Be Yourself … a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted By RichC on November 11, 2017
Enjoyable Cruising World article by influential sailor Lin Pardey
Posted By RichC on November 10, 2017
There is not a single "cruising" sailor my age who hasn’t been influenced one way or another by Lin and Larry Pardey. Their "go small, go simple, go now" sailing books, videos and decades of article contributions to the sailing community have been huge for generations of dreamers and sailors. I really enjoyed a recent Cruising World article that includes reminiscing and advice from Lin Pardey.
Lessons from a Life of Cruising – By Lin Pardey
A veteran voyager shares tips for a better life, learned from years of living aboard.
Life throws its rough moments at you. I am in the midst of one right now as I help Larry, my husband and companion of more than 50 years, through the late stages of Parkinson’s disease. But as I stand on the end of the jetty, watching Noel and Litara Barrott sail Sina through the entrance to North Cove, near our New Zealand home on the island of Kawau, my thoughts are drawn back to a comment Larry made the second time we met this intrepid voyaging couple.
Remembering and archiving an old photo of Gaskill Hall
Posted By RichC on November 9, 2017
So this looks like a nondescript photo of an older brick building (click for larger photo)… which it WAS, before being turned into Armstrong Student Center. Back in 1981-82, I was a replacement instructor at Miami University in the college town of Oxford, Ohio for a professor on sabbatical. 
I moved into his office in Gaskill Hall and taught his undergraduate classes.
So back when we were visiting our son Taylor and walking around campus back in 2009, I shared my stories and took a photo when we walked by. Shortly after, the this photo the building was under a huge renovation (a link to the history). I’m glad to have at least one last picture. Good memories.
The one of the two labs I was in charge of had a full photography darkroom (the other was a printing lab – interestingly a business I would eventually start), so on a visit from my fiancé (Brenda) in the fall … we took photos and processed them, some of which I’ve posted before. The other highlight from that weekend was a date-night movie Brenda and I had with Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Besides barely making enough money to pay rent and survive, the free graduate school tuition was a great perk and allowed me to earn my Master’s degree while I was there. Unfortunately I was really too distracted to really enjoy the opportunity teaching and living in a college town afforded since my mind was elsewhere busy planning a wedding, finding a house and starting the first of many routine drives to and from southwestern Ohio to northeastern Ohio.
One last memory of Oxford is one that I share with my son, although our incidents were 30 years apart – mine in 1982 and less severe. I was hit with a tire-iron at night in the parking lot after surprising someone trying to break into a car behind Gaskill Hall (the parking lot below) … and my son was assaulted when he was at Miami in 2012.
A welcomed update from Twitter to 280 characters for tweets
Posted By RichC on November 8, 2017
It might not seem like a monumental decision, but Twitter upped their 140 character limit to 280 yesterday … so it was kind of a big deal. One of the core attributes for those of us using the popular social networking tool is the brevity and discipline required to communicate with a limited number of characters. It often constrained communicating and required creativity in relaying information or making comments. Many opted to include images of text or multipart messages (ie. 1/5 or photo).
Tweeting Made Easier by Aliza Rosen
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
In September, we launched a test that expanded the 140 character limit so every person around the world could express themselves easily in a Tweet. Our goal was to make this possible while ensuring we keep the speed and brevity that makes Twitter, Twitter. Looking at all the data, we’re excited to share we’ve achieved this goal and are rolling the change out to all languages where cramming was an issue.*
During the first few days of the test many people Tweeted the full 280 limit because it was new and novel, but soon after behavior normalized (more on this below). We saw when people needed to use more than 140 characters, they Tweeted more easily and more often. But importantly, people Tweeted below 140 most of the time and the brevity of Twitter remained.
Highlights are below and in our additional blogs about our experimentation process, extensive data analysis, research, and design work.
Using journalistic integrity when reporting on President Trump
Posted By RichC on November 7, 2017
Ethics in journalism, particularly political content, continues to disappear as the line between editorializing and reporting is blurred. Most who consume "their" brand of NEWS recognize there is truth to the sarcastic #FakeNews hashtag on social networks and President Trump’s regular "tweets" complaining about how his administration is treated by the #MSM (Main Stream Media). Generally all presidents are scrutinized by the press, but few as harsh and with as much bias as President Trump – perhaps induced by his willingness to attack back and respond?
Where do you get your news? Here’s a 2014 Pew Research Center Journalism & Media
scale, has it changed in 2017? – Sharyl Attkisson chart below.
Back to the point of what journalists are suppose to do:
Report non-biased information permitting readers and viewers to make an informed decision based on accurate facts.
Music Monday: Jackson Browne and title song from I’m Alive
Posted By RichC on November 6, 2017
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A smart aleck Apple Siri and a break for a fungus photo
Posted By RichC on November 5, 2017
Like others, I’ve used my iPhone as a kitchen timer for a while now and noticed Siri has recently adopted a little more attitude. After my simple 11 minute request, her "I see you shiver with anticipation" wise crack surprised me!
Also, after last weeks iOS 11.1 update, battery life has returned to both my iPhone and iPad … well done Apple.
Although I mentioned the "kitchen" above, I was not eating these mushrooms. 
It just so happened that I was clearing brush and hauling leaves to my regular compose heap and am noticing tons of fungi growing … some of it pretty attractive, so I took a break for photos.
iPhoneX sales are strong as Apple’s market cap nears $900Billion
Posted By RichC on November 4, 2017
It was a big Friday for Apple iPhone lovers as those who pre-ordered were able to pick up their brand new iPhoneX smartphones … for the insanely high $999 or $1150. Wow,
have prices risen for cellphones in recent years (of course so has their function) … and they are back to the price of my first mobile phone. 
In many areas there were also lines for those hoping they could just walk in and pick up a new iPhoneX or just their for the buzz of the day? A tear down of the phone surprise a few with two power cells.
The most noticeable feature is the display without the "home/fingerprint reader" button freeing up space for display use. About the only odd look is the "notch" for the speaker and FaceTime camera that intrudes into the OLED display. Although security can still be handled by "pin" code, the newest and most controversial new feature is FaceID to unlock the new iPhoneX.
As for availability, sources say Apple is no where close to meeting the demand for the phone and will only have half as many as previously stated by the end of the year. Such is the buzz for "must have, latest and greatest" technology gadgets.
Those of use who watch the financial side of Apple (AAPL) continue to be amazed at a company that continues to impress when it comes to pricing power and an ability to design and build products consumers want to buy. Apple is a money making machine and their stock price and market value illustrate that fact.
Apple’s current market cap is closing in on $900B on Friday and the stock traded up.
One Year Chart of AAPL and statistics here.
Financial Friday: Income tax simplification #taxcuts #taxreform
Posted By RichC on November 3, 2017
On Thursday, the long awaited Republican tax reform plan finally saw the light of day after most political and financial watchers haggled over the unknown details most of this year. 
President Trump has made tax reform and cuts as his centerpiece agenda as essential to growing the economy and stimulating job and wage growth for working Americans.
For years our government through higher than worldwide competitive taxes has driven business offshore and the use of a punitive tax code has hindered economic growth. As I said before, after seeing the anti-business climate over the past decade, there is no way I would have wanted to start a business; it is risky enough without having bureaucrats fighting against you. Besides the oppressive regulations most manufacturing businesses (mine was one), the complicated gamesmanship required to work within the law and file taxes hurt small businesses who were not savvy in their financial planning. Hard worker and risk takers saw their businesses struggle year after year not because they couldn’t do their primary job, but because they struggled to navigate an oppressive local/city, state and federal bureaucracy including taxes and paperwork that was stacked against them. [end rant … sorry about that]
The biggest instant economic boost is going to come from the proposal the lower business taxes from nearly the highest in the world (35%) to a competitive 20% rate. Small business, which often gets income passed through to individuals, also gets a break pegging their tax rate at 25% along with increase ability to deduction more of their capital expenses in the year they are taken (rather than depreciation over a long period of time). All of this should help owners and managers expand their operations and create new jobs … 
and hopefully stimulate wage growth.
One of the much ballyhooed items has to do with US corporations who hold income in cash in their overseas divisions and wouldn’t mind bringing the money back to the US … but high US corporate tax rates have made this too costly. So there is a provision for them to bring their cash back to reinvest and be taxed at a 5% rate. These corporate changes should stimulate the economy and add jobs triggering a boost in wages for working Americans (at least that is the plan). Those in congress proposing this along with the Whitehouse are counting on a reduction in rates to be made up by the growth in US businesses, rising wages and increased employment through new jobs. We are likely to see continued higher corporate profits which are already being helped by both coming out of a recession and optimism that the Republicans will likely be far more welcoming for business – fewer regulations, lower taxes and USA first policies.
On the individual tax side, there will still be a lot of number crunching if you are in the higher income brackets or live in the very highly taxed states. Almost ALL paying taxes in the lower to middle income ranges will definitely see tax savings and simplicity in filing with a doubling of the standard deduction and bigger Family Credit (expanding of the Child Tax credit). The new simplified proposal eliminates many of the long used deductions that lower taxable incomes … none more contentious than SALT (deduction for State And Local Taxes). The new proposal tried to balance offering up to a $10,000 deduction for real estate taxes, but eliminated the state tax deduction which favored high income citizens in state where taxes are high – CA, NY, NJ, etc. They just so happen to be Democratically controlled state = duh, supporters of higher taxes. Their only comeback is that their state receive less Federal compared to what their high earners pay to the Federal government. Personally I wouldn’t mind seeing those high taxed states feeling pressured to lower the tax burden on their citizens and/or Washington DC reducing what they "take" and "distribute" to states in order to keep them hostage to the federal governments’ demands.
Graphics from FoxBusiness and a Ways & Means Tax Cuts/Jobs Act Highlights PDF
Together with family – Time flies when you are having fun #TBT
Posted By RichC on November 2, 2017
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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.