Posted By RichC on March 29, 2016
Once in a while, you may want to do some maintenance on your Ubuntu machine and clean up unnecessary files that are chunking up large storage space in your hard disk. Here are 8 ways that you can use to clean up your Ubuntu[…]
Source: 8 Ways to Maintain a Clean, Lean Ubuntu Machine – Make Tech Easier
Posted By RichC on March 28, 2016
A bit delayed in posting to the blog, but we’ve been a bit distracted. Brenda and I met my daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew for a few days on the boat to enjoy some time together. Way too much time goes by between visits for my taste.
The weather was nice with a few wild thunderstorms (posting ani gif below), and it was plenty warm and windy for sailing. I particularly enjoyed our day beachcombing and the several meals out for local seafood (my favorite). Besides the local 12 A buoy, Fort Pierce Tiki Hut and Hurricanes, we also hit a couple regulars like Chilis and Dave’s Dinner (always a tasty but unhealthy breakfast). One thing I missed this trip was eating at Goodfellas with my good friends Mark and Dar … next time for sure!
A couple minor gear failures but it gave me time to tinker on something with the help of Drew … we get along great, which is something I was thankful for with my father-in-law (I do miss Dad Howard). 
The main halyard blog cracked (spotted by Katelyn I might add!) and a pin from the dinghy outboard motor must have disappeared (think I remember Taylor mentioning a problem the last time he had it out). We were able to temorarily replace it with a stainless steel bolt and even found time to order the new $30 part at the Suzuki dealer.
Posted By RichC on March 27, 2016
Happy Easter to all believers and those yet to acknowledge God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Today is the day we recognize the fulfillment of the earthly life of Jesus. Without the risen Lord and Savior … we sinners are not capable of existing side by side with God. I am so thankful Jesus took my sins and offered me the “gift” of salvation. “He is risen … He is risen indeed” and a great blog post explanation. 😉
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26
Posted By RichC on March 24, 2016
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Posted By RichC on March 23, 2016
Looking at the Finviz chart of the wild second half of 2015 slide for crude oil, one would think we Americans would be cheering since we love driving big cars. Unfortunately lower crude prices (and prices at the pump) are also indicators of a struggling domestic and world economy. U.S. companies need strong international economies in order to sell our products and without growth, our companies are reluctant to hire workers, expand production or increase pay in the U.S. Add to that the ridiculously high corporate taxes forcing companies abroad along with excessive regulation and we’ll continue to lag. In other words, we’re not out of the woods yet.
Posted By RichC on March 22, 2016
I’ll keep baby Bruno Ray’s announcement short and sweet since I didn’t check with mm and dad first before posting on my blog. But my nephew David’s wife Rachel gave birth to a handsome little boy with a full head of dark hair. Rachel’s dad delivered her little bundle of love via c-section as planned and all are doing well. Nollie is all prepared to be a 4 years older big sister … at least until the annoying starts. 
We stopped to visit them Saturday night in Kentucky and gave them our "late" baby shower gifts only a few hours before she was heading to the hospital. Rachel … and everything in the house looked great (I particularly liked their creative changing table building into the baby’s room closet … very creative and helps keep the small room size useful. Nice job David!)
Posted By RichC on March 22, 2016
Twitter marked TEN years of micro social networking this week … or perhaps more appropriately stated as a 
real time newsfeed and feedback mechanism? At least that is how I have used the service for over 9 of those 10 years.
Most journalists, politicians, corporate heads and notable celebrities use Twitter (and other social networks) regularly as a way to connect with followers. Those who comment about using it are usually very positive and find sharing addicting. The real time feedback and sharing is perhaps one of the more powerful features. Hopefully Twitter as a company will develop better ways to monetize the service without impacting user growth. It has been disheartening to watch $TWTR stock decline over the past year as well as see subscriber growth lag competitors. Innovation is needed and likely will require management change either on their own of forced if the company were to be acquired. In either case, as a shareholder I’m anxious … but for now, happy anniversary.
Posted By RichC on March 21, 2016
Will the next generation of car enthusiasts continue to appreciate the sound of the American V-8?
Posted By RichC on March 20, 2016
One cumbersome downside of driving older premium vehicles like our 2010 BMW X5 35D is that 6 year old technology might as well be 20 years old. The navigation software and maps leave a lot to be desired in today’s Internet connected mapping world. The current 2009 maps (above) have never been updated and thankfully the 2010.3 and up BMW models have the ability to update using USB instead of the 3+ hour process of loading DVDs into the onboard hard drive (USB capable IF the little checkmark is in the lower left circle when in map view — see above left).
So first step is to download the recently updated files from a torrent site (below) and then pay for a FSC Code ($5-50) in order to update. Having just been to the dealership, I do know that $112 would have bought me DVDs … although I think they were 2015?
Since I’m slowly downloading tonight, I’ll have to post progress once I receive my code and see how the update goes.
(BMW Road Map North America Premium 2016-2 Torrent as of March 2016 – LINK)
Posted By RichC on March 20, 2016
On a spring Sunday in 30 A.D. (est), the city of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration. Jesus, who had been traveling through the towns and villages of Palestine was also heading to Jerusalem. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed the sick wherever He went, something that was not lost on those gathering for Passover. The day arrived for Jesus to claim He was the Savior God promised to the Jewish people … the Messiah.
Jesus also knew His time was almost finished and warned His disciples that He would soon be put to death, but after three days He would rise again.
Jesus told two of His disciples to bring a donkey that would be waiting in a nearby village. When they brought it to Him, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Crowds of people spread their coats on the ground in front of Him and waved palm branches as a sign of victory. The people shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!” Only a king would be greeted this way (2 Kings 9:13).
People expected their King, their Messiah, to be a great political and military leader … someone who would free them from the tyranny of the Roman Empire. They had trouble grasping the kingdom of God is not of this world … not unlike many today. This is the celebration of Palm Sunday.