Noah Coad

Create a global hotkey to launch a program with AutoHotkey on Windows

Published on April 12, 2013

AutoHotkey is an awesome, free, open-source, little Windows scripting utility which makes setting global hotkeys super easy. This is a quick ‘getting started’ post on how to use it to make a hotkey. In this example we’re going to make Windows Key+N open notepad…

Download the free AutoHotkey
Create a .ahk text file
Let’s call it MyHotkey.ahk and add this line:
```
#n:: run "c:\windows\notepad.exe"
```
Place a shortcut to that file in your Startup folder
So that it runs at startup.

Open Windows Explorer
Copy/Paste this into the address bar:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
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

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

Tags: autohotkey

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Portable Raspberry Pi Kit for On-the-Go

Published on April 11, 2013

Traveling and working from coffee shops a good bit I’ve put together this little Raspberry Pi Go Kit that slips into bag and is fun to work with. The Raspberry Pi is a $35 Linux computer. Complete with 700 MHz ARM processor, 512MB RAM, two USB ports, Ethernet port, HMDI and composite video out, GPU capable of rendering 1920×1080 video, stereo audio out via headphone jack and HDMI, general purpose I/O ports, and is powered via a run-of-the-mill USB charger. I love playing with it! My portable setup…

Parts List

Area	Item	Where	$$	Notes
core	Raspberry Pi	allied	$35	Full little linux computer!
core	USB WiFi Dongle	adafruit	$12	Gives Pi 802.11b/g/n connectivity
core	blink(1)	thingm	$30	USB RGB LED controlled via command line or Python that is lovely for easy status updates
core	32GB Class10 SD Card	amazon	$24	Class10 for speed, I got mine for $17
tool	RadioShack Leatherman Squirt E4	adafruit	$30	Fantastic little all-purpose electronics tool with camp, wire strippers, wire cutter, knife, flat-head and Philips-head screw drivers, chissle, bottle opener, and file
parts	1 fl. oz. Container	REI	$0.75	Mini container for electronic bits
parts	Electronic Bits	mouser.com	$10	Various items like resistors (100, 220, 1k, 4.7k, 10k, 100k), buttons, LEDs, transistors (PNP,NPN), rotary encoder, pin headers, connection wires, wire jumpers, capacitors (0.1uF, 1uF, 10uF, 100uF)
parts	Tiny breadboard	adafruit	$4	Small enough to fit nicely
parts	12-bit DAC board	adafruit	$5	Little digital-to-analog conversion
wires	M/F 3” jumper wires	adafruit	$7	Plugs straight from Pi to breadboard
wires	F/F 3” jumper wires	adafruit	$6	Plugs from Pi to board via extra pins
wires	Breadboard wires	adafruit	$6	For on the breadboard
misc	Black Caring Case	goodwill	$1	Actually a ‘beauty kit’ case, just the perfect size. Goodwill is a great place to find bags and cases of all sorts of shapes and sizes.
misc	MS Bluetooth Mouse	amazon	$28	Not used with the Pi, but included in the picture for size (love it with my MacBook)
power	Apple 1A USB Power	amazon	$19	5W for plenty of Pi power
power	6’ USB mini/micro cable	walgreens	$10	Handy cable w both mini and micro ends. Only available inside Walgreens stores.
power	Anker Astro Charger	amazon	$30	1A 5W 5600mAh usually used for cell phones, will power the Raspberry Pi for many hours
power	6” USB micro cable	amazon	$6	nice and short
tools	Pocket Digital Multimeter	adafruit	$25	This one is just so small and works great. I use a larger Fluke at home, but for on the go (or as a single meter) this is nice. I cut off the probe ends and replaced them with pins to use in the breadboard more easily.

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.

Adult Rec Hockey in the North Dallas DFW Area

Published on March 25, 2013

Adult recreational hockey is a blast! Great exercise and very enjoyable. Here’s a guide to getting started in the Dallas area. Adult rec hockey is almost always non-checking, the guys are professionals with jobs, families, and like keeping their teeth. And hey, what better sport to play when it’s 110 degrees outside, and you get to play in a deep freezer.

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.

Tags: hockey

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Using wget on Windows

Published on March 15, 2013

wget is a fantastic little command line tool for downloading files and data. It’s quite popular in the Linux environment, and also easy to use in Windows as well (but you need to install it). The magic is that with wget you can download web pages, files from the web, files over various forms of FTP, even entire websites or folder structures with just one command. It runs non-interactively (no GUI), so can be run in the background or easily automated. Here’s how to get going using it in Windows.

Install wget for Windows
Add the to wget bin directory to your system’s path directory (tutorial),
so you can run it easily from the command line
Run cmd.exe to bring up a command prompt (Windows button, type cmd.exe, enter)
By default the command prompt will open in your user directory
Run yo wget commands (like the ones below)
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

Tags: tools, windows

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Arduino, the magical little microcontroller that could and is taking the world by storm

Published on March 7, 2013

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:

an easy USB connection to the PC
easy to connect to I/O PINs (around the outside)
simple easy to use PC software to program the device in a simple script-like language
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.

Tags: arduino, electronics

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Introducing Your Kid to Star Wars… through the ecosystem

Published on March 5, 2013

When and how is the right time to introduce your kids to Star Wars? It’s been the topic of such notables as Scott Hanselman and viral videos. Here’s what’s worked for my family…

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.

Tags: kids, parenting, starwars

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Minimal Contact QR Codes

Published on March 1, 2013

QR codes are all around us these days (if you haven’t noticed, just start looking). There is a single standard on the QR code format itself (placement of dots), but there are many data format standards in what a QR code can encode, including contact info, URLs, binary data, and more. Thankfully there are standard contact card QR codes that store name, email, website, address, etc which, when scanned with a typical mobile app, can be saved directly to one’s phone’s contacts. Here’s how to make the most effective contact QR code.

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

Create your contact code in the format desired
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

Tags: qrcode

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3 Gmail Global Hotkeys: inbox, compose, mail the wife

Published on February 13, 2013

Use Gmail? Here are three handy global hotkeys you can use no matter what you’re doing on your computer to: instantly view your inbox, compose a new message, or email someone specific (like the significant other).

Windows

Win+Shift+E	Email Inbox
Win+Shift+C	Compose New Email
Win+Shift+N	Compose to Noah (or whoever, I use Win+Shift+D to email my wife, you change plz)

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:

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

3 Steps to Meteor on Windows

Published on February 11, 2013

The Meteor web framework is really cool. If you’re into HTML5, its worth taking a look at. The basic idea is that with the meteor framework, you can create HTML5 apps with mostly client-side javascript, very little server side javascript, and backed by a MongoDB database. It’s like combining node.js, mongodb, javascript, and backbone.js to all work together. Javascript is ubiquitous so that’s the only code used, and the apps are kept in-sync real-time between clients. Just watch the little 10 min video on the meteor homepage. For me it was <mind blown>.

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

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).
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.
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.

Tags: html, meteor, ubuntu

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USB Wall Charging Station

Published on February 10, 2013

This evening’s project was to create a wall charging station that had the USB power and cords, all tucked behind the wall for quick use. Up till now I had a drawer of various USB chargers and cords I’d pull out depending on what needed to be charged. Now I just pull the cable needed, use, and push it back.

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.

Tags: gizmo, home, project

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3 Stages to Game Cheat Codes

Published on February 5, 2013

After two decades of game play I think I’ve identified three distinctive phases to the use of game cheat codes. The last point is most recent and has been the most utilitarian.

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.

Tags: gaming, lifehack

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10 Minutes to Guacamole and Frozen Margaritas For Awesometimes

Published on February 4, 2013

Home made margaritas and guacamole is a great treat enjoyed regularly at my place. The trick is in keeping it simple, inexpensive, and still awesome. For example, the longest part of making guacamole is chopping the onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro and getting those separately can be pricy, but Pico De Gio is already all that pre-prepared, available in most stores, and cheaper than getting separate ingredients. Here’s what you need for a 2 to 3 person serving (or one person’s real happy time):

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

Tags: food, homemaking, tips

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3-piece AA motor

Published on January 31, 2013

Just made this little doohickey (watch on YouTube for HD):

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?

Tags: doohickey, madeit, video

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3 Step Intro to MongoDB for .NET in 15min

Published on January 30, 2013

Here’s a quick little demo of the NoSQL database MongoDB. The intent is to give a .NET user just enough info to get started. To whet the appetite and hopefully spark some interest in trying it out. It was the start in our journey to decide to use MongoDB. BTW, the video is rushed, I’m talking and moving fast. The idea is to not waste your time. If you need it slower, that’s what <pause> is for.

This intro video covers:

Client Commands, directly executing a few commands against Mongo using its client
.NET Connection, creating a connecting in .NET and saving a new model to the database
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.

Tags: .net, demo, mongodb, video

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We’re Using MongoDB

Published on January 25, 2013

Our team has decided to use MongoDB for the next generation of our platform’s health record storage. We believe Mongo’s dynamic approach will be a big plus and velocity gain. There are a number of factors that went into the overall decision, but pros that that stood out for us were:

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.
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.
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).
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

Tags: mongodb

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