Muzak Monday: The Pink Panther Theme – Henry Mancini
Posted By RichC on April 6, 2020
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A simple framing woodworking jig idea and bookshelves update
Posted By RichC on April 5, 2020
Snipped an idea for the woodworking workshop that I’m planning to add to my table saw crosscut sled .. nothing complicated, but a way to use geometry in order to make the perfect 45 degree jig for cutting frames. It is a way to use perfect squares to accurately cut the 45 degree jig. Check out the YouTube clip – it is interesting!
As for the painting and bookshelves projects, they are slowly coming along and until you’ve primed and painted A LOT of bookshelves, you do not realize how long it takes! UGH!
I’ve also been tinkering with the accent lighting above the bookshelves and making my own strip of LEDs with the leftover “tape” (currently way too many) that will highlight the artwork display area. If and when I head to the Home Depot to purchase some additional molding material, etc … the plan is to to add a shadow depth box to the art display area. In other words, the framed art will be off the wall 3 or 4 inches in order to create a little depth and shadow to the artwork … at least that’s my plan?
As for artwork, Brenda and I have collected paintings over the years. Some from our travel and others from a couple artists in our family. We are planning to rotate a few of the pieces we have hanging throughout the house in the Library/ Music room. Hopefully the highlighted viewing will make us re-appreciate each of the pieces again.
Thoughts on everyday terms we use without thinking
Posted By RichC on April 4, 2020
In a business meeting decades ago, Brenda used the term “Catch-22” without giving the etymology much thought. After the meeting, a older senior executive came up to her and commented that he was surprised to hear a 30-year old using the term “Catch-22” … and then asked if she knew it’s history. She did no, so he proceeded to enlighten her (she was not really interested and his “reference to the military” explanation escaped her).
She used it again the other day and then paused to ask if I knew where it came from? I spieled off something about the 1961 Joseph Heller book called “Catch-22” and the 1970 movie about the “lunacy of military decision-making.” I guess I really didn’t know. Neither of us were aware IF the term was really used in the military or if it stemmed only from the novel? (Answer: link)
So for me, it was worth reading and blogging a bit more about the term … and decided to add the movie to our Amazon Prime movie list.
Although Heller uses several circular and repetitive formulations throughout his novel that revolve around a WW2 Air Squadron, here’s a civilian example of a “Catch-22:”
In needing experience to get a job…
"How can I get any experience until I get a job that gives me experience?"
– Brantley Foster in The Secret of My Success.
Tech Friday: Word processor WordStar in 1980 for the Apple II
Posted By RichC on April 3, 2020
Above is a graphic sent by a friend, who knows of my long time Apple addiction … and it had me pondering the Steve Jobs vs Steve Wozniak struggle when trying to grow Apple Computer back in the early days (watch the Danny Boyle 
movie called Steve Jobs). One of the founders was an advocated for a closed system (Jobs) and the other, the engineer (Woz), believed that computer geeks wanted to be able to expand their computers. Both views had their merits.
Initially the early Apple computers were expandable, but by 1984 when the Apple Macintosh arrived, the slots were gone, the box (or unique all in one case) was buttoned up and Macintosh OS very restrictive. My first Mac was the SE with a 20MB hard drive and thankfully I found a way to “open it 
up” and install a Radius accelerator card and full page external display. In my opinion, that was still one of the greatest advancement in my computing life as it help my Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co. along with software like Aldus Pagemaker grow and compete by “desktop publishing.” At the time others relied solely on typesetting companies and artboard oriented graphic artists to pasteup pages and flats … which we were doing too.
Although I can’t claim to have been an Apple II advocate back in the day, I did want one. At that time I was only familiar with mainframes, card decks and a borrowed TRS-80 Tandy with a cassette tape deck (when I took over classes at Miami University as a graduate teaching assistant for a professor on sabbatical). Eventually I did buy my first computer, a Compaq computer running MSDOS (which I still boots up).
All in all, it is interesting to have had a front row seat to personal computing history … thanks for the forwarded graphic, Jeff!
Was life really simpler when backpacking? #TBT
Posted By RichC on April 2, 2020
With “stay at home” orders issued for 3/4 of the U.S. population, my good friend Jeff Pitts has been obeying the directive and working from home. It is also giving him time to do those “I’ll get to it someday” chores like cleaning out a spare room and finally throwing stuff away. 
One of the items he ran across was a photo of yours truly from either the late 1980s or early 1990s while on one of our North Carolina trips. He lived in Florida and I was in NE Ohio, so we would meet “halfway” to go backpacking (in college we planned on tackling a section of the Appalachian trail each year – that never happened, but we did later go with the family!)
A favorite destination was the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests (map) and the many trails outside of Ashville NC, particularly near Linville Falls … which is where I think the photo above was taken? It makes for a great Throwback Thursday #TBT post and memory!
April 1 is no joke this year, yet I am counting our many blessings
Posted By RichC on April 1, 2020
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How big is the largest volcano? On Mars it is as big as France!
Posted By RichC on March 31, 2020
Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain and largest volcano on any planet in the solar system. It is about the size of France (or the U.S. state of Arizona) and is a shield volcano 624 km (374 mi) in diameter, 25 km (16 mi) high, and is rimmed by a 6 km (4 mi) high scarp. A caldera 80 km (50 mi) wide is located at the summit of Olympus Mons. To compare, the largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is a shield volcano 10 km (6.3 mi) high and 120 km (75 mi) across. The volume of Olympus Mons is about 100 times larger than that of Mauna Loa. In fact, the entire chain of Hawaiian islands (from Kauai to Hawaii) would fit inside Olympus Mons!
Olympus Mons is the youngest of the large volcanoes on Mars. It and was likely formed during the Hesperian Period which lasted between 3,700 million years ago and 2,000 million years ago and has been known to astronomers since the late 19th century.
It’s a shield volcano (similar to the volcanoes than make up the Hawaiian Islands). Olympus Mons covers an area 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi), roughly the same size as Italy.
Looking for something positive amidst the #COVID19 Pandemic
Posted By RichC on March 31, 2020
Although few of us really want to be tracking the exponential explosion of the COVID19 spread, a friend asked me if there was a preferred site to go to for updated information. I responded with CDC.gov or Department of Health here in Ohio as trusted sources, but then suggested that if he was like me, the information wasn’t necessarily as up to date.
So for something closer to real-time, I’ve been 
using Reuters.com’s pages and the Reuter maps and graphics which have been pretty accurately reporting on the Coronavirus. Unfortunately the news does not look positive no matter how it is presented.
In looking for something positive in the numbers, I found a “Daily cases” chart that seems to indicate that the number of “Cases outside Mainland China” daily reported “globally” has ticked slightly downward. Who knows if we are at a turning point –let’s hope we are.
It also looks as if we are making inroads as to treatment protocols that will hopefully lessen the need for ventilators/respirators in the hospitals (although still a shortage as hospitalizations rise) and that Johnson and Johnson is gearing up to produce 1 billion doses of a vaccine once we have one available and tested. It can’t come soon enough for world health and our economy.
I’m gong to end this depressing post with a something positive shared with me by my daughter Katelyn. She is currently home on maternity leave from her pediatrician role with Promedica at Bay Park Hospital in Oregon, Ohio, but stays in touch with her co-workers. One of them sent her a photo today of people lining up in their cars to pray. The thought gave me chills and renewed my faith in Americans who have come together in times of crisis for generations. As a Christian who believes in the power of pray, I was so encouraged to see the community rally around their health care providers and praying for those impacted by this terrible virus.
Music Monday: Neil Diamond #COVID19 contribution
Posted By RichC on March 30, 2020
Neil Diamond sings “Sweet Caroline” with updated lyric for safety during Covid-19 pandemic. Stay safe out there!
Woodworking crosscut sled discussion and bookshelves update
Posted By RichC on March 29, 2020
This is a two-purpose post: A woodworking (sort of) bookshelves project archive update and shared information on a jig I made.
First, the bookshelves and music room/ library painting coming along slowly. I’m bogged down with putty, sanding and painting after adding a strip light shield (wood to hide the LEDs that I’m planning to add that will highlight artwork).
I am working on final priming and have all but the center section moldings in place … so there is progress, but I’m not rushing anything.
Second, a discussion arose after Jon Peters shared his thoughts on his "massive" table saw crosscut sled and with some back and forth with a few guys, I told them that I was pretty satisfied with my slightly smaller but deeper cut (28") sled. Also I mentioned that I thought using a leading edge piece of aluminum angle (photos right) makes the jig easier to horse around. At this point in my woodworking, I wouldn’t change my design one bit … and so they wanted to see better photos (below).
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.