Author: Rick Thues

Kauai

Episode #820 October 19, 2024 KAUA'I We bid Dave goodbye and he drove Paula and I to the Hilo airport on the Big Island of Hawai'i.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbRS8LlUzYQ   Our flight to Kaua’i included one stop in Honolulu. The Boeing 717 jet was pulled onto the tarmac where the pilot fired up the engines. Within moments the engines powered down. There were two error lights on the flight controls. The jet rolled back to the gangway where maintenance boarded. For the next 45 minutes tests were run and heads were scratched. Suddenly, the lights were reset and the pilot announced...

The Big Island

Episode #819 October 12, 2024 THE BIG ISLAND Our puddle jumper flew from O’ahu to Hilo on the big island of Hawai'i in about an hour.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I Our friend Dave picked us up at the airport. We stopped at a farmer’s market where Dave purchased some exotic fruits. We had never eaten dragon fruit or Mangosteen. The seeds of the Mangosteen are the sweetest food I have ever tasted. Something else I have never eaten is Poke. Dave treated us to it for lunch. Dave and Wendy’s house is perched on a cliff near Waipi’o Overlook, on the north...

Oahu

Episode # 818 October 5, 2024 Memory is brief. It compiles events into concepts which are remembered in a moment. Paula's and my trip to Hawai'i was such a moment. One that lasted 20 days.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX4VxJzgEs   O’AHU Dear friends drove us to San Diego for a five hour flight to Honolulu, O’ahu. After renting a car we had a delicious Thai meal, for which strangers secretly paid, lokomaikaʻi. Our friends, Tom and Heidi, opened there house to us in Wahiawa, also lokomaikaʻi. Paula and I are up jumpers (at altitude, ready to jump, experienced, not students). For years,...

Hitch in My Giddy-up

Episode #817 September 28, 2024 Have you ever had a hitch in your giddy-up? I have them all the time.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgARYezlfjw The other day my wife’s sisters were organizing a surprise trip for her birthday. They kept calling and asking mysterious questions about her calendar obligations. I said, “Is there a hitch in their giddy-up?” Paula said, “What?” “Is there some snag in their planning?” “I’m not sure, but WHAT did you ask me?” She had never heard the phrase. “If something is not quite right with a process there is a “hitch in its giddy-up.” The phrase...

Sofa

Episode #816 September 21, 2024 My sofa was uncomfortable for one of my favorite activities: falling asleep watching TV.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFCxiKXtKTI My wife and I were browsing through the general merchandise displays in the center of the Costco warehouse. There it was… a three seat leather sofa. It featured electric adjustable headrests and an electric zero wall clearance reclining mechanism. The sofa caressed our bodies with full support and adjustability. Watching TV in a comfortable reclined position was guaranteed. Love that Costco satisfaction guarantee. The price was half what we paid for the old sofa at Ashley. There was no...

Lock the Door

Episode #815 September 14, 2024 For 11 years I have resisted enabling Apple 2 Factor Authentication (2FA).     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuIXiy_eqzw Apple 2 Factor Authentication requires always having to be in possession of an internet connected trusted device just to access your Apple ID and iCloud account. This is an unreasonable and inconvenient requirement. It is not easy to avoid switching to 2FA. When you do a Operating System update the default for security is 2FA. You must uncheck the 2FA selection and click through options to opt out. Periodically, Apple will send a notification suggesting that you switch to 2FA....