My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on December 17, 2014

Sitting in my mom’s room two years ago is as clear to me as if it were yesterday (or last year). I’m thankful to have had those moments alone with her as well as all the years growing up in a good home. I was part of a generation who mom was able to greet kids at the door when they cam home from school as well as enjoyed caring for her three boys (I’m including my dad since he of of a generation who “needed” cared for … no offense dad). It is no wonder that years later I enjoyed the TV series Wonder Years … it was my childhood life.

This is not to say past or more recent generations are lessor for the times in which they grew up; I’d venture to say that my kids probably look at their upbringing as idyllic too (photo of Taylor with mom, his grandma in 2009). Different times require different parenting … one is not necessarily better than the other.

Perhaps there is a lesson in this reminiscing for young families today: it’s a mother and father’s attention to “being parents” that make for a happy, appreciative and well balance child years later … NOT the generation in which they are born.

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: children, memories, momc, parents, taylor

Posted By RichC on December 16, 2014

When my wife sets her mind to something, she goes “full in.” I’m so glad she is not a gambler.

It started as a simple project; she wanted an antique frame. So began the process of shopping estate sales, and bidding on online auction sites like our local EBTH and eBay. Eventually the looking turned to buying, then the driving to pick them up and shipping (ugh!) … oh and check out the packaging job on the one below!

Anyway by the time she had found the perfect frame she ended up also buying a new art piece and a bunch of extra antique frames. Some of them need work, but then too much work might deter from them being antique? What to do, what to do?

My thought is to “resell” them, but then Brenda may have other ideas. Before long we (and our kids!) will run out of wall space. So much for eventually moving on to a sailboat.

Category: Art, Personal, Photos, Shopping | No Comments »
Tags: auction, brenda, ebay, ebth, frames, sales, shopping artwork

Posted By RichC on December 15, 2014

Wow! … I’ve watched oil continuing to dip lower on Monday afternoon (WTI $55.40/barrel) and this rapid drop in recent weeks has “for some reason” caused equities to sell off. Normally one would see lower oil prices as a good thing for the stock market since it makes goods and products less expensive and gives everyone a few more dollars in their pockets. The slide in the stock market hard to figure IF we are to believe it is tied to oil.

The only conclusion I can make is that oil priced in the mid-50s indicates weak worldwide demand and therefore slower economic growth. On the other hand, if you can pick the bottom for oil ($40ish per barrel?) … there’s a lot of money to be made in the future.

Category: Energy, Financial | 1 Comment »
Tags: crude, oil, petroleum, stock market

Posted By RichC on December 15, 2014

Before we complain about today’s airline comfort, look at what Airbus might be considering. Yikes!

Expedia posted a lighthearted polling of what annoys airline passengers which got me thinking about what I notice and where I may offend. I already do my best to be overly attentive to most of these annoyances, but probably would rank “The Aromatic Passenger” as #1 followed by the “Back Seat Grabber” as my #2 complaint … but like most passengers, have never made an issue about them, besides a glance in their direction (thinking about the back of the seat grabbing).

The full list of the most annoying flier types went as follows:

1. Rear Seat Kicker (cited by 67% of study respondents)
2. Inattentive Parents (64%)
3. The Aromatic Passenger (56%)
4. The Audio Insensitive (talking or music; 51%)
5. The Boozer (50%)
6. Chatty Cathy (43%)
7. Carry-On Baggage Offenders (39%)
8. The Armrest Hog (38%)
9. Seat-Back Guy (the seat recliner) (37%)
10. The Queue Jumper (rushes to deplane) (35%)
11. Overhead Bin Inconsiderate (stows bag in first available spot, rather than nearest to his/her seat; 32%)
12. Pungent Foodies (32%)
13. Back Seat Grabber (31%)
14. Playboy (reads or watches adult content; 30%)
15. The Amorous (inappropriate affection levels; 29%)
16. Mad Bladder (window seat passenger who makes repeat bathroom visits; 28%)
17. Undresser (removes shoes, socks or more; 26%)
18. The Seat Switcher (13%)

And how do fliers react when they encounter etiquette-busting seatmates?

When asked how they would react if a fellow passenger misbehaved on a flight, 48% of those queried said they would remain quiet and attempt to ignore the violation. However, nearly a quarter—22%—said they’d confront a misbehaving passenger directly.

Beyond that, 12% said they’d record the incident using a mobile phone or a camera and 6% said they’d then try to shame the offending passenger on social media

As for the seat-kickees, 44% of the survey respondents said they’d address a parent if their child was kicking their seat.

Overall, however, fliers appeared to take an optimistic tone regarding their fellow passengers. The survey found 78% agreed with the statement that “for the most part, fellow passengers are considerate of other passengers.”

Category: Aviation, Humor, Poll, Travel | 1 Comment »
Tags: airlines, flying, Travel

Posted By RichC on December 14, 2014

A discussion between the host and guest on CNBC this week concluded that instead of saving college students money on their student loans that the government was using the repayments in other areas amounting to BILLIONS of dollars – ie. $19 billion for deficit reduction and Obamacare! 

It seems the take-over by the Federal Direct Loan Program, in lieu of of evil capitalist at profit centered banks, now has students paying higher rates than necessary instead of preventing deeper debt. It shouldn’t surprise me knowing how our federal government works when it comes to getting their hands on big chunks of money, but what did surprise me was where repayment dollars were slated to go. I must have missed this back in 2009-2010 when the Democrats controlled congress and made this change?

When the health-care law was passed in 2010, Democrats slipped in massive changes to student-loan programs, essentially cutting banks out of the business. In the official score of the health-care bill by the Congressional Budget Office, ending federal guarantees for federal loans and replacing them with direct loans made by the Education Department would yield $58 billion between 2010 and 2019.

All federal money is fungible, but with such a large pot of money suddenly (theoretically) available, Congress wanted to spend it on other things. Here’s the breakdown of where the money went:

$36 billion on increases in Pell college grants for low-income students.

$10.3 billion for deficit reduction.

$8.7 billion to support the health care law.

$3 billion for historically black colleges and minority-serving institutions.

Washington Post fact check blog from 2010

Category: Education, Financial, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: cnbc, college, congress, Education, federal, government, loans, obamacare, student

Posted By RichC on December 13, 2014

Wow … just couldn’t believe the lower gas prices this week as oil continues to tumble down under $60/barrel. The abundant supplies and inventory along with the recession in Europe and slowdown in China has really put pressure on world prices. I’ve seen news photos of gasoline selling under $2.00 out west and while driving in Ohio I noticed prices as low as $2.25. I only wish diesel would drop as much and as fast – as it is still up around $3.50/gallon or so.

The lower price for fuel has made my increased trips to see my dad less expensive, considering I burn about 10 gallons to make the twice a week trip. That aside, I do tie one of those trips in with my business travel to NE Ohio and am glad to be able to see him a bit more. He’s been struggling to live independently and had a quick stay in the hospital after a fall two weeks ago. He now has discomfort/pain related to a fractured vertebrae and it is slow healing. The compression between bongs and swelling puts pressure on the nerves that are in the area so the pain and pinched nerve are giving him difficulty with strength and balance too. The doctors don’t have any quick answers, but we’ve been working on his diet and diabetes meds to get his sugar under control. I’m thankful for my brother Ron and Claire – they are handling the majority of the trips to the doctor, etc. We think “low” sugar due to not eating well and medication is what caused him to pass out and fall –initially the doctors in the hospital were thinking mini-stroke. I think if we can get eating and meds under control (and healed), he’ll be back to normal again; we’d hate to have him lose the ability to live independently.

While visiting this week, he asked me to scare off a sickly raccoon that has been hanging around his bird feeder and concerned he’ll use those little hands to figure away to get into the house. I did my best, but this nasty guy is obviously sick.

Category: Energy, Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: dadc, diesel, family, fuel, gas, Health, ohio, raccoon, sidney

Posted By RichC on December 12, 2014

IFTTT = IF This Then That

Think of it as a simple programming app where there is an “action” when a “trigger” is observed. It is set up on a mobile device and works with “channels” … like Facebook, Evernote, Twitter, Email and even WordPress and it will do something when a “trigger” is observed. IFTTT calls putting these things together “Recipes” … and they can be shared with others. Pretty cool … although with the access required to function correctly there is a concern for privacy. Hmm … read and then ponder.

So I started my handful of “Recipes” this week and set up triggers on a spare Twitter account that would post to my blog if the hashtag #IFTTT was observed (it is checked approximately every 15 minutes … so call it semi-live). After tinkering with it, I found it a bit limiting for my WordPress install (maybe it could be tweaked?).

BUT … there are many other areas where this kind of minimalistic phone programming could be really nice. Here’s an example: tweeting out a stock price on market close or immediately posting a photo to a sharing site or even a cloud service. There are 1000s of useful possibilities and I’m looking forward to having this super simple app on my iPhone (available for Android too), although am reluctant to give access to my primary account logins?

Category: Cellphone, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: android, app, IFTTT, iphone, programming, techfriday

Posted By RichC on December 11, 2014

The U.S. built 2016 Volkswagen Crossover, teased way back in January 2013, may well be the replacement for my aging 2006 Honda Pilot that already has 200,000 miles – I’m not sure I can wait or whether the styling will change by then?

It is starting to look like VW may give buyers a choice: a 5-seater or the previously announced 7-seater. Either would be nice, but priced right, and with (or even without) an AWD TDI diesel engine and drivetrain, it will be a big seller in North America.

VW Crossover Concept to Debut in Detroit

The German automaker will unveil a five-seat version of its upcoming seven-seater crossover that it will build starting in 2016 at its Chattanooga, Tenn. plant.

Automotive News reports that the concept vehicle will head to production in a couple of years as Volkswagen looks to capture some of the growing crossover segment in the U.S.

MORE

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: chattanooga, crossblue, crossover, diesel, SUV, tdi, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on December 10, 2014

One of my favorite technology reporters, Joanna Stern with the Wall Street Journal, offered her thoughts on tablet keyboards just as started to use a Zagg Folio Keyboard case that arrived on Tuesday. I’ve been waiting for a Brydge Keyboard for iPad Air2 (the space gray ships on Dec. 15th I’m told) and have been pecking on glass ever since I sold my ‘cheapo’ Logitech keyboard and case with my older iPad 2. Besides the smile inducing video presentations of her findings, hearing from someone who has had a chance to sit down with 20 keyboards is really helpful – LINK.

Obviously the Brydge Keyboard that was pre-ordered should of better quality since it is priced at $169 (thankfully I’m not paying full price) … but some of the others selling for half that price don’t look too shabby. For me, the Zagg is easy to type on since I was already use to the tiny chiclet keys on the Logitech and a big improvement for typing instead of the virtual keyboard. One wonders why Apple hasn’t addressed this?  Since I use the iPad as a notebook having a good keyboard is a plus, but the Zagg is really chunky — weighing in at 2.2 pounds with my lightweight iPad Air 2 mounted in the plastic housing! Granted it offers some protection and has a grippy rubber feel, but dealing with the hefty weight when it should be lighter sort of defeats the purpose of not carrying a notebook computer. Hmm … maybe I’ll use it for a while and see if Zagg will honor their 45 day return policy? Who knows, I might end up liking it.

Of course noting Joanna’s comment about the Brydge Keyboard in her review, I might not be so happy with it’s weight either?

Now, if money is no object in your quest to turn your iPad into a laptop, the $170 BrydgeAir is the best option I came across (and what I plan to purchase myself). It is what I imagine Apple’s own keyboard case would look like—and cost.

Eerily similar to a MacBook keyboard, it’s made of the same brushed aluminum and the black backlit keys are incredibly sturdy. The cover has two hinged grips for holding up your iPad, allowing you to adjust the screen just like a laptop, even when your legs are crossed. That’s because it’s bottom heavy. The 520-gram case weighs more than the iPad Air 2 itself!

That works out to the 2.2 lbs for the Zagg and 2.1 lbs for the Brydge Keyboard. Hmm?

*** If you just want something better than typing on glass, check out this interesting keyboard from Touchfire.

Category: Apple, Computer, Tablet, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: air2, brydge, folio, ipad, keyboard, tablet, touchfire, wsj, zagg

Posted By RichC on December 9, 2014

One wonders if today’s Democrats blindly following President Barack Obama and his administration’s goal of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” even remember what it was like to support a leader who understood our democracy?John F. Kennedy knew what it was to believe and fight for the words and principles which founded this country. A core difference is in believing that “The rights of man come NOT from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” (January 20, 1961) Where are those Democrats today? Come back!

Category: Audio, History, Politics, Quotes | No Comments »
Tags: audio, government, jfk, kennedy, leadership, mp3, obama, president, rights