My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 14, 2013

Before I’m accused of forgetting my wife’s birthday, I didn’t (Whew) … but am posting here a couple days late.

I think this is the first time we used a video call instead of a phone call as a way to connect with someone for a birthday, at least with a photo (we used FaceTime on the iPad and the Jambox). Katelyn and Drew (on her iPad Mini) checked in a few minutes before Brenda was due as to surprise her and we left the connection open, but quiet. When the birthday mom arrived we all started in singing our own rendition of Happy Birthday – who knew there were so many ways to sing it? After the cursory greeting and laughter, those of us at the table gobbled up the cinnamon buns while Brenda read her cards and opened her new boat shoes. All was good. Happy Birthday.

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: birthday, brenda, facetime

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2013

Ok … so I’m a diesel guy and really like Audi and VW TDIs, but … as someone a few years younger then me would say: SWWWEEET!!!

Category: Automotive | No Comments »
Tags: audi, v10

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2013

New devices, September dates, bigger screened iPhones, Carl Icahn taking a position in $AAPL stock. As the Mazda ad goes … zoom, zoom.

Reportedly, Apple Inc (AAPL) will unveil its much anticipated next generation iPhone on Sep 10. The device tentatively called iPhone 5S (can be 6 also) is rumored to feature a larger screen, faster processor, and a higher resolution camera.

iPhone enthusiasts also believe that Apple will introduce a fingerprint sensor in the upcoming device. The rumor mill started rolling post Apple’s acquisition of fingerprint security provider Authentec in 2012. Additionally, the new iPhone is also rumored to be available in gold (to-date iPhone was available only in black and white color).

Apple is also likely to release a low cost iPhone for the mid-range smartphone market during the Sep 10 event. The device called iPhone 5C (C possibly represents various color options) is expected to have a plastic back cover developed from polycarbonate and glass fiber.

Both the iPhone versions are expected to be powered by the new iOS 7, which Apple previewed in worldwide developer’s conference (“WWDC”) in June. The new operating system features a different look compared to the older versions in terms of menus and icons.

Category: Apple, Financial, Mazda | 1 Comment »
Tags: aapl, investing, iphone, stock

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2013

Summer is a time to work through a pile of books (more and more ebooks) that are building up on my desk or nightstand. I rarely get through them without reading something from them worth remembering. It was particularly humbling to read about this posthumously awarded Congressional Medal of Honor recipient– Private Thomas Baker, Medal of Honor 5/9/1945.

Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. When his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapons and small-arms fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company, Sgt. (then Pvt.) Baker voluntarily took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Through heavy rifle and machinegun fire that was directed at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point, enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later while his company advanced across the open field flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, Sgt. Baker again voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against surprise attack and came upon 2 heavily fortified enemy pockets manned by 2 officers and 10 enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked and killed all of them. Five hundred yards farther, he discovered 6 men of the enemy who had concealed themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them. On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was seriously wounded but he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any farther stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree . Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier’s pistol with its remaining 8 rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker’s body was found in the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

Category: Books, History | No Comments »
Tags: Books, congressional, honor, medal

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2013

Something has got to change folks … I’m not proposing a tax revolt, but I won’t have a problem supporting one! Hey Democrats … is this really the way you want to spend taxpayer dollars? (and just because Republicans lament not having leverage, I don’t plan on letting them off the hook. In other words, no automatic “R” when I enter the the voting booth.)

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: california, food stamps, foxnews, john roberts, welfare

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2013

A few years ago Facebook rocketed to popularity as a social network for the .EDU college crowd … or .edu to be net savvy (lc). This emerging adult crowd was the envy of every high school teen and "wanna be older" pre-high student and having a Facebook account was a coming of age milestone. Parents debated if their kids were ready for the online social world and in many case decided their children needed to be chaperoned … so they joined too “just to keep and eye on things” and began interacting. College kids are now adults and the modern Facebook evolved into a place family and friends share their lives together. I the early FB days, I recall talking to my son and asked him … "why don’t you just email?" His reply, "Dad, emails old school, we do everything on Facebook these days." (ah, AOL I thought?)

While out to dinner with similar aged friends this weekend we discussed the fact that Brenda doesn’t have a Facebook account and doesn’t want one. She doesn’t see much benefit questions the long term consequences of permitting companies to archive so much social networking communication. No doubt a point everyone online (or with drones, street cameras, etc … ALL of us) has to contend with.

We sort of concluded that teens were leaving Facebook because the adults were there … but after thinking a little more about it, perhaps thirteen year old Ruby Karp is lends a little more clarity – FB is invasive, has become a “marketing mouthpiece” and there are a lot of simpler mobile option without all the changing – “we liked it the way it was.”

I’m a teen living in New York. All of my friends have social networks — Instagram, Vine,Snapchat, etc. Facebook used to be all I could talk about when I was younger. “Mom, I want a Facebook!” and other whining only a mother could put up with.

But now, at 13, I’ve been noticing something different. Facebook is losing teens lately, and I think I know why.

Part of the reason Facebook is losing my generation’s attention is the fact that there are other networks now. When I was 10, I wasn’t old enough to have a Facebook. But a magical thing called Instagram had just come out … and our parents had no idea there was an age limit. Rapidly, all my friends got Instagrams.

Now, when we are old enough to get Facebook, we don’t want it.

More at this Mashable LINK

Category: Cellphone, Computer, Social Media, Technology | 2 Comments »
Tags: facebook, mashable, network, social

Posted By RichC on August 11, 2013

Thanks to Facebook, I had a chance to meet up with a friend from high school (and grad school) that I haven’t seen in 30+ years. We had a mutual love for photography and both headed in different directions after school. She married and moved to Cincinnati and I married and started life in Cleveland. As most of us know, Facebook, like it or not, does a pretty good job of matching up similar data fields and then suggests friends from high school, colleges, cities you live in, etc. This past year Jacqui “friended” me and we reconnected since we now live in the same city … and because her Fred and I share the same German car interest – my recent old Mercedes really triggered the idea to connect. So Saturday night we planned a nice couples dinner out and we ended up having a great time closing down the restaurant (of course it was capped off with the guys looking at the Mercedes in a dark parking lot … which helped disguise the flaws).
 

The reconnection reminded me about what can happen in 30 years … or in the case of China, what happens in 25 years – SharedLINK. Actually it is a bit frightening to look at a photo I was just clearing off my phone after our flooded basement and one my sister-in-law sent (she was clearing her phone too – Point: 16GB iPhones are too small … Point 2: We’re getting too old!).

Category: Personal, Photography, Photos, Social Media | 2 Comments »
Tags: cincinnati, facebook, friends, jacqui, reconnecting, school, sidney

Posted By RichC on August 10, 2013

Was suppose to post on Saturday, but the WordPress Postie plugin failed me again. It looks like something is causing enough draw on this circuit to overheat the plastic of this fuse, but not enough to blow the fuse?

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Mercedes | 1 Comment »
Tags: 300d, mercedes

Posted By RichC on August 9, 2013

A friend of mine (thanks Tim) mentioned that it looked like Sprint was testing their LTE setup along I-75 in and around Cincinnati. I’ve been trying to remember to check it when in West Chester after hearing it was on north of the I-275 outer belt. so, while in town this we I remembered as I buzzed back an forth from customers to my south. When the iPhone 5’s display message switched from 3G to LTE just passed Tylersville Road while heading south I ran a quick speed test. As I tweeted, “nothing to brag about” — 1.41 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up.

Then as quickly as it appeared, it was off again. Shortly after the next exit I lost LTE and tried to cycle in and out of “Airplane Mode” in order to search again. It was off and on as I drove onto Union Centre Blvd and no matter what I did I was unable to hold LTE while in and out of offices … even though the map from Sensorly was showing coverage. The signal must still be a bit weak?
(click map for a slightly larger snippet)

Category: Cellphone, Computer, Local, Technology | 2 Comments »
Tags: 4G, cincinnati, lte, ohio, speedtest, sprint, west chester, wireless

Posted By RichC on August 8, 2013

It makes me nervous when major changes are made to Volkswagen’s TDI engines, but according to a NYTimes Wheels blog article there are new efficient diesel power plants planned for Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta models next year. A few years the Pumpe Düse unit injector PD engine displace VW’s ALH motor which was one of the more reliable engines and then not too long after another common rail and emission change was made. What were suppose to be improvements each time had many customers complaining and facing some very expensive repairs (not to mention the hassles of having their relatively new cars serviced). I’m not sure where the status of those issues are today, but I always worry about design flaws and the normal black-eye producing bugs that show up when drastic changes are made to engines.

Volkswagen announced Tuesday that its EA288 TDI Clean Diesel engine would be available in the 2015 Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta models, which were scheduled to go on sale in the United States during the second half of 2014.

Volkswagen said in a news release that the new EA288 diesel would eventually replace the current generation of 2-liter TDI engines offered in some VW and Audi models. At 150 horsepower, the new engine gets a 10-horsepower increase over the version being phased out, and aside from similar bore spacing, will be completely different. VW has released neither displacement nor fuel mileage numbers.

A notable change will be in the EA288’s emissions control system. A complex exhaust-gas recirculation system, which VW says will improve throttle response, will work with a diesel particulate filter and a selective catalytic reduction (S.C.R.) system to reduce engine emissions. Mark Gillies, a spokesman for Volkswagen, confirmed that the S.C.R. would be fed by a ureatank that needed refilling at 10,000-mile service intervals.

Volkswagen said low-friction bearings on the crankshaft and balance shafts, as well as a two-stage, variable-flow oil pump, were among design cues that would make the EA288 more fuel efficient than its predecessors.

LINK

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: diesel, tdi, volkswagen, vw