This is a good reminder that I live in a different world than most people.
Blog
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Apple Becomes Patent Troll
This kickstarter, that I would have loved to back but cannot because of my self-imposed kickerstater timeout, has reached 770% of it’s goal. They wanted $260,000 and have received $2,003,170.
Aannnnd Apple patents the idea. http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/18/apple-patents-headphones-with-integrated-activity-health-and-fitness-tracking/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hellobragi/the-dash-wireless-smart-in-ear-headphones
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R.I.P. Qik
Qik is being shuttered on April 30, 2014. Qik was undoubtedly one of my favorite video sharing sites. None of its competitors made is as easy to take a video and upload it from your phone. Qik encouraged vidcasting. Bamuser and ustream have never had the same feel for me.
Crunchbase shows Qik’s competitors as Kyte, Flixwagon, Livecast, Next2Friends, Bambuser, Ustream, Justin.TV, and Streamup.
So, what happened to Qik? Skype bought them in 2011. We saw Qik Premium and Qik Desktop with great promise. There was growth. And then silence. The last Twitter post was January 2012. In May of 2011, Microsoft bought Skype. Qik had ben borg’d.
From the Qik service retiring FAQ:
Why are you retiring Qik?
We are retiring Qik as the Qik video messaging technology has now been incorporated into Skype. Users can now enjoy a great experience on Skype with features such as audio and video calling, instant messaging and video messaging with contacts in their Skype and Microsoft networks.[Source, Qik.com, Qik service retiring in April 2014 – IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ]
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A programmer’s nemesis
Rabbit holes!
A rabbit hole is a reference to chasing a problem, rather the solution to a problem, or allowing a feature to creep, that simply consumes an enormous amount of time for either little or no gain. I’ve just spent an hour in a rabbit hole and am not backing out every change I made in that hour. I’d like a refund please.
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What’s your verbal motivator?
Everyone has a verbal motivator. Some sort of spoken tick to get you to do something. For instance, I need to be programming but I’m hungry. Cereal has become disgusting to me but I can eat Frosted Flakes
if only we had some. Frozen waffles are pretty quick and easy but they are downstairs in the deep freezer and I don’t feel like walking. Besides, if they aren’t homemade, surely they are full of crap I shouldn’t be eating…but it’s okay for my kids. My doctor says I should avoid meat and eggs but that’s about all that is left in the kitchen right now. So my choice, eat coffee or….here’s the motivator…"eeeh, fuck"…cook bacon and eggs.
So yes, increasingly, my verbal motivator to myself is "eeeh, fuck."
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From the mouths of babes
Words I actually hear slip from my lips: "We should get together and flapjaw sometime."
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Shhhhh
In my near future, I must own a pair of Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones
! They will make me a better person and faster programmer!
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Tick tock
It’s the last day of the month
I’ve never felt so fucked
Deadlines loom
Choices to be made
Life goes on
Day by day
Future becomes the past
Days go too fast
Opportunities missed
Obligation in the way
Watching kids grow up
What would Chapin say
Tick tock
Another beat of the clock
Time is an illusion
Created by man
Used to fill the void
Used to drive us mad
Disproven by physicists
We exist all at once
Until observed
Then we’re fucked. -
Lame Dad
There is a rare snow in Knoxville. I’m working from home. I type on my keys and see others posting pictures of the snow men they are building with their children and the sledding for their kids. I type faster instead of going outside with my children. While I feel lame, I look to my left to a stack of bills and know that the choices I make are to avoid being even lamer.
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The day thus far
Woke to no Internet or television. Troubleshoot. Programmed until my eyes bleed and my head exploded. Troubleshoot. Programmed more.