My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 19, 2023

My son Taylor‘s sealed car battery bloated and split open last week and left him stranded at work. He didn’t have any tools with him (is he really my son?) 😉 so I headed his way after work to replace his old-ish battery with a new one (2019 VW AllTrack). The first two auto part stores did not have the correct one for his car (both were priced well over $200), but the VW dealership in the area did have one for under $200 and didn’t ding him a core charge. A few minutes of cleaning up the leaked acid and we had the battery changed. Of course the concern was for getting the car’s computer reset without connecting the the dealer’s hardware … but after a couple of starts and a few minutes, the computer reset itself. Nice … and well done Volkswagen!

I took the opportunity to tour Taylor’s new Batavia Township office and building — I was really impressed!  I couldn’t be prouder him and am thrilled he has a wonderful job, a great place to work … and nice people to work with. I can see him staying here for a long, long time. In fact, if I were looking to locate a new business … or looking to move east of Cincinnati … I’d start my search in Batavia Township! 

After grabbing some of my tools and tossing them in my car, I realized that I’ve gone decades just lining up the 1/2” non-deep sockets in my toolbox drawers — one for Imperial and another drawer Metric. Over the years, a couple have disappeared … likely from not keeping them organized. So over the weekend, I FINALLY decided to make a simple pin system to keep them organized in the drawers. The 3/8” dowels glued into thin hardboard seemed to work great. Now why didn’t I either make or buy something sooner. Maybe I’ll even replace the two missing 12-point Craftsman sockets – a 20mm and an 8mm (note to self). 

Category: Automotive, Personal, Photos, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: family, organizations, project, sockets, taylor, tools

Posted By RichC on September 18, 2023

When I hear Peter Frampton, I’m transported back to high school and riding with a photographer friend Chris Carr in Sidney, Ohio … and istening to “Frampton Comes Alive!” in his first generation Chevy II Nova with an 8-track player (previous post)!  

So for today’s Music Monday‘s “flashback memory,” here’s “Baby I Love Your Way” from the aboved mentioned album after I heard the song on SiriusXM The Bridge. Frampton put a live version on his YouTube page … although I personally still prefer remembering him a bit younger than the 2011 photo … and using the “Heil high-powered talk box” (for those of a certain age, that will trigger music memories).  

Category: Automotive, Memories, Music | No Comments »
Tags: concert, heil, live, music monday, musicmonday, peter frampton, sidney ohio, siriiusxm, talk box, the bridge, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 17, 2023

Oostra House getting paint early in September 2023

While babysitting at my daughter’s house last week, a conversation with Brenda shifted to an heirloom “nesting table” woodworking project idea. Katelyn inherited the small tables made by her Jamestown, NY furniture making great grandfather Holmstrom and treasures them as much as Brenda and MomH did (photo of them in 2014).

Now I’m planning to bring back some of the hardwood lumbered from Katelyn and Drew’s property in Whitehouse later this year and thought archiving a couple photos for a project idea might be worthwhile. I’m not really comfortable trying to match the artistic painting (might check with my granddaughter’s skills or try some kind of inlays?), but I would like to implement the combination of thin woods while banding the edges, the tapered legs, hidden mortise and tendons (not sure they are in this project) and “nested small tables idea” in a future project.

(more…)

Category: Archive, Ideas, Photos, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, family, furniture, grandfather, holmstrom, momh, nesting tables, project, workshop

Posted By RichC on September 16, 2023

It’s interesting to see the changes in how people access Internet content over the years … or at least access information on MyDesultoryBlog.com. Microsoft Windows was once dominate, but Mac, Linux and Chrome OS computers are gaining ground. Perhaps the biggest change since starting the blog in 2005 is just how dominate iOS and Android smartphones have become for web browsing? 

As for the humorous and human interest part of this post, here’s an article about a “missing tourist” in Iceland that required a search party that including some of the passengers. 

But the search was called off at about 3 a.m., when it became clear that the missing woman was, in fact, accounted for and searching for herself.

Category: Blogs, Computer, Human Interest, Humor | No Comments »
Tags: android, article, blog, Computer, funny, ios, linux, macintosh, stats, windows

Posted By RichC on September 15, 2023

Perhaps it is just me paying attention to the rumors and knowing the announcements that were planned at Apple’s annual September “new iPhones” announcement event … but the iPhone15s (and Apple Watch 9) upgrades left very little to get excited about? I’m not saying that I won’t be upgrading my aging iPhone 7plus this year, but just that there isn’t that much exciting when it comes to earth-shattering innovation.

For the first time, Apple has built USB-C into its iPhones instead of its proprietary Lightning connector. The company made the move to comply with European Union law—the logic of that being that it is the same port already on most other new electronics. One charger for all devices.

LINK

The new iPhones will be adopting the USB-C port as standard (about the time wireless “everything” is starting to become the norm) and Apple silicon will welcome in the 3 nanometer chip rather than 4 on the Pro versions of the iPhone15s … which promises to improve processing speed and “could” improve battery life.

Perhaps the most noticeable change for users besides those using the iPhone14Pro phones will be the dynamic island (image top) in all models (not just Pro), a lighter titanium instead of stainless steel case material and an “action button instead of ringer switch” on the new Pro models … along with a price bump on the larger Pro Max (that also has a 5x optical zoom camera — would be nice, but I’m not going there at this moment).  

A couple of other changes are camera improvements; they are moving from 12 megapixel to 28 megapixel camera for photo captures, although with more megapixels means bigger image sizes, more data transfers, onboard storage and cloud storage space (for those of us watching the $AAPL subscription business model, more iCloud use means more repetitive monthly nickel and dime income for Apple iCloud). Still, the camera improvement and image plus video processing is pretty attractive for those of us still on older non-5G phones that no longer receiving iOS updates. 

For me, I’m in need of a new phone and will likely need to decide if there will be enough markdowns of iPhone14s or 14Pro models to justify me not spending more for Apple’s newest models. What to do, what to do (I’m leaning iPhone 15 Pro). 

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Cloud, Financial, Gadget, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: $AAPL, 7plus, apple, apple watch, appleevent, icloud, ios17, iphone, iphone15, tech friday, techfriday, usb-c, wonderlust, wsj

Posted By RichC on September 14, 2023

A week or so ago, a tweet (or is it X?) appeared on an automotive publication’s social media account … and it caught my eye (see below). It triggered a memory of a well loved plastic 1957 Ford Ranchero that my brother and I had in our large collection of toy cars and trucks; some of them were for inside the house play … and others a bit more beat up and dirty for outside playing on the beach (our beach in 1967 when I was a kid below).

There is a small part of me that would love to go back to those simple summer days playing in the sand with cars and trucks.  

The Ranchero car-pickup appeared for the 1957 model year sporting the attractive all-new styling carried by the #Ford passenger-car line. Though based on the two-door Ranch Wagon station wagon, Ford officially listed the #Ranchero as a truck. #collectibleautomobilemagazine pic.twitter.com/rb1Ckbfokw

— Collectible Auto (@CollectibleAuto)

September 6, 2023

Category: Automotive, Memories, Photos, Social Media, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: beach, cars, collectible auto, ford, playing, Ranchero, sand, toys, trucks, twitter, x.com

Posted By RichC on September 13, 2023

A little bit of history told in an entertaining movie format … what could be better?  Here’s a Sorbo movie call “Miracle in East Texas“ to be in theaters in October 2023 with a timely release (inflation and energy). 

The history tie in is the the World War II era story just as we were a world at war in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Ten years down the road, in 1941, that tremendous amount of oil would prove absolutely essential in the Allies’ fight for freedom from the Nazis.

Within one month of the Pearl Harbor attack and America entering the war and inside of 22 days, Nazi subs sank 73 of 74 tankers shuttling oil from Texas, through the Gulf of Mexico, to the east coast. That oil was meant to supply our fighting soldiers over on the European battlefields.

(more…)

Category: Energy, History, Movies | No Comments »
Tags: map, movie, oil, sorbo, texas, war, ww2

Posted By RichC on September 12, 2023

Occasionally when a good book is finished, it leave you wanting it to continue and hoping for more. That is the case with Frank E. Walton’s book “Once They Were Eagles.” It is the second book in the pile that I’m reading focused on the infamous World War II era’s VMF-214 better remembered at the Black Sheep Squadron. 

As the intelligence officer and keeper of details, Frank Walton had excellent knowledge of the US Marine fighter pilots serving under Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. His account of the Solomon Island Campaign and men that helped America advance towards the Empire of Japan was excellent and likely a bit more accurate than Boyington’s, expected from someone with a high IQ (Mensa).

I enjoyed every page of his book as he wrote down the missions that blended with those in Boyington’s book “Baa Baa Black Sheep (1958).” It is amazing just how agressive this squadron of Corsairs responded to the overwhelming number of Japanese “Zekes/Haps/Hamps/Zeros” that were sent up to thwart the American advance and knock down both bombers and fighter aircraft.

The second part of the book highlighted the outstanding men after they returned home and met for interviews years later with Walton. It is amazing how successful so many of these heroes were on their return to civilian life (or some who remained in the military).  If you enjoy being and armchair student of World War II aviation … and in particularly US Marine fighter squadrons in the Pacific Theater … you wil enjoy “Once They Were Eagles (1986)” 

I plan on moving on to the next book in my pile. “The Black Sheep (1998)” was written after the others by aviator, historian and writer Bruce Gamble. It should be an interesting … and perhaps tad bit more accurate portrayal of VMF-214 and the the men that Hollywood semi-disparaged or at least portrayed inaccurately and the questionable account from the colorful Boyington, who may have inaccurately remembered events … or as he himself said to an interviewer: “I’m a psychopathic liar” (Gamble points out that he probably meant “pathologic” liar). 

Category: Aviation, Books, History, Millitary | No Comments »
Tags: black sheep, Books, corsair, History, pacific, war, ww2

Posted By RichC on September 11, 2023

“Nope” … I’m not really a Deadhead, but I do enjoy listening to some of the devoted fan’s music. Last month I save the SiriusXM channel clip to my phone thinking to myself that I should add a Grateful Dead song to Music Monday.

So here is Uncle John’s Band, a song written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter from the Grateful Dead‘s 1970’s Workingman’s Dead album.
 

The song is characterized by its folk-rock sound, incorporating acoustic guitar and harmonious vocals. Its lyrics are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation, which is a common feature of many Grateful Dead songs. The song’s melody and arrangement, along with its nostalgic and somewhat reflective lyrics, have contributed to its enduring popularity.

“Uncle John’s Band” has been performed at numerous Grateful Dead concerts and has become one of their signature tracks. The song’s name comes from the phrase “Uncle John’s Band” which is mentioned in the lyrics and has been speculated to refer to various things, from a musical group to a metaphorical representation of the band’s community and fans.

— ChatGPT

Category: AI, Music | No Comments »
Tags: chatgpt, grateful dead, m4a, music monday, musicmonday, siriusxm, uncle john's band, workingman's dead

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2023

A couple of my short “cheap” T-tracks arrived last week that I’m planning to use for either a router table or table saw jig … or both?

I’m not sure exactly how I’m planning to integrate them yet, but I have been collecting a few idea. Initially I was going to use them for featherboard hold-downs on a fence, but then needed to make a couple taper cuts and thought it might be nice to have a sled with T-tracks to hold clamps? 

Anyway, here are a couple router table jig ideas that I’ll archive to the woodworking category of my blog.

Category: Archive, Ideas, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: jigs, router, router table, t-track, table saw