My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on November 25, 2021

It has been a challenging couple of years for most of the country and the world in not only combatting the Coronavirus pandemic’s loss of life and economic impact, but the psychological stress. I am thankful we in America have medical care and the pharmaceutical science able to rapidly develop antiviral medicines and vaccines. Let’s make 2021 a thankful Thanksgiving as we round the corner and overcome COVID19.

Thanksgiving

James Whitcomb Riley – 1849-1916

Let us be thankful—not only because (more…)

Category: Holiday, Medical, Science | No Comments »
Tags: america, coronavirus, covid19, James Whitcomb Riley, medicine, poetry, thankful, thanksgiving, vaccination

Posted By RichC on November 24, 2021

America has split down the middle on a lot of things that many of us took for granted just a few years ago. Our individual liberty is being eroded away with the help of progressives using propaganda and the heavy hand of the “we know better” bureaucrats to seize more power every day.

The mainstream media, higher education and the left-leaning California-based silicon valley companies control what we hear, see and read … and they have convinced much of the country that more money and power in the hands of those in power running the government is good for our country. Our individualist history, free-market capitalism and traditional Judeo/Christian values are no longer desired by these enlightened people who now demand we get in line behind what they have decided are good for all of us.

After all, this new thinking for America is what the socialist and enlightened Europeans have agreed on … and so they must be right (#sarcasm)? So whether it is forcing the financial cost of climate change, the elimination of fossil fuels, the punitive taxing of corporations and the wealthy, shutting down “some” businesses, mandating the wearing facemasks or showing your vaccine passport (it is coming)  …you must obey. We either haven’t learned our lessons from history, be it Marxist-based Socialism and Communism wherever it has been tried or the Fascist Nazis demanding to see your papers. How far will this go in America???

Category: Business, Education, Financial, History, Politics, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: communism, fascism, freedom, government, liberty, mandates, nazi, passport, propaganda, sharyl attkisson, socialism, twitter

Posted By RichC on November 23, 2021

Sort of planned to save this embedded Massimo tweet for a “Filler Friday” post or something … but needed something to plug a daily hole this week while getting ready for Thanksgiving. 😉

This has been called 'the most annoying gif on the Internet' [https://t.co/F0nU9wWnGf] but it has some interesting references, because it's a kind of a visualization in gif form of the concept of coastlines' fractal dimension: https://t.co/D3DjtN0Hol pic.twitter.com/eXXNOuOEUo

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 19, 2021

Category: Blogs, Misc, Social Media, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: anigif, annoying, filler friday, massimo, tweet, twitter

Posted By RichC on November 22, 2021

This content is restricted.

Category: Entertainment, Memories, Music, Personal, Photos, Sports, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: buckeyes, college, drew, football, jerry moody, katelyn, megan, michigan state, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, ohio state, rick derringer, sloopy, sloopy girl, spartans, taylor, the mccoys, youtube

Posted By RichC on November 21, 2021

Saw a longer list  of phrases on CNBC’s "Make It" website last week but pick out a few  that I hear (or say) quite often. The easiest to correct are probably the ones that we stop saying … but can it be done?

“Needless to say …”

What to say instead: Nothing

“Needless to say” comes from a long line of ironic phrases where you open a topic by saying you’re not going to say something, but then say it anyway. So why do it?

“In my opinion …”

What to say instead: Nothing

Cut to the chase and remove the unnecessary, weak intros. Whoever is listening to you or reading what you’ve written knows that it’s your opinion or your belief. That’s why you’re telling them whatever you’re telling them!

“For what it’s worth …”

What to say instead: Nothing

This is another intro that makes it sound as if you’re not convinced yourself about what you’re saying. And if you’re not convinced about your point, why should anyone else be?

“… if you know what I mean” 

What to say instead: Nothing

We’ve seen so many people end sentences with “if you know what I mean,” or its truncated near-twin “know what I mean?” If you’re one of them, stop now. It’s a filler phrase that means nothing — and actually irritates a lot of people.

Along the same lines, avoid starting sentences with puffy phrases like “It’s important to note that …” All you’re doing is adding useless words. Know what we mean?

Posted from “word nuts” Kathy and Ross Petras

Category: Advice, Blogs, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: avoid, cnbc, language, make it, petras, phrases, website, words

Posted By RichC on November 20, 2021

Brenda and I flew to Florida with a “use it or lose it” expiring Southwest Airline ticket …and hopefully as a way to earn a future companion-pass ticket (we’ll see how that goes).

We were there for a long weekend and to enjoy a couple days at the condo and the beach. Unfortunately I wasted day getting tires for the van and had an appointment to get our cable TV repaired – you know, the we’ll be there between 10 and 12. No big deal … “life is good,” as the saying goes.

The photo above is a windy but high-70s day at the beach and below a few flowers found on the dunes … while Brenda was picking up snails (snails that I suspect are still in their shells!)

Category: Archive, Personal, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, condo1718, delray beach, florida, flowers, richc, shells, snails, southwest, ticket

Posted By RichC on November 19, 2021

How about mining Bitcoin and heating your house (room) with the excess energy/heat?

For small room portable heating and cryptocurrency mining this looks interesting (although personally I’d rather install solar panels and sell electric power to the grid), check out the Heatbit website.

https://youtu.be/bsjdIrcvz0E

Category: Business, Computer, Energy, Environment, Financial, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: bitcoin, crypto, cryptocurrency, electricity, heatbit, heating, mining, utilities, youtube

Posted By RichC on November 18, 2021

Every once in a while a memory gets triggered … and it happened while looking in my closet for a fleece or sweater with the weather turning colder. The photo below is from Christmas in 1990 and it seemed apropos for today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT.

For the record, it was taken in Jamestown, NY at my mother and father-in-law’s “green” house on Horton road before the passing of Brenda’s brother Mark or their move to the Farmhouse. I’m not sure this would be considered and “ugly sweater” photo, but I enjoy having one of Jerry, Gary, Mark, DadH and me from 21 years ago (and half of Taylor’s little blond head in front of me!)

Category: Archive, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: 1990, christmas, dadh, family, jamestown, new york, sweater, TBT, throwback, thursday

Posted By RichC on November 17, 2021

When it comes to privacy and security, especially when traveling or connecting in hotels and coffee shops, every cybersecurity expert recommends using a VPN … and especially when connecting overseas or to  unknown WiFi routers. I’ve used several different free VPNs over the years starting with my own private connection back in the 2000s, but have settled on a fair-priced service from NordVPN.

 Since I’m often traveling and using my computer, phone and tablet for work related server maintenance issues and financial connections … having something reliable, fast and safe was key. Add to the mix, an intrusion from companies who profit from your personal information and habits and having a VPN connection has me comfortable paying a few dollars a month for security and privacy; there is no reason for Facebook, Google and the like to collect location information and so much personal data (BTW, readers should work harder to switch to DuckDuckGo.com for search).

Currently using NordVPN and testing free NordLocker encrypted cloud

So as a comparison to my preferred free-VPN, ProtonVPN and TunnelBear, NordVPN offers far more connections and significantly improved speeds in North America and “ok” speed for overseas connections. I’ve yet to test their specialty servers offering multiple hops or P2P. 

Category: Advice, Cellphone, Cloud, Computer, Privacy, Software, Tablet, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: cybersecurity, encryption, nordvpn, privacy, protonvpn, security, subscription, tunnelbear, vpn

Posted By RichC on November 16, 2021

The author Joe Scarborough is not one of my favorite TV commentators … although I did like him as a politician back in the 1990s. In 2020 he wrote (and narrated) a book published by Harper Collins called “Saving Freedom.” I’ve been contemplating it and since the digital is on my Glose reader app, thought it might be a good time to download it.

I have a trip planned so am hoping to save it for some quiet history reading (although still haven’t finished “Shattered Sword” by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully after detouring from Dan Carlin’s the Hardcore History podcast. The details regarding the Battle of Midway had me wanted to learn it from the Japanese perspective).

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

History called on Harry Truman to unite the Western world against Soviet communism, but first he had to rally Republicans and Democrats behind America’s most dramatic foreign policy shift since George Washington delivered his farewell address. How did one of the least prepared presidents to walk into the Oval Office become one of its most successful?

The year was 1947. The Soviet Union had moved from being America’s uneasy ally in the Second World War to its most feared enemy. With Joseph Stalin’s ambitions pushing westward, Turkey was pressured from the east while communist revolutionaries overran Greece. The British Empire was battered from its war with Hitler and suddenly teetering on the brink of financial ruin. Only America could afford to defend freedom in the West, and the effort was spearheaded by a president who hadn’t even been elected to that office. But Truman would wage a domestic political battle that carried with it the highest of stakes, inspiring friends and foes alike to join in his crusade to defend democracy across the globe.

(more…)

Category: Books, History | No Comments »
Tags: america, battle of midway, book, harry truman, History, joe scarborough, reading, saving freedom, soviet union, ussr