My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on December 5, 2013

I purchased a new 12 watt LED bulb for reading(larger bulb in left of photo) that promised to offer a few more “soft but bright” lumens from my chair side lamp. I “was” using two Cree LED bulbs (smaller bulb in left photo), but the light output still wasn’t comparable to a good three-way incandescent bulb.  There have been improvements in LED bulbs in the last few years and I’m committed to using them going forward … but the choice has pretty much been taken away … thanks to our “big brother” government. Of course dictating light bulbs, CO2 emissions and car efficiency numbers all pale in comparison to Obama dictating our health care … but I digress. Back to light bulbs. What I like about the new brighter and larger evenly lit LED “reading” light bulb is that it would put off an excellent light IF used in a desk lamp. Unfortunately it still doesn’t produce enough bright light from a table lamp without keeping one of the Cree bulb in the twin socket (TIP: if you are trying to switch to LEDs and CFLs, try a twin socket adapter for better light).

Speaking of lights, I’m not sure where the night light (photo on right) is sold, but thought it was pretty creative.

Category: Advice, Books, Energy, Environment | No Comments »
Tags: bulbs, energy, green, led, lighting, reading

Posted By RichC on December 4, 2013

We are anxiously waiting to find out where Drew and Katelyn will be living next year, but more importantly … I suppose [grin] … which Hematology fellowship program my son-in-law will be in. After talking with him about each of the interviews, there are pluses for each medical program (of course he’s a positive guy). Personally I’d like to see them stay within a 4 hour drive from home, but Katelyn thinks a move out of their comfort zone would be an exciting adventure  … I understand that and am actually a little envious.

On a comical note, my nephew Justin (a Gastroenterologist) in Minneapolis has been pulling for his University of Minnesota program and he threatened to sabotage Drew’s other options with anonymous phone calls. We all had a great laugh. (EDIT: update below)

• Hematology focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood, bone marrow, immunologic, and hemostatic/vascular systems.  Additional information can be found through the American Society of Hematology at www.hematology.org.
  • Applicants must have completed a residency in Internal Medicine
  • Hematology fellowships are two years in length

12:01PM – Drew “matched” in Minneapolis!  I think that great, but it isn’t quite as convenient as north or central Ohio? Hmm, if we drive to see Taylor in North Dakota we will now have a reason to stop in Minneapolis.

Category: Education, Health, Personal | No Comments »
Tags: doctor, drew, Education, fellowship, katelyn, medicine

Posted By RichC on December 3, 2013

An early Christmas present to myself. I’ll probably never need an impeller puller for the boat again, but now I have one.

Category: Sailing, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: encore, impeller, sailboat, tools

Posted By RichC on December 2, 2013

While messaging my friend Scott last night, I realized just how painful relationships amongst humans can be … be they casual friendships (caring for one another) or intimate bonds between family members (parents, spouses, children).

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. — Romans 8:26-27

The Christians I know all believe in the power of prayer, and Brenda and I are no exception. We pray regularly for Michelle, Scott and their family and that the Lord’s healing and mercy would be upon them. Scott disclosed that his wife’s physical condition has taken a turn for the worse and that she is now under hospice care. Unfortunately when dealing with cancer, it is something our society become all to accustom to despite all our medical advancements.  The prognosis was never in Michelle’s favor, but we remained optimistic believing the tumors could be slowed, reduced or even eliminated with the variety of protocol treatments and experimental drugs. I also loved their optimism and in my mind concluded Michelle was strong and physically as capable as any to take on this fight. I thought maybe the outcome in her case would be different and prayed for God’s healing.

Today my heart aches knowing how hard she fought and in hearing that her physical body can no longer continue. It does not seem fair for her to have to suffered so much only to succumb in the end. If there is any comfort, it is that her eternity is sealed by her faith in Christ and that her suffering is near an end … but I pain for her family. Five kids without a mom, a husband without the love of his life  — please add the Bilik family to your prayers. God comfort them.

Category: Faith, Friends, Health, Misc | 2 Comments »
Tags: bilik, cancer, hospice, michelle, prayer, scott

Posted By RichC on December 1, 2013

Charles Krauthammer is one political analyst I always enjoy listening to, be he a regular panelist commenting on the nightly news (Special Report with Bret Baier), or as a guest on many Fox News programs. His columns at The Weekly Standard are always excellent and his intellectual prowess is even respected by those who politically disagree with him.

His book Thing That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics is currently number one in the country and offers and interesting look inside Dr. Krauthammer. His early life as a promising Harvard medical student took a turn after a diving accident left him paralyzed, but even a setback like that did not detour him from continuing on with his medical training. Eventually his passion turned him to politics … with a position “a little left of center” … a shock to most who read his current column or listen to his current political analysis. The book talks of his conversion as well as a the many passions he pursues.

Of the many interviews with him regarding his book tour, the one this weekend with Mike Huckabee was pretty succinct.

Category: Audio, Books, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: audio, Books, huckabee, krauthammer, mp3, reading

Posted By RichC on November 30, 2013

My friend Jeff and I had a chance to get today Friday afternoon and catch up on life. We enjoyed our semi-regular Mexican lunch and talked about work, church, family and our mutual amateur radio hobby. He’s been a Ham (N4XKJ) since we went to our first HamCation back when he was living in Orlando in the late 1980s (???) … I think? At the time we regularly met to go hiking and backpacking at a halfway point somewhere along the Appalachian Trail and besides thinking we could talk via HF from Ohio to Orlando someday, we could use mobile or HTs when we were hiking (such was the plan). So, we both were suppose to be studying Morse Code and taking our exams … but I failed to focus and didn’t follow through, something he never lets me forget. Of course I used the excuse of work and family, which was all true, but I’ve always felt that I let him down in not “sticking with the plan.” Now a few decades later I have a little more time to pursue self-interests and hobbies and I did follow through with getting licensed. have sort of re-ignited his interest in radio (disappeared as cellphones and Internet use expanded).

Besides playing with my HF rig from the boat (IC-718 above is now at home) and my 2 meter Yaesu FT-2900 radio in my car, I’ve recently added a cheap dual band 144/440 Chinese Baofeng UV-5R HT (photo at bottom of post). It is pretty impressive for $37 and a puny 4 watts with all the repeaters in my area. It was cheap enough to also trigger Jeff to buy one and so we decided to go to what he calls the “candy store” – R & L. His goal is to start building a better antenna for his apartment just to see what can be done. For those reading this who are not involved in amateur radio … the pursuit is pretty much ridiculous considering how much simpler it is to just pick up the cellphone or jump on the computer (unless you are a “prepper” … but that’s another story).

We’ve both recently added an inexpensive higher gain 15” Nagoya NA-771 antenna to our HTs in order to reliably connect to the local repeaters and they do make a difference (the stock stubby is questionable). Unfortunately we are not able to simplex for much more than the line of sight driving down the highway and I’m not even sure if adding an adapter in order to use my 5/8 wave magmount will help. For now I’ll wait and see what Jeff builds before I consider a small 2 M beam project or rigging up a long wire and antenna tuner (hoping to pick up one used?) as I wait for my Pactor modem to come back from Farallon and a new vanity call.

Category: Personal, Radio | No Comments »
Tags: amateur, antenna, baofeng, ham, hobby, icom, jeffp, radio, yaesu

Posted By RichC on November 29, 2013

Every once in a while we surprise ourselves with a “duh” moment. One where our eyes are opened to something we “should have” known about. 

A few weeks ago while doing some electronics calculations in my Amateur Radio studies, I needed to use a scientific calculator. Using the advanced mathematical functions on any calculator is generally not part of my day to day life, but as with my older Palm Pre, I figured there must be an app for that on the iPhone. Now I’ve used calculator on my iPhone5 often (now just a swipe up to access), but obviously I’ve never tilted it to the horizontal or landscape mode. Huh … a “duh” moment!  Now I know … all those advance functions are all right there! Nice.

Category: Cellphone, How-To, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: app, apple, calculator, iphone, techfriday

Posted By RichC on November 28, 2013

As with many of our holidays, one wonders how much of our tradition is accurate? Very little is known about the first Thanksgiving in 1621 Plymouth, as the references are few. Hopefully all who live in this country can still come together in thanksgiving for our abundance and that “as a nation” give thanks to God.

“And God be praised we had a good increase… Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
— Edward Winslow, Mourt’s Relation: D.B. Heath, ed. Applewood Books. Cambridge, 1986. p 82

“They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which is place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.”
— William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation: S.E. Morison, ed. Knopf. N.Y., 1952. p 90

Category: History, Holiday | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on November 27, 2013

It’s almost time to call it a day and begin the long Thanksgiving weekend … well at least for some of us. I’m taking both Thursday and Friday off in order to stretch out the weekend even though Brenda will be working (such is life in medical and retail). We will both be enjoying time with our family for Thanksgiving although will be missing both kids. Still, each will celebrate in their own way … Katelyn making a meal for Drew when he gets off a long shift at the hospital (remaining ‘on call’) and Taylor taking the train from Williston ND to Minneapolis on an invite from his cousin Justin. Nice … although a 12 hour train trip? This morning he sent me his winter “bearded” photo wearing his new Williams County vest. He does look the “western frontier” part!

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: taylor

Posted By RichC on November 26, 2013

Short on time for today’s post although I did add an Amateur Radio HF Propagation widget to my WordPress sidebar. I’m not sure cluttering up the screen with more data is a wise thing, but for now it helps to know which HF bands are open.

Continuing with the radio theme, I applied for a new call sign with the FCC before I tie too much contact information to my old one. I’ve only submitted two different vanity options based on my initials that seem to be open. We’ll see how the government gears spin.

Category: Blogs, Radio | No Comments »
Tags: ham, propagation, radio, widget, wordpress