Facing challenges? Do you need encouragement?
Posted By RichC on September 12, 2013
Abby and Brittany live a life that is worth admiring. Kudos to their parents, friends, etc!
TDIClub.com: What a great group of guys
Posted By RichC on September 12, 2013
For my small part in handling the finances for the TDIClub.com, Fred sent me a carry-on bag in appreciating for a very successful TDIFest 2013 in Maine (photos & great TDI history breakfast presentation-PDF). Also below the break is a video uploaded by TooRoundTDI of a roof cam look at climbing Mt. Washington in VW TDIs. Nice!
Remembering 9/11 from the Sandy Hook surf
Posted By RichC on September 11, 2013
Besides flying our flag at half staff for Patriot Day, I’ve been looking for something besides posting a photo as way to remember the attack on our country 12 years ago. Here is a story written by Chris Moody about Ed Hewitt who was surfing in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
“He sat by himself, straddling his board as the nose bobbed in and out of the lonely water in front of him. The cloud grew larger, more menacing. A few moments later, he watched as boats loaded with people came speeding in his direction from Manhattan. Hundreds of people were fleeing the island. Many were bloodied and injured.”
Read the story here
Are you excited about the new iPhone 5s and 5c?
Posted By RichC on September 11, 2013
With all the pre-event leaks and lackluster comments from technology journalists, it is difficult for even Apple fans to get wound up about the new “same sized” iPhones. 
The non-surprise by Apple was reflected in a 2% decline in $AAPL shares on Wall Street and many wonder if the magic is gone?
On the plus side, there are worthwhile improvements that need to be mentioned, at least in their top of the line iPhone 5s. The new 64 bit A7 chip is said to be very efficient and should keep Apple’s phone in the top tier when it comes to mobile computing performance. Apple also included the new "Touch ID finger print identity sensor" on the 5s (not the 5c) for unlocking the iPhone and for iTunes purchases. It sounds great, but like the facial security promoted by Android, one wonders how it will perform in everyday life?
The upgraded camera will shoot slow motion video, but keeps an 8 megapixel sensor even though it is larger. The lens is faster (bigger f2.2 aperture for more light) and it has a better flash to illuminate faces – a weakness of all phone cameras. I’ll be anxious to see a pixel to pixel sharpness test. Sooner or later we’ll all be tossing at least our point and shoot cameras 
if we haven’t already. An oddity is the fitted "leather" case — I’m anxious to see that, but unless the battery life really improves I’m not sure I’d be without my Mophie case. (the claim is 10 hours LTE and WiFi, 10 hours talk time on 3G, 40 of music and 250 in standby)
Perhaps the improvement I’m most interested in knowing more about is iOS7 … the operating system. It will be made available to previous iPhone users at no cost; I’ll install it on my iPhone 5 at the end of this month.
The iPhone 5S will come in three models: 16 GB for $199, 32GB for $299 and 64GB for $399, with a contract. The phone will go on sale on September 20th.
The iPhone 5C will cost $99 for a 16GB model or $199 for a 32 GB model, with contracts. A colorful variety of cases will cost $29. The iPhone 5C will go on sale on September 20th, with pre-orders starting on September 13th.
Chewing string cheese to reduce tooth decay
Posted By RichC on September 10, 2013
Saw this in the Wall Street Journal personal section today and although I knew about the gum, I did not know about the string cheese (for the fun of it, I’m trying the iPhone’s Mobile OCR app to capture text).
Studies show two things people can chew to help ward off tooth decay. One, Dr. Cole says, is chewy cheese: String cheese will reduce the pH of bacterial plaque. One reason, says Dr. Cole, is that chewy things make you salivate, and proteins in your saliva will buffer acids. Also, naturally occurring chemicals in cheese “encourage the tooth to remineralize.” Dr. Cole suggests: “The pairing of wine with cheese is actually a good thing, because the cheese can counterbalance the acidity of the wine.”
Chewing sugarless gum is also a good option if you can’t get to your toothbrush. “Some studies have suggested that xylitol, which is the sweetening agent in gum, actually has anticariogenic characteristics.”
Good news comes with apprehension for my son Taylor
Posted By RichC on September 10, 2013
Taylor took a bold step toward his future by accepting a planning position in North Dakota. Since graduating from Miami University in May, the resumes and cover letters have been many, but openings in his field few. With the feedback always highlighting a desire for more experience, 
Taylor decided that starting his planning career in the rapidly growing northwest corner of North Dakota offered just that — in fact there are few parallels. With the oil boom and population growth, Williams Country is growing beyond their ability to service the population – talk about a busy planning office! So with a quick acceptance, he will move to Williston, North Dakota later this month (just in time for winter — grin) and learn by jumping in with both feet. Who knows, he might be so busy that he’ll forget how far he is from home? (see previous post)
I am excited and proud of him, but at the same time I’m going to miss having him an arms length away. For the past 24 years, we’ve never been more than a few hours apart and it has been easy to make up an excuse to get together. Now we’re talking 20 hours which means he’s not on my business travel route or an easy drive for a weekend visit; we’ll be lucky to see him on holidays, although nothing like what we ask of our military personnel serving overseas or on ships.
Taylor’s 9/9/2013 Facebook post:
How to tell if you are mechanically inclined (semi-edited)
Posted By RichC on September 9, 2013
I chuckled when I saw this top ten list appear in a hands-on automotive forum (there were more than 10, but I shortened it). It is pretty accurate.
- Wherever you go, you hear your wife say "let my husband help you fix that."
- You have many tools (and multiple toolboxes), including special service tools for tasks you’ve done just once. But the only tools you usually use are adjustable wrenches, a couple of old humble looking screwdrivers and a pair of pliers your father (grandfather) gave you.
- Your favorite possession is a Leatherman that you received for Christmas. Nothing says love like the gift of tools.
- There is a very large box in the corner of your garage filled with miscellaneous fasteners. It used to be a baby food jar, then it was a jam jar, then a pickle jar. Now it takes a very large container to hold all the nuts and bolts you’ve accumulated.
- You can reach into that box of parts and come up with exactly the right fastener, by feel.
- Nothing gets thrown out unless you strip it for fasteners, motors, sheet metal, tubing and switches. No matter how much of this stuff you have, it’s never enough.
- You know the horsepower, torque and axle ratio of every car you’ve ever owned.
- You never take notes when you disassemble something.
You always get it back. Sometimes, you make something new from the parts, just for fun. (whoops!)
together, without any leftovers - No matter how you scrub, the black won’t come off your fingers. Corollary: it won’t come off the couch either.
- You have a collection of bottled gasses … as well as a few that aren’t in bottles that should never be released indoors.
- If it can’t be fixed by welding, epoxy or duct tape … it can’t be fixed. (I just added that one!)
A day with my dad in Sidney Ohio at the Applefest and Carshow
Posted By RichC on September 8, 2013
My dad and I enjoyed the day together doing something we both enjoy – looking at cars and being together. As usual, he took his 1958 Packard Hawk to the Shelby County Applefest in downtown Sidney Ohio on Saturday and wondered if I was going to enter my Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel this year. I laughed at the idea since its my daily driver and not a show car … but after realizing that there wasn’t a single Mercedes in the town or in the fairly large showing … I might consider it next year?
Panorama of downtown Sidney Ohio during the Applefest and Carshow (more photos below)
Dad (Bud Corbett) by his 1958 Packard Hawk and at the registration table above.
A little info on the rare 1958 Packard Hawk …
Engine
Type: Cast iron 90° V8, Silver Light dish-type pistons
Displacement: 289 cubic inches
Bore X stroke: 3.56 X 3.63 inches
Compression ratio: 7.5:1
Power @ rpm: 275 hp (205 kW) @ 4,800 rpm
Torque @ rpm: 333 lb·ft (451 N·m) @ 3,200 rpm
Valvetrain: In-head valves, solid lifters
Main bearings: 5
Ignition: Delco-Remy breaker-point
Fuel system: 2-bbl Stromberg 380475 downdraft carburetor, McCulloch supercharger, 5 p.s.i. max
Lubrication system: Full-pressure, gear-driven
Electrical system: 12-volt, 30 amperes
Exhaust system: Cast iron, dual exhaust
Transmission
Type: Borg-Warner Flightomatic automatic
Ratios: 1st: 2.40:1
2nd: 1.47:1
3rd: 1.0:1
Reverse: 2.0:1
Differential
Type: Semi-floating hypoid, Twin-Traction Spicer-Thornton limited slip
Ratio: 3.31:1
Steering
Type: Power assist, Saginaw recirculating ball
Ratio: 19.2:1
Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.5
Turning circle: 41 feet
Brakes
Type: Four wheel, power-assist Wagner hydraulic
Front: Cast-iron finned drum, 11 X 2.5 inches
Rear: Cast-iron drum, 10 X 2 inches
Swept area: 172.8 square inches
Chassis & Body
Construction: All-steel, box section, double-drop side rails, 5 crossmembers
Body style: Two-door, five passenger hardtop, soft top prototype
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: Individual unequal-length upper and lower control arms, coil springs, hydraulic shocks, anti-sway bar
Rear: Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic shocks
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Kelsey-Hays tubeless 5-lug stamped steel
Front/rear: 5.5 X 14 inches
Tires: Classic bias-ply
Front/rear: 8.00 X 14 inches
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 120.5 inches
Overall length: 205.2 inches
Overall width: 71.3 inches
Overall height: 54.6 inches
Front track: 56.7 inches
Rear track: 55.7 inches
Shipping weight: 3,470 pounds
Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 17 quarts[vague]
Fuel tank: 18 gallons[vague]
Transmission: 19 pints[vague]
Calculated Data
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.95
Weight per bhp: 12.62 pounds
Performance
0-60 mph: 12.0 seconds
¼ mile ET: 16.7 seconds @ 82.3 mph
Top speed: 125 mph
Fuel mileage: 12 mpg city, 20 mpg highway
Production
1958 Packard Hawk: 588 (est 250 restored or under restoration)
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.