Diversions

By Patrick Libert

July’s Presentation

Bruce Preston’s faultless presentation was, once more, a total learning experience for me. My collection of LP’s should eventually be digitized and only the malfunctioning of my Dual turntable has caused this procrastination. I have Audacity, the audio receiver and the cables, and Bruce’s show and tell confirms that it is a simple and creative procedure. What am I waiting for?   

More on Weather Web Sites

In my last column, I referred to the WeatherBell site whose seasoned meteorologists often explain the background causes of the weather we are experiencing.

Regretfully (for me), Joe Bastardi’s analyses are no longer accessible in the free version. Weatherground understandably had to become a paid service at a rate of $16.99 per month. I miss the daily discussions but I will put more trust into the more mundane weather sites and broadcasts.

Streaming News

Pandora continues to be my favorite source of music streaming and I hope that their recent IPO helps them finance their unique operation.

There is a brand new player in this arena, Spotify.  Spotify music service has been available for a few years in several European countries with millions of subscribers. Spotify just launched in the US earlier this month and it is downloadable for most platforms in a free and in two paying versions. I have not yet tried it but when I receive the invitation to download the free version, I will report in more detail.

The other streaming activity I mentioned in my last column was video streaming from Netflix. I have had the chance to catch up on older PBS series and some movies without having to wait for the DVD to arrive. Of course, Netflix’s sudden price increase announcement last week was not a model of public relations perfection. Hopefully, they will listen to the public uproar from their subscribers and offer additional options.

Playing Chicken

I cannot close this commentary without adding my two cents regarding the current Congressional activity.

Let’s simply compare the childish behavior of our elected officials to what would happen if Congress were a corporation. We have a workforce who is paid to do a job by us, the taxpayers. Instead of making decisions for the good of their employer, they meet endlessly, fight among themselves and care only about their own personal dictates.

How long would they be employed by a reputable company? Would their boss have to wait 2, 4 or 6 years to replace them? NEVER!

Be vocal! Call, write, email your representatives and tell them what you think of their lack of maturity. They will listen!

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