My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on February 8, 2019

Yup … I have over 1000 photos.

Once again, the lesson to take to heart is to "control your own data" whenever you can or be blackmailed into new subscription rules or lose everything.  Even more challenging if a company goes out of business or deciding you have infringed on their user policy without warning and having your entire account deleted without recourse.

Do you have a Flickr account? Does it have over 1,000 photos?

Go back them up, or you might lose a bunch of them forever.

..

1. Go to Flickr.com on a desktop browser
2. Log in
3. Tap your profile picture in the upper right, then hit “Settings”
4. Scroll down, and look for “Your Flickr Data” in the bottom right.
5. Double check that the email address listed is your current one. If not, change it.
6. Hit the “Request my Flickr data” button.
7. Wait.

Within a few hours, you should get an email with a big ol’ zip file with all of your pictures.

PSA: Go back up your Flickr photos before they’re deleted | TechCrunch

Category: Business, Cloud, Photography, Photos, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: account data, flickr, Photos, psa, tech friday, techcrunch, techfriday, yahoo

Posted By RichC on February 7, 2019

The 2018 wireless phone Tax Foundation report came out in December 2018 and although we may have seen income tax rates drop, wireless phone plans continue to be ripe for the taxman’s pickings. It is shocking to see such a wide rate structure from all the different states (map above) but that doesn’t tell the story of the year to year upward creep in total taxes paid. The average family "can expect to pay about $229 per year in wireless taxes, fees, and surcharges—up from $221 in 2017." Check out the chart below that show the year to year increases Americans are taxed for their cellphone plans … closing in on 20% on average (count your blessings if your plan is in Oregon … or even Ohio!)

Category: Business, Cellphone, Financial, News, Politics, Productivity, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: Cellphone, government, Politics, tax foundation, taxes, wireless

Posted By RichC on February 6, 2019

We often act as if we are so enlightened in the 21st century when it comes to political philosophy and an understanding as to what motivates human beings. Politicians, and in turn their dreamy-eyed followers, are once again attempting to solve income equality with big government and expensive social programs that propose to "tax the rich" … not unlike what has been attempted in socialist countries in the past (or even in our own country with the memorable LBJ "Great Society." For all the millions of dollars, did it work? No!).

Good to remember we’ve seen it fail and debated many times before, but will we learn?

EDIT – always good to get it correct:

Dr. Adrian Rogers – (1931-2005) American pastor
Often attributed to Dr. Rogers with an incorrect date of 1931. The quotation is part of a longer 1984 sermon in a larger series titled “God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom” (CDA107); it also appears in Dr. Rogers’ 1996 work “Ten Secrets for a Successful Family” stating that “by and large our young people do not know either the importance or the value of honest labor”. Rogers did not originate the quote and did not claim to have originated it. Instead, he was citing almost verbatim a bit of anti-Soviet propaganda that had circulated in many magazines in the early 1960’s. The quote appeared before that in the Congressional Record of 1958, where they were appended to the record by congressman Bruce Alger. Alger had borrowed the words from Gerald L. K. Smith, who had written them first in his magazine, The Cross and the Flag. Since the quote was attributed to Rogers in 2009, it has been regularly attributed to him; however, Rogers was essentially quoting Smith at the time.

Category: History, Misc, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: adrian rogers, equality, great society, income, lbj, Politics, socialism

Posted By RichC on February 5, 2019

The prediction that diesel fuels will rise (“double in price” – note the last minute of the interview) is bound to impact the price of goods. Everything is shipped using diesel fuel, be it on ships, trains or trucks, and with those prices rising significantly, consumers will be paying. On the personal side, those of us driving diesel cars, trucks and SUVs are going to notice it at the pump.

Category: Automotive, Biodiesel, Diesel, Energy, Politics, Video | No Comments »
Tags: diesel, economy, fuel, inflation, phil flynn, shipping, tommy san miguel, youtube

Posted By RichC on February 4, 2019

While chatting with my son Taylor over the weekend about the terrible news regarding the killing of a law enforcement officer in the county where he works (depressing), we discussed his career options again. His job is currently to his liking, but the challenge and opportunity for advancement and salary improvement is dependent on seniority and the advancement of those in management position above him. He is very good at his current job as county planner (hence the joke photo above), but unfortunately it does not give him experience in administration or managing people. It is tough to know when to be satisfied with a job you do competently and when to stretch yourself by taking the risk with a new job, new people and new challenges?

(more…)

Category: History, Misc, News, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: ancestry, blue, career, dna, family, Humor, law enforcement, planning, police, richc, taylor, wsj

Posted By RichC on February 3, 2019

Not much doubt about it … the New England Patriots are the the best team in the NFL and their team leader and QB Tom Brady is the best to have ever played the game (oh, how I hate admitting that).  Nevertheless, they win when they have to and did it in defensive style for Super Bowl LIII. Congratulations to them and their fans. Final score, Patriots 13 – Rams 3.

Category: Misc | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on February 3, 2019

After watching a short YouTube video of the Coquina Clam emerging from the “swash zone” on a beach after a wave retreated, I thought a short animated gif would make a great winter filler post for the blog.

The coquina clam (Donax variabilis) is a common inhabitant of Florida’s sandy beaches. Known for their highly variable color patterns, coquinas can be found buried just under the surface of the sand in the wave-swept area of the beach known as the swash zone. These algae filter-feeders are a critical food source for fish, crabs and shorebirds. Along with other animals such as the mole crab (Emerita talpoida) and ghost crab (Ocypode quandrata), coquina clams are considered indicator species for beach habitat. Because of their sensitivity to environmental changes, indicator species can act as an early warning system for biologists. (more)

Category: Environment, Misc, Nature, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: ani gif, anigif, beach, clam, colorful, coquina, filler, florida, youtube

Posted By RichC on February 2, 2019

One never knows who you will offend and who you will connect with when posting on an open social network, but Friday I had an enjoyable back and forth with Troy from Missouri. He is a like-minded political conservative, a patriot (a Navy veteran who served on the USS Stonewall Jackson) and seemed to also enjoy our polite political back and forth before it dissolved into private messaging about our personal interests. We seemed to have so many similar interests, from Linux and blogging to tractors and sailing. He and his wife Betty even have a Blue Heeler. It was most enjoyable.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to reading his website and learning a little more from him (ah, Astronomy). Thanks for chatting Clark Kent  – his Twitter name.

Category: Blogs, Friends, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: blog, chat, friend, missouri, navy, politcs, troy, twitter

Posted By RichC on February 1, 2019

This content is restricted.

Category: Alexa, Archive, History, Misc, Personal, Photos, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: Alexa, ancestry, annalyn, bed, brenda, chalkpaint, dna, drew, echo, family, furniture, jenny lind, katelyn, legacy, mom c, momc, mp3, richc, taylor, TBT

Posted By RichC on January 31, 2019

In my workshop there is a spot on the wall behind dad’s small drill press and my router table for old tools. As mentioned before, I use Brenda’s dads’ dental tools regularly and have put a few of DadH’s woodworking tools on the wall – it is too bad I passed on the dental chair. I suspect most of the tools were Brenda’s maternal grandfathers’ as he was a craftsman originally from Sweden who immigrated to the U.S. and ended up in Jamestown, New York building furniture. A coupleof the wood chisels I still use regularly … while others I’ve given to Drew and Taylor (tool stools) – most though have found a spot on my “tool legacy wall” (A few tricks of the trade can only be learned or shared on a blog).
 
As for my side of the family, my dad had quite a few tools as well. Many of his were of the machine tool and electrical variety and a few have found their way into my inherited toolbox (below). A couple items were mentioned before, like the small drill press and the old Triplett meter – part of my dad’s 44 year career with Haughton Elevator and Schindler Elevator. Although he lived across the street (current Streetview of his childhood house & corn where DadC’s father’s service station was) and worked in Toledo until 1973, he retired from the electrical division in Sidney, Ohio (here’s 2008 newspaper story about the Toledo Haughton Elevator – PDF).

A couple other items recently added next to the “legacy tool wall” was a drill bit shelf by using one of my dad’s old wooden finger joint parts boxes. While doing this, I decided to add my Fostner bits and a few measuring instruments; they are often used to measure my unmarked drill bits. 

What was interesting to me was to noticing for the first time, my grandfather, Earl Daniel Corbett’s name scribbled on the box. Not only did my dad “likely” inherit this boxed machinist micrometer from his father, but very likely he inherited it from HIS father-in-law, Frank Henry Hirth (see name in photo below). Anyway, I found this desultory information blogworthy.

Category: Archive, History, Memories, Personal, Photos, Tools, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: ancestry, box, clamps, corbett, dadc, dadh, drillpress, grandfather, hirth, holmstrom, howard, legacy, shelf, toolbox, tools, wall, woodworking, workshop