My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on July 27, 2016

While I’d prefer watching something more enjoyable than the political sales pitches from Republicans talking about Donald Trump (at the GOP convention) last week or the Democrats attempt to do the same this week, I am trying to be fair by watching both. Frankly at this point is looks like we are stuck with picking the best of two very questionable nominees. The older I get, the more I realize that it is difficult for honorable people to survive in the corrupt world of national politics.

For Republicans, at least the campaign was fought fair and square, albeit very, very ugly. The embarrassing name calling and lack of specifics regarding issues is disturbing. It was shocking to to see a candidate survive so long on rhetoric, negativity and grade school name calling. Really … is this the best Republicans can muster?

The Democrats have gone one further in overlooking the obvious. They are in the middle of nominating someone they know is the most corrupt politician of my lifetime. It is hard to imagine Americans wanting a President who has proven her incompetence in leadership and blatant disregard for laws that would get any other government employee fired if not put behind bars. Besides Hillary Clinton’s poor decisions, the deceit in covering up her motives and purposeful misleading statements (even under oath – click photo on right) yet still supported by her party does not speak well for the integrity of the Democratic Party. Recent Wikileaks emails from the DNC elite gives a whole new meaning to politically connected — the evidence is obvious for all to see. I feel for those supporting her opponent Bernie Sanders, as they say, “the fix was in from the start.”

Clinton and Trump aside, the their closest competitors and a third party are hard to accept for many in America due to extreme positions. Trump faced a hard right Republican candidate in Senator Ted Cruz, that as Jonah Goldberg says, “gets and F for plays well with others.” His convictions, which appeal to many watching our nation swing wildly left under President Obama, would likely to do the same in the opposite direction — unfortunately it still divides our country. Democrats were close to nominating a true socialist in Bernie Sanders … who also would do little to represent the majority of the country and prefers to make America more like Europe … or even worse! Who in this country believing capitalism, individual freedom and liberty has created the prosperity of this country could possibly be represented by such an extreme?

For those of us still believing our nation needs a president who can unify and respect all citizens, extremes are not helpful … and neither are leaders who are difficult to decipher (Trump) or one that I can’t trust (Clinton).  Sadly for this presidential election, it is coming down to political party ideology. Are Democrats taking us in the right direction, or do Republicans have a better vision and plan for the country?

For me, that is an easier decision … I’ll hold my nose and vote Trump/Pence.

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: clinton, convention, cruz, democrats, election, Gary Johnson, Republicans, sanders, trump

Posted By RichC on July 26, 2016

Did you know that burned or melted ends could cause more problems? It may be a fast way for marine stores to cut new line when you purchase it. But if that hardened end catches on the outer core, it can chafe and break down delicate rope fibers. Follow these five easy steps to make a fast, neat temporary whipping:

Materials You’ll Need:
Waxed sailmaker’s twine.
Beeswax cake.
Duct tape or electrical tape.
Sharp sailing knife.

1. Prepare the Line.
Wrap a thick 1″ piece of duct or electrical tape near the bitter end. Cut through the middle of the tape with a sharp knife. This keeps the end from unraveling as you make the whipping.

2. Loop the Sail Twine.
Measure and cut 18″ to 24″ of sail twine. Run it through the beeswax cake to add a protective outside coating. Make a 1″ loop in one end of the twine. Position the loop as shown (illustration 1).

3. Whip Toward the End.
Wind the long end of the twine around the line. Work up toward the bitter end. Pass the end of the twine through the loop (illustration 2).

4. Remove the Slack.
Pull the twine to center the loop underneath the turns (third illustration – top). Twirl the ends of the twine around the fingertips of each hand. Pull outward at the same time to bury the strands and tighten the whipping (illustration 3).

5. Neaten the Whipping.
Remove the tape from the end of the whipping. This leaves about 1/2″ of bitter end to extend past the whipped end. The expanded fibers will help keep the whipping in place.

Reposted from SkipperTips: Sailing Knots Secrets

Category: Archive, How-To, Sailing, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: knots, lines, rope, sailboat, tips, whipping

Posted By RichC on July 25, 2016

Despite advances in automotive technology, roadside service calls to AAA were higher than ever last year. The causes were often new tech and new design.

Drilling down a bit, AAA points to tires and keys above all else. The organization stated that cars less than five years old were responsible for a disproportionate number of calls, largely due to a lack of spare tires and the keyless ignitions.

…

Another roadside service call pattern reported by AAA is the higher frequency of towing. One in five calls for late model vehicles results in towing to a dealer or other service facility. The complexity of newer vehicles more commonly rules out roadside repairs, so towing is more frequent.

Source: Cars are breaking down at record rates, and here’s why

Category: Automotive | No Comments »
Tags: aaa, cars, digitaltrends, repair, towing

Posted By RichC on July 24, 2016

It is a hot one all over the Midwestern United States this weekend … and here in Cincinnati, we’re roasting with the best of them … although I’m doing a pretty good job of staying cool.

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: cincinnait, hot, looney tunes, richc, succotash, sylvester, weather

Posted By RichC on July 24, 2016

This content is restricted.

Category: Audio, Memories, Music, Video | 1 Comment »
Tags: crosby, csny, harmony, mp3, Music, nash, sound, stills, young, youtube

Posted By RichC on July 23, 2016

The development of Volkswagen’s emission defeating device may have initially had the best of intentions, according to Road and Track. It started with engineers in 1999 who were working to quiet the diesel clatter on an Audi V-6 engine. They were  using "Pilot Injection" to inject an additional amount of fuel to a cylinder when the engine was at idle to reduced the "clatter" that has plagued diesel engines since their invention. The downside was that adding fuel also increased emissions. In the VW engineering circles this was called an "Acoustic Function" and they implement it in Audi branded 3.0-liter European diesels from 2004 – 2008.

Then in 2006, Volkswagen engineers made the decision to adapt the the technology for use in their Generation 1 EA189 2.0-liter TDI engine (the  TDI diesel engine at the heart of the scandal) as a way to avoid licensing SCR technology from Mercedes-Benz. The commonplace selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology uses liquid urea to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and is the norm on all larger diesels. But for VW, the bread and butter small diesels could avoid the licensing and the added cost of a urea tank and exhaust injection system by using a "Lean Trap," which traps NOx and breaks it down in a catalytic converter by cycling to a fuel-rich mode as needed. Unfortunately this also brought on another problem as the Lean Trap choice also allowed too much build up of diesel particulates in the soot filter (DPF) resulting in premature failure. Engineers decided they could use the "Acoustic Function" to correct the problem … which was in turn approved by management. As sales for these highly efficient small diesel grew in popularity, Volkswagen leaned on this treatment technic further and further.

In the early days Volkswagen engineers may have pursued the development of the "Acoustic Function" with the best of intentions, even when using it to extend the life of the diesel particulate filter. But somewhere along the line they decided to use the feature to cheat the emissions tests and continued to promote and market these small TDI "clean diesels."  Oh … the $15 BILLION web they weaved … not to mention the black-eye which will haunt the company for years.

Additional reading:
Road and Track has an interesting article on the "fix" that may not really be a fix.

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Technology, Volkswagen | 1 Comment »
Tags: defeat, device, diesel, emission, road and track, scandal, tdi, volkswagen, vw

Posted By RichC on July 22, 2016

With a renewed interest in the upcoming iPhone7 after Apple released the new iOS10 public beta, I’m wondering what’s really the next “big” (pun intended) thing for pocketable smart devices. If it were durable and possible, I’d love having an expanding screen on my iPhone that could do double-duty as an iPad!

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Tablet, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: display, expanding, flexible, iphone, outside the box, prototype, tech friday, youtube

Posted By RichC on July 21, 2016

Brenda and I are looking forward to an upcoming trip to Minnesota to see Katelyn and Drew … especially after seeing the many summer activities they are enjoying this summer. Last week after work they even headed over to Wayzata for the evening concert, just like my mom and dad did in Sidney. Maybe it is in their blood?

I can’t wait to visit with them in person (Facetime and cellphone calls are great … but I really miss seeing them more often).

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: drew, family, katelyn, minnisota, wayzata

Posted By RichC on July 21, 2016

Mike Rowe brings a bit of commonsense to the nutty “mostly” media outrage about Melania Trump‘s  plagiarism considering almost every politician reads someone elses’ words off a teleprompter in practically every important speech. Are we fooled they aren’t reading a speech someone else wrote anyway? Should we be outraged at every speech a politician give or for that matter every article/book being “ghostwritten” for high profile people (you would be amazed at the things my company publishes for them)?

Hey! Look What I Wrote!

Eileen Bayer writes…

“Mike – Could you PLEASE interject some common sense and logic into today’s plagiarism headlines??? I would LOVE to hear your take on the matter!!”

Hello Eileen – I don’t know about common sense, but here’s my analysis of the situation. (I hope to God someone hasn’t already written this.)

Regarding the charges of plagiarism, I really don’t know. All I know for sure is that Mrs. Trump is absolutely, positively guilty of standing before the country and reading words she didn’t write as if they were own. I also know that Mrs. Obama is guilty of doing the same thing. Both women – along with their husbands – have stood proudly before a national audience and pretended the words they read originated with them – knowing full well they did not.

Let’s consider for a moment, the weird reality of speechwriters in our political discourse. Why do we tolerate them? Why do we permit our leaders to pretend that someone else’s words are theirs? Moreover, why do we allow them to stand before us and act as if they’re NOT reading from a script, when we know damn well they are? Why – in this – “age of authenticity” – do we accept the artifice of a Teleprompter, and all the other pretenses of earnestness that enable candidates to present themselves as something other than who they really are?

I always thought the obvious answer was because we’re a lazy and shallow species who value style over substance. But now, it seems I was mistaken. Today, half the country has risen up in righteous indignation because the words of an anonymous speechwriter – words once read by Mrs. Obama as if they were her own – have been co-opted by another anonymous speechwriter, and given to another aspiring First Lady – who also read those same words as if they belonged to her!

Did either one of them believe what they read? Beats me. No one is talking about what was said. Only about how they said it. What we know for sure – is that neither one of them wrote the words they spoke.

The real question is, do we truly care? Personally, I do. But not as much as I care about the underlying Kabuki that now informs the whole election process.

On the other hand, the right words do matter, regardless of where they originate. I remember, in the wake of the Challenger disaster, Ronald Regan gave a truly extraordinary speech. Every sentence was brilliant, but this part was unforgettable.

“We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning, as they prepared for their journey, waved goodbye, and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”

I was 22 at the time, and I literally cried when I heard those words. I was truly touched. Later, I learned those words had been written for Reagan by Peggy Noonan. After that, I learned Peggy Noonan had lifted those words from a poem called “High Flight,” written by an airman who died in WWII named John McGee.

Did Ronald Reagan plagiarize Peggy Noonan? Did Peggy Noonan plagiarize John McGee?

Sorry Eileen – I’m afraid the answers are beyond my pay grade. But these questions did get me thinking about my favorite speech writer – a guy named Peter who made his bones in the Johnson administration.

If you have 5 minutes to kill, I wrote a short mystery about what finally got this amazing writer fired from The White House. It’s called Rose Garden Rubbish, and while I plagiarized the title, the story is totally mine. (Mostly.)

LINK

Category: Misc, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: commonsense, mike rowe, plagiaism, speech, trump

Posted By RichC on July 20, 2016

Now that Apple’s third iOS 10 developer beta has had some time to settle, Apple has released the second iOS 10 public beta for non-developers testing the pre-release software. The latest buil…

Source: Apple releases iOS 10 public beta 2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apple, beta, ios, ipad, iphone, ipod, smartphone, tablet, update