My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on March 15, 2019

Just upgrading blog to WordPress 5.1.1 and needed a little text copy to try out the new editor (below). It does seem a bit snappier?

BTW, did you know WordPress now powers over 1/3rd of the top 10 million sites on the web?

Site Health

With security and speed in mind, this release introduces WordPress’s first Site Health features. WordPress will start showing notices to administrators of sites that run long-outdated versions of PHP, which is the programming language that powers WordPress.

When installing new plugins, WordPress’s Site Health features will check whether a plugin requires a version of PHP incompatible with your site. If so, WordPress will prevent you from installing that plugin.

WordPress has detected your site is running an outdated version of PHP. You will see this notice on your dashboard with instructions for contacting your host.

Editor Performance

Introduced in WordPress 5.0, the new block editor continues to improve. Most significantly, WordPress 5.1 includes solid performance improvements within the editor. The editor should feel a little quicker to start, and typing should feel smoother. Nevertheless, expect more performance improvements in the next releases.

Category: Blogs, Computer, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 5.1.1, editor, speedtest, tech friday, techfriday, update, wordpress

Posted By RichC on March 15, 2019

I enjoy receiving the occasional email on words from Science Diction (Science Friday folks) and this one from the word emoji was a good one.

READ the full history here  … or on the archived WaybackMachine LINK

Category: Computer, History, Human Interest, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: emoji, etymology, friday, history science, tech friday, techfriday, wayback machine, words

Posted By RichC on March 14, 2019

Throwback Thursday posts can be interesting, especially when archiving a couple of my old photos from the early 1990s and tidbit of information that is likely not saved any place else (the horse was named Gus).

Here’s a little Howard family history (my wife’s side of the family): Brenda’s grandfather, Allen George Howard died young; it was only 4-1/2 months after the birth of his only son Frederick (Brenda’s father). Allen grew up as a farmer in western New York and learned early how to take care of animals, including horses. When World War I came, it was natural for him to work with the horses in the 307th Field Artillery unit of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front in Europe. That duty set him up for working as a mail carrier (initially horse and wagon) after the war. He married Mabel Mawhir (Granny), lived and worked in Brocton, New York and  kept his work horse in the the small barn/garage behind their house on Blood Street (more photos & Google map below).

(more…)

Category: Archive, History, Memories, Millitary, Personal, Photos, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: allen, ancestry, archive, brenda, brocton, dadh, family, History, howard, jamestown, katelyn, mabel, momh, new york, richc, taylor, TBT

Posted By RichC on March 13, 2019

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Memories, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, dance, dancing, katelyn, momc, party, video, youtube

Posted By RichC on March 12, 2019

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, birthday, corbett, drew, family, katelyn, mp4, oostra, party, video

Posted By RichC on March 11, 2019

This content is restricted.

Category: Memories, Music, Personal, Video | No Comments »
Tags: dadc, dancing, family, indiana, john mellencamp, momc, mp3, Music, music monday, musicmonday, square, video, youtube

Posted By RichC on March 10, 2019

Personally I’m not fond of any of the water, swamp or land creatures with teeth and jaws that look prehistoric … but all crocodilian (photo left, caiman, crocodile, alligator) definitely keep me on my toes, especially those bigger ones when visiting areas where they live (in our case, the southeastern US).

My first exposure with an alligator was when my grandparents brought my brother and I taxidermized alligators from their winter in Florida back in the 1960s (I wish I still had them). A more memorable encounter was when stopping for a picnic outside the entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp with my parents as kids when traveling. My brother and I regularly enjoyed the chance to run around while waiting for mom to make lunch on the tailgate of the station wagon and enjoyed poking ponds with sticks to see if we could find small alligators. After eating lunch, we walked back from the picnic table around the side of the car and came face to face with a BIG gator … likely wondering why we were poking for her offspring (or more likely like all wildlife, looking for handouts). Whew … our hearts skipped a beat as we quickly jumped in the other car door.

But back to the difference between alligators, crocodiles and the smaller central and South American caiman.

Here are a three “glaring” differences:

• Snout shape: Alligators have wider, U-shaped snouts, while crocodile front ends are more pointed and V-shaped.
• Toothy grin: When their snouts are shut, crocodiles look like they’re flashing a toothy grin, as the fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw sticks up over the upper lip. For alligators, the upper jaw is wider than the lower one, so when they close their mouths, all their teeth are hidden.
• Home base: Crocodiles tend to live in saltwater habitats, while alligators hang out in freshwater marshes and lakes.

But here are 8 differences …

That final “home base” difference is why crocodiles can be a bigger concern for those cruising/sailing down-under and in areas of the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Lingual salt glands: Crocodiles and gharials also differ from alligators and caimans in having functioning salt glands on their tongue. Structurally, these are actually modified salivary glands, and while alligators and caimans also have these structures they appear to have lost the ability to use them for excreting significant amounts of salt. This makes crocodiles more tolerant to life in saline water, including sea water in some species. Moreover, it suggests that crocodiles have a more recent marine ancestry: the ability to migrate across wide marine bodies, and even live there for extended periods, would certainly explain their current wide distribution across different continents. If ancestral species could live in marine environments, this ability has not been completely lost in modern crocodiles. Species such as saltwater crocodiles (C. porosus) can survive for extended periods in tidal estuaries, around the coast, and even out to sea. Alligators and caimans have lost much of this osmotic ability to secrete excess salt through the tongue glands, and can only tolerate it for short periods of time, prefering to remain in freshwater areas when possible. However, it is not unknown for large alligators to find their way into tidal mangroves and very rarely into coastal areas.

LINK

Category: Environment, Nature | No Comments »
Tags: alligator, australia, caiman, crocodile, crocodilian, florida, okefenokee, swamp

Posted By RichC on March 9, 2019

We all see them, even if we are not using Pinterest or refuse to go to pages  designed to generate click income … but still, there are some great ideas.

Here’s a packing tip that might help next time your putting liquids in your suitcase – put a little plastic wrap or any plastic over the top of your liquids and screw the top back on to prevent leaks (I also use this for storing liquids in my workshop … it might add a little life, especially if you tuck the plastic wrap into the can, jar or bottle removing as much air as possible).

The second item is to use the shower cap thingy from hotels to wrap around your shoes stuffed with pairs of socks before putting them in your suitcase … or just use a normal plastic grocery bag as I have done for years. The transparent and small shower cap idea does help you see what is in your shoes, especially if they aren’t too dirty or smelly. Great tips for traveling.

Category: Blogs, Ideas, Tidbits, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: air travel, filler, ideas, liquids, packing, plastic, suitcase, tips, traveling

Posted By RichC on March 8, 2019

Animated GIF of Dolphin pod jumping and leaping

Category: Blogs, Environment, Nature, Sailing, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: ani gif, dolphins, jump, Leap, ocean

Posted By RichC on March 8, 2019

Chromebooks are not my preferred devices, but they are excellent for those with more limited computing needs. For the most part, they are relatively inexpensive, easy to update, very reliable and frustration free. They boot/start quicker than most devices and data, apps and setting are easily backed up on Google’s cloud … so as long as you trust Google (cough, cough). Think of them as big smartphones with a keyboard.

As for personal experience, my wife Brenda has been using her original Samsung first-generation Chromebook for years. She actually still uses it even with this new model (go figure?)  The operating system has only improved over time and most apps and websites have updated to support Chromebooks and the popular Google Android OS devices. I picked up this new to us Samsung Chromebook Pro at the end of last year primarily because it offers a much sharper and brighter AND larger “touchscreen” display. The faster processor and a stylus have made it all that much more attractive (I have enjoyed doodling on it). It is still limited in memory and onboard storage, but since Brenda primarily uses web-based browser apps, there isn’t much need for space.

Unfortunately the one negative is that with speed and a bigger, brighter display … the battery life suffers. You can usually get through a day, but a bit more like Windows-based notebooks, you’ll be plugging it in sooner than you really want. Even Brenda’s old Samsung will still outlast this new model.

So if you are a web-based Gmail user that is comfortable with the Chrome browser and spend most of your time surfing the net, sending email and watching videos … this is an excellent and fair priced lightweight computer for you. If I were not so comfortable using my iPad with the BrydgeKeyboard, this would be a great device to connect to my iPhone hotspot to use for daily sales calls and travel.

Category: Advice, Cloud, Computer, Software, Tablet, Technology, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: android, battery, chromebook, review, samsung, tech friday, techfriday, Travel