month for my Linux based servers and as it the norm, I spent a few minutes cleaning up storage and deleting unwanted bulked up logs (usual for me). Hopefully all will continue to run normally and that security will be improved. Personally I’ve notice a speed improvement (???), but […]

We need to work on addiction to too much diet soda/pop

| May 1, 2024

Both my wife and I drink too many carbonated beverages. For me it is usually Diet Mountain Dew and for Brenda it has always been Diet Pepsi. I scaled bad several times in my life, but ended up right back in the habit of 3+ cans everyday. Brenda seems to be able to turn it […]

Mashing together my thoughts on a few things automotive

| April 21, 2024

The social group that I waste too much time in reading and replying to each week on X.com (a bunch of car enthusiasts and a few automotive journalists) posted a photo of a 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport last week. It was exactly like the second company car I had when working for Portage Newspaper Supply Company […]

There are probably too many posts just for the sake of posting?

| March 23, 2024

This should probably should have been a Tech Friday blog update post (or not at all?), but was something I noticed after cleaning up about 13 older posts with “issues.” Also I am hoping to test a “featured image” add-on to see if it work with social media alerts.  Since 2005, I’ve been posting daily and […]

Protected: Test Posting – new security measures

| March 13, 2024

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

A language use tidbit: Who/Whom

| March 9, 2024

Language usage is not one of my particular strengths … therefore I’m with the thought that “when in doubt reach for whom over who, just to be safe. Then get the ‘overcorrected’ mistakes …”  — LINK A trick to figure it out, which we’ve mentioned before, is to substitute he or she in your sentence—and […]

A simple yet debatable chart for “tart vs sweet” Apples

| February 22, 2024

As an Apple eater, I’ve personally always wanted a simple way to know which and why I enjoy certain Apples. After seeing this chart, I thought it was worth sharing. 

Inflation is still an issue for those living paycheck to paycheck

| February 16, 2024

Although those reading MyDesultoryBlog.com more than once or twice are probably tired of me mentioning inflation … it is still an issue even as costs and prices are “rising” slower than previous. We all have policies,  political figures and economic idealogy in mind when pointing our fingers … but I’ll leave that to voters come […]

One year plus a few weeks using MarsEdit for blogging #TBT

| February 8, 2024

This probably should be a Tech Friday post, but since a year has passed since starting to use MarsEdit 5 instead of Open Live Writer on MyDesultoryBlog, but I’m making this a ThrowBack Thursday #TBT post.  After initially tinkering with the trial in January of 2023, I purchased a license and started using in full […]

Maintaining server, blog and updating WordPress 6.4.3

| January 31, 2024

Full back up of MyDesultoryBlog.com and updated WordPress. Maintenance and Security Releases Version 6.4.3 addressed some security issues and fixed 21 bugs. For more information, see the release notes. Version 6.4.2 addressed a security issue and fixed 7 bugs. For more information, see the release notes. Version 6.4.1 addressed 4 bugs. For more information, see […]

Percentage of a country’s population that speaks fluent English

| November 16, 2023

Of course this was found on social media: X.com … so take it with a grain of salt 😊 (also tinkering with columns for WordPress)

A WordPress 6.4 update along with Linux and SSL headaches

| November 10, 2023

It is not a normal Tech Friday kind of week as I had some SSL problems (still do) for a few domains that I service and a Linux server update problem (primarily related to MySQL database problems).  All in all I’m busy with double checking my backups, archives and snapshots to be sure there is […]

It is not Tech Friday, but doing a WordPress update anyway

| October 16, 2023

Nothing important, but I wanted to backup the MyDesultoryBlog database and then update to WordPress 6.3.2; it is the first update since the PHP change. Thankfully all is running smoothly and the update took. All is well with the blog. 

Searching MDB: Current blog calendar navigation tip

| October 3, 2023

Let’s just call this a PSA since I’ve been busy rethinking My Desultory Blog themes after updating to PHP 8.2 and how at least use the thousands of old blog entries for reference … or more precisely, remembering things! Anyway, the monthly “Archives” section is the same (select a previous month), but the “Calendar” was […]

Call this a Tech Thursday update: Finally updated to PHP8.2

| September 28, 2023

It is not Tech Friday, but I’ve been fighting through the nightmare of updating my blog’s very OLD modified WordPress theme so I could update it to PHP 8.2 running on my server (manually modifying theme code). Believe me, it was not without pain and suspect this is not the end of things (still problems, […]

Tech Friday: Really just testing a WP theme and Bing AI Chat

| September 22, 2023

It is time to start cleaning up my older WordPress blog install and preparing for an eventual update … once again. I’m beginning to realize that part of the problem is that I hang onto old themes that are no longer updated and I continue to tweak them myself. As the components that run WordPress […]

Blog stats and a humorous Iceland tourist article

| September 16, 2023

It’s interesting to see the changes in how people access Internet content over the years … or at least access information on MyDesultoryBlog.com. Microsoft Windows was once dominate, but Mac, Linux and Chrome OS computers are gaining ground. Perhaps the biggest change since starting the blog in 2005 is just how dominate iOS and Android […]

Tech Friday: Update to WordPress, theme and plug-in failures

| August 11, 2023

As My Desultory Blog approaches 8000 posts, it has become increasingly clear that tags and categories are becoming worthless. Besides having too many, they are all too full and do little for me to find anything (or anyone else). The search feature has always been a problem and makes it difficult for even me to […]

Tech Friday: Adding a date to the search results

| June 30, 2023

Such a simple fix; why did it take me so long to add a bit of code to the “non-supported” WordPress theme that My Desultory Blog has been using since nearly the beginning in 2005? Ugh, well it is finally good to have a “DATE” listed when using the search box. Also while checking my […]

The Legendary Palm Treo 700p #TBT

| June 29, 2023

While updating a few blog titles that had mis-coded characters on My Desultory Blog, my eye was drawn to an old favorite smartphone post from 2006 — the Palm Treo 700p. See 2006 CAK photo post   The photos started me thinking about this making an interesting artificial intelligence assisted ChatGPT Throwback Thursday #TBT post? The […]

Repairing broken WP to Twitter API (plus #video)

| June 1, 2023

This is a lunchtime test post after the WP to Twitter API broken in mid-May 2023 (last @mydesultoryblog to Twitter was on May 19th). If all goes well, this will automate a tweet when a new post is generated as before.  For the fun of it, here is the latest trending video on the news […]

Blog update and testing after Linux and WordPress update

| May 19, 2023

The Linux server and WordPress version was updated this afternoon; Comet cache cleared and backups done. Hopefully all is as it should be on MyDesultoryBlog.com.  Since I’ve been sitting on this interesting outdoor stove project video for a while, I’ll include it below the break as a test both of the update and autoplay. 

Friday Filler: Did someone ask the gardener to smile?

| March 24, 2023

Who among us wouldn’t smile back at this unique plant? Very unusual looking to say the least? Although Friday Filler — or is it Filler Friday(?) — isn’t really a thing on MyDesultoryBlog, it does tend to be a way for to fill space on Friday with a Filler Foto when there’s no time to write or post. […]

Modifying my blog and another MacBook Air Desultory update

| March 21, 2023

When working with Bing‘s webmaster tools, I noticed that some search results for MyDesultory Blog.com were missing. After a bit of reading, it looks as if I may have crammed too much into the index HTML page? According to their guidelines (it doesn’t impact other search engines), a heavy index page (+125KB) removes a website […]

Bought an external 1TB SSD for the new MacBook Air M2

| March 18, 2023

Even though the new MacBook Air M2 is cloud connected and semi-backing up (to iCloud, gDrive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc) … it is still uncomfortable to be loading up and using a new notebook computer for traveling without physically backing up files. In particular, setting up the built in Apple TimeMachine software in case the computer needs […]

Unhealthy Aging graphic and my granddaughters in church

| March 15, 2023

While reading a health related social media post this past week, a graphic struck me as interesting since it highlights many of the ailments that most doctors and aging humans eventually face. Just to keep it personal, I’m noticing the hair thinning, vision and hearing loss as well as my high cholesterol needing some work […]

A March snow, tweaking MarsEdit 5 and Kid-genuity

| March 12, 2023

Now that I own a MacBook Air M2, it is time to get it set up for a few of the daily computer chores … like posting to My Desultory Blog. I’m still trying to get comfortable using MarsEdit5 blogging app, but do enjoy the ability to be able to write custom macros that helps […]

Tech Friday: A little more tinkering with MarsEdit blogging

| February 3, 2023

A fix or an update came out for MarEdit this week … and because I am really hoping to get comfortable posting to MyDesultoryBlog using this app the Mac rather than PC. There have been a few nagging issues so far in preventing my switching from Open Live Writer (Microsoft Windows world) … besides it is […]

The Remarkable Life of Poon Lim (by Carl Seaver)

| February 2, 2023

EXCERPT => “On November 23, 1942, the Royal Navy destroyer SS Benlomond was torpedoed by a German submarine. Poon Lim, a Chinese civilian seaman aboard the ship, found himself stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Against all odds, Poon Lim survived 133 days at sea before being rescued by Brazilian fishermen.” This Carl […]

Markdown and rawhtml on a Hugo static page server

| January 26, 2023

Besides nursing duties and doctor visits with Brenda this past week, I’ve been working with a customer who would like to deploy a non-CMS website and completely forgot to post something on Thursday — making it up today. Although I’m partial to using an inexpensive Linux server with Apache and MySQL, he would like to […]

Test posting from MarsEdit

| January 20, 2023

This is a test only post from a new to me Mac app called MarsEdit. It is similar to my much loved Open Live Writer on Windows, but without a few of the features or ablity to preview the blog format while typing. Still I’m going to give it a try and see if I can […]

Tech Friday: Looking for an Open Live Writer-like app

| January 20, 2023

While watching NFL playoff football this month, I started looking for a app like Blogsy or BlogPad Pro that was available “in the old days” in order to post from my iPad. Unfortunately it is looking as if fewer and fewer app developer are focused on blogging software.  My preferred software “was” Microsoft’s Windows Live […]

LSSU’s 2023 list of Banished Words is spot on again

| January 3, 2023

The Lake Superior State University list of banished words from 2022 for 2023 is out! It has been fun to regularly include their words and a link on MyDesultoryBlog … it has become a January tradition! Check out their full archive by year from when it started in 1976.   This year, nominations came from […]

Tech Friday: Moved my blog to an AMD Premium server while updating the OS to Ubuntu 22.04.1

| December 9, 2022

About this time of year the handful of servers that I maintain need to be looked at a little closer. Often I’m only doing the minimum maintenance, updates and backups … because there are often problems after an update. Pointing being, maintenance on this server have been getting over looked and put on the back […]

Friday Filler: Photos like this bring peace and tranquility

| August 26, 2022

Another “too lazy to blog” Filler Friday post.  Instead I will fill this space with a photo that brings me peace and tranquility. Who wouldn’t mind hanging a hammock in the shade and pretending there wasn’t a care in the world (where is this?)?

What was I thinking about the iPhone 15 years ago?

| June 29, 2022

After nearly 40 years of buying and using Apple products, it is kind of embarrassing that I doubted Steve Jobs and the iPhone publicly on my blog on June 29, 2007. Happy Anniversary iPhone! Check out this post from 15 years ago.

Blog database backups and WordPress 6.0 <= done!

| May 25, 2022

Generally I don’t rush to updated software or computer operating systems, but noting that WordPress 6.0 has “400 bug fixes” had me deciding to backup the current MDB install and updating. So far, all good. WordPress 6.0 includes more than 500 enhancements and 400 bug fixes. This page highlights several key advancements aimed at making […]

Tech Friday: Thoughts on M4A vs MP3 digital audio formats

| April 22, 2022

The MP3 format for audio has been used on My Desultory Blog since the mid-2000s and I have contemplated a variety of other opensource options over the years. Compression choices to keep file sizes and streaming acceptable come and go and as we search for quality of audio and bandwidth for streaming becomes less of […]

We can hope that April 2022 Flurries don’t kill May Flowers

| April 18, 2022

For a day after Easter, the weather sure doesn’t look like spring! https://myarchive.us/mp4/April2022FlurriesBringMayFlowers.mp4 Also testing WordPress automated mp4 plugin with added gray vs black border than my normal hardcode video from iPhone7plus in slow-motion with poster image below the break)

Archive: My mom saved way too much stuff … and so do I #TBT

| April 7, 2022

While clearing out a few more old boxes and tossing junk in preparation for new floors in my office (and guest bedroom) last weekend, I just couldn’t throw this 1963 “fine artwork” colored by yours truly without taking a photo and archiving on my blog. A digital image take up far less space then paper […]

Holy Toledo! It looks like a Rivian R1T EV being charged

| March 27, 2022

This content is restricted.

What is the mining environmental impact of going green?

| March 19, 2022

Sometimes people are too politically invested in climate change and environmental policies that they “can’t see the forest through the trees,” as John Heywood’s 1546 proverb propends (an idiom). This is not to say we can’t improve … or that we should be resist/thwart the shift towards renewables and improve our environmental footprint, BUT we ALL […]

Archive: Toledo Area Parent magazine article – Mar/Apr 2022

| March 5, 2022

What parent doesn’t enjoy seeing their adult children respected enough in their profession to be asked to comment? Since I’m one that does keep an online scrapbook of sorts (this blog) … I’m archiving a recent article with Katelyn in Toledo Area Parent titled “Less Mealtime Stress with Responsive Feeding.” Seems like a week to […]

A new-to-me Arabica Bean Coffee and a family photo to save to the 2022 Valentine’s Day blog archive

| February 16, 2022

This content is restricted.

Are you planning to go hiking or backpacking in bear country?

| February 6, 2022

For those of us who have gone hiking or backpacking in bear country before, we have been taught that avoiding trails shortly after bears have been encountered is the smartest approach to avoiding danger.   Of course this doesn’t guarantee not running into a bear on the trail. Having never carried bear spray in the […]

Tech Friday: Just a 2022 WordPress.org update

| January 28, 2022

In an attempt to start 2022 off right, I’ve updated MyDesultoryBlog.com‘s WordPress to the current 5.9 … along with the interface that I’ve never learned to use or appreciate. Someday perhaps? Since this was a pretty short Tech Friday blog entry, I’ll include a JAMA guest link from my daughter that reminded her (and me) […]

New Alistair Begg Devotional content is now on my blog

| January 16, 2022

It has been a little over a year since the syndicated Truth For Life page was added to my blog … and although I’ve not been “daily-diligent” in reading the Spurgeon Devotionals … I’m hoping having Alistair Begg’s devotionals in place of them might help? The new Truth For Life feed has recently been approved […]

A storm is coming and few running our country seem to care

| January 8, 2022

It feels like we are obliviously sailing on the Titanic and ignoring a financial storm on the horizon. We know that there is a debt iceberg ahead and yet have convinced ourselves that the United States is unsinkable … and so … continue our TRILLION dollar money printing and our unsustainable spending ways. Congress spends […]

LSSU’s 2022 list of Banished Words is an excellent one

| January 4, 2022

It is difficult to NOT post the Lake Superior State University Banished Words list for 2022 since it has been a regular January blog inclusion for years. This year includes a few political overused terms/phrases such as “circle back” and “supply chain” … and a few long running over used ones: “At the end of […]

Not the Christ you want, but the Christ you need

| December 24, 2021

It is not easy to follow Christ, but His teachings, AND gift of salvation, are what we sinners need. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  – Matthew 4:19 While mailing out our Christmas cards, decorating our Christmas tree and reflecting on this past year, I listened […]

Tech Friday: Surprised at the recent increase in blog traffic

| December 10, 2021

The surprise increase in blog traffic corresponded to my taking a few more security measures such as locking down more of the personal content to only logged in readers … but I’m not sure that had anything to do with increasing earnings? Still, I noticed upward change (more than doubling) of Google Adsense earnings and […]

Filler Tuesday? An annoying animated gif from Twitter

| November 23, 2021

Sort of planned to save this embedded Massimo tweet for a “Filler Friday” post or something … but needed something to plug a daily hole this week while getting ready for Thanksgiving. 😉 This has been called 'the most annoying gif on the Internet' [https://t.co/F0nU9wWnGf] but it has some interesting references, because it's a kind […]

Phrases to avoid. Most of us can work on these.

| November 21, 2021

Saw a longer list  of phrases on CNBC’s "Make It" website last week but pick out a few  that I hear (or say) quite often. The easiest to correct are probably the ones that we stop saying … but can it be done? “Needless to say …” What to say instead: Nothing “Needless to say” […]

A Blue Whale in clear water off the coast of Western Australia

| November 7, 2021

Maybe it is just me, but seeing this drone photo of a Blue Whale off the coast of Western Australia was impressive. Australia is one of those countries on my bucket list, but it is such a long and expensive flight … and Australia is a huge country to visit in a single trip, that […]

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