Granddaughter pleasure and driving with Waze GPS Navigation
Posted By RichC on November 21, 2018
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Monopoly for Millennials – but does it have a “cry room?”
Posted By RichC on November 20, 2018
Plenty of jokes were bantered around last week when Hasbro announce a new version of Monopoly for Millennials. The "forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway" comments and winning is collecting points, such as a "3-Day Music Festival" EXPERIENCE or "going to a vegan bistro because memories last forever."
Without digging a little deeper or playing, it is difficult to separate truth from the cynical jokes. Is there a jail, or just a "cry room?" Is one of the pieces a "hashtag?" Is every player a winner?
Music Monday: Jam In The Van a few years ago with Nicki Bluhm
Posted By RichC on November 19, 2018
Music Monday posts are usually a reflection of what I’m listening to at the moment; this week it is not. The older music video below was trigger after seeing Nicki Bluhm‘s 
name on a concert listing when Brenda and I were at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati.
I’ve mention Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers several times on My Desultory Blog, but as their schedule and popularity grew, and since she dropped her band (and husband) a year or so ago, I haven’t really followed her music as a touring solo artist. Perhaps the music is more personal or maybe her politics that seeps through (as it often does for artists and musicians) … or maybe I just enjoyed the music they once recorded on a smartphone in a van and posted to YouTube? I also saw chemistry, comradery and ambition that came through in their music and faces as they traveled to music festivals and small venues in California. That much traveling and time together can take its toll.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy listening and watching this older Jam In The Van YouTube video that I had not previously seen.
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%.
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.