I noticed that when I charge my phone, it goes from 1 very lonesome red bar to 3 or 4 within about 20 minutes. It can appear to be fully charged within 1 hour but we all know it takes several hours to get there.
On a related note, I was working with RFID tags several years ago. We worked very hard to give the customer an accurate read on battery life. We had a "dot-on-the-map" application that located items and if the battery died... not only would the item not be located but you might not find it to swap the tag.
We ultimately went with a GREEN, YELLOW, RED scheme in which the customer knew that the GREEN state was longest, YELLOW was shorter and RED meant immanent loss of power within a day or 2. Total shelf life was about 4 years.
Before you know it, we'll be paying tons of money on subscription fees for our home of the future.
I like, embrace and use latest-greatest technology. But the subscription model kills me. Want a Tivo? Don't just buy it, pay them $$ every single month for the entire time you use it! Want OnStar? Same thing. This is a new trend that won't stop any time soon. Before you know it, you'll have monthly subscription fees for your refrigerator, washer, toaster oven, etc. And to top it all off, none of them will be integrated. ie. 20 monthly subscriptions with 20 companies translates to 20 different bills to pay and keep track of.
I loved Portal the whole way through. Very fun because I bought Orange Box mostly for HL2E2 and wasn't familiar with Portal at all.
The best part though was the ending credits song. It's wonderful, its funny, its thoughtful, but only makes sense if you've played the game. You can find it on Youtube (what *cant'* you find on youtube these days) here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs
a wider terminal sometimes makes your code easier to read I agree. Thus in the rare cases that this happens, I take the liberty of letting the line slip over 80 columns and don't sweat it. However, I still keep 80 as my rule of thumb. >95% of the code I write (c/c++/assembly) fits just fine within that space without trying too hard.
One of my reasons for keeping 80 columns as rule of thumb is because the code is not only easy to read on screen but also is easy to read when printed.
So, let me get this straight: you need the latte so you shake enough to power your espresso machine so you can make your latte so you shake enough to power.....
(not a vi/emacs troll. keep those comments to yourself please)
New wireless keyboard/mouse
on
USB Batteries
·
· Score: 0
This is a great idea for wireless keyboards and mice. Integrate these batteries in to the devices and when they run low, just plug them in to your PC for recharging with a detatchable USB cable. This could be done overnight so in the morning you are back an running as wireless instead of tethered.
I happen to have 2 passions: writing code and cycling. The trouble is finding time for both of them.
I usually ride my bike on the weekends, but when the weather is nice (>40 degrees F) I try to ride to work at least once a week. I ride the short 5 mile commute in and take the 15-20 mile scenic route home. Even taking the long way, I can get home in about an hour.
In the kitchen, I have a secret weapon. My wife loves to cook (yes, I am a geek *and* have a wife). She also loves to cook healthy stuff so admittedly I don't have to worry about such things. I usually just show up and eat in much appreciation.
I figured out a few years ago that with my insurance, Chiropractic care is really cheap. I pay $10 each for 12 visits a year. This allows me to do what my chiropractor calls "mantainance", which basically means coming in on a regular basis to stay in line, rather than come in less often after the pain starts. I can't even begin to tell you how much better my back, shoulders and neck are for doing this. I've been doing this for a few years now and hardly ever have pain anymore.
Another thing that helps my back is one of those memory foam theraputic pillows. It is formed to rest your neck where it should be and reduce the stress on it. I used to get stiff necks a lot and since switching to this pillow over a year ago, I have yet to have even one occurance.
I am a firmware engineer at a small startup company and sometimes there are periods of crazy business when any excercise gets thrown out the window. But for the most part, this is my normal routine. I realize that not everyone's lives and circumstances are the same as mine but this lifestyle has allowed me to keep both my geekiness and athleticism.
It's merely one step in an overall process of engineering design.
We are lucky as readers to watch this in the middle of the design phase, rather than having to wait another few years to be wowed by the end result. Are Ford and Chevy cheating when they show us really cool concept cars at the auto shows , even though they can't drive off the stand under their own power? Nope. Just a part of the process of engineering.
I also have a 1st genertion Replay with lifetime subscription. It recently had a hard drive crash (after ~4 years of regular use) and I started weighing in my options: Comcast DVR cable box (with HDTV to boot), Tivo, or repair my replay for $160. Heck, at the monthly rate everyone else charges, my $160 repair will pay itself off in about 1 year and I'll still have no monthly payments for the next - hopefully at least 3 - years. If it pans out this way, my average monthly cost after 8 years will be about 8 bucks a month. Any longer and it just keeps going down.
An additional FYI, the support staff were very easy to understand and very helpful. The process took about 2 weeks and instead of fixing my hard drive, they sent me a brand new box. For a company that looked like it was about to go extinct a few years ago, I was quite pleased and surprised.
Not that it has anything to do with electronics but to expand on your point, a locally based reseller has a fleece store down the road from me where they sell stuff cheap. Most is at least 50% off normal prices. The fun part is, on one rack you see, say, a jacket with a name brand label on it. On another rack, you see the exact same jacket with another name brand on it.
Interestingly, it took a graduate course in communication for this to hit home to me. It's a simple fact that the written word (not just email) has a much higher chance of being misinterpreted than, say, a conversation on the phone. Or better yet, a conversation in person.
For this reason, I always keep away from any discussion of serious issues in email. Whether its an argument with the wife, an important issue with the boss or whatever, this rule of thumb has helped me stay out of trouble for the past decade or so.
Lucky for me, I was in college before I started using email and talk. No IM in those days. Kids these days aren't so lucky. Teenagers, for example, react quickly and emotionally anyway (read: drama), even in person. I can see how many of them can get themselves in to trouble "chatting" with their friends online, rather than just picking up the stupid phone and actually talking with eachother.
This is, ofcourse, nothing new. A similar situation exists up at Mount Everest. At the high camp, there are so many oxygen bottles that they had to start a recycling program and pay people for the bottles that they return to the bottom with. So, even on the highest place on earth, a place near "the death zone" where only the few (relatively to the earth's population) and daring go, we still have a recycling problem.
I am not a scientist (and only took 1 year of chemistry in school) but I am a bit disappoineted at the low ratio of acutal scientific answers and higher ratio of socio-political answers. I guess out of the top scientists and thinkers, there were more thinkers. Seems more like a round of "tell us something that liberals want to hear".
Note, this is not a judgement on any of the answers given, just a general disappointment in the areas of which they cover.
While the hardly-used caps-lock is the ideal candidate
Hardly-used is right, at least in my case. In fact, I wish that the caps-lock would be moved completely out of the way. Maybe cast it off to the number pad? I find that as I'm programming B.C. (before coffee) I sometimes have a tendancy to hit that key instead of the tab key. And since it is B.C. it takes a few more strokes to realize what havoc I've created. Using vi, this has a tendancy to cause changes that could potentially ruin your whole morning.
From the article,
"Coffee drinkers in the United States consume an average of 3.1 cups each day."
I wonder what that really means. Is that 3 8oz. cups? I venture a guess that most coffee cups sitting on/.ers' desks are around 12-16oz.
Also from the article, "if you only drink one cup each day, the results of our study probably have little relevance because at that level your daily coffee dose is relatively low,"
Luckily, with my personal cup warmer, my morning cup o' decaf usually lasts about 1/2 a day.
There have been several comments about the little things that matter. This is so true. As one geek, here are some ideas. Maybe others will reply with more to make comprehensive list.
* Time Off. Usually best when last-minute or unexpected, as in "hey, don't bother coming in tomorrow" or "when you leave for lunch, you may as well just go home for the day, you earned it".
* Food. If I work from 10am to 8pm, no need to feed me because its my choice. However, if I'm one of the 7am to whenever guys and you need me to stay late, spending a few bucks to feed me will go a long way in motivation.
* Freebees. I once worked in a company where all the Sales and Mktg guys got the free company logo T-shirts, hats, etc. This, ofcourse, makes sense because they have end up going on sales calls, attending conferences and other similar such activities where company logo attire is suggested. However, from the engineering point of view, it can easily be seen as "they get the stuff and we don't". Now, I know that this may be a childish way to look at things but remember we are talking about the 'little things' and a few extra shirts to make engineering feel like they are in the loop could pay off big.
* Recognition. This can come in many forms, but here is one example. In my company of 20 employees, a simple to-all email of "thanks to the so-and-so group and especially Wilber, Joe and Ishmeal for puting in the extra hours to get the task done last week" is quite affective.
*Other Random Ideas
- Group or Company outings could include a sporting event, limo ride in to the city, a long lunch on Friday, etc. Basically, just get the group out of the house for a bit.
- A few geeky ideas to keep your geeks happy are things like gift certificates to ThinkGeek.com, Pizza and 'Office Space' movie in the conference room in the afternoon, PS2 hookup to the Big Screen TV in the conference room available after 3 on Fridays, Trogdor Snowglobe giveaways, etc.
There are many more ideas out there but hopefully these will help you think in the right direction.
Slashdot Mirror
On a related note, I was working with RFID tags several years ago. We worked very hard to give the customer an accurate read on battery life. We had a "dot-on-the-map" application that located items and if the battery died... not only would the item not be located but you might not find it to swap the tag.
We ultimately went with a GREEN, YELLOW, RED scheme in which the customer knew that the GREEN state was longest, YELLOW was shorter and RED meant immanent loss of power within a day or 2. Total shelf life was about 4 years.
I like, embrace and use latest-greatest technology. But the subscription model kills me. Want a Tivo? Don't just buy it, pay them $$ every single month for the entire time you use it! Want OnStar? Same thing. This is a new trend that won't stop any time soon. Before you know it, you'll have monthly subscription fees for your refrigerator, washer, toaster oven, etc. And to top it all off, none of them will be integrated. ie. 20 monthly subscriptions with 20 companies translates to 20 different bills to pay and keep track of.
Geeesh.
The best part though was the ending credits song. It's wonderful, its funny, its thoughtful, but only makes sense if you've played the game. You can find it on Youtube (what *cant'* you find on youtube these days) here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs
http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/
I just think its cool that this thing is tagged under 'hooey'.
So, let me get this straight: you need the latte so you shake enough to power your espresso machine so you can make your latte so you shake enough to power.....
(not a vi/emacs troll. keep those comments to yourself please)
This is a great idea for wireless keyboards and mice. Integrate these batteries in to the devices and when they run low, just plug them in to your PC for recharging with a detatchable USB cable. This could be done overnight so in the morning you are back an running as wireless instead of tethered.
I'll pay royalties to use their patent. Then, to cover those costs I'll charge my customers $$ if to skip comercials.
I oughta just about break even but, hey, I have 1 more bullet item for the front of the box that it comes in.
I usually ride my bike on the weekends, but when the weather is nice (>40 degrees F) I try to ride to work at least once a week. I ride the short 5 mile commute in and take the 15-20 mile scenic route home. Even taking the long way, I can get home in about an hour.
In the kitchen, I have a secret weapon. My wife loves to cook (yes, I am a geek *and* have a wife). She also loves to cook healthy stuff so admittedly I don't have to worry about such things. I usually just show up and eat in much appreciation.
I figured out a few years ago that with my insurance, Chiropractic care is really cheap. I pay $10 each for 12 visits a year. This allows me to do what my chiropractor calls "mantainance", which basically means coming in on a regular basis to stay in line, rather than come in less often after the pain starts. I can't even begin to tell you how much better my back, shoulders and neck are for doing this. I've been doing this for a few years now and hardly ever have pain anymore.
Another thing that helps my back is one of those memory foam theraputic pillows. It is formed to rest your neck where it should be and reduce the stress on it. I used to get stiff necks a lot and since switching to this pillow over a year ago, I have yet to have even one occurance.
I am a firmware engineer at a small startup company and sometimes there are periods of crazy business when any excercise gets thrown out the window. But for the most part, this is my normal routine. I realize that not everyone's lives and circumstances are the same as mine but this lifestyle has allowed me to keep both my geekiness and athleticism.
It's merely one step in an overall process of engineering design.
We are lucky as readers to watch this in the middle of the design phase, rather than having to wait another few years to be wowed by the end result. Are Ford and Chevy cheating when they show us really cool concept cars at the auto shows , even though they can't drive off the stand under their own power? Nope. Just a part of the process of engineering.
An additional FYI, the support staff were very easy to understand and very helpful. The process took about 2 weeks and instead of fixing my hard drive, they sent me a brand new box. For a company that looked like it was about to go extinct a few years ago, I was quite pleased and surprised.
Capitalism at its best.
For this reason, I always keep away from any discussion of serious issues in email. Whether its an argument with the wife, an important issue with the boss or whatever, this rule of thumb has helped me stay out of trouble for the past decade or so.
Lucky for me, I was in college before I started using email and talk. No IM in those days. Kids these days aren't so lucky. Teenagers, for example, react quickly and emotionally anyway (read: drama), even in person. I can see how many of them can get themselves in to trouble "chatting" with their friends online, rather than just picking up the stupid phone and actually talking with eachother.
Geez...
Divide by zero
Note, this is not a judgement on any of the answers given, just a general disappointment in the areas of which they cover.
Clearly, this keyboard has no competition as the best of the best. http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/7727/
Hardly-used is right, at least in my case. In fact, I wish that the caps-lock would be moved completely out of the way. Maybe cast it off to the number pad? I find that as I'm programming B.C. (before coffee) I sometimes have a tendancy to hit that key instead of the tab key. And since it is B.C. it takes a few more strokes to realize what havoc I've created. Using vi, this has a tendancy to cause changes that could potentially ruin your whole morning.
No need for those arrows in the middle of the keyboard.
h, j, k and l work just perfectly fine.
I wonder what that really means. Is that 3 8oz. cups? I venture a guess that most coffee cups sitting on
Also from the article, "if you only drink one cup each day, the results of our study probably have little relevance because at that level your daily coffee dose is relatively low,"
Luckily, with my personal cup warmer, my morning cup o' decaf usually lasts about 1/2 a day.
There have been several comments about the little things that matter. This is so true. As one geek, here are some ideas. Maybe others will reply with more to make comprehensive list. * Time Off. Usually best when last-minute or unexpected, as in "hey, don't bother coming in tomorrow" or "when you leave for lunch, you may as well just go home for the day, you earned it". * Food. If I work from 10am to 8pm, no need to feed me because its my choice. However, if I'm one of the 7am to whenever guys and you need me to stay late, spending a few bucks to feed me will go a long way in motivation. * Freebees. I once worked in a company where all the Sales and Mktg guys got the free company logo T-shirts, hats, etc. This, ofcourse, makes sense because they have end up going on sales calls, attending conferences and other similar such activities where company logo attire is suggested. However, from the engineering point of view, it can easily be seen as "they get the stuff and we don't". Now, I know that this may be a childish way to look at things but remember we are talking about the 'little things' and a few extra shirts to make engineering feel like they are in the loop could pay off big. * Recognition. This can come in many forms, but here is one example. In my company of 20 employees, a simple to-all email of "thanks to the so-and-so group and especially Wilber, Joe and Ishmeal for puting in the extra hours to get the task done last week" is quite affective. *Other Random Ideas - Group or Company outings could include a sporting event, limo ride in to the city, a long lunch on Friday, etc. Basically, just get the group out of the house for a bit. - A few geeky ideas to keep your geeks happy are things like gift certificates to ThinkGeek.com, Pizza and 'Office Space' movie in the conference room in the afternoon, PS2 hookup to the Big Screen TV in the conference room available after 3 on Fridays, Trogdor Snowglobe giveaways, etc. There are many more ideas out there but hopefully these will help you think in the right direction.