My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 29, 2013

I don’t care how good this “controlling a desktop computer with your iPad”app is … it can’t be worth $80 per year! “Parallels Access costs a hefty $80 per computer per year…”

Parallels, a company based in Seattle that’s best known for its namesake program that allows Macs to run Windows, calls this “applifying” your computer programs. What it means by this is that it adapts them to the iPad’s familiar interface, including app launching, touch gestures, scrolling and text selection. Unlike many others, it doesn’t force you to constantly try and emulate the precise mouse pointer for which most of these computer programs were designed. It runs them like iPad apps, in full screen, and at the iPad’s resolution, yet preserving full functionality and the ability to switch among open apps and windows on the computer. It works over both Wi-Fi and cellular connections. Despite some drawbacks, Parallels Access is a very good way to make your iPad more of a productivity tool and to integrate it with your computer, without forcing you to use your iPad the same way you would use a computer.

For full Walt Mossberg review check out AllThingsD.

Category: Computer, Productivity | No Comments »
Tags: mac, parallels, pc

Posted By RichC on August 28, 2013

My recent college graduate came back from his test-taking City-County Planning interview trip to Santa Barbara today and has fallen head over heels in love with California, at least the part that he was seeing. Besides his taking the next step in the interview process, Taylor was able to explore the area a bit by rental car. According to my son, it was “beautiful – you could drive from the airport to downtown and the Pacific Ocean and be in the mountains within 30 minutes.” He was shocked even at 8AM on a Monday that the traffic was not a problem and that everyone seemed to be laid back and easy.

Unfortunately the competition for this particular Planner 1 position was heavy. Taylor said “initially there were over 300 applicants and that his whittled down group was still over 100.” He is hoping that this trip inches him to the top ten, but he’s not that optimistic. Many of those seeking this “prime” opening were graduate school level applicants and many in their late 20s or 30s. Obviously the city and county hiring in California (like most of the country) has not been keeping up with the number of graduates that universities are churning out.

Then there is North Dakota …

To those willing to be a little less selective, there are a few planning positions in growth communities where the competition is a bit thinner … of course there are reasons. For example, Williston North Dakota is growing at such a rapid pace that it has overrun the current plan. The one-time agricultural town boasted a population of 12,000, but now with the oil boom, it has grown to well over 30,000.

Creating a growth plan for the community is high priority, but difficult to do overnight. Managers and local employers are seeking planners to help with the growth even if the jobs aren’t in the most desirable location in the U.S. Add to that, the boom style “supply and demand” cost for housing, fast food and about everything else … and it doesn’t exactly attract 300 applicants, but there are probably a few wanting a job for the experience. On the other hand, who wants California sunshine when you can have cold North Dakota winters?

The positive news is that it might just be a great place to gain some practical experience as a busy city planner. Who knows, they might just make Taylor an offer. (I’m not sure if I should be happy or nervous about his upcoming trip to Williston?)

Looks nice ehh … but there are downsides (photos below) and acording to the Business Insider (picture from 2012 in this post), a small one bedroom apartment rents for $2000/month. Those moving there with families find that schools are overcrowded and less than ideal … that is IF you are fortunate enough to have a place to live.

Category: Business, Education, Financial, Misc, Personal, Travel | 5 Comments »
Tags: california, career, geography, jobs, planning, taylor, williston

Posted By RichC on August 27, 2013

Rust repairs continue along the rocker panels and jack points on the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. The passenger side (photo left) wasn’t too bad so I opted to take care of that first. It is now under primer and ready for final sanding and eventually the black “chip resistant” paint.

No that I’m on side two, the driver’s side, things are a little more challenging since some of the rust has inched its way up into the front fender just above the body molding (cancerous spot below the break). The jack point is still structurally sound, but needed a bit more grinding and rust treatment before using the West System epoxy and fiberglass. The added “rot” has me rethinking my “boat repair experiment” and figuring that I should have welded in new steel? Oh well, at least the “new” material won’t rust!

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Mercedes | 5 Comments »
Tags: 300d, diesel, mercedes, rust, W123

Posted By RichC on August 26, 2013

Wasteful government spending is nothing new, nor is the corruption and abuse by companies and recipients siphoning off our hard earned tax dollars. What is new is a much bigger federal government and the addition of bunches of new programs and the seeming disregard for responsible oversight that comes with a “bigger government.” It is truly sickening. I have difficulty understanding the lack of outrage or any serious campaign making elected officials accountable for this wasteful spending and abuse?

Here’s an example : In 1984 the Federal Communications Commission created a program to be sure impoverished Americans had telephone service. The program is referred to as the Lifeline program and is managed by the FCC. Under the Obama administration the program moved from land based home phone services so that families could call 911 or connect with their schools or employers, but added cellphones. With little oversight and profiteers taking advantage of Uncle Sam’s generosity “with your money,” the 2008 budget of $819,000,000 dollars ballooned to $2,200,000,000 (that’s BILLION) in 2012 … and shows little sign of being reeled in.

According to Jillian Kay Melchior’s investigative article detailing the abuse in National Review earlier this month, there are now 13.8 million active Lifeline subscribers … many which have multiple phones!

Representative Tim Griffin (R., Ark.) has long opposed the Lifeline wireless subsidies, making it a pet cause. He reiterated the basic point I had learned from this experience: The problems began when the federal government got in the business of providing free cell phones, and the FCC’s recent reforms aren’t sufficient.

“I saw all the horror stories of people getting 10, 20, 30, 40 phones,” Griffin says, “the [wireless] companies not paying a lot of attention and in some cases no attention to who was getting them and whether they were getting duplicates.”

And if you’ve been wondering why the companies are so eager to hand out free phones, the incentive is built into the program. As Griffin explains, “Of course, the way the program was set up, [wireless companies] were getting money for every one they could give out, so they gave out as many as they could.”

And still do. *

* Emphasis by me.

Category: Cellphone, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: abuse, fraud, government, spending, taxes, waste

Posted By RichC on August 25, 2013

Want your eyes to look like this? Then keep looking at this “still” image! (yes it is a “still” image)

🙂

Category: Misc | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on August 24, 2013

Antiques as they relate to history hold a small, but growing, interest for me. I appreciate the collector mindset when it come to things mechanical, especially when they hold a history like certain firearms …reading about this piece sparked my curiosity. The handgun which once belonged to the gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok about 150 years ago is being auctioned off this November 2013 in San Francisco. Some suggest the bidding could go as high as $500,000.  As the story goes, Hickok was killed while wearing this .32 rimfire Smith and Wesson revolver (similar ones sell for $2000) by a bullet to the back of the head fired by ‘Crooked Nose’ Jack McCall. According to the 1876 reporting, Hickok was playing poker in the infamous “wild west” town Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory (now South Dakota). 

As the legend goes, “Hickok had a habit of sitting with his back to a wall when playing poker, but on the day of his death, the only spare chair had its back to the door … at the time he was holding two black aces, two black eights and another unknown card, which went on to be known as the ‘dead man’s hand’ in poker.” (trivia)

As for the nickname “Wild Bill” …  there is some debate, but most history records that he gave the name to himself in 1961 after a shootout with several men including the less than reputable David C. McCanles (there was a history between the two, including McCanles calling Hickok the derogatory “Duck Bill” Hickok due to a protruding lip … hence a mustache was grown in order to cover it up – interesting!) For that killing, Hickok was brought to trial, but the court ruled “self-defense.”

Hickok used his gun slinging abilities throughout his 39 years as a stagecoach driver, a lawman and a scout. Eventually he headed to the rough and wild Dakota territory in order to “find his fortune in the gold rush and also to make money from gambling.” He was also said to be connected with other “wild west” notables like Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane. As testament his skills with a pistol, Hickok was said to be the best quick-draw shooter of his time.

Category: For Sale, History | No Comments »
Tags: antiques, auction, firearms, hickok, History, trivia, wild west

Posted By RichC on August 23, 2013

As a long time Sprint customer, I’ve been waiting for the LTE service to become in order to have better data connectivity for my iPhone 5 and with a wireless MiFi hotspot. Their service has been a painfully slow rollout in Ohio, but looks like it will soon be here. More importantly, I’m looking forward to having a good data connection when on the sailboat in Florida so I’ve opted to upgrade to a Freedom Spot MiFi 500 LTE and will be returning the Overdrive Pro. I’ll continue to use the Photon (4G WiMax) until Ohio officially goes live. Sprint does have an impressive footprint considering their unlimited data plans.(FYI: NO, the Freedompop Spot MiFi 500 LTE is NOT unlimited)

I’m not sure how this works, but if you are interested in Freedompop’s FREE wireless data and don’t mind connecting with me as a Freedom friend, then give this link a try: http://fpop.co/ewOw

Category: Cellphone, Computer, Tablet, Technology, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: 4G, data, freedompop, lte, sprint, wimax, wireless

Posted By RichC on August 23, 2013

A big announcement day for lovers and haters of the software behemoth Microsoft (MSFT) as CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he intends to step down in the next 12 months. His timeframe will help in making a smooth transition as the board selects a new chief.

Ballmer’s management has been flat-footed by all accounts and has lag behind in technology leadership over the past decade. This weakness stimulated many to call for his resignation in recent years and even Ballmer hinted that the company needs “longer term” leadership to move the company toward a “devices and services company.”

Early in Friday trading, investors and traders liked what they heard and traded MSFT up 8% from the previous close.

Category: Financial, News, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: finance, investing, msft, News, Software, trading

Posted By RichC on August 22, 2013

At about the noon hour today stocks on the NASDAQ stock exchange were halted without much news besides a “technical issue.” According to CNBC, the markets should reopen at 3:30 although a few stocks will be reopened as a test around 3PM. (Quotes “only” for other Nasdaq listed stocks begins at 3:10PM)

I’ve been eyeballing my ticker screen for a few hours now and find it hard to believe that a glitch like this has not been built into their plans. IMHO, heads should roll.

Category: Financial | 1 Comment »
Tags: market, nasdaq, stocks, trading

Posted By RichC on August 22, 2013

I’ve come full circle in researching the best way to keep the price down and our Zodiac inflatable easily available when sailing Encore (or eventual a new lightweight RIB – AB or Walker Bay). The best davit option was to have a custom welded stainless steel (or aluminum) system made in order to hold not only the dinghy, but additional solar panels and a wind generator. None of the contacts that I have made were convincing, considering the high cost.

Also, I’ve been emailing back and forth with two different Marks, both liveaboard friends, who have experience which I value. Mark Jones, who recently research some of the same items (installed his wind gen and solar panels from eMarine) has been helping me “brain storm” and weighed the pros and cons of each option (a very helpful couple of emails).

The conclusion (at this point) is that the highly rated Martek Davits (video “in use” or marketing clip) are probably the best option. Unfortunately, according to Tom at Martek,  I’m going to have to disassemble the Cape Horn steering gear to use davits and switch back if I ever intend on longer bluewater passages. Frankly with the advent of autopilots, wind steering systems have fallen out of favor, but there is something to be said for getting away from complex electronic gadgetry that appeals to me; I really hate to remove the gear.

Category: Sailing | 2 Comments »
Tags: davit, dinghy, emarine, encore, martek, sailboat