My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 27, 2021

A couple of weeks ago, Taylor introduced me to a Dan Carlin “Hardcore History” podcasts. He thought I might enjoy them, since both of us particularly appreciate learning more about military history. The series is called “Supernova in the East” detailing the Japanese Empire from pre-World War Japan through WW 2 in six long lectures (6 have been recorded so far) covering the war in the Pacific in much detail. Currently I’m on Carlin’s number 64, or III in the series, and up to the point early in 1942 when General MacArthur is pushed back onto the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. It is long winded, but very informative … and complements the Ian W. Toll volumes I’ve read on the subject.

The segment being discussed is shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack and the United States entering World War 2. It was also a reminder to me that America left our troops, citizens and allies alone to fend for themselves … too reminiscent of how we recently left Afghanistan. The difference is that in 1941 we lost much of our Pacific Fleet and were prioritizing for war in Europe … unlike just leaving folks behind for our selfish political reason. It was irritating in both cases, but at least in 1942 President Roosevelt didn’t really have the capability to do much in the Pacific … something that can’t be said for President Biden in August 2021.

Anyway, if you believe we can/should learn from history, or just appreciated knowing what previous generations did to keep our nation free, you might enjoy listening to Dan Carlin’s “Supernova in the East” … that I’m listening to on Apple Podcasts. 

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Category: Apple, Audio, Education, History, Millitary | No Comments »
Tags: afghanistan, audio, dan carlin, hardcore, History, japanese empire, pacific, pearl harbor, podcast, supernova, world war 2, ww2

Posted By RichC on September 26, 2021

What does it take for a country to switch from left-hand to right-hand driving?

Sweden did just that in 1967 … with a lot of preparation. It was called Dagen H or “Högertrafikomläggningen.”

Category: Automotive, History, Video | No Comments »
Tags: cars, dagen h, driving, sweden, traffic, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 25, 2021

I’m going write this Samsung Refrigerator failed icemaker blog post up with the idiom that “they don’t make them like they used to.”

I’m not exactly sure what electrical part has failed, but the electrical circuit or electronic board that controls the thaw/motor swipe to remove the frozen cubes from the small 8-cube ice tray is not working. I spent way too much time diagnosing from the aspect of “resetting” and forced defrost to realize that it is something in the icemaker circuit itself. I manually used a heat gun to see if I could get the motor to turn the fingers (and it sort of does) but sense that the problem is in getting the heat bars to turn on that warms up the tray for a few minutes. I’ve concluded that it should heat the tray just enough so the cubes can be flipped out of the small tray and start the circuit all over again.

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Category: Blogs, Financial, How-To, Idioms, Misc, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: electronic, fridge, icemaker, idiom, idioms, parts, partssimple.com, refrigerator, repair, samsung

Posted By RichC on September 24, 2021

Saved an interesting graphic posted on social media this past week. It is interesting to look at and contemplate how we use our smartphones and tablets … it also works as a Tech Friday filler.

Category: Cellphone, Human Interest, Social Media, Tablet, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: friday filler, graphic, internet, mobile, smartphones, tech friday, techfriday, traffic, worldwide

Posted By RichC on September 23, 2021

This map was posted on Brilliant Maps back in 2015, but graphically seeing the 4037 cities around the world with over 100,000 people in them was interesting for those of us who enjoy studying maps.

LINK to larger black and white and LINK to color overlay map

It may not be the most up-to-date map, but it was impressive enough to visually ponder (Link to the interactive version).

The top 5 countries with the most 100K+ cities are:

1. India – 328
2. Brazil – 300
3. USA – 295
4. Japan – 263
5. China – 209

In total these cities house around 2.1 billion people or around 28% of the world’s population.

Category: Human Interest, Misc, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: brilliantmaps.com, cities, geography, maps, population, world

Posted By RichC on September 23, 2021

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Category: Archive, Personal, Photography, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, brenda, condo1718, delray beach, drew, ellerie, encore, family, florida, football, katelyn, megan, momh, osu, richc, taylor, weekend

Posted By RichC on September 22, 2021

As we shift from summer to autumn, those of us living north of the Mason-Dixon line have to prepare and wonder just what is in store when it comes to winter weather?

Although I’m not a big follower of the Farmer’s Almanac, I recognized that they have an 80% record over 230 years in predicting weather forecasts (so they say).

So welcome to the first day of fall (Fall Equinox) …and get ready for a long, cold winter.

“This coming winter could well be one of the longest and coldest that we’ve seen in years..” 
–  Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac (link)

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: almanac, autumn, fall equinox, farmer's, forecast, prediction, winter

Posted By RichC on September 21, 2021

When I was a kid, I remember studying the illuminated glass globe in my bedroom and my grandparents pre-WW II atlas and then stumbling across the science theory showing the Alfred Wegener proposed supercontinent called Pangaea.

The other day I saved the image overlay of today’s international borders on top of the globe image (click image for larger) and thought it was interesting enough to include on my blog … but then again, I love maps and geography (check out this interactive version).

Category: Blogs, Education, History, Memories, Misc, Science | No Comments »
Tags: alfred wegener, atlas, geography, globe, maps, pangaea

Posted By RichC on September 20, 2021

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Category: Faith, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: album, christian, contemporary, forever, fox news, michael w smith, mp3, Music, music monday, musicmonday, worship, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 19, 2021

One of the more inspiring movies in the last decade or so was that based on the career of Katherine Johnson called “Hidden Figures” in 2016. It was compelling enough and about NASA and the Apollo space program that when I spotted the book “My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir” by Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore … that I wanted to read it.

  “Oh, baby … I would have loved to have gone
    into space myself,” – Katherine Johnson

So, instead of reading it, I’ve opted for the audio read by Robin Miles. Unfortunately I could have done without the fawning over President Obama … but to each their own when it comes to political ideology and focus on race. 🙁

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine Johnson became a global celebrity. President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA’s first flights into space. Her contributions to America’s space program were celebrated in a blockbuster and Academy-award nominated movie.

In this memoir, Katherine shares her personal journey from child prodigy in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia to NASA human computer. In her life after retirement, she served  as a beacon of light for her family and community alike.  Her story is centered around the basic tenets of her life—no one is better than you, education is paramount, and asking questions can break barriers. The memoir captures the many facets of this unique woman: the curious “daddy’s girl,” pioneering professional, and sage elder.

This multidimensional portrait is also the record of a century of racial history that reveals the influential role educators at segregated schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities played in nurturing the dreams of trailblazers like Katherine. The author pays homage to her mentor—the African American professor who inspired her to become a research mathematician despite having his own dream crushed by racism.

Infused with the uplifting wisdom of a woman who handled great fame with genuine humility and great tragedy with enduring hope, My Remarkable Journey ultimately brings into focus a determined woman who navigated tough racial terrain with soft-spoken grace—and the unrelenting grit required to make history and inspire future generations.

Category: Audio, Books, Space | No Comments »
Tags: apollo, audiobook, book, hidden figures, mp3, my remarkable journey, nasa, racism, space