My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on May 1, 2009

If you pay attention to technology news at all  you’re probably getting fed up with Twitter  — even if you find yourself tweeting, blogging and talking about it. At least once a week I hear someone say, “I don’t care what someone had for lunch.” I use to try and explain that Twitter is not just social chit-chat as it as to do with who you follow. I would go on to mention major and minor news sources, business marketers and public announcements … but I’ve given up since the anti-Twitter crowd has really already made up their mind.

Since I travel a bit, I’ve found Twitter is something simple enough to access on my Treo even if I’m just using it to kill a minute or two while interacting with friends. Other times I do find myself enjoying 140 character news briefs, weather briefs or political updates. Interestingly, earlier this week I used a short Twitter conversation to negotiate with a laptop battery company (@batteryfuel) and ended up buying a replacement from them — Batteryfuel.com.

Still, I’m wondering just how far this simplistic social networking phenomenon can go without making a profit or even having a solid business plan besides finding angel funding and selling the company to the highest bidder. If not for that latter part, I wonder what their business plan is going to be like besides telling the media that its about “creating value” rather than “making profit.”

Kara Swisher at All Things Digital at  had a chance to talk for a few minutes with Twitters’ founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone earlier this month after Mr. Stone’s appearance on the Colbert Nation.

Category: Business, Financial, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: twitter

Posted By RichC on April 30, 2009

Since I’ve posted a couple times about the online “web-video aggregator” Hulu.com, the latest news that Disney has reached a deal to buy a significant share of the company and put full episodes of its ABC TV shows on the site is pretty big news. The advantage for Hulu is that Disney will invest capital and marketing dollars as the Internet continues to grow in an audience who chooses to get their television programing online. (READ the Hulu Blog)

Category: Entertainment, Financial, Video-TV | No Comments »
Tags: abc, disney, hulu

Posted By RichC on April 30, 2009

While adding a new Twitter feature call Tweetmeme (see retweet button at bottom of post), I stumbled across an interesting statistic compiled by Nielsen which concludes that 60% of Twitter Users Quit within the First Month, at least that is how Mashable writer Pete Cashmore sees it. I’m not sure how that stacks up to other social networking media avenues, but believe that Nielsen measures numbers in terms of access to the Twitter URL — their website —  they don’t take into account the number of non-website interfaces used to access and update Twitter (ie. TweetDeck, etc.)?

Category: Computer, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: mashable, nielsen, tweetmeme, twitter

Posted By RichC on April 29, 2009

Have you ever need to get a group together and try to schedule the best time for a meeting or conference call? If so, you know what a pain this can be sending emails or making phone calls to everyone.

Try this simple, innovated and FREE website service next time you’re faced with finding “When is Good” for your group — no registration or log in required.

BTW … if you are interested in testing my new D-Link DPH-50U Skype to  landline phone set up by helping me with  a Skype call on Monday or Tuesday next week, then try this “When is Good” link.

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Category: How-To, Productivity | 7 Comments »
Tags: d-link, Productivity, skype, webpick

Posted By RichC on April 28, 2009

An article in our local paper highlighted the Golden Lamb restaurant and hotel in historic Lebanon, Ohio this week. It has been in business for75,000 consecutive days. That’s long enough to have seen a civil war, two world wars and 40 presidents. The celebration on April 27th marked the 206 years of business for this notable Ohio “house of public entertainment,” as it was called when Jonas Seaman purchased the $4 license in 1803. The Monday celebration was marked by several national, state and local political leaders recognizing the historic and successful long standing operation.

Pulse Journal Article

Golden Lamb celebrates 75,000 days in business
By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer,  Monday, April 27, 2009

A lot has happened in the past 75,000 days. Two world wars were fought. Forty presidents have taken office. An entire nation was built. But through it all, the Golden Lamb has stayed in business.

The Golden Lamb celebrated its 75,000 consecutive day in business in Lebanon on Monday, April 27. National, state, and local political leaders appeared at the Lamb Monday to help celebrate its anniversary.

“The Golden Lamb is the primary historic and economic anchor for Lebanon,” said mayor Amy Brewer. “It has played an important role in the community for the past 206 years.”

The restaurant and hotel first opened its doors on Dec. 23, 1803. According to historian John Zimkus, Jonas Seaman spent $4 to purchase a license to operate a “house of public entertainment.” Because many people were illiterate, restaurants took their names from distinctive signs, such as a drawing of a colorful animal, that could be used as a guidepost.

The restaurant was situated on Broadway to catch stage coach traffic passing through town. Seaman served traditional frontier food such as wild turkey and bear and charged between five and 10 cents for a meal. As was the custom at the time, overnight guests did not rent rooms, only parts of a bed that they would share with others. Zimkus said for a reduced rate, guests could sleep on the floor.

In the 1930s (somewhere in its 40,000 day of business), Robert Jones, a college-age Dayton man with virtually no experience running a restaurant, purchased the Lamb. Jones was a history buff who refurbished the building to an early-1800s style and also emphasized the history in its marketing.

“He loved people,” said Jones’s grandson, Rob Portman, one of the Lamb’s current owners and a 2010 Ohio senatorial candidate. “He would pour water for guests so he could interact with them.”

Portman, a former U.S. congressman from the Cincinnati area and the director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush, credited his grandmother with helping the restaurant survive the Great Depression.

“She kept the books and was the enforcer,” Portman said. “Grandpa ran the restaurant, but she had the mind for business.”

Portman said the restaurant has survived hardship through being both innovative and keeping alive popular traditions that draw the community back time and again.

“The Golden Lamb has remained a consistent and reliable place for people to gather,” Portman said.

General manager Ty Borger said he was already looking forward to the Golden Lamb reaching its 100,000 day of business, which according to his calculations will be Oct. 7, 2077.

Category: History, Local, News | No Comments »
Tags: golden lamb, lebanon, pulse journal

Posted By RichC on April 27, 2009

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

H1N1 Swine flu in 2009

• Pink markers are suspect
• Purple markers are confirmed
• Deaths lack a dot in marker
• Yellow markers are negative

The Swine Flu pandemic, believed to have started in Mexico, is showing up around the world as the WHO and U.S. CDC is doing their best to inform citizens in the best course of action. They are hoping to keep the public calm while preventing the spread of this deadly flu strain while seeking the best approach in treating those who are affected. For those using the Internet and technology to learn more and keep abreast, there is an excellent using of Google Maps ‘pining’ the suspected and confirmed cases around the world.

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Category: Health, News | No Comments »
Tags: cdc, flu, pandemic, swine, who

Posted By RichC on April 26, 2009

The weather being as nice as it has been this weekend had me toting around my camera. One of the items showing change as been the gazebo which is now sporting a new roof. The progress has been slow (in my opinion), but I’m glad to see it coming along.

• Strong 70+ mph winds do damage in Ohio
• Our Ike damage gazebo project is finally underway
• Live ustream.tv gazebo project video
• Gazebo project slow due to rain

Category: Misc, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: efe, gazebo

Posted By RichC on April 25, 2009

Occasionally I enjoy looking at archived posts from the previous year, or even several years ago by clicking on links in the right hand side bar’s “Years ago on this day“ list. It is surprising how fast 4 years have gone by? It was in April 2005 that I moved my paper journal to a blog format and perhaps went public with my first desultory post. Thankfully I’m not a professional journalist or concerned about my reputation as a writer — I would have wisely quit a long time ago. If you have read my blog often, you’ve no doubt noticed that I’m not much for proofreading; I’ve purposely opted for quantity over quality. To those who are offended … my apology.
😳
Nevertheless, blogging something each day has been therapeutic for me. It offers a few minutes to reflect on something that is on my mind in that particular moment. One of the benefits of being non-topical is that there is always something to post. In fact on this weekend as I prepare to tend to the yard I’m thinking about the garden … thoughts of making it a raised garden with a rabbit fence and rain barrel perhaps? (an idea photo below) Hmm … with that, I’m heading out into the yard to enjoy this fine weekend.

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Category: How-To, Personal | 1 Comment »
Tags: anniversary, blog, garden, idea

Posted By RichC on April 25, 2009

I’ve posted a couple times (1 & 2) before on Terrafugia’s Transition experimental airplane/car and wanted to include a little video from the Tampa Fox affiliate taken at the Sun ‘n Fun airshow in Landland Florida. A group of students from  M.I.T. developed a two-seat aircraft that can take off and land at small airports and drive within seconds drive on the roadways. The airplane/car vehicle runs on regular gasoline and can fly at 115 mph or drive on highways at up to 65 mph.

The company says that they expect  to have models ready for delivery next year for about $200,000.  According to the company’s CEO, Carl Deitrich, they are  taking refundable deposits — $10,000 deposit for a production slot. (video below)

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Category: Automotive, Aviation | No Comments »
Tags: airplane, aviation, experimental, transistion

Posted By RichC on April 24, 2009

A couple guys on their way to the popular spring aviation event called Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland Florida had a interesting landing after an engine failure. Pilot, and flight instructor Kyle Davis along with  his friend and passenger, a professional videographer, left Winter Haven on there way to Lakeland Florida. It was just a short flight from Gilbert Field at about 10:30 in the morning. They experienced an engine failure  without too much altitude shortly after take-off and were faced with an emergency landing situation. Davis remained calm and began searching for the best place to put his plane down while he attempted a couple restarts … some he has no doubt practice over and over with his students. Eventually he spotted a section of a boulevard street  in Winterhaven and it was fortunately without many cars (sheer luck); he was able to make a safe engine out landing and even pulled into a parking lot. Their video has been shared on network news programs and around the web. It is posted below.

Category: Aviation | No Comments »
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