Music Monday: The Beach Boys, “Fun, Fun, Fun” and some R & R
Posted By RichC on May 3, 2021
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It was good to get away to sunny Florida for a restful beach week
Posted By RichC on May 2, 2021
Although I know much of the country has lived locked down for much of the year, Brenda and I have probably done a little more than most. She has worked in the pharmacy without much of a break and since the COVID19 vaccinations have started, has been very busy. We had planned a trip to Florida in March, but was asked to delay since Kroger Pharmacy was heavily involved in vaccination clinics. She complied and we moved our spring getaway vacation week to the end of April. So glad the weather was perfect for our vacation.
Nothing was on my schedule as far as condo or boat work since I was down in February and hauled since Encore needs new bottom paint, a new cutlass bearing and a new stuffing gland. If the weather would have turned lousy, I would have heading up to the boat since I need to get parts ordered … but the beach weather was too nice.
Struggling with Lenovo laptop, router and Internet connections
Posted By RichC on May 1, 2021
Either the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router at our condo is glitchy, Xfinity is not giving my any upload speed or my Lenovo laptop is struggling to stay connected. No time to diagnosis, but I may end up chucking the router and switch to the cheaper mesh router sooner than I wanted. It is frustrating.
Half the time I ended up I ended up using my iPhone and Mint Mobile Hotspot.
Tech Friday: Rumor says new Apple iPad and perhaps the iMac and Apple TV will be available on May 21st
Posted By RichC on April 30, 2021
On April 20th I streamed part of the the Apple event to see what was in the works for 2021. We already knew about the iPad Pro, but I was interested to know 
about the M1 iMac and Brenda uses the Apple TV for streaming (well I do to, but can comfortably jump to other devices).
According to Apple news leaker Jon Prosser, he named May 21 as the launch date for some of the products, and UK retailer John Lewis’ product page for the new iPad Pro carried copy saying, "Available 21 May 2021," as discovered by MacRumors and other Apple rumor sites. (link)
That is not to say I’m in the market to update our older devices, but as technology changes, we’ll all eventually be updating the things we use.
President Biden has a bold tax and spend plan for the US
Posted By RichC on April 29, 2021
Personally I don’t like using the word "bold" for taxing and spending by big government since it has a positive attribute (at least to my thinking), but President Biden’s Joint Address last night was unlike any we’ve ever seen. It looked far more like a socialist spending wish list than a unifying address to bring the country
together. It is depressing to see progressive leftist taking more from citizens and dictating, regulating and growing dependency.
As the BabylonBee commented (jokingly below) .. "Man Who Has Been In Government For Nearly 50 Years Promises To Fix Government." Of course to those who have followed partisan politics and ideology for decades, Democrats (and to be fair, a lot of Republicans) want to control people, maintain power and spend rather than let the individual direct their dollars. There is a place for government, but it should be small, non-intrusive and focused on securing our country and maintaining conditions that allow free enterprise to thrive and grow our economy. Ever dollar politicians take out of our hands, is one less that be used to build a business, invest or used efficiently for ones family. Besides the TRILLIONS in proposed borrowing and spending, the regulations and restrictions will cost ever American in the future.
"This man who has been part of the broken system since 1972 is our last hope to fix the broken system," said a DNC spokesperson. "See, since he’s been part of the problem for so long, only he knows how bad the problem is. So only he can fix it. If you got some outsider with, like, morals and stuff, they would be too horrified to even go to Washington in the first place."
"No, we need someone who’s been part of the swamp and has participated in much injustice, oppression, and bloodshed to fix the whole thing from the ground up."
Pandemic TV watching has shifted from people to their homes
Posted By RichC on April 28, 2021
Brenda and I chuckled the other day that while we watch television news interviews and participating on Zoom calls, that we find ourselves noticing, 
pondering and commenting on "backgrounds" since the COVID19 pandemic.
The included TV photo (left) is just an example as to what we do in thinking and commenting on the antiques, artwork and children/pet fencing people have in their homes when on interviews.
BTW, an interesting background on Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s guest spot on FoxBusiness.
GE tops estimates, but share price is still suffering
Posted By RichC on April 27, 2021
General Electric‘s ($GE) first-quarter 2021 earnings were as they should be. Still, it wasn’t quite enough for investors.
General Electric (ticker: GE) shares were down about 2.7% in premarket trading. S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, for comparison, were both off about 0.1%.
The company reported an adjusted profit of 3 cents a share, topping Wall Street estimates for a 1 cent gain, while burning through about $845 million in cash, also in line with analyst projections. The start of the year is typically the seasonally weakest part for cash generation because customers tend to pay their bills at the end of the year.
Music Monday: The Foundations – “Build Me Up Buttercup”
Posted By RichC on April 26, 2021
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Learning more about cryptocurrency with webinar #Bitcoin
Posted By RichC on April 25, 2021
Although I’ve owned a small amount of Bitcoin in a cryptocurrency account for a while now, I’ve been wanting to attend a primer on the subject. Thankfully Barron’s offered a free webinar hosted by Beverly Goodman and 
explained by Grayscale’s Michael Sonnenshein. It was great fill in some of my knowledge gaps, but my question as to insuring holders security of one’s assets was still left unanswered. Who can you call if/when something isn’t right .. hacked, stolen, glitch, etc?
Still it was worth attending last week and I suspect, just like driving EVs, we’ll all be using cryptocurrency just as we do credit cards in the not too distant future. Mr. Sonnernshein left with some good actionable advice: "Set up an account and send $5 in Bitcoin to a friend as a way to get comfortable with how it works.’
The Guide to Cryptocurrency
As an extension of the Crypto edition of the Barron’s Guide to Wealth, Barron’s Editorial Director, Beverly Goodman speaks with CEO of Grayscale Investments, Michael Sonnenshein about investing in cryptocurrency.
This call will offer several perspectives on why advisors and their clients need to get smarter about this rapidly evolving asset class, and what they need to know if they incorporate it into a portfolio. Even advisors who have embraced crypto are finding challenges to how they take custody of assets, set fees, and generally adapt their practice to accommodate client interest in Bitcoin and other cryptos. We’ll also cover why corporations are investing in crypto and which use cases make sense and which don’t.
Click for Bitcoin PDF Whitepaper
New Montana Brand countersink 4-in-1 countersink bits
Posted By RichC on April 24, 2021
There’s not much a tools and gadget guy like me likes more than getting something new for my workshop.
After breaking a bit in my cheap-ish countersink a few weeks ago (probably imported from China), I opted for a new Montana Brand Tools which are a USA-made set rather than just buying a new cheap drill bit for my old one. It was probably a rash and unneeded purchase (direct rather than Amazon) since I don’t use it all the time. My justification is that I can use the old one for countersinking rough carpentry and keep these newer ones for inside-the-workshop finer woodworking.
Since I was already going to pay for FedEx shipping, I fell prey to the “matched” self-centering plug cutters to go with it. Ugh … let’s hope Brenda doesn’t notice the charge on our credit card.
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.