Tonight the Atlanta iOS Developer Meetup is a party at Ri Ra in midtown. I’m not exactly sure why we are having a party tonight but who am I to disagree. I’m looking forward to returning to Ri Ra, and establishment I’ve only been to once, back in December when the Raleigh Royalty and I joined up with ITP-Readers Bob and Laura for dinner.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Plan to try a marinade to add low-fat flavor to lean meats, fish, or tofu.
Losing the fat in your favorite meats doesn’t mean they have to be any less tasty. Marinades add flavor and juiciness to meat that’s been trimmed of fat or skin. Plus, if you prefer to grill your protein, researchers have found that marinades prevent unhealthy substances from forming when the food is cooked over high temperatures.
Tofu? Man I haven’t made fried tofu in quite some time. Oh wait, they probably don’t think I should be frying it, do they.
Lavanderia Y Burrito
I made it over to my usual lavanderia last night and was pleased to see how empty it was at nearly 7pm on a Monday night. With little consternation I completed my three loads (colors, whites, workout) and decided to pick up a quick bite at Las Tortas Locas.
At Las Tortas Locas I should know better than to order anything more than either two/three tacos or a single burrito, but last night I decided to add some chips and salsa to my burrito order. The food was predictably delicious and even though I did not eat all of the tortilla chips given to me I was quite full upon my exit from the restaurant.
I Hate Avoidable Design Failures
For years I’ve been aggravated with the engineers who designed the shape of the Jackmobile’s trunk because when it rains water drips into the opened trunk getting anything placed on the sides of the trunk wet.
This morning I took out the trash can, wishing I had taken it out last night when I’d also taken out the recycling can. Had I done so the heavy rain that passed through late last night could have washed of the pollen that has been on my trash can for months. But I didn’t. I was able to wash off the pollen this morning by dumping the bucketful of rainwater that accumulated last night over it. When I came out to throw in the last bag of trash a few minutes later there was a puddle of water on the lid, which when I opened the trash can, drained directly into the trash can instead of outside of it. Another fail!
These are not hard design problems, and the use cases for water dripping off a car’s trunk or from the top of a garbage can are not unusual. I don’t understand why design failures like these make it into the real world.
ITP Flickr Pic
“Lens Test: Compact Fluorescent”
I bought a second lens for my Nikon 1 V1, it’s the 1 NIKKOR VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6. In order to make sure it functions as it should I took a few test shots, including this one.
This is a compact fluorescent bulb that very few people have ever seen, because it’s in my bedroom. I’m pleased with the lens, at least for this shot, because the printing on the bulb’s base is pretty sharp.
Dogfooding My New Photography Workflow
“Dogfooding” is a recently-coined slang word used to reference a scenario in which a company uses its own product to validate the quality and capabilities of the product, also known as “eating your own dog food”.
The other day I tried to dogfood my new photography workflow:
- Take photos using Nikon 1 V1 camera
- Take SD card out of camera
- Insert SD car into Apple’s “Camera Connection Kit” (30-pin) connected to a 30-pin-to-Lightning connector
- Have iPad recognize SD card’s photos
- Import selected photos onto iPad
- Edit photos on iPad using one or more app
- Upload edited photos to Flickr
I got as far as Step 3 because my iPad Mini was not recognizing the SD card.
Yesterday I hoofed it over to the Apple Store in Perimeter Mall and purchased yet another $30 adapter (this is really the way Apple is making so much money) for this process.
Tonight I hope to test the process again, this time with the new connector. If this process fails I’ll need to conduct two experiments:
- Test the new connector with a different SD card
- Test importing photos from the original SD card onto another iPad using the “Camera Connection Kit”
And if it turns out that the iPad Mini is the issue then I’ll be making an appointment with the Genius bar to sort things out.
I have five weeks to nail down this workflow so that I don’t have to bring a laptop with me to Europe.
Today’s Personal Project
Attend the iOS Developers party
Run my dogfooding tests.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay even though I didn’t get the chores done last night as I had hoped
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Because I know most of you out there are not Apple nerds I won’t inundate you with Swift programming links. However, I’m linking to SwiftDevs today for my own convenience.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 216 pounds (2014-05-30)
Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~3.8 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~33.0 miles
Gym Visits – 3 (3 cardio)
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
June Goals
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to fix all of the sinks at the ITP Estate
– go away two of the weekends
2014 Goals: Measurable
– Get my weight down to 190 pounds so that I can wear a 36″ waist pants comfortably
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Completely run at least one 10k
– Fix all (or at least most) of the things which are wrong with the ITP Estate
– Sell the ITP Estate (tentative)
2014 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Continue to Simplify, simplify, simplify
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue, to make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2014
- “Johnny Carson” by Henry Bushkin
- “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” by Austin Kleon
- “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick
- “What’s So Funny?: My Hilarious Life” by Tim Conway
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
I’ve never order any but a torta at Las Tortas Locas, is that strange? Since my work location moved down the road, its been awhile since I’ve ate there. That and the fact I want a nice long nap after finishing just half a torta.
Thunder woke us up sometime, early this morning but I was still surpised to see that it had rain, from the looks of it we might get more.
Looks like they have found a few trees at BRAG this year 🙂
I’m hoping work will be quite and today will be a better day.
I still haven’t been to Ri Ra. It just doesn’t strike me as a lunch place, but I could be wrong.
Debbie talked me into Mexican last night (not a difficult feat) but when we got there, I realized I had neglected to carry my wallet. As Debbie didn’t have her purse, back home we went. We almost tried just recalling my credit card from memory, but I couldn’t get it all for sure.
Once we got back, we were seated, given our drinks and chips, and then became invisible for 20 minutes. This is our regular joint, so I don’t know what the deal was, except there was a new kid working… or rather not working.
The commute down the stairs was really tough this morning. If I had more things I could do from home, I wouldn’t mind, but I’m normally scrambling to keep busy. Or not.
-FP
Martha, you are doing it right! While I like the tacos and burritos at Las Tortas Locas I should always follow my advice of ordering the meal that’s mentioned in the business’ name.
Steve, if these were still the days of two-beer lunches Ri Ra would be ideal. 😉 Are you on a “clear liquids” diet today too?
Checking in from Waynesboro, GA. We are below the gnat line, they are driving me nuts already. Allan & I drove the truck today, with the intention of going out & riding the route backwards to the last rest stop. But, after driving in on that hwy, we decided not to. Long, straightaway of fields, with no shade anywhere & it’s very hot & humid. And, I’m sure there are more than a few cars. Not sure why they picked the route they way they did today.
We found the only trees on the campus by getting here early.
Btw Steve & Debbie, if you guys dont sell the house, next years BRAG is going to be centered in Newnan. We would definitely be bothering you a lot that week… The concept is doing a Newnan loop, then out to Carrolton, spend the night, back to Newnan. Century on Wed. out of Newnan. Then Thurs. down to Columbus, spend the night & back to Newnan. They are losing money & trying to figure out how to make this work with no buses & less costs.
Paulie- clear liquids include beer, right? 😉 The idea of a two beer lunch is appealing, but…
Barb, that sounds like a plan!! Whereever we land, we think it will still be in this part of the world. What does the headcount look like for BRAG? At one point, I thought it was in the area of 1800, but that has been a few years. It would seem little towns would jump at the chance to host BRAG… to the point of paying for the honor. What does it cost these days to ride?
Steve,I bet there is only about 500 people this year. It costs around $300. I’m sure the rental of the schools is a huge cost. And, Vern said hi.he stopped by last night for dinner & beers since he’s not riding this year.
So car, the little towns seem overwhelmed by the people, and there aren’t that many of us.
The design flaw paragraph needs a rewrite. No comprende.
I’m fasting in solidarity today (at least so far). I’ve been eating too much junk lately – my system needs a reset.
I think we’ll be in Newnan next year – probably not with a pool though. 🙁
Well Debbie, then you need to find a friend with a pool…. Lol
That’s even better than having a pool! All the bennies, none of the work.
Since I hate design failure I’ve rewritten that portion to make it more understandable (I hope).
If I were an sun worshiper I’d make sure to have friends with either a pool or a boat. Having friends who assume the cost and provide you the benefit is the best. See also: home brewing beer.
I think your train of thought derailed- one minute you’re writing about the car, and the next moment about the trash cans… I guess all have design issues. Kinda like today’s writing 🙂 (booyah)!
Yeah, plus I write first thing in the morning.
Much mo’ bettah!