Things That Go Together

I saw this on an end display at my local neighborhood Target store. A McDonalds play set that contains miniature fries and burgers. Below it is a Doctor’s Play Set, which is sure to come in handy for the kids so they can diagnose the pretend diabetes and heart disease they’ll get from the McDonald’s play set.

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Whoosh

Hmmm, December already, eh? The last few months have been a blur. The work Marcus has been busy spearheading new system implementations and performing upgrades on nearly every server and application on the network. Not to mention, my iPad experiment project has been a total success. So much so, that a good chunk of my days are now spent writing web apps for it that provide a real-time peek into the runnings of the company. And converting normal boring office reports into graphically, visually pleasing ones worthy of being on a gorgeous iPad screen. Along the way I’ve gotten to play with the new Mac OS X Lion Server and the included Profile Manager that allows me to remotely manage iOS devices, such as iPads. Thanks Airprint, for letting me introduce someone new to the iPad. An iPad that can barely be put down and who’s use has quickly expanded past just Photos.

The me Marcus has been busy with learning how to cut vinyl decals and brew exploding root beer. Then there’s the whole Phase One thing, plus my endeavors over at Team Housewares, the world’s awesomest private Wii golf league. It’s a great outlet for creative ideas and it lets me somewhat decompress from the daily happenings with work Marcus.

Time does fly when you’re having fun, I guess. Although, I am looking forward to having some downtime soon, where I can just relax, do nothing, except maybe read my Steve Jobs book.

OK, I did carve out some time to go cut our Christmas tree.



Of course, finding time to decorate it is another story.

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Kudos to McDonald’s and Target

While shopping for some Thanksgiving items at Target this weekend, the ’geek noticed that their egg racks were empty except for a sign explaining they no longer carry eggs from Sparboe Farms.

Curious as to what that was about, we looked it up online and found this:

McDonald’s, Target Dump Egg Supplier After Investigation

To which I responded, “ Well,...duh”!

Sparboe Farms is a factory farm. And there’s nothing right about that. Of course the animals are treated poorly. While it is great that McDonald’s and Target have dropped Sparboe, it would be even better if everyone quit doing business with factory farms, period. But unfortunately, both McDonald’s and Target are most likely just going to turn around and buy from another factory farm. Although, Target does carry Organic Valley. I’m sure they would like to get more of Target’s business.

Watch That Nano

I’ve been wanting to sport a Nano wristwatch for a while now but none of the watch bands readily available really appealed to me. Most of them are made out of a silicone material. I like a wide web canvas type of watch band, like the type you can find at a military surplus store. So I had the ’geek make me a slightly modified watch band that would accommodate the Nano. I think it turned out real nice.

So, how practical is it to actually wear the Nano instead of a watch? For starters, the Nano will adjust for daylight savings time, something I never bothered to set on my real watch. I just wandered around half the year with the wrong time on my watch. The Nano sports 16 different clock faces, so if I get tired of one, I can change it. But me knowing me, I’ll find one I like and stick with it. Also, it’s a quick swipe to the left to change from the clock to a stop watch, something I use a lot at work, timing computer operations. And should I ever be in a sneaker-net situation, the Nano will double as a USB drive. All in all, so far, so good.

I haven’t had a chance to try out the pedometer, but will do so the next time I go for a walk.

One of the downsides I have found is that since the Nano’s screen turns off after a while, I have to tap a button before I can see the time. Another is that the Nano is NOT water-proof. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate to dunk my hands in water. Now I have to think twice when around water. And then there’s the fact I have to charge the Nano. I managed to make it four days without needing to re-charge the battery. But none of these things are show stoppers and the Nano continues to ride on my wrist.

Time will tell.

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Heavy