My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on November 1, 2024

Although watching Major League Baseball was not high priority in our life this year, Brenda and I did enjoy this year’s World Series. I didn’t really have a favorite, as I’ve always had a dislike for the NY Yankees (adversary to the Cleveland Indians, now Guardians) and frankly the LA Dodgers fit that same category (our hometown team is the Cincinnati Reds in National League and I’ve been a fan since the days of “The Big Red Machine“).

So … watching the games without a vested interest made whoever eventually would win just an enjoyable series to watch. In the end, the LA Dodgers did look better in the 2 wins in Los Angeles and except for game 4 (Yankees won), they pretty much dominated the series. Errors on the part of the Yankees didn’t help the hometeam in game 5 … so in my opinion, the best team won the World Series this year. Brenda and I both enjoyed watching ALL the games … even if I secretly want the series to go on to a full 7 games. Congratulations to the LA Dodgers, the 2024 World Series champs.  

On another note, since it is Tech Friday, my second favorite web browser, Firefox, turned 20 years old (the primary is still Brave since it pays me a tiny fraction of crypto when I view ads that it serves up). Anyway, congratulations to the Mozilla programming team, as I can honestly say, “I use it everyday on DeskTop 1 of my MacBook Air M2 and it really is my favorite web browser.” 

Category: Computer, Software, Sports, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 2024, anigif, baseball, brave browser, dodgers, firefox, mlb, mozilla, tech friday, techfriday, world series, yankees

Posted By RichC on October 31, 2024

One of my regular Friday reads is the weekly technology update by Joanna Stern and her Wall Street Journal team called Tech Things. At the end of this weekly update, there is usually a “Throwback Thing.” I mentioned to them that my “still favorite” pocketable cellphone was the Samsung i500 SPH and that I posted about it in my blog 17 years ago (Wow, SEVENTEEN years, shocking even to me). The editor asked if I could shorten the blog post and give them permission to use it as a “Throwback Thing” in an upcoming article.

We’ll see what happens (but at least it makes for a good Throwback Thursday #TBT post) … AND this small, sturdy PalmOS flip-phone is still a winner in my book. 

Category: Cellphone, Photos, TBT, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: Cellphone, joanna stern, palmos, samsung, sph-i500, thing, throwback, wsj

Posted By RichC on October 30, 2024

Besides the impressive rally at Madison Square Gardens last weekend, the relentless schedule being pushed in these final days (months actually) of the 2024 Presidential Election must be exhausting. Donald Trump as done everything from working at McDonald’s, to podcasts, or large outdoor rallies … one that nearly took his life.

JD Vance has been just a busy hitting swing states and although I’m not following Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as closely, I suspect they are tired too … and know her campaign is not fond of the “help” coming from President Biden who referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.” 
 

CNN.com – 10/30/2024

Category: Politics | No Comments »
Tags: donald trump, election, jd vance, kamala harris, mcdonalds, tim walz, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on October 30, 2024

Last year on this date, I commented about “investors being nervous this time of year” on the U.S. stock market indices.

So as a filler nearly exactly one-year later, I figured I would do the same. The DOW and NASDAQ above on October 29, 2024 are WAY UP from 2023 and Chevron ($CVX) below is relatively flat. I just found it interesting. 

Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: $CVX, indices, investing, last year, stock market, trading

Posted By RichC on October 29, 2024

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Friends, Personal, Photos, Sports, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: ann woodcock, annalyn, birthday, drew, ellerie, family, football, katelyn, megan, red river gorge, taylor, twirling, video

Posted By RichC on October 28, 2024

I enjoyed a some Creedence Clearwater Revival last week on my headphones while walking. While having listened their version of “Midnight Special” many times before, it has never been included as a Music Monday selection.
 

Shocking to me was just how many bands performed the 1905 Howard Odum song: 

The song has been recorded by Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Odetta, Les Paul, The Kingston Trio (who also recorded their song “The Tijuana Jail”, which retains the same music but with new lyrics),[16] Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Burl Ives, Big Joe Turner, Bobby Darin, Cisco Houston, Jimmy Smith, Mungo Jerry, Van Morrison, Little Richard, Buckwheat Zydeco, Otis Rush, The Spencer Davis Group, Lonnie Donegan, Eric Clapton, The Louvin Brothers, Long John Baldry, The Kentucky Headhunters, Willie Watson, Mischief Brew, Hoyt Axton, Odetta, Billy Bragg, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others. Jody Miller arranged her own version and included it on her first album Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe in 1963.

LINK

Category: History, Music | No Comments »
Tags: ccr, creedence clearwater revival, midnight special, music monday, musicmonday

Posted By RichC on October 27, 2024

One of the X.com feeds and blogs that I enjoy following is BrilliantMaps. They are based out of the UK and are always post interesting maps. Last week, this one caught my eye likely because I flew small planes before Menieres … and still enjoy aviation as a hobby. 

What Are Air Traffic Control Zones?

Air Traffic Control Zones, often called Control Zones (CTRs), are designated airspaces around an airport where air traffic control (ATC) services are provided to ensure safe and efficient aircraft operations.

These zones are crucial for managing the takeoff, landing, and general movement of aircraft in and around airports.

Here are key features of Air Traffic Control Zones:

LINK

Category: Aviation, Blogs, Hobby | No Comments »
Tags: air traffic control, brilliantmaps.com, flying, maps, united states

Posted By RichC on October 26, 2024

One of the biggest changes and needs now that our family of iPhones takes larger photos and video … and are now 5G capable … is the need for more data. I’m no longer satisfied with our “pooled” 6GB USMobile plan. I sort of knew this would be a problem, but for most of the time both my wife and I are on WiFi — meaning, wireless cellular data wasn’t being used. 

This changes while traveling and by us wanting  to do the same things on the road as we do at home or in an office; we are finding out on our recent trip. Normal data consumption aside, having 5G with our newer iPhones means we can consume more, faster. Also, the photos and video are much larger and therefore just backing up to iCloud means “more data” … and sending RCS photos and video uses “more data” too!  

What has been great is not having to change my USMobile plan just because we are away from WiFi. They offer an automatic “top-off” feature for an addition $2.00 for each added Gigabyte of data on top of our contracted 6GB per month. Yes it is more money (very fair), but so much better than running out of high speed data or losing our connection. Thanks US Mobile (also, they have just announced support of the cellular version of Apple Watch … so when it is time to replace my Fitbit Versa 2, I’ll be opting for an Apple Watch 9 or 10 or whatever!) 

So without further babbling on, above is a Goodyear Blimp video over Delray Beach capture with the 5x lens on the iPhone 16 Pro Max and below is a still video of a water spout. I’m noticing that with this new improve camera over my older iPhone that I can definitely do more with photography (although the Blimp photos last winter weren’t all that bad).

Category: Archive, Cellphone, Photography, Photos, Technology, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: apple watch, blimp, data plan, delray beach, florida, goodyear, iphone, Photos, testing, usmobile, video

Posted By RichC on October 25, 2024

Nobody really knows when the next recession will come, but economists and those of us who monitor investments would really like to know before it arrives.

This week while moving a few more dollars to the sideline, at least until after the November 2024 election and until mid-January 2025 (parked in a 3-month CD) … I decided to see what Perplexity.AI has to say about predicting recessions and buying US Treasuries if the Fed’s soft landing doesn’t happen. 

Deciding when to buy Treasuries and identifying when a recession is near can be challenging, but there are several indicators and strategies to consider:

Identifying a Potential Recession

Economic Indicators

• Watch the Leading Economic Index (LEI): A sustained drop below zero in the Conference Board’s US Leading Indicator Index is a strong signal of an impending recession.
• Monitor yield curve inversions: An inverted yield curve has historically been one of the most reliable recession indicators.
• Track GDP growth, unemployment rates, and consumer spending: Declines in these areas can signal economic weakness.

Market Behavior

• Observe stock market trends: While not always accurate, significant market declines can sometimes precede recessions.
• Monitor corporate earnings: Widespread earnings declines across sectors may indicate economic trouble.

Timing Treasury Purchases

Interest Rate Cycles

• Interest rates tend to peak about three months before a recession starts.
• Treasury performance typically bottoms around three months before a recession and peaks about five months into it.

Market Sentiment

• Increased demand for “safe haven” assets often signals economic uncertainty.
• When investors become risk-averse, they tend to flock to Treasuries, driving up prices and lowering yields.

Federal Reserve Policy

• Pay attention to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. Rate cuts often precede or coincide with recessions, making Treasuries more attractive.

Strategies for Treasury Investments

• Dollar-Cost Averaging: Instead of trying to time the market perfectly, consider regularly investing in Treasuries over time5.
• Laddering: Build a portfolio of Treasuries with staggered maturities to balance yield and flexibility.
• Diversification: Use Treasuries as part of a broader, diversified portfolio strategy to manage risk.
• Long-Term Perspective: Remember that Treasuries can play a valuable role in portfolio stability, regardless of short-term economic conditions.

It’s important to note that perfectly timing the market or a recession is extremely difficult, even for professional investors. A well-diversified portfolio that aligns with your long-term financial goals is often the best approach, regardless of economic conditions

Category: AI, Financial, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: artificial intelligence, federal reserve, perplexity.ai, recession, tech friday, techfriday, treasuries

Posted By RichC on October 24, 2024

It has been a long time since I remembered when stopping quick required a second foot on the brake pedal, but this photo from a 1964 (Camaro I think) reminded me of that wider pedal (think the 1973 Caddy had the two-foot pedal too?)

Back when yours truly was learning to drive, our family 4-door 1967 Ford Custom 500 came with manual drum brakes. There were times as a teenage “want to drive faster” new driver that I remember using heavy two-footed pressure to stop this boat-ish couple tons of steel with a stock 289 cu in Windsor V8 (the first engine I rebuilt). This was our second car (MomC’s daily driver) and the one I learned to drive using and the one I took my driving test in.

It was also my grandparents car before they passed away in 1969 and 1970 and the car we used to tow our Yellowstone camping trailer and Fiberpile sailboat. 

Category: Automotive, Memories, Photos, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: brake pedal, ford custom 500