My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on February 18, 2010

It looks like the Lakota Board of Education has decided to place a new levy on May 4th’s primary ballot in our area – LINK – not a well timed request, in my opinion.

I’ve been mostly supportive and relatively pleased with the education my kids have received in our local public schools, but from my perspective it has come at a cost, since my property taxes are steep. My desire for ‘lower-taxes’ aside, the timing of a new school levy and property tax increases, with automatic increase again in 2012 and hints of yet another “anticipated” additional request in 2014 is absurd (article snippet below).

Incremental levies — “spread the load,” board members said Wednesday — using one vote by taxpayers to support two millage rates. In this case, if approved, the incremental levy would continue at the 6.9-mill level until 2012, then automatically increase by 4.9 mills from 2012 to 2014.

If approved, the levy would cost an additional $211 per year per $100,000 in home value from 2010 to 2012, then $361 — a $150 increase — per year per $100,000 in home value from 2012 to 2014. District finance officials said Monday they anticipate heading back to voters for another operating levy in 2014 or 2015.

The Pulse~Journal

With an economy sputtering and creating paycheck reductions for many residents along with some facing unemployment and mounting bills, it is not a good time for schools to be asking for more money. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t discount that our schools have announced cuts in spending and they have already eliminated positions, programs, some bus services and assistant this-and-that positions, but there comes a time when school employees across the board need to talk pay and benefit cuts just as in the private sector when business is in recession. Come back when we see the efficiencies of using our expensive facilities year around and school employees working without the excessive vacation, holiday and sick time … if and when that happens, then come to us with a school levy.

Category: Education, Financial, Local, News | 4 Comments »
Tags: lakota, levy, school, taxes

Posted By RichC on February 17, 2010

Palm Pre and Pixi webOS users have been patiently waiting for the soon to be released 1.4 software  OS update for their smartphones (it was expected Monday).  While waiting, I spent a few minutes fidgeting with the camera on my cellphone, wondering if there will be any tweaks beyond video. Rumor has it that we’ll be getting the camcorder (big deal, the old Palm OS already had it) and the ability to stream Flash video, a bigger deal.

Anyway, last year I tinkered with trying different techniques for macro photography, mostly using a pair of reading glasses, and have been wondering if its worth making a set of stick on contact lenses for my cellphone — I’m only half joking. Yesterday,  I took a couple telephoto style photos out the back window … one without and one using a 7 x 50 binoculars.

Click images for larger views

Category: Cellphone, Photography, Photos | 2 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on February 16, 2010

Now that the worst of the couple of days of winter snow are over, I noticed that Clinton County (a county to the east) has just now declared a LEVEL 3 Snow Emergency (the one that closes roadways to non-emergency personnel – see below). I had thought that road crews were getting on top of the snow removal and that roads were pretty much just slushy and wet?

Interestingly we are only half way through the month and have broken the longstanding 1914 record for February snowfall. As of 6PM Monday night, any additional snow sets a new February record. Hmm … I thought “Global Warming” means more rain and less snow???

LEVEL 1:  Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Drive carefully. Motorists must move cars from snow emergency routes.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.
LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one else should be out during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.

Category: Local, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: clinton, county, record, snow, sw ohio

Posted By RichC on February 16, 2010

“Google, are you playing nice … or do you need a little parenting?”
(WSJ Digits).

Category: Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: google, wsj

Posted By RichC on February 16, 2010

There are still a few of us running Windows 7 RC and putting off the inevitable reinstall headache. I suppose I’ve been hoping that there might be some kind of extension or that I might end up with a new computer? Alas, the time is drawing near to install either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional (pre-purchased) before the release candidate starts shutting down. 

According to Microsoft …

Starting on March 1, 2010 your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Your work will not be saved during the shutdown. The Windows 7 RC will fully expire on June 1, 2010. Your PC running the Windows 7 RC will continue shutting down every two hours and your files won’t be saved during shutdown. In addition, your wallpaper will change to a solid black background with a persistent message on your desktop. You’ll also get periodic notifications that Windows isn’t genuine. That means your PC may no longer be able to obtain optional updates or downloads requiring genuine Windows validation.

To avoid interruption, please reinstall a prior version of Windows or move to Windows 7. In either case, you’ll need to do a custom (clean) install to replace the RC. As with any clean installation, you’ll need to back up your data then reinstall your applications and restore the data. For more details about replacing the RC, see the Knowledge Base article KB 971767. For more information, visit the Window 7 Forum.
Thanks again for helping us test Windows 7.
The Windows 7 Team

Category: Computer, Software | 2 Comments »
Tags: microsoft, os, windows 7 rc

Posted By RichC on February 15, 2010

The El Niño as certainly brought it share of precipitation this year, although I’m not sure where the warmer weather is? Here in Cincinnati we’re surpassing our February snowfall averages and nearing records, so I have been hearing – WCPOWeather Tweet.

We’ve already past last year for snow for this time of year (21.5”) by having recorded 27.1 inches of snow so far. The yearly average for my county, Butler County, is for a total of 24 inches annually which is relatively wimpy compared to NE Ohio — 80-100 inches in the Lake Erie snowbelt area of the state.

It does seem as if we are getting a lot of snow for our area, although the records of 1977-78 will more than likely continue to stand. That winter is known by those who remember it as the winter of the “Blizzard of ‘78.” It was snowiest winter on record — Dayton measured 62.7 inches for the season and Cincinnati was officially at 53.9. (The previous year saw the third highest snows on record as well — 47.3 inches.)

As predicted though, we’ve added as least a half foot more snow to the existing base and expect an additional few inches before it winds down this evening. Over the noon hour I stayed reasonably close to home keeping my travel to a minimum as there was a Level 2 snow emergency declared – who wants to get stuck or worse … be in an accident? Time to go shovel … again. (photo above – Cincinnati-Dayton Road in West Chester, below on 747 and in Liberty Twp. Ohio)

EDIT 2/16/2010: The snowfall for February has topped a record in place for nearly 100 years for the Greater Cincinnati area, according to the weather service. The record of  21.8 inches was set in February 1914 and was tied at 6 p.m. Monday evening and passed with the addition of an inch or so more snow overnight.

Category: Local, News, Weather | 4 Comments »
Tags: butler, cincinnati, county, dayton, ohio, record, snow

Posted By RichC on February 15, 2010

Updated to WordPress 2.9.2 which was primarily released to repair a problem “where logged in users can peek at trashed posts belonging to other authors.” Not a big deal for most WordPress users, but an easy update for those desiring to stay current.

Category: Computer, Productivity, Software | 6 Comments »
Tags: my desultory blog, wordpress

Posted By RichC on February 15, 2010

The original 1851 America

Finally after too many years and several strong attempts to win her back, the America’s Cup is back in a U.S. yacht club for the first time since 1992. Team BMW Oracle defeated the Swiss Defender’s Alinghi outright to bring the the cup to San Francisco’s  Golden Gate Yacht Club in a convincing win on February 14th .

BMW ORACLE Racing Team’s revolutionary wing sail powered trimaran USA convincingly won Race 2 off Valencia today to win the 33rd America’s Cup match outright.

The American team, founded ten years ago by software mogul Larry Ellison, achieved its ultimate goal when they powered across the finish line of Race 2 with a margin of 5 minutes and 26 seconds to defeat the Swiss Defender’s Alinghi 2-0.

Ellison sailed on board USA today, his first America’s Cup Match race proving a winning one.

See americascup.com

Category: Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: america's cup, racing, sailing

Posted By RichC on February 14, 2010

Men … how about a little humor from Tim Hawkins as we remember to wish those we love a Happy Valentine’s Day. Just to be clear — my advice is to avoid ‘all’ the pitfalls he sings about!
😀

Category: Holiday, Humor, Video | No Comments »
Tags: comedy, valentine

Posted By RichC on February 13, 2010

With my daughter at home for a couple weeks while doing an M3 year “exploratory” at Children’s Hospital here in Cincinnati, I had the chance to use her new Barnes and Noble Nook to read a book. After the newness wore off and the expense of paying for digital ebooks and publications took hold, I’ve decided I’m not much of a fan. It may be one thing to read a few periodical articles, a couple PDF documents or even a bit of pleasure reading, but I don’t see e-readers ready for a quick morning newspaper scan or convenient study or research instead of a pile of books spread out on a desk or table.

This brings me to the format and how someone currently pays for most ebooks. If I purchase a ‘paper’ book, I own it. I can read it, put it on a shelf, share it, loan, sell or give it away. Sure the ebook is slightly discounted to $10 to $15 compared to a new hardback version, but basically you are only ‘renting’ the electronic copy. The licensing structure prohibits much more than a single device or single reading and even in the case of the Nook’s two week lend program for some books, its not all that convenient considering the rental investment.

As for the devices themselves, obsolescence is built in (try to replace the battery) and very few owners will have the expertise to relicense their purchased books to the next great device. As my daughter and I discussed, investing in more than a few ebooks for her Nook is probably not going to happen under the current structure and I’m not sure the iPad will be structured all that differently?

Here are a few thoughts for publishers and independent authors:

1. Publishers should include a ebook version with every hardcover purchase. I’d gladly purchase the hardcover for home or office and used the ebook version for convenience, travel and general reading.
2. Create a ebook ‘light’ for library lending or rentals similar to audiobooks. A log-in and return feature that prevents secondary sharing and requires a return – deletion – of the ebook.
3. Capitalize on the social networking side of reading a publisher’s ebook by adding content from their website and through other social networking sites that will encourage more sales or market additional books.

Category: Books, Business, Technology | 4 Comments »
Tags: ebook, ereader, ipad, kindle, nook, publishing