Posted By RichC on January 16, 2016
My cluttered desktop was overdue for a good clean-up and at least a little bit of organizing. After recently adding a second monitor to my iMac dedicated to virtual Windows 10 there ended up being more room to spreadout and clutter. Besides there is a 3rd monitor running after plugging in the new Raspberry Pi to the old Mac Mini ViewSonic DVI monitor (with a HDMI to DIV-D adapter from Monoprice) … and 4th and 5th if you add my antique Gateway notebook and iPad that get move here and there (and let’s not call the iPhone a monitor even though it sits nearby and glows!)
Once I started, there wasn’t any stopping so “I started” in with the external harddrives and Cloud storage. At some point I need to consolidate since I know longer remember what is on Amazon’s Cloud, my several Cubbies, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or One Drive. I haven’t toss of those clould service “yet,” but need to improve my efficiency rather than focusing on redundancy. Meh, it all just housekeeping.
Category: Cloud, Computer |
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Tags: cleanup, cloud, Computer, desktop, imac, raspberry pi, windows
Posted By RichC on January 15, 2016
We’ve had a professional security system in the house for years, but I’ve always thought it would be nice to make a homemade version for the detached 
garage/pool house – might be a perfect Raspberry Pi project?
The first step was to see just what kind of wifi signal was there, considering the tiny $10 USB wifi dongle — obviously not much of an antenna (little nub at top of the device in the photo above).
Next was to boot up out in the garage and run the Wavemon program from the Linux command line and check the link quality and signal level (readout in photo above) while walking around on my extension cord leash. A useable connection in most areas toward the front; not so good in the area back near the workbench, woodstove or pool pump equipment room … but that’s okay since I’m probably going to use a Pi camera module mounted up high in the front window anyway. I’ll plan on pointing the lens at the driveway and if that works, I might try the Pi Noir infrared camera pointing at the inside of my garage shop for night monitoring (although would probably need to make a multiplexer or add a second Raspberry Pi unless one of the cameras is set up using a USB port … not to mention some infra-red LEDs for illumnation? Better get the first camera working)
Anyway … it looks like I’ll have enough bandwidth to be able to access the Raspberry Pi and camera feed from my network and even be able to monitor in real time … sort of like the uStream.tv Gazbo cam I set up several years ago.
Category: Archive, Personal, Raspberry Pi, Technology |
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Tags: camera, monitor, project, raspberry pi, security, wifi
Posted By RichC on January 14, 2016
This weeks trip back and forth from SW Ohio to NE Ohio was the first with slippery road and winter snow in 2016. There are sure to be a few more winter days this year, but glad to already be into mid-January.
This drive was also the first winter driving for the BMW X5 35d. Although the road never really were challenging, the European diesel SUV handled the slick interstates without a problems. I’m starting to feel comfortable behind the wheel and have found 4 hour stints behind the wheel fairly easy. My biggest “squawk” is the systems management computer detecting glitches “requiring a trip to a BMW service center” or so it says. Everything from detecting a low “run flat” tire pressure (they are all fine — cold weather related) to a “no-start” warning that in 999 miles the vehicle will not start due to requiring blue-def exhaust emission fluid. Grr! I miss just having a couple lights on the dash.
Category: BMW, Diesel, Travel, Weather |
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Tags: BMW, driving, ohio, snow, x5 35d
Posted By RichC on January 13, 2016
William Harley and Arthur Davidson, founders of Harley-Davidson, with their motorcycles in 1914.
FYI … HOG = Harley Owners Group: http://www.hog.com
Origin of “Hog” nickname
Beginning in 1920, a team of farm boys, including Ray Weishaar, who became known as the “hog boys,” consistently won races. The group had a hog, or pig as their mascot. Following a win, they would put the pig (a real one) on their Harley and take a victory lap. In 1983, the Motor Company formed a club for owners of its product taking advantage of the long-standing nickname by turning “hog” into the acronym H.O.G., for Harley Owners Group. Harley-Davidson attempted to trademark “hog”, but lost a case against an independent Harley-Davidson specialist, The Hog Farm of West Seneca, NY, in 1999 when the appellate panel ruled that “hog” had become a generic term for large motorcycles and was therefore unprotectable as a trademark.
Category: Automotive, History, Photos |
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Tags: Harley Davidson, History, HOG, motorcycle, photo
Posted By RichC on January 12, 2016
College fooball doesn’t get any better than Monday night’s National Championship game between Alabama and unbeaten Clemson. The game came down to the 4th quarter where both team gave it their all. The playing was almost unbelievable on both sides of the ball. The game eventually turned on an Alabama score and surprise short on-sides kickoff and recovered by Alabama. This momentum change allowed Alabama to look as if it would be a controlled win. Clemson came back and again demonstrated why they were in this game.
It came down to the wire as it was hard to tell who might break away and score. I may just be me, but during the final 2 minutes … Clemson’s defense held play after play allowing Alabama’s offense to eat the clock and then score rather than scoring and giving Clemson’s offense a little more time and their timeouts. Who knows … the “slow score” may have been Alabama’s blessing in disguise?
Both teams were outstanding … too bad Clemson had to lose, but my hats off to Alabama on becoming the National Champs for 2016.
Category: Sports |
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Tags: alabama, Clemson, college, football, national champions
Posted By RichC on January 11, 2016
Have you ever considering visiting Israel? Here’s a great opportunity to go with my friend Pastor Keith Thomas for a “Best of Israel” tour. 
He has been taking groups for years and combined with his handpicked guides and economical group rate accommodations and airfare, a trip this spring may be your best opportunity.
Touring Israel and the Holy Land is probably something most Christians “would like to do” in their lifetime, but due to cost and our busy lives, we (me included) put it off until our retirement years. This year, Keith has a few more slots to fill and has extended the invite for a few more days (weeks?). Leaving from Cincinnati is not necessary, you just need to be able to connect with him in New York for the flight overseas.
Send him an email … or take a look at the brochure on the Group Bible Study website – The Best of Israel – Spring 2016
Category: Faith, Travel |
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Tags: groupbiblestudy, holyland, israel, keith thomas, tours
Posted By RichC on January 10, 2016
The U.S. Department of Justice lawyers on behalf of the EPA are probably sleeping and dreaming dollar signs … a still unknown number but calculations mentioned in the WSJ top $45 Billion. They have an opportunity to capitalize on Volkswagen’s willful disregard and purposeful installation of “defeat devices” on Volkswagen, Audi and Porche TDI diesel vehicles for most of the past decade. The number of affected vehicles initially were 482,000 with a recent addition of another 100,000. Who knows what the lawsuit number will eventually request? I’m sure the number will be mind bogglingly large.
Interestingly Harvard and MIT researchers attempted to put a price on the “human health toll.” They concluded “excess pollution emitted from the cars will cause 59 premature deaths, 31 cases of chronic bronchitis, 34 hospital admissions, 120,000 days of restricted activity including lost work days — 210,000 days with lower respiratory problems and 33,000 days with increased use of asthma inhalers. The cost, they said, will be $450 million.” They also admitted that those calculations could be interpreted higher or lower based on additional outside costs … it could be has high as $1.2 billion or as low as $72 million.
It is an interesting read in this past weekend’s WSJ. Source: How to Calculate the Costs to Society of the VW Scandal
Category: Automotive, Diesel, Volkswagen |
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Tags: diesel, epa, lawsuit, tdi, volkswagen, vw, wsj
Posted By RichC on January 10, 2016
As a long time Cincinnati Bengals fan, I officially am no long going to declare them “my team.” Marvin Lewis needs to go as he has permitting poor sportsmanship and penalties all season long … and the stupidity continued Saturday night in self-destructive fashion.
The costly misbehavior and penalties in the final seconds of the game gave away the wild card playoff game. No self control … or “coached” control. Final score: 18 – 16 with a “gimme” field goal in the final seconds thanks to a couple of misbehaving Bengal players. I can’t say I’m proud of my fellow fans either. It was both frustrating and embarrassing.
Going to bed ANGRY. Not a way to enjoy football.
Category: Sports |
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Tags: bengals, cincinnati, nfl, playoffs
Posted By RichC on January 9, 2016
Thankfully the weather held and the construction was able to continue on the chimney repairs. 
They completed the final soldering of seams on the stainless steel custom top this morning and were quick to show up and collect the check too.
Although this was an expensive surprise after replacing the roof, I’m glad to have it done right and looking nice too. The stone veneer thankfully comes pretty close to matching our “real” stone backporch fireplace and stone trimwork and having new structural framing fastened to our trusses this time (it was not originally) makes for a repair that should outlast me. We are pleased.
Side note: Used the VNC Viewer app on the iPad to log in remotely and emulate the desktop environment on the Raspberry Pi to post his update. It a little cumbersome, but do-able … although really miss the mouse or trackpad when logging in this way.
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Raspberry Pi |
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Tags: chimney, home, house, repair, roof
Posted By RichC on January 8, 2016
The financial markets took another slide this Friday afternoon even after “impressive” job numbers were released this morning. Growth was well above expectations showing 292,00 jobs were created in December 2015. This came as a mixed message for investors as they needed something to stimulate their interest in buying stocks … unfortunately many came away with an expectation the Fed would continue it’s tightening policies and raise interest rates again in March. Losses are starting to look real for all but those who have been warning we may continue to see even slower sales numbers as the year moves ahead. It is perplexing when all asset classes are being affected.
Category: Financial |
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Tags: dow, jobs, markets, nasdaq, wall street
