My Desultory Blog

Ugh! I just hate when this happens to an expensive tire.

Posted By RichC on February 26, 2017

Don’t you just hate picking up a nail or screw in a halfway decent tire? The BMW X5 35d has expensive run-flat tires and although I don’t panic about being able to drive the car home with a slow leak, I dread deciding on replace just "one" tire … so hear is hoping I can plug successfully this afternoon.

I’ve been hoping to drive the next 5000-10,000 miles on the existing tires and planning to replace in the fall of 2017. They should make it until then tread-wise, but it all depends on avoiding any road debris or unrepairable failures. Hopefully I’ll be able to pull myself away from the Daytona 500 this afternoon and plug the tire.
Smile

Category: Automotive, BMW, Diesel | No Comments »
Tags: BMW, daytona500, flat, plug, run-flat, screw, tires, x5 35d

Spoke too soon – it is back to snow and winter

Posted By RichC on February 25, 2017

Last night while posting about the shockingly mild February 2017 and “hinting” at the front rolling in, the change came. Nothing major, but definitely not 77 degree!

After the sunrise, the gray sky move from west to east brought a late morning snow shower just to remind me that it is still winter — put the flip-flop away Rich! (photo at 7AM above vs video below at 10AM)

EDIT 2/25/2017 PM:
Adding a couple more morning sunrise photos since I’m still trying to learn my new camera (even for a lifelong “primarily film” photography hobbyist the learning curve is substantial).

Category: Personal, Photography, Photos, Video, Weather | 4 Comments »
Tags: photo, photography, snow, video, weather, winter

Weather: Surprisingly warm temperatures all February long

Posted By RichC on February 25, 2017

The weather in much of the midwest … and in particular Cincinnati … has been exceedingly mild this February 2017. The groundhog may have predicted a bit more winter, but he was way off this year. As a nasty looking weather front heads our way, the temperature Friday was downright balmy. I rolled down the windows and enjoyed the late winter shock and breathed in the early spring air. We’re not the only ones being fooled by the mild weather, our Lilac is already budding!

Category: Photos, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: lilac, spring, temperatures, weather, winter

For inexpensive whole house wireless try a WiFi Range Extender

Posted By RichC on February 24, 2017

Previous efforts at using older wireless access points and routers have all been a disappointment when extending WiFi out to our detached garage/poolhouse/workshop, so when Amazon had an AC750 Netgear WiFi Range Extender (Model EX3700) on a "Prime Daily Deals" sale, I was skeptical. Still frustrated with the lack of a good Internet connection further from router, I ordered it anyway. Of course the lowest price model did not support the 5Hz frequency so I was teased into spending $5 more (stills seemed like a worthwhile upgrade?) in order to add the newer and faster 5GHz 801.11 a/n/ac band to the standard 2.4GHz 801.11 b/g/n.

Set up could not have been much easier as NetGear has definitely simplified the process AND so far it seems rock solid. After going through the initial setup powered on next to my Nighthawk Router, it took no more than 5 or 6 clicks to connect and update the firmware before moving out to the 110v outlet located up high next to the overhead garage door opener. A quick DSLReport.com connection check and full strength signal in every area, I was happily wasting time sitting in my back corner next to the woodstove!

^vs
New Garage RangeExtender speeds (left) vs OfficeRouter speeds (right)

Category: Advice, Computer, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: amazon, extender, garage, internet, netgear, poolhouse, range, router, speed, tech friday, techfriday

Internet distractions, the dotcom boom, locks and fish ladders

Posted By RichC on February 23, 2017

Likely I am not the only one who gets distracted when researching something on the Internet. This past weekend it was the Ballard Locks in Washington State that caught my eye and stole about an hour of my attention and time.

Once upon a time, we contemplated a move to Seattle during the late 1990s dotcom boom and while Brenda was busy meeting with the start-up venture capitalists discussing where the ideal location would be for the Soma.com pharmacy production facility, I was familiarizing myself with the city and where we might live. I ventured to Lake Union to look at sailboats (shocker I know) and ended up checking out the lock system connecting Lake Washington to Lake Union and Puget Sound. The new opportunity for Brenda (and big decision of what to do for me and my business) was an exciting time. FYI, “the move” never happened – but the “First Internet Pharmacy” fulfillment facility was built in southwest Ohio and eventually sold to CVS and shuttered — note 1999 InternetWayback PDF.

Back to the distraction

From a pamphlet about the Lake Washington Ship Canal Fish Ladder at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. Diagram of the fish ladder in profile. The actual fish ladder makes several right angle turns, which are not reflected in this diagram. Caption from the pamphlet: This shows the the height of each weir. Most weirs are one foot higher than the previous one. The last three weirs are adjustable to the level of Salmon Bay. Salt water is mixed with fresh water by the diffuser well in weirs indicated by dark blue [dark gray in scan].

Credit https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Washington_Ship_Canal_map.png

The salmon fish ladder and viewing area added to the locks that were were designed to move logs and traffic from the freshwater Lake Washington to the saltwater Puget Sound. The spillway, locks and fish ladders work in concert to keep transit flowing while preventing saltwater from infiltrating the freshwater lakes. I found the fish ladder most intriguing as it needs to permit salmon to advance while preventing the substantial tides of up to 12-1/2 foot from forcing water into the upper steps. This particular set-up includes a glass windowed viewing area when the salmon are climbing.

There are still some parts of me wondering what our lives would have been like IF we would have made the move to Seattle in the late 1990s … likely we would have moved back after the dot.com bust. Door open and doors close, but you still have to be willing to knock as I’ve been known to tell my kids!

Category: Archive, Business, Innovation, Memories, Personal | 1 Comment »
Tags: $CVS, ballard, brenda, dotcom, fish, ladder, locks, memories, seattle, soma, washington

Paying to exercise a constitutionally protected right

Posted By RichC on February 22, 2017

Should municipalities and states charge citizens if they exercise a constitutionally protected right?

On the surface, most of us would say "no way" should a city or state charge US citizens to "vote," "worship" or to "speak freely" … but that’s what some politically left leaning cities and states do to those who own firearms. Hm, what part of "… the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" isn’t clear?

Imagine the outcry if cities required their citizens pay a fee in order to vote … let alone be required to pass a background check or "heaven forbid" prove who you are with a government photo ID (voter ID laws – see map below).

The battle escalated again in the state of Connecticut this past week as they continue to deter gun ownership with slow registration and higher fees for gun owners … not to mention then making names and addresses public (previous outrage). One wonders if they honor the US Constitution or would have a problem if other states opted to charge a fee for the right to vote? Personally I’m surprised this issue does not receive a more vigorous challenge in federal courts … perhaps it will require "infringement" on a Progressive‘s constitutionally protected right?

Firearm related matters that are often regulated by state or local laws include the following:

Some states and localities require that a person obtain a license or permit in order to purchase or possess firearms.

Some states and localities require that individual firearms be registered with the police or with another law enforcement agency.

All states allow some form of concealed carry, the carrying of a concealed firearm in public.

Many states allow some form of open carry, the carrying of an unconcealed firearm in public on one’s person or in a vehicle.

Some states have state preemption for some or all gun laws, which means that only the state can legally regulate firearms. In other states, local governments can pass their own gun laws more restrictive than those of the state.

Some states and localities place additional restrictions on certain semi-automatic firearms that they have defined as assault weapons, or on magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds of ammunition.

NFA weapons are weapons that are heavily restricted at a federal level by the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. These include automatic firearms (such as machine guns), short-barreled shotguns, and short-barreled rifles. Some states and localities place additional restrictions on such weapons.

Some states have enacted castle doctrine or stand-your-ground laws, which provide a legal basis for individuals to use deadly force in self-defense in certain situations, without a duty to flee or retreat if possible.

In some states, peaceable journey laws give additional leeway for the possession of firearms by travelers who are passing through to another destination.

Some states require a background check of the buyer when a firearm is sold by a private party. (Federal law requires background checks for sales by licensed gun dealers, and for any interstate sales.)

More at "Gun Laws in the United States by state"

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: connecticutt, constitution, firearms, guns, laws, Politics, regulation, rights, states

Tired of the financial markets making new record highs?

Posted By RichC on February 21, 2017

Once again the US Financial market rose to new record highs on Tuesday as the Trump rally continues to encourage investment and hope for earning, regulation reductions and tax relief. Likely those three biggies will either get done and satisfy investors or disappoint with a delay and trigger a sell-off. Who knows if congress can get a satisfactory bill or two to President Donald Trump’s desk for signing in the near future or if bickering and dissentions within the Republican party will ruin the party?

Financial Visualizations www.finviz.com

“Companies didn’t all of a sudden become much more profitable,” said Ron Weiner, managing director of RDM Financial Group at wealth management firm HighTower Advisors. “The markets are filled with optimism for a number of proposals.”

Still, some analysts warn that stocks have become pricey relative to their historical averages. The 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio for the S&P 500 rose Friday to its highest level since 2004, according to FactSet.

“The ascent we’ve seen since election day is just incredible,” said Lindsey Bell, investment strategist at CFRA Research. “It makes us a little nervous…we think a lot of the move is based on euphoria and hope surrounding [President Donald Trump’s] policies, especially tax reform,” she said.

via WSJ

Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: Financial, finviz, investing, markets, stocks, trading, wsj

What does one do with an old cigarette box or cigarettes?

Posted By RichC on February 21, 2017

I was fortunate to have one of the greatest childhoods. My immediate family was very close with my mom’s parents (my grandparents) and her sister and family. We spent many times together and every holiday. My cousin Diane and husband Bert remain “relatively” close to this day and occasionally text message back and forth. Hm, maybe that’s where the word “relative” was derived from. BTW, I’ve included something interesting for her “in the above photo” just in case she reads this – click image or link.
Smile
Diane sent me a photo of a silver box the other day and wondered if I remembered it. I did remember the silver cigarette box, but not the one she has … there must have been two … and we decided they must have been in our grandparents house before being split between their two daughters after their passing?

The one I have has my dad’s last pack of unopened Half and Half cigarettes from when he quit smoking in the early 1960s. It was in his dresser drawer for as long as I can remember … likely as a trophy in kicking an addictive bad habit that millions of men picked up in the military. According to my mom, dad decided to quit about the time they had children and when the first wave of “smoking is bad for your health” was starting to sink in. She told us dad, “quit without a problem” … and he thankfully he never went back. I think the Half and Half brand was used as a way to ease off the full dose of nicotine craving fed by normal cigarettes (Interesting fact: normal cigarettes have 8 – 20 mg of nicotine of which approximately 1 -2 mg is absorbed).

I worked at a Shell gas station when I was 16 and sold A LOT of cigarettes (but never smoked, thank goodness). Many of the brands are no longer around and thought I’d post a few to see if you recognize the ones that exist and the ones that have disappeared?