Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I've heard good things about this, but I just don't have too many questions that can't be answered without...

I've heard good things about this, but I just don't have too many questions that can't be answered without, say, DNA samples, blood samples or x-rays of my feet and ankles.



I have another question -- "I know I should eat better, but all the foods that I'm told to eat, I'd rather drink battery acid than consume. How can we work around that?" -- but that's not really up that alley, is it?




Sharing with G+. Wonder if this is essentially OAuth or something else.

Sharing with G+. Wonder if this is essentially OAuth or something else.




http://xkcd.com/1179/ The one true way to write dates. I date checks like this.

http://xkcd.com/1179/



The one true way to write dates. I date checks like this.




Today's Dilbert is good. And I want to try a standing desk.

Today's Dilbert is good. And I want to try a standing desk.




Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I've heard about foot-controlled peripherals before (an under-the-desk mouse is a mole) but I've never...

I've heard about foot-controlled peripherals before (an under-the-desk mouse is a mole) but I've never really considered making one before.




Thinking ftw!

Thinking ftw!




http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc

I used to work IT at a medical clinic. One of the first jobs, the reason I learned to do web code on...

I used to work IT at a medical clinic.



One of the first jobs, the reason I learned to do web code on IE, was an app which scheduled when a rep could provide lunch at various locations within the clinic. They'd have the entree, the drinks, and stacks of information on Frakitol and free pens next to the napkins.



Of course, they never brought free food to my building.




A great post about why choice for choice's sake isn't always the best idea.

A great post about why choice for choice's sake isn't always the best idea.




Currently, we have $DOCROOT/lib/jquery.js as our standard jQuery, and I think it's sitting at 1.5.something...

Currently, we have $DOCROOT/lib/jquery.js as our standard jQuery, and I think it's sitting at 1.5.something. I wanted to use $('whatever').prop(), so I brought in Google's jquery.current.js, and that introduced errors.



Until I also brought in Google's jquery-ui.current.js (not their real numbers), which tells me we have to move to a less-dumb naming structure for JS libs in $DOCROOT/lib/.




Cool!

Cool!




Sunday, February 24, 2013

The ECN machine room coffee machine used to (and as far as I know, still does) sit in a computer that...

The ECN machine room coffee machine used to (and as far as I know, still does) sit in a computer that cost a million $ new but now is only useful to keep the coffee machine up.



Plus, of course, our gel system.




Yeah, I'd prefer by far too control this sort of thing by computer (crontab and the like) then just by...

Yeah, I'd prefer by far too control this sort of thing by computer (crontab and the like) then just by phone app.




Watching a BBC show on the previous Doctors on Doctor Who. This is #2, with a classic episode, in this...

Watching a BBC show on the previous Doctors on Doctor Who. This is #2, with a classic episode, in this case, Tomb of the Cybermen. I started with #4. What episode should they choose when they get to Tom Baker? What companion?




Multibooting a Raspberry Pi? Just get another SD card.

Multibooting a Raspberry Pi? Just get another SD card.




Evil Mad Scientist Labs? I love it. There are just so few accredited programs for the study of it Mad...

Evil Mad Scientist Labs?



I love it.



There are just so few accredited programs for the study of it Mad Science.




Maybe I don't want a Nexus 7 anymore.

Maybe I don't want a Nexus 7 anymore.




My TV gets 1TB of Android-controlled storage. Clearly, wonderful.

My TV gets 1TB of Android-controlled storage. Clearly, wonderful.




I'd like to thank people who see the things I write with a phone and read what I mean, not what I get...

I'd like to thank people who see the things I write with a phone and read what I mean, not what I get autocorrected to.




When I get Glass (note when not if), I will want it to be mirrorshade-compliant. I will want to wear ...

When I get Glass (note when not if), I will want it to be mirrorshade-compliant. I will want to wear mirrored prescription sunglasses with it, all day every day.




Software sites not age. It matures. Or it just drops out. The best case I can think of is FORTRAN. It...

Software sites not age. It matures. Or it just drops out.



The best case I can think of is FORTRAN. It is older than anything I work with, but I'm told it comes with libraries that are just bulletproof. Young coders come in, having no experience with anything like it in undergraduate CS programs, and initially think it's ancient and crufty, but find out that over the decades, all the problems have been engineered out.




Friday, February 22, 2013

Considering "Augmented Reality" in the form of Heads-Up Displays (or _HUDs) have been in the cockpits...

Considering "Augmented Reality" in the form of Heads-Up Displays (or _HUDs) have been in the cockpits of military aircraft since the 1960s at least, it seems like the obvious choice.




I like the Pi, and I like this idea, but doesn't it just mean that the Pi leaks RF like a sieve?

I like the Pi, and I like this idea, but doesn't it just mean that the Pi leaks RF like a sieve?




Thursday, February 21, 2013

I flipped the focus-follows-mouse bit and I'm much happier.

I flipped the focus-follows-mouse bit and I'm much happier.




I don't really know anyone else who codes Javascript, so I don't have a community to say "There's a better...

I don't really know anyone else who codes Javascript, so I don't have a community to say "There's a better way", and I'm convinced that there must be a better way than this.



For an integer n, I create n DIVs. Each DIV has six FIELDSETs with three INPUTs and two SELECTs. And, I'm convinced there has to be a better way than this. This seems like a big huge and ugly way to do it, but I don't know a better way without passing out to AJAX and doing it in another language, which also is a kinda odd value of "better".



Comments? Suggestions? Critiques?




I don't really know anyone else who codes Javascript, so I don't have a community to say "There's a better...

I don't really know anyone else who codes Javascript, so I don't have a community to say "There's a better way", and I'm convinced that there must be a better way than this.



For an integer n, I create n DIVs. Each DIV has six FIELDSETs with three INPUTs and two SELECTs. And, I'm convinced there has to be a better way than this. This seems like a big huge and ugly way to do it, but I don't know a better way without passing out to AJAX and doing it in another language, which also is a kinda odd value of "better".



Comments? Suggestions? Critiques?




Another really cool USB electronics project. Since I have four things to charge (at least) on my bedside...

Another really cool USB electronics project. Since I have four things to charge (at least) on my bedside table, I should make one. Or two. Or three....




Trivial location determination sucks.

Trivial location determination sucks.




"I have learned that in the open-source world, you are not your code. A critique of your project is not...

"I have learned that in the open-source world, you are not your code. A critique of your project is not tantamount to a personal attack."




You don't see Weird Al sitting in all that often, but being a parodist makes him a master of all styles...

You don't see Weird Al sitting in all that often, but being a parodist makes him a master of all styles, so he could sit in with about anyone.




Just a thought: robotic hands can pick up dishes, but isn't loading the dishwasher essentially Knapsack...

Just a thought: robotic hands can pick up dishes, but isn't loading the dishwasher essentially Knapsack and thus NP Complete?




Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Calling a coming Windows piece "Blue" seems like a mistake.

Calling a coming Windows piece "Blue" seems like a mistake.




So, I have program 1. Program 1 pulls config out of a YAML file to allow me to connect to Twilio and ...

So, I have program 1. Program 1 pulls config out of a YAML file to allow me to connect to Twilio and send myself an SMS message. Program 1 works perfectly.



I have program 2. Program 2 pulls config out of a YAML file to allow me to connect to a database. Program 2 pukes errors all over the place.



With the same syntax.



I don't get it.




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Rube Goldberg competition this weekend. Always a good time.

Rube Goldberg competition this weekend. Always a good time.




I'm over-caffeinated today

I'm over-caffeinated today




Remember how I was saying I'd need to have my database passwords hardcoded for the R script? Nevermind...

Remember how I was saying I'd need to have my database passwords hardcoded for the R script? Nevermind.



I was having the same thing for a wrapper library in Python, and I figured I'd just convert my .my.cnf to YAML, which I did. Now, I need to create a script that takes a YAML setup and makes a .my.cnf script.




Monday, February 18, 2013

On the one side, I have an R script that reads from the SQL DB, so no Perl need mitigate their conversation...

On the one side, I have an R script that reads from the SQL DB, so no Perl need mitigate their conversation.



On the other side, I have database passwords in the source again.




Just created a table that's just DATEs in 2013 and 2014. This means I can start to put the gaps where...

Just created a table that's just DATEs in 2013 and 2014.



This means I can start to put the gaps where I didn't weigh myself into the QS graphs.




Sunday, February 17, 2013

Not 100% on the idea of hanging a lamp off a USB port, but everything else about this project is cool...

Not 100% on the idea of hanging a lamp off a USB port, but everything else about this project is cool.




Motion detector system with netduino - http://littlebirdelectronics.com/blogs/frontpage/7356368-motion...

Some Greater Lafayette Tech Events in the next week: Lafayettech Labs, Greater Lafayette's Makerspace...

Some Greater Lafayette Tech Events in the next week:



Lafayettech Labs, Greater Lafayette's Makerspace: Monday 7-9pm (or so) at Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce



Purdue Perl Mongers: Tues 11:30am-1pm (generally, half-hour of conversation before we start presenting) in WSLR 116. We organize as a Perl Mongers group, but we don't limit ourselves to just that language.



RCAC Coffee and Consultation: Tues 2-3pm. Location can change but right now, we've been meeting in LavAzza in Marriott Hall. Mostly conversations about using RCAC's community clusters.



GLITS (Greater Lafayette Information Technology Society): Mobile BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) at Puccini's Dancing Teeth. Tues 5:30pm mixing, program starts at 6pm.



Purdue Innovation Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC): Fri 8am at the Morton Center. This is more about the making-a-business part of the tech thing than the making-it-compile part.




Lafayettech (formerly Lafayette Tech) is the umbrella group for Lafayettech Labs, and on their Meetup...

Lafayettech (formerly Lafayette Tech) is the umbrella group for Lafayettech Labs, and on their Meetup page, they have the calendar of events.




Greater Lafayette Open Source Symposium #GLOSSY

Greater Lafayette Open Source Symposium #GLOSSY




Did I set it wrong? Is Monday not an LTL day?

Did I set it wrong? Is Monday not an LTL day?




Church then maybe lunch with geeks then GLOSSY then code review with the FIRST Robotics team.

Church then maybe lunch with geeks then GLOSSY then code review with the FIRST Robotics team.




"... I believe in algorithms. I mean, that’s what’s going on in stark actuality, once you stop pretending...

"... I believe in algorithms. I mean, that’s what’s going on in stark actuality, once you stop pretending that code is the ghost of Alan Turing all the way down. If ubiquity was all about Siri and cute bots, Ask Jeeves and Microsoft Clippy would rule the Earth already."




Friday, February 15, 2013

Well, suck. Just when I thought that Mondays would be free for geekery, Eric tells me his FIRST Robotics...

Well, suck.



Just when I thought that Mondays would be free for geekery, Eric tells me his FIRST Robotics team has an open house at 7pm on Monday. Looks like we'll be there after 8.



Of course, I should encourage Eric's geekery, too.




"The more Microsoft focuses on the Xbox as an entertainment hub rather than a gaming machine, the less...

"The more Microsoft focuses on the Xbox as an entertainment hub rather than a gaming machine, the less sense Xbox Live Gold's $60 subscription makes; many households already have Apple TVs, Rokus or other devices that can play Netflix and Hulu and other video services for free."




I have a Posterous. Just as well I never really put much on it.

I have a Posterous. Just as well I never really put much on it.




I like a good cheap hack. Here a zip tie and a loop in the surge protector cable lift the protectors ...

I like a good cheap hack. Here a zip tie and a loop in the surge protector cable lift the protectors about six inches, which is where I can reach them better.




This is just sick

This is just sick




Finally, my name is on the door. I geek like there is a reference to The Jerk I should be making.

Finally, my name is on the door.



I geek like there is a reference to The Jerk I should be making.




"But if French, a Purdue mechanical engineering technology professor, and Huston, a continuing lecturer...

"But if French, a Purdue mechanical engineering technology professor, and Huston, a continuing lecturer in electrical and computer engineering technology, are successful a piece of the electric guitar that's been essentially unchanged since the 1950s might one day go the way of the vacuum tube."



Of course, many guitarists still prefer to use amps with vacuum tubes.




All my phones are compatable. This is so cool.

All my phones are compatable. This is so cool.




Say you wanted to push your community. My +1 community is Lafayettech Labs, which has an independent ...

Say you wanted to push your community. My +1 community is Lafayettech Labs, which has an independent identity as +Lafayettech Labs , but we decided to make a community.



Is there a way I can add a plus or something to a community, to make easy linking? I'd like to link to my communities without putting in a full link like this:



https://plus.google.com/communities/111017406266302612732



(BTW, join our community!)




Thursday, February 14, 2013

"I would argue that one of the reasons many programmers have been so loyal to the Unix shell environment...

"I would argue that one of the reasons many programmers have been so loyal to the Unix shell environment, despite its gratuitous inconsistencies, anorexic data model, and other weaknesses, is that nearly everything can be coaxed into being part of some larger script." -- Jim Blandy, in Beautiful Architecture




I'm curious about doing more with Big Data. I'm much more of a learner in that field. Purdue should have...

I'm curious about doing more with Big Data. I'm much more of a learner in that field. Purdue should have this sort of thing.



Is it just me, or are her fades a little abrupt?




I'm hoping to bike a lot once it gets warm, and if so, I'll want this.

I'm hoping to bike a lot once it gets warm, and if so, I'll want this.




I need to look into this.

I need to look into this.




I love a console steel (lap steel with legs) guitar. This is especially pretty.

I love a console steel (lap steel with legs) guitar. This is especially pretty.




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I don't fly enough to really do this. But really, it has never been much more than security theater, ...

I don't fly enough to really do this. But really, it has never been much more than security theater, as Bruce Schneier calls it.




Charge a Raspberry Pi with rechargable AAs and you can get up to 16 hours of uptime. Which is awesome...

Charge a Raspberry Pi with rechargable AAs and you can get up to 16 hours of uptime. Which is awesome!



This opens up a lot of augmented reality ideas, knowing you can drive the PC for several hours. After this, you need data input and data output, but being able to keep a Pi running without wires for several hours is a ... ahem ... powerful development.




Charge a Raspberry Pi with rechargable AAs and you can get up to 16 hours of uptime. Which is awesome...

Charge a Raspberry Pi with rechargable AAs and you can get up to 16 hours of uptime. Which is awesome!



This opens up a lot of augmented reality ideas, knowing you can drive the PC for several hours. After this, you need data input and data output, but being able to keep a Pi running without wires for several hours is a ... ahem ... powerful development.




Sigh.

Sigh.




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Knights and Wu Man at Loeb Playhouse with +Eric Jacoby

The Knights and Wu Man at Loeb Playhouse with +Eric Jacoby




Tech Lunch of Love today at Hunter's Pub West

Tech Lunch of Love today at Hunter's Pub West




This is what I want

This is what I want




Don't you love the idea of a beverage named after something from Big Trouble in Little China? Although...

Don't you love the idea of a beverage named after something from Big Trouble in Little China?



Although I wish Egg Shen's magic potion had a name, because that would be slightly more appropriate.




My son just sent me a link to this. His mom would hate it because of the hot sauce. I'd avoid it because...

My son just sent me a link to this.



His mom would hate it because of the hot sauce.



I'd avoid it because I've cut caffeine to the mornings.



But yeah.




Monday, February 11, 2013

EAGLE V6 is out - which means you might want to learn about all its new features. Fortunately, there ...

EAGLE V6 is out - which means you might want to learn about all its new features. Fortunately, there are these free webinars. Check 'em out! http://www.sparkfun.com/news/1071




This is how I'm trying to take photos. Gel documentation. The shots themselves are reasonable but the...

This is how I'm trying to take photos. Gel documentation. The shots themselves are reasonable but the Live View needs to be exposed more, and if that means one frame per second, so be it.




All those Python questions I've been asking today? This is why. FitBit access.

All those Python questions I've been asking today? This is why. FitBit access.




Remember when we were talking about alternate microcontrollers? I mentioned there was a cheap-to-free...

Remember when we were talking about alternate microcontrollers? I mentioned there was a cheap-to-free one that I couldn't remember details on?



This is the Texas Instruments LaunchPad. A TI-made microcontroller for $4.30. I'm tempted to get one, just to see what can be done.




Friday, February 8, 2013

BOOM! Sign up now and get awesome! http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Lafayette-Open-Source-Symposium/

What an interesting backplane

What an interesting backplane




"No job is secure from the coming robot invasion"

"No job is secure from the coming robot invasion"




I do my RSS in Google Reader, and I have a "junk drawer" category I call "Stuff". Most everything else...

I do my RSS in Google Reader, and I have a "junk drawer" category I call "Stuff". Most everything else is grouped and subgrouped -- "Images" holds image blogs, web comics and NASA shots, while "Computing" is broken up into Android, ForSale, Future, Humor, Lifestyle, Pervasive and QuantifiedSelf.



Seth is right. I should work harder in pushing "Stuff" feeds into categories.




Chrome is messed up. It won't play MP4s, and play looks horrible.

Chrome is messed up. It won't play MP4s, and play looks horrible.




Since we're considering field trips, this one looks good. http://www.meetup.com/dorkbotindy/events/100789412...

Since we're considering field trips, this one looks good.



http://www.meetup.com/dorkbotindy/events/100789412/




I use your.flowingdata.com. I have an alias that DM tweets @yfd to say I drank a cup of coffee. Simple...

I use your.flowingdata.com. I have an alias that DM tweets @yfd to say I drank a cup of coffee. Simple, but can be better.




Thursday, February 7, 2013

Raspberry Pi has offices.

Raspberry Pi has offices.




There isn't enough there, I think, to make this a whole repo, so I gisted it. Code that reads battery...

There isn't enough there, I think, to make this a whole repo, so I gisted it. Code that reads battery info from FitBit and saves it into Redis, so anything that reads Redis (read: "Perl") can do something with it.



Now, what should I do with it? And how long will it take me to get Perl and OAuth together enough to do this stuff in my favorite language?




Thinking that, instead of making a bank of relay-connected plugs, the way to go might be to wire controls...

Thinking that, instead of making a bank of relay-connected plugs, the way to go might be to wire controls to the remote. Or, maybe reverse engineer the remote.




I wouldn't call my geekery suffering from a mental disorder....

I wouldn't call my geekery suffering from a mental disorder....




Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I believe there is a CS professor in Israel who has my name. I know there's a sports journalist, an Iowa...

I believe there is a CS professor in Israel who has my name. I know there's a sports journalist, an Iowa politician, and a maker of fine pool cues, all who go by the name David Jacoby.



None of these are me.




Tuesday, February 5, 2013

No ground wire? Okay then. Red is neck pickup, green is bridge. The pickup rings are in sorry shape ...

No ground wire? Okay then. Red is neck pickup, green is bridge.



The pickup rings are in sorry shape though, so I might have to design a three-mounting-screw pickup ring for 3-D printing.




It isn't so much "If you don't get your steps in, I'll shut off your XBox" for me. I mean, I'll get to...

It isn't so much "If you don't get your steps in, I'll shut off your XBox" for me. I mean, I'll get to the internet-controlled relay thing eventually, but I don't see myself doing that based on FitBit



It's that this is an easy in to the FitBit API, and knowing when I first move with the FitBit, which aligns to when I first put on pants and engage the day, is a good metric to start keeping track of.




Monday, February 4, 2013

Ran into a beautiful 60s Fender steel guitar at the guitar shop today. I love it so much, and except ...

Ran into a beautiful 60s Fender steel guitar at the guitar shop today. I love it so much, and except for a slight bit of wear, you could mistake it for a brand new instrument, except Fender doesn't make console steel guitars anymore.




And, the man who came in with bountiful bags of kits and servo motors is also known as EE In A Box. ...

And, the man who came in with bountiful bags of kits and servo motors is also known as EE In A Box.



http://shop.eeinabox.com/




My new Arduino case, as printed by +Nick Molo of the IEEE CSociety.

My new Arduino case, as printed by +Nick Molo of the IEEE CSociety.




Graham's Raspberry Pi through my old Tandy monitor. I like it.

Graham's Raspberry Pi through my old Tandy monitor. I like it.




Where Graham got his cool wires for his Raspberry Pi. http://www.canakit.com

Where Graham got his cool wires for his Raspberry Pi.



http://www.canakit.com




Where Graham got his cool wires for his Raspberry Pi. http://www.canakit.com

Where Graham got his cool wires for his Raspberry Pi.



http://www.canakit.com




So, if the books come down, the work monitors go up and the debugging spare monitors goes away, I could...

So, if the books come down, the work monitors go up and the debugging spare monitors goes away, I could make this space into a standing desk....




Meeting tonight for +Lafayettech Labs, talking about getting started with the #RaspberryPi. 7-9pm in ...

Meeting tonight for +Lafayettech Labs , talking about getting started with the #RaspberryPi. 7-9pm in GLC.




Sunday, February 3, 2013

Just out of curiosity, are there programming magazines out there that are any good? I get Information...

Just out of curiosity, are there programming magazines out there that are any good? I get Information Week to get Dr Dobbs but barely read it. Used to read Linux Journal on occasion before it went to bits.



I am getting Make (thanks Doug) but that is more hardware geekery. 2600 isn't really what I'm thinking of, either. Nor is a mag like Maximum PC.



I'm not talking geek lifestyle mags like Wired, but more like what Dr Dobbs used to be.does anything like that exist?




My caffeine fast is over. Just had a large cappuccino. I'm fairly shaking.

My caffeine fast is over. Just had a large cappuccino. I'm fairly shaking.




Friday, February 1, 2013

Whether it's big or small, a hackintosh or an HTPC, it's the most fun AND practical weekend project you...

Whether it's big or small, a hackintosh or an HTPC, it's the most fun AND practical weekend project you could ask for.




Was talking to +Doug Couch and Brandon Stevens of EE in a Box. Doug was saying how his PCB printing is...

Was talking to +Doug Couch and Brandon Stevens of EE in a Box. Doug was saying how his PCB printing is in need of some work and Brandon was talking about teaching soldering. The solder kit from +MAKE was mentioned, and what do you know, this is page 130 of the first quarter issue of Make.



I want the PCB printing to work out, but I love the idea of vinyl cutouts. One way or another, I could easily see us rolling our own kits.




Try this again: Using Python (ummm...), Open CV and robotics to militarize your backyard against squirrels...

Try this again: Using Python (ummm...), Open CV and robotics to militarize your backyard against squirrels.




My new copy of Make came yesterday and nobody told me. I noticed it on the table on the way out the door...

My new copy of Make came yesterday and nobody told me. I noticed it on the table on the way out the door.