My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on January 20, 2013

Selling a long term project like building an airplane leaves me with mixed feelings. In part, I’m glad to be lessening my hobby load of “things to do,” but sad to part with a project that has consumed so much of my time and been a focus this past decade. As family we took trips to Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and separately with Taylor when deciding to add building an airplane to my aviation interests. I spent hours in the workshop with both kids and by myself; they helped with the drilling, deburring and riveting of the 6000+ holes required on the Sonex project. Besides just being with them, I also enjoyed teaching them to use tools that were familiar to me, as well as those which were new. I’ve always loved working with my hands and had hoped to share what know with my children.

I also am disappointed to have had started another long term hobby which was derailed by other interests and time constraints. I would use the excuse that it was monetarily  and the cost was too much, but that would not be completely true since my wife was 100% supportive of my interests (her only concern was that I would eventually fly this project making my life insurance void???) In fact she never minds doing volunteer work with my EAA chapter or functions that revolved around aviation.

As for the buyer, he is from China and has a variety of helicopters and airplanes – from experimental to vintage military planes. The project is being crated and shipped overseas to be completed and flown in that rapidly changing country. I met him through a helicopter aviation friend, Homer Bell this summer who works with the Chinese company owned by the buyer with the shipping American parts to China. I will be interested to hear about the test flights later this year or next?

The only negative now is that “I thought” that I’d be able to take my new found wealth and use it to complete my New Year’s Resolution (a diesel car like a VW TDI)… but the check was quickly swiped by my boss to be used for something more important … my daughter’s wedding! (Links 1, 2 & 3)

Category: Aviation, Personal, Tools | 2 Comments »
Tags: airplane, aviation, flying, project, sold, sonex

Posted By RichC on January 18, 2013

Although retail unleaded gasoline is down 25 cent per gallon since last year at this time in SW Ohio, we remain just above $3.00/gallon in most areas. (I paid $3.09 and $3.07 this week while traveling in north east Ohio)

Since I’m thinking about a new diesel car this year, it is be frustrating to have to consider paying 80 cents or more per gallon for diesel (about $3.90/gallon). Even calculating the 30-35%efficiency of diesel engine, it isn’t easy to justify paying more upfront for a diesel vehicle and still paying 30% more for fuel. For those of us wanting to see diesel vehicles make “real” inroads in America, it will continue to be an uphill battle.

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Local | No Comments »
Tags: diesel, fuel, gasoline, ohio, prices

Posted By RichC on January 17, 2013

We’ve all been there. Weighing the choice to put in sweat equity to save money or spend money to save time. This year is no exception and sided with spending money to save time.

Life has been busy and priorities like spending time with my mom in her final months, and my dad in recent weeks, has taken up the time that I intended to use to work on Encore while she was out of the water. I fully intended to at least paint the bottom after the peel and epoxy barrier, but finding spare days and weeks was not possible. Instead, I’ve opted to job out the final steps in order to get Encore’s bottom finished up and ready to go back in the water. Oh, there is still plenty to do topsides and below decks, but at least we’ll be floating rather than in a dirty boatyard. As my late-brother-in-law would have said, she is looking marvelous. I’m impress with the shine; the guys were able to buff and wax Encore’s aging fiberglass back to life. (more photos below – click for larger)

 
Thanks for the photos Joe (1/15/2013)

Category: Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: encore, sailboat, sailing

Posted By RichC on January 16, 2013

It is becoming increasingly clear the the answer the federal government’s excessive spending is to “broaden the base” … but before the attacks from Democrats begin, let me clarify my reasoning (highlighted below) and explain.

The current debate in Washington DC is whether to address the deficit (and mounting debt) by raising taxes on the wealthy to meet the spending needs of our country … or cut spending in order to match our tax receipts. Most economics classes and lectures reason that neither approach done in a drastic enough as a way to address the country’s problem would work and would instead likely send us back into a recession or probably worse. The bipartisan commission set up by President Obama in his first term looked at the one-sided approaches and recommended a more balanced and more gradual approach. Their recommendations included significant cuts to government spending and increasing revenues by “lowering of tax rates and broadening of the tax base.” Still painful, but spread out over millions of citizens, far less harmful than the president pitting citizen against citizen and picking “winner and losers.” In the end we’ll all lose.

What it means by “lowering the tax rate and broaden the base” is to reduce the tax rates and remove deductions and credits to make up for it. *

A significant point is that in a country where nearly 48% of all citizens do not pay federal income taxes, there isn’t much incentive to control spending. In fact when many receive money from the government, there is an incentive not to do anything that disrupts the status quo. So, if the “base is broadened,” and more of the nation paid federal taxes, there would be an incentive to spend wisely in order to keep ones taxes a low as possible (especially wasteful spending). When we purchase something with our own hard earned money (or our contribution to the nations coffers), we have an interest in spending it more judiciously and can get pretty irritated when our elected representatives spend it in a wasteful way.

What we do know, and where both Democrats and Republicans agree, is that IF we can get more dollars in the hand of consumers, we can build a stronger economy – Republicans want to do this by reducing taxes, Democrats advocate  government stimulus programs – but both want more money in the consumers hands. A stronger economy means more jobs and more jobs improves wages (due to competition for employees, not government regulations). When we have full employment, demand for products and services will be strong and government revenues will rise due to the “broadened base” paying taxes (even at lower rates) on increasingly higher wages … but we all have got to have “skin in the game” and a reason to control wasteful spending. Common sense???

Category: Financial, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: economy, government, taxes

Posted By RichC on January 15, 2013

If you enjoy reading history and military biographies, the new General Stanley McChrystal autobiography My Share of the Task will be your “cup of tea Joe.”

I ordered an ebook version last week after reading a couple short reviews and found it difficult to put down. In fact, I found myself rewinding the Tivo buffer when watching football playoff games this weekend due to reading distraction (usually the opposite!) It is an interesting read and is very easy to become absorbed in Gen. McChrystals’ memories during a time span I remember well. His leadership qualities are apparent from the respect others give him, as well as the focus he himself placed on becoming a good “leader.” After reading about half the book, one conclusion I made is that great leaders are made through hard work, dedication, attention to one’s education and personal discipline; leaders aren’t just born “leaders.”

"High-and-tight" McChrystal in 1999 speaking to the 75th Ranger Regiment

Although I usually still buy books like this in hardcover, I’ve opted to purchase this one in the Kindle format to read on my iPad due to the significant cost difference between  the new release hardcover at Amazon $17.98, the  Amazon Kindle eBook price (Kindle version $14.99) and the “questionable” NOOEO.com “50% off ebook price.” I’m still not sure the version I purchase is 100% legal?

click to purchase at NOOEO.com

Category: Books, History, Millitary | No Comments »
Tags: biography, book, ebook, kindle, mcchrystal

Posted By RichC on January 14, 2013

Tell me this is not worth looking at? Mmm, mmm, mmm.

The VW CrossBlue concept is Volkswagen’s midsize SUV that is larger than a Tiguan and not as off-road performance oriented as the larger Touareg. The CrossBlue concept has six-seats in three rows and could seat up to seven if they offer an optional bench in the second row. The VW CUV should fill the gap between their smaller sport-ute and higher priced Touareg, although price points have not been set (assumed to be between the current two offerings).

Powering the concept is a plug-in hybrid powertrain with diesel engine and an estimated combined city/highway mileage of 35 mpg.

LINK

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Volkswagen | 2 Comments »
Tags: concept, crossblue, diesel, hybrid, tdi, volkswagen, vw

Posted By RichC on January 14, 2013

Jeep officially revealed an updated version of its hot-selling Grand Cherokee this morning at the North America International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich. The high-brow SUV features a number of mechanical enhancements and luxury additions.

Of course the biggest news is the inclusion of diesel power. Chrysler is offering a 3.0-liter compression-ignition engine in the popular Grand Cherokee. Jeep brand President and CEO Mike Manley said it’s “everything our customers have been asking for.”

The powerplant delivers a prodigious 420 lb-ft of torque and an impressive 30 miles per gallon on the highway. The dual overhead-cam, 24-valve V6 should allow the Grand Cherokee to tow up to 7,400 pounds.

READ entire article at: autoguide.com

Category: Automotive, Diesel | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on January 14, 2013

Phil LeBeau of CNBC interviewed Jonathan Browning the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America and highlighted not only their outstanding 30+ sales growth year in 2012, but the commitment to expanding the TDI diesel line-up in North America. The interview from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show also mentioned the addition of more crossover vehicles to VW’s offerings (video below).

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Video-TV, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: cnbc, diesel, tdi, volkswagen, vw

Posted By RichC on January 13, 2013

Hmm, did the content I post to the blog get less interesting or are Internet users getting their fill of personal blogs? Maybe there is just too much content available?

After years of increasing blog readership, at least in pageviews, 2012 was the first year My Desultory Blog saw a decline in the numbers across the board. Now to be fair, I don’t post daily with the intent to attract readers (never did), and instead post as a personal journal … usually something that has interested me at a particular time and place. Still, there is a degree of egotism when seeing traffic numbers rise, a smirk at the deposits from Google Adsense and shock at graphical spikes when reposts appear on busy sites. (I’m floored at what a Reddit mention can do for one day).

Visits to the blog (–14.32%) and unique visitors (-15.42%) dropped  from 2011 to 2012. Total pageviews were down as well, but slightly less at -13.05%. Those who were reading, stayed on page an average of 45 seconds in 2012 before clicking another link, which was 4 seconds longer than in 2011. According to the stats, the number of new visits to the blog were down slightly (-1.46%), but still new visits outweighed returning readers 9 to 1.

The biggest change in 2012 is probably the device that readers use to access MyDesultoryBlog. As might be expected, even with decreased visits, mobile device use (including tablets) increased by 7.57% in 2012 over 2011 – although this is still only about 5% of overall access to the site. Mobile devices users also now visit twice as many pages than 2011 – up 14.68%. The biggest change was in how long mobile devices stayed on content – that was up 78.35%.

Top three posts by number of visits in 2012:

1. Great White Shark post from 2008
2. Rogue Wave post from 2010
3. Analytical Thinking post from 2010

All in all it is interesting to analyze the numbers, although I’m not sure what if anything I will do different in 2013 … perhaps a better mobile accessible site?

Category: Blogs, Misc, Personal | No Comments »
Tags: 2012, analysis, blog, mydesultoryblog, stats

Posted By RichC on January 12, 2013

One would expect some of the conservative western or southern states to adopt deterrents when it comes to criminals targeting gun free zones like public schools, but the Montpelier Exempted Village School Board of Education has been quick to adapt here in Ohio. They approved (5-0) to permit four of their janitors to carry handguns in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last month. As is often the case, smaller organization know how to do more with less when it comes to budgeting and this is a excellent example. Rather than raising taxes again in order to hire additional staff, they instead are utilizing the staff already being employed. Personally I’d rather not telegraph to would-be bad guys “who” in my school was the deterrent, but it seems common sense that districts could utilize firearm trained personnel or ex-military if a community wants to better protect their children. Hmm, if only our bloated federal government could be this creative … “doing more with less,” what a concept!

Montpelier schools OKs armed janitors

MONTPELIER, Ohio — Janitors at Montpelier Exempted Village Schools are equipped with brooms, sponges, and dustpans to keep classrooms, corridors, and bathrooms clean and tidy.

Within the next several months, the custodial staff will be toting handguns as they carry out their daily duties in the school district buildings.

In reaction to last month’s deadly shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the board of education of this Williams County school district Wednesday night unanimously voted for four janitors to carry handguns on the K-12 campus.

School officials say having armed personnel, which may be a first for any school system in Ohio, is designed to thwart incidents of violence and prevent what happened in Newtown, Conn., from occurring in Montpelier.

“Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn’t happen to you is just not good policy anymore. There is a need for schools to beef up their security measures,” Supertendent Jamie Grime told The Blade on Thursday.

“Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect.”

School board President Larry Martin said that, while the school district began looking into arming employees about six months ago, the board didn’t announce the concept publicly until Wednesday’s monthly meeting.

He said the Dec. 14 slayings of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook heightened the decision to put the resolution on the board agenda.

“Our main goal is to offer safety for our students while they are in the classrooms and in the building,” Mr. Martin said. “We have to do something and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with.”

Before voting on the resolution, which was approved 5-0, village Police Chief Jeffrey Lehman met with the board and superintendent in executive session to provide advice, suggestions, and his professional opinion, said Mr. Martin, a school board member for 20 years.

School officials also reviewed the resolution with the district’s Cincinnati-based law firm, Ennis, Roberts, and Fischer, LPA, to determine whether gun possession by janitors in the classroom is legal under the state’s concealed-carry license law.

Mr. Grime said their legal counsel advised that Ohio’s gun law allows for school boards to authorize employees to possess weapons on school grounds if they pass the requirements of the concealed-carry law.

“This is not something that we decided to do, did it, and then figured out what was right and wrong. It is the right thing to do,” Mr. Martin said.

Mr. Martin said that no one spoke in favor or against the measure during the part of the meeting set aside for public comment, and the community has been supportive of the decision.

“The reaction has all been positive,” he said.

The school district will pay for the employees to undergo a two-day training class in mid-March, when instructors with the Tactical Defense Institute will give them a defense class on handgun use in Montpelier.

“Until the training has been completed, nobody will be carrying a concealed handgun here in school,” Mr. Grime said.

The school district will not buy the handguns that will be used by the janitors. Instead, they will be paid a stipend for holstering a weapon.

School officials said the custodians, who are all men and don’t belong to a collective-bargaining group, have agreed to carry guns on the job.

“We will not be forcing this upon anybody,” Mr. Grime said.

LINK

Category: Education, Financial, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: firearms, guns, janitor, montpelier, schools