My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2017

Larry G. Hart, 81, former longtime resident of Cuyahoga Falls, passed away on Friday, September 8, 2017, at Copeland Oaks Crandall Medical Center, in Sebring, after a lengthy illness.

Larry graduated from South High School, earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Akron, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and later completed a Master’s degree at Kent State University. Early in his career, he taught elementary education in the Akron area and then was the reading specialist at the Youth Development Center, in Hudson, for several years. He made many friends while working part time at the YMCA and Falls Natatorium.

Larry served in the Army Reserves, and he was an active member of Faith United Methodist Church. A man of many talents, Larry played piano and organ, loved photography, and traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. As a snowbird, he enjoyed strolling the snow white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle. Larry was intrigued by how things worked, and he designed and built a vacation cottage. He was a collector of reed organs and a member of the Reed Organ Society. A real “people” person, Larry had the ability to find a connection with almost anyone he met. His friends were legion and covered the spectrum from young to old.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Marion M. and Belva (Steinmetz) Hart. He is survived by his sister, Linda (David) Workman; niece, Amy (Jared Grosinske) Workman; and his nephew, Jon (Kim) Workman and their children, Hannah, Ethan, and Lizzie.

A debt of gratitude is owed to the caring staff of Copeland Oaks and Crandall Medical Center and to the loving support provided by Crossroads Hospice.

Visitation will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, September 11, 2017 at the Adams Mason Funeral Home, (791 East Market Street), where a memorial service will immediately follow at 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to , Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163, or at www.michaeljfox.org. ADAMS MASON FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, 330-535-9186

• Legacy.com – Published in Akron Beacon Journal on Sept. 10, 2017

Category: Friends, Obituary | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on September 10, 2017

For homeowners considering energy use and investing in solar … take a look at these FIVE solutions first from nuwireinvestor.com (although still one of the best investments for your home is "insulation")

Some of the smartest investments you can make in your home are ways to maximize the energy efficiency of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. With a few repairs and new installations, you’ll find yourself saving money each month on energy bills. You’ll have a more efficient and comfortable home with lower bills, which makes for a pretty good investment.

A Tankless Water Heater

Use this infographic to consider investing in a tankless water heater as a way to use less energy and lower your bills. While a tankless water heater is a bit more expensive to install, you’ll save money because you won’t have to store hot water for later use. You’ll produce only as much hot water as you need, so you won’t waste energy heating extra water in a storage tank.

A Programmable Thermostat

You can use your thermostat strategically to save on energy expenses. Some rooms need more air control than others, and while you’re out of the house you won’t want to leave the HVAC system on full blast. If you’re keeping the same air control levels throughout the house and changing the controls every time you leave, you’re wasting money and time. Installing a programmable thermostat will let you adjust the air in different areas and set a timer for the most efficient energy use. Your bills will drop, and you won’t have the daily hassle with the thermostat.

Sealing

Improving your home’s sealing will not only decrease your energy bills, it’ll also reduce humidity, keep the structure secure, and improve indoor air quality. This will save you money down the road when it comes to structural maintenance and your respiratory health. Some repair options include caulking cracks in your home and weather-stripping moving parts like windows and doors. Limiting air flow between the outside and inside of your house will lower energy costs a great deal and keep your home comfortable.

Energy-Efficient Windows

Choose windows that will save you money in addition to bringing in natural light. Find the most efficient windows for your home based on your location, the directional orientation, and the way light filters in. You can get windows with more panes, non-metal frames, and glass with low emissivity to limit the heat transfer between the inside and outside. Upgrading your windows after sealing and insulating your home will be the finishing touch in maximizing energy efficiency for indoor air control.

Smart Landscaping

This infographic can help you use less energy with smart landscaping. Designing the plants in your yard to cast shade and direct cool breezes can help control the air outside your home. With cooler air hitting your house, you won’t have to use as much air conditioning to maintain the inside temperature. Investing in landscaping will improve your curb appeal in addition to minimizing HVAC expenses.

LINK

Category: Advice, Energy, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: energy, homeowner, house, insulation, investment, nuwireinvestor, solar

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2017

All eyes are on the weather as Hurricane Irma demonstrated her power destroying practically everything on several islands in Caribbean (below). The big storm skirted the northern coast of Cuba and weaken to a Category 3 hurricane. Most watchers expect the warm water of the Straits of Florida to strengthen the winds again as a surge of 10 plus feet flood most of the Florida Keys and pile water into the Everglades.

The target is no longer Miami and the east coast (although expect surge and hurricane force wind) but will be the entire west coast of Florida starting with Marco Island, Naples, Fort Myers and every barrier island and city all the way up to Tampa … and beyond. The latest projections believe Georgia and Alabama will see hurricane force winds and lots of rain. Flooding will be commonplace … if you still have a house. It looks bad for all who own property anywhere in the path of Irma.

https://twitter.com/i/moments/906476411288014848

Category: Nature, News, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: caribbean, florida, hurricane, irma, leeward islands, storm, tropical, weather

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2017

There I times the Robship boat hook would make docking a whole lot easier …

Category: Sailing, Tidbits, Video | No Comments »
Tags: boathook, cleat, docking, mooring, robship, west marine

Posted By RichC on September 8, 2017

Accessing the Internet with broadband speeds has definitely improved this past year or so in our area. I remember connecting via modem at 300 baud, improving to 1200, then 56K and making the expensive big move to a twin pair of 128K ISDN lines giving me 256K of bandwidth in the 1990s.

Eventually I jumped on the StarBand Satellite data delivery (1.5 Mbit/second download speed and 256 kbit/s upload speed) until cable became available in the 2000s.  The just this past year we opted to add fiber as it became available in our area. I’m not sure how we functioned at slower speeds anymore?

Currently our promised 100 megabits has been a tick over 100 MBit/Second (109.3 as tested on DSLReports.com) and paired with fiber video for television delivery too. Occasionally it is  a little buggy, but it could be because of all the hardware that now wants to connect through my router and range extender??? Everything wants to connect nowadays.

About the only complaint I have with Cincinnati Bell Fioptics is their blocking port 80 … impacting the ease of hosting (testing Linux Raspberry Pi servers) at my home. Sure we can connect on a different port or using

Category: Computer, History, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: cable, cincinnatibell, dslreports, fiber, fioptics, internet, speeds, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2017

It is difficult not to be concerned after seeing the power of Hurricane Irma (was 185 mph, but currently 170 mph eyewall winds) and the devastation the powerful storm left behind on several of the Leeward Islands.  I’ve been tracking these last few days both concerned for those in the path and for personal ties to Florida in Delray Beach and Fort Pierce (Encore).

The photos and video coming in are just plain scary and the track, even the most optimistic, has Irma slamming Florida at some point. Like Matthew last year, those to the north need to be concerned as well since the current projections have Irma weakening but still likely to cause significant damage and flooding anywhere from Florida, Georgia and South and North Carolinas (for starters). I’m sure all in that area are starting to prep "just in case." For now in the US, the big push is to just get to a zip code … easier said then done with canceled flights, cruise ships dropping passengers off in Miami without flights and Florida residents finding long gas lines and shortages.

What would we do without the days of warning from today’s weather watchers?

Category: News, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: caribbean, florida, hurricane, irma, noaa, reuters, storm, weather

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2017

Obviously the "promises" made by the Obama administration, and the Democrats who passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have failed us … and the current GOP controlled congress have failed to fix, repeal or replace (their promise if elected).

Who in middle class America can afford health insurance at $1000/mo with a $12,900 deductible? 

As Dave Ramsey said several years ago … "do the math."

EDIT – adding the audio from my 2013 post below:

Category: Audio, Financial, Health, Politics | 2 Comments »
Tags: aca, dave ramsey, government, health care, mp3, obamacare, promises, radio

Posted By RichC on September 6, 2017

Everybody knows that "down under" things are a little bit different … even snakes have learned to creatively fish different than most I have observed in the U.S. How many "large" dangerous looking snakes have you seen plucking a large catfish out of the water by hanging from a branch???

Snakes aren’t the only creatures that do things different in Australia …

Category: Entertainment, Humor, Misc, Nature, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: australia, crocodiles, fishing, hauling, snakes, wildlife

Posted By RichC on September 6, 2017

The satellite definition of Hurricane Irma today is frightening as are the category 5 winds clocked at 185 mph. They are calling it “catastrophic.” Very dangerous storm; one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Weather Channel update

Adding updated IRMA tracking on 9/6/2017

Category: Weather | 1 Comment »
Tags: caribbean, category 5, florida, hurricane, irma, storm, weather

Posted By RichC on September 5, 2017

It has been a while since talking about Sperry Boat Shoes, but it is obvious by the popularity of the old posts that I’m not the only one who loves wearing them. Usually the question is how to keep them from smelling or make them a bit more comfortable (with insoles). In this post, I’m looking to get a few more miles out of my favorite pair.

Years ago with my original leather Topsiders, it was relatively simple to find a shoe repair shop or send them back to the factory to have new thin white soles stitched back on – relatively affordable too.

There are also several "do-it-yourself" kits to re-glue soles on shoes, but I’ve yet to find a way to "add material" back to worn heels? Anyway being a resourceful sailor who’s patched Keen shoe successfully with some epoxy … and having some West System 105 resin and hardner around, I decided to see what kind of repair could be achieved and if it is even worthwhile. So here is goes.

I built up the heels with masking tape, shimmed the shoes on the workbench so the liquid would puddle in the worn heel area. I added a second application and probably could have done a third? After it hardened sufficiently, used a sander to take off the sharp edges and shape the new heel.

My concern is that it is too hard rather than flexible and will crack when I wear them … but it is in the heel??? Time will tell … I’ll report back.

Newer on the left without worn heels and the older on the right with the epoxy repair

LINK to current Sperry sale

Category: Advice, Misc, Sailing, Shopping | 1 Comment »
Tags: boat, boatshoe, boatshoes, epoxy, heel, insole, repair, shoes, sole, sperry, topsider, topsiders