My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on April 24, 2006

I spotted a Volkswagen Jetta advertisement that reminds me of the Volvo ads … stressing safety.An accident can happen at anytime and that selecting a car that is light and fuel efficient might not always be the wisest choice. Realizing just how much I spend on insurance “just in case” … perhaps a few dollars toward a safer vehicle isn’t a bad idea either?

Thankfully for most new car buyers, automobiles ‘over the board’ are far safer than their predecessors. Still, there are few cars that test a little better than others … I’ll point out a couple bias thoughts in case the fuel prices have anyone hybrid shopping:
1) The New Jetta scores top in cars of its size.
2) The VW diesel option (TDI) get over 40MPGs and is not a small underpowered car.
3) The TDI version runs diesel (or biodiesel) which is not nearly as dangerous or explosive in a crash.
4) The VW doesn’t have a high voltage electrical system and a gasoline tank — two items that do not go well together in an accident.
5) Statistics state that the average American is likely to be in FOUR accidents in their lifetime — which car do you want to be in.
6) Diesel vehicles have traditionally outlasted and retained their resale better than most.

Category: Video, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: mp4, safe happens, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on April 23, 2006

Mark Groves had another great VW TDI GTG on Saturday. The central location just 30 minutes from Columbus, the great weather and the many helping hands of experienced owners helped to make this “Spring Dust Off” an enjoyable event. Mark and his wife’s hospitality was appreciated by all; what a great host. (too many things to eat!)

I counted owners from 5 states and all points of Ohio. I did my best to represent the CinciTDI gang and enjoyed meeting new and old TDI Lovers. The day could not have been more beautiful from the aspect of a nice drive and pleasant weather. Several owners were there early starting in on their intake manifold cleanings under the tutelage of Bruce Bowling. (be sure to support the CinciTDI and TDIClub and receive an Intake Manifold Cleaning DVD starring Bruce!) MoGolf (Glen), the world reknown timing belt guru was busy under the hood and of course working none stop. Most car owners had small projects but several of us just came to socialize … it was a good time.

I’ll include a few photos below with a new feature that allows for a large full size photo by clicking on it.















Thanks again Mark, we had a great time.

—-
EDIT and add comments from Mark Grove:

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who attended. The
final count was 25 cars representing 6 states.

Awesome!

Addtionally, I’d like to thank those of you who brought sides,
snacks, desserts, etc. Your generosity in the donation can is greatly
appreciated too.
A special thank you to our “Master Wrench Turners” Glen, Bruce, and
Aaron. Without you guys this thing just wouldn’t have been as
successful.
Thanks to Rich for being our official GTG photographer and for
posting the pix at CinciTDI and on his personal blog. Be sure to
check them out.

Work wrap-up:
3 intake cleanings
1 racepipe installation
1 boost guage installation
1 antenna installation
1 instrument cluster swap
1 oil/filter change
1 fuel/air/cabin filter change
1 TB change
Numerous VAG-COM tweaks and checks

I probably missed a few things so please post them for the record.

IMPORTANT!- I have 1 MK3 plastic belly pan in my garage. Free to it’s
rightful owner. I haven’t found the related installation hardware.
Also, there is one green and white folding lawnchair and a red
plastic Tupperware bowl which are longing to go home.
Contact me via PM and we’ll make arrangements to get those items back
to you.

Once again, Lisa and I thank you all for making it such a fantastic
GTG and hope to see you all at the next one in October!

Mark

Category: Automotive, Volkswagen | 8 Comments »
Tags: cincitdi, grove city, tdi, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on April 22, 2006

The subject is on everyone’s mind once again … Fuel prices. What are we doing about it and is it really a problem of our own making? As several east coast gas stations put the ‘Out of Gas’ signs back on their pumps, Americans are getting worked up once again over potential shortages and the higher price of oil. Crude has been hitting highs at over $70/barrel (over $75 today), but most analysts indicate our stockpiles and inventories are in good shape. “Its the uncertainly with Iran” one Future’s trader commented, “its not a matter of IF we go head to head with Iran over their nuclear program, its WHEN.” I suspect that fear in this case, mixed with a little greed, is what is triggering $3+ dollar gasoline and diesel.

I was reading an email today that got me thinking about oil prices. Perhaps I’ll make this a multi part post … the first taking a look at what world gasoline prices really are. Below are 15 cities around the world with far different burdens on their citizens. Some countries tax gasoline heavily, which boost their price per gallon and others (producer nations) offer their citizens cheap oil. How does one justify 12 cent per gallon gasoline???

Price in US Dollars:

Oslo, Norway – $6.62

London, England – $5.96

Rome, Italy – $5.80

Brussel, Belguim – $6.16

Kuwait – $0.78

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – $0.91

Hong Kong – $6.25

Tokyo – $5.05

Sao Paulo, Brazil – $4.42

Buenos Aires, Argentina – $2.09

Mexico City, Mexico – $2.22

Sydney, Australia – $3.42

Johannesburg, South Africa – $3.39

New Delphi, India – $3.71

Caracas, Venezuela – $0.12 < === Huh?

Here is a much better chart of pricing as a percentage of income posted on gratefulpatriot.com.

Category: Automotive, Biodiesel, Environment, Financial | 2 Comments »
Tags: biodiesel, diesel, fuel, gasoline

Posted By RichC on April 21, 2006

The JCB Dieselmax streamliner car will attempt to break the record for a diesel powered ‘land’ vehicle on the Bonneville Salt Flats this summer. In August of 2006, Britian’s Wing Commander Andy Green, will race the JCB Dieselmax car across the famous Utah desert aiming for 300 mph. Andy Green is known as the ‘fastest man ON Earth’ and will be driving this British twin diesel powered vehicle. He set the first-ever supersonic world land speed record at 763.035 mph in ThrustSSC on the Black Rock Desert in October 1997. Green said, “We will be following in the tradition of British record breakers by running at the sport’s spiritual home, the remarkable Bonneville Salt Flats. I am really looking forward to driving another British entry in the ‘300 mph Club,’ and a diesel-engined, wheel-driven one at that.”

The car is built around two JCB444 diesel engines that are used to power JCB backhoes and will develop 750HP. They are known to be the world’s most powerful diesel engines per liter according to the press release. The project is coded named H1 and the team is being mentored by Richard Noble, the former land speed record holder. JCB is a privately owned company that see this feat as an engineering challenge. Company chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford, responds to the question as to why go for the record with: “I am passionate about the importance of engineering excellence to Britain and I see using the JCB engine for this record attempt as a fantastic way of showcasing what British engineers can do. The JCB444 has been acknowledged as a remarkable piece of engineering, and this programme to build the world’s fastest diesel-powered automobile is precisely the sort of technical challenge that we should rise to.”

The current diesel-powered land speed record stands at 235.756 mph to Virgil W. Snyder and the Thermo King Streamliner and dates back to 25 August 1973. Click here for a company ‘video’ press announcement.

Category: Diesel | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on April 20, 2006

The Tri-State Clean Fuel Network along with Ohio farm groups will be displaying the ‘SoyToy’ at the Seventeenth Cincinnati Flower Show this year. The show runs from April 22nd to April 30th this year as will span two weekends and is nationally recognized as one of the finest shows of its kind. Better Home and Gardens commented that the “Cincinnati Flower Show – This is the king of all flower shows.”

FAQs for those interested in attending this years show:
What are the Show hours?
Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm
Sunday-Tuesday, 9 am to 7 pm
Wednesday 12 noon to 7 pm
Thursday-Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm
Where can I purchase tickets in advance and during the Show?
All admission and event tickets are available on line-click on Show events. General admission tickets are also available at all local Kroger and National City locations.
What are the admission prices?
$15 in advance or $20 at the gate. Children 3-12 are $5. 2-day passes are $25.
What are the directions to Coney Island?
Coney Island is conveniently located off of I-275, exit #72 and east on Kellogg Avenue
What hotels should we consider and do they offer special show rates?
Preferred Hotels can be found be clicking on Visitors.
Can you leave the Show and re-enter?
Yes, be sure your hand is stamped here to re-enter.
Are the tickets valid for more than one day?
Tickets are valid for one day only. Special 2-day passes are offered for $25.
Where do I buy Gala tickets and how much are they?
The Gala Preview Party is a benefit for projects of the Horticultural Society. Admission is $150 per person; reservations can be made on the web site-click Show Events.
Are video and still photography allowed?
Yes.
When is the most comfortable time to attend the Show?
After 3pm.
Are strollers provided?
Yes, at Gate #1.
Are there dining options and what are they?
Jean Robert Café de Fleur offers relaxed fine dining in a garden setting. There is also a casual café with soups, sandwiches, wraps, desserts and drinks. Beer and wine are also available.
Is the whole Show wheelchair accessible?
Yes, at Gate #1.
Do you have handicapped parking?
Yes, enter Gate #1, the West Gate.
How do I get large purchases to my vehicle?
Valets are available to assist you with plants and larger purchases to your vehicle.
What is the parking fee?
$5.
How do I get a program / site map?
Programs are available for $1, which includes a complimentary issue of Horticulture Magazine.
Are the exhibits all outside?
Most of the Show exhibits are under cover, inside pavilions.
How many hours should I allow to see the entire Show?
Allow at least four or five hours.
Will I have access to an ATM?
Yes, one will be available just inside the main gate to Coney Island.
What is available for purchase at the Show?
Over 100 vendors offer a variety of flower- and garden-related products, including clothing, jewelry, tools, household items, etc.; about 25 artists offer paintings, photographs, pottery, hand-crafted jewelry, etc.; and a variety of plants are available for your home, patio and garden in the Plant Market.
What public transportation is available to get me to the Show?
Available public transportation is limited to taxi service, which can be arranged at the airport or at area hotels; arrangements can also be made by calling for service to any of the companies listed under “Taxicabs” in the Yellow Pages. Be sure to specify a time for the driver to return for pickup or obtain a telephone number for later contact.
Are there public telephones at the site?
Yes, they are located near the administrative offices of Coney Island on the south side of Lake Como.
Are restroom facilities readily available?
Yes, they are conveniently located throughout the site. All are handicap accessible and equipped with changing stations for infants. Is emergency medical help available on site? Yes.
Can I bring my pet(s) to the Show?
No, except that animals trained to aid the visually-, hearing- and physically-handicapped may accompany a guest so long as they are appropriately restrained.
Would my younger children enjoy the Show?
Will there be any entertainment for them? Toddlers in strollers are likely to enjoy the view and the bustling activity surrounding them. Young children may also enjoy the several rides available for them at the center of Coney Island.
Do you have a question?
Email them: CHSEvents@aol.com

EDIT: Article in the Cincinnati Post: Bloomin’ Extravaganza PDF

Category: Photography | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on April 20, 2006

Local resident, retired University of Cincinnati Professor and astronaut Neil Armstrong made a rare appearance along with John Glenn, family and 300 others at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal earlier this week. He gave a talk on the importance of natural history, geologists and the museums preserving and teaching about natural history. Armstong was awarded the Ambassador of Exploration Award, as he was one of 38 other astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs recognized by NASA. He was given a small sliver of the moon rock that he collected encased in lucite that will be on display at the museum.

Most of us remember Neil Armstrong as the first man to step on the moon in July of 1969 and as a dedicated test pilot turned astronaut during the space race. Tuesday he reflected on the 117 gram ‘moon rock’ he called “Bock” that he collected from the surface of the moon — a piece of which will be on display at the museum. He recalled thinking that this old rock (estimated by scientist to be 3.7 billion years old) from the perspective of the moon would have seen the development of our planet.

Armstong said, “I was the strange creature that kidnapped Bock from his homeland and brought him to this strange, new and still-changing planet. I can’t help feeling that I owe him an apology or at least an explanation.” That explanation, he said, would be that humans “want to know where they’ve been and to know better where we’re going.”

If you are looking for an interesting afternoon, consider visiting the Cincinnati Museum Center and be sure to check out the moon rock display on the west end; its only about 2 grams but is from the original rock (Bock) … Neil Armstrong referred to it as “a chip of the old Bock.”

Yes … the comments were a little out there, but then so was Neil Armstrong on July 20th, 1969.
🙂

Category: Space | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on April 19, 2006

Someone asked me a bunch of questions about running Windows XP Pro on a Intel based Mac, so instead of just answering them, I’ll include a video clip. Several of the questions were about boot speed and comparisons, while others were general install comments.

The video clip should cover the speed issue and differences in booting either operating system, but I’ll address a couple of the negatives. First, only Mac applications written for the Intel CoreDuo are going to be ‘really’ fast and at this time there are only a few. In the video I tried to show the difference between Safari and Firefox … huge speed advantage for Safari. Also, Windows runs Firefox faster … and loads noticeably faster than on the Mac OS. Second, a real downer is the partitioning thing. Its not going to be easy to just seamlessly use files from one partition to the other. Third, you must shutdown and reboot every time you want the other operating system. Ugh. It will be nice when it is just a hot-button switch apart.

And without further comment — roll the movie. 🙂

Category: Apple, Computer, Video | No Comments »
Tags: apple, bootcamp, Computer, macintosh, mp4, video, windows

Posted By RichC on April 18, 2006

Since taxes are finished, I finally had a few minutes to tinker with Apple Computer’s beta software called ‘Bootcamp.’ It worked like a charm … with the only glitch being my lack of planning in sizing the Windows NTFS partition bigger than the default size. Oh well, I’ve been considering an external harddrive linked to my new Mac Mini Intel Duo core anyway.

The installation took me about an hour with another half hour to set up my desktop and install the mac drivers that are automatically created when you run the bootcamp installer. I proceeded to set up the built-in wireless network connection, added Avast security protection, Thunderbird for email and Firefox as a browser — both open-source options from Mozilla.org. I set up a separate gmail account for that machine which I will do my best to keep semi-spam free.

I’m running a very large monitor (1680 x 1080) and Windows on the Mac Mini video driver was as sharp if not sharper than on the Mac OS. I then downloaded the java plug-in and did a speed test which seems to be at least as fast as my wireless notebook. I do believe the Safari browser running on the Mac OS X (Tiger) is by far the fastest internet experience I have seen. So far the tiny little MacInTel Mini looks to be the fastest computer I own even beating the Pentium 4 Linux /Windows dual boot PC. (perhaps because the new Mac isn’t overlooked with memory hogging software?)

Enough for now, but so far I’ve been very impressed. For those of you considering a new computer, you might want to seriously consider an Intel powered Apple Computer. More to come ….

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Posted By RichC on April 17, 2006

I’ll state it bluntly … “I hate paying taxes.” (but suspect I’m not alone) In an attempt to feel a little better, I’ve noticed that taxes in the US are not as drastic as many European countries and on par with the Japanese. Swedish nationals for example pay over 50% of their earning in taxes which compares to the average US citizen sufferring a 26% tax burden. Most other European countries fall somewhere between the US and Sweden.

For as much as we all are critical of the 66,498 pages of US Tax code, the burden is lighter on those earning less and heavier on living more comfortably. We call this a “progressive” tax structure. “Currently, the 1% of American households with the highest incomes — those earning an average of about $1 million a year — pay about 31% of their income in federal taxes, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The 20% of households with the lowest incomes — those earning an average of about $15,000 a year — pay less than 5% of their incomes in taxes.”

Contrary to many voices in the media and on the political left, today we pay taxes more progressively than a quarter-century ago. The Wall Street Journal reports that “in 1980, households in the bottom 20% of the income distribution earned 5.7% of all income and paid 2% of all federal taxes; in 2003 — the most recent data available — they earned 4.2% of all income and paid 1% of all taxes. Meanwhile, the highest earning 20% of households earned 45.8% of income in 1980 and paid 56.3% of all taxes. In 2003 those high-income households earned 52.2% of income and paid 65.7% of taxes.”

Here are a couple ‘desultory’ Tax Day Facts:

Besides being tax day, April 15th is the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, the day President Abraham Lincoln died, the day General Electric was incorporated, the day the Titanic sunk and the day McDonald’s served their first hamburger.

Residents of Hawaii pay the highest state taxes and Alabama the least.

Residents of New Mexico receive $2 of federal spending in their state for every dollar they pay in federal taxes, while in New Jersey they receive only 55 cents for every dollar they are taxed.

Over half of all residents have their taxes professionally prepared by over 1.2 professional tax preparers. Sort of sad considering there are 400,000 more tax preparers than the number of doctors the US. (approximately 836,000)

Category: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
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Posted By RichC on April 16, 2006

The weather here in Cincinnati has take a sudden switch to summer this past week as both the temperature and humidity are as if it were July or August. As I left the VA Hospital complex in Dayton, Ohio I decided to drive the slowly through the cemetery and take the long way back to the expressway. It was beautifully noting how in just a couple of weeks the grass has instantly taken on the rich green of spring, but at the same time overwhelming realizing that there is a hero’s name on each one of the thousands upon thousands of simple white grave markers.

As I drove by a section of markers, I noticed a lone women standing quietly, head bowed over one of the headstones. I began to contemplated the sacrifice so many have made for the freedom that we enjoy today. As I was slowly meandering around the memorizing white markers, I contemplated what it means to sacrifice life for others. What a gift these Americans gave to me.

Just a day before Easter, I my thoughts return to sacrifice, but from a different perspective. This one even more important that even the giving of a life from country; Christians refer to it as the “Ultimate Sacrifice.” God gave his Son Jesus out of love for undeserving humankind who continues to sin against the One that created all. What a gift God has given me … and all who love and accept this gift of a Savior. God became man, dwelt among us, instructed and taught us how we should live, demonstrated His love for us by becoming that “ultimate sacrifice” on the cross on Calvary 2000 years ago. That death and resurrection is no less important today as it was the day it happened. Without accepting Jesus Christ and acknowledging a need for His saving grace, the road to eternal life is a dead end.

Consider carefully your position. Are you good enough on your own to meet the purity of God’s standards? (none are) God’s plan for those who desire Him is to accept this gift by grace … that gift of a Savior, who’s shed blood makes us acceptable to the Father. If you conclude that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He was crucified and resurrected, and that you need Him — then contemplate His words: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Happy Easter.

Category: Faith, History, Holiday, Millitary, Photography, Photos, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: christianity, dayton, easter, jesus, ohio, spring, va hospital