Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

My Bed Has a Remote Control
April 04, 2012

Logitech Harmony 650I currently enjoy operating my new Tivo via the iPhone interface. This is unusual because I’m very committed to the idea that remote controls should have physical buttons. I like being able to navigate the controls of my appliances using touch alone, and the iPhone screen not only doesn’t have any tactile feedback to let me know where the buttons are, but also has nothing to detect pressure, so merely placing my fingers against the glass is enough to trigger any of the on-screen buttons.

What I like about the Tivo interface is that it communicates bi-directionally with the device. I can see the TV guide along with what shows have been recorded, and instantly start any of those shows on-screen simply by touching them. Normally, I’d need to operate the controls to navigate through the Tivo’s on-screen menus, which is tedious and (ironically) not as well-designed as the UI on the phone.

In Search of Desktop Apps
April 03, 2012

I’m not sure why, but I crave more interaction with my desktop. The exact things that I can’t seem to get out of iOS and the things that happen more readily in WP7 are what I want on my Windows desktop. I don’t really want gadgets, per se, but I’d really like some applications that served specific purposes and worked really well.

For example, I’ve been complaining about the to-do list app forever. I realize that this can be done (to some incomplete extent) by using a web service. But the only gateway to that is via something like Chrome’s application shortcuts, which are useful, but are still a website inside of Chrome without complete access to desktop features (notification tray, integration with other applications, additional shaped window features, and on and on.).

Where I am right now
March 25, 2012

It’s a cocktail/coffee shop with nice cakes and affordable sandwiches. The staff is efficient and friendly, not just courteous, and not so chummy that it’s ok to forget a spoon with your chai. The furniture is worn, like that used chair you hated to get rid of because it was so comfortable but eventually wore out, and they recycled it with a little love and carefully, yet artfully applied upholstery. There are some love seats, and some deeper chairs, but most of the seating is movable and comfortable, while allowing access to coffee and work tables.

There are tapestries. Sure, they’re like the old stone castle wall hangings, but a bit more modern and eclectic. Long and printed with modern patterns, these separate the open windows and decorate the architectural sections of the environment. The sound in the rooms is muffled, so that you can still hear that there are other groups of people talking, but you can’t hear the conversation across the room echo off of cold concrete blocks. There are coves for small groups to meet and chat and throw in ideas. The lighting is not harsh, spotted so that it hits just the right places where you’d put your work. There are attractive, movable floor-standing lamps, just in case.

Austin - So Far, Not a Fan
March 07, 2012

I visited Austin over the weekend for Brian and Tara’s wedding. We did a few cool things, and while I love Brian and Tara dearly and would visit them many times again no matter where they lived, I can’t say I’m a fan of Texas.

Mind you, my experience with many cities I visit is merely the surface scratching that a week or so provides, and doesn’t nearly encompass the depth of what any place has to offer, but I do get impressions. What impressions I have about Austin are very poorly baked, but here goes anyway.

How the Weather Should Be Told
February 28, 2012

I asked the kids this morning what the weather was like outside, attempting to prepare for the chill of a winter morning. Abby told me that it was supposed to be 50 degrees today, so relatively warm for winter. I mentally questioned this, since it wasn’t all that warm in the house and the heater was running. On my phone, I brought up the weather, and sure enough, the high was meant to reach 50, with a low of 32. But who thought up this absurd way of telling the weather?

Certainly the temperature outside was not necessarily the low. In fact, observing the current temperature at the time, I discovered it to be 37 degrees. I suppose that sometime around 3 or 4 pm the temperature would peak at the 50 the predictions suggested. But would the day be generally warm? Would the higher temperatures linger for longer? And what of the wind chill?