My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on March 20, 2024

I’m of the opinion that there are three basic issues we Americans need to address when discussing what should be done with TikTok — be it a ban, divested ownership or continue under Chinese ownership and control. 

1. The Chinese Communist Party (government) uses the social media platform to collect data on U.S. citizens/user and feeds an addicted user base in the U.S. with propaganda and a selectively moderated feed.
   Is that appropriate from any foreign country? 
2. TikTok’s data collection practices and influence, puts Americans and the United States at risk from an adversarial country.
   Is it a form of “spying” and espionage?
3. How much freedom should Americans have when it comes to what they choose to read, watch and listen to?
   Would banning TikTok infringe on the First Amendment? 

TikTok, though, may go for option three: Sue the government. (LINK)

For the most part, people who use TikTok to enjoy the senseless videos (including one below) and see it as harmless. They do not understand how the algorithms are used or what the propaganda value is to the CCP.

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Category: News, Politics, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: ccp, china, divest, opinion, tiktok, video, wsj

Posted By RichC on March 19, 2024

Brenda commented with a photo that another White Pine Tree near our property line with one of our neighbors came down in the last windstorm. I missed it, but then generally am not all that observant to what is behind the trees (can’t really see it from our house).

Since the trees are on the line and landed on “his side” … and were planted by the neighbor when they built their house, I think I’ll assume that he will take care of it. The last time the tree came down on our property, so I removed it. 

Category: Personal, Photos, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: homeowner, tree, white pine, wind storm, yardwork

Posted By RichC on March 19, 2024

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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, birthday, bluey, ellerie, family, homebuilding, ohio, oostra, party, whitehouse

Posted By RichC on March 18, 2024

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Category: Memories, Music, Obituary | No Comments »
Tags: eric carmen, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, obit

Posted By RichC on March 17, 2024

Going to college after high school has always seemed expensive, but by working, borrowing and getting help from parents … it was do-able, and by today’s standards, seemed affordable. I can’t help but smile noticing that when I finally paid off my student loan that I could start saving to put my kids through college. Sadly, today the debt many college graduates carry is overwhelming and they aren’t even thinking about having children.

If new grads are fortunate enough to have earned a degree that opens doors and starts a career, they still face a much higher cost of living across the board.

For those who took the vocational route, they may not be saddled with heavy debt, but the road is still not smooth. Everything from health care, to childcare, to the price of a vehicles,  insurance, food, etc are way too high after inflation hit these past few years; it has impacted everyone in America.

One of the big desires for many is “homeownership” … The American Dream … is it really within reach these days? ☹️ 

Our Congressional Rep Warren Davidson posted a comment on X.com and a graphic that I thought was eyeopening. Ugh!

Category: Education, Human Interest, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: economy, Education, healthcare, housing, inflation, life, milton friedman, twitter, warren davidson, wikipedia, x.com

Posted By RichC on March 16, 2024

During our final days in Florida this winter, Brenda and I watch a movie that we both enjoyed called “The Catcher Was A Spy.” I recommended it to Taylor who also enjoys World War II history and am looking forward to his comments. 

The movie is based on a book by Nicholas Dawidoff about Morris “Moe” Berg, a professional baseball player turned OSS spy. The story itself was intriguing after recently watching the movie “Oppenheimer,” considering the themes tie together well (physicists and the atomic bomb). The story regarding Berg’s impressive intelligence and language skills makes the story (perhaps embellished) all the more interesting. His mission after getting close to scientists at a Switzerland conference was to kill Werner Heisenberg and prevent the Nazis from moving forward with an atomic bomb. 

From May to mid-December 1944, Berg hopped around Europe, interviewing physicists and trying to convince several to leave Europe and work in the United States. At the beginning of December, news about Heisenberg giving a lecture in Zürich reached the OSS. Berg was assigned to attend the lecture and determine “if anything Heisenberg said convinced him the Germans were close to a bomb.” If Berg concluded that the Germans were close, he had orders to shoot Heisenberg; Berg determined that the Germans were not close.

LINK

Category: Books, Entertainment, History, Millitary, Movies, Sports | No Comments »
Tags: baseball, moe berg, movie, nicholas dawidoff, oss, spy, spying, the catcher was a spy, ww2

Posted By RichC on March 15, 2024

As someone who has grown up with the “beware of Big Brother” mindset, the thought that even with an Apple iPhone turned off, those with access can still know your location is a bit spooky.

Oh, to be sure, 99% of being able to find an iPhone that is powered down or without enough battery juice to remain active, is a good thing when looking for your lost or stolen smartphone … but still ??? 

MacWorld – March 2024

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 1984, apple, big brother, ios, iphone, macworld, surveillance, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on March 14, 2024

Category: Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: mind games, psychology, reading

Posted By Admin on March 13, 2024

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Posted By RichC on March 13, 2024

My daughter Katelyn’s driving habits are reminiscent of both her mom and dad — long commutes and a lot of driving. With those longer than normal commutes comes higher than normal miles on cars … and attention to maintenance.

Being a smart owner of her 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan, she sees to it that her VW is serviced. This time after getting pricey “air filter quotes” (above), she wisely decided to try a little maintenance herself; she changed her air filter without a problem (I knew she could do it!). This dad smiled seeing her not being afraid to go under the hood and save a few dollars made me smile! 

Category: Automotive, Personal, Photos, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: air filter, daughter, katelyn, maintenance, quote, tiguan, vw