1. Download the free AutoHotkey
2. Create a .ahk text file
   Let’s call it MyHotkey.ahk and add this line:

   #n:: run "c:\windows\notepad.exe"

3. Place a shortcut to that file in your Startup folder
   So that it runs at startup.
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Copy/Paste this into the address bar:
   %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
3. Right-click in the folder and select New > Shortcut

That’s it!  You can now add more lines like that to your .ahk file for more global hotkeys.  For other modifier keys, use # is windows key, ^ is ctrl, + for shift, and ! for alt.  “^+q” would be ctrl-shift-q.  I usually add this line at the top to remind me:

; #=Win ^=Ctrl +=Shift !=Alt

Related Posts

• Here’s my original review with many more hotkey suggestions
• Several more of my posts about various AutoHotkey uses
• Here’s one little tool I made which needs a hotkey: bigtex, lets you type nice big text on your screen real quick, like to show people stuff

Parts List

How I use the stuff…

I run mine headless (no keyboard, mouse, video) and remote in using SSH and Putty.  Just running Xming and X11 forwarding lets me run GUI apps remotely.

I’m using the kit for things like:

• Remote autonomous file download station
  When I’m traveling the internet connections are slow.  Like hotels, coffee shops, remote offices, etc.  I want to download movies and files from home, but it needs to run for awhile.  So I use the Pi as a headless automated downloader.  On power-up it connects to an open WiFi (or secure WiFi connections I’ve added), makes an SSH connection to my home system so I can remote into the Pi independent of firewalls, then it grabs the latest download queue, and starts/resumes downloading of large files.  It uses the blink(1) to show status: purple=connecting, blue=downloading, green=done, red=error.  I can put it in the corner, let it run for a day, and pick it up later full for file goodness.
• Learning linux, python, web dev, electronics
  It’s fantastic for learning remote file sharing, automation, linux, bash command line, python, etc. As well as playing with electronics, like the Pi’s IO Ports, rotary encoders, DACs, etc.
• Kids ‘time to wake up’ door alarm
  Pictured below is a project to let my kids (2yrs & 5yrs old) know when they can wake up in the morning and sounds an alarm if they open their doors before.  We’re having a real problem with them leaving their rooms several times a night.  After 10pm the light goes red in their rooms.  If they open their door (door sensor represented by bottom button) it buzzes at them (represented by top red LED below).  At 7am the light goes green to let them know they can get up.  Parents can push a button on the outside to disarm/arm (top button).  Using a Raspberry Pi instead of an Arduino (almost the same price) lets me much more easily remotely monitor and update the device, program in Python, and use a less expensive WiFi adapter.  I’ve got my ‘go’ Pi (below) to work on while away, and a home one installed for the kids.

Similar Posts

• What’s in your bag? The Portable Office
• Arduino, the magical little microcontroller that could and is taking the world by storm

I’d love to hear in the comments if you’re using the Raspberry Pi, have ideas on how to use one, or if this post inspires you at all to get one and give it a try. 

Just walk into a rink

Probably the easiest thing to do is just walk into an ice rink nearby and ask how to get started.  This is what I did and it was easy.  The rinks usually have flyers and can put you in touch with a learn to skate program or team to join.  Here is a map of the ice rinks in the Dallas area: http://goo.gl/maps/KqRp7

‘Learn to Play’ classes

Never played hockey before?  Don’t even know how to skate? No problem!  This is where I started in my late 20s, could barely stand on skates.  Every area has a ‘learn to play’ class where you just show up, like a few evenings a week for a few weeks, and you learn the basic skills to start playing and having a blast.  Then they usually put you right into an ‘I’ (introductory) level division team with other new players.  So you have a good time playing and feel like a haus.

At the time of writing this, here in the Dallas area, the Dr Pepper Stars Arena system is putting on an ‘Anklebenders’ intro to hockey class (see PDF flyer). Their website is undergoing a remodel and doesn’t have the info, so the hockey coordinator said I could put his contact info here: Duane ‘Whip’ Wylie, 972-758-7528 x338, dwylie@dpscplano.com.  If you don’t get through there, call/email others at the Starscenter.  There’s also the Dallas Ice Training Center which may have classes.

Timing

There are two main seasons.  A full length 20 to 30 game winter season which teams start to form mid Sept, start playing late Oct, and play to early June.  Then there’s a 10-15 game short summer which plays from late June to early Oct.  Games are usually once a week in the evenings at 8pm or 9pm.

Cost

The full winter season is usually $550 to $650 a player for 20 to 30 games (~$20/game).  The summer season is about half that.  You can expect to spend $500 to $1000 on equipment.

Equipment

Buy inexpensive skates at first (~$150), you will be getting new ones after a year or two of playing.  If you take a learn to play class they’ll give you a list of equipment to buy.  Just walk into a local hockey shop and buy bottom-of-the-line gear that fits to start with; trust me, you’ll be upgrading each piece as time goes on.  The gear you need is: helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, leg/knee pads, pants, gloves, skates, jock pants, white & black jerseys, one pair of hockey socks, a gear bag, and two sticks.  Again, if you’re new, just walk into a hockey shop, tell them you’re just getting started and need a basic set up to get started with.  I’d recommend Player’s Bench (big dedicate hockey store), Sports Authority, or Play it Again Sports.

Leagues

Each ice rink typically has a ‘house league’ with a small number of teams that play at just that rink.  Then there are larger area leagues that play at multiple rinks.  I’d recommend starting at a larger league as they have more divisions of teams so you play with more evenly matched players, they have the introductory ‘I’ level divisions to get started in, and are usually more organized   The two larger adult leagues in north Dallas are the Dr Pepper Stars Center league which plays at rinks in Plano, Frisco, McKinney, and Euless.  This is the league I play in and play with a team that plays mostly in McKinney (5 min from home).  The 2nd largest league is Integrity Hockey / MCHA with some friends playing there.

Other hockey activities

In addition to the main games, each rink has ‘drop-ins’, games where you just show up, pay like a $15 ice fee, and play with whoever else shows up.  Not formally organized.  Usually a very wide range in skill levels.  Also there are ‘stick ‘n pucks’ where it’s open ice time for hockey players to show up in gear and just skate and practice.  Then there are the general ‘public skate’ times where the general public shows up to skate only and you can put on your hockey skates and practice your skating.  Just check with a close by ice rink’s website for their schedule.

Wrapping it up

There you have it!  Hopefully enough to get someone started.  Hockey is a great ‘sprinting’ full-body sport.  You don’t even have to be ‘into hockey’ to enjoy playing.  I don’t watch hockey on TV and rarely attend games, but sure love playing.  If you’ve ever skated or played as a kid it’ll come back real fast.  About half the people I play with played a little as a kid and are back into the groove in just a couple games.  The goalie on my last team was 62 yrs old and loving it.  Another teammate was in his late 50s and lost 72 lbs in the first 6 months playing.  You don’t have to be in good shape to start either, at least 1/3 the players are of a ’round’ persuasion and ~1/3 ‘average’.  If you’re like me and never played as a kid, just thought it may be something you’d enjoy doing, then you’ll have a blast.

p.s. I got started playing in Seattle and also wrote about Adult Rec Hockey in Seattle.

wget

1. Install wget for Windows
2. Add the to wget bin directory to your system’s path directory (tutorial),
   so you can run it easily from the command line
3. Run cmd.exe to bring up a command prompt (Windows button, type cmd.exe, enter)
4. By default the command prompt will open in your user directory
5. Run yo wget commands (like the ones below)
6. Type “start .” (w/out quotes) on command prompt to
   open Windows Explorer to see your downloaded files

Here are some common command line parameters:

• -O <file>
  Save downloaded content to <file>.  That O is upper-case.
• –no-check-certificate
  When downloading over HTTPS, do not validate the remote server certificate against a 3rd party certificate authority chain.
• -i <file>
  Download each line in the file
• -c
  Continue downloading if interrupted, otherwise put, resume downloading.  Good for large files, if the transfer gets interrupted, resume where it was left off.
• -r
  Recursive download.  Get the entire tree of files starting at the url.

Example wget commads:

• wget -O download.txt –no-check-certificate http://coad.cc/ZsPIXj
  saves content to the file download.txt
• wget -c -i download.txt
  download files listed in download.txt (three little pictures in this case)
• wget –r http://coad.net/noah
  Download my home page’s entire site (html, css, js, etc).

Video showing how this all works:

For more great tools, see my Ultimate Tools List

The Arduino is a little microcontroller board for about $25 with CPU, memory, and input/output pins (I/O).  The Arduino Leonardo is picture above and is the current iteration of the most popular Arduino line.  People are doing all sorts of wild and crazy things with them!  All you need to get started is the board and a USB cable to the computer.  That’s it.  Buy those, download the free software, and it includes examples to get you started.  (the power port is for optional non-USB power)  They’re so easy, anyone that can use a computer can use them, you don’t have to be ‘electronically inclined’.

At its core is an Atmel micro chip. Even though the Atmel micro has been around a long time, the magic of the Arduino is that it takes the common Atmel micro and surrounds it with:

1. an easy USB connection to the PC
2. easy to connect to I/O PINs (around the outside)
3. simple easy to use PC software to program the device in a simple script-like language
4. and is open source hardware for anyone to improve upon

From there the miracle of the the Arduino is that it has taken off like crazy in the last eight years!  A  staggering ecosystem has been built up around them in terms of support, accessories, robotics, projects, etc.  It’s a great place to start learning about electronics.  Here are some resources to get you going.

Buy One

Here is where you can get one real quick.  At the time of writing this, the Arduino Uno R3 is the most current model and is least expensive on amazon.

• Amazon (~$25)
• DigiKey, Mouser, Jameco, Adafruit, SparkFun
• Or even your local Radio Shack store
• Starter Kits: If you’re just getting started, you make want to consider one of these starter kits from adafruit or sparkfun which includes an arudino and extra parts to play around with.

Accessorize

Due to the popularity of Arduino, conceding with the DIY (do-it-yourself) maker revolution going on right now, there are tons of accessories available.

• Shields: because the pin layout is consistent and easy to work with, and because Arduinos are so popular, you can easily get expansion modules that just plug in, like LEGO toys.  Like adding WiFi, displays, Ethernet, motor control, sensors, etc.  See this big list of shields or browse on adafruit and sparkfun.
• Breakout Boards: and there are tons of non-shield extensions you can get, like these from sparkfun and adafruit
• Specialized: even stuff like robot kits and hack kits

Stylize

Pictured above is just the standard Arduino, there are many more layouts, some smaller, some super tiny, some with many more I/O pins.  They are all Arudinos in that they follow the same general PIN layout and programming tools.  However standard shields won’t plug directly in, so their considered a little more advanced.  Here are some I’ve enjoyed playing with…

LilyPad, for wearable electronics swen into fabrics.  Or adafruti’s FLORA used like in this sound tie.  There are many sew-into-clothing related accessories like LEDs, vibrators, motion detectors, etc.

Here is the Pro Micro and Arduino Micro

And the very small TinyDuino and Digispark (yes, that’s a half-sized USB plug, it’s the size of a quarter, and only has like 4 I/O pins), both have their own accessory board systems.

Want lots more pins?  How about the Arduino Mega?

And see more at arduino.cc, sparkfun, and adafruit.

Other Microcontroller Platforms

The Arudino is like a gateway drug.  Once you get hooked you may want to look at other similar development platforms.  These each have their own supporting software and are not Arduino compatible, but are typically still easy to use.  Here are some I’ve really enjoyed.

netduino, like the Arduino, but you can run Microsoft .NET and C# on them

The Teensy, a small powerful little board

Raspberry Pi, okay this is actually a full blown linux computer for $35! (get one)  Seriously, you can plug the HDMI port into a monitor, keyboard and mouse into the USB ports, put the OS on an SD card, and you’ve got a functioning computer.  The Model B has a 100 MBps ethernet port, 2 USB ports, general purpose I/O pins, audio out, composite video out, a 700 MHz ARM processor, 512 MB of RAM, and a GPU capable of rendering of 1080p video.  These things are incredible.  @shanselman has a great post “Many Raspberry Pi projects – How can you not love a tiny computer?” w more info.  These are rarely in stock as they’re being sold far faster than they can be made right now, so go ahead and order one, it’s worth the wait.

More Resources

• Check out some of the cool things people are doing with Arduinos at instructables
• There are tons of related videos in the form of how-tos, projects, documentaries, etc
• Interested in getting more in-depth?  You can program the Atmel microcontroller directly, apart from the Arduino software system, here’s a nice getting started guide to Atmel programming.
• There are usually some Arduino related projects looking to get going on kickstarter and indiegogo
• I keep a list of Arduino related bookmarks as I come across good links that you may like

If you’ve played with an Arduino, got an idea for one, or just going to check it out to see what it’s about, please let me know in the comments.  I’d love to hear!

Update (2013-03-08): The Arduino Leonardo is the current model, replacing the Uno.  Notice it is available with or without additional pin headers. 

TL;DR Summary

Introduce them into the ecosystem first, before the movies.  Any age is okay as long as as they take an proactive interest.  Engage yourself and make it interesting and fun.  Put Lego Star Wars kits together, just as you would any Lego kits, and talk about the ships and characters.  If the kid sees your passion they’ll be curious.  It’ll grow like crazy from there.  And then someday, you can show them the movies too.

It’s the Ecosystem

First off I consider Star Wars to be much more than just the movies.  There’s the entire culture of games, toys, merchandise, pillows, books, etc to engage in.  You can find Star Wars related stuff your kid would be interested in possibly long before they’d have the patience to sit and watch a full feature length movie.  It’s the Star Wars ecosystem that is truly amazing. 

The Bobble Head & Funny Nose Impetus

Being a geek of course there is Star Wars memorabilia around the house, like Star Wars Lego kits (I like the mini kits), a Darth Vader keychain put on my bag zipper pull, etc.  So at about 3 yrs old my son noticed and ask about my Darth Vader Bobble Head on my car dash.  I’d bob his head when getting in the car, and one day he asked ‘who’s that?!’.  I told him about Darth and how he talked (ooom pahhh).  That was it.  Then a month or two later he comes home from the dentist with one of those Nitrous oxide ‘funny nose’ masks.  That night he says ‘hey Dad, look at this, I sound like Darth Vader.’  I was floored.  This kid had never seen a single movie, book, etc up to that point.  He’s destined to be fan, and there the journey begins…

Building Legos Together

One of our favorite things to do together is build lego kits.  I like Star Wars and Technic, so we build mostly Star Wars legos.  My boy started at ~3 yrs and my girl at 2.5, they love it.  They can start if you do it with them as young as they have the attention span.  We generally stick with smaller kits we can build together in their attention span.

My kids really love it when we put on some ‘real star wars’ (a movie), I jump to a part with the kit in question, and we act it out with the Legos while watching. Like the X-wings attacking the Death Star.  Here are some of our favorite kits…

Playing Star Wars Video Game

Playing Lego Star Wars has been my son’s favorite thing to do for like the last 6 months.  I pulled my xbox 360 out of the closet and blew the dust off to show him the game.  Then he really took off, purchased all the characters, and could eventually crème me.  This past Christmas we got a Kinect so we could give him this second game, he digs playing a Rancor crushing towns and buildings.

Identify with a Favorite Character

My boy really likes and identifies with characters, far more than I did as a kid.  He took to R2-D2.  The rest of the Star Wars universe pivots around R2-D2 to him.  Other character and events are all about how they relate to R2-D2.  Now he’s on to Princess Leia and Darth Vader.  So if your kid identifies with a character, build the Star Wars universe around that character.  My boy is never seen these days without one of these in-hand.

Star Wars Books

There are so many great books that are like eye candy for kids to look at.  Here are some of our family favorites.  The Omnibus comic book is our nightly bed-time reading.

Star Wars Angry Birds

One of his favorite games on the iPad was Angry Birds, then Space Angry Birds, so it was fortuitous timing that Angry Birds Star Wars recently was release.  He is into his plushies and carries them around.

Star Wars Shirts

Okay, this first one has been a favorite of mine, the next is his.  There are many more, WalMart is a good place to look. 

The Actual Movies

There are Star Wars movies too???  He’s only seen bits and pieces.  His attention span lasts about 20minues.  But now he’s asking to see them.  At 4 yrs old his attention span is good for about 30min before he’s playing with another toy, so we watch them in increments.  Makes it a little more fun too, we recap what we saw last and it’s like checking in on our favorite characters to see what they’re up to now.  Of course we’re only really interested in the original trilogy.  He can discover the others on his own someday. : )

The Saga Continues…

My boy just recently celebrated his 4 yr old birthday, and what was the theme? You guessed it, “Lego Star Wars”.  So there you have it.  My recommendation, show your passion, then drown them in stuff, and someday they’ll be interested in seeing the movies too.

vCard vs MeCard

There are two common ways of encoding contact information, vCard and MeCard.  Both are plain text containers for general contact info.  vCard has been around since about 1995 and commonly used between mail systems.  It is generally more flexible and verbose.  MeCard was created (as far as I can tell) to simplify the vCard format into more basic elements, for use in specific typical mobile uses such as QR Codes.  Every QR Code scanner app I’ve seen is capable of reading both (got an iPhone? try Scan).

Why would I care?  Well the more simple the QR code, the easier and faster it is for a reader to scan.  Imagine putting a QR Code printed and taped to the back of your phone (what I do), a simple code is going to be easier to share and can be made smaller.  Use MeCard when possible.

Examples

Below are two QR codes with essentially the same contact data.  You can see the 1st QR code in vCard is more complex than the 2nd MeCard code.  Less meta-data is required to encode essentially the same contact info using MeCard over the first vCard format.  vCard lets you specify more fields, but if you’re going for basic info, use MeCard. 

vCard Format

MeCard Format

Making the QR Code

There are a lot of QR code generating websites out there.  I haven’t found one I’m really happy with.  Most have some hick up, like forcing you to enter certain fields you may not want, adding meta data for empty fields, labeling the fields incorrectly, etc.  I even made the mistake of thinking I found a good site, made a code, ordering some Moo MiniCards with the code, and the QR generator had flipped my first and last name.  So here’s how to make exactly the card you want.

Steps

1. Create your contact code in the format desired
2. Plug into the Google Charts API to translate it into a QR code

vCard Format

See the full specification of fields here.  Here is mine as an example.

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
N:Coad;Noah
FN:Noah Coad
ADR;HOME:;;1419 Comanche;Allen;TX;75013;United States
TEL;CELL;PREF:425-802-8842
EMAIL:noah@coad.net
URL:http://coad.net
END:VCARD

MeCard Format

See this great post on the format of MeCard.  Not only is the MeCard format more simple, but you can simplify the data itself, leaving off some formatting.

MECARD:N:Noah Coad;TEL:4258028842;EMAIL:noah@coad.net;ADR:1419 Comanche,Allen,TX,75013,;URL:coad.net;

Google Chart API

Take the code above.  For the vCard, you’d need to replace the carriage returns with %0A.  Then just plug into the Google Chart Infographics API URL format.  Try playing with the resolution setting, which goes up to 500×500.  Here are the URLs for the above codes.

MeCard: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=200×200&chld=L|0&chl=MECARD:N:Noah Coad;TEL:4258028842;EMAIL:noah@coad.net;ADR:1419 Comanche,Allen,TX,75013,;URL:coad.net;

vCard: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=200×200&chld=L|0&chl=BEGIN:VCARD%0AVERSION:2.1%0AN:Coad;Noah%0AFN:Noah Coad%0AADR;HOME:;;1419 Comanche;Allen;TX;75013;%0ATEL;CELL;PREF:425-802-8842%0AEMAIL:noah@coad.net%0AURL:http://coad.net%0AEND:VCARD

Extras

• Using the code: Here are some ideas…
• Put the image in your phone’s photos library.  Then at get-togethers you can just pull it up and someone can use their phone to scan from yours.
• Print the code and use clear masking tape over it to fix and laminate to the back of your phone, wallet, drivers license, etc.  Sometimes phones have a hard time scanning off a backlight LCD screen like your phone’s photo gallery, so printing it helps.  I create a big version, copy/paste into Microsoft Word a bunch of times, resize each image a little smaller than the previous, print, then cut out the size I want.
• Put on your business cards, business flyers, etc.
• URLs: You can of course use a QR Code for a URL instead, like to your home page or about.me page, just start the data part with http://, like this: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=200×200&chld=L|0&chl=http://coad.net
• More Encodings: there are many more standard data formats for QR codes, check some of them out

Windows

Here’s the AutoHotkey (a free open source Windows hotkey and automation app) script.  Just place the contents in a .ahk file and put a shortcut to the file in your Startup folder.  Please change the Win+Shift+N to someone else and the browser paths may need updating. =)

(don’t see code right above this line? view gist here)

Mac

For MacOS:

1. Replace Win with control
2. Use one of the mac hotkey apps instead of AutHotkey like Quicksilver or Alfred Powerpack
3. Use the same URLs as above

Similar Posts

• Change Screen Resolutions Hotkeys in Windows
• Open Clipboard Contents Hotkey
• Other AutoHotkey related posts

Since it only runs under Linux right now, it may feel like a barrier to entry for those on Windows.  Have no fear! With a good internet connection you can be up and running lickety-split in just 3 steps…

The 1,2,3 Steps

1. Get Virtual w VirtualBox.  If you’re using Hyper-V, you’re good to go.  On Win7 or Win8, grab VirtualBox, a fantastic client-side virtual machine environment that’s easy to use and powerful (way better than Virtual PC).
2. Grab Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a popular and easy to use Linux distribution.  Just create a VirtualBox VM (couple of clicks) with a couple GB virtual disk and 512MB+ of RAM, and select the Ubuntu .iso CD image to mount. Run through the few prompts and you’ll be running Linux.
3. Run Meteor.  Using one of the samples, it’s one command to install meteor, one command to have an example app, and one command to run the site.  Oh yeah, and if you’d like, just one command to deploy the site live.  Here’s how to run it locally instead of deploying.

Extra Tips

• To create your own meteor app, run meteor create <your_app_name>
• You can use the web browser in Ubuntu to see the app by browsing to http://localhost:3000 or use VirualBox NAT port forwarding to view from Window.
• If you want to get fancy and access your meteor sites from your Windows browser, you can configure the VirtualBox networking options for your VM to forward ports through.
• Sublime Text 2 is a great text editor that’ll run on Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu.
• If you’d like to keep your Ubuntu machine running at all times, VBoxVmService will let you run it as a Windows service in the background.  You can use Remote Desktop to view the machine.
• To edit your project files directly from Windows, install samba (Windows file sharing). This lets you access files from your ubuntu machine as if it was another Windows box.
• You can create and deploy for free as many sites as you like, even with your own domain names, on Heroku with these steps.

Thanks to @coridrew for the impetus to get these steps written down.  Meteor is very cool and I just hope people on Windows get a chance to play around with it.

Behind the panel is a standard lamp extension cord with the plug cut off and wired to the power outlet below.  It’s got a wood bottom board and velcro cord tie to hold things together.

If I were to do it again I’d put the cords nearer to the table, under the power outlet.  It ended up above because there was already a single plate phone jack that was going unused I replaced with this.  The double width is for easy hand access behind the plate.  Even though the plate is all screwed in, it takes less than a minute to unscrew, like to add another charging cable.  I’ll also probably replace the blank decora plate with one that has powered USB jacks on it.

Parts List

• Charger is a high-power 4-port Skiva PowerFlow QuadFire
• USB cables with both Micro and Mini were from Walgreens and only available in-store.
• Other parts were from Home Depot (lamp cord, low-power wall mount, decora plates, cord let-through plate, wood)

Update (2/11/2013): There are a number of easy USB with socket replacements, such as the ones below.  Just replace a standard socket with one of these in like 10 minutes.  In these cases you still have the cables to deal with, which is why I put the cables in the wall too.  My solution is probably not ‘up to code’, which is fine, I’ll most likely remove it before selling the house. But there are no expose high-voltage lines and only low-voltage at the outlet.

1. Use to Enhance

When starting our we’re all young, playing games of any type any time we can is all we want to do.  When we come across and use a cheat code, it just makes the game more interesting.  We can get to places and levels never before seen.  We can replay through the game quickly.  For us in our 3nd or 4th decade we probably didn’t have as easy access to cheat codes in those early DOS and NES games. We just wanted to play all we could as kids, so we played through the game once normally, then used cheat codes to relive.  The first game I really remember this happening for me was the Commander Keen series.  Holding down G-O-D let you go through anything, so then the challenge was to get through as quick as possible without falling into a pit.

2. Avoid to Enjoy

Then there comes a turning point where you realize that using cheat codes actually, really, takes away the fun of the game.  Phase 1 above tends to lead to using cheat codes wherever and whenever.  But as we mature we realize the fun of the game comes in the challenge.  So we start playing a new game thinking “I won’t use cheat codes this time!”.  Maybe we slip and use a code to unblock that one thing really annoying in a game, like unlimited ammo, but we make a conscious decision not to go overboard.  The game that made this turning point for me was Civ II.

3. Apply for the Kill

After really getting the hang of not using any cheat codes, I recently discovered this (hopefully) last phase of cheat code use.  I was playing Minecraft for like 8 hrs a night a few months back.  I then set up a craftbucket server for friends and family to play together.  Well in that process I realized there was an admin command to give unlimited resources.  At first I was like ‘nope, not going to touch it’, but it was right there.  After using it for a bit, it really killed all the joy and challenge of the game.  About that time I was kicking myself for spending so much time on the game.  It was getting addicting.  Using the admin unlimited resources command killed the game for me.  It’s not the same anymore to go back and play even without the admin mode.  Since then I’ve learned that if I’m spending too much time playing a game, to make a conscious choice to go ahead and look up a cheat code.  Applying cheat codes to effectively kill obsessing about the game and move on.  They’re a useful tool now.  I still get plenty of fun from the game before, then when realizing other duties or games are being put off, just find and use a cheat code to finish the apply the kill.  May work for kids too.  Know a kid playing a game way too much?  Try giving them some killer cheat codes.

Guacamole

• Two large or three small ripe avocados, they feel slightly soft when ripe
• Half a container of Pico De Gio, already chopped up onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro, available in most grocery stores, look near the pre-prepped vegetable trays, fresh salsas, and pre-made crappy store brand guacamole, though you may need to look around a bit or ask
• Garlic Salt
• Bag of Corn Chips, get Tostido’s “Hint of Jalapeno” or “Hint of Lime” for extra burst of flavor
• Optional: fresh lime

Frozen Margaritas

• Margaritaville Frozen Margarita Machine DM0500, $150 at amazon
• Half a can of Frozen Limeade Mix, like Minute Maid or store brand
• 4 oz of Tequila
• Optional: 1 oz of Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• Optional: fresh squeezed lime in the cup after pouring

The “Instant” Tips

The Margaritaville Frozen Margarita Machine is simply awesome.  It shaves (instead of grinding or chopping) the ice so its like coming out of a restaurant’s frozen margarita machine.  It’s also super simple: dump ingredients in and push the one big magic button.  I’d recommend this $150 DM0500 model over the fancier models (like DM1000 or DM2000), as it does what it needs to perfectly and very simply, without lots of extra confusing buttons.  Simple is good for relaxing and having plenty of margaritas.

Just using half a can of frozen limeade mix works well as the sweet and sour part of the margaritas.  It stores well, adds a little thickness to the frozen aspect, and provides good strong flavor.  It’s also like half the price of ‘margarita mix’ which is essentially the same thing.

And as mentioned above, using pre-made fresh Pico De Gio cuts the gauc prep to a faction of the time.  Pro tip: cut avocados in half, use a spoon to scoop out the insides, then mush in a bowl with a fork, add garlic salt, then dump and mix the pico de gio into the mix.

Okay, so it’s not 100% from scratch and not a fancy mix, but meant to be quick, and low-effort.  Also it’s not entirely pre-made, which I think tastes terrible, even from the nicest grocery stores.   This is a happy middle ground for me.  I find I’m enjoying margaritas and guacamole more often, like once every month or two, instead of all from scratch about twice a year.

Enjoy!

There you have it.  May not be exactly instant, but you’ll be enjoying delicious guacamole and margaritas at home so quick it’ll become a regular.  cheers

Was just browsing videos when I came across gamefreak1756’s video. I’ll admit at first glance I thought it was a hoax, then realized it was real.  I had the parts within arms reach, so put it together in about 10min.  There’s a nice little wikipedia article on homopolar motors, and many more examples out there, like this multi-axis model.  It’s a fun easy little experiment to do with the kids.

Techie bonus points: I recorded this on my electronics desk in front of a few micro boards I’ve been playing with.  Can you identify them?

This intro video covers:

1. Client Commands, directly executing a few commands against Mongo using its client
2. .NET Connection, creating a connecting in .NET and saving a new model to the database
3. Model Flexibility, a practical example of growing the data model, without making scheme changes, and using both SQL and Mongo together

Here is the code used:  mongodb-intro-stuff.7z

More Stuff

Inside the accompanying file, look at example-mongo-client-commands.txt which includes more commands to try in the mongo client prompt, such as updating a single blog post in the mongo client using javascript.

Some Points: its super easy to get started with; data stored is structured data, apparently a common misconception; you can query into fields inside a document; each entry contains its scheme with it; instead of flat tables, docs can be entire trees; it is free; read/writes are very fast; it assumes disk and memory storage are far more available than in the days of relational databases and so utilizes them heavily; companies are using it; there is a way to put SQL access on top; and like the Honey Badger, Mongo just don’t care.

Update (2/1/2012): For us .NET people, it essentially lets you worry about schema in one place, your code’s domain object model, instead of in two or three places: in code, in SQL, and possibly in the ORM. There is schema stored in the database, it’s just defined by and stored with the data instead of maintaining a separate DB schema like with SQL.  This makes adding new fields, combining object entities into natural tree structures, optimizing for speed, and dev to production migrations, hopefully easier.  It doesn’t solve everything.  Of course UI updates, field refactoring (moving fields across entities), etc are still involved updates, as they would be with SQL.

Update (2/19/2013): Mongo uses disk space like crazy.  An ‘empty’ database may allocate 64MB of disk space and it grows real fast.  This is because Mongo was built in modern times when disk space is a relatively inexpensive resource.  It is also a more efficient way to grow performance than increasing CPU and memory, which are more classic solutions for improving SQL DB performance.  And of course the disk space used is configurable.  Think of it this way, if 10 million UserLogin objects takes 24GB (using MongoDB defaults), you could store 2.5 trillion records for $420 on 6GB using a 3x3TB RAID5 drives.  It’d be incredibly fast and inexpensive to expand.  Quite clever I think.

1. It excels where adding new schema is a common activity.  We expect to be updating our schema to add fields on an almost daily basis.  We will have a significant amount of ‘dynamic schema’ where each record has a common set of schema, as well as schema unique to a specific record.
2. Deployment of schema additions with SQL from development to production can be painful, but isn’t an issue with Mongo.  Got schema additions?  Mongo just don’t care.
3. Our system typically needs to work with an entire health record at once.  A hieratical tree view of the data works well.  It is very fast to retrieve the entire data structure, make updates entirely in memory, and push it all back.   We don’t need to worry about the number of joins between tables that can drastically slow down working with SQL (without additional effort to optimize).
4. Our internal data model and repository pattern is still fairly infrastructure agnostic, so if we did need to move to SQL someday it’s a possibility without significant code re-write.

We understand there are real-limitations, but thankfully not ones we believe will be deal-breakers, or really affect us in the foreseeable future (applying YAGNI here).  It is entirely new for our development team, so there’s ramp-up time involved instead of going with the ‘tried and true’.  With these said, we expect it to still be a big productivity boost.  This is just the beginning of our journey.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this progresses in the next few months.

Update (2/1/2013): I’ve added a video: 3 Step Intro to MongoDB for .NET in 15min

Having worked with .NET since its beta, for the last 11+ yrs, a Microsoft C# MVP, then working on Visual Studio for six years, I felt it was about time to peek my head into the open source space.  It’s been an incredible journey of discovery.  I’ll write more about it later, but for now here are a few getting started resources I’ve found handy.  These are all free and run great on Windows, Ubuntu, or MacOS.

The 1,2,3 to Start

1. Text Editor: Sublime Text 2, I’m thoroughly enjoying this editor, wrote a plugin, ‘evaluation’ is free and doesn’t expire, but they do ask for $60 if you like it, and it’s changed the way I use my computer
2. Ruby on Rails: Install on Windows, http://railsinstaller.org/ (use RVM in MacOS or Ubuntu)
3. Get Going: Getting Started Guide, a ‘one page’ guide to creating a blog site and get familiar with Rails, this is what got me going

More Info

• Control Code: git is so cool for local source code control (remote too, but I really like it locally).  Just install locally, run git init in your directory to create a new local repository, git add –A to add all changed files, git commit –m “my comment” to commit your additions to the repository, and gitk to visually see.  I use it now non-code folders too, like for documents, personal text files, etc.
• Get Live: Heroku, free site hosting, get your site live in like 4 commands (do this first)
• How To: Rails Casts, lovely quick little videos showing awesome gems, watch some of these
• Discover Gems: The Ruby Toolbox for finding gems.  Ruby on Rails uses ‘gems’ as modules or libraries to add functionality, like devise for authentication, cancan for authorization, slim for minimalistic html
• User Groups: get plugged in, find a user group in your area and check it out.  They’re cool peoples.  For example, here’s the Austin TX and Dallas TX groups.  Most cities have one, or more.  Dallas has a weekly Tues ‘hack night’.  Just search meetup.com.  Also checkout HTML5, node.js, and Python groups.
• Book: Read Getting Real, by 37signals, creators of the Rails framework, it’s like an ADD or twitter form of business book, it’s about building something now as opposed to any specific tech, totally motivating
• Popularity: to get a completely unscientific idea of how popular Rails is to other frameworks coming out of one mecca of new web development, see google’s search terms in SF CA (try adding more).
• Videos: these guys have 9 cute little “Mac vs PC” style Rails vs other frameworks videos
• Ubuntu: everything here works in Windows, but it does run a little faster in Ubuntu, and it’s is such a cool powerful command-line environment to use and entirely free.  VirtualBox is a powerful free virtual machine environment you can run it under.  I’m using VBoxVmService to run it in a Windows background service, putty to shell into, samba to access folders from Windows, and tmux for awesomeness.

This is what it feels like…

Concluding

A few thing that have jumped out at me:

• Watching someone use these makes a big difference in learning them.  So get to a local Ruby event, user group, or hack night to see people using them and ask questions.  There is a lot of ‘institutional knowledge’ that’s trickier to pick up than I find the .NET stuff to be.
• This stuff is fun.  It is really enjoyable.  I get the feeling it was created by guys like you and me to build websites fast, fun, and flexible.  Read Getting Real and you’ll see the culture behind the movement.
• Learning how Ruby and Python work as languages, their associated frameworks, and the cultures around them, has really given me a new perspective on my .NET coding and habits.  It’s good to go beyond one’s comfort zone to bring in fresh new perspectives.
• There’s a culture of using accelerators and modern tech, once you peek in, you’ll immediately start seeing the awesomeness of stuff like bootstrap (changed how we build websites), meteor (you must watch the video), backbone.js, node.js, and other mind-blowing frameworks I was not familiar with previously.
• It’s been a lot of fun discovering these techs. Python really rocks too. Have fun!

And keep an eye on my CES Fav Gizmos list where I’ll be linking to the best of the rest gizmos not to be missed.  Geek week FTW!

The Tools

• dropbox syncs a folder on your computer to the cloud
• pancake.io publishes files in a dropbox folder to web pages
• MarkdownPad (Win) or Mou (Mac) lets you instantly see markdown
• Handy markdown reference or one-page PDF cheatsheet

Just 3 Steps

1. Download apps and create pancake.io account
2. Open your Dropbox\Apps\Pancake.io folder and create a new .md markdown file using the editor
3. Go to you pancake.io account, click the file, and grab the URL.  that’s it

Ever open your text editor just to paste the clipboard contents?  Maybe to view, edit, or strip formatting?  Or how about opening notepad just to type a quick note, thought, or save some text?  I find I’m constantly doing these throughout the day.  To make this snappy, here’s how to make a global PC or Mac keyboard shortcut to open the editor with the clipboard contents (and automate away the save dialog).

What You Get (for Windows, Mac OS read below)

• Win+W opens Notepad with an empty temp file
• Win+Shift+W opens Notepad with the clipboard contents in a temp file
• Then when closing Notepad the temp file is automatically saved.  Only if it’s one of these temp files, to get rid of that pesky “Do you want to save this file?” dialog.  If you want the text in something other than a temp file, just use Save As.  Space is cheap so it’s fine to have plenty of these temp files.  It also gives a way of searching for past text.

Watch it in Action

Supported Editors

The script includes support for Notepad2, Notepad2-mod, Sublime Text 2 (my fav), Notepad++, and UltraEdit.  Windows notepad.exe and SlickEdit don’t work as the file name in the save dialog isn’t available to automation.

All uber-geeks have their favorite text editors, so to modify for another editor:

1. Have the editor registered to open .txt files.  Most other editors have some tools options setting for it or right-click on a .txt file and select “Open with” > “Choose default program…”.
2. Update the dialog matching info, title and dialog contents regular expression, to match that unique editor. Use the AU3_Spy.exe tool that comes with AutoHotKey to get the contents of your editor’s save file dialog.

The AutoHotkey Script

This uses a handy little AutoHotkey (a free, open-source, windows scripting tool) script.  Save the script and run it.  To keep active on boot, make a shortcut to this script in the Start Menu > All Programs > Startup folder.  It uses a little .NET app EditClipboardText (download or source) to put the clipboard contents into a file and open the file since encoding with AutoHotkey is tricky.

(if the code isn’t showing just above this line, you can get it here: https://gist.github.com/4064637)

Doing this in Mac OSX

Use your favorite global hotkey app to launch this script, such as Quicksilver, Sparkle, or Alfred Powerpack.  Remember to mark the file as executable, sudo chmod u+x ~/scripts/cliptext.rb  The dialog automation part is tricky (I don’t know how to automate MacOSX dialogs, even if it’s possob), but not needed if you use Sublime Text 2 and set the save_on_last_focus setting.

(if the code isn’t showing just above this line, see it here https://gist.github.com/4315822)

Update 1/2/12: Added UltraEdit, Notepad++, and Sublime Text 2 dialog automation.  Fixed AutoHotkey script.  Added EditClipboardText tool.  Added video example.

For max GUI productivity, my favorite apps are a command launcher, global hotkeys, GUI automation, and clipboard ring tools.  (see full list of tools here)  I’ve got these optimized for Windows, but am trying to move to Mac OSX or Ubuntu and haven’t been able to find quite the equivalent there.  This post is for sharing what I’ve found works well on Windows, but is also a call for help to my dear Mac OSX and Ubuntu readers…   What do you use on Mac OSX or Ubuntu for these?  I’d really like to try moving over to Mac OSX or Ubuntu, but am a keyboard fiend and haven’t found the level of productity over there yet.

Windows

• AutoHotkey, global hotkeys and GUI automation
  Great script based automation tool!  Super easy to define global hotkeys and automate windows.  I’ve got >100 pesky ‘are you sure?’ model dialogs automated so they disappear almost as fast as they appear.  Also just over 50 custom global hotkeys.
• SlickRun, command launcher
  Extremely simple!  Just define your own ‘magic words’ commands which can take a parameter to launch websites or open files/folders.  Like “sebay” to open “http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=$W$” where $W$ is what you type after, like “sebay altair”.
• ClipX, clipboard ring
  Again, so simple.  Just hit Ctrl+Shift+V to pop up a menu of previous items in the clipboard.  Keeps the list in ‘most recently used’ order with the previous item at the top.

Mac OSX

• Alfred, command launcher (free) and global hotkeys ($15 powerpack)
  Nice UI, but real complex!  Wish there was something as simple as SlickRun, just create your own commands.  Also the global hotkeys cost, are there any good free alternatives?
• Gui Automation?
  Haven’t found a great GUI Automation option yet.  Yes there is Automator and AppleScript, but in playing around with these they seem to either have complex UI dialogs to navigate or are limited to the access points provided by apps (like iTunes).  How do you just like detect when a certain app’s modal dialog appears (like “Are you sure you want to exit?”) and click a specific button, preferably via code?
• Clipboard Ring?
  The options I’ve seen so far appear overly complex.  New GUIs to click on, large UI, etc.  Where’s just a dirt simple one hotkey (like cmd+shift+V) menu popup like ClipX?

Ubuntu

- No idea!!  Please help.  What fulfills these categories in Linux GUIs?

Other Stuff

There are tons of other little differences between the OS’s that I’m comfortable with on Windows, but feel I can make the transition okay with.  Like I love command prompts (Take Command rocks on Window!) and they’re super great in unix shells.  Scripting with PowerShell is great on Windows, but there’s Mono, ruby, python, etc in unix.  Then there’s the other keyboard stuff that for the most part just takes getting used to, like navigating Finder with keyboard, or click-only dialogs being a pain.  It still feels like Windows is more navigable via keyboard, like having a key for the apps context menu, hotkeys for sizing windows, all dialogs are keyboard navigable/scriptable, etc.  Any other recommendations in being productive or workflow automation apps in Mac or Ubuntu GUIs would be appreciated.  thanks

(if you don’t see the code just above, view it here)

p.s. If you’re new to Sublime Text 2, here are a few things to try:

1. Install the Sublime Package Control addon, then use it to install SideBarEnhancements and Open URL (Preferences menu > Package Control)
2. Try Project menu > Add Folder to Project… then Ctrl+P to jump to files quickly, Ctrl+B to build (and run) many file types, and Ctrl+Shift+P to run Sublime commands.
3. Take a look at the settings and key bindings in Preferences menu > Settings – Default and Preferences > Settings – Key Bindings Default.  Give some of them a try and create your own in the Preferences > * – User files.

1. Get AutoHotkey (a free open-source Windows scripting app)
2. Get Display Changer (a few command line resolution changer)
3. Create yourself a ResolutionHotkeys.ahk file with the contents below
4. Add a shortcut to the file from you Program Files > Startup folder

If code isn’t showing above, see here: https://gist.github.com/4060079

Which maps these hotkeys:

p.s. I’ve got these old posts on the same topic which I can’t edit anymore, which is why this new post: Change Screen Resolution with One Keyboard Shortcut and Windows Hot Keys with AutoHotKey

btw, I’m in no way affiliated with Take Command, jpsoft, it’s author, etc.  Just a Raving Fan.

What it’s Got

Here’s a sampling of what’s included:

• 140 additional commands
• 480 internal variable and functions
• tons of additional parameters on commands
• advanced tab completion
• fully supported copy/paste on prompt
• optional Windows Explorer like dockable UI
• works w FTP/HTTP the same as local files
• full cmd.exe parity
• huge help system (my fav feature)
• colored file listings
• 20x to 200x faster output than cmd.exe
• an active online support forum
• integrates w Ruby, Python, and Perl
• includes a batch file editing IDE and debugger
• has been active for over 20 years (started in 1989
• is regularly updated
• portable xcopy deployable, like on a USB stick
• and the list goes on….

Video Overview

Here’s showing off some of my favorite features…

Get It

Download now.  TCC/LE is freeware.  The full pro version has a trial period and is $100 for the (at the time of writing this) and upgrades are half the price.  Best money I’ve every spent on software, hands down.  I started with it over 15 yrs ago, back when Norton Utilities licensed the then 4DOS as NDOS and a DOS command.com replacement.  The fantastic help system is what won me over.  Been using it daily since.

Win+C to Open Command Prompt

I mention in the video using AutoHotkey to open a prompt with just Win+C.  To do the same, just download AutoHotkey (free open-source Windows scripting app), create a hotkeys.ahk file, put a shortcut to that file into your Startup folder, and put this in the file.  (of course replacing the path to your tcc.exe or tcmd.exe for the GUI)

PowerShell & Bash

I’m also a big fan of PowerShell and use it for using .NET library goodness. And I use bash in Ubuntu and in cygwin. But there a place, a major place, for having something quick and powerful to replace cmd.exe with that’s fully cmd.exe compatible. I find I can do more, faster w Take Command and am consistently finding new efficient ways to use the command prompt.  I wouldn’t consider PowerShell & Bash ‘cmd.exe replacements’ like Take Command, as they are entirely different types of commanding environments.

Other Consoles

There are many cmd.exe replacements available, like Console2, ConEmu, PowerCmd, PromptPal, even new attempts like Kickstarter project Wish (and probably more, cmd.exe is that bad). Many are buggy, have quirks that make them not quite perfectly cmd.exe compatible, or are not as actively maintained.  It is hard, damn hard, to make a truly great command prompt.  I’ve tried many of these, but Take Command continues to stand out as the best-in-class.

Lipstick on a Pig
Many of these (I checked ConEmu and Console) are shells around cmd.exe or other std in/out console apps.  The provide a UI and on-the-prompt editing (like tabbing), but are actually redirecting standard input and output to the console app (like cmd.exe or PowerShell) underneath.  This means they don’t actually give you any more commanding power in the way of additional commands, better parameters, etc.  It’s lipstick on a pig, looks a little nicer but it’s still a pig under there. (update 11/12/2012: Thanks to Maximus for pointing out that many of these shells will work with any command environment under them. Text above updated.)

Since Take Command started as a command.com replacement in DOS (in 1989), its true power is in the intensely enhanced commanding prompt environment itself.  As in additional commands, help, added parameters and command features, cmd.exe compatibility, etc.  Most of the other console apps focus on adding a some nice UI around the prompt and REPL editing, but are still basically on the level cmd.exe in terms of actual command power.  TC takes it way beyond.

p.s. Here’s my old review of Take Command from 7 yrs ago.

Screenshot Tour

If you just want to scroll through some pretty screenshots instead of watch the video, here ya go

Full Explorer-like UI with multiple tabs, colors, dockable windows, multiple consoles…

Close up on that status bar

Simplified view, notice it’s much wider now than cmd.exe allows, changed UI theme, and take advantage of that extra screen area with dir /4

Windows Explorer integration to open a command prompt directly at a folder

Ctrl+Tab between prompts, and that dir /4 from above auto adjusted to a 3 column view to fit

Batch IDE with Debugger!  Yes, that’s a watch window, breakpoints, step-into, step-over, etc

Lots of options configurable via a dialog.

Very rich thorough help system, with references, examples, links, etc.  Type a command, like dir, and F1

My favorite view, just the terminal console prompt itself.  Also all commands have a one screen reference like below and many extra parameters.  For example, cmd.exe doesn’t have these: /2 /K /M /H

Type a parameter wrong?  Super quick reference:

Ctrl+Tab in console for filterable list of autocompletion

Same goes for command history with PageDown

Commands work directly off FTP and HTTP sources.  See /j makes the transfer restartable incase of interruption and /g shows transfer progress.

Includes 460+ internal variables and functions

And did I mention 140 additional commands beyond cmd.exe?  Oh the goodies goes on…

Get the freeware version or try the pro app: Take Command

AutoHotkey is a free, open-source, utility for Windows that makes it easy to remap keys, create hotkeys, and automate windows.

In addition to the keys listed on the Boot Camp Keyboard Chart, there are also these undocumented mappings supported out of the box.

Mac Keyboard		PC Side
fn+esc		pause
fn+control+esc		break
fn+return		insert

Here are the keys beyond what’s supported by Boot Camp that I use and map via AutoHotkey.  The last two are just for convenience.

Here is a script that brings back these keys: MacKeys.ahk

; MacKeys.ahk
; #=Win ^=Ctrl +=Shift !=Alt

RAlt::  send {AppsKey}
+RAlt:: send +{AppsKey}
^RAlt:: send {Insert}
#Backspace:: send {Browser_Back}
#=:: send {PrintScreen}
!=:: send {Break}
+!=:: send +{Break}

For more AutoHotkey goodness, see related posts.  Any other keys you use not listed here?

Update (8/20/2012):

• Just found out fn+return is built in to Boot Camp for the insert key.
• Also shift+F10 is a standard Windows shortcut for the apps (context menu) key.

Yes there are many ‘locate free wifi’ sites out there like laptopfriendlycafes.com, but none that I’ve seen can just show you a Google Map of the places around you that the community updates based on laptop or hangout rating. Sure you can do an advanced filter on yelp.com, but I find the experience lacking.  So this is a bit of a social experiment, can us Dallas people collectively put a map together?

The idea of this map is to point out places us techies have actually been to; where we have first hand experience.  It’s not enough these days just to have open WiFi, but instead to create a friendly atmosphere for creativity.  Someplace where you feel comfortable hanging out for a few hours with your computer.  These kinds places are usually good meet up spots for playing a board game with friends too (ok, maybe a bigger deal in the NW, but picking up steam here in Dallas too).

Please keep the map to the Dallas area, including Plano, Irving, Carrollton, Addison, Lewisville, Denton, Prosper, Garland, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Richardson, Irving, Arlington, Carrolton, Lewisville, Grapevine, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, etc

Basic Ground Rules

1. Join the open collaborative Google Map
2. Add a place that is laptop friendly with free WiFi (with or without purchase), power, seating, and a chill ‘here for laptop time’ atmosphere.  The local car wash w free internet doesn’t count.
3. When adding a place, include:
1. Description, tell about why the place is good for laptops.
2. Colored marker, use one of these markers…

	Average Place Like a coffee shop, bubble tea shop, donut shop, etc
	Super Laptop Hang Zone A place really catering to laptop users, usually not a chain
	Big Chain Like a Starbucks or Tully’s

Other Resources

Here are places that list free WiFi in the Dallas area:

• openwifispots.com, big long list with map of free wifi (but which are laptop hang’out friendly?)
• laptopfreindlycafes.com, they’ve got a list w user comments, but terrible location searching, no master map and searching for “Plano, TX” doesn’t return any results.  If they added a good map you could move around (to look outside of Dallas proper, like in Plano) and an overall ‘laptop friendliness’ rating, they’d have it!  There’s be no need for this map.
• yelp.com free wifi in Dallas, probably the best list I’ve found so far, easy to use navigation, user comments, and good overall ratings, but still the signal to noise ratio is low since even your car mechanic and sushi bar have free wifi these days, it’s hard to find by a ‘laptop friendliness’ rating.

Update: Thanks to @latish for the contributions!

Update (12/19/2012): Please join us and vote on getting a 24-hr Starbucks in Dallas

The type of enhancements (if any) are dependent on the sound chipset in your particular computer.  The setting with the largest difference I’ve seen is to have the “Loudness Equalization” setting turned on.

The Bag Trio

• Main Go Bag
  Stuff carried into and out of work, home, meetings, or other relatively quick engagements.  REI Shoulder Sling Bag: slim, simple, plenty of pockets, fits stuff just right, bag I have isn’t being sold anymore, but here are some similar ones, REI Urban Sling Laptop Bag or REI Monorail Sling, as with all bags its best to take laptop with to try fit
   
• Travel Case
  Used for extended laptop use, such as when hanging at a coffee shops for extended period, traveling, and working remotely. Usually kept in the car or thrown in luggage. All fits in a small 6”x6” inch old Case Logic CD player carrier.
   
• Bose Headphones
  Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Cancelling Headphones: amazon, in its own separate case, taken when needed.

Main Go Bag

The portable office.  Goes to and from home/office/wherever.  All together 6.75 lbs.

Contents…

• Darth Vader Key Ring (amazon, on bag zipper pull, gotta get your Vader on)
• MacBook Pro 13”: 512 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, Windows 7 (only, no MacOS, apple.com)
• Amazon Kindle 3rd Gen 3G (amazon)
• Verizon 4G LTE Hotspot (like MiFi, Samsung SCH-L11, blog)
• Apple Earphones w Remote Mic (apple.com)
• Mini stuff In the top pocket:
  • Victorinox Swiss Army Classic in Silver Alox (amazon)
  • Atmel Minimus AVR USB Dev (site)
  • Super Talent 8 GB Pico Key (amazon)
  • Circuit Board Business Card Holder (amazon)
  • SCM Microsystems SCR3500 SmartFold Smart Card Reader (amazon)
  • 6 inch USB A to Micro-B cable (amazon)
  • 6 inch USB A to Mini-B cable (amazon)
  • Square Credit Card Reader (site)
  • Personal Moo Cards (blog)
  • CableJive iStubz Sync/Charge Cable for iPod and iPhone (amazon)
  • Targus ACH63US Super Mini USB 2.0 4-Port Hub (amazon)
  • Cards (credit, loyalty, etc) taken from slim wallet (blog) and held together with a clip
  • Small Black Plastic Hair Comb
  • Backup keys to cars, home, office
  • My favorite type of pen, Pentel R.S.V.P. Ballpoint Pen, 0.7mm Fine Tip, Black Ink BK90 (amazon)

Travel Bag

Stays in the car most the time.  Pull it out for coffee shops or traveling.

Contents…

• Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 (amazon)
• Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (apple.com)
• NuGiant Plugless USB Charger (amazon)
• iPhone Charger (apple.com, too many knockoffs on amazon)
• 6-foot lamp extension cord (amazon, fantastic for airports, coffee shops, and hotel rooms)
• 6-foot iPhone Cable (amazon)
• 32-GB SanDisk Cruzer USB Key (amazon)
• Kindle Charger (mainly used to power WiFi hotspot)
• Spare Apple Earphones w Remote Mic (apple.com) in little baggie to keep clean
• MacBook DisplayPort to VGA and HDMI adapters (apple.com, amazon)

What do you carry?

So what are your favorite gadgets and gizmos?  Recommend anything I’m missing?  Got a post about your modern day go-kit?  Please do share…

Opportunities to log off/on instead of rebooting:

• If the computer is feeling sluggish
• Installing a new app that asks you to ‘reboot’
• Force close an app that’s locked up (that even Task Manager can’t close)
• Changing a system environment variable

I used to reboot every few days, now almost never do, instead using log off and back on.  Even with a stellar solid state drive, just a quick log off and back in is faster.  The Windows 7 driver level does a really good job of activating drivers without a reboot, so usually when an installer says you need to reboot, it’s actually trying to set something that gets activated when a user logs in, like a running a new start up app, service, or environment variable.  If the computer is feeling ‘bloated’ from too many apps running, instead of rebooting, try a quick log out and in.

Just thought it worth sharing since those little minutes saved each day add up fast.

function Get-Clipboard {
  $command = {
    add-type -an system.windows.forms
    [System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::GetText()
  }
  powershell -sta -noprofile -command $command
}

function Set-DirectoryViaClipboard {
  $dir = get-clipboard
  $dir = $dir.Trim("`"")
  if ([System.IO.Directory]::Exists($dir)) { cd $dir }
  else  {
    $dir = [System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($dir)
    if ([System.IO.Directory]::Exists($dir)) { cd $dir }
  }
}

set-alias ccd Set-DirectoryViaClipboard

Download: http://coad.net/blog/resources/clipboardPSScript.7z

To get this into your normal shell environment, edit your startup $profile file: notepad $profile then either (1) put those lines above in the file or (2) put that into a .ps1 file, say clipboard.ps1, and add the line . [filepath] where [filepath] is the location of the clipboard.ps1 file.  Then restart your shell.

p.s. It’s also nice to have the PowerShell environment open in the directory in the clipboard.  Just put “ccd” at the end of your $profile startup file.

See it in action and how to configure via this video:

thanks to @coridrew for the quick ‘hey you should blog this’ motivation

My Dad was constantly working on creating new electronics gizmos as a side job.  He had a classic IBM PC XT he’s use to program his microcontrollers.  Well one day when I was about 6 yrs old he upgraded to a 286 and put the XT in the common room.  I was curious and poked around at the games on it like Castle Adventure, Sopwith, Paratrooper, Bouncing Babies, and Digger.  The games just didn’t hold my interest so our local librarian handed me a really simple Learn BASIC book and I was hooked.

Writing apps was awesome!  While friends were playing games or making little apps with graphics I was more interested in disk I/O and databases.  From there moved on to using QuickBASIC (Microsoft’s ‘professional basic’) and eventually Visual Basic for DOS (VBDOS, yes, it existed).  My early days involved writing and selling some shareware apps, entering assembly from PC magazines to create new DOS utilities, running a RemoteAccess BBS, creating ASCII graphics w TheDraw, and I won a TX state programming competition and wrote serial port interface apps for my Dad’s electronics.

In the end I think it was just the un-engaging nature (at least for me) of those first DOS games that sparked the interest in doing more with the computer.  To this day I try new games every few months, but rarely do they hold more than a few hours interest before I turn back to coding.  (p.s. there were some later exceptions, a few games that got me hooked, Startflight 2 being the first, gosh I loved that game)

Thanks to Dad for giving me the hand me downs, keeping me updated with better IDEs, and engaging me on his projects.  And thanks to our dear librarian for handing me an awesome book on programming.

What’s your story?