Sidetracked again, this time added a drawing table drawer
Posted By RichC on November 18, 2018
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Sidetracked into playing with my Stirling Engine model
Posted By RichC on November 17, 2018
Last week while clearing off our bookshelves I came across a ticket to The Music Man from 18 years ago when my nephew Ben played the lead in his high school musical. It occurred to me that his birthday was this month and that I should post it to his Facebook page while sending him a “Happy Birthday” greeting. My sister-in-law replied back that she would love to have the ticket, but it was stuck firmly to the shelf?
What to do, what to do? A: Try steam???
Oh, that was that easy … well, nope … once again a distraction sidetracked me as I ended up opening a box that had my old Stirling Engine model and remembered that the small gasket was why it stopped working and that I was going to fabricate a new one out of a latex glove … which like all of us with “too much brain“ (cough, cough) … proceeded to spend the rest of the evening tinkering and testing the new gasket and deteriorating rubber connectors on the model engine.
I did end up getting the ticket steamed off the bookshelf for my sister-in-law Chris. Now to remember to give it to her!
Invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, the Stirling engine has the potential to be much more efficient than a gasoline or diesel engine. But today, Stirling engines are used only in some very specialized applications, like in submarines or auxiliary power generators for yachts, where quiet operation is important. Although there hasn’t been a successful mass-market application for the Stirling engine, some very high-power inventors are working on it.
A Stirling engine uses the Stirling cycle, which is unlike the cycles used in internal-combustion engines.
The gasses used inside a Stirling engine never leave the engine. There are no exhaust valves that vent high-pressure gasses, as in a gasoline or diesel engine, and there are no explosions taking place. Because of this, Stirling engines are very quiet.
The Stirling cycle uses an external heat source, which could be anything from gasoline to solar energy to the heat produced by decaying plants. No combustion takes place inside the cylinders of the engine.
Tech Friday: My Brydge BT keyboard has a faulty USB socket
Posted By RichC on November 16, 2018
The Brydge keyboard attached to my aging iPad Air2, which I love, has been slowly causing me a few irritation when it come to getting a connection while charging. The tightly sealed aluminum 
clad keyboard was much better than my original Kensington (left) and tested Zagg (right), 
both which were great. Still the Brydge is not meant to be taken apart or even service the battery, from what I can tell. I’ve narrowed down the problem (I think) to a loose or faulty USB socket on the device since I’ve tried several cords with different clearance plug ends. None of them work correctly but a couple will eventually make a connection "IF" I wiggle and pressure the tip down away from the key surfaces (illustrated above).
Thankfully the Brydge keyboard does not need to be charged often as the iPad, but without a way to fix it, I think its days are numbered. Perhaps I’ll start looking for a new iPad/Brydge pairing in 2019?
Heavy ice in the morning and snow tonight …
Posted By RichC on November 15, 2018
Winter is here as the ice came in the morning bringing down branches and knocking out power all around Cincinnati … and just when I thought it was over, the Dark Sky app indicates the heavy snow is beginning in Liberty Township. Ugh!
(I’m also playing a little bit with the slow-motion settings on the iPhone)
Mid-November must be time to rake leaves in Ohio? #TBT
Posted By RichC on November 15, 2018
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Pocket dust, the bane of micro plugs in our smartphones
Posted By RichC on November 14, 2018
It is shocking just how much lint and dust can accumulate in the tiny holes and connectors of our smartphones. If you notice 
questionable connections and charging difficultly with your iPhone or Android phone your first look should be at the cord, plug and socket of your phone. In my case, the amount of lint at the base of the lightning plug on my Apple iPhone built up enough to occasionally prevent the plug from inserting fully. The solution was to use a small dental tool to "gently" loosen the built up pocket dust from the socket. A little suction from a shopvac hopefully will take care of the rest.
How prepared are we for the next economic downturn?
Posted By RichC on November 13, 2018
After Monday’s selloff (see below), what lies ahead for the U.S. economy? That thought has some of seriously thinking the next economic downturn could come sooner rather than as expected … later.
The sell off … "again" … has me wondering if we are prepared for the next recession? Is the U.S., or the world, is ready for downturn?
Usually central banks try to soften a recession by lowering interest rates, increasing money supply, controlling reserves and the buying/selling of government bonds here and abroad in order to stimulate the economy. But our Federal Reserve is barely back to normal levels after a prolonged period of stimulating the economy with their monetary policies.
Besides banking, there is also fiscal policy where governments attempt to juice the economy by investing/spending or returning taxes to consumers, so they can cut taxes and deficit spend in order to stimulate the economy (sarcastically, "that’s the norm").
"Recessions occur where there is too little spending to keep an economy’s
resources from falling idle." – Ryan Avent of The Economist
Obviously there are repercussions from both monetary and fiscal policies since at some point good economies needs to be able to stand on their own, at least between recessions. The Federal Reserve in the U.S. still has not fully recovered from the last recession and we all know our elected representatives can’t even agree on a balanced budget year to year, let alone manage the taxes they do collect wisely. It is difficult to be optimistic having just watched our nation’s debt double in the last decade; it is now $21.7 Trillion – that is mindboggling.
Dow Falls 600Pts As Tech Rout Hits Stocks
Monday’s selling began in the technology sector, then morphed into a broad rout that dragged lower everything from oil conglomerates to manufacturers to entertainment firms. It was the latest setback for the stock market, which has struggled to break out to new highs since the S&P 500 capped off its worst month in more than seven years.
The Dow industrials fell 602 points, or 2.3%, to 25387. The S&P 500 lost 2% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.8%.
Music Monday: A Rumours of Fleetwood Mac recap
Posted By RichC on November 12, 2018
After posting on last weekend Rumours of Fleetwood Mac concert on Friday night for Saturday’s post, I realized the music related post would have made a great Music Monday post. Since part of being a VIP attendee was a bunch of swag including a promo video, so below a little bit of what the concert performance was like … or check out the previous post.
Veterans Day – 100 year anniversary of the Armistice ending WWI
Posted By RichC on November 11, 2018
The "Bells of Peace" will ring out nationwide from smartphones on
the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" to mark the centennial
of the end of World War I in November 1918 – click for app
On the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month … one hundred years ago … in 1918, the guns of World War I fell silent as the Armistice ending WWI was signed … it unfortunately was not to be the war to end all wars.
Today, Veterans Day, the citizens of our nation honors ALL of our veterans … and we thank them for their service. Although the last living veteran who fought in World War I died in 2012, we appreciate those veterans who followed in their footsteps serving in the military and 
protecting us from the tyrannical evil in the World War to follow, as well as when our nation called and calls them, again and again. Thank you veterans for answering that call and for your service to our country.
Veteran’s Day (formerly Armistice Day) is celebrated on November 11th each year. This is a day for us to honor our nation’s veterans, and in particular on this centennial year, remember those who served in the First World War.
Origin
During August 1914, immediately after the outbreak of the war, British author and social commentator H. G. Wells published a number of articles in London newspapers that subsequently appeared as a book entitled The War That Will End War. Wells blamed the Central Powers for the coming of the war and argued that only the defeat of German militarism could bring about an end to war. Wells used the shorter form of the phrase, "the war to end war", in In the Fourth Year (1918), in which he noted that the phrase had "got into circulation" in the second half of 1914. In fact, it had become one of the most common catchphrases of the First World War.
In later years, the term became associated with Woodrow Wilson, despite the fact that Wilson used the phrase only once. Along with the phrase "make the world safe for democracy", it embodied Wilson’s conviction that U.S. entry into the war was necessary to preserve human freedom.
If you enjoy music, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac is a great concert
Posted By RichC on November 10, 2018
It has been 41 years since Fleetwood Mac released their ginormous selling album called Rumours which was a must have by college students like me in the late 1970s (45 million copies of Rumours has been sold). Brenda and I attended a Rumours of Fleetwood Mac concert marking the 40 years milestone this past week with a couple VIP passes to meet the band members … 
and listen to (and record) a few songs LIVE (below) during their pre-concert "sound check." We made the most of our 6 hour date night with dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the 2-1/2 hour concert that started at 7:30. The walk down memory lane included original pre-1970s Fleetwood Mac "blues," every Rumours song (including Silver Springs excluded from original release due to space), ending with a raucous version of Tusk that was enjoyed by all attending in downtown Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre. Smaller venues are really nice … especially with a pre-concert warm-up along and chance to talk with the band.
| Dreams – performed LIVE 11/8/2018 during “sound check” Rumours of Fleetwood Mac |
We both enjoyed the entire evening and can recommend it if you enjoy 1970s and 80s music. A video introduction by Mick Fleetwood started the evening 
which is all that much more interesting since he and several member of the 70s and 80s Fleetwood Mac group are performing in North America this year too. They are not getting any younger! The younger English band members who were very talented were all very personable and seemed to enjoy performing. The concert included a bunch of early Fleetwood Mac photos and videos which displayed on screen as the music was performed. All in attendance were on their feet by the end of the concert. When the band came out for their final bow, their genuine smiles looked as if they appreciated the cheers and applause. Below is some iPhone "pre-concert sound check" footage with a couple photos from our evening slipped in.
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.