Wingsuit tactical flyer video nears 10 million views
Posted By RichC on July 24, 2013
Alexander Polli, BASE-jumper, amazes viewers with daredevil flights in a wingsuit by high risk maneuvers like flying through a narrow mountainside cave in Spain.
Apple iCloud’s online beta for Pages, Numbers & Keynote
Posted By RichC on July 23, 2013
Apple is testing a few new online iWork applications for those iCloud users accessing their cloud account. The addition of Apple’s document, spreadsheet and presentation software to iCloud will move the beloved computer company one step closer to Microsoft and Google went it comes to online “Office” productivity software.
I’m reluctant to commit to one particular system still preferring Office as an “install” on my computer, but with Microsoft’s move to Office 365 and the subscription model, one of the Office-like open-source software packages looks to be my current preferred direction … but I will still give Apple’s Pages, Numbers and Keynote a try, even after Google’s online apps continue to fall short.
We’ll soon be introducing a new and exciting feature to iCloud. It’s called iWork for iCloud and it’s a suite of apps — Pages, Numbers, and Keynote — that make it easy for anyone with an iCloud account to create and edit great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations right on the web.
We’d like to invite you to be one of the first to try it, so we’re giving you early access to the iWork for iCloud beta. All you have to do is sign in to iCloud on a Mac or a PC using the current version of Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Then just click on Pages, Numbers, or Keynote and you’re off.
We’re really proud of these apps and we’d appreciate your help in making them as great as they can possibly be. So we’d love to hear your feedback as you use them.
Sign in to iCloud.com to get started with iWork for iCloud today.
Sincerely,
The iWork Team
The tax man cometh looking for more dollars …
Posted By RichC on July 22, 2013
The tax man in the form of the Internet online giant Amazon.com has warned advised me that they will begin to collect Ohio sales tax for Amazon Web Services. This is probably appropriate as too many tax dollars are lost to online out of state vendors, but paying more taxes is still hard to swallow.
Hello, We want to let you know that starting with your September
2013 bill (sent out at the beginning of October), AWS
will begin collecting Ohio sales taxes for accounts …
Why is President Obama following me?
Posted By RichC on July 21, 2013
Hmm, I’m not really sure what to think of this? I’m sure those who supported President Barrack Obama’s campaign don’t mind being followed by his twitter account, but for me it is probably an indication that the IRS or Department of Justice is next. 
For those of you who are not socially connected, the President’s staff to sends most of his personal Twitter posts, but they say those with a “-bo” indicates it was sent personally. I don’t pay much attention, but was surprised to see that he follows RichC.
Swimming with sharks – Shark Attack Mitigation Systems
Posted By RichC on July 20, 2013
I might wear the “invisibility cloak” swim skin or wetsuit if it offers protection from ocean rash or as SPF sunblock (UVA and UVB protection), but am not sure the white and black horizontally striped suit is for me? On the other hand, if I were swimming in waters that are regularly visited by those seal eating “big boys and girls” (Great White Sharks) then I might reconsider function (deterring sharks) over style (limited invisibility) … or I might just opt for staying on the beach !
An “invisibility cloak” to protect surfers from sharks has been launched in Western Australia, the scene of five fatal shark attacks in recent years.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia, with designers Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), have unveiled two new wetsuits that they say could save lives in the water.
"We have converted that into patents that we know will hide [wearers] or present wearers as not shark food." https://radiator.net/sams/
Guys having some good old fashion fun
Posted By RichC on July 19, 2013
Thinking about sending The Rodent to Columbus
Posted By RichC on July 19, 2013
Over the many years Katelyn has had her rabbit, we (well “I”) have been both the temporary and semi-permanent pet-sitter. The little fellow has spent time in our basement (fortunately not when it flooded) and more recently in the poolhouse.
I refer Pumpy Umpy affectionately as “The Rodent” and have actually grown somewhat attached to him … I even share a my cereal with him. Over the years, he has managed to chew his share of woodwork, drywall, bite a cord or two without getting himself electrocuted and and has shed at least a couple garbage bags full of fur … of which half is probably still floating around in the air!
That said, his time with us is nearing an end since Katelyn and Drew are getting a place ready for him at their house in Columbus. Believe it or not, his cuteness will be missed.
Intel (INTC) has been a costly stock for long term investors
Posted By RichC on July 18, 2013
Intel (INTC) has been a core “buy and hold” technology stock for many independent investors over the past decade or so, but a long hard look at returns makes that strategy puzzling. Back in the day, if you wanted to be in “technology,” INTC was a must have stock, particularly if you believed in personal computer and the silicon microchip. They are the undisputed leader in micro-processor business and when it comes to cutting end technology and microchip manufacturing, there are no better companies. Intel dominates as a supplier and in their ability to market products, but they have failed when it comes to being profitable investment for shareholders.
When it comes to returning value to long term shareholders including the dividend (which has improved in recent years), management has done a pitiful job. About the only positive I’ve heard is that they haven’t lost money for shareholders like a couple other large cap tech stocks. Unfortunately, I have been one who has held onto hope that the board of directors and management would hear my plea to work on giving us a reasonable return on our investment. For me, INTC has been one of my long core portfolio stocks and my first purchase started at $47 thirteen years ago. I continued to added to my position over the years 
and even sold a few as the price bumped up and down. BUT … after their call on Wednesday, I have finally decided that the returns are not adequate. We investors put our dollars at risk and should at least see some growth in 13 years.
The afterhours move on Wednesday (7/17/2013) was the icing on the cake. INTC dropped 3.5% to 23.30 on flat sales and a lowered forecast. This is one roller coaster ride (see up and down chart above) that has returned me to the same place year after year — I want to get off. I’m done.
Investing in Intel (not actively managed/traded) — INTC looks like this:
- Ten buys over 13 years with a dollar cost average of $23.51 which is a frustrating 21 cents higher than where the stock is currently trading.
- Dividends for held shares over the same time amounted to about 2% per year … about the same as what a U.S. Treasury investment would have mustered. (for the record, the dividend for INTC is current better than Treasuries)
My advice for those of you who must own Intel, is to just trade the stock. Buy it at $20 and sell it when it hits $25 or higher if you are more confident. It’s a pretty simple trade. From my very quick analysis, trading INTC could have conservatively generated a 25% return six times in 13 years (excluding any captured dividends) … this would have averaged out to roughly a 13% return annually verses an investors 2% buy and hold strategy. Why buy and hold INTC???
UPDATE: Checking regular hours trading for Intel on Thursday follow the earnings news has INTC trading below $23.20.
The floor of the Mercedes Benz 300D is wet again!
Posted By RichC on July 17, 2013
With the heat in the 90s and humidity high this week I noticed the driver side and rear passenger floor in the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel soaking wet again. A few weeks ago I thought that it might be due to a leak in the windshield gasket or possibly the drain in front as mentioned by Kent Bergsma in a video – I was hoping it was not that. So I tackled the easy fix first by using a tube of Permatex 81730 flowable sealant before considering a new front and rear windshield gasket ($$$), but I haven’t driven the car out in very much rain. Fast forward a few days and once again I’m dealing with a wet floor … AFTER using the air conditioning on a hot and muggy day. Hmm …
I now suspected a possible plugged drain to the evaporator or maybe a loose hose clamp fitting; what I didn’t expect was the ridiculous degraded foam drain piece that was suppose to route water through the transmission tunnel and out onto the ground. What were the engineers of Mercedes Benz thinking?
Of course none of this was easy to find or easy to access. It is buried under the dash and to make matters worse, there isn’t an actual part to replace this “weak link.” (see photo of the degraded “foam” thingy)
So I opted for the next best thing – look around the workbench for quick fix that would fit in the hole in the floor and direct the dripping condensation outside. A right sized hose or funnel perhaps? Maybe a surgically (not really) cut plastic bottle held in place with a small fabricated aluminum clip. Voilà … it works!
Mercedes Benz customer appreciation efforts are impressive
Posted By RichC on July 16, 2013
Most car guys (and gals) know that the Mercedes Benz nameplate represents a high quality vehicle, but also a higher price. Some might argue that there is worth in a vehicle designed for longevity 
and safety and that it makes for repeat customers?
I sold my first Mercedes, a 560 SEL, back in the late 1990s due to the higher than expected cost of ownership. I disliked the routine parts replacement required to maintain service stamps and warranty coverage as I’ve never been one to replace expensive parts way before their expected life. At the time I surmised that was one of the reasons these expensive remain on the road – they are practically looking at the number of parts being replaced during routine maintenance. Still, I appreciated how solid the behemoth of a car was built … and how well it drove. Oh how nice it drove! They are truly well engineered and built “like a tanks.” If the initial price and higher than normal maintenance cost were not an issue, I’d probably be a loyal Mercedes Benz owner and driver to this day.
High cost aside, there are a few other things that Mercedes Benz does to make owners feel appreciated (Volkswagen should take note). One such touch is their high mileage badging program. In fact, the award for my 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel arrived Monday and I strategically placed it on the grille in order to cover a small ding (the plan when I sent in the application [PDF]). Perfect! Thanks you Mercedes … for both the customer appreciation effort and the impressively package and FREE mileage badge and award.
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.