My son Taylor will like a tweet/photo in my Twitter feed
Posted By RichC on April 24, 2022
For a better reference to the subject line, see this post! (tweet below) 😊
(more…)
Dealing with rising prices and the Fed hitting the brakes
Posted By RichC on April 23, 2022
As the Fed finally starts to deal with inflation, the market took note this month and seems to be selling off across the board. The expectation is that the economy will slow and as they say in the investing world, “don’t fight the Fed.” There isn’t a silver bullet that can keep businesses booming, paychecks rising and inflation under control forever. Something needs to give, especially when our government continues to expand, spend and add to deficit spending and debt.
Preceding the Great Recession, we saw similar patterns. Businesses were hiring, housing prices were booming and oil prices were rising (see April 23, 2008 post below). We should know better, but smart people still believe the good time will keep going. True it is hard to predict the end of a bull market, but history tells us that it will end. Let’s hope for a softer landing, but don’t be surprised if we have a crash and a recession (hopefully without stagflation).
Tech Friday: Thoughts on M4A vs MP3 digital audio formats
Posted By RichC on April 22, 2022
The MP3 format for audio has been used on My Desultory Blog since the mid-2000s and I have contemplated a variety of other opensource options 
over the years. Compression choices to keep file sizes and streaming acceptable come and go and as we search for quality of audio and bandwidth for streaming becomes less of an issue, file sizes have grown. Recently after submitting a voice audio response using an iPhone, decided it was time to revisit the topic.
Since I already have an Apogee microphone on my two-monitor iMac setup, I started a little testing using the Apogee MetaRecorder app and dongle plug for the iPad and iPhone. In itself, the audio quality is an impressive improvement over the built in iPhone microphone or my Bluetooth headset, but it is definitely not as convenient. Since I’m not creating voice over audio or podcasts, it hardly seems worthwhile to use it for audio memos.
| Test ACC audio of the last paragraph saved as .m4a | 2022 |
| Test ACC audio of the last paragraph converted to .mp3 with audio gain adjustment | 2022 |
Temporarily working from my basement home office #TBT
Posted By RichC on April 21, 2022
As the slow progress on finishing my home office continues, I’ve set up a temporary office in the basement (below). It is surprisingly comfortable, but I do miss the daylight and looking out the windows.
I can’t help but reminisce to make this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post after finally removing the painters tape from the iMac and using the appropriate adhisive strips to close it up after the 2018/2019 SSD surgery (click link for photos). My office was pretty comfortable as it was after the new mini split, but I am glad to have at least painted, cleaned out, added the new TV … and will hopefully appreciate the new hardwood flooring (Brenda’s requirement for updating my office; I would have been fine with new carpeting).
Tech Friday: A New iMac has replaced an old G4 and PC <= 2013 home office setup
Hardwood Flooring Progress photo from 4/19/2022…
What information is your car sharing? #privacy
Posted By RichC on April 20, 2022
In keeping with this graphic, here’s a recent LA Times article highlighting a growing California crime problem …
17 L.A. gangs have sent out crews to follow and rob city’s wealthiest, LAPD says
More than a dozen Los Angeles gangs are targeting some of the city’s wealthiest residents in a new and aggressive manner, sending out crews in multiple cars to find, follow and rob people driving high-end vehicles or wearing expensive jewelry, according to police.
New 8-year Ohio Driver’s License and costly fuel fill #inflation
Posted By RichC on April 19, 2022
After filling up the 2010 BMW X5 35d with diesel … ouch … I drove to the least painful Ohio DMV location in my area according to the online wait times. Thankfully I came prepared with my passport, address verification and requested ID information. After $56.40 … I came out in less than 30 minutes with a piece of paper and promise my new TSA compliant Driver’s License would be in the mail in 4-6 weeks.
As for the cost of fuel, I was able to fill for $4.86 with a 3 cent discount. I can’t imagine how challenging it must be for families of lessor means dealing with the costs of essentials (fuel, food, utilities, etc) as inflation gobbles up their paychecks … not to mention those who live on a fixed income!
On a totally different topic, the hardwood floor guys were out on Monday to remove all the old carpeting from my office, the guest bedroom and hall area. Soon the new oak will be installed. BTW, the old carpet was way past its prime.
Music Monday: My one and only John Denver concert at Miami University was still the best
Posted By RichC on April 18, 2022
The years have passed, but my memory of a John Denver concert “in the round” was still the best and most memorable concert I’ve ever attended. 
I suspect a lot has to do with John Denver being a true entertainer. He knew exactly how to connect with an audience and was especially effective on a revolving stage.
Last week when posting on the Starland Vocal Band members, who wrote one of John Denver’s hits – “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” I stumbled on this YouTube clip with Cass Elliot a couple years before she died singing “Leaving On A Jet Plane” from 1972. It seemed like a perfect one to include for Music Monday this week.
Amateur Astronomer photo of M51 – Whirlpool Galaxy
Posted By RichC on April 17, 2022
No time for a post today so I’ll include an amateur astronomer’s photo of M51 – Whirlpool Galaxy from a space-oriented social network group that was impressive.
Two more costly projects are underway at our house
Posted By RichC on April 16, 2022
First, I mentioned pool repairs were underway earlier in the week. The tiles that I’ve been repairing are now long past due for a full replacement. So the water has been pumped out and a pool tile crew is beginning the demolition prior to making repairs and installing new waterline tile. Brenda’s comment made me 
feel a little better about the expense in that “at least it can be repaired” unlike the liner pool that we had in Hudson (but also a great backyard pool).
The second and slower progress project is the wood flooring in my office, upstairs hallway and guest bedroom. The oak hardwood was delivered and needs to acclimate before the installation, sanding (what a mess it will be) and staining, then finish poly begins.
Re-carpeting would have been so much easier and far less expensive.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.