RichC | December 20, 2024
As a “Stone Age” user of the Apple Macintosh computer, it is always surprising to stumble upon a feature or shortcut that I didn’t know about. Command-click the files to Quick Look I often use the Quick Look spacebar shortcut (2007) to preview a file in a folder, but until reading an iBoysoft article this […]
RichC | December 19, 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is infiltrating almost everything we do on a smartphone, tablet or computer these days. Last week, my X.com feed sent a message that “you should try generating an image of yourself” based on whatever data it collects. I suspect it relies on my profile information, but am not sure what else it […]
RichC | December 13, 2024
Although I don’t have an Apple Watch like Brenda, but I think one is coming my way for Christmas now that I have a modern iPhone (my Fitbit Versa 2 is “still ticking after taking a licking” — old Timex joke). One of the features or apps that does not exist, is an app for SiriusXM.I […]
RichC | December 6, 2024
The annual Corbett Christmas Letter has been reduced to the ubiquitous Christmas card printed by one of the many card producers (below). This year’s card was ordered before our Thanksgiving famly get-together and unique Google “Add Me” AI feature used in the photo above on Drew’s new Pixel 9. Very impressive — hey, Apple, get […]
RichC | November 22, 2024
This past week, while digging up answers for tax planning for a Barron’s Advisor group that I participate in, I searched for the standard 2024 deduction changes based on age, etc. At the top of my Brave Browser search (their Leo AI engine), which I’ve found helpful several times, pop the summary below: This recent search […]
RichC | November 15, 2024
It has been a challenging week and a half for a few of my more liberal Democrat friends on the social media platform X.com (previously Twitter). I’m unsure if it is anger, disbelief or a way to strike back now that President-Elect Donald Trump won the election. Trump has been rapidly nominating his cabinet (mostly […]
RichC | November 8, 2024
Apple is finally rolling out the much ballyhooed Apple Intelligence on Apple devices … including my new iPhone 16 Pro Max. Their have been a few laughs from me when it comes to the AI “summary” feature generating a questionable summary (an automotive enthusiast John Rowe’s X.com comments – he does NOT recommend Sunbeam). On […]
RichC | November 1, 2024
Although watching Major League Baseball was not high priority in our life this year, Brenda and I did enjoy this year’s World Series. I didn’t really have a favorite, as I’ve always had a dislike for the NY Yankees (adversary to the Cleveland Indians, now Guardians) and frankly the LA Dodgers fit that same category […]
RichC | October 25, 2024
Nobody really knows when the next recession will come, but economists and those of us who monitor investments would really like to know before it arrives. This week while moving a few more dollars to the sideline, at least until after the November 2024 election and until mid-January 2025 (parked in a 3-month CD) … I […]
RichC | October 11, 2024
So far I can endorse a couple of inexpensive “non-charging” Magsafe “magnetic” car mounts for our two iPhones (iPhone 14 and iPhone 16 Pro Max). Both were purchased together on Amazon with a minor discount for 2 items together … and for the low-price, I expected to be disappointed. Nope, I was not. The magnets […]
RichC | October 4, 2024
There is little doubt our family and friends aren’t the only ones who struggle with differences of opinions … be they political or technology related. In today’s case it’s not politics, Microsoft Windows vs Apple MacOS or Linux … but Google’s Android text messaging vs Apple’s iOS and their proprietary encrypted “Messages” app. Thankfully Apple […]
RichC | September 27, 2024
Since the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the first Apple phone that I’ve had with induction charging capability, I’ve been curious how to best manage the longevity of the new battery. I’ve generally plugged my iPhones in to charge once a day (overnight) for the last decade or so BUT did use the induction puck […]
RichC | September 20, 2024
One of the “very few” complaints with the Apple MacBook Air M2 is that macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 (and likely all recent MacOS versions) does not have a way to make the menu bar smaller in height. This is the one display dimension that has been the most difficult to get use to in coming from […]
RichC | September 13, 2024
Although I haven’t quite decided as to what Apple iPhone 16 Pro to pre-order, it will likely be a big jump from the current “borrowed” iPhone XS that I’ve been using since drowning my iPhone 7 Plus. It has been fine, but it is time to move past the smartphones of 2017 and 2018. 😊 […]
RichC | September 6, 2024
Europe and their big government overreaches in restricting personal liberty by American standards, but that same heavy handedness often does more that the U.S. to protect an individual’s privacy from Big Tech and their sweeping data collection machines. Ever since social media and cloud-oriented companies desired to take ownership of their users data, it has […]
RichC | August 23, 2024
Well it has been a good run, that of my Fitbit smartwatch. According to long running rumors and a recent flurry of technology articles, these very long lasting Fitbit smartwatches (four days between charging) have finally officially met their end. The Fitbit Versa 2 has been one of the best tech gadgets that I’ve ever […]
RichC | August 16, 2024
It is about time that our questionable Cincinnati Bell router is being updated by the aquiring company AltaFiber to an Eero device (similar to at the condo). It will hopefully improve and keep our home Internet connections a bit more stable. I’ve really never complained much since adding the Mesh system to the “cheap” Zytel […]
RichC | August 2, 2024
Have you ever been listening to a podcast that is getting a little long-winded? Oh, there are a few of them resembling those at a Donald Trump for President rally … or more recently, his speech at the Republican Convention. 😉 According to various reports, Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention […]
RichC | July 26, 2024
Although waiting until 2026 is a long time down the road, I’m still interested in a foldable iPhone. Every few month another rumor hints that Apple is working on an iPhone that will fold. Personally I’m hopefully that it will be a “flip” model as in recent articles, perhaps similar to Motorola’s Razr+ (left) or […]
RichC | July 19, 2024
I don’t think I’ve ever recalled a hot summer in July or August that I’ve needed to “remove” water from the pool? I did so with a spare pump leftover from my biodiesel days and a sprinkler. 😊 This year, we’ve had the somewhat normal hot and dry weather … followed by thunderstorms, tornado warning […]
RichC | July 12, 2024
Although the Late 2012 Intel-based iMac is “aging better than President Biden,” my desktop iMac is struggling and is no longer being used as my primary computer. Still … it does work as a larger twin 27” screens desktop computer along side my MacBook Air M2 these days. Recently I cross my fingers when updating […]
RichC | June 21, 2024
Last month I seriously considered upgrading my iPad to the Apple iPad Air … but really wanted the newest Brydge MAX+ Keyboard … which is currently unavailable (signed up for the “notify me” list though). I was still tempted to order a new iPad, but decided my sluggish, older iPad and “slow to connect” Bluetooth […]
RichC | June 14, 2024
After chatting with Brenda’s sisters and brother-in-laws about booking flights for a trip together, I mentioned that I was partial to Southwest Airlines. My brother-in-laws are both Delta fliers … and have a long history of booking business travel with the major airlines — I did feel as if I were ruffling feathers (text updates […]
RichC | June 7, 2024
I’ve been using Twitter, which is now X.com after Elon Musk purchase $TWTR and renamed it, since the early days of the 240 character social network. Shockingly, it has now been over 17 years since I joined in February of 2007 … and I decided it was finally time to eliminate the ads and gain […]
RichC | May 31, 2024
It is Tech Friday, but because I’ve already prepared and posted, I still wanted to highlight the newsworthy headline story regarding the politically motivated trial against former president and the likely Republican candidate for president, Donald J. Trump. So opted to test the relatively “new to me” AI client (Perplexity.AI) by asking: Can you summarize […]
RichC | May 31, 2024
The Nord apps have been working great for the last few years and I’ve been impressed with the improvements I’ve seen to NordPass for passwords on both the Firefox and Brave (Chromium-based) browsers. My preferred daily web surfing browsers is Brave and my steady secondary desktop is Firefox. If I were to judge, Firefox works […]
RichC | May 24, 2024
Although it is not an immediate need, the “want” in me is growing. My 2017 iPhone 7 plus is really starting to feel old; even my daughter mentioned that my shared photos were not the quality that they should be — she has a fair point. Phone cameras aside, the device I use the most […]
RichC | May 17, 2024
With emissions and climate change being the primary concern for at least half the world, one would think that a carbon-free source of 24/7 energy from small nuclear reactors would be on the forefront of alternatives for our energy needs? Obviously mention “nuclear”an images of disasters rush to the forefront, but safe “small” reactors are […]
RichC | May 10, 2024
Sometimes I know that I’m just tempting fate … like when it comes to switching mobile phone carriers … in my case, MVNO companies. Last year, I switch my aging iPhone 7 plus over to USMobile on a trial. I ended up finding it preferred to Mint Mobile (T-Mobile) and found the service to be […]
RichC | May 3, 2024
A bigger than usual update this month for my Linux based servers and as it the norm, I spent a few minutes cleaning up storage and deleting unwanted bulked up logs (usual for me). Hopefully all will continue to run normally and that security will be improved. Personally I’ve notice a speed improvement (???), but […]
RichC | April 19, 2024
RichC | April 12, 2024
Who isn’t … or more appropriately wasn’t … fond of listening to the interesting and smooth-toned audio that was part of National Public Radio (NPR) in the previous century. I spent an exorbitant amount of time in my car back then and listened to static-riddled politically conservative radio talk shows on AM radio and liberally […]
RichC | March 29, 2024
Computer backups and synchronized cloud data storage are topics I’ve addressed previously too many times. Last year I was pushed into tightening my subscription-belt after losing my free 1TB Miami University Google Workspace account and opted to give the economical iDrive a try. So after using it for a while now, I’ve concluded what I […]
RichC | March 22, 2024
Although at this point I’m still sticking with cable for my Internet and television entertainment, the difficulty in watching certain sporting events is increasing. I’m not happy about Amazon locking up Thursday Night Football and did not like having to plan ahead for the NFL playoff game in January, but for the most part … […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | February 2, 2024
As a long time Apple device buyer and user, I do tend to follow the company’s new gadgets. The Apple Vision Pro VR headset looks interesting, but limited as to what reason most of us would currently spend thousands of dollar to buy ($3500). After reading about it for months and glancing at the pre-release […]
RichC | January 26, 2024
This will probably excite my geeky readers on a Tech Friday … but am trying to decide if old 3-1/2” disks should be trashed or used at “disposable” drink coasters. BTW, who remembers Apple Computer’s Hypercard? EDIT: Thought … perhaps making thin wooden bases and inlay a disk to make a more creative coaster.
RichC | January 5, 2024
While watching a couple of college football bowl games on New Year’s Day, I updated my “everyday carry” iPad with a new family wallpaper photo — slightly enhanced above. It was an opportunity to tinker with the new iPadOS 17 gadget feature (see stock and weather at lower left) anyway but the wallpaper photo needed […]
RichC | December 22, 2023
A couple weeks ago I mentioned ordering a $20 battery on Amazon for my iPhone 7 Plus. I probably really should be in the market to replace this phone, but even though the iOS can’t be upgraded, it still functions pretty well. The camera on ALL phones has been improved, but at $1000+ dollars, I’m […]
RichC | December 15, 2023
Just a little light “rumor reading” to close out the year when it comes to future Apple iPhones. Not that it makes any difference to most users, but it is possible the “side by side” camera lens (see below photo with my iPhone 7 Plus) could go vertical again (iPhone X thru 12)? Recent ones […]
RichC | December 1, 2023
After a long and steady battle with the Internet connections at the condo over our Thanksgiving vacation in Florida, the fight is finally over. The pain of returning the hardware Xfinity sent was enough to make me scream (long wait JUST to return something) … but after tossing the Netgear R7000 router and replacing with […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | November 10, 2023
It is not a normal Tech Friday kind of week as I had some SSL problems (still do) for a few domains that I service and a Linux server update problem (primarily related to MySQL database problems). All in all I’m busy with double checking my backups, archives and snapshots to be sure there is […]
RichC | November 3, 2023
Simple test for my automated MyDesultoryBlog’s X.com account after an API update. This WordPress plug-in using a newly updated service should start to work again. This post will probably be deleted although since I like the Elon Musk ani-gif, I might just keep it. Will this feature work again?
RichC | November 3, 2023
For years I’ve been running Parallels on my iMac after switching from Bootcamp on the old Mac Mini. It has been a love -hate relationship, but I’ve sort of always needed to run Microsoft Windows. Since adding the MacBook Air M2 without Parallels or a Windows10 option, I’ve learned to function fairly well without “at […]
RichC | October 27, 2023
“In other news” as the 6PM nightly news talking head would say, Rich broke his Fitbit Versa 2 watchband last night while raking the first drop of the leave this year. Bummer … but thankfully replacements on Amazon are just $7.99 or $9.99 for THREE (two of the three are the wrong colors for me, […]
RichC | October 16, 2023
Nothing important, but I wanted to backup the MyDesultoryBlog database and then update to WordPress 6.3.2; it is the first update since the PHP change. Thankfully all is running smoothly and the update took. All is well with the blog.
RichC | October 13, 2023
We live in a world where personal privacy has all but disappeared when it comes to our lives. We are surveilled everywhere and by practically every device. Our connected gadgets collect and send data on our every movement … and increasingly “inner” goings-on (smart devices monitoring our health). New cars are pumping data to the […]
RichC | October 6, 2023
This is really nothing new … it is just an exact replacement of the Brydge 10.2 inch keyboard for my iPad (new above and 2020 photo below). After a few years of heavy use, my second Brydge Keyboard, now out of warranty, was starting ot show some age. This well made keyboard has a couple […]
RichC | September 29, 2023
Decades ago when I was in graduate school, I taught classes at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as a GT, I continued to stay connected to the university. As a student I was given an alumni email address (an alias at the time forwarded to another email address) and as part time faculty was granted […]
RichC | September 22, 2023
It is time to start cleaning up my older WordPress blog install and preparing for an eventual update … once again. I’m beginning to realize that part of the problem is that I hang onto old themes that are no longer updated and I continue to tweak them myself. As the components that run WordPress […]
RichC | September 15, 2023
Perhaps it is just me paying attention to the rumors and knowing the announcements that were planned at Apple’s annual September “new iPhones” announcement event … but the iPhone15s (and Apple Watch 9) upgrades left very little to get excited about? I’m not saying that I won’t be upgrading my aging iPhone 7plus this year, […]
RichC | September 1, 2023
Samsung announced another “high screen real estate” monitor for those who like to plaster a lot of content on a single screen … or more that likely, play games … but besides ogling this massive 57 inch wide display, it is definitely not something I need these days. There was once a time that I […]
RichC | August 11, 2023
As My Desultory Blog approaches 8000 posts, it has become increasingly clear that tags and categories are becoming worthless. Besides having too many, they are all too full and do little for me to find anything (or anyone else). The search feature has always been a problem and makes it difficult for even me to […]
RichC | August 4, 2023
When trying to transfer photos and video from SD cards to a computer, you really need some kind of card reader. I have several that are USB readers, but none that are USB-C and will plug into my MacBook Air M2. So instead of a bulky dongle with extras, I opted for a small Anker […]
RichC | July 21, 2023
For those keeping score as to just how frugal Rich can descend when chasing after a wireless plan … “better” (cheaper) than Mint Mobile … “he” may have gone “a bridge too far” in the latest USMobile wireless plan decision (I know, another idiom and a 3rd person reference, but don’t get me started on the whole […]
RichC | July 7, 2023
One of the TWO reasons that I’ve opted for the Ridgid brand of cordless power tools is their LSA … which I’ve used once before on a couple of early batteries. Besides the minor hassle in registering and filing a claim, it seems to be the right way to go considering the problems with tools […]
RichC | June 30, 2023
Such a simple fix; why did it take me so long to add a bit of code to the “non-supported” WordPress theme that My Desultory Blog has been using since nearly the beginning in 2005? Ugh, well it is finally good to have a “DATE” listed when using the search box. Also while checking my […]