With friends like this, who needs to eat out at a restaurant?

Posted By on January 24, 2016

BreakfastMarkDarNot much can top the great hospitality, enjoyable conversation (TV trivia talk) and great breakfast fixed by my friends Mark and Dar — or just having lunch at our favorite sandwich shop.  As Gomer, Mark’s fellow Marine would say, “thank you … thank you … thank you.”  BTW, the Jones really should open a “Bed and Breakfast” someday, it would be super!

I sure am looking forward to hanging out and watching the the NFL playoffs this afternoon  …  it sure beats shoveling snow! 

 

Two steps forward, one step back … boat projects.

Posted By on January 23, 2016

Sunset with clouds rolling in from the Atlantic

The weather isn’t perfect in Florida, but it sure is a lot better than most states to the north. As the snow comes down on most of the eastern part of the country, I at least won’t have to deal with it until I fly back.

I’m going to declare success in removing hatches, shipping them to Select Plastics and putting waterproof plywood in place as the heavy rain has mostly stayed out of the boat. I’m also optimistic that the waterpump I removed in December and replaced is all positive. After putting in the new Johnson Pump instead of the Volvo pump I rebuilt (my spare) I’m hoping it will run for many hours before dripping again … impellers aside.

Unfortunately after running the diesel for a bit to monitor the pump output and seals, I noticed that the propeller coupling was dripping. Hm … after shutdown, the drip turned into a stream (video below) and no amount of fidgeting with the coupling could get it to stop (slow down to a drip again, but not stop). I called one of the guys in the yard and he thinks it is an alignment problem. That’s better than automatically having to order a new coupling from Volvo, hauling the boat and pulling the prop shaft back so the new coupling can be installed. It could still come to that, but hopefully a realignment will solve the problem.

Volvo coupling drip

Hatch repair is high on the priority list for Encore

Posted By on January 22, 2016

IMG_1394Noticing the weather back home this past week, it was not a bad few days to head down to Florida for a couple more boat repairs.

High on the list was to remove and send my Lewmar Superhatches (predecessor to the Ocean series) off to Select Plastics in hopes THEY can prevent them from dripping; I failed.  Leaking hatches and ports has been an ongoing issue for Encore and it has been even worse lately (more rain in Florida?) I’ve held off repairing them as the cost has been prohibitive … and even now I’m hesitating. It’s not only the price, but the timeframe that is frustrating … I’m hoping they will be back sooner rather than later, but according to Tony, this is their busiest time of the year. That make sense since boats in the northeast are under cover for winter.

IMG_1395After removing the aft and forward larger hatches, I cut squares of plywood, wrapped them in “attractive tan/brown tarp” material and “dogged” them down over the hatch frame with a single center bolt and a cross beam inside. Hm, it’s really dark in the cabins now and we’ve lost our ventilation (the reason I haven’t taken the smaller one out of the main salon).

IMG_1400  IMG_1398

 

IMG_1397

Is Twitter better as a standalone business or as a buyout target

Posted By on January 22, 2016

I’ll admit, I’m not an expert when it comes to social networks or even using the many developed and developing services available. I do occasionally stay in touch with close friends and family on Facebook and monitor the news and events on Twitter, but that really takes up enough of my time … I don’t need many more. What I have difficulty in understanding is how what is seen by me as a heavily used social network by most media outlets (that being Twitter) is suffering when it comes to growing numbers. It seems to me, that every celebrity, news person and network has the little bird @ sign handle and is using it on a regular basis. What an advertising opportunity … wouldn’t you think?

Twitter’s challenges are plenty. Its user base is dwindling and there is no immediate solution in sight. Twitter has a user base of just 320 million. To put it in context, Instagram boasts 400 million users, while Whatsapp has a user base of 900 million. Even Facebook’s Messenger recently got past the 800 million users mark. At over 1.55 billion users, Facebook remains the largest social media service.

Zacks

Twitter ($TWTR) stock as suffered significantly in the past year and there hasn’t been much CEO Jack Dorsey has been able to do to stop the fall. About the only promising news for shareholders is that since the price is below $20 share price, buyers might start looking at it again (tweeted that myself even). This week the latest rumor was that News Corp ($NWSA) might be interested.

… speculations that micro blogging site Twitter, Inc. TWTR could be a potential takeover target for News Corporation NWSA. Though News Corporation issued a statement declining any such development, Twitter shares benefitted greatly. Shares moved up 13–14% when the rumour broke out, but lost a bit after News Corp’s official denial, to finally close at $17.38, or a 4% gain.

Zacks

Unfortunately for shareholders seeing the only hope for $TWTR is a buyer … these rumor were quickly squelched by a News Corp spokesperson. Who knows, I still wouldn’t be surprised to see a deep pocketed media outlet or acquisition

On Wednesday, rumors that News Corp was interested in scooping up the embattled social media site sent Twitter’s stock soaring as high as 12%. These gains fell down to the 4% range after a News Corp spokesperson told Re/Code bluntly, “The rumor’s untrue.”

Zacks 1/21/2016 update

VW Rabbit-Golf facelift through the years #GIF

Posted By on January 21, 2016

VW through the years

Thousands Apply to U.S. to Forgive Their Student Loans

Posted By on January 20, 2016

Americans are flooding the government with appeals to have their student loans forgiven on the grounds that schools deceived them with false promises of a well-paying career.

Source: Thousands Apply to U.S. to Forgive Their Student Loans, Saying Schools Defrauded Them

So when is it overkill to be worried about infectious disease?

Posted By on January 18, 2016

Do you really need to put toilet paper on the seat like mom taught you?

overdoingthetoiletpaper"If it makes you feel better," says Melissa Hawkins, director of the public health scholars program at American University, who’s an expert in biostatistics, behavioral health and community health. "The toilet seats are not a vehicle for the transmission of any infectious agents, though."

It’s better to use a paper towel to cover up your contact with the faucet handles and bathroom doorknob, she says.
— Source: U.S.News – Health

Amazing in 2016 to have gas prices below $1.50/gal

Posted By on January 17, 2016

UDF Gas Price on Jan 16, 2016

If you are still reading along after the break, I brought home an “odd ball” tool from my dad's workshop last weekend. Neither my brother Ron or I knew what this tool is. Any ideas?

what is this tool

Archiving a photo of my nephew and son hanging out together

Posted By on January 17, 2016

JabenTaylorCincinnati_Jan2016Archiving a January 2016 photo of my nephew Jaben and my son Taylor before the Bengals demise last week. They decided to get together in Cincinnati and watch the playoff game together – from all accounts, they had a good time.

I’m sure my brother feels the same way … it is  nice to see our sons choosing to hang out together for a football game,  despite their age difference. One thing I have found … an age difference as teenagers mean diddly-squat as you grow older.

Family is family … it is good to see this.

Using a photo to read the tiny print on an Apple USB charger

Posted By on January 16, 2016

AppleCharger5V1AThis is probably something I should have known, but the small Apple device chargers have such small printing that I’ve never eyeballed them close enough. The are only a 1A charging device so they do not power the Raspberry Pi computers approrpriately (just in case you needed to know). Instead, you’ll need to be looking for a 2A – 5 volt USB device … like the ones sold for this purpose or many others. Too bad since I was really hoping to used this tiny device with a short USB to micro USB cable for the Raspberry Pi when I mount it in the detached garage. (click photo if you have aging eyes too)

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog