Monthly Archives: January 2014

Before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured — the highest standard we can set. —President Barack Obama, May 23, 2013 Somehow we’re still not winning hearts and minds with our … Continue reading →

Six coffee shops in Washington, D.C. are countering Starbucks’ loyalty cards with their own disloyalty cards. When someone buys something at any one of the six shops, their card will be stamped. Once consumers have accumulated six stamps, they can … Continue reading →

In this period, al-Qaeda, a small-scale organization capable of immodest terror acts every couple of years …, managed, with Washington’s help, to turn itself into a global franchise. The more the Bush and Obama administrations went after it, the more … Continue reading →

We’re looking at the possibility of one drop of rain before the end of the month. Maybe. —Local news channel predicting the weather Yesterday’s title at Bob and Sophie’s French Adventure was the quote Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness … Continue reading →

Andy told our insurance company about the new solar heating panels, and they requested some pictures. The first two were understandable: But we were surprised that they requested pictures of all four corners of the cottage taken from about 10 … Continue reading →

We’ve been enjoying all the sunny days this winter, and Andy has had no problem driving up to the land. Needless to say, there is a lot less snow on the ground than usual. There is even less snow on … Continue reading →

The adapter (the blue plastic knob) came yesterday. So Andy changed the cartridge back to 45 rpm/331⁄3 rpm. Then we recorded the missing excerpts to a wave file, and I went back to audio editing in Audacity. When I finish … Continue reading →

The new records did come yesterday, in good shape. They were described as three 45 rpm records, and I had assumed that was a misprint. It wasn’t. 45’s have bigger holes in the center than 78’s or LP’s, so I … Continue reading →

We ended up buying and installing a special 78 rpm cartridge, and the Christmas Carol records do sound better. Shellac records are inherently noisier than the later vinyl ones, so the sound will never be perfect, but it’s not bad. … Continue reading →

Why do they call it Tech Support? Why don’t they just call it We Don’t Know Either? Do you agree with that sentiment? I’ll spare you my latest stories — you can probably guess what they were like. January 12, … Continue reading →