One of my Favorite tech sites for practical uses of technology

A lot of technology I see is cutting edge. It has that "gee-whiz" factor that makes you glad you are a techie. However, many times the technology is so far ahead, that is has not had the cycle time to pervade into everyday use (or as I call it consumable uses, i.e. mainstream). Granted, this cycle time is getting shorter and shorter all the time.

That said, there are a few people out there that take their edgy work and make it practical for the everyday technie to consume and use. LumenLab is one such group.

They have 3 main components.

1. A DIY video projector (for under $300 you can have an HD projector if you can find the parts). Pretty slick in my book.
2. A small CNC device ($currently $599 from their kit).
3. A robotic assembly in a modular design.

All and all, these guys need some advertising, so I am doing my part. BTW, I am working on the projector now, need one more part and my father is looking at the CNC.

Thanks to Daniel for showing me this cool site!

~Jeffrey

reacTIVision - the future of DJ-ing with this very cool tech!

A colleague of mine (thanks Ian!) introduced me to reacTIVision, a component of the reacTable, a new synthesizer using a multitouch table (like a giant iphone, but in the size of a drafting table) and fiducial markers (squigglies).

Here is an example of fiducial markers


A better explaintation would be these YouTube Videos:



Bjork has it on tour even:



The basic gist of the software, is I want to use it for different applications other than the reacTable. Many people are looking into this for wearable tags and other such ideas. I am thinking of wearable tags that you can read with a cell phone so people in the club can know your "status", if you are looking for someone, or there to just "dance".

Interesting to couple this with augmented reality glasses (imagine projected images onto a lense so you see a HUD for the world around you).

You don't need the touch table to actually make it work. You can use a webcam, camera, or even a cellphone and create your own markers. I plan to check this software out one evening and I will let you know how I fair.

All and all, if anyone plays with this technology, let me know in a comment. I would enjoy perhaps collaborating.

~Jeffrey

First Round Draft - new upscale sports bar in Cape Coral

Ok, I have been to First Round Draft sports bar in Cape Coral and the place is great! It has water front tie ups, plenty of parking, and very nice decor (and it lacks the riff-raff of Stevie Tomatoes).

It is located on Del Prado (remember Candies? same place, new look and feel). Address:
1217 Del Prado Boulevard
Cape Coral, FL

Their happy hour stats:
$1 Bud Light and Miller Light drafts and $1.50 ShockTops (like Blue moon, I prefer ShockTop it is less heavy) from open to close seven days a week!
For drinks: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The appetizer happy hour is nothing over $5 at 3-7 p.m.

They have the NFL Ticket, and plenty of TVs (they did not get the MBL package this year, since they started late in the season, but I was assured they would next season).
They also have the The Big 10 Network as well.

My only wish, is they had wifi, but you cannot get it all.

The food is excellent, and priced fair. I had a burger and it was fantastic, my bride, a Buffalo chicken sandwich.

One last quip, "G", the inside bartender is a great guy. Tip him well! He will take care of you and has a great demeanor.

~Jeffrey

Breakfast today - Double yolks

I love the randomness of nature. Here is part of my breakfast today:



Nice little divergence.

~Jeffrey

Repost - How we should handle the bail outs of wall street!

My wife's aunt sent this to us. I thought it was pretty ingenious so I reposted it. I am sure it is an email going around and I have not done the math, but hell, once in a while you got to let loose. And beside, I believe in the message of the thing.

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child.
So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It
Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000 ,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Buy a second home - stimulate the economy

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Pay off credit cards - more disposable income to invest or purchase goods and services - timulate the economy

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington
DC.

And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

~Jeffrey

Confession - Fast food junky - Warning too

Ok, I have a confession. I am a fast food junky. I love it. All the fat, salt, and sugar. MMM MMM Good!

I don't eat it very often, but sometimes I get the craving (and if you are from up North, you know the saying, "It's what you crave!" for White Castles... oh I miss them and Crystal burgers are a poor substitute).

Anyway, to the point. The warning. STAY AWAY from the Taco Bell Volcano taco's. The saying is, they are 75 degrees F going in and 150 degrees F coming out! I really enjoy hot foods, but I was surprised these were that hot.

That said, back to our regular tuned blogging...

~Jeffrey

Why I am not allowed to plant bananas

Ok, the following pictures are why my wife will not allow me to plant bananas.

So to steal a line from Harry Belafonte:

"Hide the deadly black tarantula
Daylight come and me wan' go home"

Granted, it was not a tarantula, it was called a banana spider.
I apologize for the bluriness in some of the pictures, I was a little nervous taking the picture!









Freaky! These were taken at Rotary Park in Cape Coral, FL.

~Jeffrey

New look and feel - no more adsense in my personal blog

As you can see, I have changed my look and feel. I have not decided if I will stick with it, but I did remove the adsense ads (after much pain and aggravation).

I felt that the adsense on my personal blog degraded it.

Also, I think we need to find a new business model for information other than advertisements, but other than subscription, I am not sure how one would do that. Micropayments for each tidbit of info perhaps? Hmm...

~Jeffrey

Visit to Fort Lauderdale

In a recent visit to Fort Lauderdale, to visit my wife's aunts. I made a few observations.

I am at a loss about whether or not I like high rise buildings or not. I know they provide many people that could not afford a beach front with a place close, and they can have killer views of the water, but sometimes they destroy the skyline and remove the romanticism of the beach. What a conundrum.

That said, I did enjoy the flat trek across the everglades and alligator alley. Some say it is boring, but I find it peaceful... a little too peaceful, that I tend to fall asleep sometimes. Luckily, my lovely bride drove and I was able to work (nice having a flexible job like mine, even though I sometimes gripe about it. At this point, I think I am ruined to ever go back to a traditional office).

So... some observations about Fort Lauderdale:

• It is older (in people and structures). In my case this can be good since I am fond of old buildings and renovating them.
• There are lots more "adult shops" - making it come off a little more than sleazy in parts.
• It is a Jaguar heaven. At a stop light, we had 5 Jags surrounding us.
• There are WAY TOO MANY CIGARETTE butts in the sand on the beach. Come people, I know it has sand like an ash tray, but you don't have to be an ASHHOLE. Put the damn thing in your pocket and throw it away.

That said, here are the pictures!

From the Alley





I really like the clouds in FL. Fluffy, white and you can see so much of them.


The view from the balcony as the sun is beginning to rise.







Now, my panoramic is slightly off on the right side. It is hard to line them up sometimes.




Lastly, some closer shots of the beach on the A1A. This is one of the reasons people migrate here.




~Jeffrey

Monday Cynical Poem

This is my Monday Cynical Poem post:

My ego is bruised
And I feel abused

I am pretty sure I have been demoted
While being told I was promoted

I still get to work on cool stuff
That is really just fluff

On a positive note, I can say oh boy,
Seriously, working on new stuff is a joy.

Right now, me thinks nobody really needs this crap
Alas, I am still an underpaid sap

My recourse is clear
Eventually I will find a new career

Someday I will say, Impacted Bowel Movement can kiss my ass
Just my personal little sass.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a sob,
Honestly, I generally like my job.

That said with a grin,
I better get to work, or I will be on the outside looking in!

I had to get that off my chest. I feel better now. From Jeffreystune, have a magic Monday!

Twitter - at capacity

Some of you may know of the service known as twitter. In a world of sound bites and SMS messages, Twitter is the next logical evolution. In a nutshell, twitter is a web (or SMS, IM, etc) interface that will push out 140 character messages of "what you are doing now".

Now, mind you I do partake in such craziness, but sometimes I wonder if it is good for the "children". In a world where IM speak is pervading their school day writings.

Twitter has become so popular, that "tweets" will be shown on one of the political debates network broadcast.

To check it out, look at Twitter.com

Well, I want to see how it fairs at the debates if they are showing this today:



To steal a line from conchscooter, "Hello, my name is Jeffreystune and I am a twitteree".

Conscience

"[A man's] moral conscience is the curse he had to accept from the gods in order to gain from them the right to dream."
William Faulkner

A Magic Monday

Well, I start today with a positive slant towards all I need to get done today.

Looking at my window at the sunny day, sometimes you know there are things that can be right in the world.

Lets see if that is so in my working world at the uber-corporation today.

Wish me luck!


~Jeffrey

To my generation

Own Up!
Grow Up!
Stand Up!
No one owes you shit.
No more affirmative action.
No more asking for hand outs.
No more taking the easy way.
Be true.

Don't buy into the hype of bottled water.

This phenomenon of bottle water still baffles me. Granted I did buy bottled water (and keep some in stock for hurricanes), but as a regular bases, I don't drink it. I drink the tap water (and I do plan to install a filter).

Don't believe the hype that bottled water is any better for you. Most of it is just tap water anyway with a 1000% markup and a non-degradable container that will stay in a landfill for millions of years.

Just a little story on what could happen:

Time: Present day
Place: Grocery store

Two friends enter a grocery store when one remarks, "ooh! Aquafina for $3.99 a 24 pack, that is cheap!".

The other friend replies, "what do you mean cheap? That is just tap water marked up a 1000%. Besides, that bottle stays in a landfill for millions of years."

The first friend, "Like I give a shit."

The second friend, "you know, sometimes I think people like you should be ground up for food....."

Time: Near Future
Place: Grocery store

"Dad, can we get some bologna?"

The father, "No son, it is not made with the same stuff as it used to be made from."

The son, "What is it made from?"

The father, "Well, it used to be pig and cow lips and buttholes, but now, they make it out of people that don't follow green practices"

Eyes wide, the boy asks, "Really? No way!"

The father, "Sure, I had a friend that used to buy bottled water. He couldn't get off the stuff. It was so bad, even after they banned it, he would import it from Mexico. One day, they found out, and took him to the bologna factory."

The boy, "Wow, I am glad we use our own containers for water and other drinks. I don't want to be bologna."

"Exactly son, now don't share this with your mother about bologna."

..... At home that night

The wife, "Honey! Just what have you been telling the boy!"

Kidding aside, get your own water bottle and refill it.

~Jeffrey

Browser Choices

Do I really need Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome? Sure, it is all about choices, kind of like Feminism... Hehe..

Really I have used all 5 and prefer Firefox (2 not so much 3) and Chrome.

Creative learnings: Qualitiative research and new software engineering principles- parallels

Interesting, I guess sometimes there are fun coincidences. In recent emails with old friends, I found many parallels in the conversation with my schooling's current lessons. My current class is Creativity Measurements. Since the definition of creativity is hard to pin down, much research has been done in a qualitative fashion (as well as quantitative, but I will get to that another time).

When friend mentioned that we were trained in the constrictive way as system analysts (as engineers are trained, which is what computing grew from), we did it in a quantitative fashion. Rigorous, to the numbers, and by the book. Everything is generic, but constrictive and defined. Works well in an engineering background. This is why I think CMMi doesn't work well for software development. It grew from engineering quality control which is restrictive.

What we need to look at (and as the group on the emails alluded, the practice is evolving to) are qualitative development measures. Things that deal with the human aspect. That your system is affected by the subjects as they are affected by the system. Emergent. The crux of qualitative measurements are validity. The aforementioned chum is alluded to it, in the "do no harm by allowing this field/code" (I know I am paraphrasing) as long as it is a valid use. Hmm.. a parallel. This is also why Agile works better for project management at least in software engineering. The Organic Software Development Approach OSDA(patent pending, trademarked, copyrighted, etc....).

I guess what I am looking at is the former had too much science and little art. The later has a balance of art and science. My thoughts are if qualitative development is used too much, we could get pseudo-science, which is the worse case scenario. Too much art and not enough science. You need validity in your qualitative research.

Interesting article: Validity in Qualitative Research, Whittemore, Chase, Mandle in the Qualitative Health Research Vol.11 No. 4 July 2001

Some food for thought.

~Jeffrey

Creative Thinking - Divergent and Convergent Rules!

A little taste of my learning about creative thinking. A major crux of the creative thinking is the ability to diverge (a mechanism of this is brainstorming) and then take those ideas and converge for the outcome you were hoping to achieve (granted this is only a part of the process, but you will see these are the "nuts and bolts" of the process).

That said, here are the rules for each:

Divergent Thinking Rules

• Defer Judgment
• Strive for quantity
• Seek wild ideas
• Build on other’s ideas

Convergent Thinking Rules

• Be affirmative
• Be deliberate
• Check objectives
• Improve ideas
• Consider novelty

Remember to expand out when diverging (think "Expanding your mind") and to then look for the hit, highlight, "sparkle" when converging.

Stay creative,

~Jeffrey

Hello Son

Hello Son

Hello son, you got your mommy's coal black hair,

And my flattened nose.

Hello son, with your mommy's pouting lips,

And my funky toes.

Hello son, we both love you so,

I won't say goodbye, for you and I will meet again, I am just sorry you had to go.

Hello son.

Creative Problem Solving: Evaluation Matrix

This is another post about my learnings in creative thinking and creative problem solving (CPS).

The least used and thus understood tool in creative thinking are the convergent tools. Given that, I want to discuss one of the ways you can select the best idea derived from your brainstorming that fits your purpose. It is the evaluation matrix. It is similar to the Hamilton or Jefferson lists.

The basic way you would use the matrix is as follows:

1. Generate criteria by diverging (see previous post about divergent thinking rules).
   
2. Converge on the important criteria to use (see previous posts about convergent).
3. Phrase criteria so they all point in the same direction (higher means positive, so if your criteria was negative to begin with, change it around so it is positive).
4. Evaluate all options from your brainstorming for one criteria, then evaluate all options for the next criteria, repeat.

Note: Weighting can be used if needed.

Hopefully this will help. I have seen this used for many things outside of CPS. Seems like a common sense thing, but many many people have an "a-ha" moment when it is explained to them. A cohort of mine used it many times when showing options to customers of his construction company. It worked well for him.


Stay creative,

~Jeff

Poetic Injustice?

Question. Is there such a thing as Poetic Injustice? I think I am starting to believe so.

Bill Engvall paraphrase

"If a woman wears a thong and farts, does it whistle like a blowing on a blade of grass between your thumbs?"

Jerk off Motorcyclists

I don't know what it is with bikers lately, but they have been buttholes.

Um guys, I have a large truck, I will squish your ass if you get in my way again and cut me off.

So to the hairy armed butt munch that thought I was "passing him", I wouldn't worry about the "V-8 being that bad", I would worry about the driver of the 2 ton trunk that was in a fragile emotional state, who wouldn't give a damn to make you into road pizza. You better thank God for witnesses and my mother-in-law's common sense.

Also, to the old fart on the trike, you are the "f*ing a$$hole". You were 4 cars back and then went around everyone on the curve to the bridge to "get ahead" in line. Even if you had your turn signal on, I don't have to let you over.

So bikers, you want us in cars to watch for you? Try not being butt wads.

I have to comment, this was not meant to apply to all bikers. It is just 2 bad apples in a row, led me down the path of thinking the whole bunch was rotten. I know that is not true.

~Jeff

Sad days for Jeffrey

I almost didn't post this, but as some of you knew, we were expecting a new addition to the family. 

That did come to pass, but not in a fashion I thought it would.

Mason Diego Abbott was born an angel on 8/15.

We love you son and miss you.

~Jeff

Google's Chrome

Initial runs with Google's Chrome browser have met with success. 

In fact, I am posting this blog with the browser. 

So far, everything works that you get with the basic Firefox (although DOJO browsers don't work). 

I have not had a chance to peruse plug-ins, but I plan on it.

More on this to come.

The link: http://www.google.com/chrome/index.html?hl=en&brand=CHMG&utm_source=en-hpp&utm_medium=hpp&utm_campaign=en

Jeff