Glued to the news of a “tragedy on Mt. Hood”

| December 18, 2006

As another day passes and a new day of searching begins, the nation waits for news from rescue efforts on Mt. Hood. Yesterday (Sunday), was the first clear day of searching since the wicked storms battered the Pacific Northwest, and one of the 3 missing climbers was found, unfortunately not alive, in a snow cave. […]

Discussion follow up: Tire Pressure Monitoring

| December 16, 2006

In our local CinciTDI Volkswagen car club, this past week we had a discussion on ‘tire pressure monitoring.’ I’m not sure all of the answers were correct, but found it interesting that Pat Goss of Motorweek had a segment about it in this weeks program. Although I didn’t find the comments as complete as the […]

Saving YouTube video clips to your computer

| December 14, 2006

I was asked if there was a way that someone could save videos from the popular video serving site YouTube and the answer is yes. About 6 months ago as I used a screen capture utilities like TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio (version 4 is the current release), but … recently I found that there are much […]

The ol’ Scared Pepper Experiment

| 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 […]

Lock Bumping: How secure is your home?

| 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, […]

Senator John Kerry … strike two …

| November 1, 2006

Oh … its getting hot in the political kitchen as John Kerry fires up the Republicans with comments made on October 30th as we near the November elections. Senator Kerry used a few words yesterday that either were not carefully selected, or he just poorly communicated his point — strike one. Nevertheless, his damage control […]

Be careful when Orca watching by kayak

| September 18, 2006

Considering I’m behind in getting up today’s post and haven’t posted a video clip recently … today’s post will be a clip served up over at Google Videos (at bottom). Besides including of one of my favorite sea mammals, the Orca or Killer Whale (I worked with Shamu at Sea World many years ago), the […]

Fireworks – Riverfest Cincinnati 2006

| September 3, 2006

If you’ve ever been around Cincinnati, Ohio on Labor Day weekend you most likely have seen (or at least heard of) the annual fireworks display. This year was the 30th year and the display was better than ever. It was 45 minutes of mind-boggling color, smoke and noise. In Cincinnati, you know what fireworks are […]

Honda Element Commercial: “I Pinch …”

| August 27, 2006

Every once in a while I enjoy posting something that tickles my funny bone. The Crab vs. Element clip is definitely a cute 30 second commercial. Honda would be smart to bring the creative Element and Friends TV “Crab” TV commercial to a few select markets … if not nationwide. I think it would be […]

Vacation book choice: Talking Right

| July 31, 2006

I’m looking for a light reading book for my upcoming vacation. Geoffrey Nunberg’s book, Talking Right, might just be the ticket. It looks humorous enough to keep the reading light, but topical enough to hold my interest. I’m open for opinions and will offer a few tidbits if they are worthy after our family vacation. […]

Addicted to Oil

| July 22, 2006

Dylan Ratigan of CNBC hosted a special last week that I recorded

HHO Gas from Water Power Promo Video

| June 23, 2006

In May I posted a story on “Water Power for you car” and received a few comments and couple of emails wanting more information. I attempted to dig for a bit more and sent an email to the developer. I was sent a promotional video clip that is included below. Basically the equipment was designed […]

VW A4 Headlight Replacement

| June 14, 2006

I know several readers of this blog are also Volkswagen TDI owners that come from a variety of diesel and biodiesel groups. The local club, CinciTDI, that I participate continues to create “How To” video clips that help with TDI related maintenance and modifications. I’m sitting on couple new “how to’s” and need to get […]

The Jeep Liberty CRD is Dead

| June 7, 2006

I just drove the Jeep Liberty diesel (again) last week and was planning to make some comments on the vehicle … unfortunately a blog post in AutoBlogGreen mentioned that the Detroit News indicated Daimler Chrysler would be killing the CRD. According to the articles, the new tougher federal emissions standards coming next year make it […]

The 1903 Wright Brother’s Engine

| June 4, 2006

Terry Hessler of Hessler Machine Tool gave an interesting lecture and then demonstrated his detail study and reproduction of an early Wright Brothers aircraft engine. His endeavor was covered on a History Channel TV special and DVD detailing the Wright Brother’s technology and first flight. We learned not only that Charles Taylor, the builder of […]

Twister Movie Commercial: DirecTV again

| 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 […]

Palm Treo 700p first look

| May 18, 2006

Mobility Today video taped a first look at the Treo 700p as they somehow got there hands on a new PDA smartphone. If you are at all interesting in a Treo device and what it can do, check out the the video clip that David Ciccone put together. It is mirrored at several locations so […]

Pentagon 9/11 Video Released

| 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 […]

Teacher/Student relationships

| May 12, 2006

It’s amazing to me that with all the recent news coverage that any teacher thinking about having relationships or inproperly interacting with students could still allow it to happen, let alone encourage it. Teachers certainly know better and shockingly are not showing judgement worthy of their position of trust. It hit pretty close to home […]

Desultory Items: Brain Port and Rugby

| April 25, 2006

Two totally different topics … “Brain Port” as described at MSNBC and a personal video. (humor me) First, a concept and device that was introduced 30 years ago by Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita at the University of Wisconsin; it is know as “Brain Port.” Originally it was a video camera that routed images through electrodes to […]

VW Jetta Safe Happens Ad: Effective?

| April 24, 2006

I spotted a Volkswagen Jetta advertisement that reminds me of the Volvo ads … stressing safety.An accident can happen at anytime and that selecting a car that is light and fuel efficient might not always be the wisest choice. Realizing just how much I spend on insurance “just in case” … perhaps a few dollars […]

Windows on a Mac: The Movie

| April 19, 2006

Someone asked me a bunch of questions about running Windows XP Pro on a Intel based Mac, so instead of just answering them, I’ll include a video clip. Several of the questions were about boot speed and comparisons, while others were general install comments. The video clip should cover the speed issue and differences in […]

The Holy Grail: Macs running Windows

| April 5, 2006

Oh Boy … I wish I was home today to download the brand new “Boot Camp” patch for my Apple duo-core Intel-Based Macintosh computer. This patch is offered by Apple and will allow their new Macs to run the Windows XP operating system as well as most Windows software. This has been something that many […]

Thinking of my RallyVW friends

| April 1, 2006

It’s been a long week and before I run out of steam I wanted to get this clip posted for April 1. Its ‘no joke’ and amazing these guys walked away uninjured. Click the Quicktime clip to watch the ‘rollover’ from three different angles: driver-cam, spectator video and the car mounted camera. It does makes […]

The Ohio Senate passes Jessica’s Law +

| March 31, 2006

In a bipartisan vote, Ohio Senate Republicans and Democrats passed a version of “Jessica’s Law,” which mandates prison terms of 25 years to life for the rape of a child under 13. The bill which heads to the house also includes 15 years to life for the attempted rape of a minor and mandatory prison […]

Advanced Energy Initiative

| March 29, 2006

The President has his work cut out for him in gaining national acceptance for a new US energy plan. Almost everyone is talking about energy these days, particularly oil since the barrel price has steadied in the mid- $60 per barrel range and gasoline at the pump is about $2.50/gallon nationally. (Wednesday, March 29, 2006, […]

DARPA and ‘Stanley’ on Public Television

| March 29, 2006

There was an excellent program on public television’s NOVA Tuesday night detailing the DARPA Challenge that I mentioned back in October of 2005. I’ve included the intro video clip below, but the program is well worth watching as it introduces the different teams, individuals and strategies. Considering none of the ‘driverless’ vehicles went farther than […]

VW GTI commercials – Speedy Gonzales moons the cats

| March 21, 2006

Volkswagen is one of those companies that seems to get a tad ‘edgy’ in it advertising campaigns. From the “Vee-Dub” and “German Engineering, ya-man” ads mentioned a couple weeks ago, to the latest Hispanic targeting ads featuring the cartoon mouse ‘Speedy Gonzalez.’ I posted a comment a week or so ago on the CinciTDI group […]

Engadget’s Treo 650 Birthday Cake

| March 18, 2006

I’m an Engadget fan and a Treo cell phone admirer, but when Kirk Sutherland submitted his entry for his working Birthday Cake Treo 650 there was little competition. Nice job Kirk! This past month the ‘gadget’ reporting website Engadget decided to give away presents for their 2nd birthday. Toward the end of the daily giveaways, […]

VW TDI Intake Manifold Teaser

| March 9, 2006

The 2006 TDIClub and CinciTDI DVD is nearly ready to ship. The ‘teaser’ video clip is being posted here before being sent to the groups video pages. This is primarily to test the H.264 recorded ‘teaser’ clip in hopes to get a little feedback. Most Quicktime 7.0 users with relatively fast computers shouldn’t have problems […]

Video: Lighten up and smile

| March 4, 2006

I received an email from a regular reader suggesting that my last couple of posts were “too serious” and left him a little “glum.” He mentioned that he liked the funny video clips (they can be found elsewhere on the web, btw) and that I should sporadically add a few more. “Glum?” Hmm … maybe??? […]

The E85 Ethanol solution

| March 2, 2006

Its all about marketing and timing. General Motors is off and running after gaining support for its “Live Green, Go Yellow” marketing blitz when President Bush used the bully pulpit to promote alternative fuels like ethanol. If this solution sounds too good to be true … it is because at this moment it is. Let’s […]

BMW’s Hybrid Steamer

| February 28, 2006

Since our nation has started talking about alternatives, I’ve been reading a little bit about the different alternative fuels and vehicles. One company taking a different tack is BMW, sort of re-inventing the steamer. Using an innovative concept, their engineers have successfully been harnessing the heat energy in a car. They are combining an innovative […]

Presidents’ Day and ‘questionable’ trivia

| February 20, 2006

George Washington was actually born on February 11, but a bill drafted in 1968 becoming law in 1971 has created a day that celebrated two US Presidents: Washington and Lincoln. The final day picked to celebrate these men ended up being the 3rd Monday in February, but the name was never officially changed from “Washington’s […]

The Greatest Auto Race – NOT the Daytona 500

| February 19, 2006

The Daytona 500 ran today, as it does every year at this time to kick off the NASCAR season. Jimmy Johnson won in his Lowes sponsored #48 Chevrolet ten days after his crew chief was kicked out for illegally altering his car. Besides the ‘taint’ on the victory, Johnson drove a competitive race as did […]

Larry Neal’s Super Sky Cycle

| February 16, 2006

Thanks to EAA friend Mark Keener and his scrutiny of all things aviation, a video clip of Larry Neal flying his Super Sky Cycle was brought to my attention – its an interesting flying motorcycle prototype nearing kit production. I know what you’re thinking, “But Rich, the media has been telling us about these kinds […]

Another Ford Sportka Commercial

| February 9, 2006

A couple days ago I posted a commercial (Video Clip for Bird Lovers) and figure it only fair to return the politically incorrect post. This one is for cat lovers. 😉

Video Clip for bird lovers

| February 5, 2006

I’m guessing that across the pond there don’t worry about political correctness in their advertising? This Ford Sportka ad is rather disturbing. “Here kitty – kitty – kitty.” 😉

Video: Just for fun …

| February 4, 2006

I’ve been wanting to be able to incorporate a series of short video clips in my blog. Some clips have most likely been spotted on the internet before, others might be new and a few I’ve recently encoded. Instead of ‘forwarding’ to friends I thought I would share them here. Without further ado I’ll put […]

Outstanding Rally Video

| January 16, 2006

By accident, I picked up a great videocast link from a visitor to NAIAS. The Climb Dance WMV clip (right click/save as) is short at only 3 minutes 45 seconds and 11 megs. I thought it was worth sharing with the automotive types that might occasionally read my blog. The audio is nearly as good […]

Of Ghosts and Goblins …

| October 31, 2005

A friend of mine is always coming up with interesting ‘car related’ news and emails … he has forwarded me this one for Halloween; its a bit of a stretch to see the ‘ghost,’ but worth ‘scaring’ … I mean ‘sharing’ here. This is a car advertisement from Great Britain. When they finished filming the […]

Memorable Wedding Part 2

| October 29, 2005

Last night I watched the NBC program “Three Wishes” that I commented (see post) on a couple of weeks ago; they helped welcomed home the 3/25 Marine unit from Iraq to Ohio. It was a heartwarming 60 minute program that was very emotional. The program actually granted four wishes with several receiving homes, a couple […]

Biodiesel and Trucks! w/ Stacey David

| June 13, 2005

Biodiesel was the topic on Trucks! (SpikeTV) this past weekend. The host, Stacey David is an addictive guy to watch, although can probably only be tolerated in small doses. 🙂 He did a nice job of explaining the ‘homebrew’ biodiesel processes and kept it simple; he also does a great job of ‘convincing’ his audience […]

Imagine … newspapers on a computer. No way!

| May 15, 2005

’75 MGB lives!

| May 9, 2005

Mother’s Day 2005 was a good day for both mom and son. Taylor, who is turning 16 this summer, had a great day as he had an opportunity to drive our 1975 MBG we have been working on this winter. Last month we were able to finish the mechanical work on the engine and without […]

2005.5 Jetta V Trunk with CinciTDI.com

| April 29, 2005

Since my digital Canon S50 comes with a limited ‘video’ mode I thought I would try it out and include a short video clip without audio below. What is noticable is that the trunk opens slowly when one triggers the trunk release and that the capacity is huge. Over 16 cu. ft. which is larger […]

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