Category Archives: home repair

The Lonely Washing Machine Repairman

Throughout my childhood, from 1967 to 1988, actor Jesse White portrayed “Ol’ Lonely”, the Maytag repairman who never had enough to do. Eventually other actors, including Gordon Jump of WKRP in Cincinnati fame, played the role. The campaign rang true … Continue reading

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Switches Old and New

In 1972, my parents moved us to Bethany, Oklahoma after I graduated from kindergarten. I was excited to explore our new home, which consisted of a 1949 house with a large addition constructed sometime in the 1960s. My bedroom was … Continue reading

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Not Much of a Lawn Boy

May 21, 2022 I have never particularly enjoyed yardwork. I mow the yard weekly in season, hand-rake and mulch the leaves once or twice per year, almost never edge or string trim, and viciously assault the greenery on occasion as … Continue reading

Posted in home repair, nostalgia, technology | 1 Comment

Decked Out

June 1, 2019 Have you ever watched a home improvement show or video and thought, “Well, even I could do that!” Two psychologists at the University of Chicago hypothesized that people overestimate how much their abilities improve after extensively watching … Continue reading

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iPads as televisions and a desktop computer DVR

December 23, 2018 I canceled my cable television subscription in early 2008. But, like most so-called cordcutters, I didn’t actually cut any cords. I retained what was then 5 megabit/second internet service over the same cable that had been providing television … Continue reading

Posted in HDTV, home repair, technology | Leave a comment