tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50170192024-03-18T22:22:08.629-05:00arbalestAn experiment in the joys of blogging.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-74412509786952039702012-05-12T13:24:00.001-05:002012-05-12T13:26:24.359-05:00eHow = garbage, junk, crap and worthless contentFor a fairly long time now I've avoided clicking on any eHow links in my search results. This is because I had formed an impression that I would be unlikely to find what I was looking for on their site. Today I indulged and looked at the site a few times.<br />
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Wow -- and I mean this -- total junk. I did a search on the site itself and and read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EHow#Criticisms" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> article on it and it is so obvious in retrospect. The site is a content mill. They don't care or even attempt to offer useful content. Their goal is to show up in search results to generate a click-through... and that is how they make their money.<br />
<br />
To their credit, the search engine <a href="http://duckduckgo.com/" target="_blank">DuckDuckGo</a> filters out (eliminates) results from eHow. Hopefully Google will get on this soon as well.<br />
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<br />Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-4132274045090856492011-12-09T14:24:00.001-06:002011-12-10T11:12:38.290-06:00Message to TrumpMr. Trump,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_zg_FQ2Yceu8evKSpLqd6X2CRLDvw3oOutX5BlQAjENZkNA5rV6qe8W5IHHyAzOnKATOiSBMeqlp0NV_TiL-9DXpCr6fV9ZZE-rODJrdbMuTanQMG5TICFI4bfpfk3vFLWT8/s1600/DonnyT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_zg_FQ2Yceu8evKSpLqd6X2CRLDvw3oOutX5BlQAjENZkNA5rV6qe8W5IHHyAzOnKATOiSBMeqlp0NV_TiL-9DXpCr6fV9ZZE-rODJrdbMuTanQMG5TICFI4bfpfk3vFLWT8/s200/DonnyT.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Please don't give up on the idea of having your very own debate among the potential GOP presidential nominees. You are so close to achieving your goal of turning the election into your very own reality TeeVee Show that it would be a shame to stop now -- even if there are only two nominees willing to participate.<br />
<br />
I was so looking forward to this first step being followed up with other "debates" around the board-room table where you systematically eliminate a nominee each week thereby sparing us all of that tedious primary election and convention stuff.<br />
<br />
Donald, be assured that we all eagerly wait the day when the president of the USA is selected by being the last person standing on an island after proving that he, or she, can walk more rope-bridges and eat more worms than anyone else.<br />
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<br />Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-64703769834593855892011-09-16T09:57:00.000-05:002011-09-16T09:57:49.406-05:00Fashion Trend - Bicycling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8zqv6eewejkP7Cv5cAhrkgO77zZuNu8p2E97w7Z3P8N9hATI8daBJvLl2hpcvGuMf2PWjireHOYUr0d1IgSHETy9DihDFN5kXljtSXeUczpr7XPcYd-XGhgVK2_Cb3qLxNn_/s1600/Helmet+Hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8zqv6eewejkP7Cv5cAhrkgO77zZuNu8p2E97w7Z3P8N9hATI8daBJvLl2hpcvGuMf2PWjireHOYUr0d1IgSHETy9DihDFN5kXljtSXeUczpr7XPcYd-XGhgVK2_Cb3qLxNn_/s320/Helmet+Hat.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Finally, a bicycling helmet with style!<br />
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Not really, this is just an adverstising for Electra brand bikes. Maybe it's not too late to start marketing my own line of bike helmets I've been designing. So far I have prototypes of yarmulke and beret helmets.<br />
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I'm still looking for crash test volunteers.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-22169149839511486802011-06-09T14:56:00.000-05:002011-06-09T14:56:12.477-05:00Extremely SeedyFor all of you who might see this potentially scary name on your caller ID unit -- I just received a call where the caller ID says VISA LOST-STOLEN. When I picked up the phone it was just a recording (not from my bank either) blindly offering lower interest rates.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-35002601209775525212011-05-13T12:50:00.002-05:002011-05-13T12:55:21.691-05:00Cha-Ching -- Palin Style!Cashing in like a pro, Bristol Palin joined a <u>teen pregnancy prevention</u> <b><i>nonprofit</i></b> foundation in 2009. Via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/05/bristol-palin-profiteer-teen-pregnancy/">Think Progress</a> I read that the AP has found and published the foundation's 2009 tax information. Here is a quick break down:<br />
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$35,000: grants to teen pregnancy health and counseling clinics (the purpose of the "non-profit"?)<br />
$165,000: TV advertising<br />
<b>$262,500: 18 year old Bristol Palin's salary</b><br />
<br />
Wow. Just wow.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-80949361899752129902011-04-23T15:53:00.005-05:002011-12-09T14:47:25.656-06:00Trump CandidacyI'm no fortune teller but I have a vision and I want to go on record now (before it becomes all too obvious).<br />
<br />
Here's the spoiler -- he won't run. Not now, not ever. But I think he pull this shtick every 4 years for the rest of his life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WMUlRCytAwF17v9cD5Ee9LRLL0ijR-KSVV7VFHO7Qo3ZCZWklhJ9vb8gq_BPo30xTsa3NEplJrcJV3AGAucdWSfq0eHzUKjNiWFdEBSLBjW2lDJvf8lhyphenhyphenEpmbTbJiz42XqMd/s1600/Hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WMUlRCytAwF17v9cD5Ee9LRLL0ijR-KSVV7VFHO7Qo3ZCZWklhJ9vb8gq_BPo30xTsa3NEplJrcJV3AGAucdWSfq0eHzUKjNiWFdEBSLBjW2lDJvf8lhyphenhyphenEpmbTbJiz42XqMd/s1600/Hair.jpg" /></a>Here is how I think it will play out:<br />
<br />
He'll hint at it more and more as the season of Celebrity Apprentice winds down. Then he'll announce that he is about to announce. In fact, it will turn out that he will announce his decision during the last 10 minutes of the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice. Between now and that day he will call into radio and TV shows and he will grant exclusive and long interviews. He will speak at special events and he might put out a book about something or other. As the big day approaches teasers and promos will remind viewers to tune in to the season finale.<br />
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At long last the finale will arrive... and the viewership will be huge. In the end Trump will say that he loves what he does too much, and like Sister Sarah he can do more the save the world from outside the system. The next day we'll hear how big the viewership actually was, but from Trump you'll hear that his show was the most watched show of all time -- regardless of what the truth is. He will say it is because of him and he will be right. Then the next day he and his team will start negotiating his fee for the next season. Based on the huge ratings increase it will be a lot more than this years take. And it will all be thanks to the airtime given to him by Fox and other outlets that certainly know that Trump wouldn't stand a chance in hell in the face of the scrutiny that comes with a real candidacy.<br />
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<i>Update</i>: Well, it's two months later and this, from today's NY Post:<br />
<br />
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<i>...sources said he will personally pocket $65 million a year, </i></div>
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<i>a substantial increase on his previous deal...</i><br />
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<i>Even Later Update: </i>It's about eight months after this post was written and sure enough, Trump's new book is out. The man who was <u><b>born rich</b></u>, and still managed to have two bankruptcies all by himself, lays out his plan for making America great again.</div>
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</div>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-64960890908809354212011-01-31T10:28:00.000-06:002011-01-31T10:28:06.270-06:00Anthony Milano, on keyboard...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Me and the squeeze went out for our Jazz fix last night at a <a href="http://www.edgewaterlounge.com/">local place</a> that features a Django-esque trio on Sundays. The trio has one consistent member who goes by the moniker Chico Malo and each week he brings two others along to join in. Last night I noticed that the keyboard player looked a bit young. For that matter there seemed to be a lot of young people in the place last night. I found out later that the keyboard player is 14 years old! I commented to the waitress that he'll be famous some day and she assured me that he already is. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is an older video of him playing some Honky Tonk, when he was 11 years old.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dDeirOXnDK0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-87325228065131466002011-01-05T14:43:00.002-06:002011-01-31T09:53:19.351-06:00What's in a name? Sync vs. SinkWhen <a href="http://www.xmarks.com/">Xmarks</a> announced that they were closing shop a few months ago I decided to use a different utility to keep my Firefox browser bookmarks in sync across the multiple machines that I use. Man, am I glad that they merged with whoever it is, and decided to stay around for a while.<br />
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In the interim I was using the Firefox Sync plug-in. It worked OK for the most part but yesterday it behaved more like Firefox SINK, if not Firefox STINK. After spending lots of time cleaning up bookmarks on my desktop machine I instructed it to <strike>stink up</strike> sync up my bookmarks to their server. Then I went over to my laptop and deleted all bookmarks so that it did not attempt to merge the sloppy collection of bookmarks over there with the clean collection. Then I told the browser on the laptop to sync up with the server. The intent here would have been <b>obvious</b> to Xmarks but what do you think SINK decided to do? Yes, it synced the empty list of bookmarks to the server then synced the empty list on the server to my desktop!<br />
<br />
It was then that I realized that in addition to this poor interpretation of what the user (<i>that's me</i>) was trying to do there was no recovery features and no support at all! It seemed that all of my bookmarks on both machines were gone. How's that for automation?!<br />
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Thank goodness that my, long unused, account on Xmarks was still active. I reinstalled the client on my browser and logged in. They first thing Xmarks did was issue a warning that basically said: "Hey, there is a lot less data on your machine than there is on the server. Do you want to proceed or restore?" It didn't say it in those words but when I clicked the appropriate options to restore my bookmarks it actually gave me a choice of restore points to go back to. A few clicks more and I was restored to the state I was in when I last used Xmarks.<br />
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Even though it is a free service I will sign up for a "premium" account as a thank you.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-33628462642316224062010-12-24T11:30:00.000-06:002010-12-24T11:30:15.105-06:00Left hand doesn't know from the RightThis blog is hosted by blogger.com which is a Google entity. <br />
<br />
Just now blogger sent me an email describing new features, etc. As it<br />
turns out I received this email via another Google service -- Gmail. <br />
And wouldn't you know it... Gmail marked it as spam and moved<br />
it to the spam folder!Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-25548724276509695342010-11-30T13:28:00.003-06:002011-01-28T09:46:26.136-06:00I'll "give it a try"<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> No! Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try. -Yoda </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuF5Koh3o3-C197JFDBvs8m7KUhoPKr2GDyzOPZJtO2B0IfRepXqd0NpxeS6eg6ct57kOomGmQYeDM7cWDcqXf2yEb70iB6L5YUOfafvViTf0H2nsl-lZc9FwIOzW8NrJtn38/s1600/yoda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuF5Koh3o3-C197JFDBvs8m7KUhoPKr2GDyzOPZJtO2B0IfRepXqd0NpxeS6eg6ct57kOomGmQYeDM7cWDcqXf2yEb70iB6L5YUOfafvViTf0H2nsl-lZc9FwIOzW8NrJtn38/s200/yoda.jpg" width="152" /> </a></div>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-57279809888815008412010-09-12T16:16:00.001-05:002010-09-12T16:27:24.405-05:00World's Sexiest Radiators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhjGFI84VA-LukDkpzqu2hEi96wZYfIK3RN0uPAf66S6huTFjUDSMM1uvc1rbWESuIY0njJW_Vkxo4xFXsJEtpqypEtijUrt0yVN-5JB6vFP9rvN57sgzpvQHZs-JOBjrxrnz/s1600/IMG_5321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhjGFI84VA-LukDkpzqu2hEi96wZYfIK3RN0uPAf66S6huTFjUDSMM1uvc1rbWESuIY0njJW_Vkxo4xFXsJEtpqypEtijUrt0yVN-5JB6vFP9rvN57sgzpvQHZs-JOBjrxrnz/s320/IMG_5321.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavhBzJaXx55oQ8iSJa0pOAQ-WAoOzcickSxIE3basEVUYA6pXFa5-t0TQL47gnzW71__AN0bHRufGBVf_cauSLvJWLlRXh5s9dXSO5t5wXpgk9loyL-v-ey-LcOYFcTOMSQQJ/s1600/IMG_5303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavhBzJaXx55oQ8iSJa0pOAQ-WAoOzcickSxIE3basEVUYA6pXFa5-t0TQL47gnzW71__AN0bHRufGBVf_cauSLvJWLlRXh5s9dXSO5t5wXpgk9loyL-v-ey-LcOYFcTOMSQQJ/s320/IMG_5303.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Painted a few radiators with Hammerite "Rust Cap". It's expensive stuff but I'm really happy with the results.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-73157003409694784062010-07-08T19:43:00.001-05:002010-07-08T19:45:01.971-05:00Google Maps does Bicycling Directions!I don't know how long this "beta" feature has been available but I just noticed it. I was using the usual "driving directions" feature to get an idea for a bike route between Chicago and Kenosha Wisconsin. I hadn't noticed this before but there are now four icons above the area where you enter your starting and ending points. The icons correspond to: driving, public transport, walking and bicycling. This is brilliant!<br />
<br />
Why Kenosha? Well, there is a commuter train stop near where I live and the end of the line is Kenosha. Since Metra allows bikes on trains I think it would be cool to take the train to the end of the line and bicycle back. As most of you know -- it is much harder to get lost when heading towards home. Anyway, the route Google gives me includes bike paths were they are available. This is such a great idea.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-20525444695265720452010-06-28T17:23:00.003-05:002011-12-10T11:25:38.364-06:00Green - Cargo via Bicycle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A small effort to get a little "greener" has lead to a short-term OCD-type thought-binge on the best way to carry cargo on a bicycle. The effort started with attaching a grocery pannier to the rear rack of my bike. As I headed out to the store each pedal rotation had my heel bumping against the pannier. Once I got up a little speed my heel launched the pannier right off the bike. </div>
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At first I thought about different bikes and different racks and so on. I decided that if I was going to start buying things I better figure out exactly what I want in terms of where I ought to carry a load on a bike. A small series of experiments was in order.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17lLeHCkudfDSuDyUxlpCRBvHH7FYFogS2YvGcqQ9DNGi_5orjGdjV-RBrSu1VbW0ip9f7lx5VJvLWmCY74REHTJgwktAk1LP9XFbtEJsNJxv8RfCa09bjZvAk-EDdtk5hr6t/s1600/B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17lLeHCkudfDSuDyUxlpCRBvHH7FYFogS2YvGcqQ9DNGi_5orjGdjV-RBrSu1VbW0ip9f7lx5VJvLWmCY74REHTJgwktAk1LP9XFbtEJsNJxv8RfCa09bjZvAk-EDdtk5hr6t/s200/B1.JPG" width="200" /></a>For the first test, the panniers had to be either be moved back somehow or replaced by a way to carry a load on the top of the rack. I found these collapsible steel rear baskets (made by Wald) on Craigslist. Being steel, I was able to mount them about 6 inches back on the rack. That gives me the heel clearance that I need.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuxr5sAiITXcqM5S9nv5_yTYxD4LcZ5Eedci2VeCY0kgXy6Voq3St-FzLylFcMtX9kR0sKoRK7anZ6S9CU8ZTMaaqRvTCGemsGm1LgUbNzyTcai2NEeYgno5S0Id11fjgC93Q/s1600/B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuxr5sAiITXcqM5S9nv5_yTYxD4LcZ5Eedci2VeCY0kgXy6Voq3St-FzLylFcMtX9kR0sKoRK7anZ6S9CU8ZTMaaqRvTCGemsGm1LgUbNzyTcai2NEeYgno5S0Id11fjgC93Q/s200/B2.JPG" width="200" /></a>For "cargo" I used two empty cat litter containers and filled them with water. The containers were about 2 gallons each so they each made up a 16 pound simulated load. The ride was not bad and handling was hardly affected. It did take a little extra distance to stop after braking with the 32 lb. load.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesKZlJ9G6xSOB58mRkYd5eT7n3EI0qT3TzbF_-QXURUxFhAaPL5EL3li_6ho8-mVKQKPcroBkTSHXtusrTP16LsRDNQ9zpfYZzcOawkHC8aJmCZfJAFzXqSIrNUPi8WtJRnB9/s1600/B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesKZlJ9G6xSOB58mRkYd5eT7n3EI0qT3TzbF_-QXURUxFhAaPL5EL3li_6ho8-mVKQKPcroBkTSHXtusrTP16LsRDNQ9zpfYZzcOawkHC8aJmCZfJAFzXqSIrNUPi8WtJRnB9/s200/B3.JPG" width="200" /></a> I used I used an old milk crate attached to a front mounted "porteur" style rack to test out the potential of a front delivery basket. This might not have been a good test as the load is so far forward. As I started to ride it was reminiscent of first learning to ride a bike. The front wheel wiggled a bit until I got up some speed then it settled down. The handling of the bike felt strange but I got somewhat used to it after a while. When stopping, planting a foot solidly on the ground right away was more important than usual. Riding this way would require extra diligence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF2EPzmEjli76ktH-UV3XSkAzVZW9f5cSwHYNxOQb2uMcJr830d9H33lwc7sFL1FffEphGvOjaEVmGVkbMv56wkGP0Wu98Dw4VMJG0AVLyWq0vcohcmrSOwBB5J-Ps1R1TZaK/s1600/B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF2EPzmEjli76ktH-UV3XSkAzVZW9f5cSwHYNxOQb2uMcJr830d9H33lwc7sFL1FffEphGvOjaEVmGVkbMv56wkGP0Wu98Dw4VMJG0AVLyWq0vcohcmrSOwBB5J-Ps1R1TZaK/s200/B4.JPG" width="200" /></a>I thought part of the problem was that the load and the handlebars were both forward of the head tube of the bike, basically, ahead of the steering fulcrum. I turned my "bull horn" style handle bars around to simulate a set of touring handlebars. Unfortunately, the short "horns" and the long extension of the stem did not move my hand position to the other side of the fulcrum. The ride seemed better but maybe I was getting more used to the load. Something I did during all test drives was jiggle the the handlebars left and right to get a sense of the bike's handling. In these configurations doing so caused a noticeable torsion in the stem itself!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJ6Q32RYTHCTg7A5uELp649I2KwwtDaa18TM63lfZMAZsK4KPp1r_nPXGCS6myyRqs0Lh4XK29Y6vyiws6h0OWYJsJZDKyLjEIVAg9UjSUfFoPufc3KG2RxSd7E7eP9nqclMh/s1600/B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJ6Q32RYTHCTg7A5uELp649I2KwwtDaa18TM63lfZMAZsK4KPp1r_nPXGCS6myyRqs0Lh4XK29Y6vyiws6h0OWYJsJZDKyLjEIVAg9UjSUfFoPufc3KG2RxSd7E7eP9nqclMh/s200/B5.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I went back to testing the load at the rear of the bike, now with it on top of the rack. I expected bike handling to be just like with the panniers. However, this configuration had some of the uneasy handling as was the case with the front load. Not bad, but noticeable.<br />
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Front and rear crates where attached to the racks using plastic tie-wraps.<br />
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For now I will probably go with some compromise. Heavy loads will go low, on the rear on the bike. I like the convenience of carrying some things on the front but that will have to limited to lighter loads. Maybe I'll get a small wire basket or a handlebar bag, perhaps with some upright touring handlebars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluQmQKL7XHs5W6TjwNJG-0ZLWlHnxnCvDGNZSBJ_4CoMbIum_NXS3d0gXMJyrLd9gycEnduzHTcTtVDqP8E0j5UN7lKtWZ263LWgCqNgETbQaxLYd3DhvWeu2kKgv5A5E2g0X/s1600/B6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluQmQKL7XHs5W6TjwNJG-0ZLWlHnxnCvDGNZSBJ_4CoMbIum_NXS3d0gXMJyrLd9gycEnduzHTcTtVDqP8E0j5UN7lKtWZ263LWgCqNgETbQaxLYd3DhvWeu2kKgv5A5E2g0X/s320/B6.JPG" /></a></div>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-89882410156757305722010-06-24T18:27:00.000-05:002010-06-24T18:27:03.388-05:00Meet the Fawcetts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsw-kSexxlK-glg-qWtfvgY8EaWH5a3f_rVzc_YQgMnqbc2MOZGaOpNM7isSGkrloI1_dxa-rCQDPp7s_xXeMpXObuVN1qMrrJJMxrjRK5MgrjDOHnxQLYt6ZZnr6lpDav8oj/s1600/Fawcett+Family.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsw-kSexxlK-glg-qWtfvgY8EaWH5a3f_rVzc_YQgMnqbc2MOZGaOpNM7isSGkrloI1_dxa-rCQDPp7s_xXeMpXObuVN1qMrrJJMxrjRK5MgrjDOHnxQLYt6ZZnr6lpDav8oj/s320/Fawcett+Family.JPG" /></a></div>Our neighbors had their basement laundry room remodeled recently. When they put these faucets out in the alley they still had the plumbing attached to them. But still -- they <i>spoke to me</i>.<br />
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I happened to have a few pickets left over from a fence I built a long while ago...Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-19649844272850248562010-06-08T13:44:00.000-05:002010-06-08T13:44:19.252-05:00Bikin' in the RainToday was the first time I can recall -- in a long time -- that I started out to run errands by bicycle when it was already raining. I've been caught in the rain before but I don't know if/when I ever started out when it was already raining. I know this is no big deal to hard-core cyclists, but I am just getting back into it and using the car as a last resort rather than the other way around.<br />
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The interesting thing is that... it was fun. Sort of like being in on some silly secret.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-42664227977382834512010-05-01T18:28:00.000-05:002010-05-01T18:28:34.460-05:00Derby Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmOLDk1wWaH1vHGbDbV4tBZKTT4AXPGG2QM0Ntli2bWi9E_uX4uxoT4fuJqSr4uxJxZu021MVGHFHjs2E70sioYV7jH_PsLZN2kphvN02djnlis6FWkD8SnPVCYnVL5u2Zvx1/s1600/derby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmOLDk1wWaH1vHGbDbV4tBZKTT4AXPGG2QM0Ntli2bWi9E_uX4uxoT4fuJqSr4uxJxZu021MVGHFHjs2E70sioYV7jH_PsLZN2kphvN02djnlis6FWkD8SnPVCYnVL5u2Zvx1/s200/derby.jpg" width="150" /></a>Friend and neighbor checks in from the Derby via the miracle that is modern cell phone technology.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-76191805058653485622010-03-21T18:36:00.003-05:002010-04-23T16:46:51.269-05:00The Cat-Lady Makes Breakfast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8fTn5dY5JjaR9MLDma8cuCouyD3dxq-Khuzl2KUuYgPHEu7nDT8jOmI5icYY5ieHa3mg7TbJspZwhA8rzmEkG8P1fZcQxGWCTcI4dhf7EYYWAEEp-7AXhMDMHOpp5CFRROoB/s1600-h/ApplePancake2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8fTn5dY5JjaR9MLDma8cuCouyD3dxq-Khuzl2KUuYgPHEu7nDT8jOmI5icYY5ieHa3mg7TbJspZwhA8rzmEkG8P1fZcQxGWCTcI4dhf7EYYWAEEp-7AXhMDMHOpp5CFRROoB/s320/ApplePancake2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This "Apple Pancake" was just a few raisins short of being Apple Strudel -- but I'm not complaining. The photo was taken before the powdered sugar was applied.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-42639459818540476602010-03-16T19:16:00.000-05:002010-03-16T19:16:27.609-05:00Happy Birthday, JackLast week would have been Jack Kerouac's birthday. I read "On The Road" many years ago and was a bit disappointed. I just didn't see what the big deal was. After listening to a radio program over the weekend I realized what the big deal was -- or more accurately -- why I didn't see the what the big deal was before.<br />
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The book "On The Road" was published before I was born, and it chronicled his doings from years before that -- life and road trips starting in the late 1940s and extending into the 1950s. By the time I read this book much of that radicalism had been main-streamed into our lives. Reading about Kerouac "living" the 1960's just didn't seem so cool when I read about it in the 1980's. That is until I looked at it from the perspective of post-war America in the 1940's and 50's, which is when he was actually doing it.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-68985686802058399392010-03-16T18:43:00.000-05:002010-03-16T18:43:21.006-05:00No MSG for me...There is a very interesting <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/msg-is-this-silent-killer_b_491502.html">article on MSG</a> over at the Huffington Post.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-88443254415668872212010-03-04T19:41:00.001-06:002010-03-04T19:41:44.641-06:00Cold-Brew CoffeeOf course I was intrigued when my local bashful-beatnik sent over a link for a new device that claims to: 1) make the <i><b>best</b></i> coffee, 2) make coffee with 70% less acid and 3) work without power.<br />
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The device doesn't brew in the true sense of the word. You actually steep the (coarse ground) beans in water for 24 hours to make a high octane "extract" that can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To make hot coffee you mix some of the extract with hot water and there you go -- the best, lowest acid coffee ever. Right?<br />
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I took a look at the pictures of the $80 contraption and immediately saw about 3 or 4 other ways you could steep the beans with equipment you already have. I chose one method and 24 hours later tested some of the extract. Man, if I had spent $80 I would have been <strike>pissed</strike> disappointed. At least it doesn't require power -- (except to make the hot water you could have used to make drip coffee in the first place).<br />
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I may repeat the experiment one more time using beans coarse ground at the store (which uses a burr grinder) rather than use my home grinder (which uses a spinning blade). But the results will have to be much better just to equal the coffee I make the usual way.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-60612608828977881652010-03-02T21:56:00.000-06:002010-03-02T21:56:18.162-06:00An ounce of preventionIn our rather large home-office network I have been using an old PC running IPCOP (Linux-based firewall distribution) as a firewall. And by "old" I really mean OLD. Since it had been running 24x7 for many years I decided to build up (add 3 network cards, etc) a "newer" old PC as a replacement. The plan also called for refurbishing the old firewall as a back-up to the new firewall.<br />
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It all went according to plan but, about a week after the new firewall was in place it experienced a memory error -- which results in a kernel panic and a system halt. If I didn't have the old firewall still sitting nearby this would have meant a day or more of no internet access, several websites unavailable to the outside world and probably other network problems as well, since the firewall is also a DHCP server.<br />
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For sure I will be building up back-up machines for the web-server, the file-server and might even pick-up some other spare network components as well.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-74827070716895839022010-03-02T12:11:00.001-06:002010-03-02T12:14:20.013-06:00Quoting John KerryAbout two years ago I removed every "political" post from my blog thinking that commentary just didn't belong here. A few years before that, the Democrats held the minority position in both houses. At that time, the main stream media were calling out every parliamentary maneuver as "obstruction" and actually using the word "filibuster". On the other hand, yesterday the media reported Senator Bunning's outlandish obstructionism only as "Senate Gridlock". The following is a snippet of a post by Senator Kerry in the blog Talking Points Memo:<br />
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<i>In the last Congress, the Republican minority more than doubled the previous record for filibusters, and they are on a pace to challenge or surpass that "accomplishment" this Congress as well. And filibusters are only the most obvious part of it.</i><br />
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<i>On issue after issue, votes large and small, the strategy from the GOP at the highest levels has been the same: exploiting every Senate rule, playing every trick to try to slow things down. They put holds on bills that later pass by 90 votes, filibuster things they later vote for, block things they previously proposed. They used the filibuster to shoot down a debt commission that they themselves called on President Obama to implement! They block completely uncontroversial nominees and cause days of delays on the most critical of legislation. They even stalled on money for our troops last year, just to try to delay debate on health care reform.</i>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-35276527312807931842009-12-31T16:12:00.000-06:002010-03-02T22:00:07.876-06:002010 - A Year of Living...Intensely... Intently... Intentionally?<br />
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The confluence of 4 things brings me to this post, and my plan for 2010.<br />
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1) A while back I read Bill McKibben's book: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Long Distance</span>. In it, McKibben documents how he spent a year of his life dedicated to a training regimen similar to that of a world-class competitive cross country skier. It gave me insight into the general differences between amateurs and professionals in sports.<br />
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2) Later, I read: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Angry White Pyjamas</span> by Robert Twigger. The author was working in Tokyo when he decided to enroll in a "special" martial arts class. I say "special" with tongue in cheek since what this class amounted to was a year of more than full time training in Aikido. I'm talking about all-day Monday through Friday and a half day on Saturday. That is more training than some regular person taking two typical one-hour classes per week for 10 years! This was a fascinating read on many levels.<br />
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3) More recently, I read what I thought was just a book about competitive scrabble playing. I read it mainly for the amusement value since I have only ever played scrabble as a way to pass time and I have never cared about winning. The book is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Word Freak</span> by Stefan Fatsis and, as it turns out, the author took a leave of absence from work to not only write about this world I knew nothing about, but also had a goal of raising his own skill level enough to compete in the "Expert" division of tournament play. At first I thought this would be a hard book to finish but I found that it was actually hard to put down.<br />
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4) About a week later, we happened to see the movie <span style="font-weight: bold;">Julie and Julia</span>. I had an idea about the movie beforehand but I didn't know that an underlying facet was that a person, Julie Powell, decided to cook every recipe in Julie Child's first book (all 524 of them) in one year. For some perspective, it took Julie and two other authors 7 years to write the book which is somewhat of an encyclopedia of French cooking.<br />
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This brings me to myself and 2010. I have decided to live the year dedicated to something. What exactly I will be dedicated to I don't really know. What I do know is that I have more than 52 ideas for projects related to software development. I certainly have more than 52 books on my "must read" list. I have been talking about getting in the best shape of my life -- for most of my life. And so on with many other possible endeavors.<br />
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But it in the end it has boiled down to this. I will create a DEEP queue of tasks/activities in each category of my life where I have goals and work on those more intently, intentionally and intensely than I have in the past. That's it. If I start out doing this I could, at any time, change my mind and work on any one category or any one project. But the goal is the same, to be more intent, intentional and intense than ever before. Don't look for the book or movie though -- I can't imagine anything more boring to anyone else. What I will do is write about the results of some of the projects and the process.<br />
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Whether I post any of it here is a different story.Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-26244103509689478742009-12-03T11:20:00.002-06:002009-12-03T11:21:07.292-06:00Interesting QuoteI just saw this in a book review on Amazon:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"It's a sign of maturity when you begin to fall out of love with your own drama."</span>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017019.post-62355571416313563702009-08-09T09:43:00.004-05:002009-08-09T09:56:10.568-05:00Cash for clunkersJust poking around the government web site to see if my car qualifies as a clunker. In most peoples mind's my car is definitely old enough and rough enough to be called a <span style="font-weight: bold;">clunker</span>. Unfortunately, the gas mileage of this car is high enough such that it does not qualify.<br /><br />On the other hand, for the same model year various Rolls Royce*, Porsche, Mercedes and even Lamborghini* models do qualify as <span style="font-weight: bold;">clunkers</span>.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you are about to turn in your Rolls or Lamborghini please email me. I can give you a little more than the $4500 the dealer would.</span></span>Mike -- Chicago, IL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00193494290698248075noreply@blogger.com0