Posted By RichC on November 15, 2019
While looking to purchase a can of the highly regarded CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, the shipping can sometimes become an eye opener. Perhaps Amazon Prime shipping is a good thing? (let’s hope this is an Ace Hardware – Google Shopping glitch?)
Posted By RichC on November 14, 2019
Not often, but once in a while there is a television series that hooks both Brenda and me. When “binge-watching” started in earnest, a decade or so ago, it
was Jericho for us (although we Tivo-ed it weekly), then 24 (although in 2009 we watch DVDs pre-streaming), and then one of our favorites, FX Networks The Americans. Finally, we are currently hooked on Phillip K Dick’s book to television series called The Man in the High Castle. Ok, so we watch Stranger Things too … but we got a late start with that series.
Anyway, on Friday 11/15/2019 begins the highly anticipated season 4 (at least for us) and hopeful conclusion that will the resistance movement succeed in gaining back the United States from the Nazis and Japanese (as the storyline goes, the Germans and Japanese won World War Two and split control of the country as they continued on the verge of nuclear war into the 1960s – oh, there are also “different” realities and travelers who know and move back and forth between worlds. Very interesting.
So if you need a new “very well done series,” watch the now four season of Man In The High Castle on Amazon Prime.
Posted By RichC on November 14, 2019
I probably shouldn’t make a joke about my brother Ron going in for a surgical repair to his shoulder on Friday, but since he was the one joking with me about how he has felt like a “one and a half armed man” since summer, I continue the joke.
Hopefully, he will “slice” (ouch!) right through surgery and quickly recover, but one should never take surgery lightly. His shoulder repair (besides a little smoothing clean up of the socket) is to rework a groove for a tendon that will not stay in place and causes him significant pain. Since he really hasn’t been able to use his arm, there really isn’t an option besides surgery. Likely the most difficult part will be the rehab of his shoulder when he gets home — I’ll see how that is going over Thanksgiving when we are together.
I’ll be praying for you tomorrow Ron … oh, and here’s a Throwback Thursday #TBT photo of you in the tub a few years ago! 😊
Posted By RichC on November 13, 2019
For years in our increasingly populated (with people) Liberty Township, Ohio community has had a fair amount of wildlife roaming our neighborhoods. I’ve commented several times before and have never really been concerned when the critters are of the fox and smaller variety. Raccoons are still my least favorite, but those pesky chipmunks have recently been outsmarting me (payback for me squirting insulation foam down their holes). On the other hand, trapping a skunk was not one of my finer moments either … and the feral cat was a classic!
Recently a couple of coyotes have been making our backyard a regular hangout … probably because Tootsie is no longer around to keep them away. Bigger outdoor dogs aside, smaller pet owners need to remember that their furballs might be looked at as “dinner” … and if coyotes aren’t alone, even bigger dogs could suffer in a scrape.
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Posted By RichC on November 12, 2019
Oh the crazy things we do in order to watch Monday Night Football.
The remote I use in the Home Theater has been failing and finally would no longer work. Unlike years ago when you could walk up to a TV and change the channels, our new set-up require a remote control to change nearly everything. In other words, with a dead battery in the remote and no CR2032 3V lithium replacement, the projection TV and associated gear will not work. Yikes, what is an old time Jerry Rigger to do???
Well, I opted to use the last of my smaller CR2016 3V batteries and added washer to give it the appropriate thickness. It works and hopefully will hold me until the next batch of a zillion batteries I ordered on Amazon today arrives (if one is needed, order dozens)! 😊
Posted By RichC on November 11, 2019
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Posted By RichC on November 10, 2019
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Posted By RichC on November 9, 2019
When chatting about our recent vacation to Florida with a long time customer (friend) in Akron, Ohio, he asked why we picked Delray Beach, Florida 
as an area to buy a condo (I detected he is beginning to think about retiring). Although I realized that I really haven’t given much thought to how we ended up with a place in Delray Beach, in our case, it all boiled down to family circumstances. Perhaps my personal philosophy … “doors open, doors close, so be ready” … was at work; it did get me thinking about the many twists and turns in life and what likely influenced our path to where we are today (FYI: The answer on the phone was NOT the verbose narrative below. Instead, think of this as “autobiographical memoir notetaking,” so only click the “more” tag if you have more time than good sense. You’ve been warned).
Posted By RichC on November 8, 2019
We often use the term “Luddite” whenever we refer to people resisting new technology or mechanization. Recently a Wall Street Journal article detailed a timeline of changes as much of the world is faced with yet another wave of robotic automation and artificial intelligence (AI) changing career and taking over many of the jobs we humans spend our days doing.
A Consolidated Printing and Publishing Company Christmas card from 1995
It is obvious computer technology has already replaced a lot of jobs … including in my business and in my lifetime. It was happening when I started work when the personal computer began doing more of the graphic art work and pre-press printing prep that once took several skilled tradesman to do. From replacing paste-up, galley oriented type and the newer phototypesetting to digitizing the entire flat. Before the computer, there were graphic art rooms, darkrooms, stripping tables and plateburning and large processing areas within a printing company … half it not more of the work happened before a job could be taken to the pressroom.
Our “new” building for Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co in 1987
When I first started Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co, a little bit be could be done on the computer in the form of early on “desktop publishing,” but really it was still pretty rudimentary. 
Our shop had graphic artists (Angie, Bob and Sue) and still pasted up the copy and prepped artboards for the darkroom and the “process camera.” Generally one of the prepress workers (Rich, Tony, Craig, John) would shoot, process the large negative film and strip it onto a “flat” in order to burn offset printing plates before anything could be mounted to the offset press. It was an expensive and time consuming process … requiring several skilled artists and experienced tradespeople. Eventually computers became more graphics oriented and powerful and software like Adobe Pagemaker and RIPs could output full sheets of material for plating. As the years ticked by, to stay competitive, bigger investments were required and new skills replaced much of what the traditional printing tradesman could do. A single computer digital graphic artist could creates files and send data “direct to press.” 
Now even they are being eliminated since consumers can do much of the work with templates right on a webpage and send the file to “printers” instead of printing presses – at least for many of the items most commercial printers built their businesses on.
Nowadays, nearly everything is digital and online .. very little really require paper. In other words, technology has phased out not only the skilled positions that full departments in printing companies were build around, but the need for ink to be put on paper at all (I imagine those learning to set lead type galleys and run letterpress equipment felt the same way about offset printing?)
This same trend is happening in every industry .. some are just impacted later in the cycle due to technology .. but with advanced robotics and “thinking” (AI) systems .. decision can be made faster and better than by humans. We are faced once again with the loss of 
entire career paths and jobs as technology is added in order to do the job better, faster and cheaper than humans.
This has happened over and over for centuries. From the silk-twisting mills and Gutenberg printing presses of the 14-1500s, to the steam powered sawmills and railroads starting in the mid-1700s. Then there was the Luddite movement in 1811 where “lace and hosiery” trade workers in Britain followed the lead of an apprentice named Ned Ludham who used a hammer to destroy innovative machines that threatened their employment.
In the end, innovation and automation can be slowed but not stopped. Over the next decade or two, automation will continue to replace manufacturing jobs just as it has been doing for years. What is a bit new is that AI will so be replacing highly skilled, college educated, white collar jobs too. Decisions will be better made by algorithms and tireless computer bots the can process data and make decision far better than humans. We’re already seeing this is medical radiology when AI scan images for cancer or whatever doctors might need to know. We need to be thinking ahead as a country and as individuals.
What is it in our own fields that we can do to embrace and use this advancement to better compete and how can our education system prepare the next generation for the need we will have – as one technology disappears, another takes its place and at least at this point requires stilled technicians, programmers and operators.
So are you a Luddite or ready to accept change and prepare for a new job or career?
Posted By RichC on November 7, 2019
Although we have recently returned from a nice two week vacation (Part One, Two and Three) and finishing up projects at the condo, I was reminded when looking at a post from 5 years ago for Throwback Thursday #TBT, just how relaxed we were and how much we enjoyed our time together sailing Encore (it was the same for Tulla and Brenich). Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate our current path?
Short video from 2014 …
What a wonderful life.