4mm! Really!

I requested some new reading glasses from the Amazon Vine Program and they arrived this morning.

I was not prepared for how amazingly compact they are. The ThinOptics Brooklyn Computer Glasses + Milano Anodized Aluminum, Magnetic case are officially now my go-to reading glasses.

The lenses are polycarbonate with a light yellow tint to block harmful blue light radiation from computer monitors and cell phone screens. Mine are a +2.0 magnification, just like the readers I bought at the Walmart in Gillette, Wyo. in July, 2008 when I rode to the BMW MOA National Rally without packing my prescription reading glasses. Those Walmart readers have stood up to daily use for 11 years and are still like new. But they are big enough that they need a clunky hard shell case that makes an inconvenient lump in the front pocket of my pants or in a jacket pocket.

So here's why I love the ThinOptics readers - the anodized aluminum case is ONLY 4mm THICK! Really! And the case has a very strong magnetic base so I can park it on any ferrous metal surface.

They cost about $70, but the difference is well worth the investment.

Happy birthday, Lisa

My beautiful, brilliant granddaughter Lisa is 15 years old today. She'll be driving soon. Good luck, Steve.

O, frabjous day! Calloo! Callay!

If you've followed this blog very long, you know that I'm kinda crazy about Bang & Olufsen audio products, especially when they're offered to me for review by the Amazon Vine Program.

I got my first set of B&O headphones - the H8 on-ear model - in February, 2015 and was instantly overwhelmed by their clarity, imaging and comfort. Then, in late 2017, just in time for Christmas, they sent me the H9 over-the-ear model, which was every bit as impressive as the H8.

Over the years, I've received and reviewed the wired H6 and Form 2i headphones, and the Beosound 2, Beoplay P6, P2, and S3 speakers.

When Bang & Olufsen introduced the improved H8i and H9i headphones, I was disappointed that they didn't offer either of them to me. I wondered if I was no longer a desirable Bang & Olufsen reviewer.

I shouldn't have worried.

I was overjoyed about 2 a.m. one night recently to find an offer for the H9 Third Generation headphones when I scanned my Vine offering list. I jumped on it and they arrived this morning.

They are every bit as impressive as their predecessors. They also have a button on the left earpiece that summons Siri on my iPhone and lets me give voice commands, like "where is the Orinoco River?" and "what is the weather forecast?" I didn't think I would use that feature, and then I started having a text message conversation with my wife and quickly became a believer.

O, frabjous day! Calloo! Callay!

Ferris Fain from out of nowhere

Ferris Fain’s name popped into my mind sometime after midnight last night.

He played first base for the White Sox in 1953 and 1954 and I distinctly remember having this Topps baseball card.

My dad and I were White Sox fans in those days and my dad hardly ever missed listening to a game on the radio. Somehow the name of Ferris Fain stuck in my memory and reappeared an I lay half awake and half asleep.

I picked up my iPhone and Googled him to make sure it was a real memory. It was.

After he retired from baseball, he had a career as a homebuilder in California and did time for having a substantial marijuana growing operation in his home.

Two out of three ain't bad

The Lebanon Reporter won three awards in its division of the Indiana Associated Press Managing Editors competition last night. And I won two of them.

To be fair, Sports Editor Will Willems won a first place for Best Spot News Sports Story.

My retelling of Daphne Cavin's story of love and loss in World War II took third place in the Best Feature Writing contest and my photo of Lori Schein winning the Republican nomination for judge won second place in the Best Spot News Photo competition.

It's the first time I ever won anything in a serious photojournalism contest with a photo shot with a smartphone. That would probably shock a few people if they knew.

Arbeit adelt

Joe Biden recently talked about "the dignity of work."

That calls to mind "Arbeit adelt," the motto on the Reich Labor Service hewer in Nazi Germany. It means "work ennobles."

Just sayin'

Dora is 6 years old today

Dora was born six years ago today. Here she is (far right) with her littermates and their Mom Grace.