My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on March 19, 2015

I received a few long overdue updates items from our EAA chapter’s president for the interior pages of the EAA284 chapter website on Wednesday and so before forgetting I jumped right on it. We are continuing to keep the EAA284.org domain, but opt to use WordPress.com to host because it is free. Still there are limitations to the “free” version and those quirks had me updating a old theme which in turn created way more work than expected. Thankfully it is a relatively simple site … besides the protected pages and forms for email, it is straight forward.

We’ve also talked about switching webmasters,  seen too many ambitious, good intentioned members start strong and leave a “static” mess. I’d prefer keeping it simple as an archive style bulletin board rather than too many hour of work each month. In our case we’ll  links to each builder, pilot or personal Facebook site and let them manage their own pages. THe new theme looks “ok” for now, but on an old PC looks a little washed out??? I’m sure the links will go stale again anyway and since we really don’t generate heavy traffic, it will serve its purpose.

If you are an EAA member and would like access to the builders section, send me an email and I’ll get you a passcode for members section which has contact information and links.

Category: Aviation, Blogs, Recreation, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: airplane, chapter, eaa, eaa284, experimental, red stewart, waynesville

Posted By RichC on March 18, 2015

The future of transportation will likely include electric power even if automotive purist cringe at the thought of their beloved internal combustion engines losing ground. I’m as old school as the next car-lover, but can’t deny hybrid vehicles and EVs have come a long way in the past decade; the future will no doubt see more. Still, we are a long way from self-charging, be it solar power, fuel cells or induction strips built in to our highways.

Goodyear engineers have been doing their part to innovate too. Low rolling resistant tires squeeze a few more miles out of a gallon or a “charge” and have even created a way for tires to charge a battery.

The new concept tire, the BHO3, uses piezoelectricity. This is the charge that builds up in certain materials when they are squeezed … think about a tire being deformed as it rolls down the road. At this point it is a very small amount of electricity, but together with thermoelectricity from temperature differentials, advanced tires can add to the the power being produced by regenerative brakes and vehicle solar paint or panels can return to a vehicles power pack. Goodyear researchers are focused on what materials do the best job of producing power and how to incorporate something like quartz, ceramics and salts into the tire as well as thermoelectric materials such as bismuth telluride and tin selenide. According to the comments I’ve read, these high tech tires are probably 10 to 15 years away.

Category: Automotive, Video | No Comments »
Tags: BH03, electric, ev, goodyear, hybrid, tires

Posted By RichC on March 17, 2015

Ran across and old story about cellphones that are Doomed to be Collectables … then I wondered, “Where is my Palm Pre?”

Back before the smartphone market was narrowed down to two choices — Apple or Android — there was a phone company that sold a very compelling device beloved by professionals and consumers alike.

The Palm Pre matched Apple and Android in touchscreen prowess and also included a slide-out keyboard.

Sadly, Palm didn’t have the financial firepower to promote the phone heavily and stoke the fires of application development like its more resource-rich rivals. Palm also didn’t keep the Pre fresh. And when telcos like Verizon started cutting back on orders in favor of Droids, the Palm Pre faded from view.

Eventually, HP acquired Palm, but the integration took a long time, leaving the Pre suspended from the market.

LINK

Category: Cellphone, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: Cellphone, collectible, palm, smartphone

Posted By RichC on March 16, 2015

This content is restricted.

Category: Audio, Music | No Comments »
Tags: mood, mp3, song, the head and the heart

Posted By RichC on March 15, 2015

The past couple of months have been filled with caring for our parents as both my wife’s mom and my dad are facing common issues associated with aging. No matter how you deal with it, having health issues in your eighties is neither easy for elderly parent or the family struggling to care for them. (adding a couple personal family notes below)

First, MomH had a severe pain in her back and my sister-in-law Chris took her to the hospital a couple of weeks ago. The diagnosis was they she must have done something to fracture her vertibrae and that Kyphoplasty surgery was recommended. The surgery was successful and corrected the pain, but the recovery requires a stint of physical therapy in a nursing facility when she would rather be back at home with one of her daughters.

Second is DadC and his downhill slide with dementia which we really started to notice in November-December when we started daily nursing checks at his home on top of regular visits from us. Unfortunately living alone was not working out and so my brother Ron decided to “move him in with him in January for the winter.” This “temporary arrangement” was begrudgingly accepted by my dad, but Ron and his wife Claire soon realized that he was declining faster than they had thought and requiring more than just checking on him. Then a week ago he fell hitting his head and fracturing his pelvis in two places requiring a move to the hospital and full work-up. The prognosis after moving from the hospital room to in-hospital rehab wasn’t as positive as we had hoped for and a follow-up MRI indicated he suffer at least one or more small strokes. Dad was release from the hospital this weekend and we moved him to a nursing facility close to my brother where he will be in the physical therapy wing for a couple of weeks. We’ll evaluate from there, but currently he is unable to stand on his own or keep his thoughts on track when holding a conversation. Thankfully his appetite is improving (he has lost weight) and he has retain a positive attitude and smile. Dad has always made the best of every situation; we couldn’t ask for more.

A little bit of reading can be dangerous on my part considering it is probably easier to get answers from the doctors in my family (Katelyn, Drew, Justin). Drew is especially helpful since he sees elderly patients every day. I do appreciate his thoughts as it makes asking the doctors treating my easy.

Vascular (or multi-infarct) dementia refers to a decline in a person’s mental abilities that results from a series of strokes. A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, cutting off the blood supply to the brain.

Vascular dementia often progresses step by step, with declines in memory and mental functions occurring each time another stroke occurs. The specific symptoms a person has depend on which area of the brain the strokes have affected. Not all strokes cause symptoms.

Vascular dementia is often associated with hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) caused by high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. A person can reduce the risk of future strokes with healthy lifestyle changes and medicine.

Prayers for both Brenda’s mom and my dad are appreciated.

Category: Health, Personal | 2 Comments »
Tags: dadc, dementia, family, hospital, kyphoplasty, momh, rehab

Posted By RichC on March 14, 2015

The official death toll for Cyclone Pam stands at eight – but up to 44 are thought to be dead after the super storm ripped through several South Pacific island nations. The category 5 storm struck Vanuatu and has caused damage in Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Caledonia. Aid officials say the storm is potentially one of the South Pacific’s worst ever weather disasters as aid agencies begin getting help to the many affected villages. Up to 300,000 people have been affected.

Category: News, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: cyclone, hurricane, south pacific, storm, vanuatu

Posted By RichC on March 13, 2015

It is the time of year I need to pay the $54.88 (ST $31 + Local $20 + service fee) to renew my Ohio registration fee for each vehicle and affix the tiny stickers to my aging metal license plate. The process in recent years is far easier with the online registration (so long as you are early) and is somewhat reasonable compared to a few other states; for example it is based on vehicle value in Minnesota!

I’ve recently commented that renewing is so much easier than than waiting to register that first time or renewing a driver’s license … but probably far better than a license or registration expired after the fact.

What do vehicle registration and title fees cost in your state? The ANSWER

Best Ranking Category: Online DMV Service (1st)

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) has the highest reported customer satisfaction in the country. The Ohio BMV has the 4th shortest wait time in the United States. They also offer an extensive list of services that are available online.

Unfortunately the in-person experience is not quite so impressive:

Worst Ranking Category: In-Person Customer Service (24th)

Category: Automotive | No Comments »
Tags: government, license, ohio, online, plates, registration, vehicle

Posted By RichC on March 12, 2015

In discussing FICA taxes the other day, I discovered just how much I didn’t know about one of the biggest taxes we pay throughout our entire working lives. I’m guessing most Americans are in my shoes?

Now “let me be clear,” as President Obama has been known to say, I’m NOT “that” close to retirement or Social Security yet, but learning and planning is definitely the key to maximizing benefits. I heard about Laurence Kotikoff, Philip Moeller and Paul Solman’s new book and decided to download the a fairly extensive eBook: Get What’s Yours, the Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security. The informative book was published in February 2015 and explains many of the complicated rules (traps and loopholes) that retirees need to navigate when they reach a decision point … as early as 62 … or in the case of disability far earlier.

One of the charts in Chapter 1 that surprised me was just how few Americans decide to wait until “full retirement age – currently 66” or the “maximum benefit age -70+” to begin collecting their Social Security. Perhaps the Great Recession contributed to such high percentages claiming Social Security at age 62 when their lifetime check is the smallest? What it tells me is how ill-prepared our population is for their retirement years.

One would think that if a person could prepare to either work a few more years or have saved enough retirement saving to “last until they were 70” (or a little of both) … they they would receive far more from Social Security by waiting IF they are healthy and had an average life expectance over 81 years.

On the other hand, maybe I’m “opining” a bit too much prior to reading the book and that there is a bit more to the calculation … like “filing and suspending” or “applying for spousal benefits?” Ah … that’s why you need this book or may at least plug your information into the $40 Maximize My Social Security Planner service.

Amazon Book Description: – BUY eBook

Learn the secrets to maximizing your Social Security benefits and earn up to thousands of dollars more each year with expert advice that you can’t get anywhere else.

Want to know how to navigate the forbidding maze of Social Security and emerge with the highest possible benefits? You could try reading all 2,728 rules of the Social Security system (and the thousands of explanations of these rules), but Kotlikoff, Moeller, and Solman explain Social Security benefits in an easy to understand and user-friendly style. What you don’t know can seriously hurt you: wrong decisions about which Social Security benefits to apply for cost some individual retirees tens of thousands of dollars in lost income every year.

How many retirees or those nearing retirement know about such Social Security options as file and suspend (apply for benefits and then don’t take them)? Or start stop start (start benefits, stop them, then re-start them)? Or—just as important—when and how to use these techniques? Get What’s Yours covers the most frequent benefit scenarios faced by married retired couples, by divorced retirees, by widows and widowers, among others. It explains what to do if you’re a retired parent of dependent children, disabled, or an eligible beneficiary who continues to work, and how to plan wisely before retirement. It addresses the tax consequences of your choices, as well as the financial implications for other investments.

Many personal finance books briefly address Social Security, but none offers the thorough, authoritative, yet conversational analysis found here. You’ve paid all your working life for these benefits. Now, get what’s yours.

Category: Advice, Books, Financial | 1 Comment »
Tags: advice, benefits, book, ebook, fica, finance, social security

Posted By RichC on March 11, 2015

The Apple event earlier this week had be jumping to pick up an AppleTV with the price drop to $69 (opted for refurb)… if for nothing else, a device to plug into the TV on the boat and play video from my iPhone or iPad. Also, it is possible I’ve was bitten by the “want for a new gadget” after watching the Apple event … even though I already have an older Roku!

Category: Apple, Technology, Video-TV | 1 Comment »
Tags: apple, streaming, tv

Posted By RichC on March 10, 2015

When regular leaded gasoline gets old, a thin layer of varnish coats the inside of fuel lines and the jets of the carburetor. This can plug or narrow jets that meter fuel into the carburetor and with cause the engine to either run lean or not run (start) at all. For fuel efficient and environment approved modern engines, this make them even run leaner because the jets are smaller than they should be. This creates an ultra-lean condition and can make an engine run hot which can damage the pistons, score the cylinder walls and shorten engine life. If you are running leaded fuel, a quick fix is a can of fuel system cleaner as this will dissolve the varnish in most cases (ie. winter storage).

For most of us though, we are running ethanol based gasoline. This additive doesn’t produce varnish but makes a sticky gum that clogs up jets even more stubbornly than varnish. Ethanol doesn't have to sit long before it begins to gum up small jets. It was the most likely what caused my Poulan chainsaw to run lean and hot … damaging the piston and cylinder walls. With lawnmowers and outboard motors (stored seasonally) these are the most common non-starting problems. This can usually be prevented by adding a fuel stabilizer or purging the alcohol based before storing an engine.

According to what I've read, not all fuel stabilizers are the same. Some are designed to reduce varnish in leaded fuels and are not effective with ethanol fuels. One recommended stabilizer that I can recommend is Starbrite's Star-Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment. (not a paid endorsment)

Category: Advice, Automotive, Misc, Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: additive, alcohol, engine, ethanol, fuel, gasoline, gum, stabilizer