If you need a workout, try #PumpSurfing
Posted By RichC on August 6, 2019
One can only imagine (unless you have tried it), the kind of workout it would be to race past a sailing vessel on a surfboard with a pump-foil attachment? Impressive.
Nobody likes investing when there is blood in the stock market?
Posted By RichC on August 5, 2019
Monday, August 5th, 2019 was not a good day to 
be long in the stock markets – WSJ update. I think we are often too complacent with investing and fall victim to the “stay the course” and invest for long run mentality. It is easy to forget just how painful market drops can be.
Economist and analysts have warned repeatedly that our long running recovery is due for a correction, yet they have been so wrong since the election of President Trump that most ignore their cries of “wolf.” But as the saying goes, “even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Today’s (and pretty much all of last week’s) selling was all due to trade talks with China and their response to more tariff threats from President Trump come September. The Chinese in turn continue to devalue their currency and pressure companies to not purchase agricultural products from the U.S. and seek to develop other relationships. 
We are entering a new and frightening phase in what is now definitely a trade war. Add to this, the rest of the world is economically slowing, all which dries up markets for U.S. goods and drags down our “strong for the moment” economy. The U.S. workers are finally getting comfortable with being employed and even seeing a few more dollars in their paychecks. As they say, “just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water …”
Content by Netflix and Amazon and filming Hillbilly Elegy
Posted By RichC on August 5, 2019
While Brenda and I wait for the new season of our favorite book-to-television Amazon Prime’s “Man In The High Castle” series, we (or should I really say “she”) 
got hooked on the popular binge watched series “Stranger Things.”
It is amazing how our television habits have changed in this past decade? Gone are the weekend “video” and DVD rentals or even streaming of feature films; now everyone it seems is watching new original content series show from companies like Netflix and Amazon. I’m sure there are others, but frankly I don’t need or want anymore subscriptions services. On a side note, someone from one of my car groups posted about seeing our W123 cars 
used in one of the episodes – car guys always notice these things, be they Mercedes diesels or Volkswagen TDIs on the screen.
Also, another Netflix related book-to-movie, J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” directed by Ron Howard is in the local news last week as the filming crews are building sets (Pulse Journal photo) and preparing for filming in Middletown Ohio this August 5th (the author’s hometown and the basis of book – photo below at a local coffeeshop earlier this year when Howard was negotiating and scouting the area for filming – it almost didn’t happen).
Our culture has accepted two huge lies … a Rick Warren #quote
Posted By RichC on August 4, 2019
Rick Warren has one of the more fitting quotes for our current cultural divide:
“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”
Kitchen Ideas when you would rather be on a boat
Posted By RichC on August 3, 2019
A filler photo tidbit for today’s post, but this creative kitchen island idea from one of my sailing groups caught my eye. It “would” have worked in our kitchen … I’m just not sure I could have pulled it off without adding a mast! 🙂
Tech Friday: How safe is data with cloud storage services?
Posted By RichC on August 2, 2019
Even if you don’t regularly using cloud storage services (likely your smartphone is), most of us are at some point backing up data from our computers or using services online that store our data on major cloud storage companies.
I’ve personally had a growing concern over the race for quantum computing which eventually will make our current encryption insecure (posts 1, 2, 3). Last week a well known Israeli spyware company claims its Pegasus malware can covertly retrieve all of the information that person has stored on servers owned by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. (LINK)
Hm … so what’s the plan?
Volkswagen is winning us back and easing bounteous warranty
Posted By RichC on August 1, 2019
CinciTDI GTG at our house August 20, 2008 – Throwback Thursday #TBT
It has been a while since posting anything on Volkswagen or to the TDIClub forums; I’m likely I’m still sore over their “dieselgate” failure and the company 
giving up on diesel cars in North America. Still, I’m drawn to VWs and their excellent combination of tight handling, performance, design and premium quality all at a “fair” price … and can see myself interested in a Volkswagen Atlas someday (my friend Tim Hunter just added one to his garage).
Even though I have moved on from the Volkswagen family, my daughter returned, missing her VW TDI. It only took a short time of owning a Nissan Juke (she was very disappointed) and is now very happy with her Tiguan (2017 video below break). My son is also about ready to return to a Volkswagen and might be tempted to move even quicker in order to get in before the excellent 6-year/72,000-mile warranty is gone. Time will tell … but personally I’d rather have the long bumper-to-bumper warranty than the free factory-covered maintenance.
VW’s excellent 6-year/72,000 mile warranty is ending
A free maintenance plan is introduced in its place
The very good 6-year/72,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty for all new Volkswagens is coming to an end. Automotive News discovered the news, learning that a new warranty would be put in place for all Volkswagens for the 2020 model year. That new program brings the coverage down to a 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is still a solid new car warranty in the U.S.
Along for the ride with the new warranty strategy are two years of free, factory-covered maintenance for all 2020 VW owners. That means you shouldn’t have any out-of-pocket scheduled maintenance costs for the first two years of ownership. If you end up blowing a tire or bending a rim, though, expect to cough up some cash.
When surfing or on a SUP, a dolphin can be a bully too
Posted By RichC on July 31, 2019
Dolphins and humans have a few things in common – there are bullies in both species.
Falling back on fiberglass and autobody skills for house repairs
Posted By RichC on July 30, 2019
The summer of 2019 around our house has meant more repairs and maintenance updates than usual. This means weekends have been busy with house projects and in also finding and hiring help to complete the updates that are too overwhelming for this one “aging” guy to handle on his own 
(although my 60th birthday celebrations 1 and 2 have been great!).
In the spring of this year, a windstorm tossed the Trinka into the column on the end of our poolhouse putting a hole and crack in the fiberglass pillar. In contemplating a “fix,” I decided to take care of the structural damage using “boatbuilding” fiberglass and West System epoxy. Having just installed new gutters and since we are close to painting all of the house trim, I’m in more of a hurry to scrap and sand all the flaking paint off the unfortunately “unprimed” plastic column tops and finish the cosmetic repairs. Just as with using a boatbuilding techniques, I’ve decided to tap into my automotive bodywork experience and finish off the damaged column so it can be painted.
One never knows what life-skills can be repurposed and will come in handy?
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.