My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on January 12, 2025

Depending on which generation you were born often factors into how you remember inflation. Those born in the 1930 thru1970s likely saw decades of relatively high inflation; they lived through years of 5-6% and higher inflation. Until recently, those born later … 1980 to today … saw a more moderate annual inflation number to begin their adult lives. The last four years will likely change this a bit as we saw inflation over 9% a year or so ago.

Personally I’m not in full agreement with this chart, even though I did experience a long stretch of high inflation (stagnation) when first starting out … and have definitely lived a few boom/bust cycles with recessions that had me wondering if we could ever return to the American Dream again?

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Category: Archive, Art, History, Human Interest, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: drawing, family, graph, graphic, inflation

Posted By RichC on January 11, 2025

It is difficult to fathom the amount of devastation happening in Southern California due to the out of control wildfires fueled by the yearly dry vegetation and Santa Anna wind blowing through the canyons and mountains around Los Angeles. 

Having dense population and homes in the hills around the suburbs adds to the risk when it comes to life and property … but shockingly to most who pay the highest taxes in the nation … their state and local officials seemed ill prepared to deal with wildfires. One would think that this area and state would have well prepared plan, firefighting equipment, water in the reservoirs and FIRE HYDRANTS with water pressure would be a given. It is unforgivable that California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has put more effort into “Trump proofing” the state’s sanctuary status of protection of illegal immigrants, the squatting homeless population and in removing dams to protect the Delta Smelt than in keeping his tax-paying residents safe from disaster.

What to Know (Jan 11, 2025)

• Officials say at least 5,000 structures have been destroyed, with the devastation from the Eaton and Palisades fires ranking among the worst in California history.
• Firefighters may get a break Saturday as winds are expected to decrease, but strong winds are in the forecast for next week.
• The Palisades Fire continues to grow, burning homes in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, with evacuations ordered for the hills of Encino and Tarzana as it heads toward the Valley.
• The county medical examiner reported Friday that 11 deaths are connected to the fires.
• As of Saturday morning, the Palisades Fire was about 21,600 acres with containment at 11 percent.
• The Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles was at 14,100 acres with containment at 15 percent early Saturday.

Obviously the memes write themselves (one below) when it come to wondering why there’s no water to put out fires, not enough brush clearing and back-burning to keep danger away from population centers and DEI hires that demonstrate incompetence at every turn. 

Category: Environment, Financial, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: california, disaster, los angeles, meme, Politics, wildfires

Posted By RichC on January 10, 2025

Elon Musk’s verson of email called Xmail can’t come soon enough for a lot of Google Gmail users and as a way to dump my 70,009 Gmail SPAM collection. 😊 

Although did remember an older Windows 95 X Mail (logo above and insecure link) and I was hoping for some kind of improvement from ProtonMail … had an interest in their privacy, security and encryption … but it has become cumbersome and was even down for an hour in December.

I’m not relying on it at the moment, but I did think it might be worthy of replacing my work address. Unfortunately after trying to port over my CPPNET.com email address to the Proton servers, there was an issue since other addresses still need to remain on my Linux mail server (never indicated on checking their servers list). So I’m back to Roundcube for CPP emails and my original USA.net subscription email (once upon a time it was a free perk with my American Express Small Business account — that was 25 years ago! Wow, time flies.)

Still for personal and advertising addressed emails I’m stuck with Gmail. I’m still using the free version since Miami University finally closed my Workspace account (from my grad school and teaching days).  the free version and I sort of put up with their “scanning my emails” and tossing marketing in my way. But for now, it is wait and see what Elon Musk and his crew comes up with — although something tells me nothing is really going to change. 😉 

Category: Computer, Productivity, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: elon musk, email, gmail, pcworld, protonmail, spam, tech friday, techfriday, x.com, xmail

Posted By RichC on January 9, 2025

A map by region illustrating the larger variations of temperatures than below

Since I love looking at maps of all kinds, I’m always attracted to the ones that trigger intrigue me and helps me learn a little more about our world. I especially enjoy weather related maps (perhaps they often relate to aviation and sailing), and more specifically maps illustrating “temperatures” around the world depending on latitude. Most of us learn or know that it is warmer near the equator and cooler near the North and South Pole, but what is interesting to me when looking at different countries around the world is that a few countries are located where there is a significantly wider range of warm and cold weather (above) even if average temperature maps don’t show it (below). 

The temperature mapping and BrilliantMaps.com post reminds me of a book I read last year by Peter Zeihan called “The Accidental Super Power: Ten Years On.” The history of the rise and fall of global powers and current domination by the United States is premised in a variety of geographic strengths regarding our country’s location (and I’ll add our founding as a democratic republic to tie in politics). The abundance of natural resources, global position relative to adversaries, navigable ports and waterways and ambitious people with an incentive to innovate (Capitalism) does give America the edge when it comes to excelling not only during the 19th and 20th century, but in this 21st century, if we govern ourselves in a way that prevents dissent from within and as a super power that is respected by others. 

The annual average temperature of each country based over its entire land area

Check out Brilliant Maps X.com feed if you enjoy a daily look at the world through maps. 

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Category: Books, Human Interest, Politics, Social Media, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: brilliantmaps.com, earth, maps, temperature, weather, wikipedia, world, x.com

Posted By RichC on January 8, 2025

Listening to SiriusXM directly on an Apple Watch, especially a cellular model, is not straightforward due to several limitations (disappointing for me) and I have failed at my first attempt to port from one app to another. The current test for some “music” is to try going back to Spotify or Pandora (photo) and use the SiriusXM app on my phone. Of course my entire thought was to be able to leave my phone behind occasionally and just listen streaming on the watch and Aeropex AfterShokz headset.  

GROK AI assist: 

No SiriusXM App for Apple Watch: Currently, SiriusXM does not offer a native app for the Apple Watch. This means you can’t directly stream or access SiriusXM content from the watch itself.

 **Alternatives**

  – **Using iPhone as a Relay**: If you have your iPhone with you, you can use it to stream SiriusXM through Bluetooth to wireless headphones connected to your Apple Watch. This requires the iPhone to be in Bluetooth range.

  – **Streaming via Cellular on Watch:** While the Apple Watch with cellular can stream music and podcasts independently, it doesn’t support streaming from the SiriusXM app directly since there’s no app designed for it. However, if future updates or third-party solutions become available, this might change.

– **Other Streaming Services**: For similar content, you might look into alternatives like Pandora, TuneIn Radio, or iHeartRadio, which do have Apple Watch apps that support streaming over cellular connections

– **Future Possibility**: There’s always a potential for SiriusXM to develop an app for Apple Watch or for Apple to expand its radio streaming capabilities, but as of now, direct streaming of SiriusXM is not an option on the Apple Watch.

For those keen on listening to SiriusXM without an iPhone nearby, you might need to wait for an official app update from SiriusXM or explore if any third-party applications or services could bridge this gap in the future. However, at this time, without an iPhone nearby or an app specifically designed for the Apple Watch, listening to SiriusXM directly from the watch isn’t feasible.

Category: Apple, Audio, Radio, Streaming, Watch | No Comments »
Tags: app, apple watch, cellular, Music, News, siriusxm

Posted By RichC on January 7, 2025

My favorite January post each year has been the Lake Superior State University list of banished words, acronyms and phrases. Most of the words I know and have heard used … and definitely agree with … but admittedly I did not recognize Skibidi (see after the break).

Here are the 2025 words and phrases selected for banishment, along with the reasons they made the list:

Cringe

While “cringe” once packed a punch, it has now overstayed its welcome. Overuse has dulled its impact, and ironically, using it might now cause the very reaction it describes. “Saying someone ‘caused you to cringe’ or stating that ‘you cringed at something’ is a pretty easy and proper way to use the word,” writes Ash from Newton, Alabama. “Hearing someone say ‘someone is so cringe’ makes me cringe!”

Game Changer

How many times can a game change before it is no longer recognizable? This phrase, often used to describe anything remotely innovative, is as tired as a well-worn cliché. “Nothing is a game changer if everything is a game changer,” writes Patrick of Washington, DC.

Era

Unless you are Taylor Swift, it might be time to leave “era” behind. The term’s overuse has made every fleeting moment feel like it demands a historical marker. Leah of Holland, Michigan submits, “Thanks to the name of Taylor Swift’s tour, now there is an ‘era’ for everyone and everything! ‘He’s in his fatherhood era’, ‘She’s in her pottery-making era,’ etc., etc.. It’s overused and tiring.”

Dropped

Once edgy and cool, “dropped” has become more of a letdown. Whether it is an album, a trend, or a product, this term has fallen flat. “Books, music, and all kinds of unnecessary things are currently being ‘dropped’ rather than introduced, released, or offered for sale. Banished for overuse, misuse, abuse, and hurting my head when all that “dropping” stuff lands on me!,” laments Susan of Littleton, CO.

IYKYK (If You Know, You Know)

Internet slang and texting abbreviations are often fan-favorites of Banished Word submitters each year. Cryptic and exclusionary, this phrase offers little clarity or substance. If you know, you might agree it is time to let this one go. Amy from Redford, MI feels this phrase should go for being both irritating and nonsensical.

Sorry Not Sorry

A half-hearted apology masquerading as bold honesty, this phrase feels as disingenuous as it sounds. Banished Word enthusiasts recommend just saying what you mean or in at least one case showing a little kindness. Sabrina from Wrenshall, MN writes, “It is really tiring to hear, and it is giving people another reason to be jerks to one another.”

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Category: Blogs, Misc, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: annual, banished, lssu, Skibidi, words

Posted By RichC on January 6, 2025

Winter has arrived in much of the heartland to the east coast for January 2025 … and here in Cincinnati too. It is a storm that is impacting travel on roads, by air and even the power lines since there was ice and freezing rain included with a significant snow.

Taylor was out with Megan and Gigi as the snow started to fall on Sunday, but in Toledo, Katelyn commented on Monday that they could still see the grass. Hm .. not here in Cincinnati on Monday afternoon (the dog photo reminded me of this post with Tootsie)! 

Here’s a short update from our local meteorologist John Gumm:

As of 1pm [1/6/2025], we had 10.4 inches storm total in #Cincinnati. This will be *at least* the biggest two-day snowfall since 2008 for the area and will be at least in the top-12 for all-time two-day snows on record. Will be curious to see what we end up with before the last flakes fall!

Category: Personal, Photos, Social Media, Tidbits, Video, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: cincinnati, dogs, family, john gumm, mp4, ohio, Photos, snow, storm, weather

Posted By RichC on January 6, 2025

A newly married friend recently returned from his honeymoon in a beautiful and tropical location. He sent a photo overlooking the turquoise water of a harbor filled with anchored boats. It definitely pulled at my “dream” strings and has me missing boats and the sailing life.

As the cold weather continues to make me think about going where it is warm … and then a song on Radio Margaritaville by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett … had me remembering the song from Buffett’s 1983 album — “One Particular Harbor.” Ahead and the old video makes today’s Music Monday that much better! 

Category: Music, Sailing, Video | No Comments »
Tags: caribbean, honeymoon, jimmy buffett, mp4, music monday, musicmonday, one particular harbor

Posted By RichC on January 5, 2025

Before I add the humor (video below), I wanted to include a photo of the girls ice skating on their last day of Christmas break. It was so nice to have the extra time with “Mommy Katelyn” on Friday and doing something special (great smile and photo)!

Spotted this on X.com and it made me laugh, so I’ll add Michael McIntyre‘s “Silent Letter Day” clean humor as a Sunday filler.
 

Category: Humor, Personal, Photos, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: bbc, comedy, family, granddaughters, iceskating, katelyn, michael mcintyre, mp4, photo, silent letter day, x.com

Posted By RichC on January 4, 2025

After four years of inflation impacting everything Americans need and want, the optimism for improvement might not come all that easily to the next administration. Wages are struggling to keep up with prices, and although the Fed has started an easing cycle with rate cuts, everyday citizens don’t see that when it comes to necessities or financing a big ticket purchase, be it a home or a new vehicle. 

If automotive shoppers do find themselves fortunate enough to afford a home and can consider a new car, they are often faced with the decision to buy a gasoline powered car or an EV (semi-interested in a Tesla myself). For many, its a logical choice EVEN if there is a tax credit considering the relatively poor charging infrastructure (damaged, unreliable, out-of-order, etc), concerns for repairs and reliability or resale values. 

The Trump administration is likely to not be as friendly to EV automakers which could mean higher demand for hybrid vehicles or their fossil fuelled counterparts (???) — most auto industry watchers suspect the tax credits for EVs will be either reduced or eliminated. Big automakers may be able to absorb some of the higher cost to make EVs … but will likely see fewer sales no matter their discounting. The scenario does not look good, at least for 2025 if you are an investor or employed in that industry (see Al Root’s 12/31/2024 Barronsonline article — or PDF). 

Key takeaways from the Barron’s Advisor editorial team

Electric-vehicle makers and investors should buckle up for 2025, because President-elect Trump could eliminate EV purchase tax credits for as much as $7,500 a vehicle.

That would be a de facto price increase on most electric cars and likely would stifle demand.

Germany presents an example of what could happen. The country cut purchase subsidies for EVs, and EV sales there plunged during the first 11 months of this year.

LINK

Category: Automotive, Business, Financial, News, Tesla | No Comments »
Tags: al root, automaker, barrons, electric vehicles, ev, investing, tax credits