Most of the country is feeling an early autumn deep freeze

Posted By on November 14, 2014

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It’s official … the weather has turned cold in much of the country… Taylor in Williston, ND is below zero already; Katelyn and Drew in Minnesota are near the single digits (photo from Katelyn’s Juke) and here in Cincinnati I’m showing about about 19 degrees early Friday morning.

I know it happens every year (2010), but am always disappointed when autumn unofficially turns to winter. This is about the earliest I can remember having ice on our little pond (photo above)? I’m still holding out for a few more warm days.

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Photo: Seal barely escaping the jaws of a Great White Shark

Posted By on November 14, 2014

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Sharing a intense photo featuring a “feeding” Great White Shark and a young seal in False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. *The Great Escapes* by Leisureescapes.net

Backpedaling … stop to measure before buying a refrigerator

Posted By on November 13, 2014

So much for posting about refrigerator shopping … and good thing I measured.RS22HDHPNSR_refrigerator
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appropriate Samsung RS22HDHPNSR Side by Side refrigerator

Today was “slow down day” since our old, ugly, broken fridge is still working and the size has me re-thinking the “good deal.” The previously mentioned refrigerator that I “was” planning to purchase is not going to fit our kitchen without some modification … and since buying the appropriate Samsung adds nearly $600 more to the price it is probably not the right time to buy (and Brenda wasn’t as convince we had to act now).

Refrigerator shopping again, this time for the house

Posted By on November 13, 2014

Last year about this time (almost exactly this time) I was shopping for a refrigerator to replace the very old one down in the Florida condo. samsungrefrig141113Ever since then, the aging white Kitchen Aid refrigerator in our house just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore … even though it still keeps the condiments it cool. Ok, so that was a lousy joke, but what is shocking to me is the amount of “rust” showing up around the water dispenser. I’m not sure refrigerators should rust like that? Also, the brand has broken plastic parts that must weaken and get brittle with age? Anyway this time I started the search process (within dollar limits) and am considering those “fail zones” and avoiding Kitchen Aid – take note manufacturers if you want repeat customers and referrals.

samsungsize141113Brenda and I are  partial to a stainless look in keeping with the trend that moved away from “all white” and towards stainless steel. I was impressed with the engineering that went into our more expensive Bosch dishwasher, but am currently interested in really good sale price on a French door-ed Samsung with the very quiet “Twin Cooling Plus™ cooling system.” The size fits perfect in our kitchen’s opening and like the way the French doors close as compared to the Whirlpool. The ice maker is huge BUT could be a problem IF the cubes fall behind the rolling drawer freezer???

After going to the Home Depot and looking several models in person, I still have a few questions: I’m wondering if the sides will show and if the stainless steel matches the Bosch dishwasher (not that it matters) and what my wife thinks (now that matters)!

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Checking out the lean, ad-free, social network Ello.co in beta

Posted By on November 12, 2014

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elloCurrently the Ello.co “minimalist” social network is in beta and
   by invitation only and populated with creative types and fewer
   social restraints. This is “pretty open” but I can’t say I’m overly
  enthused with some of the content, although haven’t given it a fair shake.

The black and white and simplistic text and graphics on pages are appealing, as is the “plan” to remain ad-free. I was disappointed my normal @RichC was taken — so signed up as @RichCorbett and nosed around for 5 minutes. So far I haven’t adding many friends or started any posting … and  will mention that I have a few “invites” – send me a message while I have them (first come, first served).

Apple computers dominate the White House press corps

Posted By on November 11, 2014

There was a day when being an Apple Macintosh computer user put one in the minority … but not anymore it seems. The photo below is of journalists in the White House press corps traveling in China … take a look at their desks.

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The number of Apple logos made me chuckle and I could help but forwarded it to my recently converted buddy who at one time badmouthed Apple and ballyhooed Windows computers; Jeff, a network administrator once said he would never bring Apple devices into his network environment, but now has a work and personal iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Macbook Pro. Looks like I’m not the only one living an Apple Life.
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Thank a Veteran for their service today (and everyday!)

Posted By on November 11, 2014

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Snow and cold in the upper midwest, but still mild in Cincinnati

Posted By on November 10, 2014

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One of the highlights for parents who have “some” technological prowess is that we can stay in touch with our children no matter where they are living and working. Between instant cellphone, IMG_4233emails and text messages with our kids, Taylor, Katelyn and Drew, we also enjoy sharing photos and Facetime calls even for small things. Brenda and her mom chatted on video with Katelyn this weekend and finalmow141110Brenda was able to show new curio she picked up at an estate sale. Its not quite as nice as being together, but sure helps to stay connected.

Today our “group messaging” was about the snow and colder “polar air invasion” pushing into their area (North Dakota and Minnesota … photo below from Katelyn and Drew’s house in Wayzata, MN). I joked about just wearing shirt sleeves, raking a few leaves and getting in one final mow (Brenda on mower this afternoon) in here in Cincinnati.
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Video: Posted as much for the accent as the content :-)

Posted By on November 9, 2014

Great tip for those who normally take two or three “buckets of ketchup” for their fast food (but really just enjoy hearing the Russian accent).
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Explainer Video: Managing your mobile Facebook news feed

Posted By on November 8, 2014

For the past several years I’ve tried to keep Facebook as the social networking place for family sharing, although I did include some close friends. Over time, fbthumbI’ve added a few more who connected from my past and am finding its no longer just a place for staying up-to-date with the family (I’ve heard  old people adults are taking over?)  
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I do actually try to post something once or twice a month to keep my news feed alive, but not like I do on Twitter (ugh, nearly 10,000 tweets!) Within the last year or so I’ve noticed interest groups that were once only found on forums, email feeds and Yahoo Groups have found popularity on Facebook too. So I started adding them, a few became a few more and am now finding my “news feed” fills with too much chatter. Time to learn how to clean up and slow down the “news feed.” Hey, there are now a few new tools!

Here’s an explainer video:

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