My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2012

Awww … even a Mr. Manatee baby can be cute. After being too busy to post something for today, I lazily pulled a couple photos from the weekend and figured at least one of the photos was cute enough to put on the blog (ok, both of them). The second photo (below) is of Katelyn and her fiancé Drew as their trip to visit his parents in Florida wraps up. So glad they had a few days off together to recharge their batteries (love those shades)!

Drew and Katelyn on Vero Beach, FL – 9/7/2012

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: drew, family, katelyn, manatee

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2012

After Samsung’s recent lost to Apple in federal court, Android users will start to see a few changes to the look and feel of their phones and tablets and those being designed by Apple. One would assume that the individual manufacturer’s tweaks to Google’s Android — skins –will be modified from the current attempt to emulate Apple’s iOS and the Google’s out of the box Android OS (deeper pockets). The question is, will the changes being made be acceptable to users … or will they switch? Besides the changes to the skins by each hardware manufacturer, I would think Google’s developers are distancing themselves in areas where Apple lawyers already have the taste of billion dollar blood.

InformationWeek highlighted a change to Samsung’s rubber-banding effect in its Galaxy line of phones – the bounce-back of content that occurs when a user reaches the edge of an electronic document. In its new Galaxy S3, “Samsung has substituted a blue glow for the bounce-back feature to warn a user that he’s approaching an edge.”

"Competitors will start to make more deliberate differences in their models from Apple’s. That could be quite disruptive" to their production schedules in the near term, said Ovum telecommunications analyst Jan Dawson, in an interview.

Hmm, “disruptive?”

Too many “disruptive” changes will irritate users, especially if the changes, or in Android speak, improvements, complicate the lives of smartphone users and the look and feel they are already use to. I see it as especially frustrating for those who uses several similar content consuming devices and are switching between iPhone and Android phone, an iPad and Android tablet, or perhaps a Blackberry, Kindle or Windows 8 device?

I’m already frustrated with different operating systems. Ever since I started using the iPad, I find myself finger pinching and jabbing at the computer. I’m not sure I can handle more differences … and suspect that is Apple’s plan!

Category: Cellphone, Computer, Tablet, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: android, apple, Computer, ios, ipad, iphone, smarphone, tablet

Posted By RichC on September 8, 2012

I’d love to visit and sail in New Zealand someday and I occasionally exchange emails back and forth with a couple friends living in that southern hemisphere country. One friend sent me a link on Friday after a strong storm hit Wellington with 140kmh (87mph) winds. They saw some damage throughout the city and it was no doubt a challenging time for those with boats moor in the area (photo above). As the weather forecaster comments, “it’s a mucky weekend however you want to slice it.”

http://is.gd/NZgales

Category: Misc, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: new zealand, wind

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2012

I read a simple article reviewing where Apple ($AAPL) makes their money … product mix, not geographic location. Anyway, I thought it was interesting that they make over 70% of their total sales (trailing 12 months) on the iPhone and iPad … that in comparison to Macintosh computers, software and services and even their Music store!

LINK

Category: Business, Computer, Financial, Technology | 2 Comments »
Tags: aapl, apple, finacials, ipad, iphone

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2012

A first for Volkswagen in the U.S. is coming this year as they bring in the remodel new diesel Beetle TDI convertible for 2013.

EDIT: I’m not sure what happened to the balance of this post, but will have to go back to my home PC later and see if it is still there … for now just ogle the photos.
🙂

Category: Automotive, Diesel, Volkswagen | 2 Comments »
Tags: 2013, beetle, convertible, diesel, tdi, volkswagen, vw

Posted By RichC on September 6, 2012

This year at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the liberal wing of the party hit a little resistance from within their own party as they continued to push “change” in a direction that was a bit “too far, too fast.”  They have made gains in uniting around gay marriage and government healthcare with moderate Dems, but encountered resistant by excluding God and where Democrats stand on the capital of Israel.

The platform, in keeping with a “progressive” push, decided to exclude references to “God” as well as their written support that Jerusalem be recognized as the capital of the Jewish State of Israel.

Initial questioning as to why the Democrats excluded these words was brought to light by the media and in particular a heated exchange between Sen. Dick Durbin and Bret Baier of Fox News.  Shortly after the hubbub the Democratic  leaders (prompted by President Obama), decided to bring the issue to the floor and amend the platform –  it did not go as planned (video below).

The entire fiasco spotlights how liberal Democrats are “changing” America and moving in a direction different from those who want to keep the traditional and biblical values as part of our culture. This most recent exclusion of words highlight the liberal agenda as well as many of those that have already been achieved. Most “change” is 180-degrees from ones many of Americans embrace and see as part of our heritage. Liberal Democrats are treading on values that are core for many Americans and it makes me wonder just “how far and how fast” they can push their version of “change?”

Category: Politics, Video-TV | 2 Comments »
Tags: change, convention, democrat, platform

Posted By RichC on September 5, 2012

I’m on the road today day and adding this as a filler post for Wednesday … but I wanted to archive a few recent photos (maybe the last few with my Palm Pre?).

First, the drought across the country has had a serious impact on corn as well as other crops. Here in Ohio the yield is going to be low and most fields look like this one below — just west of Ashland, Ohio today.

Also this past Labor Day weekend we felt the remnants of Hurricane Isaac as the bands of clouds and rain fanned counter-clockwise overhead (below, looking west over the pool)

And finally the leave have already started to fall in our front yard making it the earliest I’ve ever seen this many leaves on the ground.

Category: Misc, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: corn, drought, home, house, ohio, yard

Posted By RichC on September 4, 2012

I do enjoy the hype and speculation surrounding a new gadget release in the tech world … and few do it better than Apple. Last year’s iPhone 4s announcement was expected by most of us to be the iPhone 5, but it was not to be. This year everyone again expects them to adopt the “5” moniker – will Apple play with naming nomenclature again?

A few more fully assembled photos appeared this past weekend showing the familiar 4 and 4s design with a thinner and as “expected” taller profile. I suspect those who are already comfortable with the existing virtual keyboard will be pleased with the width remaining close to the current iPhone and appreciate the extra height above the familiar pop up keyboard. Those considering a switch from the new wider Android phones or a physical Blackberry/Palm Pre keys may not see keeping the narrow-ish width as an important feature.

After getting familiar with my wife’s Samsung, I’m thinking I may be able to give up the physical keyboard of my Palm Pre … still challenging as I get grumpier and more set in my ways. Still, if the new iPhone offers an improved camera (it probably does – previous post) as well as a 4G LTE Sprint radio and full day battery life that resembles that of the impressive iOS iPad. Here are a few more comparison photos from BGR.com.

Click for larger images

Category: Cellphone, Technology | 1 Comment »
Tags: apple, iphone, iphone5, rumors, smartphone

Posted By RichC on September 3, 2012

Photo: Terry Ekstedt

I missed the usual busy weekend with the TDIClub’s TDIFest and my EAA friends at our annual fly-in and pancake breakfast, but I was able to be at my mom’s bedside with several from my family. Mom had a rare smile and wasn’t in pain. Her voice was weak, but her mind was sharp and clear. We are thankful for the way hospice is managing her pain, caring for her comfort and giving her time to talk with her family with a clear head. Brenda and I visited with her at Dorothy Love in Sidney and also enjoyed spending some time with my brother and his family as well as my cousins Diane and Bert ;(thanks for coming down).

Category: Aviation, Misc | No Comments »
Tags: airshow, eaa

Posted By RichC on September 2, 2012

Sharing a story while trying out Google’s Current reader on the iPad to see how it re-posts to my blog … but it is an interesting story.

Andrew Leaper, a Scottish skipper, has discovered the world’s oldest message in a bottle. He found the bottle while on the same fishing vessel where another mate had set the previous record, for a bottle that had been floating in the ocean for 92 years and 229 days. Now, Leaper has broken his buddy’s Guinness World Record: his discovery turned out to be a 98-year old message in a bottle.

Leaper told the BBC, “It was an amazing coincidence. It’s like winning the lottery twice.”

Within the bottle, a postcard written in June 1914 by Captain CH Brown of the Glasgow School of Navigation promised the finder a reward of 6 pence. It had been part of a scientific experiment in which 1,890 such bottles were released, in a bid to chart currents around Scotland.

Leaper said his friend Mark Anderson, who set the previous record in 2006, was “very unhappy that I have topped his record.” Anderson “never stopped talking about it – and now I am the one who is immensely proud to be the finder of the world record message in a bottle.”

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/08/the-oldest-message-in-a-bottle-ever-found-is-98-years-old/ — Photo: funtik.cat

Category: Misc | 1 Comment »
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