My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on June 1, 2017

After searching through directories of a couple older computers looking for a document unrelated to the photo above, I ran across this picture of our family on our sailboat Tulla from the miid-1990s. I may have posted something (???) in a sailing related post years ago, but don’t think so? Anyway ia #TBT (ThrowBackThursday) post is long overdue since I have neglected to post any #TBTs to the blog in 2017.

This particular family photo of Katelyn, Brenda, Taylor and Rich was on Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio aboard our NorSea27 which we eventually owner financed for the new buyer (risky?)… which by-the-way helped pay for the kid’s college tuition (this was the second boat we sold for more that we paid). The Nor’Sea was a small, but solidly build boat with a separate aft cabin, which at the time I thought the kids would love; they preferred being all together. Who knew?

What originally attracted me to a smaller seaworthy cruising sailboat was that we were landlocked in Cincinnati and I had thought it could be put on a trailer and hauled without a special permit to new cruising grounds (unlike our previous boat Brenich or most other cruising sailboats). Alas, we did not take or make the time to do much sailing as with our kids were becoming teenagers; between school, their extra-curricular activities and friends … and our careers … Tulla didn’t get the kind of use I intended (kind of like our current boat Encore). Ugh!

Category: Memories, Personal, Photos, Sailing, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: erie, huron, lake, norsea, ohio, sailboat, sailing, TBT, tulla, western basin

Posted By RichC on May 31, 2017

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Category: Cellphone, Holiday, Personal, Photography, Photos, Tablet | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, facetime, iphone5s, john deere, Memorial Day, panorama, yardwork

Posted By RichC on May 30, 2017

Not that I have a Yanmar diesel on our sailboat, but love the kit from Balmar to convert an auxilary diesel from V-belt to Serpentine belt and pulleys.

Category: Archive, Sailing, Video | No Comments »
Tags: balmar, encore, sailboat, serpentine, v-belt, yanmar

Posted By RichC on May 29, 2017

While looking back at previous year blog posts Memorial Day prior to making a 2017 update in order to see how I may or may not have recognized this sacred day, I realized just how many there were and it made me think about just “how many” have paid that ultimate price. Be sure to try and set aside this day for those, even  if you don’t want ignore or appreciate others in and out of uniform willing to serve our country. Let’s not forget that today, Memorial Day,  is  reserved to remember those who sacrificed for this country and gave their lives for our freedoms. Be thoughtful on how you respect and honor those who paid the ultimate price.

If you are participating or attending in an event this Monday, think twice before campaigning, passing out political or business information, handing out candy in parades or in anyway taking away from the solemn day of mourning, remembrance and honor due to those who sacrificed all.

Both statesmen agree that the mere words of the present generation cannot do justice to the sacrifice of the fallen young. Lincoln sees the talking and the living as less authentic commemorators than the mute dead: “We can not consecrate—we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

Pericles argues that even a notable such as himself has almost no right to assess the sacrifices of the dead: “I could have wished that the reputations of many brave men were not to be imperiled in the mouth of a single individual, to stand or fall according as he spoke well or ill.”

By their ultimate sacrifice—what Lincoln calls “the last full measure of devotion”—the mute war dead argue that even heroic men are less important than the eternal values of freedom and democracy that “shall not perish from the earth.” Such chauvinism assumes that democracies are by nature superior to the alternatives. Thus to Pericles, Athens was the “school of Hellas” and for Lincoln America was “a new nation, conceived in Liberty.”

For both orators, the dead are the natural link between self-sacrificing forefathers and the present generation’s own progeny, who at some future date may be called upon to emulate those who have died to perpetuate the nation. In this view, we are not quite unique individuals but part of a larger generation whose values and accomplishments are to be judged collectively and in comparison to what came before and will follow.

MORE

READ the excellent full article in Saturday’s 5/27/2017 WSJ

Category: Holiday | No Comments »
Tags: Holiday, honor, Memorial Day, remembrance, respect, wsj

Posted By RichC on May 28, 2017

The news on Saturday was depressing as that it was announced Gregg Allman passed away at 69 … I was just commenting about a few of my Music Monday posts that included Coyotus Maximus (his self-described nickname) and the Allman Brothers Band since our politics did not mesh. A talented and musically influential force not just for me, but for the millions who enjoyed the southern rock sound that was pioneered by the Allman Brothers.

Gregg Allman, the singer, organist and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, died Saturday, his publicist said. He was 69.

Allman died Saturday at his home in Savannah, Georgia, publicist Ken Weinstein said.

Allman, who is credited with spawning Southern rock, cancelled some of his 2016 tour dates after announcing in August that he was “under his doctor’s care at the Mayo Clinic” due to “serious health issues.” Later that year, he canceled more dates citing a throat injury. And in March 2017, he canceled performances for the rest of the year.

The Nashville rocker, known for his long blond hair, was raised in Florida by a single mother after his father was shot to death. He idolized his older brother Duane, eventually joining a series of bands with him before finally creating the nucleus of The Allman Brothers Band.

The original band featured extended jams, tight guitar harmonies by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, rhythms from a pair of drummers and the smoky blues inflected voice of Gregg Allman. Songs such as “Whipping Post,” ”Ramblin’ Man” and “Midnight Rider,” helped define what came to be known as Southern rock and opened the doors for such stars as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band.

In his 2012 memoir, “My Cross to Bear,” Allman described how Duane was a central figure in his life in the years after their father was murdered by a man he met in a bar. The two boys endured a spell in a military school before being swept up in rock music in their teens. Although Gregg was the first to pick up a guitar, it was Duane who excelled at it. So Gregg later switched to the organ.

They failed to crack success until they formed The Allman Brothers Band in 1969. Based in Macon, Georgia, the group featured Betts, drummers Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson and Butch Trucks and bassist Berry Oakley. They partied to excess while defining a sound that still excites millions.

LINK

Category: Entertainment, Music, News, Obituary, Video | No Comments »
Tags: gregg allman, midnight rider, Music, musicmonday, obit, rock, southern

Posted By RichC on May 27, 2017

We’re not their yet … but we’ve been doing a little more thinking about retirement and how many more years of work it is going to be at a comfortable level when we no long punch the proverbial time clock. Brenda and I are not in harmony quite yet, as one of us would prefer freedom and less income and the other working longer and having more financial freedom. I’m sure we are not alone in our planning? Without a doubt the next few years will have us honing in on a number and finding common ground. I’m sure when that light goes off, we’ll both know it … and hopefully will be ready.

The older we get, the more I realize our lives are like a book … at least a great book at this point. We turn through the pages and move chapter by chapter through the big events. The last couple of chapters have been more challenging as we emptied the nest, buried all four parents and have had to finalize their affairs. My brother and I finished it with our dad’s last year and Brenda is doing it with her sisters now. When they finalize everything in June, the parent chapter will be finished.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. — 1 Timothy 6:10

As will many families, the chapter has not been storybook. It hasn’t always easy with strong opinions and personalities. From dividing heirlooms, to agreeing on a parent’s care, to monitoring expenses … there is frustration particularly when it comes to the root of all kinds of evil" … money. That said, I would like to believe Chaucer was right when he said, "As tyme hem hurt, a tyme doth hem cure." (deciphering Old English: "Time heals all wounds"). The only positive is that knowing this is more the normal than the exception and it can be a "tough row to hoe" … but in doing so, something good will surely grow in the tilled soil once again.

Category: Financial, Human Interest, Personal | 2 Comments »
Tags: estates, family, geoffrey chaucer, idioms, money, parents, Personal, retirement

Posted By RichC on May 26, 2017

Are you tired of more and more sites with pop-ups blocking content and asking your to whitelist their sites from your browsers ad blocking extension if you want to read their content? Then read on.

First, I’m an advocate for advertiser supported websites and appreciate readers who occasionally read and click the few ads that are semi-hidden in the sidebar or bottom of the page (aka: this site). If websites keep their advertising to the unobtrusive minimum, then please whitelist them and support the site.

If the site you want to visit is obnoxiously full of ads, then something like AdBlock-Plus is your friend. It uses excellent filter lists and will eliminate a lot of the clutter on most websites. Still there are going to be those annoying websites which detect your ad blocking extension and pop-up blocking features. Most will pop up a “we detect your ad blocker” window and block their content until your whitelist. If you grow tired of this and dislike their ads for one reason or another, give this a try if you are not on a mobile device.

I don’t want to see ads, period

If you’d rather not see any ads while you visit an anti-adblocking site, try the following steps instead. They enable AdBlock to circumvent the tests most websites use to detect ad blockers. (See “How does a website know you’re using an ad blocker,” below.)

1. Subscribe to the Adblock Warning Removal and Anti-Adblock Killer filter lists.

1. Click the AdBlock button and select Options.
2. On the FILTER LISTS tab, click update now. Wait a few moments for AdBlock to fetch the latest updates to your filter lists.
3. Enable the Adblock Warning Removal list.
4. Visit reek’s website and click Subscribe to subscribe to the AakList (Anti-Adblock Killer filter list). When you’re prompted to confirm, click OK.

2. Create a custom filter for the site.

1. In AdBlock’s options on the CUSTOMIZE tab, click Edit.
2. In the text box type: @@||example.com$generichide (Chrome) or @@||example.com$elemhide (other browsers).
   Replace “example.com” with the name of the website. For example, to create a filter for twitch.tv, type @@||twitch.tv$generichide (Chrome) or @@||twitch.tv$elemhide (other browsers).
3. Click Save.
4. Reload the page where you were seeing the anti-adblock warning.
5. If it doesn’t work, type chrome://settings/cookies in the address bar, clear cookies and local storage for that site, and test again.

If the Adblock Warning Removal and Anti-Adblock Killer filter lists don’t work, try adding a userscript as well

If the steps above don’t prevent the site from showing you the anti-adblock warning, try installingTampermonkey (for Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera) (or Greasemonkey for Firefox) and the Anti-Adblock Killer userscript.

 

If nothing else helps, try turning off JavaScript

Many sites use JavaScript tests to detect ad blockers. If the filter lists and userscript above don’t prevent the site from blocking you, you can disable JavaScript in your web browser’s settings. Please note that this may break other parts of the site, however.

 

Having a little trouble with these instructions?

One of our users wrote a helpful article that shows how to subscribe to the Anti-Adblock Killer filter list and install the Anti-Adblock Killer userscript. (Thanks, Tabish!)

Here’s another article with step-by-step instructions for disabling JavaScript and using Tampermonkey/Greasemonkey, courtesy of GuidingTech.com.

 

Report the website to help other folks

If the above steps don’t remove the warning, please report the website to the folks who maintain the filter lists:

• For English-language websites, please report the site to EasyList.
• For sites in other languages, you can find the contact information for those filter lists in our Knowledge Base.

 

You can also report the site to Anti-AdBlock Killer.

Have you disabled or even uninstalled AdBlock but a site still asks you to disable your ad blocker?

Please see this Knowledge Base article.

Bonus tip #1 (Forbes.com, Hulu.com, ComedyCentral.com)

We found a nice article on how to bypass websites that block AdBlock (e.g., Forbes.com). This method, which incorporates some of the steps we suggested above, also works on Hulu.com and ComedyCentral.com (according to the comments, at least; your mileage may vary).

Bonus tip #2 (TimesofIndia.com, IndiaTimes.com, EconomicTimes.com)

Please see this Knowledge Base article for some custom filters that prevent these sites from raising that anti-adblock wall. Note: You may still see a few ads disguised as native content. But hey, at least you can get in to read your news without seeing all those OTHER ads.

Bonus information: How does a website know you’re using an ad blocker?

There are a couple of ways websites can detect ad blockers. The easiest way is to try to download a tiny piece of JavaScript code that’s like “bait” for an ad blocker, then use another piece of code to test whether the download occurred. If the download is blocked, the site knows an ad blocker is in use.

Similarly, the site can try to download a resource that’s commonly used to serve an ad, and if that resource is blocked or hidden, it indicates an ad blocker is present.

LINK

Category: Computer, Marketing, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: adblocker, advertising, browser, filters, pop-up, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on May 25, 2017

This content is restricted.

Category: Nature, News, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, babies, deer, fawn, manchester, terrorism, video

Posted By RichC on May 25, 2017

I’ve seen crazier ideas, so before I dismiss my wife completely for seeing this as artwork, it will get moved from the recycle bin to a temporary hanging spot in my shop. I could have lied and claimed this was "my latest eccentric artwork." 

Brenda would like me to make a frame or shadow box in order to hang this masterpiece on the wall. (for the record I just replaced the water line to the icemaker of the refrigerator after remodeling the kitchen)

Category: Art, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: Art, copper, junk, kitchen, recycle, remodel, scrap, trash

Posted By RichC on May 24, 2017

As less developed areas evolve from rural to suburban, many homeowner and the critters who call the area home, are faced with figuring out how to live together or struggle to set boundaries.

We have never lived in urban or fully developed areas so dealing with Ohio’s variety of wildlife is normal. In the early 1980s I build a deck onto our little brick farmhouse outside Aurora, Ohio and spent a spring co-existing with a mother skunk having her babies nestled under it … eventually they went away and we never had an issue. In our second house it was groundhogs — I probably should have known that since we lived in Hudson Ohio on 5 acres parcel with a sign labeling it “Groundhog Hill.” Let’s just say my eradication method of pouring diesel fuel with a gasoline chaser down their holes was not effective or a recommended method, but it did leave a black scorched streak up the side of our house for the groundhogs to laugh at (FYI, don’t do that).

Here north of Cincinnati we were relatively early in building our home in Liberty Township and regularly are dealing with everything from deer, mink, coyotes, feral cats, mice and my ongoing battle with raccoons finding their way into my attic (which is why the trap is set).

Category: Environment, Misc, Nature, Video | 2 Comments »
Tags: homeowner, livetrap, pests, problems, raccoon, rural, skunk, suburban, urban, video