"Murphy was an optimist!"
Doctor Who – Inspiration for Sonic Screwdriver in s1ep31 November 30, 2013 11:59 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Doctor Who, Of Interest, TV / Movies[SPOILERS WITHIN!] I am rewatching Doctor Who from the beginning. I do not expect to watch every episode but I am having a good time with season 1. I’ve made it through 1963 and am working on 1964. In season 1 episode 31, Strangers in Space, the need to cut through a door and pull out a tool which resembles a Dremel rotary tool. The Doctor expresses interest in "what powers it?" Could this be the inspiration for the sonic screwdriver?
Clip from Strangers in Space, s1ep31 at minute 20:25.
Doctor Who – Jack Harkness’ Watch Invented in s1ep21 November 30, 2013 11:37 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Doctor Who, Of Interest, TV / Movies[SPOILERS WITHIN!] I am rewatching Doctor Who from the beginning. I do not expect to watch every episode but I am having a good time with season 1. I’ve made it through 1963 and am working on 1964. In season 1 episode 21, The Sea of Death, Arbitan gives our four travelers watches (at minute 20:24) which transport them across the sea. This looks quite similar to Jack Harkness’ means of transportation, with perhaps a Time Lord’s modification.
Clip from The Sea of Death, s1ep21 at minute 20:57.
Thank You Internet! November 30, 2013 9:39 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of InterestSCP-173. Reminds me of a weeping angel.
add a commentFrom the mouths of babes November 28, 2013 10:04 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cathy, Daily Life, Family, From the mouths of babesCathy: "I smell a skunk! Oh, it’s your coffee."
add a commentFrom the mouths of babes November 27, 2013 7:27 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes, SarahCollege girl has come home for Thanksgiving.
Evan, 8 years old: "Mom! Sarah has different boobs. Sarah’s boobs are fluffy."
I’m really hoping I misheard that and he really said "boots."
add a commentAll this technology is making us antisocial November 27, 2013 2:15 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Technology
Telecommuting Advocate No More? November 25, 2013 3:06 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeI have a deadline today. I cannot find the document I need to complete my deadline. A cat wrestles my shoe lace. Another cat climbs my leg to pounce the shoe lace warrior. My eldest son turns on the Keurig
I’m a huge telecommuting advocate. I believe so much can be fixed by encouraging telecommuting. We can do just as much business as we do today with much less infrastructure. Less need for buildings. Less need for road expansion. Fewer cars on the road meaning cleaner environment. Happier lives. I can go on and on.
The challenge with telecommuting becomes managing your family. Basically it requires a separate room. I’ve started to believe that I need to rent a small office down the road or buy the house beside me. But that thinking negates some of the benefits to begin with.
add a commentWeek off November 23, 2013 7:33 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeI’m on vacation. Let the cleaning commence!
add a commentMore upset than I expected November 22, 2013 4:00 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, Of Being Dad, Pets, Two PawsWe all have our time. It comes. It goes. I’m pragmatic. I’m stoic. So I am surprised at how upsetting today has been to me. I am also a romantic. A philosopher. The physical manifestation is just that…something expected and done. The problem is the metaphorical interpretation of today’s event reaches too deeply into my being. I require downtime. And distraction. But responsibilities have to be dwelt with first.
add a commentWeekend Accomplishments November 17, 2013 7:49 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life- Hung a bedroom door
- Cleaned a room
- Cleaned the driveway
- Repaired the van tire
- Client work
Feels like more was done. It’s Sunday night. I’m exhausted. So much more needs to be done tonight.
So little to do. So much time. Strike that. Reverse it.
add a commentCoin answers the waiter question November 17, 2013 9:24 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, TechnologyUpdate 11/20/2013: Read more at Engadget.
Coin has responded to people’s concerns about a waiter accidentally or intentionally selecting a different credit card.
One question we’ve been hearing is “What if a waiter/waitress accidentally — or worse, INTENTIONALLY — changes the card you want to charge your meal to?”
Here’s where Coin has you covered: The mobile app will allow you to configure an auto-lock feature that will disable the Coin button to toggle based on proximity; when the waiter walks away he or she will not be able to toggle the card selected.
I think there are better solutions but this one is adequate.
add a commentBreaking Bad Alternate Ending November 17, 2013 8:59 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, TV / MoviesAll Breaking Bad fans must watch:
add a commentFreekah Da Americans Out November 16, 2013 4:38 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : HumorFreekah Da Americans out. Put Ziyad Brand in your grocery.
Coin and user interface improvements November 16, 2013 1:32 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, Security, TechnologyUpdate: Coin already has this covered. They’ve responded to the numerous people asking this question.
One question we’ve been hearing is “What if a waiter/waitress accidentally — or worse, INTENTIONALLY — changes the card you want to charge your meal to?”
Here’s where Coin has you covered: The mobile app will allow you to configure an auto-lock feature that will disable the Coin button to toggle based on proximity; when the waiter walks away he or she will not be able to toggle the card selected.
I’ve pre-purchase Coin because for years I have said that we should have a single magnetic swipe card for all purposes. I’ve gone so far as to suggest we be issued an id card at birth that becomes our permanent id and holds all our credit cards and so forth. Why have multiple cards when one with a programmable magnetic strip would suffice?
Coin holds 8 swipe cards at once. There is a button on the card which allows you to select the card you want to use. Perhaps card one is your primary credit card, card two is your business credit card, card three is your door entry key for your office, card four is a loyalty card, card five is that rebate card you were sent instead of receiving a check or cash, card six is your department store card, etc. Pressing the button cycles through these. The recurring question being asked is "What if I hand it to the waiter and he accidentally selects a different card?" Coin answers this question in their FAQ:
Q. Can someone accidentally change which card is selected on my Coin?
A. We’ve designed the button to toggle cards in a way that makes it difficult to trigger a “press” unintentionally. Dropping a Coin, holding a Coin, sitting on a Coin, or putting the Coin in a check presenter at a restaurant will not inadvertently toggle the card that is selected.
To me, the answer is inadequate. The user interface could be altered ever so slightly to address this concern.
The solution: For those who want to lock it in, I should be able to program a lock sequence into the button. For instance, make switching cards a short press (that way I can rapidly cycle through the 8 loaded cards). I go to my Coin app on the phone and define a lock sequence of a 3 second press, followed by two tabs, a long press and a final short tap. Now the card is locked on the chosen card. Unlocking works the same way. Because I can define the sequence of short and long presses, I effectively have a pin code for locking and unlocking the card.
Perhaps Coin will consider this in the future.
For those asking, what is Coin? Please read One Card to Rule Them All.
Update: Lauren Puff suggests the use of finger print technology like that of the iPhone 5s. While I think that would be cool, it would require a hardware change to the Coin which would probably add to the manufacturing cost and may not work with the form factor. The lock sequence I propose would use the existing hardware and would be some minimalist programming changes to the device itself and the iOS/Android apps.
1 comment so farThe Weekend Is Here November 16, 2013 10:13 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeIt’s not a picture perfect weekend. The ground is damp from last night’s drizzle. The air has a chill. None-the-less, I think it would be a great day for yard work. Definitely a wonderful day to clean and fix up the house. I’d like to be playing with the children. Getting them away from the computers and doing something memorable. Alas, I find myself on the computer with goals of making clients happy and creating billables.
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