Tech Friday: Twitter lock my account this week, but I don’t know who complained or what content infringed on copyright laws?

Posted By on December 18, 2020

TwitterProblem201217A daily routine for over a decade has been using the social network Twitter as an interactive newsfeed – replaced RSS feed reader. It has also been a place to post MyDesultoryBlog.com updates and interact on my RichC account with friends in a variety of groups: car club, aviation interests, sailing, finance, investing, and of course politics.

I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the left-leaning bias coming from almost all Silicon Valley companies, but Twitter is one of the most blatant. I grew so frustrated with their shutting down the Hunter Bidden corruption story as they campaigned for Joe Biden, that I ended up selling all my $TWTR stock (too soon). As they continue to aggressively police their conservative users and lock accounts, voices are silenced and people are heading to another platform called Parler (with its own problems). I’ve been there for a while, but it doesn’t serve my purpose.

TrumpTwitterphoneNow my account was “locked” and I’ve yet to figure out why. I reviewed the “Copyright Policy” and was told they were going to email me some information, but I’ve yet to receive anything? My account is unlocked for now, but I have no idea what was shared, posted or said that even lock my account to begin with? It may be time to give up on social networks all together?   

Promotional Products from an exciting Dot-Com start-up #TBT

Posted By on December 17, 2020

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For Throwback Thursday #TBT this week I’ll include a couple photos from 1998 or 1999. These Soma.com photos are items from my friend Jeff sent to me when cleaning out his apartment. He (and my wife Brenda) were hired to build out the first Dot-Com era online Pharmacy … or at least the fulfillment facility. The work was … as we would say back then 24/7/365 … but I doubt anyone working on this startup regretted a moment of the exhilarating time … although all were disappointed when the start-up was sold to CVS and became their online store (they shutdown the West Chester, Ohio-based fulfillment facility.

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Funny, but not funny … perhaps it is the frustration we all feel?

Posted By on December 16, 2020

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Are you tired of this COVID19 lockdown yet?

It is hard to believe the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic AND those politicians dictating shutdowns in their mini-kingdoms have not had more pushback than they have? Way too many small businesses, and especially people working in the travel and food service industry, will not be having much of a Merry Christmas this year … that’s not to say those still working as essential workers have had it easy either (“essential” = those caring for people … or IMHO, working to put food on the table and paying their bills).

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Merry Christmas 2020 and wishing you a “Hopeful” New Year

Posted By on December 15, 2020

It has been a challenging year to say the least with the Coronavirus still raging in the US and around the world. So many lives, businesses and plans have been forever changed. Brenda and I just feel blessed to be surviving the pandemic GrinchFace2020and able to function in a day to day matter. We hear about those who are struggling with hospitalized family and having to face Christmas with worry, health concerns or financial issues is sad. I wish we could all wake up in world where everything was back to the “old normal,” although thoughts of going to work without a mask, dining out or flying somewhere on vacation seem a bit distant as we close out a “grinchy” 2020.

Thankfully though, we are still here and Rona-free” (slang I’m ready to add to the LSSU Banished list), but not without trials and tribulations. Brenda is struggling physically with a leftover spinal fracture from her 2015 accident and it prevents her from doing what she would like to do – even walking is a challenge. After multiple “masked” appointments with doctors, a variety of treatments to relieve pain and swelling … the current plan is to medicate for pain and hope her series of osteoporosis injections will build enough bone that surgery is an option in 2021. A prayer for her would be appreciated.

I’ve been able to work from home as I’ve been in the business slowdown mode for quite a few years (weekly trips to NE Ohio have dropped to nil). Thankfully I have the option to use the phone/computer for sales and continue to service a loyal … but dwindling … number of customers. Work aside, I easily kept busy on the weekends with home repairs, yardwork and workshop kind of projects … but this year, no major updates to the condo or boat this year. Brenda and I did boldly take a trip in October and enjoyed a vacation of mostly R & R in Delray Beach, but I did do some painting and prepped the condo for our winter renters. If you’ve read my blog at all, you’ll also know we’ve been fortunate enough to also be with our children and grandchildren quite a few times.

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Normally .. like the past several decades … we send out an annual Corbett Christmas Letter highlighting our year. My mom was a “personal letter writer” and frowned on a canned update. She likely spent hours writing to each  friend and family member valuing the personal touch (perhaps a relic of the past)? We decided to do the less-personal “printed” letter (my excuse was that I owned a printing company).

This year we just were not up to writing a letter and are just going with simple photo postcard “card.” Those who absolutely need more know where to find me online. Nevertheless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from a couple “trying” to age gracefully (note the photo from when we were dating in college back in 1981).

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Click this LINK for a PDF version of our Christmas Card

Music Monday: A snippet from a 1970 CSNY Jam Session

Posted By on December 14, 2020

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Happy Birthday “daddy” Drew … and very good one he is!

Posted By on December 13, 2020

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Santa Mouse slippers, Christmas stories and Echo messages

Posted By on December 12, 2020

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Tech Friday: Using Grammarly for Chrome (Brave in my case)

Posted By on December 11, 2020

GrammarlyLogo2020Not that it would ever be noticed in my “rarely proofread” blog, but for the past year I’ve been using a plugin app called Grammarly (it unfortunately doesn’t work with Open Live Writer, the aging software I use for blogging ever since Microsoft abandoned LiveWriter). So far it has been helpful in checking my emails and replies … AND may make me a bit more conscientious when typing or writing. GrammarlyVocabulary201207As for a recommendation, I’ll withhold it at this time and stick to using the free version a bit longer.

One of the more interesting reports is that of “grading” or “rating” users while comparing them to others. Thankfully in all areas I’ve at least scored in the top half of users, but I appreciated it noticing that I work on expanding my writing vocabulary. I can’t say that Grammarly has helped with it or improved my writing, but may install the add-in for Microsoft Word so a bit more of my writing is looked at (not that I write in Word very much either).

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While contemplating computer “browsers,” I’ve been using Brave (Chromium based) for about a year now and although it has worked well for the most part and continues to block and privatized web-surfing … it is proving to be a bit more clunky. Lately I’ve found myself switching back to Firefox and always have thought it was the better browser on the Windows 10 (Parallels) and Lenovo laptop.

Repairing the aging Caldera Hot Tub … AGAIN #TBT

Posted By on December 10, 2020

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Well, it happened again. The stainless steel heater element pipe in our Caldera Hot Tub has failed again (last time was 2013). There must be some electrolysis accelerating the corrosion unless the stainless steel Flickr_hottub2007tubing is just that poor of quality? On the other hand, like the repair guy commented, your hot tub is far older that most. It was “listed as a 2002” according to Watson’s … so I’m calling this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post and thankful there are still parts.

This is our second hot tub, after the first one only lasting 7 years … but the original “cheaper one” was exposed to the elements, whereas this one was a better quality and has been sheltered a bit since 2008 (photo right- when we added the backporch in the fall of 2007). The Caldera spa  sits under a roof and has some redwood surround protecting it a little bit (photos from summer 2020 below).

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What’s “The greatest threat to life on Earth” – according to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking #video

Posted By on December 9, 2020

No … not a pandemic (like Covid19) … or 45 years of Global Warming … or the current adopted term – Climate Change gg_60212W_Crateraccording to Green New Deal Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or environmental activist Greta Thunberg  … but an asteroid concluded the late Stephen Hawking. Also, there’s some real history, not a political ideology, behind  the “asteroid” threat. 

BTW … here’s an interesting YouTube video.

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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