RichC | October 30, 2007
(New Palm Centro smartphone photo test – click photo for larger) The weather is starting to turn a bit nippy and our back porch project is still without an outdoor fireplace, not that you’ll catch me sitting out there at 32 degrees. (temperature this morning) According to the the builders, waiting on the stone masons […]
RichC | October 12, 2007
The framing crew has been moving along quickly as the back porch project starts to take shape. Like most building projects, framing is an exciting part as one get a feel for the size and feel of the space. I’m looking forward to getting the stone in place and the artist/stone layer working on the […]
RichC | October 10, 2007
I’ve mentioned the HGTV program Living With Ed a couple of times before (2006 & 2007 links) and enjoy the humorous way the host Ed Begley and his wife Rachelle discuss ‘greening’ our homes. From the simple process in replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs to adding off the grid solar power, […]
RichC | October 1, 2007
The stock market had a solid day of gains today with the Dow Jones Industrials up 190+ points and setting a new record, but not all segments were stellar. Hardest hit were the drugstore chains as that segment suffered heavy selling pressure. Three of the leading companies that I track and trade were down significantly […]
RichC | September 30, 2007
The final construction project that will complete the original plans for our home is underway as the masonry crew finished the foundation. We are adding a back porch and outdoor fireplace (left elevation) that replaces an existing deck which houses our hot tub. The new stamped concrete is in place of the 12 year old […]
RichC | September 26, 2007
As Volkswagen TDI owners wait patiently for new VW diesels to show in the spring of 2008, we can at least surf the web to find a few interesting tidbits in order to pass the time. Perhaps the most anticipated new Volkswagen is the small SUV called the Tiguan. The current site is in German […]
RichC | September 22, 2007
Missing Google PHOTOS It was a great day for a CinciTDI get together (GTG) as the scheduled brake bleeding event went like clockwork thanks to our volunteer ‘wrenchers.’ (Thank you guys) Most of the VW TDIs received fresh brake fluid very efficiently as the Motive Powerbleeders made short work of changing the brake fluid in […]
RichC | September 16, 2007
In keeping with the alternatively powered ‘bikes’ (see KillaCycle), Sunday “The Crucible” industrial arts school in Oakland California raced their biodiesel powered BMW R1150 RT with a BMW 3 series diesel to a new speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The diesel motorcycle ran th two-way average speed of 210.2.03 km/h. Michael Sturtz rode […]
RichC | August 18, 2007
Last year I mentioned an enjoyable program ‘Living with Ed’ looking into the ‘green’ life of Ed Begley the environmentalist actor. The program featured his wife Rachelle Carlson struggling with Ed’s earth saving ways. I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but recorded or watched every episode … and hoped the program would go a second […]
RichC | August 16, 2007
A new all electric motorcycle/scooter vehicle is available from Vectrix U.S.A. if you have a spare $11,000. It is the Tesla of electric scooters, but unfortunately only has a 40 to 60 mile range. (battery improvements perhaps?) Actually I do like the sexy looking scooter; it looks well designed and thoughtfully integrates many of the […]
RichC | August 2, 2007
I connected with a family member who is in his residency in Minneapolis, MN this evening to be sure that he and his family were safe. According to his wife Keity, Justin was already at the hospital working; I noticed the news reports mentioned that most doctors were called in to the hospitals. (Justin is […]
RichC | July 16, 2007
A friend of mine sent me this video clip … I can’t imagine doing this for a living? Power Line worker
RichC | July 2, 2007
A bit of immaturity to start off the month of July and the lazy couple of days preceding the 4th of July Wednesday holiday. (Its really a week I should have scheduled a vacation, but then again about half of America will probably be doing that?) Remember the television series the A-Team? Here’s a little […]
RichC | June 20, 2007
Popular Mechanics previewed the Volkswagen TDI ‘clean diesel’ which should begin appearing in 2008. VW has been without a diesel this year and will not have one as they begin to introduce 2008 models this fall. Thankfully for those laying in wait, the Jetta sedan and Jetta Sportwagen TDI should be worth the wait.
RichC | June 19, 2007
My wife has admired the Volkswagen EOS ‘retractable hardtop’ convertible ever since it appeared in 2006. She is attracted to it first because it is a convertible, second because its not a soft-top convertible and third because it drives like a sporty VW (we did test drive an EOS with the DSG and turbo 2.0L, […]
RichC | June 18, 2007
Since I’m in town, I decided to pinch pennies and fill up the Honda Pilot before the 1:30 PM price increase; I was notified on my cellphone by the Meijer Gas Price Text Alert service. (also used four $1 off coupons accumulated by grocery shopping at Meijers) I’m finding the ‘warnings’ a help and a […]
RichC | May 27, 2007
In remembrance of those who gave their lives for our country, I paused for a moment to retire our tattered flag and hoisted a new one. As a nation and a people we have so much … I thank God for our nation and for those who gave their lives to found, secure and protect […]
RichC | May 26, 2007
Oh … I bought a new toy this week; and I came on it by accident. After stopping in at several hardware stores, and shops that handle John Deere equipment, in an attempt to find a new spool head for my 2-cycle John Deere string trimmer — vintage 1980s — I ended up purchasing a […]
RichC | May 18, 2007
Hmm … I’ve yet to figure out how Joox.net can get away with showing full length, good quality movies over the Internet … but they are. While the site is still functioning, movie going geeks might want to curl up with their significant other (ie. computer), and watch a movie. 😀 If you enjoy movies […]
RichC | May 12, 2007
Those occasionally reading my blog have no doubt seen a post or two on solo circumnavigating sailor Donna Lange, well today is no exception as she is only a few days from Bristol, Rhode Island. After facing a nasty blow in April [1] [2][3], Donna was forced to hole up and make repairs in Bermuda. […]
RichC | May 5, 2007
I tried to post this on Thursday from my cellphone camera, but unfortunately, it didn’t post? Hmm … Thursday continued the move higher in ‘gasoline’ prices and unfortunately for me I was driving our gasoline burning Honda Pilot. On my way to Northeast Ohio I looked and looked for cheaper gas and ended up filling […]
RichC | April 29, 2007
Last weeks storms: I’m a bit slow to post the drive home storm photos from last week, but will put a few thumbnails below … it was a nasty bit of weather, although the above clouds were more ominous to look at than to drive through. (click for larger) . . . . . . […]
RichC | April 18, 2007
Those of you paying attention several of my past posts will recognize that I’ve enjoyed SlingMedia’s “Slingbox’ and the ability to send a home video signal out over a broadband connection. The home video feed (TV, Tivo, DVR, etc) is then received by a Slingplayer equipped device. Pretty cool technology that works amazingly well. A […]
RichC | March 27, 2007
It is nice to be able to take pride in one’s alma mater and with the Ohio Northern University robotics team winning the “2007 Robot of the Year” award, its just enough to be a little boastful. Believe it or not, way back when … when I was a polar bear trudging across the ‘tundra […]
RichC | March 18, 2007
RichC | March 12, 2007
This past weekend was enjoyable; I had an opportunity to be outside, take a few photos and contemplate the work ahead in the yard. The grass and trees were still brown of course, but signs of spring were all around — including the smell. In Cincinnati, we had a mild December and January for the […]
RichC | February 28, 2007
Alain Thebault’s radical sailling trimaran Hydropteré broke the 50 mile per hour mark at 47.2 knots (54 mph) in a 25 knot wind — that’s twice the speed of the wind! The recorded, according to World Speed Sailing Record Council, is 48.7 knots, but then that was a windsurfer; its hard to compare the two […]
RichC | February 25, 2007
The beauty of having a ‘non-topical’ blog is that posting something off-topic is ‘okay’ … so here ya go: Brenda’s Butchered Buffalo Wings. 😉 While our family was enjoying a meal out at a local Chili’s restaurant, my wife proceeded to nibble her buffalo wings naked. Its just wrong! When I pointed it out that […]
RichC | February 23, 2007
Firefox2 is my favorite browser to date, and suspect many of you feel the same way. One big plus are the many “add-on” extensions available by third-party developers. One of my favorite is an small RSS client call Sage, but an add-on that I find more essential is IE Tab by Paul Roub. IE Tab […]
RichC | February 15, 2007
After purchasing a highly rated iGrip Palm Treo holder over at Treonauts, I decided to try it our with my Treo 700p on my trip from Cincinnati to Northeast Ohio this week. One of the features that intrigued me was that the camera lens was not covered, so I tried it as a dashboard video […]
RichC | February 1, 2007
Here’s and interesting look at what it is like to drive around in Iraq … the short video clip speaks for itself. VIDEO MISSING
RichC | January 31, 2007
Winter is finally here as temperatures in southwestern Ohio are down near the single digits. “Brrr” …. it is cold … but at least I’m not as stiff as the eight-foot boa constrictor found along the Great Miami River. (AP/Middletown Journal photo by John Agliata) A couple of construction workers were cleaning up debris along […]
RichC | January 24, 2007
President Bush delivered the annual “State of the Union Address” last night and although the situation in Iraq dominates politics and concerns, he did address other issues; among them was last years reference “addiction to oil.” (although he did use a new line: “the serious challenge of global climate change.”) As expected, the President outlined […]
RichC | January 7, 2007
In a post a couple of days ago I mentioned solo sailor, singer and songwriter Donna Lange and commented that I would see if I could get permission to share some of her music. I’ll include a couple cuts to the right sidebar under the heading “What I’m listening to,” with the caveat that if […]
RichC | January 2, 2007
RichC | December 24, 2006
Short … and I mean short … ‘no sound clip’ of the new Volkswagen Tiguan mention in an early post. It was displayed at the LA Auto show last week. (the clip was actually a test clip in hopes of better YouTube quality — the encoding didn’t improve it. You can download higher quality test […]
RichC | December 15, 2006
I see a theme coming — maybe a ‘tech tip Friday? After posting the comment on how to save YouTube files yesterday, I received enough emails to suggest that at least a few readers liked what they read. One of the emails asked answer another question and I told him I would address it today. […]
RichC | December 13, 2006
Maybe I’m showing my age in referencing “feet” with the slang term “dogs.” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.) Where did that term come from anyway? Recently I’ve noticed that my favorite shoes (Rockports) are showing signs of wear. As I contemplate replacing them, I wanted to […]
RichC | November 29, 2006
My son came home and demonstrated the “scared pepper” — surface tension of water experiment today. I’m not sure I fully understand the ‘science’ behind the dish washing soap and water, but from an offset printing background we depend on surface tension and even enhance it with isopropyl alcohol or a substitute to dampen aluminum […]
RichC | November 28, 2006
One advantage of a “desultory” blog is that there are very few topics too far out to blog on. Last night I caught a ‘news teaser’ from local Cincinnati television station WXIX talking about “Lock Bumping” and have included the short segment at the bottom of this post. (or check it out on YouTube) Hmm, […]
RichC | November 17, 2006
Most Americans are compassionate people and want to do the right thing. We see immigrates as hardworking, family oriented and necessary to fill many unskilled jobs in America … just as they have in past generations. Unfortunately few of us have the insight or background to fully understand what our current immigration policies are doing […]
RichC | November 15, 2006
Walmart is encouraging associates to share an actual “Merry Christmas” greeting … a reversal of last years policy. Their change is being followed by most major retail stores including Sears, Macy’s, Target and Kohls. One notable exception at this time is Best Buy, who according spokeswoman Dawn Bryant indicates they will continue with “Happy Holidays.” […]
RichC | November 12, 2006
Most likely remembered by locals as Rookwood Pottery, the restaurant Porkopolis continues a 120 year history of enjoyable atmosphere just east of downtown Cincinnati. The heavily ‘pork’ based menu offers good food at a fair price … and our service from Brian our waiter was excellent. (for out of towners Mt. Adams is about 5 […]
RichC | November 2, 2006
Oshkosh Wisconsin is famous for a few things most of us know … Airventure, “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,”Tough Oshkosh Industrial Trucks, OshkoshB’Gosh rugged clothing (especially kids clothes), and someone you might not know … Xtreme Shooter Patrick Flanigan. Haven’t heard of him??? Well … he handles a Winchester Super X shotgun like Tiger Woods […]
RichC | October 27, 2006
While watching the end of game 4 of the World Series (9th inning), I noticed that there is a new Volkswagen sales campaign call V-DubsRock. The marketing approach is reminiscent of the “buy a car, get a bike” gimmick, but this time it is an FirstAct electric guitar. Nevertheless since the commercial has high-speed motion […]
RichC | October 8, 2006
On a Tom Hanks weekend, the movie Castaway was on the TNT TV network Saturday night and although we watched it when it came out in the year 2000, my wife and I sat through the long and slow-moving movie again … this time with commercial interruption. “Where’s Wilson!” The gorgeous scenery and South Pacific […]
RichC | September 22, 2006
Since there are a few VW owners reading these posts, I told my nephew I would give hime a hand in selling a set of 4 Dropzone Suspension springs he purchased for his 2000 VW A4 Jetta. (click for large photo) He has since sold the car and purchased a minivan after never getting around […]
RichC | September 16, 2006
Laptop computers came up in conversation today as my kids and I were sitting at the kitchen table. My daughter commented that her professor was joking about using technology in one of her classes and pulled out a 1990’s laptop that had some size to it. They started laughing since it was ‘large’ relative to […]
RichC | September 12, 2006
I’ve been planning my comment regarding the 5 anniversary of 9/11 just like everyone else, but fear there is no way to do it properly. How does one respectfully acknowledge the murder of 3000 ordinary citizens without getting angry and showings one’s bias? Initially I was going to just do a somber reflection, but as […]
RichC | August 30, 2006
Rain but not all that much wind in Delray Beach just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida this morning as Ernesto makes itself known throughout the state. The winds are tropical storm force at a sustained 35mph and moving north at about 10mph. Not all that much fear from the wind but the rains are heavy. […]
RichC | August 9, 2006
In preparation for my upcoming vacation, I dusted off my Canon Rebel XT Digital camera both to charge the battery and make sure everything was working and stored in my camera bag. As I looked for a subject (aka: victim) to be in my test photo, I took a macro photo of a ‘bee’ being […]
RichC | August 7, 2006
Breaking news on the crude oil front … just what US oil doesn’t need: Crude Oil Rises After BP Shuts Alaskan Field, Largest in U.S. Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) — Crude oil rose after BP Plc shut Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay field, the largest in the U.S., because of corrosion in a pipeline. An inspection completed in […]
RichC | July 22, 2006
Dylan Ratigan of CNBC hosted a special last week that I recorded
RichC | July 19, 2006
A couple of days ago I commented that after donating our minivan to a family in need of a car and that we were need to replace it with something? I was not happy with my options since there were no commonsense ‘efficient’ diesels in vehicles with extra room; both my wife and I have […]
RichC | July 9, 2006
I’ve been battling a storm water problem since we built our house and every year tweak my existing water routing plan contemplating new ways to deal with it. I spotted a “This Old House” video clip that offered a solution … a few more dollars than I want to spend, but I appreciated the engineering […]
RichC | June 26, 2006
With the cost of fuel hovering just below $3.00 a gallon, alternative vehicles are becoming more and more attractive to average citizens. Unfortunately most alternative vehicles are only suited for weekend mechanics or people with expendable income. Enter Myers Motors and their all electric NmG (No More Gas). I had the good fortune last week […]
RichC | June 19, 2006
Sony has been showing off its Reader at several of the consumer electronic events around the country and from the reviews looks to be a winner of a product. The small size, clear text, and long battery life as well storage capacity should make this a winner. The only thing holding it back might be […]
RichC | June 13, 2006
It felt good today to put two people together that have complementing ministries. Jerry Skinner, the founder and tireless advocate for Romanian Handicapped Ministries (RHM), and Jan Householder and her ‘talented team of ladies’ who make dolls for the Giving Doll project. (see Cleveland Sun News article) Each summer, as well as other times during […]
RichC | May 20, 2006
I don’t own a DirecTV system, nor am I a shareholder … but I do appreciate their new advertising campaign. I posted a comment about a DirecTV commericial (Ferris Bueller) a couple of days ago, but just spotted another pretty funny one tonight while watching a news program. Maybe its not quite as good as […]
RichC | May 16, 2006
Under the Freedom of Information Act, the complete video taken by two video security cameras was release on May 16. The images show a hijacked airliner slamming into the Pentagon that were used in an ongoing investigation involving Zacarias Moussaoui. The government refused to release the video until after the trial. The still images from […]