My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on May 23, 2023

My son Taylor has another semi-repeat backpacking trip planned with a friend from North Dakota (he is now in Montana) for the end of the summer in Glacier National Park (different area). The permits were obtained for the “loop” that they wanted … so now the packing and getting in shape begins (it was fun listening to him talk about it while spending 5 hours in the car — UGH — with him this past weekend to a dance recital). 

So now that this trip is booked (photo from his 2014 trip),  I’m a little more focused on the articles and in returning to the social groups (actually pre-social media groups) that I was once more attentive too.

Here’s a good ‘distance planning’ tip:

To work out how long it’ll take you to walk a certain distance, allow one hour for every three miles you measure on a map (a twenty-minute mile is roughly correct for most adults) and add an extra 30 minutes for every 1,000 feet of elevation you climb.

Category: Environment, Recreation, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: backpacking, glacier, hiking, montana, national park, planning, taylor, tips

Posted By RichC on May 22, 2023

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Category: Music | No Comments »
Tags: little river band, lrb, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, so many paths

Posted By RichC on May 21, 2023

In all likelihood, one of the next vehicles in our garage will have some kind of electric motor and rechargeable battery pack (or maybe a traditional non-plugin hybrid?) I’m not convinced yet that we are ready for a full EV … at least for our primary car … but admire what Tesla is doing and has been doing for my son-in-law since 2019.

As for the more intriguing vehicles coming to market, the rotary engine “as a range extender” on the Mazda MX30 R-EV has caught my attention. It also is currently the only one my wife has “any” interest in as a replacement for her 2010 Acura RDX (although our 1988 Mazda 626 Turbo was still her favorite car). Unfortunately at this point, the “rotary range extender” MX30 R-EV version is not even imported to the U.S. 

The engine is mounted directly to a generator and the electric motor that drives the MX30 R-EV’s front wheels, all of which is located in the vehicle’s engine bay. The engine never drives the wheels, meaning it is free to operate within a rev range that’s optimal for power and emissions. It’s used solely to generate electricity that can charge the battery or, during strong acceleration, also help power the electric motor.

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Category: Automotive, Mazda | No Comments »
Tags: engine, ev, hybrid, mazda, motor authority, mx30, rotary, tesla, vehicles

Posted By RichC on May 20, 2023

An opinion article by Faith Bottum in the Wall Street Journal about ink on paper books, ebook readers and bookshelves spoke to me last week … so I tweeted about it in agreement; I love having books in the home.

Perhaps being in printing and publishing established my love for ink on paper, but for whatever reason, I do still prefer “hard and soft copy” books and keeping them on bookshelves in a personal library. 

Houses Without Tomes Aren’t Homes by @Faithika -“an ebook reader with hundreds of titles isn’t the same. I suspect we read differently when we read electronic text, but I know we live differently without physical #books” @WSJopinion https://t.co/s5x556OtKN

— Rich Corbett 🇺🇸 (@RichC)

May 18, 2023

Category: Books, Gadget, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: bookshelf, bookshelves, ebooks, ereader, faith bottum, ink, library, opinion, paper, reading, twitter, wsj

Posted By RichC on May 19, 2023

As a long time fan of the long running television series “M*A*S*H,” I could help but be impressed by a photo making its way around social media (probably something to do with my age). This is an impressive group of young look-alikes posing for an eerily similar photo (I’m keeping my eyes open for the HQ version). 

Category: Entertainment, Misc, Photos, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: friday filler, look-alike, mash, series, social media, television, tv

Posted By RichC on 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. 

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Category: Blogs, Misc, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: linux, mp4, server, tech friday, techfriday, testing, update, upgrade, wordpress

Posted By RichC on May 18, 2023

Most people spend their lives going to school, focused on work and career, raising their family and after 6 decades or so can plan for the day they shift gears and retire. The question arises, what do you want to do and where do you want to live when you aren’t restricted by school and work?  

Some of us, at least in our younger days, imagined sailing where the wind blows (you can guess who) … for others it is a mountain cabin or a warm and sunny beach. I do admire the Florida Panhandle (photo right) and had some pretty fond memories (and photo for Throwback Thursday #TBT). Eventually though, reality hits most of us … and priorities like being closer and connected to family, focused on health and near quality medical care increasingly important. There’s also that nasty affordability aspect to decisions and “how to pay” for the desired lifestyle?

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot more lately as the “larger than we need” home may soon get a new property appraisal. With that could come a much larger property tax bill. Do we really want to continue to live here in our comfortable home (with a lot of maintenance) as the cost and taxes rise? 

Brenda and I aren’t quite talking retirement yet, but we are closing in on that time and having the discussions. Unfortunately we are more confused that ever as to what we really want or what the future holds. In a way it is nice to have that freedom, but for me, a person who appreciates having “a plan that comes together” … it is also frustrating. Stay tuned.

Category: Local, Memories, News, Personal, Photos, Retirement | No Comments »
Tags: a-team, brenda, florida, hannibal, panhandle, planning, retirement, richc

Posted By RichC on May 17, 2023

We have been happy with Mint Mobile for a couple of years as our MVNO wireless carrier. The service has been good service … prices fair … and it has been perfect for our needs. 

In April though, I switched my iPhone7-plus to US Mobile for a trial due to less than optimum coverage at one location … but really the service has been good. My wife’s Mint service was ready for the annual renewal, but instead fo  switching her new iPhone14 over as well … I was convinced by the Mint’s cancelation department to stay another year; all it took was a $45 credit to convince me to renew.  

When the “auto renewal” triggered on Tuesday, the charge was declined for some reason and brought attention to the billing charge. I noticed the charge was not the $135 (plus the $45 credit) as expected (above), but instead was $155.62 … and then $154.95? If I had not previously renewed with Mint a couple times in the past with both our phones, I would have just thought … “oh, $20 in telecommunication taxes.” BUT in the past I don’t recall a breakdown that included taxes, fees and an $18.50 “recovery charge?”  Hm, did something change — well, Mint is now owned by T-Mobile. 

So be aware if you are looking at Mint/T-Mobile as there is a semi-hidden (at least not up front) fee that includes an $1.50/mo Recovery Fee.  This will likely be the last renewal for even with the “$45 please stay” credit as the surprise has left a bad taste in my mouth.

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Category: Business, Cellphone, Shopping, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: auto renewal, billing, complaint, credit card, issue, mint mobile, mnvo, t-mobile, usmobile

Posted By RichC on May 16, 2023

Something unanticipated happened last weekend when secretly trying to prepare a new iPhone14 to give to Brenda for Mother’s Day … it was likely the busiest time for wireless cellphone towers … especially if on Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). 

In other words, the day I gave Brenda the new phone to play with was the day everyone was attempting to send their mothers messages or calling them. Ugh … the T-Mobile system was slow, sluggish and overwhelmed in our area, which is the carrier Mint Mobile uses.

So much for bragging about her new 5G speeds and Apple Silicon A15 Bionic Chip with 5-core GPU all when text messages wouldn’t send and arrived late. Hm …I should have thought it through a little bit more. Thankfully all the congestion cleared up by the end of the day and she is now happy … but still missing the “home” button a little bit. I think what made her even happier was the new blue Magsafe silicone case that Taylor and Katelyn gave her for Mother’s Day in order to protect her new pretty iPhone14.

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Category: Apple, Archive, Cellphone, Photos, Shopping, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 5G, apple, iphone14, mint mobile, upgrade, wireless

Posted By RichC on May 15, 2023

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Category: Humor, Memories, Music | No Comments »
Tags: haircut, jimmy buffett, Memory, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, warning