My Desultory Blog

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

Posted By RichC on August 21, 2013

With the best of intentions to show the “power of epoxy,” I planned to glue a board end to end and either have the car supported or have the fiber of the wood tear apart. Neither happened (43 second video below). #fail

🙂

Category: Humor, Video | 1 Comment »
Tags: epoxy, fail

Posted By RichC on August 20, 2013

It doesn’t get much safer — well done Tesla.

Palo Alto, CA — Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board. NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars *are* captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.

Of all vehicles tested, including every major make and model approved for sale in the United States, the Model S set a new record for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants. While the Model S is a sedan, it also exceeded the safety score of all SUVs and minivans. This score takes into account the probability of injury from front, side, rear and rollover accidents. The Model S has the advantage in the front of not having a large gasoline engine block, thus creating a much longer crumple zone to absorb a high speed impact. This is fundamentally a force over distance problem – the longer the crumple zone, the more time there is to slow down occupants at g loads that do not cause injuries. Just like jumping into a pool of water from a tall height, it is better to have the pool be deep and not contain rocks. The Model S motor is only about a foot in diameter and is mounted close to the rear axle, and the front section that would normally contain a gasoline engine is used for a second trunk.

For the side pole intrusion test, considered one of the most difficult to pass, the Model S was the only car in the “good” category among the other top one percent of vehicles tested. Compared to the Volvo S60, which is also 5-star rated in all categories, the Model S preserved 63.5 percent of driver residual space vs. 7.8 percent for the Volvo. Tesla achieved this outcome by nesting multiple deep aluminum extrusions in the side rail of the car that absorb the impact energy (a similar approach was used by the Apollo Lunar Lander) and transfer load to the rest of the vehicle. This causes the pole to be either sheared off or to stop the car before the pole hits an occupant.

The rear crash testing was particularly important, given the optional third row children’s seat. For this, Tesla factory installs a double bumper if the third row seat is ordered. This was needed in order to protect against a highway speed impact in the rear with no permanently disabling injury to the third row occupants. The third row is already the safest location in the car for frontal or side injuries. The Model S was also substantially better in rollover risk, with the other top vehicles being approximately 50 percent worse. During testing at an independent facility, the Model S refused to turn over via the normal methods and special means were needed to induce the car to roll. The reason for such a good outcome is that the battery pack is mounted below the floor pan, providing a very low center of gravity, which simultaneously ensures exceptional handling and safety.

Of note, during validation of Model S roof crush protection at an independent commercial facility, the testing machine failed at just above 4 g’s. While the exact number is uncertain due to Model S breaking the testing machine, what this means is that at least four additional fully loaded Model S vehicles could be placed on top of an owner’s car without the roof caving in. This is achieved primarily through a center (B) pillar reinforcement attached via aerospace grade bolts. The above results do not tell the full story. It is possible to game the regulatory testing score to some degree by strengthening a car at the exact locations used by the regulatory testing machines.

After verifying through internal testing that the Model S would achieve a NHTSA 5-star rating, Tesla then analyzed the Model S to determine the weakest points in the car and retested at those locations until the car achieved 5 stars no matter how the test equipment was configured. The Model S lithium-ion battery did not catch fire at any time before, during or after the NHTSA testing.

It is worth mentioning that no production Tesla lithium-ion battery has ever caught fire in the Model S or Roadster, despite several high speed impacts. While this is statistically unlikely to remain the case long term, Tesla is unaware of any Model S or Roadster occupant fatalities in any car ever. The graphic below shows the statistical Relative Risk Score (RSS) of Model S compared with all other vehicles tested against the exceptionally difficult NHTSA 2011 standards. In 2011, the standards were revised upward to make it more difficult to achieve a high safety rating.

http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/releases/tesla-model-s-achieves-best-safety-rating-any-car-ever-tested

ABOUT TESLA Tesla Motors’ (NASDAQ: TSLA) goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs, as well as EV powertrain components for partners such as Toyota and Mercedes. Tesla has delivered over 15,000 electric vehicles to customers in 31 countries. PRESS CONTACT press@teslamotors.com

Category: Automotive, Misc | No Comments »
Tags: press release, rating, safety, tesla

Posted By RichC on August 19, 2013

I had one of those “knight in shining armor” moments this weekend after a call for help request came in from my wife Brenda. She planned a weekend trip with her mother with a stop to visit our daughter in Columbus then to the farmhouse in New York. The primary goal is to begin taking photos of household items and then for an eventual household and house sale. They took my Honda Pilot and made stops in downtown Columbus (wedding dress repair) and then over to Katelyn’s townhouse after work before heading out to meet Drew for dinner. Katelyn’s grandma enjoys home decorating and this was a chance to see all the wedding gifts in their place (or most probably still in boxes?)

When Brenda attempted to restart my Honda Pilot, the battery was dead. Her first thought, “why did Rich send me off in an unreliable car?” … but shortly after that she calmed down. Thankfully (I thought), we were prepared because there is a jump starter/compressor combo pack in the back of my SUV and I also knew Katelyn has one in her VW TDI as well. They tried, but not enough juice … hmm??? … so I had my “grease monkey” doctor daughter check the fuses. Both her and Brenda looked carefully at them … even with a magnifying glass after I asked, “are you sure they are not blown?” … and declared that they “looked fine, but one has some corrosion?”  I was still skeptical and asked if Drew had a meter or anything we could check a circuit with? No he doesn’t … (reminder to self: Christmas present for Drew.)

Drew arrived after realizing that the girls were not going to be to dinner on time and proceeded to use his jumper cables to charge the battery for a longer period … but since “no lights came on” … I was still concerned about the wiring, cables and fuses. They didn’t have a circuit tester or meter to check the fuses or the battery voltage so I decided to take a evening drive to Columbus in the “old reliable 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel” … I still smile to myself at the irony.

Since I was going to arrive in Columbus late, I decided to stop at a Walmart on the way and pick up a new battery, although recalled that I did replace it in 2009. I justified buying a new one that the 5 year mental rule when talking car batteries isn’t always accurate, especially when using lots of gadgets and an inverter. It was a beautiful weekend evening for a windows down drive … very little humidity and cool for the dog days of August. Just plain nice!

I pulled into the driveway and before the gang even came out I wanted to check the battery voltage (it was 12.65) and then the fuses. I the back of my mind I was still worried about the wiring, ignition switch or even the starter relay. The girls were right, the fuses didn’t really look blown, but sure enough the main 120AMP fuse was not passing current. Hmm, what caused it to blow?

The gang came out and proceeded to watch me … so here’s the part of the subject line having to do with “questionable fixes.” I unscrewed the fuse and snipped the flat piece of metal that was my pen’s pocket clip to fit it under the fuse in order to bridge the connection. After screwing it back down the car started right up as if nothing was ever wrong. Brenda declare, “my MacGyver,” to which my head swelled. A few minutes later, Katelyn brought me back down and asked, “do you really think she should continue on to New York with that fix” … and with that daughterly wisdom, we went to Autozone to pick up a new fuse. (of course they didn’t have the correct one, but one that was 120AMP that I could bend to fit)

Crisis averted and a well deserved cup of coffee and ice cream cone for my drive home!

Category: Automotive, Personal | 1 Comment »
Tags: brenda, columbus, drew, fuse, honda, katelyn, knight, pilot, repair

Posted By RichC on August 18, 2013

A friend shared a video a YouTuber, Amy Siewe, collecting Northern Water Snakes a couple years ago and he asked me if we were concerned about snakes crawling aboard when we sailed on Lake Erie … my answer was “no, we never even though about it.” It is interesting to see the perception people have of Ohio after reading a sensational article or video on the Internet.

The video below did reminded me of growing up on the lake and of our early sailing around the Western Basin of Lake Erie and the islands and I remember seeing the snakes regularly, but not in larger numbers or large piles! There were always a few water snakes particularly the rocky shorelines of the islands … but probably wasn’t hanging around or paying attention the mating (gathering) time of year either (see video below). I wonder if the snake population is now significantly higher  that it once was … probably is?

Of course I go far enough bad to remember the headline that “Lake Erie is dead” and did my childhood chores of burying pile of smelly dead fish covered with algae on our beach. I also remember watching my dad, grandfather and uncle Bob catch wheelbarrows full of perch and even a few now extinct “blue pike” (blue walleye); this was before the now very popular yellow walleye made their rebounded … and also well before the Zebra Mussel problem of the mid-1980s. Snakes? Well … they are for someone else … watch and you’ll know what I mean.

Category: Environment, Nature, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: lake erie, snakes, water

Posted By RichC on August 17, 2013

With Brenda out of town and few distractions, I started working on the rusty jack points and rocker areas on the 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel. I cut out a bit more than expected and re-treated the area with Ospho. More later.

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Mercedes, Misc | 3 Comments »
Tags: 300d, diesel, mercedes, rust, W123

Posted By RichC on August 17, 2013

It is not time to start another sailboat project, but I wanted to archive a site from Marshall Design while I’m thinking about it. The site has some great looking fiberglass and aluminum hard enclosures which could be used on Encore (1/8/2011).

The original design on our Encore is still functional, but I can see myself replacing the windscreen and Sunbrella dodger and just maintaining the attached bimini segment when it is time to rework our current canvas.

Encore seatrial photo from December 2010

Category: Archive, Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: bimini, dodger, encore, project, sailing