My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on June 20, 2023

Around the year Brenda and I were married (1982), we bought a couple of bicycles to ride around Aurora, Ohio where we bought our first house. Her 10-speed has long since disappeared (perhaps garage sale) but we kept mine through the years. It is a bit on the heavy side, but my Jamis bike was well built and sturdy … and still rides well even with the additional 20+ pounds I’ve added over the last 40 years! 

As mentioned over the weekend, the original tires were cracked and would no long hold air (although I have replaced the tubes a couple of times in the past). Recently I’m hoping a little TLC will help me fulfill a promise I made to my granddaughter: “I’ll fix my bike so we can ride around the lake together.”

It was difficult to find the narrower gum-sidewall original 1.5” tires, but after measuring, it looked as if I could install a 26” x 1.95 tire on the rims that were much more reasonably priced. So with a little fender adjustment, some cleaning and repacking the crank with new grease, the old bike rides well … and doesn’t look bad either (except for sore legs) … that was until Brenda commented, “it looks like an old man’s bike.”

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Category: Archive, Bikes, Gadget, Hobby, Hybrid, Idioms, Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: bicycle, bike, bikes, ebike, jamis, repaired, tires

Posted By RichC on June 19, 2023

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Category: AI, Memories, Music | No Comments »
Tags: carl douglas, chatgpt, kung fu, kung fu fighting, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, one hit wonder, siriusxm

Posted By RichC on June 18, 2023

It was an end of the week “Safety Town graduation” and garage sale for Katelyn, Brenda and the girls (and Saturday sale for Drew) as they “unloaded” some stuff before having to move it. They did well and on top of it was a great time to be together (from what I’ve heard).

All in all financially, it is challenging to weigh the time/effort vs money aspect of doing it, but from the numbers still worked out in their favor. Great job … especially instilling the time honored “Lemonade Stand” entrepreneurship lesson by my granddaughters. Love it!

I’m spending Father’s Day getting a few old toys from our kids ready for my granddaughters this summer. Cleaning, repairing and hoping they might be enjoyed by the next generation (probably should have just sold them in a garage sale!) 

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Category: Archive, Holiday, Humor, Mercedes, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: bike, bikes, brenda, butterfly, fathers day, garage sale, granddaughters, katelyn, kettler car, project, toys

Posted By RichC on June 17, 2023

Since the Cornhole game project for Taylor’s birthday is finished … and because we had a little bit of rain … I decided to restart work on the Octagon side table. The challenging eight-sided top was finished a couple months ago, but not the legs. 

The legs need to be sturdy enough to hold the sand dollars, shells or whatever is in the display area under the round beveled glass … but not be so bulky to look like it was built by a general carpenter rather than furniture maker (this is a building trade joke usually comparing rough carpentry to finished carpentry … but it applies to design too).

The new part for me are a couple of crossing fitted lap joints to keep the legs in position with tenons on the ends that fit into mortises — keeping with my mortise and tenon practicing (previous project). The top will be held on by fairly large notches and dowel pins rather than screws. The entire table will be fitted joinery without any metal fasteners … just tenons and dowels. So far so good. 

Adding a photo from Father’s Day gluing up and adding dowels.

Category: Archive, Hobby, Photos, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: condo1718, maple, octagon, project, side table, table, woodworking, workshop

Posted By RichC on June 16, 2023

Technology advancements and AI photo and video editing has been around a few years (FaceApp photos) … but some of the newer fakes or clones are a bit “too” convincing (link to a “human generated” one, but not necessarily convincing). 😉

As a society, there’s no turning back once artificial intelligence abilities are here, but the fear, or concern, is that AI decides no human requests or input are needed to begin creating content. A Congressional hearing this past week highlight just how those with evil intent are using it — threats and blackmailing for money.

As for the “All In The Family” photo (left) or “world leaders as children” (video below) … it can also be entertaining just as is TikTok … all the while collecting data for the Chinese Communist Party. Who knows what it will be used for?

Category: Art, Computer, Social Media, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: ai, all in the family, blackmail, mash, mp4, tech friday, techfriday, television, tiktok, youtube

Posted By RichC on June 15, 2023

Back in 2009, after years of using Palm OS products like the Palm Pilot, the Handspring Visor, Palm Treo, Palm Centro and my favorite Samsung SPH i500, I eventually ended up with a small pocketable, full-featured smartphone — the Palm Pre. Who knew that only a year later that I would be forced to give it up?

Why? Because Hewlett Packard bought the Palm, did “something” (who knows) with the their operating system known as webOS … and then deep-sixed the hardware just as they did with Compaq when that bought them (I still own a Compaq portable). Never really have been a fan of HP.

But anyway for ThrowBack Thursday #TBT, here’s a photo of both the sliding physical keyboard and me using the GPS and brand new Google Maps for driving … for posterity.

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Category: Cellphone, Gadget, TBT, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: palm, palm pre, palmos, smartphone, TBT

Posted By RichC on June 14, 2023

I needed another book to read like a hole in my head as the idiom goes, but since the newly released book by Marco Rubio called “Decades of Decadence” hit the bookstore today, I figured that I would “get on the list” at my local library. Lo and behold it was available on Hoopla as an eBook. Now to find the time to read it?

Thirty years of telling Americans they don’t need families, communities, or a shared history is destroying what made our country the envy of the world.

While many Americans have worried about China, open borders, opioids, failing communities, and families in crisis, our elites have told us that’s all fine because it’s not only inevitable; it’s for the best.

Every part of our nation is now in decline, and it’s all connected.

In Decades of Decadence, Marco Rubio exposes the elites’ attacks on the four key elements of American strength: good local jobs, stable families, geographical communities, and a sovereign nation that serves as a beacon of freedom and prosperity. These have been eroded not only by globalization, but by the lies we tell ourselves, including, “Anyone who loves each other is a family,” “Real community can be found on the internet,” and “We’re all citizens of the world.”

It’s not too late to reject these errors. America remains a powerful and wealthy nation, built on timeless truths ingrained in the very creation of mankind. But we cannot afford another misguided and decadent decade. In this book, Rubio shows how we can avoid another dark age and restore America’s place as the global ideal of harmony, opportunity, and democracy.

EDIT Add on 6/15/2023: After listening to a Ben Domenech podcast interviewing Senator Marco Rubio on what is titled “America’s Crossroads Moment,” I found it too interesting and informative NOT to share. Listen or download wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts for me) … or listen or fast-forward through it below if you are pinched for time.

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Category: Audio, Books, Idioms, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: ben domenich, book, borrowing, decades of decadence, ebook, hoopla, idiom, marco rubio, mp3, podcast, rubio

Posted By RichC on June 13, 2023

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Category: Archive, Memories, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, birthday, drew, ellerie, family, katelyn, Knockerball, mp4, taylor

Posted By RichC on June 12, 2023

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Category: Environment, Music, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: imagine, it's alright, john lennon, love, moffatts, mp3, Music, music monday, musicmonday, the impressions, Travel

Posted By RichC on June 11, 2023

We are with family and friends for Taylor’s Birthday this weekend and suspect I won’t have time to post on Saturday … so I’m clearing out and archiving a few photos in my “possible blog archive folder” that have collected from the week. 

First was a photo from western New York where my nephews Justin and Aaron (sister Jackie just had a baby) were home to make the annual Mark A. Howard scholarship award to a deserving Maple Grove Jr/Sr High School graduate (their alma mater and where their mom taught). What a great way to remember their dad.

Second was a strange photo of and airline seat concept that looks to squeeze more passengers into a plane … rather that to keep them more comfortable. So much for the middle seat being undesirable! 

Finally … Katelyn sent me a couple “starting to move stuff” photos as they prepare to get their old house ready to sell and rented a U-Haul trailer to start the process. Ugh, moving is not really fun. 

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: air travel, bemus point, concept, homebuilding, howard, maple grove, mark howard, moving, new york, oostra, scholarship, uhaul