166453147 - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I am a Consultant (visit http://www.geocities.com/rball84213/consulting.htm ) specializing in small business computing, imaging, audio and security. I can be reached during the daytime (and during evenings in case of emergencies) at (314) 776-2799 (telephone only, no voice mail). My schedule is busy but flexible. My e-mail address is [email protected] and I am listed in Amazon.com's Profiles (120+ book/film/music reviews, 20+ annotated Listmania Lists and more) as Richard Ballard.

I have a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering; my Electrical Engineering interests grew from my ham radio activities (currently licensed as KD0AZ) during high school. My language skills are deficient: United States English and some Latin. I am a baptized Methodist -- I claim no other religious affiliation.

Winemaking was my hobby during graduate school. The apartment had pleasant smells and pleasant sounds: blurp ... blurp ... blurp. My bing cherry wine (citric acid added for proper tartness) unexpectedly sparkled. I rebottled the bing cherry wine in heavier cold duck bottles and (an electrical engineer) I wired the plastic stoppers down with copper wire.

In 1978 I purchased an old house. I keep busy and happy tinkering with it. The house still is not 100 percent renovated but it is comfortable.

Don Quixote statue, La Mancha Spain

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

I like musicians and other artists. Successful musicians are talented, hard-working attractive people who make others happy -- what's not to like?

St. Louis Missouri USA (visit http://www.geocities.com/rball84213/stlouisbooks.htm ) is a river city located at the confluence of the Mississippi River, the Missouri River and a tributary called the River Des Peres (locally pronounced River Depair). St. Louis was built on marshy ground and those rivers sometimes flood. Noah, the water is rising; I refuse to drown under that Internet sandbag pile!

Inspirational comments? I gotta think about that! ... Hmm, how about When all the answers are wrong, stop asking questions. (When gasoline cost two dollars per gallon in May 2005 I parked my Chevy; my Chevy still is parked.) Or there is David Crosby's quotation Don't argue with the ocean ... it ain't listening. (Classical music lovers might prefer the expression Beethoven never criticized other composers' works because Beethoven was too busy composing himself.)

How do I select MySpace friends? I consider myself a candid opinionated liberal who wants good companions with good personalities. I do not like webpages that make you wait forever and then provide no content value, and I will not accept a viewer download just to view somebody else's webpage. I hope that all my friends are well and happy.

My Blog

Stifling Myself

When I was at the University we had what I called Rules of the Ridden (student labor is plentiful and relatively low cost). My Rules of the Ridden are:1. Undergraduates are generalists. Undergraduates...
Posted by on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:38:00 GMT

If You Wanna Be Happy For The Rest Of Your Life ...

April 1 2008 11:38 AM CDTFrom ~1955 (when I was five years old) I remember a popular song that got a lot of airplay on Chicago AM radio:If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life,Never make a pre...
Posted by on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:38:00 GMT

Missouri Mule: The Most Intelligent Equine

During World War I, the American Expeditionary Forces used both horses and Missouri mules in France. Few horses survived the war, but many Missouri mules survived the war. Doughboys quickly learned th...
Posted by on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:38:00 GMT

Commercial Messages

2 November 2007 8:38 PM CDTIn 1987 my friend & I flew TWA into Paris France for a vacation. Once we arrived in Paris, we sought out the Hotel Esmerelda -- we wanted to spent our first Parisian night ...
Posted by on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:38:00 GMT

Poor Literally Correct

The late 20th Century was politically correct: every body was important, every body was top priority, every body was at the top of the list. Instead of a solid broad-based pyramid, 20th Century politi...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:38:00 GMT

Finding A Sweet Spot In The Trailer Park

Trickle Down Economics has come to USA residential real estate. Homeowners have difficulty paying their mortgages, home equity loans and real estate taxes; apartment dwellers have difficulty paying th...
Posted by on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:38:00 GMT

I Miss Archie Bunker

January 3 2008 8:38 AM CST IMO the 21st Century media chooses character roles designed to impress and to teach positive social values -- a deliberate education function. My favorite example is o...
Posted by on Sat, 10 May 2008 06:38:00 GMT

Totalistic Thinking

May 5 2008 9:38 AMI was a northern Indiana high school student during the 1960s and China's Communist Revolution seemed remote and alien. But I always have been interested in other cultures. I was cur...
Posted by on Mon, 05 May 2008 07:38:00 GMT

Deja Vu and Tenement Paint

In 1973 I entered graduate school. Usually I rode my bicycle to the University -- a five mile ride each way that took me through residential neighborhoods, commercial sections and a city park.&n...
Posted by on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:38:00 GMT

When I Feel Poor I Boil The Beans

April 20 2007 5:38 PM At a particularly low point in my life I read the three volume softcover The Milagro Beanfield Massacre [now available as a 464 page softcover single volume The Milagro Beanfield...
Posted by on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:38:00 GMT