How Not To Win A War

How Not To Win A War

You should seriously consider looking at and consider buying the March/April 2013 issue of Foreign Policy magazine (How Not To Win A War).  It does an excellent job of looking back to how the United States has done such a poor job at waging war.  I used the word “poor” while others may substitute the word “incompetent”.  The issue mainly cites Afghanistan in its analysis.  As part of this issue, they reveal how President Obama allowed for  similar failed administration process as George W. Bush for sanitizing people working on the war effort (revealed in Imperial Life In The Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran) by stuffing under qualified individuals into positions of war and “nation building” buy having each individual pass the political litmus test of allegiance to their “leader” (in the case of George W. Bush that would be Chaney and his neocon ideology).    A whole lot of ideas come out of this issue that are not explicit stated but one can most easily pull out of the issue:

  • Evidently no one in high office even thinks of conducting deep choice analysis prior to invasions of foreign countries.
  • The US Military method of waging war is land grab.
  • The US always takes on the method of looking down upon the country being invaded and imposing our views and methods.
  • The US Military can really run it off the rails when it gets involved in deciding policy.
  • The CIA can really ruin the war effort when it gets involved in deciding policy.
  • The U.S. State Department expertise is not appreciated, under utilized as a result, because their business is seen as making sausage.  Presidents seem unable to comprehend political complexity, want it simple.
Syrian Step Solution For The West To Consider To Help The Syrian People

Syrian Step Solution For The West To Consider To Help The Syrian People

Proposal:  NATO or United Nations should perform an invasion of Port of Latakia in Syria  for the following purposes:

The current Syrian administration has tried hard to keep this part of their country secure.  Many of the current political and military administration have homes in this city.  This city has taken over a significant portion of the economy and thus functions to support this.

  • Send a powerful message that the western world is in this conflict, wants the current administration to change.
  • Shuts down a powerful wide open door in an out of Syria that can handle a lot of logistics support for the Syrian administration.
  • Gives the spy agencies another door for their operation.
  • Gives the rebels a terrific logistical support portal.
  • Offers a forward logistical base for any future spy, military and humanitarian action.

I foresee a real problem with the rebels trying to exert their control over this territory after this occupation and could come into conflict with the forces that occupy.  The way this would work is if the rebel forces sanction this action, work with the occupying force  and can expedite a good workable interface

Otter Box Samsung Galaxy S3 Defender Series Phone Case With Belt Clip Product Review

Otter Box Samsung Galaxy S3 Defender Series Phone Case With Belt Clip Product Review

July 20, 2012 I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S3 Defender Series Otter Box cell phone cover from the manufacturer.  Item No: 77-21086_A.  The price was $49.95 but when sales tax and shipping was totaled I paid $69.70.   The case came as 4 pieces.  I had to put the phone into a hard shell case which comprised a top and bottom piece.  Over this hard shell was a rubber cover that provided the soft landing protection.  The final piece was a belt clip.  The soft rubber outer case began to slowly expand out from the hard inner shell.  This expansion process was gradual but really got annoying after having the case around six months.  It was getting difficult to put the phone into the belt clip.  The rubber was too wide and would hit the top clip stopping the final hold.

The company does have a product warranty that is quite good but does require that you provide four separate images of the front, rear, damaged part and receipt.  Their replacement period is one year but I was told that they often times extend that time.

Summery:  I am somewhat neutral about this product for the model I purchased.  The company needs to improve the outer rubber part of the case so it does NOT expand over time.  This is really a significant problem for those people who use the belt clip  and may not be for those who do not.

  1.  When the case is new, it is pretty darn awesome.  I am annoyed with the outer rubber expanding and interfering with the belt clip over time.
  2. I just do not see any women buying the belt clip model.  My son loved the case for the first six months until the flap used to protect the power connection broke.  This also seemed to happen about six months after he purchased the unit.  He would slide the case into his pocket.  The outer rubber is resistant enough to keep the phone inside the pants pocket which is nice

TIP:  I am a ham radio operator.  I am very aware of the hazard to the humane body when you place any device that transmits radio waves close to the body, especially the head.  There are some reports of individuals getting brain cancer from cell phones and two way radios usage.  I found it quite easy to install black wrap into the belt clip using double stick tape.  This protective layer should help diminish the cell phone radiation from entering my body.

Miele Power Plus Vacuum Cleaner Review.

Miele Power Plus Vacuum Cleaner Review.

Product review for Miele Power Plus vacuum cleaner.
Model: S7580

I invited my sister to take over our home when our family went on vacation.  When I returned she had donated our very old classic upright Hoover and purchased a Miele replacement.  I have had a chance to test this vacuum for about one year and here are my likes and dislikes.

Like:

  • The power cord is super long.  I thus do not have to keep moving the power plug as I cruise through the house.  I appreciate efficiency.  The cord does get warm telling me that it wastes energy.
  • I just love the fact that the vacuum head rides over any surface.  Every other vacuum cleaner, I have to set the carpet depth.
  • Bag replacement is rather simple and quick.

Dislike:

  • The unit continuously gets clogged.  I have to take the bottom head unit apart and clear out the rather small suck hose that collects the dirt and debris from what is spun up from the rotating brushes.  What is infuriating is that the tool that is needed, T-10H and T-20H, is special.  They should have used Phillips or straight blade screws.  There is a trick to getting the large plastic bottom piece back into place.  You need to move the brush roller back toward the handle and it then slips right in.  Also, along the right and left sides, there are rubber sides that can easily get caught under the plate when you screw it back in place.
  • I ran over the power cord the first time using it and damaged the outer insulation.  I have run over power cords with a lot of other vacuum cleaners and have never caused any harm.

Summary:

I previously panned this vacuum cleaner.  But, I had to go to a vacuum repair shop, All Vacuum Depot, in Brea, California, to get some advice as to how to unclog my vacuum.  The owner, Mike, was  amazed that I did not like the Miele.   He then proceeded to show me the more popular brands that people were buying and how deficient they are.  One brand he showed me had no bag but collected the debris in a see through plastic chamber.  What he seemed to push was that the Miele was a most healthy device.  The filters and collection bag were extremely efficient in collecting the vacuumed up material and not resending it back into the room.  I reflected upon his viewpoint and have now reconsidered my recommendation.  My main complaint with the Miele was it was getting clogged time after time and it required me to dismantle the bottom plate.   I think most homes would not have the floor debris that we have.  I have two teenagers that litter every room in the house it seems with all kinds of annoying objects.  It does not take much to block this vacuum cleaner.   I was then shown a secret door behind the unit that just required undoing two screws.

 

Access door.
Clean out door.

Miele has a special tool, called Miele S7 Cleaning Tool o7431700, that is used by repair technicians for cleaning out any obstructions.  I did find this for sale on the internet.  After opening this door, you have access to five channels for the vacuum air flow and using this tool makes the unit work again.

Conclusion:

I recommend this vacuum cleaner but the buyer should be made aware of my concerns about the unit getting clogged.  Just about every vacuum cleaner gets clogged but this one is a pain if you do not know about the secret door and don’t have the cleaning tool.

Mole Richardson Type 407, Baby Solar Spot, Lighting Bulb Refuses To Come Out

Mole Richardson Type 407, Baby Solar Spot, Lighting Bulb Refuses To Come Out

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Customer complaint:  Can not remove the light bulb out of a Mole Richardson Baby Solar Spot.  It appears to be stuck.

Solution:   I tried to remove the bulb by wedging a straight blade screwdriver between the socket and porcelain bulb base.  The bulb was locked into the socket.  I called Mole Richardson and explained this problem to them.  I was told that some times the bulb contacts become pitted and make bulb removal difficult.  I would have to disassemble the socket.  The technical illustrations provided by Mole Richardson are very impressive and thus most helpful.  I had to remove the bottom of the unit by removing four screws that hold a box at the bottom of the fixture which holds the reflector, socket and pan/spot rails.  The socket is very complicated and is NOT recommended by anyone except a repair person who is totally competent to complete this repair successfully.  I found one (out of four) of the ceramic donuts cracked as seen below.  Once the two main metal contacts were removed the bulb pin was still stuck inside the socket.  The image below shows my attempt to use pliers and spin the connector around the bulb pin.  The pin was so firmly stuck that this attempt failed.  I had to break the bulb ceramic base so I could remove this contact and attack the problem while the socket was held by a bench vise.

Instrument socket shows contact holding bulb pin.
Instrument socket shows contact holding bulb pin.

 

 

I had to remove the metal contact (seen in above image held by pliers) and put it into a vise.  I then took a vice grip pliers and I must have spent over ten minutes spinning the bulb pin before it would come out of the contact.  I inspected both the bulb pin and the socket connector. The image below shows an extreme close up of the problem bulb pin.  Notice the extreme pitting.  The bulb pin should be smooth, not pitted.

Microsope view of bulb pin showing pitting.
Microscope view of bulb pin showing pitting.

I determined that I must replace BOTH instrument contacts.   Only one ceramic insulator circle was cracked but I ordered four in case one might break during installation and have some as spares.  The ceramic insulators only cost $2 each.  The repair parts cost about $68 with tax, not shipping.

Conclusion:  If you have a Mole Richardson Type 407 lighting instrument and the light bulb can not be pulled out of the socket, the bulb pin and even the socket might be pitted.  Send or take the instrument to a qualified repair facility.  Do NOT attempt this repair as the socket components are rather complicated to disassemble and even more difficult to assemble.  The purpose of this post is to show that the bulb pin may be pitted so the bulb can not be pulled out of the socket.

Collective Intelligence May Have Saved 2012 Election

Collective Intelligence May Have Saved 2012 Election

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Prior to the 2012 presidential election I had written some blog articles that were pretty critical of some individual’s intellectual process for supporting a candidate. party and party platform.  I had been following the political happenings prior to the election and my perception was this election was going to be close.  Me and my friends were even scared that Romney would win and set our county back into more oligarch control.  I was vastly surprised, almost shocked, at the election results.  I still can not believe that the electorate figured it out pretty well.  I still stand by my prior blog posts that many individuals have a single issue or two that really is important to them.  My problem with this approach, in my mind, is politics comprises a lot of issues and I think it to be a better choice to measure as many as you can and then draw a broader conclusion.  Well that is simply not going to happen.  People are really drawn into just one or two political issues.  But then, what did happen in this past election?  My only conclusion is there must be a collective intelligence.  If we take all the one and two issue people and put them all together, the issues that each finds important would naturally differ.  If each person was pretty good at figuring out what was the best outcome to pursue for “their” issue then might we then have a pretty good collective intelligence?   I am still toying with this as an explanation because I am out of any other ideas.