My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on April 21, 2023

Although my first computer was a Compaq Portable (I still have it and I think it still boots up) … my second computer was a Macintosh SE with a giant 20MB HD … the more successful and lower price version of the Lisa. Did you know that the Apple Lisa turned 40 this year? How many years have I been using Apple computers … well, not quite this long?

The Apple Lisa introduced the graphic user interface (GUI) into the Apple Computer Corporation’s line of personal computers. Instead of using only text-based commands, users could employ pictorial icons displayed on the screen to initiate operations. Officially, “Lisa” stood for “Local Integrated Software Architecture,” but it was also the name of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ daughter. This computer was also Jobs “baby,” as he championed its creation and believed it would revolutionize personal computing. Apple spent four years and $50 million to develop it, but it turned out to be a commercial flop, in large part because of the $10,000 per unit cost. Only 80,000 were eventually sold. The Lisa is most important historically as the computer that pioneered concepts later used in the far more successful Macintosh.

Read more at Smithsonian link

Category: Apple, Computer, History, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: gui, lisa, macintosh, steve jobs, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on April 20, 2023

When it comes to fast aircraft, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the one most of us know about. In a social media Twitter mention last week, Massimo posted this photo and link.

The SR-71 Blackbird was so fast that, if attacked by surface-to-air missiles, it simply flew higher, faster, and in a slightly different direction to outrun them. 

This story from 1986’s Libya crisis, confirms: LINK

Category: Aviation, Photos, Social Media, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: aircraft, lockheed, massimo, sr-71 blackbird, TBT, twitter

Posted By RichC on April 19, 2023

On Twitter this past week, Elon Musk retweeted an image of a bunch of different outlets around the world. Wow, do we really need that many different electrical outlets and plugs?

Category: Social Media, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: countries, electric, engineering, plugs, twitter

Posted By RichC on April 18, 2023

Yup … ENFORCEMENT.

… hundreds of IRS applications have been around for at least 25 years and dozens that have been in existence for more than 50. There were also pieces of software running 15 updates behind the current version. Fifteen! That’s like using a new iPhone with the iOS from the original iPhone … 

LINK

So … the IRS needs a serious systems upgrade, but just how much of the latest $80 Billion dollars passed by the last congress is headed towards technology and customer service improvement vs enforcement? Take a look at an article this month from the Taxfoundation.org to find out where all those BILLIONS are going to be spent (as if we don’t really know).

An increase in IRS audit rates should increase tax compliance, but it could simultaneously increase compliance costs thanks to false positives: taxpayers already paying their owed liability nonetheless facing an audit. It would be ideal if the document had a more thorough or binding description of how the agency will protect or respect taxpayer rights while pursuing the (legitimate) goal of reducing the tax gap (i.e., the gap between taxes owed and taxes collected). The document also sticks to the flawed promise of not raising IRS audit rates among taxpayers earning below $400,000. As Josh Zumbrun of The Wall Street Journal noted recently, some returns with reported income below $400,000 may be filed by taxpayers with actual income over $400,000.

Additionally, a report from the Government Accountability Office documents that most of the revenue generated from audits over the last decade has come from returns with income below $200,000. The report also shows that in 2021, for each hour spent auditing returns with income below $25,000, the IRS recommended an average additional tax liability of $2,120. And for each hour spent auditing Earned Income Tax Credit returns, the IRS recommended an average additional tax liability of $3,130.

LINK

Informational PDF published by the IRS: “Internal Revenue Service Inflation Reduction Act Strategic Operating Plan FY2023-2031”

Category: Financial, News, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: audit, government, irs, spending, taxes, taxfoundation.org, wsj

Posted By RichC on April 17, 2023

This content is restricted.

Category: Music, Personal, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: beach, breathe, delray beach, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, taylor swift, vacation, youtube

Posted By RichC on April 16, 2023

Has it really been TEN years? My daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew (now a family of FOUR), have been married for 10 years! Wow!!!

They are celebrating their anniversary by taking a quick getaway trip to Miami, Florida. Congratulations to the both of them … and may they have many more years of health and happiness together. 

2013 – Drew and Katelyn – 2023

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Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: anniversary, drew, family, florida, getaway, katelyn, miami, weekend

Posted By RichC on April 15, 2023

For years now I have thought there was something to the Mediterranean diet and in drinking red wine with a meal. I’ve tried to put at least the “red wine” part of this into my regular diet and continue to read articles and studies that promote the positives of antioxidants for the heart — grape juice and red wine. Who knows what variables are missing from these studies?  

Anyway, a recent article in the WSJ has left me as confused as ever .. and so will continue to enjoy red wine with a meal and try to use common sense in hoping to fend off any heart issues (BTW, that is my red arrow on the chart above indicating longer life expectancy … and it was worth a smile). 😉 

… researchers set out to make sense of years of conflicting evidence on alcohol’s effect on health. Some research suggested that drinking alcohol improves life expectancy. Other studies had demonstrated poorer health outcomes at any level of drinking …

LINK

Category: Health, News | No Comments »
Tags: alcohol, commonsense, Health, jama, life expectancy, red wine, study, wsj

Posted By RichC on April 14, 2023

A speed test doesn’t really tell us everything (new USMobile wireless service above), but since I was frustrated with 0.34Mbps upload Xfinity WiFi upload speeds at the condo last weekend (Xfinity WiFi speediest below the break), it was a perfect time to take the risk to port my cellphone number from Mint Mobile to USMobile. There wasn’t really a reason for me to be switching, as Mint (T-Mobile is now the owner) has been very good service for the $15/mo per line (paid in one yearly $180 payment). BUT … my renewal date is this month and who doesn’t appreciate pushing off a yearly payment when someone is offering 100 days free to try their Verizon backboned service — USMobile.  

So far so good, although the port-out was a bit more challenging that I was hoping. Thankfully the Mint rep on chat was patient and helpful in getting the details pushed through … albeit slowly. One would think that by now it would be a bit easier once the phone number ownership is confirmed and that the person switching has the authority (fraud and ownership by chat is concerning). For now, we will keep my wife on Mint Mobile and decide IF the USMobile $15/mo plan is at least equal — already an issue as found out that using the iPhone as a WiFi hotspot is an upcharge with USMobile. Stay tuned.

Note: Can’t comment on 5G since the iPhone 7 Plus is still only LTE (4G). 

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Category: Cellphone, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: free, iphone, mint mobile, mobile phone, telecommunicaion, trial, usmobile, wireless

Posted By RichC on April 13, 2023

There is part of me that can’t help but smile when seeing the new label that Elon Musk’s Twitter put on NPR’s feed. The left-leaning taxpayer-funded media title is partially accurate since tax dollars are used to support public radio and television. At this point with the variety of media news and programming available in the US, it is difficult for even those of us who still enjoy some of what is on NPR to justify taxdollars being used to support only progressive political views. Personally I’d prefer the VOA be funded, but really it is just time to cut all government subsidies to media.  

NPR has decided to stop using Twitter on the heels of Elon Musk’s social media juggernaut temporarily labeling its account “state-affiliated media.”

The move is significant as the left-leaning outlet is the first major news organization to essentially quit the platform.

“NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” NPR said in a statement.

LINK

Category: Humor, News, Radio, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: Feed, funded, journalism, media, newfeed, npr, social, taxpayer, twitter

Posted By RichC on April 12, 2023

Guess when this Fed news came out? 

High inflation and tight labor markets led Federal Reserve officials to signal they could raise interest rates at their next meeting despite a higher likelihood the economy would enter a recession later this year.

Fed officials considered skipping a rate increase at their meeting last month but concluded that regulators had calmed banking-sector stresses enough to justify a quarter-point rate increase, according to minutes of the March 21-22 gathering released Wednesday.

Looking ahead, officials concluded that given the strength of price pressures and demand for labor, “they anticipated that some additional policy firming may be appropriate” to bring inflation down to the central bank’s 2% goal, the minutes said.

Read more at WSJ

Category: Financial, News | No Comments »
Tags: economy, federal reserve, interest rates, investing, markets, stocks, wsj