A February Ride on the Can-Am Spyder!

With snow on the ground and long stretches of subzero temperatures, I wasn't sure I was going to get in a motorcycle ride for the month of February. Then on the second to last day of this short month, the temperatures rose to the lower-mid 40s and the roads were mainly dry. That was good enough for me as I took my 2017 Spyder RT out for a 20 mile ride from home to downtown Sioux Falls. 

The Great Cycle Challenge - Week 1

During this month of September, I am taking part in the Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids' cancer!

Why? Because right now, cancer is the biggest killer of children from disease in the United States. Over 15,700 children are diagnosed every year, and sadly, 38 children die of cancer every week. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.

I was asked to join my office's bike team, the SuperCells, and help in in the effort to raise money through a ride challenge intended to support the Children's Cancer Research Fund. The fund and research dollars allow research to continue their work to develop lifesaving treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer. 

My Turntable of Choice: The Fluance RT82

A few months ago, I reviewed six different vinyl record turntables due my renewed interest in listening to music pressed on vinyl records. Despite all six vinyl turntables being good choices to consider, I still needed to select the turntable I would bring into my home. In the end, it was the Fluance RT82 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable that I chose as my latest stereo component. 

Writing About The Small Stuff Too

I'm a big believer that it is the small positive things we do in our day that have the biggest impact on our own well being. From here through the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, I've decided to just blog about the small things I'm doing to escape from the anxiety producing headlines in our news. I recognize that not everything I'm writing is of interest to others, so while some of my work will continue to be posted at socPuball of my work can be viewed on my personal blog, bryanruby.com.

How Did Virtual Assistants Get Installed In Our Homes And Offices?

Virtual assistants have been incorporated into customer service applications and web pages, including technical support, product sales, or while receiving assistance during a purchase process. We currently experience virtual assistants without knowing it when we communicate with airlines, banks, social networks, insurance, or tourism companies.

Machines (software) are able to incorporate user interaction into their functions and learn about their needs on the fly. They achieve this by recognizing the same user, along with their emotions (joy, frustration, anger, disappointment, doubt) even better than many people by studying not only the tone of their voice but also the posture and gestures.

My Return to Vinyl Records: New Turntables to Consider

Surprisingly, I recently sought out and purchased a vinyl record turntable. This is a surprise to me because I've spent the last three decades moving from the opposite direction as my music collection evolved from vinyl and cassette tape to compact discs and then finally to digital music stored as MP3 files on my computer and mobile devices. In this century, I don't even know if you can call it collecting music because I now subscribe monthly to an endless library of artists and songs through various music streaming services.

Vinyl Monday: Star Wars - A New Hope

I'm a big believer that it is the small positive things we do in our day that have the biggest impact on our own well being.  From here through the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, I've decided to just blog about the small things I'm doing to escape from the anxiety producing headlines in our news. Today, after my day of teleworking, I'm finishing up what I started over the weekend. I'm listening to the second half my Star Wars LP, Sides 3 and 4.

Databarracks says: Farewell Windows 7!

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery provider Databarracks has bid farewell to Windows 7 with a Viking funeral. Databarracks’ managing director Peter Groucutt commented:

“On the 14th of January, support for Windows 7 ends and when a well-loved operating system reaches end of life, we like to mark the occasion. Five years ago, when Windows Server 2003 was retired we launched it into space. For Windows 7, we opted for a Viking funeral.