Video: So you want your own missile launcher …

| July 5, 2012

Volkswagen Beetles have been adapted for many things, but a “Homefront Security” missile launcher like this bug is new to me. This VeeDub half-track isn’t the quietest or speediest of weapon systems (video below), but it is definitely a unique VW … and most likely will attract more than just your neighbor’s attention while patrolling the […]

Enjoying the first of our neighbors excellent fireworks

| July 1, 2012

Every year my neighbor goes all out on the fourth of July and buys hundreds, no thousands of dollars of fireworks. This year he warned me that it will be both on the weekend and the fourth! Let the show begin (also retesting my HTML5/FLV fallback Hana video plugin for WordPress). 🙂

How about meeting at the beach under the umbrella?

| June 30, 2012

  Don’t you love going to the beach in the summer … watch out for floaters! Hmm, maybe I’ll just stay home. (Do you think they all use the restroom before arriving?)

Dealing with the fringes of tropical storm Debby

| June 25, 2012

Encore is out of the water, but not necessarily dry at the moment. No doubt I picked a lousy weekend and Monday morning to schedule for our haul-out. It has been a planned move since my failed attempt in May for coming out of the water for the 2012 hurricane season and much needed bottom […]

Enjoyed this WSJ article … and yes downloaded Jotly

| June 6, 2012

No longer available WSJ article

Testing MP4 compression for streaming

| May 20, 2012

This is a video test to check for streaming compression using Handbrake on a PC. (this is a test for Keith Thomas at GroupBibleStudy.com) Deleting the Hana-FLV-Player plugin from WordPress as it is no longer supported.

Mom’s out of surgery but a bit groggy

| May 12, 2012

My mom’s surgery went semi-okay today. The surgeon indicated that he was able to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, but unfortunately with the infected tissue (and possibly bone) they were unable to “cement” the vertebrae fractures. Long term this will be a problem but can’t be repaired until infection is gone. She […]

Volkswagen concept car in China

| May 3, 2012

My friend Scott (@sbilik) tweeted me this excellent "Volkswagen concept car in China" video this morning. Although I can’t understand the audio, it was well done and something I think many my age thought might be a reality in our lifetime.

Archive: Lunchtime update for our front porch project

| April 24, 2012

I finished wire brushing, sanding and painting the black iron railing last night and greeted the masons over lunch to see how the progress of the thin pavers is coming along. Sort of glad I hired them and am not tackling this project myself. (I was actually was up on the roof yesterday – birds […]

Video for WordPress and embed issues for multiple browsers

| April 23, 2012

Here’s what works and what doesn’t work when using the Hana Flv Player plug in with my WordPress install in an attempt to figure out the best way to post video that will play in all browser/hardware combinations. Embedding test video with the Kodak Playsport Zx5 1. Safari on the iPad 2 only post description […]

A test to see how well the Hana video plug-in works

| April 22, 2012

Testing the Hana plug-in with H.264 mp4 files. This first is with the Kodak Zx5 at the lowest setting. (iPad compatible) HANA PLAYER REPLACED in 2019 ADD — Test 2: Palm Pre raw video upload test

New video embed compatible with Apple devices

| April 22, 2012

I’ve been using embedded flash video for everything up to this point on my blog and unless the services like YouTube offer Apple H.264 mp4 versions, viewers have been out of luck with my posted video. I spent a few hours looking at different option and will give Hana FLV Player a try. Hopefully it […]

Feel good story: Caine’s Arcade

| April 22, 2012

Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

Movie Trailer: One Simple Question – Quest to Find an Iceberg

| April 22, 2012

I’ve been following Ben Erikson’s sailing, great photos and videos since he was sailing his NorSea … a boat like we once owned. Over the years he has used his talents to share information on a couple blogs while he reconditioned his sailboats (plural) – the most recent his BCC Elizabeth. Eventually he met up […]

Recording Van Sessions: Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

| April 5, 2012

Perhaps I’m not around musicians enough to appreciate their unique creativity when it comes to great ways to promote themselves … but Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers caught my attention with their recording sessions as they travel between gigs.  A couple of my son’s talented friends might want to give the “Van Sessions” idea a […]

Video: Frightening snowy mountain tow truck scene

| April 3, 2012

Perhaps a lesson from Mator is in order?

NASA’s Perpetual Ocean currents video

| April 2, 2012

Although this has probably been around a few years, the NASA‘s Perpetual Ocean is as artistic as it is informative. Those who transit the oceans of the world know the power of currents … this video illustrates how prevalent ocean currents are.

Human wingpowered flight … still a dream

| March 24, 2012

Although this turn out to be an elaborate hoax, it sure gets the juices flowing for all those who dream of flying like a bird!

Tech Friday: Chris Miller talks about security for online IDs

| March 23, 2012

Saw these tips on Google+ earlier this week and thought they would make for a good Tech Friday post.  Chris Miller has some great ideas regarding online security such as using a set of fabricated security question answers, separate addresses for Private, Personal and Public emails and setting all online avatars and info the same […]

Politician from both sides doing little to move us forward

| March 22, 2012

It’s easy for someone like me with a fiscally and socially conservative ideology to disagree with President Obama and his expansion of government. I disagree with his irresponsible deficit spending, his liberal social philosophies and adding new entitlements. As he approaches re-election he has also returned to blaming someone else for problems, even after 3+ […]

Our White Star Magnolia has bloomed super early this year

| March 18, 2012

Since each year I’ve either looked at, blogged about or taken a photo of the White Star Magnolia we planted for Brenda back on Mother’s Day in 2008, I’ll include a macro video test  with the little waterproof Kodak Playsport Zx5 pocket camera. (hint: don’t use the macro setting for this) The flowers have been […]

Rip roaring a rally car on the snow covered Alps

| March 15, 2012

The Top Gear crew filmed a Peugeot 207 S 2000 racing down the snow covered twists and turns near the ski resort Ravascletto (Monte Zoncolan in the Alps). The video below displays some pretty impressive driving with drifting and high speeds by the 6 time Italian rally champion Paolo Andreucci. Beautiful scenery that … debatably […]

The lunacy of the super perigee moon

| March 14, 2012

Interesting educational video explaining the super moon a little over a month away in May 2012. A couple of the points were interesting, such as the word “lunacy” (lunar) coming from the folklore of strange things happening under a full moon. The couple centimeters of tidal change also surprised me. It was less than I […]

Obituary: Davy Jones dies of a heart attack at age 66

| February 29, 2012

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Archive: History of aviation video

| February 28, 2012

My EAA friend Steve posted this aviation history video to his site and I wanted to share and archive it on my site too. Probably should make a copy in case it disappears from YouTube …hmm?

Jeb Corliss still has something to learn from flying squirrels

| February 23, 2012

Here’s a flying wingsuit jump that didn’t go as planned; the January 120mph collision with a mountain cliff isn’t something many adrenalin junkies survive to talk about. (broken legs and a 5 weeks in the hospital)

Time to wake up with the world’s largest rope swing

| February 17, 2012

From Predator Drones to Swarms of Nano Quadrotors

| February 1, 2012

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President Obama connects on a hangout with Google+users

| January 30, 2012

YouTube live at 5:30PM EST on January 30, 2012 Great use of technology, although it certainly does require respectful users … unfortunately a little too much “respect” ends up with friendly to President Obama questioners. The hangout is interesting as I’m only 15 minutes in, but its beginning to sound a little like a campaign […]

Start thinking about those expensive Superbowl commercials

| January 30, 2012

For those of you who remember, or just enjoyed (my old  link), the classic Matthew Broderick movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, prepare yourself for a new Superbowl 46 ad by Honda. Hmm, Brenda just might be interested in a CR-V as a replacement for her Rav4 … on second thought, she might really rather have […]

Visiting Mom and Dad with family again

| January 29, 2012

Mom and Diane on Saturday afternoon January 28, 2012 It was great to see my mom happy to have visitors and feeling pretty good after getting a better combination of pain medication. Although her vertebrae is deteriorating and their has been little hope for a surgical repair, she has been in much better spirits now […]

If it were not so long, I would enjoy riding a Toothpick

| January 29, 2012

Video: Birch bark canoe – C’SAR ET SON CANOT D’CORCE

| January 20, 2012

Could help but sharing this pretty interesting (long) video illustrating traditional Birch bark canoe building … who knew so much went into building these boats.

While thinking about good ol’ days, how about this?

| January 19, 2012

I came across the video below where a father explains LP records to his daugher and thought the old photos and shared memoies that I posted earlier … ugh,  are my 78’s that old? (that would be 78rpm records, not the year 1978!) For the record (pun intended), the 78 records mention above were my […]

Winter is finally here with a little snow and colder weather

| January 14, 2012

I’m thankful for the mild weather so far this year and it’s not realistic to think we’ll make it through winter without snow or cold weather. Still, waking up on Friday to 35 mph gusts and temps in the teens was a shock to the body as I haven’t adapted to winter yet, have you?  […]

A creative page turning Mousetrap-style online video

| January 11, 2012

We’ve all probably watched the Mousetrap-like YouTube videos over the past few years and admired the producers ingenuity (not this kind of mousetrap video though); well here’s one that I could actually use to help turn my paper the morning … until I switch to a tablet!   I wonder if I could train my daughter’s […]

Video: Do you really need to leap for the thrill of it?

| January 9, 2012

Before you “leap” … how do you know the bungee is going to hold? I enjoy an adrenaline rush as much as the next guy, but the older I get the more control in the outcome I want to have; I’m not sure I like the idea of trusting a bungee cord. One lucky bungee […]

First snow for 2012 and a UK Top Gear chuckle

| January 2, 2012

It looks like we’ll be getting the first real snow of the season today … and definitely the first for 2012, Happy New Year by the way. I’m spending today at home tackling a few chores like helping my son put his snow tires on the VW GTI; it is not the most behaved vehicle […]

Video: Someone needs to fit glasses on this little guy

| December 28, 2011

Just a cute YouTube video that should make this turtle appreciate that he has someone taking care of him and is not out foraging for himself … I don’t think he would make it.

The one word is now three words: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

| December 22, 2011

Once upon a time, the word “Plasitcs” was uttered by Mr. McGuire as “enough said” advice for The Graduate in 1967 … nowadays I think we need to start thinking three words or perhaps just the acronym … UAV?   The Graduate (mp3) … one word for you, plastics All I can say is find […]

Miami Redhawks equipment manager warms up with the team

| December 20, 2011

Brenda and I are enjoying the evenings with our son Taylor who is home from college for Christmas break. He shared a few stories and a cute video from the Miami University (OH) football field that was shown on Sportscenter. The somewhat viral YouTube video (at least on campus) made by the student film team […]

Home for Christmas and making his parent dinner

| December 18, 2011

It doesn’t get much better than this … our son Taylor is home from college for Christmas break and after living off campus decided to make dinner for his parents. What a treat to know that he can cook well enough to take care of himself and enjoys making dinner for us. In appreciation I […]

Video: A feel good story for Humpback Whale lovers

| December 14, 2011

Video: Jetman Yves Rossy flies in formation

| December 1, 2011

I’ve posted on Yves Rossy  and the Breitling team since his original flights over the Swiss Alps and here’s his “new feat: Flying in formation at full throttle together with 2 jets from the Breitling Jet Team … at their minimum speed. Beautiful images for an outstanding achievement!”

Innovative toothbrush idea

| November 20, 2011

I guess this has been around since a patent application in 2007, but I haven’t noticed toothbrushes like this at my dentist office or in the drugstore. This redirecting water toothbrush looks like a pretty good idea for Cincinnati’s Proctor & Gamble or other toothpaste maker?

How big a wave is too big to surf?

| November 15, 2011

Obviously not a world record 90 feet … gulp!

Archive: Caring and pruning Raspberries

| November 4, 2011

via youtube.com Excellent tips for growing and maintaining a raspberry patch (row). Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

The continuing MGB Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor problem

| October 29, 2011

As I continue to diagnose and tinker with my MGB and the Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor and manifold kit that replace the Zenith carb, I’m still having problems figuring out why it will not idle off of choke. So as long as I have the choke on, the car will idle hot or cold at […]

Who’s taking the lead in Internet TV? Google, Apple, etc

| October 28, 2011

The next big technovation for the big Internet players is no doubt going to be “winning” in the TV space — here’s a short vidoe demonstrating where Google TV is going with their product (below). Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

Who doesn’t love a sunrise photo, even when from space

| October 25, 2011

Sunrise and sunset photos have always been favorites of mine … this one taken by astronaut Ron Garan from space and posted on G+ is no exception. His photos of meteors plunging through the earth’s atmosphere  were made even more interesting with the addition of sound … although kind of eery (video below).

Video: Kayaking with the largest animals on earth

| October 21, 2011

A Redondo Beach California diver/kayaker posted some YouTube footage from his GoPro camera earlier in the week … and although I’m hesitant to see people get too close to an animal’s habitat, these close up images are pretty impressive.

Cooler evening, still air and hot air balloons

| October 9, 2011

As the autumn weather takes hold in my part of Ohio, we’re seeing a few more hot air balloons drifting by in the evening. This past weekend we had one a bit lower than usual which in turn set the dogs off in the neighborhood … especially when the gas burner roared. I happened to […]

One of the most peaceful rest stops, if I had time

| September 29, 2011

Although this might just be my opinion, but the Bemus Point, New York rest area which overlooks Lake Chautauqua is one of the nicest stops I rarely miss. I know I’ve posted a few photos before, but today I though I’d give our (Brenda’s) new Kodak Playsport Zx5 pocket camcorder a test. The video is […]

MGB idling problems – posting to a British car forum

| September 27, 2011

I’m posting my MGB idling problem to the MG Experience forums in hopes to gain a little help … if you’re “just a car guru” and have some advice I don’t mind the extra thinking – either leave me an email or Disqus comment below. Thanks and additional details below. From forum: First, a year […]

World’s Fastest Car Show debuts on EbayMotors

| September 24, 2011

Enjoyed the new World Fastest Car Show (WFCS) online video program on YouTube from Ebay Motors (video below) and learned something interesting right from the start. The Ford Mustang BOSS 302 got its name “BOSS” when the lead designer creating the original 1970 V-8 302 Mustang for Parnelli Jones was asked, “who ya doing that […]

Video: Jetman flies his wing over the Grand Canyon

| September 22, 2011

I have posted some of Yves Rolly’s video in the past on my blog and thought I would archive his flight over the Grand Canyon from May 2011. A friend mine (a psychiatrist, by the way), email me the link saying that this clip reminded her of me. Hmm, I told her “when I strap […]

Isarithmic depiction of the U.S. two-party system

| September 19, 2011

This was posted in late 2010, but I found the tracking of our two-party voting pretty interesting sped up over time. While trying to remember my American history, it is interesting to watch the political swings in ideology over the years. The swings between too much centralized government and regulation … and unregulated capitalism has […]

How to get a tall mast under a not so tall fixed bridge

| September 16, 2011

This skipper and his sailboat have something in common by going under the bridge in this way. I’m impress with both the ingenuity and boldness. How to get an 80′ rig through the 65′ bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway using two tons of water. The balls get swung out with an initial turn to port […]

This is what I call “standing behind your product”

| September 2, 2011

As the employee of Texas Armoring Corporation comments before firing his AK-47 at his boss, CEO R. Trent Kimball … “don’t try this at home.” Now that CEO is confident that his product will do what it is designed to do … “resist bullets!”

Financial markets down again, continuing the summer of pain

| August 19, 2011

The Dow closes at the low of the day noting that few want to stay long for the weekend. Moving the market down was the misguided management at HP after their announcement yesterday (traded down 20% today and yanking the DJIA with it). Hard to believe an iconic American company with such deep pockets and […]

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