My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on November 8, 2025

In keeping with yesterday’s “a day behind” theme, the Tech Friday post for this week will be “a day late.” Instead of on Friday … it will be on Saturday this week; I’ll hopefully catch up and will try not to make this a trend. 😊 

As the dawn of the automobile did to the buggy whip industry in the early 1900s, aviation to traveling by boat or train, and both computers and telecommunications in the later half of the 20th century for business … careers and businesses are always changing to become more productive and competitive. Most of us have lived to see what the Internet did during our lifetimes, whether we are young or old; I sure did being in the printing and publishing industry!

We all saw, and are seeing, the opportunity to be more efficient and productive through technology. I would be hard pressed to argue artificial intelligence, automation and robotics is not going to have a similar impact (if not more) than technological changes in the past 50 or 100 years.

Interestingly, Microsoft Research has picked the to the top 40 jobs most exposed to AI change. For the good or bad, we will all be affected, be it to be personally more efficient, or seeing a chosen career displaced. If we don’t adapt, we’ll find ourselves left behind … as happened with an unwillingness to learn to use computers for my father and father-in-law. They were not alone and it disadvantaged many from the Greatest Generation who were unwilling to keep learning.

Hopefully my recognizing this will force me to at least try to keep learning. How about you?

Category: AI, Education, History, Human Interest, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: artificial intelligence, displaced, jobs, microsoft, perplexity.ai, progress, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on November 7, 2025

I know, it is Friday and that generally means an interesting (at least to me) Tech Friday story. Does a photo of Brenda’s “tech-y” Tesla Model 3 with the trees changing count? I didn’t think so …

In reality, I’m slightly behind in my week and totally missed posting a #TBT photo my buddy Jeff sent me yesterday after our lunch. The photo … and a couple of immature embarrassing items that I’m not sharing … is worthy of a great late 1980’s hiking and camping trip memory. It was all triggered by our talking about hiding “dimes” along a North Carolina mountain climb and our documenting where we hide them. There’s no way we’d ever decipher our notes! 

Anyway, it was an enjoyable lunch as always …  and a good shared memory. 

Category: Automotive, Friends, Memories, Personal, Photos, Social Media, TBT, Tesla | No Comments »
Tags: autumn, brenda, camping, dimes, hiking, jeffp, Memory, model 3, TBT, tech friday, techfriday, tesla, x.com

Posted By RichC on November 6, 2025

The subject line reference “To Blog On” isn’t really correct … but the sentiment is the same. The referenced folder is really labeled MyCubbyC_xxxx (the year) and goes back to when I was using the LogMeIn service in 2013. I used their early beta cloud storage service called MyCubby at the time.

It continues to be the folder I use to collect odds and end tidbits that I might want to blog on … even though the cloud service no longer exists … and it tends to get “overloaded” this time of the year with miscellaneous items (like the bookshelf illustrates). In today’s case below, there is an interesting plan for White House remodeling from a century or so ago …

(more…)

Category: Blogs, Misc, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: architecture, bookshelves, brilliantmaps.com, mycubby, overload, population, remodeling, states, white house

Posted By RichC on November 5, 2025

Let’s start with the leftover “fun” photo since I archived a little about the granddaughters this week, but not Megan and Taylor. So this week I’ll include an “off to a Halloween party around a bonfire with some friends” for the archive. I did look like they had fun. For us, no trick or treaters this year .. again. ☹️ 

The weather warmed up so both Brenda and I were out working on the yard a little bit. Me with leaves, the front lawn and hauling some branches to the burn pile. Brenda has been putting off pruning the overgrown front landscaping; they do keep growing no matter how much they are butchered back.

On to my depressing and irritating story:
Another (one, two and three) long time neighbor is getting his house ready to sell (presumably in the spring) and hired a worker to fix and stain the rear fence — really the development’s fence but for the last 30 years each homeowner has taken care of it without much complaint. So I decided instead of putting our “rear development” fence repair off until spring (a car went off the road and hit it without telling us) … I would see what he would charge to keep right on going and fix and stain our fence too.

Unfortunately the guy who was polite, nice and hardworking … wasn’t really very capable at first bidding out the project and two actually doing satisfactory work. As the project progressed, there was interruption after interruption … from a wheel falling off his truck, to a sick child and wife with a broken foot, to his Spanish speaking helper misunderstanding the project and cutting down more existing fence posts than he was told to cut. The “out of money” to buy new posts ended up on my nickel since the fence was already removed. The work continued “after he recovered from COVID” (who knows) and he worked diligently with his 13 year old son. I pointed out that he needed to run a string line to get the fence straight but one thing lead to another and he “slapped it together” with excuse after excuse as to roots in the ground to salvaging boards from the old fence. 

Eventually I decided he needed to get it done and that I would do exactly what the neighbor did — renegotiate the last payment for a lousy job.

As I approached him with his 13 year old (nice kid) in tow, I explained that the work was subpar and that if he wanted a final payment it would need to be less than we contracted. Then the grown man started to tear up and explain that he needed the full amount for his rent money and to take care of his family. With his son looking on … I just could discount the subpar work. I wrote his another check and explained to Brenda. She teared up hearing the story and wants me to do something for them come Thanksgiving and Christmas for the family. 

Here’s a guy with a wife and 2 kids TRYING to work and do the best he can rather than asking for a handout or government help (from what I know). I’d rather help him than those I see thanklessly expecting government assistance and turning it into a way of life. 

As the saying goes, “charity begins at home” … although I’m not sure it really applies?

Category: Archive, Idioms, Personal, Photos, Repairs | No Comments »
Tags: complaint, family, fence, halloween, megan, phrase, repair, taylor

Posted By RichC on November 4, 2025

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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Technology, Tesla, Tools, Video, Watch | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, apple watch, ellerie, family, granddaughers, laundry room, memorize, meter, sink, utility, valve stem

Posted By RichC on November 3, 2025

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Category: Memories, Music | No Comments »
Tags: bellamy brothers, let your love flow, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on November 2, 2025

Brenda and I were “emotionally” invested in the very competitive 2025 World Series. Having watched nearly every game of the playoffs … and all 7 nail-biting World Series games, gave us time to learn more about the teams and players. We pick favorites and I even found myself nicknaming them. 

After the final pitch late last night, the LA Dodgers, a well-funded 2024 World Series championship team, were able to edged out the season-long, offensive powerhouse Toronto Blue Jays, but not without a struggle. Although we favored the Dodgers last year over the Yankees, we saw the Blue Jays as underdogs and found ourselves cheering for them … a Canadian team against a U.S. team and all. 😉 

Towards the end, with the series tied up 3 games to 3 games, game 7 in Toronto saw the Los Angeles Dodgers inch past the Blue Jays in a 5-4 win; it was an agonizing 11-inning final game.

The Blue Jays had the lead by a slim margin for most of the game after taking the lead early with a home run by Bo Bichette. Finally in the 8th inning, Max Muncy homered for the Dodgers … and then Miguel Rojas, who came in after a late lineup change for the Dodgers, hit a game-tying home run in the 9th inning against reliever Jeff Hoffman. Off to extra innings again (although not as long as 18-inning game 3 in LA).

Finally, in the 11th inning, the Dodgers Will Smith hit a two-out, go-ahead home run off Shane Bieber, giving them their first lead of the night! With a half-inning left for the home team in the bottom of the 11th, Toronto got runners on the corners with only one out. Unfortunately, the unofficial team captain, Alejandro “Captain” Kirk grounded into a double play to end the game … and the 2025 series. As I commented on X.com prior to the game ending, “It has been a great #WorldSeries no matter the outcome.”

Category: Human Interest, News, Social Media, Sports | No Comments »
Tags: 2025, baseball, blue jays, dodgers, game 7, History, mlb, world series

Posted By RichC on November 2, 2025

Category: AI, Art, Misc | No Comments »
Tags: artificial intelligence, grok, john rowe, sunflowers, x..com

Posted By RichC on November 1, 2025

After recently selling our 2010 Acura RDX and replacing it with a “previously loved” 2019 Tesla Model 3, it feels good to be buying a used vehicle rather than needing to shop for a NEW car (definite sticker shock).

Certainly, it would be nice to have a squeak-less new SUV to replace our 2010 BMW X5 35d (hauling, towing and travel vehicle), but at eye-popping price for the average new vehicle these days, putting up with a few clunks and maintenance repairs is survivable.

That’s not to say that I’m not attracted to new tech, impressive performance and tightness of today’s newer cars, but currently can still be comfortable in our 15 year old, plus-200.000 mile SUV; it seems worth it, at least for now. Maybe I can get another 100K out of this slightly modified diesel BMW before putting it out to pasture? 

Category: Acura, Automotive, BMW, Financial, Tesla | No Comments »
Tags: acura, BMW, car prices, model3, new cars, news nation, rdx, SUV, tesla, used cars, x5 35d

Posted By RichC on October 31, 2025

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Category: Art, Blogs, Human Interest, Personal, Photos, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: artwork, dan glassman, ellerie, granddaughter, great pumpkin, halloween, logs, lynda, report, tech friday, techfriday