2023 Week 31 – River Cruising

What’s Going On:
As I continue studying to upgrade my Amateur Radio license, I’ve added a couple of “stealth” antennas to the attics in my house. Unfortunately, because of my HOA, I can’t put anything on the outside of the house; I’m limited to using the attic space for the equipment. While not ideal, it’s been working better than expected. I hear stations from Europe and South America regularly in the evening. I look forward to being able to talk to them soon!


What I’m Eating:
Last week, I stopped by the Easy Rider Diner in Fountain Square for lunch. It’s owned and operated by the Hi-Fi concert venue located next door. The food coming out of the kitchen looked really good, as did the Cobb Salad I ordered (there is lettuce under all the toppings), but the $6 upcharge for 4 chicken nuggets was a little steep, in my opinion. The Blue Cheese dressing was definitely out of a bottle, too (and not that good). I’d go back and try something else next time. The salad didn’t do it for me this time.


I also picked up a couple of new items from Trader Joe’s.

The Kalua Pork Spring Rolls smelled VERY good while they were cooking, but unfortunately, the taste was off. In my opinion, there was a very strong black pepper taste. The folks at the What’s Good at Trader Joe’s website seemed to like them better and mentioned a strong liquid smoke flavor (they still gave them 7.5 out of 10)

Unlike the Spring Rolls, the Shrimp Boom Bah had a much better taste and included a nice spicy sauce. The only issue I had was they could have been crispier. An air fryer might have done the trick (I don’t have one).


Where I’ve Been:
Traveled down to New Richmond, Ohio, last weekend to check out the Annual International Cardboard Boat Regatta on the Ohio River. This is my first time checking it out, and it was a lot of fun. The town was having a River Days celebration, and the race was one of the weekend activities. All of the boats were made out of cardboard and paint. Some really creative designs! New Richmond is also the home of the world’s only Cardboard Boat Museum.


What I’m Watching:
Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (2023)


What I’m Reading:
Emerging Tick Bite-Associated Meat Allergy Potentially Affects Thousands
Airport car rental: The unique hell might finally be over
AM radio served the country for 100 years. Will electric vehicles silence it?


What Else:

If you’re on Social Media, you might have seen the woman on a flight pointing to something off-camera and proclaiming it was “not real.” @Travispaints painted his interpretation, and it is amazing! Zoom in; it’s a who’s who of fictitious characters.


And Finally…
Just in time for summer grilling… Juicy Grilled Burger – You Suck at Cooking

2023 Week 28/29 – Catching Up

What’s Going On:
It’s been busy around the IndyScan household these past 2 weeks. I’m continuing to study & take practice exams for the Amateur Rario license upgrade. It’s all starting to click, and I need to get a better handle on the electronic theory to pass the 35-question exam successfully.


What I’m Eating:
A number of new laws passed last July 1, and one that probably slipped under the radar for a lot of people allows children in Bar areas of restaurants. I, for one, think this is a HUGE mistake & have already witnessed it firsthand. On this particular occasion, the guy was trying to make a point to the wait staff as he loudly explained that he could now bring his child into the 21 and over area.

I choose to sit in the bar area of restaurants to get away from the noise little kids make. They’re kids; that’s what they do. Up until now, I could sit elsewhere, but now it looks like the area of solitude might be coming to an end at some establishments.

The linked article above also states, “Previously the law allowed minors ages 18 to 20 to sit in the bar area specifically for “dining purposes only.”  The amendment removes the age limit.” I did NOT know that was allowed previously! For now, it’s up to the individual restaurant to choose to allow it.


I had pretty much forgotten about Yats for some reason when it popped into my head last weekend. I stopped into the Fishers location and got a half-and-half Chilli Cheese Etoufe and White Bean Chicken Chili with extra bread (of course). It hit the spot!


Speaking of blasts from the past… After the Annual Corporate Challenge at the IMS, I was starving, and Hoagies & Hops happened to be on my way home. I was WAY overdue for a cheesesteak, and it was exactly as I remembered it. I recommend the potato salad if you’re looking to add a side to your sandwich.


What I’m Watching:
I watched the Greyhound (2020) movie on AppleTV+ last weekend, and it gets two thumbs up. It was 90 minutes of nonstop action. Tom Hanks stars in a WWII movie about protecting ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean while being hunted by German U-Boats.

Hijack on AppleTV+ is all about an airline that gets taken over by terrorists and a “negotiator” on the plane that tries to resolve the situation. I’m only 5 episodes in & waiting anxiously for the next episode to drop on Wednesday.


What I’m Reading:
AT&T and Verizon accused of ignoring toxic lead cabling

A Flight Attendant’s 12 Etiquette Rules for Summer Travel

This Surveillance System Tracks Inmates Down to Their Heart Rate


What Else:
Last weekend I was Interviewed by Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism regarding Police Radio Encryption. Police and Fire agencies throughout the United States are choosing to encrypt their radio traffic, causing increased levels of distrust among the very people they are sworn to protect. In Indiana, a law was passed in 2022 that prohibits the transmission of SSN numbers over unencrypted radio frequencies. That law went into effect on July 1, 2023.

Hamilton County announced they would encrypt their radio traffic “sometime after July 1”. The funny thing is I have been in the hobby a LONG time, and the last time I heard an SSN number read over the air was back when your SSN was your Drivers License number.

In 2004, President Bush signed a law barring states from putting Social Security numbers on new or renewed driver’s licenses, identification cards, or vehicle registrations. The law took effect in December 2005. Indiana has since stopped that practice in favor of an Operator License Number (OLN).

As of today, Hamilton County has not increased the use of encryption on its radio system (they already have encryption enabled for tactical and car-to-car channels where a lot of radio traffic occurs), but full encryption is most likely coming.


And Finally…
Creating “light pictures” from Paper. This is VERY cool!

What We Watched and Listened to in February

Spring is almost here and with that comes a lot more outdoor activities (FINALLY).  The poor weather in February lead to a lot of indoor time.  I used that time consume various types of media.   It’s kind of weird but ever since I “cut the cord” I find myself watching more TV & Movies than I think I did before.  I’m really into binge watching newly discovered TV Series.

My favorites for the month were:

Favorite Movie:

  • Suburbicon – A dark crime/mystery/Drama/Thriller starring Matt Damon and directed by George Clooney

Favorite TV Show:

Favorite Podcast:

Hundreds of Full-Length Movies Are Reappearing on YouTube

images-1Interesting article on Gizmodo that talks about how Hundreds of full-length movies are showing up on YouTube.  Some of these movies are still in theaters.  In case you’re interested Reddit has a page that lists the movies with direct links to the content on YouTube.  I can’t imagine these will stay on the site long & I’m really surprised YouTube has not gotten smacked around by the movie studios!

Cowboys & Aliens Follow-up

I posted the other day about how I didn’t get the movie.  Well, after the first hour it did get better.  Still not a great movie but watchable once you get 51% through it.

Daniel Craig, in my opinion, is the best James Bond since Sean Connery.  This was not his best work.  Harrison ford will always be Indiana Jones to me and his role in this movie was more believable.

I’m definitely not expecting to see a sequel to this film.  Not sure what else they can do to fill another 2 hours.

Cowboys & Aliens?

I’m about 1-hour into this nearly 2-hour movie and I have yet to get hooked. How in the world can such stars like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford get involved with something like this?

I’m committed now to watch the rest of the movie just to see how it ends.  Probably going to wish I got those 2-hours back…  I’ll let you know how it goes…

Watched Shutter Island & LOVED IT!

I don’t do a lot of movie reviews on the blog but after watching Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island Shutter Island last night I had to spread the word about how great this movie is!

The movie takes place in 1954 where Leonardo DiCaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels.  Daniels and his partner Chuck, played by Mark Ruffalo are sent to a mental institution on a remote island to investigate the report of an escaped patient thought to be somewhere on the island.

Categorized as a Drama/Mystery/Thriller Shutter Island has a few disturbing scenes along with great visuals.  Max Von Sydow (I’ll always remember him from Strange Brew) and Ben Kingsley play very convincing roles as Psychiatrists at the hospital.

The movie has one of the better endings I’ve seen in a long time.  I can’t say any more without possibly giving up one of the many plots in the movie.  If you are looking for a captivating 2-hour movie I don’t think you can go wrong with this one!