The Tesla Cybertruck deliveries begin today
Posted By RichC on November 30, 2023
An automotive filler for this afternoon:
Pretty impressive. #automotive #Cybertruck $TSLA https://t.co/0agJNMn2Or
— Rich Corbett (@RichC) November 30, 2023
Archive: A family Throwback Thursday #TBT filler post
Posted By RichC on November 30, 2023
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Test photo after a server update and personal family posts
Posted By RichC on November 29, 2023
Since this week’s weeks MyDesultoryBlog.com posts include a couple end of the month personal and private family posts, it seemed like a good time add test post filler … especially after backing up and updating the Linux server Wednesday evening.
Here’s a photo from the condo kitchen update that I sent to Taylor in a message after his range hood microwave stopped working last week. Hm … perhaps I should touch base with him to see what he is doing to either fix or replace it?
Archive: A shark on the beach and a toothless granddaughter
Posted By RichC on November 29, 2023
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Thoughtful conservatives are divided and struggling to understand each other ahead of the 2024 election
Posted By RichC on November 28, 2023
Perhaps there are a few Republicans in your circles struggling with selecting a GOP Presidential Candidate for 2024?
Sometimes, if I listen really carefully, I can hear in my head the fragments of a dialogue between two voices capturing the ambivalence thoughtful conservatives feel about their current political choices. Yes, I’m hearing voices so you might not want to take anything I say seriously. But before you demand my immediate institutionalization, at least listen to the conversation, and, as Donald Trump builds an unassailable lead in the barely-started-but-already-apparently-over Republican primary, ask yourself if maybe you might not be hearing the same things. It goes like this:
Fleece vest-wearing conservative: “How can you possibly vote for Trump?”
MAGA hat-wearing conservative: “How can you possibly not vote for Trump?”
Fleece vest: “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to explain yourself.”
MAGA hat: “You go first.”
Music Monday: “Come Sail Away” by Styx (1977)
Posted By RichC on November 27, 2023
“Come Sail Away” is today’s Music Monday song by Styx. It took me back to hanging out in the dorm room with my roommate and listening to music. Was life less stressful back then … or is it just the rose color glasses perspective of time (probably the later)?
Archive: Rain showers and our growing granddaughters
Posted By RichC on November 26, 2023
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Two stories from social media that interested me this week
Posted By RichC on November 25, 2023
This first story is from my son-in-law Drew, and highlights just how communication for doctors has changed throughout the years. The “pager” is synonymous with doctors as hospitals and medical offices have used them for years to communicate quickly. Sure they pretty much all have cellphones and smartwatches these days (they do also still use pagers), but what did they use before the pager? (BTW, photo at right is of one of my old pagers from the 1980s-90s)
The clever way we paged doctors at Ohio State football games in the ‘50s
IN THE DAYS BEFORE pagers and cellphones, it wasn’t easy for on-call doctors to venture far from a telephone, much less get to Ohio Stadium to see the Buckeyes play.
In 1951, though, football-fan staff members at Ohio State’s University Hospital designed a system that would allow physicians to see a football game at the Horseshoe without missing a call to come back to the hospital.
Before heading to the stadium, each doctor would register with authorities at the hospital and would be given a code signal.
The building, which had just opened in 1951, was easily visible from the stands in the ‘Shoe, as this was long before construction started on many of the campus buildings now standing between the two structures.
If they were needed, the doctor’s code signal would be communicated via bedsheets dangled out the fifth-floor windows of the building, which is today known as Doan Hall.
The second story is one of using lasers in space. A recent NASA’s DSOC experiment demostrated optical communications beyond the Earth-Moon system. It is a flight laser transceiver, a ground laser transmitter, and a ground laser receiver that has sent a signal 10 million miles and will improve data capacity and speed of communications in space.
Scientists say that NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 10 million miles away – about 40 times farther than the Moon is from Earth – to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California.
Known as “first light,” this success is a significant stepping stone toward increasing the amount of data that can be transmitted throughout the solar system.
“Achieving first light is one of many critical DSOC milestones in the coming months, paving the way toward higher-data-rate communications capable of sending scientific information, high-definition imagery, and streaming video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars,” said Trudy Kortes, director of Technology Demonstrations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Comparing the upgrade to optical communications to the shift from traditional telephone lines to fiber optics, NASA noted that using optical communications will increase the capacity of state-of-the-art radio systems currently used by spacecraft by 10 to 100 times.
Tech Friday: Be careful with Bing’s AI image creator
Posted By RichC on November 24, 2023
A week or so ago, I went looking for an image of a Killer Whale (Orca) … and wanted one that had the happy look of a smiling Shamu, etc. It didn’t need to be a “real photo” so thought it would be a simple task for one of the artificial intelligence assistance. Microsoft’s Bing copilot AI came to mind so I 
pulled up the “chat bot” and typed in my request for a “smiling orca.”
Bing Image Creator happily produced this … although it was not exactly the smiling happy look that was envisioning!! YIKES! I think AI still has a bit to learn?
A day for Gratitude: A Journey Through History
Posted By RichC on November 23, 2023
Thanksgiving traces its origins to the 1621 harvest celebration held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This historic gathering 
marked a season of abundance and marked the beginning of a tradition that would become a cornerstone of American culture.
Thanksgiving serves as a universal reminder to thank our Creator for our life in America and a time to cherish the simple joys while extending a helping hand to those in need.
With a little help from a “multiculturally appropriate” BardAI jabber: 😉
Expressing Gratitude: A Heartfelt Practice
Gratitude, the cornerstone of Thanksgiving, is a powerful emotion that has the potential to transform our lives. It’s a recognition of the good things in our lives, a willingness to appreciate the positive, and a deep sense of thankfulness for the blessings we often take for granted.
Taking time to express gratitude is not merely a formality; it’s a transformative practice that fosters inner peace, strengthens relationships, and cultivates a sense of contentment. By cultivating gratitude, we shift our focus from what we lack to the abundance that surrounds us, fostering a more positive and optimistic outlook on life.
Thanksgiving Traditions: A Tapestry of Customs
Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in cherished traditions that bring families and communities together. From the aroma of a succulent turkey roasting in the oven to the heartwarming exchange of gifts, these customs create a tapestry of memories that are passed down through generations.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.