My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on November 9, 2018

Having used a Brydge keyboard with an iPad from their first introduction, I can say that IF I were to update my current iPad Air2 to the 2018 just introduced iPad Pro that I would seriously consider waiting for the 2019 Brydge keyboard … they are that good.

But with all current Apple updates to products, there come higher and higher prices – and it has been significant in the last couple product cycles. The once inexpensive accessory, the cellphone, is no longer on a normal person’s  2 year upgrade cycle now that smartphones are becoming our computers. Speaking of computers, this decades models are so capable that the average user can keep them for years without feeling they are antiquated. Speed, size, battery life and storage are no longer major issues for 5 year old computers. 

Same for my first iPad2 and iPad Air2 … it still does most everything I ask of it: 1) lasts all day, 2) run relatively fast, 3) updates the current apps & iOS, 4) is small enough to carry most anywhere, and 5) has a display of an appropriate size and resolution. Do I "want" better … yes. Do I "need" better … not really. Is it worth paying twice as much for the new one than the previous model? It is hard to justify for a penny pincher like me.

Tech companies developing phones, tablets, notebook or desktop computers, their accessories and software … or even televisions … are going to step up their game by either giving me a reason to upgrade or at least entice me with a better price point and NOT double the price of the "still functioning previous model.

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, Tablet, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: air2, apple, brydge, ipad, ipad air, ipadpro, keyboard, review, tech friday, techfriday, update, upgrade

Posted By RichC on November 8, 2018

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Category: Archive, Education, Personal, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, claire, family, hawaii, montessori, retirement, ronc, school

Posted By RichC on November 7, 2018

The midterm election is finally over and those who are tired of pile of flyers in their mail, phone calls, email spam and still watching cable TV network stations are no doubt thankful that is the case.

As for the results, each political party can claim some degree of victory. The Democrats definitely gained ground from a deep hole by winning the majority of governorships and the majority in the House. Republicans can claim it wasn’t the "blue wave" many pollsters had predicted and in fact gained larger majority in the Senate. All in all, both sides can pat themselves on the back … but the work now begins.

The DEMs can no longer obstruct and resist IF they want to keep their new majority in the House, as they now have to "stand for something." If they are going to prove themselves productive, they will have to work with President Trump on something (unless they take the low road and attempt to impeach him). The bickering Republican senators might still disagree with each other, but better get unified if they want to keep their seats. President Trump’s job either just got harder or perhaps easier since he might just make deals with congress in order to keep the country functioning. Let’s hope for the later.

One of the biggest changes in the last 14 years has been that both Democrats and Republicans have become more entrenched. The extremes of both parties is noticeably stronger and the moderates from each party are disappearing. If you pay attention to any news, get togethers or water cooler talk, you can feel the tension among co-workers, friends and family.

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: 2018, democrats, election, graph, midterm, moderates, november, Politics, Republicans

Posted By RichC on November 6, 2018

This year Brenda and I voted absentee …  or by mail. I knew it was an important mid-term and wanted to be sure our votes counted, but do miss the feeling of standing in line with others and waiting my turn at the polls. That said, minus the hiccup with our verification system (missing digits for driver’s license number), sitting down and carefully reading about each candidate and our only issue gave me a chance to research a little bit. Thankfully I knew the details since my son wanted to review them with me last night — good job being an informed voter Taylor.

And as if my prepared video post for today didn’t lift my spirits, the predicted rain  was sunshine … and the Orca log-in screen greeting me on my Windows Lenovo notebook computer rewarding.

Category: Computer, Politics, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: informed, lenovo, orca, taylor, vote, voting, weather

Posted By RichC on November 6, 2018

“IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN”

Don’t give up too easily; persistence pays off in the end. The proverb has been traced back to ‘Teacher’s Manual’ by American educator Thomas H. Palmer and ‘The Children of the New Forest’ by English novelist Frederick Maryat (1792-1848). Originally a maxim used to encourage American schoolchildren to do their homework. Palmer (1782-1861) wrote in his ‘Teacher’s Manual’: ‘Tis a lesson you should heed, try, try again. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’ The saying was popularized by Edward Hickson (1803-70) in his ‘Moral Song’ and is now applicable to any kind of activity.”

LINK

Category: Misc, Nature, Tidbits, Video | No Comments »
Tags: bear, climbing, effort, motivation, mountain, perseverance, persistence, snow, video

Posted By RichC on November 5, 2018

It seems later in the season that usual to be just starting to rake leaves and get in a final mow before winter, but the weather was dry after a long stretch of rain, so chores for me it was. My back is now sore and contemplating taking an Advil as the muscle tighten. There will be more leaves to do since half are still hanging in the trees.

While cutting the backyard on Sunday afternoon, our usually shy Red Tailed Hawk trapped mouse for his dinner but was bold enough to let me take a few photos and video; I sensed he did not want to give up his prize? (here is a different banded hawk from a few years ago)

Once again, I’m amazed at just how far our smartphones have advanced in the past decade with video stabilization and nearly HD quality sensors. The above was captured with my iPhone 7 plus (not even the current generation from Apple) and unedited besides the fade in and out transitions while compressing with Handbrake in order to compress and stream from the web. 

Category: Archive, Cellphone, Nature, Photography, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: apple, autumn, chores, hawk, home, iphone7plus, red tailed, yard, yardwork

Posted By RichC on November 4, 2018

Americans are finally working again and the U.S. is once again the place for businesses to expand, hire, give raises and grow. For all the questionable rhetoric from the far right and left extremes … and yes, from President Trumps’ "tweets" and biased media reporting … the actual governing under his administration and a GOP House and Senate majority has been good for America … and all Americans. Sure, we all have our personal peeves with particular issues. The president’s personality and his flaming the fires by highlighting divisive issues may not be attractive to those preferring politically correct normal politicians … the the all to familiar,  say one thing and do another … but there is no denying President Trump’s results in "promises made, promises kept."

To be fair, a recovery, be it slow, began in the last couple Obama years, particularly after his administrations’ progressive policies were curtailed by a GOP controlled congress. The recovery has accelerated under GOP leadership and has acted as if the economy was on steroids. The leading forward looking indicator, the stock market, screamed ahead after Trump’s election win in 2016. The economy is so improved that the Federal Reserve has moved from years of easy monetary policies to raising rates and unwinding their balance sheet. Hopefully an "independent Fed" remains wiser than the rest of us and sticks to their purpose to moderate our economy and preventing the next cycle of extremes.

Now for something to worry about. Current polls and our nation’s history of mid-term elections tells us the opposition party (Democrat Party in 2018) is favored to gain seats in congress. That along with our country’s demographics separating political philosophies by population concentrations (city, suburban, rural), age, gender, race and faith has the House race 6 in 7 that Democrats gain leadership control. Since congress controls the purse, and often politically motivated investigations of their opponents, the likelihood is that we will face a gridlock. The result is that very little will get done on the pressing issues such as addressing immigration and border control, lower taxes, spending control, Medicare and Social Security shortfalls and health care … all that have been pushed off again and again.

My prediction if this comes true, is that President Trump like previous presidents facing a congress unwilling to proceed with his current policies, will shift his focus to where he can still be effective — foreign policy.

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: congress, economy, election, mid-term, polics, polls, promises, trump

Posted By RichC on November 3, 2018

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Category: Holiday, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, candy, costume, drew, family, halloween

Posted By RichC on November 2, 2018

As the positive economy in the U.S. continues to grow America out of the "great recession" and rebound off the slow growth Obama years, we are seeing signs of inflation, hopefully just the right amount. Wages are rising and businesses sense they have pricing power and can raise prices (their cost are up too). Consumers are seeing their new  tax savings, improved paychecks and employment confidence nibbled away after years of mostly flat inflation.

The Federal Reserve has also acted proactively and is on a path to normalizing interest rates after years of cheap money policies. Will they stay ahead of inflation … or act too aggressively and send our economy back into a recession? It is a delicate balancing act.

The WSJ detailed a few of them in a recent article:

That Big Mac and Coke Now Comes With a Side Order of Inflation
Airlines and food makers among industries passing along higher costs, raising inflation fears

U.S. companies are raising prices on everything from plane tickets to paint, passing on to customers higher costs for fuel, metal and food after years of low inflation.

Clorox Co. said it raised prices in the latest quarter on such products as cat litter, and Coca-Cola Co. reported higher prices for the quarter. Other goods makers, as well as airlines, also have announced price increases over the past week.

The higher prices have effectively ended a long period of low inflation that led the Federal Reserve to keep short-term interest rates near zero for years.

“We think 2019 will be more inflationary than we have seen historically since the recession,” Kellogg Co. Chief Executive Steve Cahillane said in an interview Wednesday.

It is a tricky moment for the U.S. economy. Unemployment is at the lowest point in decades, and economic growth is strong. Inflation is near the Fed’s 2% target, but price rises could pick up if pressure from labor shortages and tariffs intensify in a still-robust economy. Alternatively, other factors could offset such pressures, including the stronger U.S. dollar, which makes imports cheaper.

At some point, higher prices could damp the economy’s growth. Investors worry that a pickup in inflation will prompt the Fed to raise interest rates more quickly to prevent the economy from overheating.

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Category: Business, Financial, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: chart, economy, federal reserve, inflation, prices, rates, wsj

Posted By RichC on November 1, 2018

Great tips and information are sent regularly by email from a handy Metal Supermarket franchise location. It has saved me a time or two with small projects where a particular piece of metal is needed. Check them out.

What are alloys?

An alloy is a combination of a metal with at least one other metal or nonmetal. The combination must be part of a solid solution, a compound, or a mixture with another metal or nonmetal in order for it to be considered an alloy. The most common way to combine metals into an alloy is by melting them, mixing them together, and then allowing them to solidify and cool back to room temperature.

Why Are Alloys Used?

Metal alloys are used because they typically have enhanced mechanical or chemical properties. Alloying elements can be added to a metal to increase a number of properties including hardness, strength, corrosion resistance, machinability, and much more.

What Are Common Alloys?

Alloys are so abundant throughout the metalworking industry that there are too many to list. In fact, it is far less likely to work with a non-alloy, or “pure metal.” Even low carbon mild steel – perhaps the most frequently used material in metal fabrication – is an alloy of iron and carbon. An example of a steel alloy would be AISI 1018. Cast iron is another alloy of iron and carbon, with even higher amounts of carbon than mild steel.

Aluminum is often alloyed with other elements as well, giving it the attributes required for the desired application. For example, aluminum 6061 and 2024 have high additions of manganese or copper, respectively.

(more…)

Category: Advice, Tidbits, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: alloy, information, metal, metalsupermarket.com