Dave's Blue Planet

Skimmers

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:50:00 +0000

How could you NOT notice this protruding from the pump? At best, it's awkward. They make no mention of how they capture the additional information usually asked for, such as zip code, that must be keyed in if you select Credit vs. Debit option.

Too Smart For Their Own Good.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:32:00 +0000

We have two intelligent cats. We've had them for over 12 years now and we know they're smart because they've proven it time and time again. I'll call them by name to come to me and they just kind of give me a quick glance and go back to sleep. I throw a toy near them and they give me a quick glance and go back to sleep. When we go to feed them they sit and watch the entire procedure of getting the food out, pouring it in their dishes, and putting the food away again. Yeah, for that they don't go back to sleep. Over the past year or so we've noticed that the cats aren't as eager for their food when it's put out. We tried different food and the result after a week was the same which is why I installed some adjustable latches on the lower cabinets. Hows that for a segue? We also noticed that for cats who weren't that hungry at meal time the food was going down. A mouse perhaps? No holes in the cabinets which prompted me to install the latches, to keep pests out if we had any we didn't know about.

I work the late shift on rotation also I keep fairly odd hours and will be awake in the wee hours of the night often. The other night I heard a tapping in the kitchen, like from a cabinet door that won't close all the way and you keep pushing it to close it for naught. The kitchen has one of those plugin led panels that emit a soft green light so you can find your way around without turning the lights all on and becoming instantly blinded by them. What do I find making the noises? Picture this in your mind. There's one cat sitting patiently to the side while the other cat is trying with all his might to open the cabinet door where their food is kept. Talk about self-service! These cats are sly like someone pretending to not speak your language but they really do. Ignore me when they feel like sleeping and when they're hungry for a 2a.m. snack they just go open the cabinet and help themselves to a late dinner. This shouldn't have been a surprise, like the expression, "sly as a cat".

Is This What I have To Look Forward To?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:24:00 +0000

What Are Cities Good At?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Different parts of the country, let alone the entire planet, are typically known for certain goods, food, trade, educational opportunities, etc. We all know of many without even taking the time to think about it at all. We have cities like Detroit MI auto industry which has been in the news since the GM govt loans and resurgence of GM as the top auto manufacturer in the world once again. Okay, lets keep going here. We also have Boston MA education, medicine, history, etc., Burbank CA television, Hollywood CA film industry, Houston TX oil, Raleigh NC accounting, Orlando FL theme parks, Seattle WA rain, and anywhere AZ fence building. It's funny how people tend to stream and gather in various geographical areas to ply their trades. Maybe it's the climate, maybe the taxes, lack of rain, snow, cold, heat, whatever! People of a like mind will always find each other in the long run and we all have plenty to choose from.

My First Year In Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:07:00 +0000

It was my first year living in Florida, even though it was going to be temporary housing till we bought, or built, a house. We moved everything we had from up in the northeast down except for heavy cold weather gear. We set up the place in late November and did our thing till Spring and then it hit me, I was going to need to cut the grass and didn't have any way to do it. I didn't want to buy a gas mower because the yard was too small. I didn't know what my future needs in a mower would be with the house we would soon purchase so I figured we'd save some cash by going the manual mower route. I believe we bought a fiskars reel mower, the kind with the spinning horizontal blades that scissor the grass instead of fast chopping like a gas mower does. The mower was great, just like what I grew up with except. Yeah, except I didn't anticipate the Florida summer heat while pushing a mower. If it wasn't for the heat I'd still have my reel mower, if for nothing else it saved a lot on buying gas.

I Know That Smell

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:51:00 +0000

I was in Ybor City last week, an historical Spanish section of old Tampa where the handmade cigar trade flourished in days long past and continues in a more limited amount today. When I started smoking decades ago, which I no longer do anymore, I was a cigar smoker. I smoker most of them like the Owls, Vegas, Phillies, TJ smalls, and Swisher sweet cigars. From cigars I went to the pipe(not that kind of pipe but the real kind) and later on during a business trip I went to cigarettes, menthol B&H's to be specific. I digress. The smell I referred to in the title was the smell of the quality tobacco you find in a good cigar. The area drips the smell of tobacco from the hand rolled cigar shops along the main thoroughfare where you can still see them hand rolling them and complete your day at a good Spanish food at good restaurant. It's good to see that some traditions still exist in America and are flourishing.

Beefy Watches Are Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:01:00 +0000

I like big, beefy watches and not because my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I just like the feel of it and the ease of use with them. Some of them are like having a mini computer on your wrist and others are a mini computer for your wrist. My boss Peter was showing me his latest procurement from the Internet, a Luminox navy seal watch. This watch was so cool to look at with it's big face and defined hands. Last week he came in with a Russian divers watch and that was cool to except that the the adjustment stems were way too big and would end up getting damaged or do damage if it hit something or someone. I'm going to look into the seal watch a little more and see what other permutations they have for them and maybe it'll be time for an early Christmas present for me!

Deep Fryer Base

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:00 +0000

I got an electric deep fryer an while back and I have to say I absolutely love it. It makes the best fried turkey I've ever tasted. I recently (yesterday) got a complaint from my mother-in-law about the stand I had it on. She said it was a little big to leave on the patio where I had it. I didn't think that was the case and after all, it is my house. On the negative side, since I need to maintain a peaceful environment, I needed to find a replacement as soon as I could. On the plus side I had more of a free hand in the selection of the replacement. The one I was using was formerly a stereo stand and they're not really known for being cooking platforms unless your cooking to some good tunes. I digress. To my surprise I found a stand that was perfect at the most unlikely of places, the local charity store that begins with the big letter G. It cost me $15 and was a solid wood night stand, larger than an ordinary one, that left me plenty of room for the fryer AND my frying tools and thermometer. It's a piece of furniture that looks decent, it's sturdy solid wood for stability, and it took me less that a day to procure it. Win, win for me.

Identity Theft Is Bad News

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Tim, an associate of mine, has been plagued the past year. He's changed his bank checking account a few times in the past year because someone has been writing checks on his account. In fact it's ALL of his accounts. He changes the checking account number and a couple of months later another $25 check gets cashed at the big box store from Arkansas that controls America and several other countries. When they check to see if a check is good at the register it just checks to see if there's an adequate balance and flags the amount to secure payment to them. They don't check to see if the check casher has an ID to match the check name, not that it would matter. I remember the days when they'd take a picture of the check AND the ID AND the check casher's face at the service desk before cashing it. Now wouldn't that be great in court when the person was eventually caught. They need to have at the register a button that lights up for you to click here and record you along with the check. I think people (thieves) may think twice before taking that approach to stealing if they know their face will be documented along with the fake check. Tim will be getting another account number this week and hopefully get his money back as well.

What To Get The Cats For Early Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:34:00 +0000

No, I don't celebrate early Christmas with the cats. I do however celebrate their better health like it was Christmas. My cats, or specifically one long haired cat, have had an ongoing problem with fur-balls and the vomiting that always follows the development of one. Nothing says fun like getting up in the middle of the night and stepping on one of those landmines in the bedroom in the dark. I hate putting the light on because it seems to wake me up more than just getting up for a second in the dark, unless you find one waiting for you. I figured it was time for some pet gifts online, the stores are so much more expensive when you compare. I got the ultimate watering fountain for my cats, saved over $30 including shipping, and have happier cats now that their drinking more because they prefer moving water over static water, just by purchasing it online. Their happy and I'm happy but my rugs may never recover from the past!

Kind Of Mean, But Funny!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:23:00 +0000

My wife isn't on par with the likes of the NBA when it comes to height, in fact she's height deficient you might say. Don't get me wrong, I happen to like petite women. Nothing says RUN like a woman on a date who, when relaxing, leans her arm on top of your head! Chores around the house are another matter however. Height is sometimes a prize to be held on to with gusto, so to speak. Since we live in Florida we have high ceilings in the house where sadistic home builders put recessed lighting. I have one light in the living room, or should I say great room, that's over eight feet up. Well, it died the other day when I wasn't home so my wife decided to replace it using our handy two step stool. My math may be a bit hazy here but 5' 4" + 2' stretched arm + two step stool don't add up to 8'. I even get the 6' ladder out of the garage so I don't fall backwards into the fireplace hearth if I lost my balance for some reason. Safety first and all that. Needless to say I had to get the ladder out and do it when I got home, to her consternation. All I can say is, actually I better not say it because she may read this later on.

Shopping For A New Backyard Shed.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:04:00 +0000

My wife and I were out getting some prices on a new outdoor shed. The one we have now is metal and has a few rust spots where odd metal interacts with the trusty old steel building out in the corner of the yard. What surprised us the most while shopping is that so many of them are now plastic, top to bottom. I really don't have too much faith in this material since I do live in a hurricane zone in the summer months. My steel one has deep anchors driven into the floor deck which is screwed to the sides which is screwed to the roof. In my remembrances of all things plastic in a hurricane, they flew far away early into the storm while my metal shed still stands in the corner where it's been since it was new. I guess I could paint it instead of replacing it.

Faster Shopping. Is It A Good Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Is being able to enter a store and be out the door in just a few minutes a good thing? I suppose, as from a customer standpoint, it is. It leaves the customer more time for the things that aren't associated with shopping to get accomplished. For the merchants who have spent millions on POS systems I don't think so. Merchants traditionally make more profit on impulse buying. Most impulse purchases occur when the customer is waiting at the checkout line and gets a little bored and starts looking at all the cool, interesting things on display at the register. Those cool and interesting things typically have a huge markup and are a great profit booster for each store. Who doesn't want to but that mini flashlight or that throw away travel razor with extra shave cream enclosed? Hmm, I better get two, just in case I spontaneously take a trip somewhere soon.

Windows 8, Easy or Not. You Be The Judge!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Waiting To Exhale, The Sequel?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:26:00 +0000

It's One Way To See The World, Quickly!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Matrix Reloaded MTV Parody

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:28:00 +0000

A Blast From The Past

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:04:00 +0000

I was watching some early Beatles concert videos, grainy and all, and I saw something I had almost forgotten about, Vox speakers. I used to own a smaller unit when I played bass but seeing the bigvox units they used compared to the slimvox unit I had was almost comical. The Beatles used Vox almost exclusively and usually got the latest and greatest amps the company had developed, as well as advertise to other rockers. In fact Paul McCartney was given, basically, a prototype T60 amp that he unfortunately found out would overheat. It was one of the first speaker systems of the time that used transistors. A few pairings and swaps later they were able to combine a AC30 amp with the T60 amp so the unit as a whole would not overheat. The rest is history.

Halo: The Movie 2012 "Best"Official Trailer long version

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:01:00 +0000

Justice League (DC Universe) 2012 Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:58:00 +0000

Harry Potter At Universal Getting An Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:52:00 +0000

It hasn't been even 3 years yet and already there are plans in the works for an expansion of the Wizardly World of Harry Potter to almost double it's current size. I know from several visits to the parks that there's always a good crowd there and if they make the expansion seamless they'll make a veritable fortune, so long as people don't lose interest. I know that the housing market is weak in most of the country but Orlandovacation homes are always in demand. As a visitor you can get some good bargains with a private rental like these as opposed to staying in the parks, which are quite expensive when totaled up at the end of your stay. If it were me and I needed to stay in a lodging I'd want to save some money for fun stuff instead of a bed and bathroom for 8 hours.

Resident Evil 5: Retribution Trailer 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:50:00 +0000

Is The Blue Planet An Alien Planet?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Note: This presentation is apprx. 1hr 33m in length. Very interesting to future thinkers!

When a Fan Belt Isn't a Fan Belt

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:44:00 +0000

When is a fan belt not a fan belt? When it's a serpentine belt. I have the hardest time dealing with serpentine belts because they wind around everything, just like serpentine beads do. If you get a squeal in the belt you have to address the whole belt instead of just one component and if the tensioner is frozen you'll have a really miserable time changing it out and the tensioner as well since it's no good. I recently had three belts replaced because oil leaked onto them from a poor repair at the mechanics. Guess what. Residual oil that was on the engine somehow got onto the belts again. So, tomorrow either the old belts will be on the garage floor or a big swatch of my hair will!

Terminator 5 Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:40:00 +0000