Some More Stories For You

Brrr, it is cold out there.

Seriously, it is only December and yet we are getting so much cold weather. I saw weather predictions that claimed that we are not going to get a lot of snow but that we are going to get lots of very cold temperatures. Well, we did get lots of flurries but hardly any buildup in our area. However, I cannot believe that our winter temperatures have started off so low in the past. Something strange is going on.

I just had a problem with my PC device that I use when I go online. I do not believe it was due to the chilly weather but who knows.

It turns out that the battery backup system that I had with my computer completely seemed to have some problems because when power failed the computer desktop also failed and went completely dead. Normally, the battery backup system stays online for several minutes so that I can close off my PC and other devices so that they do not suffer from the outage.

I did have a company from which I wanted to buy a product. It was the company from which I purchased the device I already had in my PC system. However, when I called them and spoke to someone in their Customer Service Department, the cost to buy one of their products was extremely high and almost unaffordable. Well, not really that hard to buy but it did cost a lot of money.

I went to one of the computer dealers that I deal with now and asked them to make a suggestion about what I should buy. Amazingly, they suggested a pretty good alternative which was at a relatively low cost. Mind you, I had never heard about this manufacturer before but since they suggested it I assumed that it was a good value. By the way, if you want to know what Company it is, just drop me a note.

Accordingly, I purchased it and waited several days for it to be shipped to me. After I picked it up, I took it home and tied it into my electrical system so that the batteries inside it could be boosted. It took about eight or nine hours for that to happen. Then, with some concern, I tried to load it with a bunch of different computer products that depended on that system to provide backup power.

Without going into this in a lot of detail, one of the big problems right upfront was loading the new piece of equipment. Since the other one was located underneath my desk, I had to disconnect all of the product wiring that was attached to it and then attach it into the new one. I never expected it to be an easy task and it was not. You try to do things underneath your desk when it is close to a wall. Believe it or not, it was difficult pulling the old connections out of the existing unit. I guess they were stuck inside for so long that it was difficult for them to be separated. Nevertheless, it was eventually completed.

Then, power was put back on. Fingers were tightly crossed and my hope was that everything would actually work. At first, it did not. I guess I just did not start the system properly because the right buttons had to be pushed in the right order and for the right amount of time. I finally did it and, lo and behold, the starting light went on and everything worked absolutely properly.

I must say that everything seems quite fine. In fact, the speed of my computer connecting to various Internet websites seems to be going a lot faster than before. Perhaps this new computer device is assisting. I sure hope so.

In any event, everything seems to be going well so that I have time now to dictate some articles and then ship them off to my website for you to read. Here are some of them that I just completed for your reading pleasure.

A NOVEMBER WEATHER STORY

Yes, I know that I am not supposed to write a whole bunch of stories about the weather anymore. However, if there is an interesting one, then please forgive me if I decide to write it. Just take a look at what was written about our November weather:

“Since November 1st at Toronto International Airport (YYZ):

--9 days were 100% cloudy (no sun visible at all)

--22 days had an average cloud cover of 80% or more

--November 22nd was the only day cloud cover was below 50% (hope you enjoyed it!)

--1 entire hour of daylight was lost as we approach the winter solstice” (Brett Soderholm, The Weather Network, November 30, 2018) 

I am sure that the weather conditions here were just as similar and just as bad. As you know also, dear reader, the weather on December 1 in our area was just as cloudy.

I must say that with the temperature being so low, it is not all that troubling that outside was gloomy and I did not go for walks. I do hope though that the sun finally comes out and that it finally starts to shine around here.

Even if the temperature is low, I have some new clothes now that will allow me to go outside for a walk, even if it is a short one. It is a great way to keep myself in good shape.

WILL WINDSOR CHANGE

Gord Henderson wrote a very good column on December 1 in the Windsor Star: 

“Henderson: GM's Oshawa shutdown shows Windsor has to diversify — now”

To be honest, that has been my position for a very long time. I remember after I first moved here from Toronto, that I wrote some stories online about changes that I thought should be undertaken in Windsor.

I felt very strongly when I moved here that Windsor was a very vibrant place to live. Moreover, I also expected that there was terrific potential for growth there. Yes, Windsor did very well in the auto industry but I thought that the opportunities were available in other industrial areas as well.

I must admit that, after all of this time that I have lived here, I have never really seen anything grow significantly outside of the automobile industry. I have been very disappointed about that. Oh sure, everyone was doing well when times were good, but, when the automobile industry slowed down as it did several times since I have been here, things look very difficult for people residing in this area.

Seriously, wasn’t it very exciting here a very short time ago about how well the industry was going to do in our area! That changed didn’t it:

“If it can happen in Oshawa, home to GM for most of a century, it can happen anywhere, including Windsor.

That thought sent a chill down the mayor’s spine — reminding him of sleepless nights early in his first term, before Chrysler Canada committed to massive investments in its Windsor Assembly plant — and triggered a five-alarm sense of urgency on the need to accelerate the area’s diversification.”

Accordingly, our Mayor took this position:

“Dilkens, however, feels duty-bound to consider the worst that could happen, no matter how unlikely.”

He should at least be congratulated that he has recognized the problem. The question though is what he is going to do to try and solve it. Now that will be interesting to see what happens. In addition, with the new Council, it will be interesting as well to see if the new Members of Council are aggressive in what they want to see achieved and how quickly.