Countdown to 2014! - Richard Clayderman's Birthday Anniversary

Richard Clayderman
French-born pop music pianist
Born: 28 December 1953
The MP3 below expired on 01-01-2014.
Click here to play the current selection.

Richard Clayderman, piano (1984)
- Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin)

Countdown to 2014!

~ Cho-Cho San 'Butterfly' ~
Opera Babes
Rebecca Knight, Soprano
Karen England, Messo-Soprano
The MP3 below expired on 12-28-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Opera Babes, duet (2003)
- Un Bel Di (Puccini)

A Christmas Eve Message to Blog Visitors

Then said I, 'Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me, )
to do thy will, O God.'

-- Hebrews 10:7 (KJV)  cf. Psalm 40:7-8 (KJV)


24 December 2013
Christmas Eve

Dear L'envoi Blog Visitor:

Sweeping in on its "winged chariot", time is hurrying near on the ready to collect and seal away the year. Before that happens, we have the most anticipated event of the year and season to celebrate yet. Christmas!

Were it not God's everlasting love and grace for the redemption of a wretched world, a dark and dreary winter "always winter" would be, "never Christmas." Christ has come as a "light to lighten" the "people that sat in darkness" of despair. We now have seen this "great light"; Jesus Christ, the "Sun of Righteousness is risen with healing in his wings." He has come and triumphed over sin's morose darkness.

Surely, Jesus has brought light and life with the dawn of redeeming grace. A wonder of wonders; its depth reason cannot fathom. May Christmas Day, the joy before us, bring a gladder and brighter year to you.


L'



- a L'envoi iPad 3 post
Zaggfolio augmented

Christmas Eve 2013

A Hymn for this Christmas Eve 2013
The MP3 below expired on 12-27-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Renata Scotto, soprano (1981)
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City
- Cantique de Noël (O Holy Night)

Winter Solstice, 2013

Lat: 37.7° N
Current Conditions: 47.4°F/8°C, Clear

Astronomy:

December  21, 2013       Rise:        Set:
Actual Time            7:15 AM PST  4:49 PM PST
Civil Twilight         6:46 AM PST  5:18 PM PST
Nautical Twilight      6:13 AM PST  5:51 PM PST
Astronomical Twilight  5:41 AM PST  6:23 PM PST
Moon                   9:05 PM PST  9:48 AM PST

Waning Gibbous, 81% of the moon is illuminated

Length of Visible Light 10h 32m
Length of Day 9h 33m
Tomorrow will be 0m 2s longer

Peter O'Toole

Peter O'Toole
(2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013)

The Obamacare A-Team

Is it a wonder my health insurance premium has gone up? Think of the bananas these Washington critters have to consume daily while they are managing Obamacare. Sibelius, not the composer, should be in the crowd somewhere. She is the Kongette. See if you can spot her. You think these apes are on a slippery slope? Not. All I hear them saying is, "Tough banana, bud. We are exempted from Obamacare!"

Andy Williams Birthday Anniversary

Andy 'Moon River' Williams
(3 December 1927 - 25 September 2012)

The MP3 below expired on 12-23-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Andy Williams (1973)
- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Book Read in November 2013

Christian Writings - Charles H. Spurgeon, "A Defense of Calvinism."

Peter Marshall's Thanksgiving Day Prayer

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father, we around this table thank Thee:
for Thy great gift of life,
that Thy love for us is not dependent upon any unworthiness of ours,
for good health,
that we know neither hunger nor want,
for warm clothes to wear,
for those who love us best,
for friends whose world of encouragement have often chased away dark clouds,
for the zest of living,
for many an answered prayer,
for kindly providences that have preserved us from danger and harm.

We thank Thee that still we live in a land bountifully able to supply all our needs, a land which still by Thy Providence knows peace, whose skies are not darkened by the machines of the enemy, whose fields and woodlands are still unblasted by flames of war, a land with peaceful valleys and smiling meadows still serene.

O help us to appreciate all that we have, to be content with it, to be grateful for it, to be proud of it --not in an arrogant pride that boasts, but in a grateful pride that strives to be more worthy.

In Thy name, to whose bounty we owe these blessings spread before us, to Thee we give our gratitude.

Amen.

-- Peter Marshall

Using the LCP 2 App for Reading the Bible on the iPhone 5s

Launch Center Pro 2 and
Bible Group Actions on the iPhone 5s
Excluding the two readings embedded in "10 Commandments" Launch Center Pro (LCP) launch grid, the 66 books of the Bible are thematically categorized into ten groups. They are placed in five Old Testament (OT) groups, and five in New Testament (NT), respectively.

By using the URL schemes, each book of the Bible can be launched instantaneously by chapter, or chapter and verse. For example, on the iPhone 5s with the LCP active, if one selects the grid "NT-The Gospels" and drill down to "John", and tap in on the keypad prompt "1.4", the iOS associated bible app will display within 1-2 seconds - John 1:4 (NASB). This kind of fast action efficacy is simply not achievable by tapping and searching through the stand-alone bible app.

The LCP 2 is designed for iOS 7 for iPhone 5/5s utlizing 3 columns by 5 rows. Each grid can be drill-down to a second level of 3c x 5r action launch grids. Although the app is compatible to use on the iPhone 4/4s and iPad 3, it's not very ideal. These older Apple devices truncates the LCP app's 5th row, and thereby eliminating 45 action launch grids. That's a lot of estate to give up. Because of this behavior, actions developed on the iPhone 5/5s should not transfer or backup to the iPhone 4/4s or iPad3, and vice versa.

Be Very Weary of Counterfeit iTunes Download Sites

As of this post on 6 November 2013, the latest Windows desktop Apple iTunes version is 11.1.3.8. The name of this version's execute file is iTunesSetup.exe. The file size is 96,322 KB.

No setup execute file or such is ever required as a pre-requisite for downloading iTunes. If one comes across a purported iTunes download site that does not list an iTunes version number, or a pre-requisite download for a setup.exe files is the first order of business, boogie out of the site quickly.

The official site for a first time iTunes download is: Apple iTunes Downloads. Subsequent updates are available from within the installed desktop app.

- a L'envoi iPad 3 post
Zaggfolio augmented

The New Yorker on Obamacare Snafu

One Little Thought on Anita Kerr's Birthday Anniversary

Anita Kerr
many-faceted musician
born 31 October 1927

The MP3 below expired on 11-14-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

The Anita Kerr Quartet (1957)
- Once in a While (Edwards and Green)


Once in a While (1937)
Music: Michael Edwards
Words: Bud Green
The Anita Kerr Quartet (1957)

Once in a while will you try to give one little thought to me
Though someone else maybe nearer your heart

Once in a while will you dream of the moments I shared with you
Moments before we two drifted apart

In love's smoldering ember, one spark may remain
If love still can remember that spark may burn again

I know that I'll be contented with yesterday's memories
Knowing you think of me once in a while

[Trumpet Solo]

If love still can remember that spark may burn again...burn again

O, I know that I'll be contented with yesterday's memories
Knowing you think of me once in a while

Once in a while
Once in a while

A Cosmic Bat Unveiled!

The Veil Nebula, a large supernova remnant, is in the constellation Cygnus.
Its estimated distance from our plant Earth is about 1,400 light-years.

A New Obama Forever Stamp

Subscribed A $5 One Day Pass AT&T Data Plan

Tonight, I test subscribed to the AT&T $5 day pass for the 250 MB data plan.

At about 2200 hours tonight, I copied and pasted the iPad's IMEI and ICCID (no spaces in-between each set of numbers) onto the sign-up web page. Then followed by filling in some personal and credit card data fields. Since I'd done this data plan sign-up before, the experience was not unfamiliar to me. It took about 5 minutes to get the $5 day pass authorized for the iPad 3. Then the snafu (situation normal, all fouled up) began.

After an hour or so, I still could not get a lock on the iPad for 4G. At about 2245 hours I finally contacted AT&T with a staff on stand-by chat. It was somewhat humorous, I thought, he did not know the word or meaning to the word 'snafu' in our opening conversation. He "laughed" after learning the word. He tried his best to help but to no avail. Nothing he told me to do I'd not tried already. A customer complaint this time, however, might have helped in this episode of user complaints, as the AT&T world turns (pun).

At about 2330 hours, I finally got a 4G cellular signal locked on the iPad. I watched a 2.5 minutes or so of a new Captain America trailer on IMDB with the LTE turned on. It used up 21 MB of the plan - fast.

I have until 2200 hours tomorrow to play with some if not all of the 250 MB data on the iPad.

The AT&T Casual User $5 Day Data Plan

AT&T Stand-alone Data Plans as of 17 October 2013

AT&T recently offered two no-auto-renew data plans for the casual users who need a cellular connection for their tablets in a pinch:

1. $5.00/1 day, up to 250 MB of cellular data usage

2. $25.00/90 days, up to 1 GB of cellular data usage


Either plan appeals to me in two ways. One, obviously the much desired on-the-go LTE data connection for my iPad. Two, I could use the same data plan to make high quality free VoIP calls while at home, or traveling in the states and Canada.

I will start testing the $5 pass day data plan on the iPad in the next few days.

Google Hangouts Version 1.3 Is Not For Me

Google's latest release of Hangouts v. 1.3 for iOS 6 and newer is both good and bad.

If one has a Google Voice number, and access to a fast and dependable WI-FI as I, then this is a good app to make free phone calls and videos in the United States and Canada. The quality of the voice calls is very good.

I HAD the app installed on my iPod Touch 4S, iPhone 5S, and the iPad 3.

After the input of my Google Voice number on my iPhone 5S, I waited for the required Google's verification code. By the way, the quickest way to get this code is open the Google Voice app and look for the sent SMS containing the verification code. After having received the 4-digit verification code, I keyed it in the paused installation process. The SMS was also sent to my Gmail. It did take longer for the confirmation code to arrive in my Gmail.

Now, the first bad thing. One is required to join or has already joined Google+ before the installation can proceed. This Google+ membership may or may not be the thing to have. Once joined, however, the Google tentacles latch on and tether the person to its matrix.

During the app installation, if one approves to have the Gmail contacts linked, this is where the unpleasantness and annoyance really got amplified. I approved the contact list link just to see what I was getting into.

Well, Google linked practically all of my Gmail account contacts into this Hangouts app. It also populated the contact list in all of my iOS devices where Hangouts were installed. The first tier of linked contacts to surface in the finished installed app was those addresses with the predominant domains of Gmail, Comcast, and MSN. Google categorized these contacts as people I should persuade or suggest to join Google +.

Note: There was no built-in provision in Hangouts version 1.3 to selectively allow the exclusions on linked contacts. It was an all or nothing contact list linked.

The only way to remove linked contacts from Hangouts is to go back to the Contacts in either Gmail or Google Voice and selectively delete them. Yes, delete. A painful and permanent exclusion to be sure. If this exercise raises seriously doubt in one's mind whether to continue to take the plunge into this new rabbit hole, consider deleting Google+.

This is very important: If one is so inclined to check out this Hangouts app, do not import contacts during installation. If WI-FI connectivity is poor or not accessible, this app will default to a subscribed data plan minutes.

As for me, I gave up on the iOS Hangouts app and deleted my Google+ account. The whole Google+ thing was more trouble than it's worth. For now, my Google Voice number and its VoIP setup for making free calls should do just fine.


- a L'envoi iPad 3 post
Zaggfolio augmented

Fool You, Birdies!

It's nearing the time of harvesting the Fuyu persimmons. It's very sweet tasting already. The birds know it, too. They have been pecking at a few of ripening fruits on the tree. Enough of sharing this sweet fruit with the birds, said I.

A net is now draped over the persimmon tree to prevent further pilfering.

An iPod 4S (formerly iPhone 4S) photo of the
Fuyu (Fuyugaki) Persimmons, Diospyros kaki
17 October 2013 1352 hours, home Garden

Two Levels of Blocking iPhone 5s Calls and Messages

Up until my upgrading from the iPhone 4S to the 5s, I have been using the Silent ringtone (see sidebar for my custom made iPhone Silence ringtone) to ignore all unassigned contacts or unknown calls. I still use this ringtone to sort out who's who, and see if that person should be added to the contacts list and assigned a custom non-silence ringtone.

For persistent plaguy pests, I assigned them as pseudo-contacts. Then I quarantined these privacy intruders by using the iOS 7's "Block this Caller" on the iPhone. I will delete these contacts later. This method is much safer than the outright straight blocking of unfamiliar numbers. I could always unblock them later if they turned out to be relatives, friends, or friends of friends who had called with new or unfamiliar phone numbers. In any case, the final disposition of the blocked telephone numbers may be rendered at Settings>Phone (or Messages or FaceTime)>Blocked.

When unsolicitors calls are blocked, these vermin get a busy signal on their phones. Similarly, their spam and phishing text-messages get routed to Buzz Lightyear's "infinitas amplius!"

I Am All Thumbs with the New iPhone 5S Touch-ID

My brand new iPhone 5S was delivered on the afternoon of Monday, 7 October. By the same evening the iPhone 5 is up and running, and with all of the iPhone 4S apps successfully migrated. The iOS 7 iPhone 4S is now the iPod Touch 4S Touch. With its SIM card and iTunes services intact, I am well pleased. I also configured the former iPhone 4S to have the capability to make free VoIP calls in the United States and Canada using my Google Voice number via WI-FI.

Setting up the iPhone 5S Touch ID has been a revelation. I have had both of my thumbs bio-scanned on the unit's Home button/Touch ID sensor. Given I hold and operate my iPhone or other wireless/cordless devices mostly with my left hand, it didn't take long to master the Touch ID to unlock the iPhone. My right thumb, however, was all thumbs. It took longer to learn the positioning of the thumb correctly, and applying the right (pun) pressure on the sensor for 'Open Sesame' to work.

To ensure the iPhone 5s gets unlock at no more than two Touch-ID attempts, I maxed out on the number of five finger scans allowed. I scanned my left thumb three times at slightly different positions on the sensor, and two for the right thumb.

I see no point in having some of the other digits scanned into the iPhone 5S. The required pass code is the Plan B to unlock it on the dash. Any finger can keying in the pass code on the device's virtual keypad.

A Fix for Muted YouTube as of 3 October 2013

This is a workaround for a new YouTube audio bug started on 3 October 2013 for Windows OS browsers.

The problem: The YouTube speaker/volume control button on the bottom left of the player is muted and locked "x". It won't unlock upon clicking.

Google is aware of this problem. It's not known at this juncture when this YouTube audio malfunction will be resolved.

In any event, one should not assume a user system's glitch which has caused the video sound malfunction. Above all, don't panic and mess with the computer system controls and plug-ins. Instead, observe the following temporary fix instructions:

1. Upon selecting your first YouTube video, it should play automatically (a good sign).

But if the video player is dark and nothing is playing, one's browser has effectively crashed. This happens most often with the Firefox browser, including its newest version 24.0. He needs to terminate the browser process and start over again. If it crashes again while viewing YouTube, consider the use a different browser like Chrome or IE.

All other PC based browsers which I tested (i.e. Chrome and IE), the selected video played automatically at start. Only the locked (muted) audio needed to be unlocked using the method described below.

For all my Apple mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad), the selected YouTube video worked as is; no fix required.

2. If the video plays on your PC browser, the sound can be restored by:

a. Pause the video in-progress.

b. Place the mouse cursor to the right of the muted speaker/volume control on the bottom left of the YouTube player. Slide the volume control all the way to the right of the bar (100%). The speaker/volume control button is now open.

c. Resume playing the video. One might need to adjust the sound volume again via the YouTube player or the keyboard function keys.

Please note each new YouTube video viewing may require a repeat of doing Step 2.

Books Read in September 2013

Mystery/Thriller - Dan Brown, "Inferno."
Science Fiction - Jack Campbell, "Beyond the Frontier: Guardian."

Music for the First Day of Autumn 2013

First day of autumn
22 September 2013
The MP3 below expired on 10-31-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Percy Faith and His Orchestra (1967)
- Maybe September
(Livingston, Evans and Faith)

First Day of Autumn, 2013

22 September 2013
1730 Hours PDT Log
Current Temperature and Condition:
74° F | 23° C
Clear

Astronomy:

22 September 2013      Rise:        Set:
Actual Time            6:52 AM PDT  7:00 PM PDT
Civil Twilight         6:25 AM PDT  7:26 PM PDT
Nautical Twilight      5:55 AM PDT  7:57 PM PDT
Astronomical Twilight  5:24 AM PDT  8:27 PM PDT
Moon                   8:58 PM PDT 10:12 AM PDT

Length of Visible Light 13h 0m
Length of Day 12h 08m
Tomorrow will be 2m 24s shorter.

Waning Gibbous, 85% of the Moon is Illuminated.

Autumn
Mrs. J. I. McKinney (1887)

Who is it that paints the woodlands
Like a gorgeous gown of gold;
Dropping, here and there, a ripple
Of vermilion in each fold?
Who is it that calls the robins
And the blackbirds into bands;
Pointing them with flaming fingers,
To the sunny, Southern lands?

What has scorched the tender blossoms?
In our yards they’re dying now.
Do you know who kissed the apple
Till it reddened on the bough?
Why so mute the little streamlet?
Down the hill it used to leap;
Now I faintly hear it sobbing—
Sobbing out like one in sleep.

Leaden clouds lay on the heavens,
Like a burden on the heart;
And the winds together whisper,
Sad as loved ones ere they part.
Then anon a dreamy dullness
Hovers over sky and earth;
Ah! my soul reflects the sadness,
And I seek my friendly hearth.

You who love the Indian summer,
So renowned by pen and art,
Go, and revel in the gloaming,
While so sadly pants my heart.
But I can not watch the leaflets,
On the whirlwind as they ride,
For just so a hectic river
Bore my darling from my side.

The Elegant iOS 7

One iOS7 iPad App Screen to Rule Them All (for me anyway)

I updated all of my iOS devices to iOS 7. I love its simple elegance in design and function. All of my iOS mobile apps are contained and displayed in one screen only. I thought iOS 6 was cool. But now accessing and opening the apps are blazing fast even on my 32-bit iPhone 4S and the iPad 3. iOS 7 is much better than iOS 6 when all things considered. See above picture of my iOS 7 iPad 3 screen.

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon
19 September 2013
The MP3 below expired on 09-22-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Carmen Cavallaro, piano (1956)
- Shine on, Harvest Moon
(Bayes and Norworth, 1908)

September Garden Flowers

September
Helen Hunt Jackson

The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brookside
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

Books Read in August 2013

Fiction Fantasy - Audrey Niffenegger, "The Time Traveler's Wife."

Fiction Historical - William Napier, "Attila."

Fiction Historical - C.S. Forester, "The Good Shepherd."

Richard Tucker's 100th Birthday Anniversary

Richard Tucker
American-born operatic tenor
(28 August 1913 - 8 January 1975)
Richard Tucker, operatic tenor (1962)
"The Sweetest Sound" (Rodgers)
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.

Jerome Moross' 100th Birthday

Jerome Moross
American-born film score composer
(1 August 1913 - 25 July 1983)
Ron Goodwin and His Orchestra
Theme from the 1958 movie
"The Big Country" (Moross)
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.

Flowers in Bloom, July 2013

2013-07-01: iPhone 4S (reduced size and pixels)

2013-07-01: iPhone 4S (reduced size and pixels)

Summer in Venice

Music for the first day of summer, 21 June 2013

The MP3 below expired on 09-19-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

Manuel and the Music of the Mountains (1971)
- Summer in Venice (Ciognini)

Summer Days for Me

Summer
Christina Rossetti

Winter is cold-hearted,
Spring is yea and nay,
Autumn is a weathercock
Blown every way:
Summer days for me
When every leaf is on its tree;

When Robin's not a beggar,
And Jenny Wren's a bride,
And larks hang singing, singing, singing,
Over the wheat-fields wide,
And anchored lilies ride,
And the pendulum spider
Swings from side to side,

And blue-black beetles transact business,
And gnats fly in a host,
And furry caterpillars hasten
That no time be lost,
And moths grow fat and thrive,
And ladybirds arrive.

Before green apples blush,
Before green nuts embrown,
Why, one day in the country
Is worth a month in town;
Is worth a day and a year
Of the dusty, musty, lag-last fashion
That days drone elsewhere.

First Day of Summer, 2013

June 21, 2013
1700 Hours PDT Log
Current Temperature and Condition:
91° F | 33° C
Clear

Astronomy:

June 21, 2013          Rise:        Set:
Actual Time            5:42 AM PDT  8:29 PM PDT
Civil Twilight         5:11 AM PDT  9:00 PM PDT
Nautical Twilight      4:32 AM PDT  9:39 PM PDT
Astronomical Twilight  3:47 AM PDT 10:23 PM PDT
Moon                   6:46 PM PDT  4:01 AM PDT

Length of Visible Light 15h 48m
Length of Day 14h 46m
Tomorrow will be 0m 3s shorter.

Waxing Gibbous, 97% of the Moon is Illuminated.

Books Read in June 2013

Western - William Johnstone, "The Drifter."

Modern Classic - Wilson Rawls, "Where the Red Fern Grows."

Science Fiction - David Weber, "Mission of Honor."

Day 11 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

1 June 2013, last day of this vacation.


Heritage Hall, the Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, AB
2013-06-01, Canon PowerShot SD780



Viewed from the Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, AB
2013-06-01, Canon PowerShot SD780



Viewed from the Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, AB
2013-06-01, Canon PowerShot SD780



Viewed from the Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, AB
2013-06-01, Canon PowerShot SD780

Day 10 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Bow Falls, Banff, AB
2013-05-31, Canon PowerShot SD780

Day 09 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Panorama (reduced size): Mt. Fairview and Lake Louise, AB
2013-05-30, Canon PowerShot SD780

Panorama (reduced size): Emerald Lake, BC
2013-05-30, Canon PowerShot SD780


Emerald Lake Lodge, BC
2013-05-30, Canon PowerShot SD780


Kicking Horse River and Natural Bridge, Yoho NP, BC
2013-05-30, Canon PowerShot SD780

Day 08 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Panorama 01 left to right (reduced size): Athabasca Glacier, AB
2013-05-29, Canon PowerShot SD780
Panorama 02 cont'd left to right (reduced size): Athabasca Glacier, AB
2013-05-29, Canon PowerShot SD780
Panorama 03 cont'd left to right (reduced size): Athabasca Glacier, AB
2013-05-29, Canon PowerShot SD780
Panorama 04 (reduced size): Saskatchewan River Crossing View of Icefields Parkway 93, AB
2013-05-29, Canon PowerShot SD780

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, AB
2013-05-29 1648 hours, Canon PowerShot SD780

Day 07 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Panorama (reduced size): Lac Beauvert, Jasper NP, AB, 2013-05-28

Day 06 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Day 05 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights

Day 04 - Canadian Rockies Vacation Photo Highlights