Midnight Cheese BlogExploring technology and art2024-01-07T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/Cale Moothcale@midnightcheese.comGRAF d'SIGN2001-07-08T05:00:00Z2001-07-08T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2001/07/graf-dsign/
<h1 class="full-bleed">GRAF d'SIGN</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Nice use of Flash at <a href="http://www.gdscb.com/">GRAF d'SIGN</a>.</p>
OS X2001-10-21T05:00:00Z2001-10-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2001/10/os-x/
<h1 class="full-bleed">OS X</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/">OS X</a> is the most stable and elegant OS I've ever used. Unfortunately, about the only thing it's good for right now is surfing the internet. I still have to use OS 9 to do anything productive. Or to play games for that matter. OS X is cool, but it needs apps! Specifically Adobe apps.</p>
Thesis is DONE2002-04-07T06:00:00Z2002-04-07T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/04/thesis-is-done/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Thesis is DONE</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Ahahahaha!! It's done! D-O-N-E DONE. I finished up my thesis yesterday, burned it all to CD, and it's now ready to go off to the printer!! How about that? I've still got a process book, some kind of <a href="http://web.utk.edu/~design/sshow01/">show</a> display, and a bunch of resumes to get to work on, but hey... I'll worry about that in a couple weeks. ;)</p>
Printed and bound2002-04-11T05:00:00Z2002-04-11T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/04/printed-and-bound/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Printed and bound</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I picked my thesis up from the <a href="http://www.hartgraphics.com/">printer</a> yesterday, and just got back from having it <a href="http://www.tvp1.com/">bound</a> today. All is done. Life is good.</p>
Journey2002-04-17T05:00:00Z2002-04-17T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/04/journey/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Journey</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>lol... what people <a href="http://hometown.aol.com/tributetoamerica/dontstopbelievin.html">will do</a> with Flash...</p>
Lab Day2002-04-21T05:00:00Z2002-04-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/04/lab-day/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Lab Day</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>It has been one monstrously long day at the <a href="http://oit.utk.edu/labs.html">lab</a>. I show up at noon when they're supposed to open but end up waiting for about half an hour for someone to show up and let us in. There was no sign of the lab monitor so those of us who were waiting decided to go to the <a href="http://gila.lib.utk.edu/">library</a> to see if we can print out over at <a href="http://www.lib.utk.edu/mediacenter/studio.html">The Studio</a>, but the library was still closed as well. Back over to the art lab... the lab monitor has shown up but the deadbolt is locked, so she can't swipe her card to unlock the magnet lock. Because the deadbolt is locked, she has to call <a href="http://web.utk.edu/~utpolice/">campus police</a> to let her in. An officer shows up with a chain of about 300 keys. He finds the right one, but it doesn't work. So he has to call for back-up. A second officer soon arrived and they finally get the door open around 1:00. The lab has been thick with sophomores lately with portfolio review coming up, so I had to make sure I got right in there and grab up the printer before they took over. At that point I began to print and print and print for about 5 hours straight. But luckily, in the end, the printer never ran out of ink, and I got both copies of my process book for my thesis all printed. Rock on!</p>
Last Crissy's Roommate2002-04-23T05:00:00Z2002-04-23T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/04/last-crissys-roommate/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Last Crissy's Roommate</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Well, today I drew my very last <a href="http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/cartoons.php/">comic</a> for the <a href="http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/">Daily Beacon</a>. For the past two school years I drew a strip for every weekday. I never ever thought I'd be able to think up enough ideas to be able to turn out almost 300 daily comic strips, but somehow I figured it out. It wasn't always pretty(especially the first year), but it was fun.</p>
Cake2002-05-24T05:00:00Z2002-05-24T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2002/05/cake/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Cake</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Ahhh... tonight was the first <a href="http://www.dancininthedistrict.com/">Dancin' in the District</a> of the season. It was quite the fantastic show. <a href="http://www.cakemusic.com/">Cake</a> and <a href="http://www.superdrag.com/">Superdrag</a> did a great job. I think Cake got a little carried away with trying to get the crowd to sing along... the show was a little late getting started... none of the stage lights worked for half the show, and <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/05/17877847.shtml">Nashville burned down</a> in the background as the bands played in the dark, but all in all, the music was good and that's what counts.</p>
Crissy's Roommate2003-04-15T05:00:00Z2003-04-15T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/04/crissys-roommate/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Crissy's Roommate</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>We have cartoons! I finally got some of my comics up from when I did the comic srtip for the Daily Beacon. Click <a href="http://crissy.midnightcheese.com/">here</a> to check them out.</p>
Gentoo2003-06-11T05:00:00Z2003-06-11T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/06/gentoo/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Gentoo</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Got <a href="http://www.gentoo.org/">Gentoo</a> running on the old mac.</p>
FoxTrot on Linux2003-08-14T05:00:00Z2003-08-14T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/08/foxtrot-on-linux/
<h1 class="full-bleed">FoxTrot on Linux</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Good Linux <a href="http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ft/2003/ft030814.gif">cartoon</a> from FoxTrot.</p>
SE/30 Screenshots2003-08-19T05:00:00Z2003-08-19T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/08/se30-screenshots/
<h1 class="full-bleed">SE/30 Screenshots</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I took a few screenshots from the old SE/30 running system 7.5.5. They are: <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-desktop.gif">The Desktop</a>, <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-g5.gif">Apple's website in Netscape 2</a>, <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-ssh.gif">SSHed into my Linux box</a>, and <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k-google.gif">Google</a>.</p>
VT G5 Cluster2003-09-23T05:00:00Z2003-09-23T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/09/vt-g5-cluster/
<h1 class="full-bleed">VT G5 Cluster</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Surely <a href="http://computing.vt.edu/research_computing/terascale/">Virginia Tech</a> could live without <a href="http://don.cc.vt.edu/assembly/slides/IMG_2113.JPG"><b>one</b></a> of <a href="http://don.cc.vt.edu/assembly/slides/IMG_2463.JPG">those fancy G5s</a>.</p>
MacStumbler2003-12-07T06:00:00Z2003-12-07T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/12/macstumbler/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacStumbler</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.macstumbler.com/">MacStumbler</a> is new and improved, including GPS support among other things.</p>
KDE & Panther2003-12-10T06:00:00Z2003-12-10T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2003/12/kde-panther/
<h1 class="full-bleed">KDE & Panther</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>BEHOLD... <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/KDE-Screen.jpg">KDE running hand-in-hand with Panther</a>. It's a beautiful sight, but I don't know yet as to what purpose it will serve. Amazingly enough, sound works. The fonts however, are a little funky looking.</p>
Darwin x862004-01-25T06:00:00Z2004-01-25T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2004/01/darwin-x86/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Darwin x86</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Had the x86 version of <a href="http://developer.apple.com/darwin/">Darwin</a> running on my Dell for a little while... Then things got really bad. After starting XDarwin the system locked up and I had to reboot. After the reboot I could no longer log in. Soon after that the machine wouldn't boot at all. When it did boot, however, it was really weird seeing "<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/darwinscreen.jpg">Welcome to Macintosh</a>." show up on an Intel box.</p>
Panther Screens of DEATH2004-02-16T06:00:00Z2004-02-16T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2004/02/panther-screens-of-death/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Panther Screens of DEATH</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>A good <a href="http://www.badapple.kustomrides.com/deathscreen1.htm">compilation</a> of Panther screens of death. My personal favorite is the "WTF Screen of Death." I've only ever encountered the "Grey Screen of Death" Myself. This is achieved by plugging an ethernet cable into a sleeping powerbook, wake, and BAM, Grey Screen of Death.</p>
May 1 Reboot2004-05-01T05:00:00Z2004-05-01T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2004/05/may-1-reboot/
<h1 class="full-bleed">May 1 Reboot</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.may1reboot.com/flash.html">Reboot</a> has happened. I hope everyone finds the redesign favorable. Aside from the new look, I've added new artwork to all the subpages. This is also my first time incorporating Flash into my personal site. Enjoy!</p>
Apple Crazies2004-11-01T06:00:00Z2004-11-01T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2004/11/apple-crazies/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple Crazies</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I never thought the iPod owners would become nearly as crazed as the Macintosh fanatics, but obviously <a href="http://www.engadget.com/entry/8816814257168882/">it</a> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/entry/3238236478279992/">has</a> <a href="http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/ipod-costume-024555.php">happened</a>. Consider it a whole new breed of Apple lovers. Driving to North Carolina this weekend, I was passed by some guy who saw the Apple sticker on my back window, proceeded to pull up next to me and wave his iPod at me.</p>
Typographic History2004-12-20T06:00:00Z2004-12-20T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2004/12/typographic-history/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Typographic History</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I came across this article a long time ago, but just discovered it again this week. <a href="http://www.ms-studio.com/articles.html">The Scourge of Arial</a> is a great read about the history of Arial, and how Microsoft propagated it into the mainstream.</p>
Mac Mini2005-01-11T06:00:00Z2005-01-11T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/01/mac-mini/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Mac Mini</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.apple.com/macmini/">No more excuses</a>. Only your own fear can hold you back, now.</p>
Design for Good?2005-01-20T06:00:00Z2005-01-20T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/01/design-for-good/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Design for Good?</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>No. <a href="http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/002186.html#002186">Design for <b>evil</b>.</a></p>
<p>I once or twice forged a <a href="http://www.utk.edu/">UT</a> parking pass so my friend visiting from back home could have a nice cozy spot in the staff parking lots for the weekend. It was quite the convincing job if I may say so. And I may.</p>
-X2005-01-21T06:00:00Z2005-01-21T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/01/x/
<h1 class="full-bleed">-X</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>So forever I've been going through the whole</p>
<pre><code>$ xhost +<em>host</em>
$ ssh <em>user</em>@<em>host</em>
$ export DISPLAY="<em>host</em>:0.0"</code></pre>
<p>routine... Today I learn about -X.</p>
<p>It becomes one of those moments that's both very gratifying and enlightening because I learned something newer and easier, yet quite sad at the same time because it took me this long.</p>
Bill Goff Music2005-03-05T06:00:00Z2005-03-05T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/03/bill-goff-music/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Bill Goff Music</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Bill has a website up <a href="http://www.billgoffmusic.com/">promoting his musical talents</a>. Be sure to browse the schedule and check out one of his shows.</p>
The End is Near2005-04-07T05:00:00Z2005-04-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/04/the-end-is-near/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The End is Near</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This year's <a href="http://art.utk.edu/graphic_design/sshow05/index.html">Senior Show</a> for the UT Graphic Design program has been announced.</p>
The Perfect Drive2005-04-13T05:00:00Z2005-04-13T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/04/the-perfect-drive/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Perfect Drive</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>It took two and a half years, but today on my way to work I was finally able to drive all the way down Nolensville Road from Old Hickory Blvd. to Thompson Lane without stopping at a single traffic light. Usually the light by Lowe's or the Harding intersection gets me every time. Today however, it was green the whole way through.</p>
Damn.2005-04-21T05:00:00Z2005-04-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/04/damn/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Damn.</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/broken_powerbook.jpg" width="350" height="144" border="0" alt="Broken PowerBook" /></p>
Apple Store, Nashville Style2005-06-03T05:00:00Z2005-06-03T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/06/apple-store-nashville-style/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple Store, Nashville Style</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Tomorrow, 10am, Green Hills Mall, it opens.</p>
Apple Store and their Country Fans2005-06-05T05:00:00Z2005-06-05T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/06/apple-store-and-their-country-fans/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple Store and their Country Fans</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Stopped by the new <a href="http://www.apple.com/retail/greenhills/week/20050605.html">Apple Store</a> in Green Hills Mall on Saturday with <a href="http://blog.steeltoedloafer.com/">Ernie</a>. There were lots and lots of people in there. Completely packed. The store is smaller than the one in Atlanta, but it's still packed full of good stuff. They have a Sony HDV camera on display that you can try out with one of the G5s and the gigantic 30" display.</p>
<p>On the way out of the store I walked by this girl and thought, "Oh she's pretty." Immediately Ernie turned to me and said, "Hey, that was LeAnn Rimes." To which I said, "Who?" I've heard her name before, but I thought she was some old-time country singer person. (I know nothing about country music, and generally hate it. Yes, hate. Most of it anyway. Definitely anything recent and pop.) Ernie explained to me all that she's done... winning a Grammy at an insanely young age, some TV show, etc.</p>
<p>So, LeAnn Rimes is an apparent Apple fan, if that was indeed her.</p>
Apple & Intel2005-06-07T05:00:00Z2005-06-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/06/apple-intel/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple & Intel</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Quickly: After watching the <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc05/">keynote</a> it looks like this transition will go insanely smooth. <a href="http://developer.apple.com/">Universal Binary</a> says it all. And in grand Apple style they make it as simple as clicking a checkbox for developers to make the switch to new hardware. This will be nothing like going from OS 9 to OS X. Rosetta is perhaps the biggest head-raiser of all. Where did this technology come from? Born from Apple alone? <a href="http://www.transitive.com/">Transitive Corporation</a>? It looks pretty fast from the keynote footage. This will create much speculation until Apple spills a little more info.</p>
<p>It was interesting to hear the Intel CEO talk about Intel chips getting cooler. Just this weekend I put together a P4 system for my brother, and that thing is HOT. The monster fan that accompanies the chip is terribly loud. It will be interesting to see how Apple and Intel address the heat issue.</p>
<p>The biggest downside to the switch to Intel will be the forthcoming pirated copies of OS X that will be running on every script kiddie's Dell machine in the coming year. Apple will continue to only allow OS X to run on Apple machines(via OpenFirmware, some special ROM chip, etc.) but this will be cracked, and I predict very quickly. (Perhaps this was one reason behind the much-hyped <a href="http://www.drunkenblog.com/drunkenblog-archives/000530.html">Tiger Leak Lawsuits</a>?)</p>
<p>There was a lot of speculation that Intel would be making a custom x86 chip for Apple alone, but this doesn't seem to be the case.</p>
<p>The switch to Intel opens the door VERY WIDE for a <a href="http://www.winehq.com/">WINE</a> type app to be integrated into OS X that lets Windows users run most of their favorite Windows programs on their brand-new Macintosh.</p>
<p><strong>Quick notes:</strong> The guys from <a href="http://www.wolfram.com/">Wolfram Research</a> were superb in their presentation.</p>
<p>What the hell was M$ thinking with their MacBU spokesperson? She looked like Gates in drag, and sounded even worse.
While many expected a switch to Intel, I don't think anyone expected a potential transition to be so smooth and so soon.
Jobs eluded to upcoming PPC products multiple times. What will they be?</p>
Always Show Up2005-06-21T05:00:00Z2005-06-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/06/always-show-up/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Always Show Up</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/kingston.jpg" width="250" height="163" border="0" alt="Kingston, TN on Friday" />
At 5:00am on Friday I left for <a href="http://www.kingstontn.org/">Kingston</a> to appear in court for a speeding ticket I got back in March. My name was called, went up to the judge and he asked, "Were you speeding?" I said I was. He asked, "Do you live in Nashville?" (Implying, "Did you drive all the way out here from Nashville just for this?") I said I did. The Judge said, "DISMISSED." So it often pays to show up to court for your speeding tickets. I had to pay the fine, but it means no driving all the way back out to Kingston for traffic school, and most importantly, no points on my license or insurance rates going up.</p>
Learn HTML2005-06-29T05:00:00Z2005-06-29T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/06/learn-html/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Learn HTML</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I used the <a href="http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html">NCSA Beginner's Guide to HTML</a> to make my first webpage ten years ago. It's very easy to read and follow along with. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning HTML. It's nice to know this wonderful guide is still around after all this time.</p>
Live 82005-07-02T05:00:00Z2005-07-02T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/07/live-8/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Live 8</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.live8live.com/">Live 8</a> is in full swing. I've been listening on <a href="http://www.xmradio.com/live8/">XM</a> which will be broadcasting everything, live. Everyone can watch or listen live courtesy of <a href="http://music.aol.com/">music.aol.com</a>. (You don't have to be an AOL member.) I believe MTV is covering quite a bit this afternoon along with VH1. Just <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/live8/">typing Live 8 into Flickr</a> also brings back quite a few photos from the event. There's a lot of good music to be heard out there, and it's for a good cause, so listen in.</p>
<!--<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.technorati.com/live/badge/l8a.js"></script>-->
Aireoke2005-07-13T05:00:00Z2005-07-13T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/07/aireoke/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Aireoke</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>That's right, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/fashion/sundaystyles/10AIR.html">air guitar</a>.</p>
Long Time Gone2005-07-20T05:00:00Z2005-07-20T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/07/long-time-gone/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Long Time Gone</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/The_Bravery.jpg" border="0" width="300" height="205" alt="The Bravery" /></p>
<p>Spent this past weekend in Atlanta. We saw Weezer, The Bravery(pictured), and The Dead 60s down at the <a href="http://www.99x.com/">99X</a> Downtown Rocks show at the Underground. Basically Atlanta's version of <a href="http://www.dancininthedistrict.com/">Dancin' in the District</a>. The crowd in Atlanta, however, makes Dancin' in the District look like a couple guys watching a street performer. There was blood, there was puke, people passing out, crying... we saw fights, flesh, and people jumping off streetlights. And it was all free. It was so weird seeing Weezer play all these songs from 12-13 years ago. Some of the kids in the crowd were in their teens, which meant they were barely born when that first album came out. Crazy. The Bravery did very well, and the Dead 60s sound much better live than on their album.</p>
<p>Probably the second best part of Atlanta was riding their rail system, <a href="http://www.itsmarta.com/">MARTA</a>. It sure beats driving. There was quite the crowd riding the train after the show. We were jam-packed inside that thing. The few people riding from the airport who were on before the train hit downtown were in for a big surprise when thousands of people piled onto that train.</p>
<p>So, came back from Atlanta late Sunday night and headed out to Memphis to visit some friends from UT until Wednesday. Went down to Tunica and played at the Blackjack tables for the first time. Our dealer was exceptional, pretty much telling everyone at the table wether to hit or stand. Aside from Tunica it was nice to get down to Memphis and reminisce a little bit.</p>
<p>A most excellent break from the daily workflow, indeed.</p>
48 Hours2005-07-25T05:00:00Z2005-07-25T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/07/48-hours/
<h1 class="full-bleed">48 Hours</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.48hourfilm.com/">48 Hour Film Project</a> took place in Nashville this weekend. I was part of Order 48, providing a little bit of graphical support. You can take a look at our short film titled, <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/order48/">ANDY</a>. (20mb) All the films will be shown at the <a href="http://www.belcourt.org/">Belcourt Theater</a> starting August 2nd at 7:00pm. Check out the <a href="http://www.48hourfilm.com/process.cfm?action=show&locationID=33">48 Hour Film Project website</a> for more info and times.</p>
Order 482005-08-01T05:00:00Z2005-08-01T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/08/order-48/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Order 48</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.order48.com/">Order 48</a> website is now live thanks to <a href="http://blog.steeltoedloafer.com/">Ernie</a>'s excellent work.</p>
Award Time2005-08-11T05:00:00Z2005-08-11T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/08/award-time/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Award Time</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The awards for this year's <a href="http://www.48hourfilm.com/process.cfm?action=show&locationID=33">48 Hour Film Project</a> are being announced this evening at the <a href="http://www.belcourt.org/">Belcourt</a>. <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/">The Nashville Scene</a> wrote up an <a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?story=Back_Issues:2005:August_4-10_2005:Arts:Film">article</a> on the entire event last week. We'll see how well everyone liked <a href="http://www.order48.com/">Andy</a>.</p>
Apple's Special Event2005-10-07T05:00:00Z2005-10-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/10/apples-special-event/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple's Special Event</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Judging by the <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1305">red curtain on the invite</a>, and the announcement taking place at a beautiful old <a href="http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/09.08.04/california-0437.html">theater</a>, I'd say <a href="http://www.apple.com/">they're</a> going to announce some type of video integration with <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/">iTunes</a>. Maybe <a href="http://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> meets iTunes in the form of h264 downloadable movies. Would definitely be a good use for those 30" displays.</p>
Stop Looking @ Me!2005-10-21T05:00:00Z2005-10-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/10/stop-looking-me/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Stop Looking @ Me!</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://www.midnightcheese.com/images/stop_looking_at_me.jpg" width="311" height="402" border="0" alt="Stop Looking at Me" /></p>
<p><a href="http://blog.steeltoedloafer.com/">Ernie</a>, along with <a href="http://www.stannarten.com/">Stan Narten</a> will have a show at the <a href="http://sunsite.utk.edu/gallery1010/">1010 Gallery</a> starting October 28th. Go take a look. Or don't.</p>
They Looked2005-11-01T06:00:00Z2005-11-01T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/11/they-looked/
<h1 class="full-bleed">They Looked</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://68.16.72.171/picasa/stop_looking/">Photos</a> from Ernie's show.</p>
Fall photos2005-11-04T00:00:00Z2005-11-04T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2005/11/fall-photos/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fall photos</h1><p class="date">November 03, 2005</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/Radnor.jpg" border="0" alt="Fall leaf colors just starting to show at Radnor Lake. Hints of yellow and orange leaves." /></p>
<p>Took this shot at Radnor Lake this afternoon just after lunchtime.</p>
Post Snowboarding2006-01-15T06:00:00Z2006-01-15T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/01/post-snowboarding/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Post Snowboarding</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>We ended up only being able to actually ski the Thursday night we got there. Rain came down all day Friday and it snowed all day Saturday with winds of 40-60mph. Much fun was had nonetheless. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72057594048488016/">Pictures are up</a> on Flickr.</p>
Snow2006-01-18T06:00:00Z2006-01-18T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/01/snow/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Snow</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Snow is one of my favorite things, and this morning Nashville received a slight dusting.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-street-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-street.jpg" width="350" height="298" border="0" alt="Nashville Snow" /></a></p>
The deed has been done.2006-01-26T06:00:00Z2006-01-26T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/01/the-deed-has-been-done/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The deed has been done.</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/macbook_order.gif" width="420" height="358" border="0" alt="Macbook Order" /></p>
<p>My <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/broken_powerbook.jpg">old PowerBook</a> will soon be up on Ebay.</p>
Charles S. Anderson2006-02-10T06:00:00Z2006-02-10T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/02/charles-s-anderson/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Charles S. Anderson</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Last night I saw <a href="http://www.csadesign.com/">Charles Anderson</a> speak at the <a href="http://www.belcourt.org/">Belcourt</a>. He was surprisingly soft-spoken, but very witty and very entertaining. His relationship with <a href="http://www.mrfrench.com/">Jerry French</a> and <a href="http://www.twpc.com/">Jesse Williamson</a> was very interesting as well.</p>
<p>Charles Anderson speaking was wonderful, but the whole event was a little odd. The entire theater was near capacity with guests, which surprised me a bit. I was a little miffed that <a href="http://nashville.aiga.org/">AIGA</a> got things started nearly an hour late, considering the deadlines and time management designers have to deal with every day. The weirdest thing was advertising Jerry French and Jesse Williamson as special guests on the invite, but they never said a single word to the audience. I was really looking forward to hearing them speak. Maybe like a panel discussion event? Apparently they just follow Charles Anderson around to his speaking gigs? For the free food perhaps? The most astonishing moment came at the end when it was time for the audience to ask questions. Not a single person had a single question to ask. A theater full of designers with the chance to ask one of their most successful peers any question under the sun, and it was just silence. I felt really bad about that. Of course I didn't ask anything, either. I wish I had been able to think of something just to get things going.</p>
<p>All in all it was worth attending. The talk was great, French paper handed out a bunch of goodies, and I won a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810992000/sr=8-1/qid=1139581160/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8319993-5295253?%5Fencoding=UTF8">Happy Kitty Bunny Pony</a>. I would say the lesson learned from this particular talk was to just have fun. Have fun with what you're designing, and try to design for things that interest you. Charles' work was all very humorous, and it was very obvious that he enjoyed producing the work that he showed us.</p>
MacBook Pro2006-02-27T06:00:00Z2006-02-27T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/02/macbook-pro/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacBook Pro</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro_Big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro.jpg" width="420" height="320" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro" /></a></p>
<p>And there was much rejoicing heard throughout the land.</p>
<p>My new laptop arrived this morning! I've got more pictures to post, and a more in-depth report of Photoshop running under Rosetta coming soon. For now, after using my old PowerBook G4 for almost 4 years, the MacBook Pro is FAST. Very Fast. iPhoto is smooth and silky. Photoshop 7 running under Rosetta performs noticeably faster than Photoshop 7 running native on the 800mhz G4. Much faster than I had imagined.</p>
MacBook Pro Photos2006-03-01T06:00:00Z2006-03-01T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/03/macbook-pro-photos/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacBook Pro Photos</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Top.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Top_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Top" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Bottom.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Bottom_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Bottom" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Open.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Open_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Open" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Illuminated.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Illuminated_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Illuminated" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Mag.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Mag_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Power" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Screen.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/MacBook_Pro/MacBook_Pro_Screen_Small.jpg" width="200" height="140" border="0" alt="MacBook Pro Screen" /></a></p>
<p>Here are more photos as promised.</p>
MacBook Pro Tested2006-03-03T06:00:00Z2006-03-03T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/03/macbook-pro-tested/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacBook Pro Tested</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>After using the MacBook for several days now, I thought I would mention just a few misc. odds and ends.</p>
<p>It sounds like the left fan spins all the time. Even when running on battery. This is likely the fan that covers the CPU rather than the GPU, I'm guessing. I'm not getting the high-pitched noises that others have reported. I did have that noise issue with my old PowerBook G4, though. When running on battery, neither core seems to go above 20% usage.</p>
<p>I'm not seeing the band of white at the bottom of the LCD either. But as I mentioned in the last post, the backlight is definitely different on this machine than on their previous laptops. It's almost like there's some type of reflective panel back there, because as you move your head or tilt the screen, the brightness kind of rolls along with the tilt. So I think that brightness increase at the base has to do with the angle you look at the screen.</p>
<p>Last night I finally got a little time to sit down with the laptop plugged in and put the machine to task. I ran Google Earth under Rosetta while installing World of Warcraft. Both processes required Rosetta. The machine really began to heat up when that processor was put to use. It's definitely hotter than my old PowerBook G4 at peak performance. But even with the heat the machine ran smoothly. No hang-ups or pauses. One thing that really surprised me was the ability to run Google Earth under Rosetta with almost zero lag at all. Very impressive.</p>
<p>Battery life is averaging about what was reported in the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/">Ars Technica</a> <a href="http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbookpro.ars">article</a>. Just over 3 hours.</p>
<p>I would say my only real complaint with this machine compared to the old G4 is the width of the casing around the LCD screen. It's noticeably wider, mostly due to the iSight being built-in(and why 60 pixels were shaved off the LCD from previous PowerBooks.) But this is probably the only noticeable instance that the machine has regressed in design innovation.</p>
Farewell old friend.2006-03-08T06:00:00Z2006-03-08T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/03/farewell-old-friend/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Farewell old friend.</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The time has come to <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-PowerBook-G4-800Mhz_W0QQitemZ5877786643QQcategoryZ14909QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">part ways with the old PowerBook</a>. My very first laptop, the second computer I ever bought with my own money, and probably the computer I've gotten the most use out of. (Although, the G3 Tower I used in college ranks right up there. It's a tank of a machine.)</p>
<p>As much as I threw this thing around, and carried along in such a sad excuse for a laptop bag, it's amazing it lasted as long as it did. Nearly four years. That laptop traveled with me to Bangor, DC, Orlando, Miami, many trips to Knoxville, and plenty of places in between. Several versions of <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/">midnightcheese.com</a> and plenty of freelance projects were drafted up on that machine. Not to mention the tens of thousands of emails and memories that passed through along the way as well.</p>
<p>So good-bye old friend. You're falling apart, and only half functional, but I hope you can be put to good use somewhere.</p>
Show Your Bones2006-03-28T06:00:00Z2006-03-28T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/03/show-your-bones/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Show Your Bones</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This is <a href="http://www.kevchino.com/index.aspx?review=880">exactly the kind of review</a> I've been hoping to read regarding the new <a href="http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a> album, Show Your Bones, which is due to be released today. I can't wait for my copy to show up in the mail! That band is something else...</p>
<p><b>Update:</b> Finally got the album. Btw, if you're looking to purchase new releases through Amazon, don't. Titles show up waay past the release date. Anyway, the album is good. It's very different, but good. It's like they got expensive equipment and a studio, and actually sat down and thought about what they were doing. So it loses that raw edge that the first album had, but the music is still very very well done.</p>
The Sky Falls Soon2006-04-03T05:00:00Z2006-04-03T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/04/the-sky-falls-soon/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Sky Falls Soon</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Ernie's solo gig. April 19th - 22nd.</p>
<p><a href="http://steeltoedloafer.com/2006/04/02/the-sky-is-falling/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sky_falling.jpg" width="400" height="310" border="0" title="The Sky is Falling" /></a></p>
Candor Gallery2006-04-04T05:00:00Z2006-04-04T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/04/candor-gallery/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Gallery</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><b>Update</b> 04.13.06: Since Candor launched about a week and a half ago I've had over 150 different works submitted and placed into rotation, over 6,000 people download the widget, and over 56,000 views of the submitted artwork. As a result, there's some really really good work being displayed on a lot of desktops. And with such a great start I just want to thank everyone for their contributions. It's already much more successful than I imagined. Thanks again for the support, and please keep the artwork coming!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor.jpg" wifht="336" height="206" border="0" title="Candor Gallery" /></a></p>
<p>Those of you looking for the <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery page can go here</a>.</p>
Stick a fork in them2006-04-12T05:00:00Z2006-04-12T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/04/stick-a-fork-in-them/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Stick a fork in them</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>They're done. The <a href="http://art.utk.edu/graphic_design/">UTK Graphic Design</a> Senior Class of 2006 is having their final show on April 28th. Check out <a href="http://art.utk.edu/graphic_design/gallery2/sshow06/">their site</a> for some great work, and further details on the show.</p>
<p><a href="http://art.utk.edu/graphic_design/gallery2/sshow06/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sshow-banner.jpg" width="177" height="270" border="0" alt="UTK Graphic Design Senior Show 2006" /></a></p>
An Exercise in Design2006-04-18T05:00:00Z2006-04-18T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/04/an-exercise-in-design/
<h1 class="full-bleed">An Exercise in Design</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>A couple months ago at work we took on the task of redesigning the email that is sent once a customer places an order. Basically, the receipt email. This is a great example of how good design can make everyday tasks easier, and information more accessible. This also happens to be one of my favorite types of design: Making things easier.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/receipt-side-by-side.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/receipt-thumb.jpg" width="400" height="168" border="0" alt="Order Receipt" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/receipt-old.jpg">Looking at the old version</a>, you can see that the information provided is very limited, requiring the customer to click back to the website in order to view any valuable information. For the customer, this means jumping between programs, waiting on their computer, waiting on their net connection, etc, etc.</p>
<p>So we wanted to get up to speed with most every other online vendor that provides a comprehensive receipt for their customers after purchase, including products purchased, an order number, billing and shipping info, and also a way for customers to quickly get back to the site for additional purchases. <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/receipt-new.jpg">Here are the results of our efforts</a>.</p>
<p>The feedback from customers was very positive. It also helped us internally to be able to see all this information in one folder in our inbox, rather than trolling through our website and making additional queries to the database just to get to this info. In the end we achieved greater accessibility to information while saving a little wear on our servers as well.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/receipt-side-by-side.jpg">A final side-by-side comparison.</a></p>
Yellowknife2006-06-15T05:00:00Z2006-06-15T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/06/yellowknife/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Yellowknife</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=nashville,+tn&daddr=yellowknife,+nt+canada&ie=UTF8&ll=49.496675,-102.216797&spn=40.868752,64.775391&om=1">ultimate road trip</a>. Who's in?</p>
Bonnaroo 20062006-06-19T05:00:00Z2006-06-19T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/06/bonnaroo-2006/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Bonnaroo 2006</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I was lucky enough to attend <a href="http://www.bonnaroo.com/2006/">Bonnaroo</a> with my Dad for the day on Saturday. What an amazing experience. 80,000 people all in one place all attending to have a good time and listen to some great music. No conflicts, no aggression. Everyone was equal.</p>
<p>So much great music all weekend. I was able to see Beck, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead">Radiohead</a>, and Dr. John on Saturday. Radiohead was amazing. They played for well over 2 hours. Thom Yorke was exceptionally graceful not saying much more than a quiet "thank you" after each song.</p>
<p>Here's a link to some of my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157594169967402/">Bonnaroo photos posted on Flickr</a>.</p>
Turrentines2006-07-22T05:00:00Z2006-07-22T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/07/turrentines/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Turrentines</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This is about all that came out of the nighttime photo expedition last night before the rain came.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/Turrentines-large.jpg" border="0" alt="Turrentines" /></p>
100,0002006-07-29T05:00:00Z2006-07-29T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/07/100000/
<h1 class="full-bleed">100,000</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/100000.jpg" width="250" height="79" border="0" alt="100,000 Miles" /></p>
<p>I hit the 100,000 mile mark on my car on the drive home from Clerks II last night. I've had the car since July, 2003 @ 37,000 miles, which means I've put on 63,000 miles in 3 years. 21,000 miles per year. Will the car last another 5 years and hit 200,000 miles?</p>
<p>Also, <a href="http://www.clerks2.com/redband/large.html">Clerks II</a> was the best movie of the summer so far.</p>
WWDC Bound2006-08-05T05:00:00Z2006-08-05T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/08/wwdc-bound/
<h1 class="full-bleed">WWDC Bound</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Well, in less than 24 hours I'll be in San Francisco for the much anticipated <a href="http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/">WWDC 2006</a>. <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> has been entered in the <a href="http://developer.apple.com/ada/">Apple Design Awards</a>, so I figure this will probably be the best excuse I'll have to go to one of these conferences.</p>
<p>I'm looking forward to some great things being announced at the Keynote... No doubt we'll see the Mac Pro introduced, along with a tasty preview of Leopard. For Leopard, maybe a tabbed Finder and a redesigned UI that begins to lose the bubbly gloss look? After all, their hardware no longer sports the multi colors and the bulbous shapes either.</p>
<p>Perhaps we'll see Apple negate the work of <a href="http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/">CodeWeavers</a> and the <a href="http://www.alkyproject.com/">Alky Project</a> allowing users to run Windows apps straight-up in Leopard.</p>
<p>Will there be one more thing? Maybe a sneak peak at the new wi-fi enabled iPods due out for X-mas? I'd like to see the iPods sport an RSS reader that lets you update your feeds at any wi-fi hotspot.</p>
<p>But aside from the keynote there will be some great <a href="http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/sessions/desc-p.html">sessions</a> and of course the Apple Design Awards Ceremony. I can't stay for the whole week so I'm going to miss some <a href="http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/specialevents/">good stuff</a> like the widget sessions on Wednesday and the Campus Bash on Thursday, but I'm sure 3 days will be plenty of Apple overload.</p>
<p>San Francisco by itself will have plenty to offer. Hopefully I can hit up the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/prsf/">Presidio</a> and check out the new <a href="http://www.lucasfilm.com/inside/letterman/">Letterman Digital Arts Center</a>. If I have time Wednesday I'm going to try and drive down the coast a couple hours and see what <a href="http://parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=578">there is to see</a>.</p>
<p>There's been interest expressed to blog the Keynote live, but I don't know how feasible that will be. Besides, I want to see what's going on on-stage rather than staring at my notebook screen the whole time. But we'll see. There will certainly be plenty of other <a href="http://www.macrumorslive.com/web/">sources</a> for live Keynote updates.</p>
<p>Anyway, at the least I'll certainly be posting some <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/">photos</a> as the trip progresses, so check back for that!</p>
Photos from San Francisco2006-08-07T05:00:00Z2006-08-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/08/photos-from-san-francisco/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Photos from San Francisco</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>These are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157594228743661/">photos</a> from Sunday afternoon with a couple from the WWDC on Monday.</p>
<p><b>Edit:</b> Added a few shots from Tuesday to the set.</p>
WWDC Wrap-up2006-08-13T05:00:00Z2006-08-13T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/08/wwdc-wrap-up/
<h1 class="full-bleed">WWDC Wrap-up</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157594228743661/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wwdc-2006.jpg" width="130" height="195" border="0" class="imageLeft" alt="WWDC 2006" /></a>There's been a lot of <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/columns/cultofmac/0,71557-0.html?tw=wn_index_23">press</a> about the keynote not being too hot, but from a <a href="http://developer.apple.com/">developer</a> point of view the rest of the week was great. (Well, judging from the first three days that I was able to attend, anyway.) Technically I'm not allowed to go into detail about the sessions, but I will say that Apple is doing a lot on the back-end to make development on their platform very easy.</p>
<p>The conference was an interesting event, especially having attended by myself. Everyone kind of kept to their own little groups, so breaking into conversation was a bit difficult. Other people that were attending solo tended to immerse themselves in their laptops inbetween sessions and even during the receptions.</p>
<p>Nevertheless it was interesting to peer into the Apple developer world for just a bit. The <a href="http://webkit.opendarwin.org/">WebKit</a> team was exceptionally "awesome" and "hot," as they tended to throw those words out quite a bit.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor</a> didn't get a mention at the <a href="http://developer.apple.com/ada/">Design Awards</a>. Obviously being the WWDC the judges were probably more interested in how the Widget worked in addition to what it actually did. So <a href="http://inventive.us/iCliplite/">iClip</a> was definitely deserving of that. Unfortunately Candor doesn't use any fancy <a href="http://developer.apple.com/corefoundation/">Core technologies</a> to get the job done.</p>
<p>So overall WWDC06 was a good experience, although oddly it was a bit isolating at times. It would be interesting to compare with something like MacWorld as I imagine you would probably get a much wider spectrum of Apple addicts at that event.</p>
Songs with Blankets2006-09-07T05:00:00Z2006-09-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/09/songs-with-blankets/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Songs with Blankets</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Two songs with the word "blanket" in the lyrics:</p>
<ul>
<li>Away - Toadies</li>
<li>Phenomena - Yeah Yeah Yeahs</li>
</ul>
<p>Also, <a href="http://www.dvorak.org/blog/">Dvorak</a> mentioned <a href="http://www.utk.edu/">UT</a> during this week's <a href="http://www.twit.tv/twit67">TWiT</a>. Unfortunately, it was strictly sports related.</p>
Wolfmother2006-09-21T05:00:00Z2006-09-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/09/wolfmother/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Wolfmother</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wolfmother.com/">Wolfmother</a> brought the house down last night at the <a href="http://www.exitin.com/">Exit/In</a>. <a href="http://www.themesshall.com.au/">The Mess Hall</a> opened with a two-man act that was actually quite good for there only being two guys out there on stage. Both bands came out at the end for a massive show-ending mash of noise.</p>
<p>Darren managed to position himself on stage and snapped a bunch of photos. Here are but a few.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wolfmother-001.jpg" width="380" height="254" border="0" alt="Wolfmother" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wolfmother-002.jpg" width="380" height="254" border="0" alt="Wolfmother" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wolfmother-003.jpg" width="380" height="254" border="0" alt="Wolfmother" /></p>
E85 Myths2006-10-01T05:00:00Z2006-10-01T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/10/e85-myths/
<h1 class="full-bleed">E85 Myths</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.10/">This month's issue of Wired magazine</a> is debunking the problems associated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E85">Ethanol</a> production and its use as an alternative fuel source. Mainly, the idea that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than the amount of energy ethanol can provide, the lack of land to produce an adequate supply, and the expensive cost to produce ethanol are all being rebuked.</p>
<p>The article will be available to read online starting October 3rd.</p>
Tape Bands2006-10-13T05:00:00Z2006-10-13T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/10/tape-bands/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Tape Bands</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Bands whose names are in some way related to <a href="http://www.tapeonline.com/">recording media</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://tapesntapes.com/">Tapes 'n Tapes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Format">The Format</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vhsorbeta.com/">VHS or Beta</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.editorsofficial.com/">Editors</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.forgetcassettes.com/">Forget Cassettes</a></li>
</ul>
<p>And probably many more.</p>
Oh Yeah2006-10-17T05:00:00Z2006-10-17T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/10/oh-yeah/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Oh Yeah</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/yyys-ticket.jpg" width="250" height="139" border="0" alt="Yeah Yeah Yeahs Ticket" /></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a> played at <a href="http://www.tpac.org/facilities/warmemorial.asp">War Memorial Auditorium</a> last night and put on a very good show. Karen O can really scream. Collectively the entire band was very loud even to the point of drowning out any lyrics Karen might have been singing. Her screams were really the only thing to compete with the roaring guitar. The only real oddity of the set was the encore. At one point Karen went into the crowd to help her remember the lyrics, then they ended with Modern Romance, which was a little awkward finishing with such a slow song. But otherwise a good show all around.</p>
<p>Imaad Wasif opened and later assisted through the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' set. Deer Hunter played second. Unfortunately, this was very much like sitting through a high school talent show. They definitely begged the question of what is music and what is white noise, but in a very bad way. The lead singer looked like he could fall over and die from hunger at any point during the set. These guys were definitely the peas and carrots before the main course of the evening.</p>
Fedora Core 62006-10-25T05:00:00Z2006-10-25T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/10/fedora-core-6/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fedora Core 6</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>After running <a href="http://fedora.redhat.com/">Fedora</a> Core 3 on my home server for the last 2 years, I think I'm going to finally put it down and try out <a href="http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=430">Core 6</a>. The built-in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIGLX">AIGLX</a>/compiz work looks promising. Running it on an integrated Intel graphics chip(82845G/GL) will be a good test. (Not that fancy desktop effects are really needed on this machine.)</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/fedora-logo.gif" width="50" height="51" border="0" alt="Fedora" /></p>
<p>I'm more interested in Fedora's wireless compatibility. I've got a cheap TEW-423PI working fine on an unsecured AP with Core 3, but I need WPA, and wpa_supplicant is giving me fits. I think it's more likely the TEW-423PI(or maybe just the Windows driver running under ndiswrapper) is a POS, and not a Fedora issue at all. But maybe I'll get lucky with Core 6.</p>
Koala2006-11-03T06:00:00Z2006-11-03T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/11/koala/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Koala</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Cool Mac Mini alternative: <a href="http://system76.com/index.php/cPath/2_52">Koala Mini</a>. Comes with <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a> installed.</p>
On to Ubuntu2006-11-05T06:00:00Z2006-11-05T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/11/on-to-ubuntu/
<h1 class="full-bleed">On to Ubuntu</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>So I attempted to install Core 6 on my home server this weekend, but <a href="http://fedora.redhat.com/">Fedora</a> was unable to configure X to work with the integrated Intel video chipset(82845G/GL) that is common to only about a bazillion computers. Instead of messing with the xorg.conf file for the next hour I decided to install <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/server">Ubuntu Server</a> instead. The base system installed without issue. apt-getting a usable install of Gnome took longer than it should have, but once all the correct packages were installed, X and Gnome worked flawlessly. (no manual config of xorg necessary.)</p>
<p>The only casualty of this install was the software I was using to run the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/index.php?page_id=346">webcam</a>. <a href="http://camsource.sourceforge.net/">Camsource</a> wouldn't compile under Ubuntu(not available as a package), so I've switched over to what seems to be a full featured piece of software called <a href="http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome">Motion</a>. I probably won't ever need it, but Motion offers motion detection and mpeg capture. At the moment I'm just using the straight jpeg streaming ability.</p>
Vote Widgets2006-11-07T06:00:00Z2006-11-07T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/11/vote-widgets/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Vote Widgets</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Wow, an entire conference completely devoted to widgets. <a href="http://widgetslive.com/">WidgetsLive!</a></p>
<p>It's raining in Nashville today, but don't let that stop you from voting. It's your civic duty! And you never know, we may not be <a href="http://www.dieselsweeties.com/archive.php?s=1613">taken over by the machines</a> just yet.</p>
RS42006-11-09T06:00:00Z2006-11-09T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/11/rs4/
<h1 class="full-bleed">RS4</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/rs4.jpg" width="300" height="188" border="0" alt="Audi RS4" /></p>
<p>If money were no object... 420hp, 6 speed v8. The Audi <a href="http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/new_cars/Audi_A4/RS_4.html">RS4</a>.</p>
Tennessee Traffic Cameras Widget2006-12-17T06:00:00Z2006-12-17T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2006/12/tennessee-traffic-cameras-widget/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Tennessee Traffic Cameras Widget</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Just wanted to announce the availability of the <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Cameras widget</a> for all you OS X users living and dealing with Tennessee traffic.</p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tn-cams.jpg" width="339" height="315" border="0" alt="Tennessee Traffic Cameras" /></a></p>
<p>TDOT makes available many traffic cameras on their website, but it's less than easy to try and navigate their system. Hopefully this widget will provide an easy way to view cameras in your city, all in one simple interface.</p>
<p>Also a big thanks to Jimmy's l337 JavaScript skills which saved me from hours and hours of suffering.</p>
<p>You can download the widget from the <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Cameras website</a>.</p>
What would iPhone look like?2007-01-07T06:00:00Z2007-01-07T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/01/what-would-iphone-look-like/
<h1 class="full-bleed">What would iPhone look like?</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>With all the iPhone speculation, I thought it would be fun to take a crack at what form such a device might take, and how it would function. Let's look at iPhone using the classic adage of "form follows function."</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/iphone.jpg" width="350" height="" border="0" alt="iPhone" title="iPhone" /></p>
<h2>Function - Information on the go.</h2>
<p>There's a big difference between the core function of an MP3 player and a phone. That difference is most notably: Push vs. Pull. An MP3 player pushes media (music, video, podcasts), while a phone actively pulls in information (meeting times, the latest gossip).</p>
<p>So, let's look at iPhone sans MP3 player. This means the device is all about communication and information.</p>
<p>Instead of "browsing the web," iPhone would probably function like a mini desktop computer with many different applications or widgets delivering specific information. Mini apps like a mail reader, and an RSS reader would be likely. This would also open up the possibility for other vendors to write applications for the iPhone. A Fandango movie time application/widget, and a Google Maps application, for example.</p>
<p>So, with the functionality of iPhone defined as an information device, how would such a device take form?</p>
<h2>Form - Simplicity</h2>
<p>iPhone would be a brick style phone, thin and about the size of an iPod. This eliminates moving parts like hinges that take up space and junk up the phone.</p>
<p>As an information device, you have to be able to read the information. A large screen would be in order, covering the entire front surface of the phone.</p>
<p>No physical buttons. A touch-screen would guide your way. (Think <a href="http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han">Jeff Hans' demonstration</a> on a smaller scale.)</p>
<p>A tiny pinhole on the back for the camera lens.</p>
<p>No physical plugs. Any accessory items would connect via Bluetooth.</p>
<p>No battery access. Customers that would buy an iPhone replace their phones so often, by the time the battery needed to be replaced, it would be time for a new phone.</p>
<p>The interface would be insanely simple. A mobile version of OS X with a desktop background and a scrollable dock of applications at the bottom of the screen.</p>
<p>No pen or stylus. Using those devices is akin to cross-stitching. Just simple scrolling movements and key presses using your fingers and thumb.</p>
<p>Of course, iPhone would easily sync with iCal and Address Book.</p>
<h2>What about the iTunes tie-in?</h2>
<p>This is where the latest iPod revision will enter. Think a Wi-Fi chip giving iPod the ability to buy music without the need of a computer.</p>
<p>We'll see what happens on Tuesday!</p>
ART TO DIE FOR2007-01-25T06:00:00Z2007-01-25T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/01/art-to-die-for/
<h1 class="full-bleed">ART TO DIE FOR</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.plowhaus.org/">Plowhaus</a> begins a new exhibit, <a href="http://www.plowhaus.org/current.htm">My Bloody Valentine: Art to Die for</a>, this Saturday featuring photography from none other than my Dad (along with a few other artists as well.) The reception is this Saturday from 7pm-11pm.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.plowhaus.org/current.htm"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bloody-valentine.gif" width="310" height="474" border="0" alt="Plowhaus - My Bloody Valentine" /></a></p>
Snow2007-02-02T06:00:00Z2007-02-02T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/02/snow-2/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Snow</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Nashville had their first "significant" snowfall since 2003. Somewhere around an inch of snow fell last night.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-07-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-07.jpg" width="350" height="233" border="0" alt="Forrest in LaVergne" /></a></p>
<p>(Click for larger image.) 200K</p>
Candor Update2007-02-10T06:00:00Z2007-02-10T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/02/candor-update/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Update</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-v1.2.jpg" width="336" height="230" border="0" alt="Candor Gallery Widget" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor</a> has been given an update. Version 1.2 now includes a <i>previous</i> button so users can easily see the last image that was displayed.</p>
<p>With a lot of help from <a href="http://steeltoedloafer.vox.com/">Ernie</a> and his stellar PHP skills, we've created a <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/gallery/">web gallery</a> that displays all the works that have been included in Candor.</p>
<p>And a smaller detail: The widget will now pop up a little notification when a new version of Candor has been released. This should avoid having to send email out to a large list of current participants.</p>
Traffic Widget Update2007-02-17T06:00:00Z2007-02-17T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/02/traffic-widget-update/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Traffic Widget Update</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Version 1.1</a> was released today adding the cities of Chattanooga and Franklin. The Nashville camera list was updated as TDOT had changed the URLs to the Nashville images.</p>
Ford Ka2007-03-02T06:00:00Z2007-03-02T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/03/ford-ka/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Ford Ka</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>On the way to work this morning I ended up behind a <a href="http://www.ford.co.uk/ka/">Ford</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ka">Ka</a>. They're not sold in the U.S., so it was surprising to see a car I didn't recognize and then once I got close enough, have it turn out to be a Ford. They're definitely in the mini class... very much like a Geo Metro. There were two people in the car, so I didn't even think to look and see what side the steering wheel was on.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ford-ka.jpg" width="289" height="280" border="0" alt="Ford Ka" /></p>
Posters and Cassettes2007-03-23T05:00:00Z2007-03-23T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/03/posters-and-cassettes/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Posters and Cassettes</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This evening Merredith and I took a look at the posters on display at the <a href="http://nashville.aiga.org/events/2007/03/11888438">Sound and Print</a> show at <a href="http://www.mtsu.edu/">MTSU</a>. Every poster was just exceptional. We purchased a print from <a href="http://www.thedecoderring.com/">The Decoder Ring Design Concern</a> as well as from <a href="http://www.strawberryluna.com/">Strawberryluna</a> who just happens to be showing some of her work on <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.strawberryluna.com/gallery1.php?size=full&image=7"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/decemberists.jpg" width="200" height="" border="0" alt="Strawberryluna" /></a></p>
<p>On the way out we cut through the University Center to get back to the car, and <a href="http://www.forgetcassettes.com/">Forget Cassettes</a> just happens to be playing with a couple other bands in what I assume is a lecture hall. So as we're passing a side door to leave, FC is about 10 feet to our right just playing away.</p>
<p>All this at MTSU, even. Very surreal.</p>
Interchange Weirdness2007-04-25T05:00:00Z2007-04-25T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/04/interchange-weirdness/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Interchange Weirdness</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/interchange.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/interchange-small.jpg" width="300" height="160" border="0" alt="Interchange Weirdness" title="Click for a larger view" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://xkcd.com/c253.html">Today's xkcd</a> got me thinking about the Murfreesboro Road/SR 840 interchange near my house. It's weird in that if you're traveling south on Murfreesboro, you can get on the 840 onramp, stay straight, and end up right back on Murfreesboro Road southbound. Click on the image for a more visual explanation. Here's a <a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/840-Murfreesboro-Rd.kmz">Google Earth link</a> as well.</p>
Candor Update2007-05-02T05:00:00Z2007-05-02T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/candor-update-2/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Update</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> has received 64 new images in the last two days. It's getting closer and closer to the 1000 image mark. Thanks to everyone who is contributing to the project!</p>
Candor in iCreate Magazine2007-05-07T05:00:00Z2007-05-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/candor-in-icreate-magazine/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor in iCreate Magazine</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.icreatemagazine.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-icreate.jpg" width="150" height="196" border="0" alt="iCreate Magazine" class="blogImage" style="float:left;margin: 20px 20px 10px 0;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> has been included in the most recent issue of <a href="http://www.icreatemagazine.com/">iCreate Magazine</a> on the free software and resource CD that comes bundled with the magazine. iCreate is full of how-to articles relating to mostly consumer applications created by Apple. (iDVD, iWeb, iMovie, etc.)</p>
<p>It's very exciting to have Candor "published." Issue #41 will be on newstands in England for another 3 days, but should be available in the U.S. for a few weeks longer.</p>
Candor Gallery Gadget2007-05-16T05:00:00Z2007-05-16T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/candor-gallery-gadget/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Gallery Gadget</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://www.candorgallery.com/images/gadget/candor-screen.png" width="280" height="208" border="0" alt="Candor Gallery Gadget" class="blogImage" /></p>
<p>By popular demand, a <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> Gadget now exists for <a href="http://www.google.com/ig">Google Homepage</a> users. I think this was the best solution for users that aren't always in front of a Mac or who simply aren't Mac users at all. It's not as elegant of an experience as Dashboard can provide, but it's largely the same functionality. Creating the Gadget was fun. They're similar to <a href="http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/">Widgets</a> in that it's all HTML and Javascript. Gadgets keep everything in one file wrapped in an XML container. To install the Candor Gadget you can visit <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">http://www.candorgallery.com/</a> and click the "Add to Google" button or simply click <a href="http://fusion.google.com/add?moduleurl=http://www.candorgallery.com/xml/candor-gadget.xml">this link</a>.</p>
The Ford FPV Falcon GT2007-05-16T05:00:00Z2007-05-16T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/the-ford-fpv-falcon-gt/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Ford FPV Falcon GT</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ford-fpv-gt40.jpg" width="300" height="197" border="0" alt="Ford FPV Falcon GT" class="blogImage" /></p>
<p>It's sad that the <a href="http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1137385392589&pagename=FOA%2FDFYPage%2FDefault1024&c=DFYPage">Ford</a> <a href="http://www.fpv.com.au/gt40/">FPV Falcon GT</a> isn't sold in the U.S. Instead we have to settle for the <a href="http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/fusion/index.asp?SECTION=PHOTO_GALLERY">Fusion</a>? Wired has a <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/pl_motor_p86.html">small write-up</a> about Detroit muscle that's not available to U.S. drivers. <a href="http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/multimedia/2007/04/PL_motor">A few larger images</a>.</p>
But I Digress...2007-05-17T05:00:00Z2007-05-17T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/but-i-digress/
<h1 class="full-bleed">But I Digress...</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-mustang-shelby-cobra-gt500kr.html"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/shelby-gt500kr.jpg" width="300" height="169" border="0" alt="2008 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>Who needs the Falcon when you have one of THESE. The <a href="http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-mustang-shelby-cobra-gt500kr.html">2008 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR</a>. 540 horses of State-side goodness.</p>
Then along came the Germans...2007-05-17T05:00:00Z2007-05-17T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/05/then-along-came-the-germans/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Then along came the Germans...</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/17/worthersee-2007-vw-shows-off-monster-golf-gti-w12-650-concept/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/w12-gti.jpg" width="300" height="163" border="0" alt="VW GTI W12 650" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/17/worthersee-2007-vw-shows-off-monster-golf-gti-w12-650-concept/">The VW GTI W12 650</a>. 650hp, 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, 12 cylinder beast of a machine packed into a tiny little GTI body. Granted it's a concept, but still. Ridiculous.</p>
Tennessee Region SCCA2007-06-25T05:00:00Z2007-06-25T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/06/tennessee-region-scca/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Tennessee Region SCCA</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/scca-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/scca.jpg" border="0" width="320" height="178" class="blogImage" alt="SCCA" /></a></p>
<p>Sunday I spectated at the <a href="http://www.trscca.com/">Tennessee Region SCCA</a> Solo 2 event at the <a href="http://www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com/">Nashville Super Speedway</a>. They featured a very wide range of participating cars, including a few Vettes, which up until then I had never seen any Corvette driver show off their power. Most Corvette owners are very reserved when you see them rolling down the interstate.</p>
<p>I think my brother and I will check out the next event in July. Hopefully after that I might have the nerve to run my car. It looks like some serious fun.</p>
<p>Here's a link to my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157600473081762/">Flickr photo set from the event</a>.</p>
Ol' Calc2007-07-16T05:00:00Z2007-07-16T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/07/ol-calc/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Ol' Calc</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/calc-quit.gif" width="350" height="140" border="0" alt="Calc Quit" /></p>
<p>Poor Calculator just couldn't handle it today.</p>
My iPhone Shame2007-07-18T05:00:00Z2007-07-18T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/07/my-iphone-shame/
<h1 class="full-bleed">My iPhone Shame</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
You haven't touched one yet...</p>
<p>Do it at lunch... shameful...</p>
<p><b>Cale</b><br />
No, I think we're going to run over to [the Apple Store] at lunch tomorrow</p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
Today.</p>
<p><b>Cale</b><br />
I know... we're going to be the last people walking in there to say OMG how awesome! And the Apple people are just going to be like, "Lamers...."
Then they'll say, "You have to leave now." and we'll be shamed</p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
They will. The rest of the crew can assume the shame but you were an Apple owner before the iMac.</p>
<p>Shamed.</p>
<p>Big time.</p>
<p>I shame you.</p>
<p><b>Cale</b><br />
I've received a call from an iPhone... does that count for anything?</p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
No.</p>
<p><b>Cale</b><br />
dammit</p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
I called myself with an iPhone, when you can say that... half shame lifted.</p>
<p><b>Ernie</b><br />
If you buy an iPhone on the spot, the rest of the shame is lifted, otherwise you will have to live with iPhone half shame for the rest of your life.</p>
TDOT Securin' the Prez2007-07-19T05:00:00Z2007-07-19T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/07/tdot-securin-the-prez/
<h1 class="full-bleed">TDOT Securin' the Prez</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>With the <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/NEWS01/707190390">President in town</a> today, it looks like <a href="http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/">TDOT</a> has turned off the <a href="http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/tdotsmartway/">traffic camera system</a> in Nashville. Just in case any of you <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">widget</a> users were curious about the 'unavailable' images popping up.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tn-cam-unavail.jpg" width="350" height="163" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="TN Traffic Widget" /></p>
Happenings2007-07-24T05:00:00Z2007-07-24T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/07/happenings/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Happenings</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This past weekend was my first attempt at a Solo II event put on by the <a href="http://trscca.com/">local SCCA</a> chapter. A few photos have been added on to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157600473081762/">previous set</a>. I had a multitude of DNFs until finally being straightened out by someone who knew what they were doing.</p>
<p>I switched our domains setup with DreamHost over to a new provider. This was a result of the <a href="http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/134-on-writing-managing-disaster-at-freshbooks-dreamhost-dancing-trees">prolonged intermittent uptime</a>, the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/?p=449">lack of professionalism</a>, and the fact that they just really <a href="http://www.red-sweater.com/blog/287/dreamhosts-super-lame-no-i-mean-really-super-lame-apology">didn't seem to care about any of it</a>.</p>
<p>Been trying to plug along further with <a href="http://www.pencebook.com/">PenceBook</a>. Hopefully we'll be sending out beta announcements and our 'killer app' so to speak, in the coming weeks.</p>
<p>Apple stock took a nice nosedive today. Looks like there's quite a discrepancy in the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/07/02/half-a-million-iphones-sold-vodafone-wants-a-piece-of-that-action">reported 500,000-700,000 iPhone units sold that first weekend</a> compared to the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/07/24/att-reports-146000-iphone-activations-in-first-two-days">150,000 account activations reported by AT&T</a> in the same time period. This should be an interesting series of events in the next few days as Apple reports their numbers. Not to mention <a href="http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/iphoneatt-billuh-oh/">bad news about AT&T's billing</a> of iPhone customers.</p>
Candor Reaches 10002007-07-26T05:00:00Z2007-07-26T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/07/candor-reaches-1000/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Reaches 1000</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Yesterday <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> posted its 1000th image! In the first 3 months Candor gained 500 images, but it took another 12 months to gain the next 500. That's about 1.5 submissions per day over the last year.</p>
Phoenix? No, just Nashville.2007-08-08T05:00:00Z2007-08-08T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/08/phoenix-no-just-nashville/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Phoenix? No, just Nashville.</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hot.jpg" width="320" height="301" border="0" alt="It's hot." /></p>
<p>The recent heat wave has been terribly brutal with no immediate end in sight.</p>
Candor Gains RSS2007-09-02T05:00:00Z2007-09-02T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/09/candor-gains-rss/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Gains RSS</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> now has an RSS feed that lets you <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/CandorGallery">keep up with new works</a> as they're added to the gallery. Viewers can also keep up-to-date with the gallery in general by subscribing to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/CandorGalleryNews">news feed</a>.</p>
An Abundance of Homes2007-10-03T05:00:00Z2007-10-03T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/10/an-abundance-of-homes/
<h1 class="full-bleed">An Abundance of Homes</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>As the housing market slows, the new construction continues in our neighborhood. This is one of many streets full of empty homes just a few blocks over from us. Obviously the abundance of empty new homes will make it even more difficult to sell slightly used homes just down the street.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lavergne-homes.jpg" width="400" height="310" class="blogImage" alt="Homes in LaVergne" border="0" /></p>
San Francisco2007-11-05T06:00:00Z2007-11-05T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/11/san-francisco/
<h1 class="full-bleed">San Francisco</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Merredith and I were in San Francisco the last 5 days. I've posted a bunch of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157602863336943/">photos from the trip</a> on Flickr.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1881434262&context=set-72157602863336943&size=o"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/redwoods.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Redwoods" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>The coolest part of the trip was probably seeing the redwoods at <a href="http://www.nps.gov/muwo/">Muir Woods</a>. It really is another world down there.</p>
<p>We stayed in Chinatown, visited the <a href="http://www.computerhistory.org/">Computer History Museum</a>, ate at a ton of great restaurants, and pretty much ran all over the city.</p>
<p>Next time I'd like to drive down the coast and check out <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leviathor/287888614/">Julia Pfeiffer Burns park</a>. It was just too far out of the way for this trip.</p>
New Cameras for the TN Traffic Widget2007-11-27T06:00:00Z2007-11-27T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/11/new-cameras-for-the-tn-traffic-widget/
<h1 class="full-bleed">New Cameras for the TN Traffic Widget</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tn-cam-1.2.jpg" width="" height="" alt="" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Camera Widget</a> has been updated to version 1.2 adding 20 new cameras to the Nashville area. Here is a list of the new camera locations:</p>
<ul>
<li>I-24 @ Bell Road</li>
<li>I-24 East of Briley Parkway (South)</li>
<li>I-24 @ Briley Parkway East</li>
<li>I-40 @ 46th Avenue</li>
<li>I-40 @ 28th Avenue</li>
<li>I-40 @ Briley Parkway</li>
<li>I-65 South of Armory Drive</li>
<li>I-65 @ Armory Drive</li>
<li>I-65 @ Craighead</li>
<li>I-65 North of Wedgewood</li>
<li>I-440 East of I-40 Junction</li>
<li>I-440 @ Murphy Road</li>
<li>I-440 East of West End</li>
<li>I-440 West of 21st Avenue</li>
<li>I-440 @ 21st Avenue</li>
<li>I-440 @ Belmont Overpass</li>
<li>I-440 West of I-65 Junction</li>
<li>I-440 East of I-65 Junction</li>
<li>I-440 @ Nolensville Road</li>
<li>I-440 West of I-24</li>
</ul>
Candor Gallery is the Featured Widget2007-11-29T06:00:00Z2007-11-29T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2007/11/candor-gallery-is-the-featured-widget/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Gallery is the Featured Widget</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Once again <a href="http://www.apple.com/">Apple</a> has been kind enough to feature <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> on the <a href="http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/">Dashboard homepage</a>. We already have quite a few new works coming in this morning and hope to have those posted this evening. Thanks to Apple for the extra exposure and to everyone that is contributing to Candor!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-on-apple.jpg" width="400" height="263" alt="Candor Gallery Featured on Apple" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
TV Logos from 19922008-01-20T06:00:00Z2008-01-20T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/01/tv-logos-from-1992/
<h1 class="full-bleed">TV Logos from 1992</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>When I was 12 I sent letters to a handful of TV stations across the country asking them to send back some type of promotional material with their logo on it. I recently came across all these logos in an old box and decided to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157603759220374/">put them up on Flickr</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/2206933357/in/set-72157603759220374/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wbfs.jpg" width="200" height="219" border="0" alt="WBFS Logo 1992" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>My favorite logo was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBFS-TV">WBFS</a> channel 33 from Miami. It had that double 3D dropshadow action that didn't make any logical sense but was bold and very readable. I grew up watching way too many cartoons on that station after school everyday.</p> Transformers, G.I. Joe, etc.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/2207720964/in/set-72157603759220374/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/free-tv.jpg" width="150" height="329" border="0" alt="Free TV" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>I also scanned in a pamphlet published by the National Association of Broadcasters called <i>Free TV</i> that really comes down hard on cable TV. They claimed with 75% of cable TV subscribers watching network shows during primetime, cable TV was basically useless. They also pointed out the high price of paying between $12 and $20 per month for television. If only the NAB could foresee what was to come.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157603759220374/">Here are all the logos on Flickr</a>.</p>
123,4562008-02-06T00:00:00Z2008-02-06T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/02/123456/
<h1 class="full-bleed">123,456</h1><p class="date">February 05, 2008</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/123456.jpg" border="0" alt="123,456" /></p>
<p>The Jetta hit 123,456 miles on the drive home today.</p>
Lunar Eclipse Photos2008-02-21T06:00:00Z2008-02-21T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/02/lunar-eclipse-photos/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Lunar Eclipse Photos</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>These are a couple shots I was able to grab last night of the eclipse. I was using my D70s with a 300mm lens and my deck as a footing which is just a tad wobbly. These were the two sharpest shots from the batch.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lunar-eclipse-wide.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Lunar Eclipse" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lunar-eclipse.jpg" width="400" height="383" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Lunar Eclipse" /></p>
Ode to 80s Network IDs2008-03-10T05:00:00Z2008-03-10T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/03/ode-to-80s-network-ids/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Ode to 80s Network IDs</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://machinemolle.com/">Machine Molle</a> created an excellent series of animated logos based on network, production company, and TV show opens from the 80s for a <a href="http://www.dvno.co.uk/">DVNO</a> music video. Using today's tools to mimic those old-school effects really creates a nice look.</p>
<p>The very last rendering in the series is a tribute to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_J._Cannell">Stephen J. Cannell Productions</a> which was one of my favorite little production logo shorts of that time.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5xTBJBRG96E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><object width="400" height="334"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qweoMJS1DQ8" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qweoMJS1DQ8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="334" /></object><br /><small>Original Stephen J. Cannell Productions logo</small></p>
Ubuntu on the MacBook Pro2008-04-01T05:00:00Z2008-04-01T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/ubuntu-on-the-macbook-pro/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Ubuntu on the MacBook Pro</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>In an effort to spend more time using Linux I've taken the liberty to install <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a> on my MacBook Pro. Referencing a couple <a href="http://www.felipe-alfaro.org/blog/2006/08/19/installing-ubuntu-linux-on-a-macbook-pro/">different guides</a>, the process is terribly easy.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ubuntu-macbook-pro.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ubuntu-macbook-pro-small.jpg" width="400" height="250" border="0" alt="Ubuntu on the MacBook Pro" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>Boot Camp creates the extra partition and <a href="http://refit.sourceforge.net/">rEFIt</a> (boot menu for Intel Macs) is a simple package install through OS X.</p>
<p>With the system prepped, I just had to pop in the Ubuntu CD and everything installed like a dream.</p>
<p>Ubuntu is lightning fast on the MacBook Pro and nearly everything worked straight from the install. Wireless, Bluetooth, audio and keyboard controls adjusting screen and keyboard brightness all worked. The only true issue I'm having is the lack of sleep support. I haven't researched anything into it yet, however.</p>
<p>One thing that I would like to see added: The ability to turn off the Wi-fi and Bluetooth cards when not in use. I rarely use a Bluetooth device and normally keep Bluetooth turned off. Often times I don't have the need for wi-fi and turn that off. This helps save a little bit of battery life when operating sans plug.</p>
<p><b>Update:</b> I just noticed the lameness of the leftover window bar from the screencapture app. Come on Ubuntu! Lettin' me down!</p>
Polizei Cheese2008-04-07T05:00:00Z2008-04-07T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/polizei-cheese/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Polizei Cheese</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Friday night <a href="http://steeltoedloafer.com/">Ernie</a>, Jeff and I were down in Georgia to meet up with <a href="http://gumball144.com/alex-roy/">Alex Roy</a> and a few of his other <a href="http://www.claytech.org/">fans</a>. Mr. Roy is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Roy">known</a> for his Gumball antics, but even more so for his record transcontinental drive from NY to LA in 31 hours and 4 minutes in his blue <a href="http://www.gumball144.com/polizei-m5/">BMW M5</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157604423682484/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/polizei-144.jpg" width="400" height="" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Alex Roy's Polizei 144" /></a></p>
<p>A very nice guy, Alex was kind enough to sign my book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061227935?ie=UTF8&tag=gumballrally1-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061227935">The Driver</a>, (a great read) and various car parts from other folks.</p>
<p>At the signing everyone was getting into nicknames when MidnightCheese was brought up. Alex said the 144 in Polizei 144 came from a cheese shop near his apartment that had 144 types of cheese on-hand. So this was most appropriate.</p>
<p>Here's my Flickr link to a few shots I took of his car, <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157604423682484/">Polizei 144</a>.</p>
<p>Rumor has it Alex <a href="http://web.mac.com/clayhackett/ClayTech/The_Drive_%28Blog%29/Entries/2008/4/7_The_Atlanta_850.html">left Athens in a hurry that night</a>. Unfortunately, we ended up getting lost in Athens side streets before we could follow him out.</p>
Earthquake2008-04-18T05:00:00Z2008-04-18T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/earthquake/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Earthquake</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Woke up around 4:30 this morning to the overhead fan rattling and what felt like the house vibrating. I assumed it was a plane from the Smyrna airport which is about a mile from the house. Never did hear any planes, however. I joked with Merredith saying it was an earthquake.</p>
<p>Turns out we were feeling a 5.4 quake located about 430 miles away in Illinois.</p>
European Automotive2008-04-21T05:00:00Z2008-04-21T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/european-automotive/
<h1 class="full-bleed">European Automotive</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>It's easy to use the ol' blog to point out the negative, but today I want to use it to throw out a little praise.</p>
<p>Anyone in the Murfreesboro/Nashville area looking to have work done on German autos should give <a href="http://europeanautomotives.com/">European Automotive</a> a call.</p>
<p>They were the third place I took the Jetta trying to get an exhaust issue taken care of. (Third time is a charm.) They were able to diagnose and fix the problem quickly and the Jetta has never run so well. Seriously, it feels better at 127,000 miles than it did at 36,000 when I bought it.</p>
<p>EA was super knowledgeable and several weeks later everything is still as it should be!</p>
Muxtape2008-04-24T05:00:00Z2008-04-24T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/muxtape/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Muxtape</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Today I discovered <a href="http://muxtape.com/">Muxtape</a> which is a quick way to throw together a mix tape of sorts by uploading MP3s to their website. Anyone can then go to your Muxtape page and listen.</p>
<p>Not sure about the legality of this one since they're storing unpaid for music on their server and letting others listen at no charge.</p>
<p>At the least, it's a good way for the site owners to build a massive MP3 collection of their own.</p>
<p>I posted two songs today on <a href="http://cale.muxtape.com/">my Muxtape</a>.</p>
MacBook Pro Rainbow Graphics2008-04-28T05:00:00Z2008-04-28T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/04/macbook-pro-rainbow-graphics/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacBook Pro Rainbow Graphics</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I was greeted with a screen of rainbow colors upon boot-up this morning. Many reboots later the problem still persisted. <a href="http://blog.durdle.com/archives/2007/11/30/macbook-pro-graphic-corruption/">This guy suggested</a> resetting the PRAM (Hold command + alt + p + r at startup, wait for two chimes) which worked perfectly.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/rainbow-macbook-pro.jpg" width="400" height="259" alt="Rainbow MacBook Pro" class="blogImage" /></p>
Fuel Prices Officially too High2008-05-02T05:00:00Z2008-05-02T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/05/fuel-prices-officially-too-high/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fuel Prices Officially too High</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I've had a set dollar amount in my mind of what would be too much to pay at the pump. Today I hit that limit. I paid $3.50/gal., filling my tank at 12 gallons for a total of $42.00. That's $2.00 more than what is acceptable in my mind.</p>
<p>The last few weeks I've been consciously trying to limit diving time. Planning out errands more carefully and trying to let up on the accelerator after coming to a stop.</p>
<p>Prices are brutal. Another dollar, maybe two per gallon, and I think we'll really start to see some noticeable effects. Prices of goods climbing even higher, maybe even less people on the road.</p>
<p>A lot of people keep pointing to the high prices in Europe as a way of saying "We don't have it that bad at all!" I know European fuel prices have always been higher than U.S. prices. My question is, have their prices tripled in the last few years like ours have or have European prices stayed level?</p>
<p>Regardless, even though Europe pays more, they also consume differently. A very large percentage of cars sold in Europe have diesel engines, which automatically doubles(or more) your fuel economy. Supposedly public transportation is also far, far more advanced than what we offer ourselves here.</p>
Nissan GT-R on the road in Nashville2008-05-08T05:00:00Z2008-05-08T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/05/nissan-gt-r-on-the-road-in-nashville/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Nissan GT-R on the road in Nashville</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Driving into work this morning I noticed a car some distance ahead with these tail lights that were terribly unique in their circular appearance. I sped up to catch the curious vehicle and as I hoped, came right up on not one, but two brand spankin' new <a href="http://www.nissanusa.com/gt-r/">Nissan GT-Rs</a> cruising down Murfreesboro road. One red, one a grayish color.</p>
<p>The cars had Tennessee Manufacturer/Dealer plates and judging by their route I'd guess they must have been shipped to the Nissan plant in Smyrna and were being driven up to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nashville,+tn&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=36.162174,-86.777986&panoid=AQCuZpaKHNiy6DH1daGiwg&ll=36.163275,-86.777616&spn=0.00699,0.007521&z=17&cbp=1,69.16415525376715,,0,-4.92126768992616">Nissan North America Headquarters</a> in downtown Nashville.</p>
<p>What amazing looking cars. The large diameter on the exhausts is unexpected, but noticeably imposing. The cars were being driven ultra conservatively (40mph in a 45) so I was unable to hear much from the engines.</p>
<p>I caught just a brief glimpse of the front of the red one, but not enough to really form an opinion. I followed behind them for several miles but ultimately had to turn off as they continued into downtown.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I didn't have my good Nikon with me, but here are a couple shots from my camera phone.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-gt-r-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-gt-r.jpg" width="400" height="327" border="0" alt="Nissan GT-R" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/two-nissan-gt-r-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/two-nissan-gt-r.jpg" width="400" height="327" border="0" alt="Two Nissan GT-Rs in Nashville" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
MTA Bus Ride not Feasible2008-05-10T05:00:00Z2008-05-10T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/05/mta-bus-ride-not-feasible/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MTA Bus Ride not Feasible</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>With the NY Times reporting a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/business/10transit.html">surge in riders on mass transit systems</a>, I decided to research the feasibility of riding the <a href="http://www.nashvillemta.org/">bus</a> from La Vergne to work.</p>
<p>Driving distance using a car is 15 miles leaving at 8:10am taking roughly 25-30 minutes in the morning, 30-45 minutes in the afternoon. (Leaving around 5:30pm.)</p>
<p>The bus requires driving my car 3 miles to get to the nearest stop in the morning. Once on the bus, one transfer in downtown Nashville is required, adding on an extra 5 miles for a total of 20 miles one way. I would have to be at the stop at 6:30am in order to get to my final stop at 8:15am then add another 10 minute walk after that, putting me at work at my normal time of 8:30am.</p>
<p>To get home I would have to leave work at 4:00pm to catch the last run back to La Vergne arriving at my final stop at 5:45pm. This results in a 6.5 hour work day.</p>
<p>So, riding the bus results in a much longer commute, and assuming my calculations are correct, <a href="http://www.nashvillemta.org/setpage.asp?page=generalinfo.html">fare</a> costs nearly twice as much compared to driving. $3.50/day vs. $6.13/day. That's using a 31 day pass for the route in Nashville, plus the special fare to ride the Murfreesboro/Nashville line(96X) from La Vergne into downtown. The 96X fare isn't included in the 31 day pass.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/commute-chart.gif" width="400" height="55" border="0" alt="Car vs. Bus" /></p>
My Monitor During the WWDC Keynote2008-06-09T05:00:00Z2008-06-09T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/06/my-monitor-during-the-wwdc-keynote/
<h1 class="full-bleed">My Monitor During the WWDC Keynote</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>A quick screenshot of my setup monitoring the WWDC keynote.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wwdc-08-monitor.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wwdc-08-monitor-small.jpg" width="400" height="142" border="0" alt="WWDC Coverage" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
Internet Weather URLs from 19952008-07-13T05:00:00Z2008-07-13T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/07/internet-weather-urls-from-1995/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Internet Weather URLs from 1995</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>While unpacking some boxes I recently came across a clipping from the Miami Herald ~1995 with a list of sites with good weather information.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/weather-links.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/weather-links-small.jpg" width="400" height="" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Weather links from 1995" /></a></p>
Excellent Presentation of Election Data2008-07-29T05:00:00Z2008-07-29T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/07/excellent-presentation-of-election-data/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Excellent Presentation of Election Data</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I don't point out other websites too often, but <a href="http://www.perspctv.com/">perspctv</a> has put together a well designed mash-up of election related stats and articles. I'm a sucker for graphs, and perspctv has them. Great use of the <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/chart/">Google Charts API</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.perspctv.com/#map"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/perspctv-electoral.gif" width="400" height="152" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="perspctv electoral map" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.perspctv.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/perspctv.gif" width="400" height="416" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="perspctv" /></a></p>
There was no avoiding it, really2008-07-29T05:00:00Z2008-07-29T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/07/there-was-no-avoiding-it-really/
<h1 class="full-bleed">There was no avoiding it, really</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>It happened. I waited in line for about 45 minutes at the Apple Store in Green Hills on Saturday. (Three weeks after launch.) So far, the only thing I miss about my old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_SPH-A900">A900</a> was hacking it to tether to my laptop through Bluetooth. Sprint's EVDO network is rather speedy.</p>
<p>I feel weary giving my money to AT&T, but we'll see how it goes.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/iphone-box.jpg" width="380" height="217" border="0" alt="iPhone box" class="blogImage" /></p>
NOAA Weather Alert Time Lapse2008-08-08T05:00:00Z2008-08-08T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/08/noaa-weather-alert-time-lapse/
<h1 class="full-bleed">NOAA Weather Alert Time Lapse</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Once every hour since March I've been saving a snapshot of the <a href="http://www.weather.gov/largemap.php">NOAA map</a> that shows all the current weather alerts across the country. Last night I finally compiled all the images from March 4th through July 23rd, 2008. Each frame of video is one of these maps. At 12 frames per second we're seeing 12 hours of alerts each second that ticks by.</p>
<p><object width="400" height="324"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GRUaUYPmZyM&hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GRUaUYPmZyM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="324" /></object></p>
<p>Fronts and severe weather sliding across multiple states is obvious. I'm going to attempt to keep the script going for at least a year and recompile everything then. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRUaUYPmZyM">YouTube version</a> is shown above. A <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/video/noaa-alerts-map.mov">full-res version is also available</a>. (175 MB 800x500). Enjoy!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.weather.gov/largemap.php"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/noaa-alerts-map.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="NOAA Alerts Map" border="0" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
All Burned and Melted2008-08-28T05:00:00Z2008-08-28T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/08/all-burned-and-melted/
<h1 class="full-bleed">All Burned and Melted</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/melted-macbook-power-supply.jpg" width="400" height="242" border="0" alt="Melted MacBook Pro Power Supply" /></p>
<p>The picture pretty much explains it all. Unfortunately, I didn't see it happen, so I don't know how close it was to burning the place down. I noticed my battery indicator said "Not Charging," looked down and promptly unplugged the thing.</p>
2 months using AT&T & the iPhone2008-09-23T05:00:00Z2008-09-23T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/09/2-months-using-att-the-iphone/
<h1 class="full-bleed">2 months using AT&T & the iPhone</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I wanted to post some basic impressions regarding my first two months of my 24 month iPhone/AT&T contract.</p>
<p>The bottom line being, it's pretty much not worth the cost and AT&T could give a damn about their customers.</p>
<p><b>AT&T</b><br />Compared to Sprint, AT&T reception is terrible at my house. Even though I'm in 'Good' coverage on the map, I'm lucky to get 1 bar. Sometimes I have no service. I have to go outside to make important phone calls.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/att-coverage-fail.jpg" width="400" height="302" border="0" alt="Sucky AT&T coverage" class="blogImage" /></p>
<p>AT&T prorates your first bill and charges you for the upcoming month of service you haven't yet used. Two weeks into using my new carrier I received a bill for $143. Charges included two weeks of service, a $36 activation fee (total BS), ~$10 of state taxes and about $18 of federal taxes, plus the fee for the next month of service that I haven't yet used. I'm on the $70/mo. plan.</p>
<p>I know technically and legally they can do it, but what a way to stick it right into your new customer's ass right from the start. When I cancel my contract in 22 months, will I get money back for the month I've already paid ahead? I'll be surprised.</p>
<p>So, AT&T gets zero points for service, both product-wise and customer-wise.</p>
<p><b>Apple</b><br />It's pretty amazing this device can do what it does, but you can read about that elsewhere. With that said, I've never had a cellphone that can't keep time, but this one sure can't. I don't know if it's an Apple issue or an AT&T issue, but this thing is off. And I mean randomly off. 46 minutes, 8 hours and 13 minutes... you name it. Random.</p>
<p><b>The G1</b><br />With the release of <a href="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/">Google's G1 on the T-Mobile</a> network today, I'm disappointed in myself for giving AT&T my money.</p>
<p>The T-Mobile folks got up at the unveiling today and went on and on about opening up this platform. The whole thing is Open Source. That's really something special.</p>
<p>Apple puts out excellent software and hardware, and there are excellent apps available through their system, but there's still a good amount of freedom missing in that system.</p>
<p>Another thing that impressed me was when the T-Mobile rep said they would offer existing customers a benefit. (I don't remember the exact benefit, maybe an earlier release.) But that shows that they're at least actively thinking of their customers in a way that isn't just a moneygrab.</p>
<p>I think Android will turn out to be an excellent platform. I'm not big on the HTC phone, but more devices will come.</p>
<p>I hope in 22 months I'll be able to either move my iPhone over to the T-Mobile network, and if I'm lucky, have the option to put Android on my iPhone as well.</p>
Setting my favorite computer free2008-09-24T05:00:00Z2008-09-24T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/09/setting-my-favorite-computer-free/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Setting my favorite computer free</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/2885895049/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/apple-macintosh-se-30.jpg" width="400" height="489" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 A/UX" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>Ever since I can remember I've always had a fascination with the form-factor of the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_SE/30">Macintosh SE/30</a> computers. Perfectly concise in their construction, although they did weigh a ton.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/2885895799/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/apple-macintosh-se-30-badge.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 A/UX" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>These things were powerhouses in their day. They ran the original programs that started the digital printing and publishing revolution. People published books on these machines with precise typographical accuracy. Looking back at 16mhz and 4MB of RAM, that sounds impossible.</p>
<p>So I started buying these machines up on eBay trying to put together a functioning machine. They have a terrible tendency to continuously restart themselves or start-up with a black and white zebra pattern as they age. Some type of video component going bad.</p>
<p>At one point I had a well working SE/30 with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/UX">A/UX</a> installed. A/UX is Apple's original iteration of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix">Unix</a> well before <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nextstep">NeXTstep</a> and OS X were even thought of. This version of Unix was true Unix with version <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_7">7</a> of Finder running on top.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/2885896421/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/apple-macintosh-se-30-aux.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 A/UX" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>This was a lot of fun. SSH and Apache worked and worked well.</p>
<p>Eventually this machine started to age and become unusable.</p>
<p>And now it <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=170265974665">ends up back on eBay</a> where hopefully someone else will be able to take pieces from it and create another working machine at least long enough to squeeze a little bit more fun out of it.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-desktop.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-desktop.gif" width="400" height="267" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 Screenshot" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-g5.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-g5.gif" width="400" height="267" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 Screenshot" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-google.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-google.gif" width="400" height="267" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 Screenshot" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-ssh.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/68k/68k-ssh.gif" width="400" height="267" border="0" alt="Macintosh SE/30 Screenshot" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
Gasoline without Ethanol = ~13% more MPG2008-11-09T06:00:00Z2008-11-09T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/11/gasoline-without-ethanol-equals-more-mpg/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Gasoline without Ethanol = ~13% more MPG</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I recently found a local gas station that only sells gasoline that is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#As_a_fuel">ethanol</a>-free. I've been keeping track of my mileage over the last several weeks to see what the difference is between buying ethanol-free gasoline vs. most gasolines which contain up to 10% ethanol.</p>
<p>With a good mix of city and highway driving during my daily commute I've found that I get up to 13% more MPG using the non-ethanol gasoline. I average 30mpg on straight gasoline while gasoline with up to 10% ethanol has ranged between 26 and 28mpg.</p>
<p>This certainly correlates with the fact that ethanol contains a lower energy content than regular gasoline.</p>
Photos from the UT Vs. Wyoming Game2008-11-09T06:00:00Z2008-11-09T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/11/photos-ut-vs-wyoming/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Photos from the UT Vs. Wyoming Game</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157608797522132/">More photos are on my Flickr page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3018011398/in/set-72157608797522132/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/volwalk.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="VolWalk" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3018012608/in/set-72157608797522132/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pregame.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Pregame at Neyland Stadium" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3017180941/in/set-72157608797522132/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/players.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="UT Players" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3017182325/in/set-72157608797522132/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/band.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Pride of the Southland Marching Band" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
New Police Sub-station opens in Lake Forrest2008-11-25T06:00:00Z2008-11-25T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/11/police-sub-station-in-lake-forrest/
<h1 class="full-bleed">New Police Sub-station opens in Lake Forrest</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.lavergne.org/">La Vergne</a> has opened a new <a href="http://www.lavergne.org/departments/police/index.shtml">Police</a> sub-station in the heart of the Lake Forrest neighborhood. This places a Police presence in the heart of a neighborhood that has been on the nightly news one too many times over the last several years.</p>
<p>City officials and the Police department are all standing behind this effort and I'm glad to see this activism come to our neighborhood, as we certainly need it.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lavergne-police-sub-station-ribbon.jpg" width="400" height="266" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="La Vergne Police Sub-station Ribbon Cutting" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lavergne-police-sub-station.jpg" width="400" height="266" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="La Vergne Police Sub-station" /></p>
3 Months of Radar2008-11-28T06:00:00Z2008-11-28T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/11/3-months-of-radar/
<h1 class="full-bleed">3 Months of Radar</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This is a compilation of 3 months of radar, one image taken every hour. 1 second = 12 hours of time.</p>
<p><object width="400" height="324"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wsme8kLr-l8&hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wsme8kLr-l8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="324" /></object></p>
Night Snow2008-12-12T06:00:00Z2008-12-12T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2008/12/night-snow/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Night Snow</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I spent this evening in Nashville, but came home to a nice snow in Rutherford County.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3102072434/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/night-snow-1.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Night snow in La Vergne" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3101237163/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/night-snow-2.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Night snow in La Vergne" /></a></p>
The Housing Situation on our Street2009-01-11T06:00:00Z2009-01-11T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/01/the-housing-situation-on-our-street/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Housing Situation on our Street</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>With all the talk of the housing market, I decided to take a quick inventory of the homes on our block. Of the 81 homes on the south end of our street there are 8 empty homes in some form of foreclosure, abandonment or sale. That equals about 10% of the homes on our street without occupants. Most of the homes have been empty for several months or more.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/dead-houses.jpg" width="400" height="40" alt="Empty Homes" border="0" class="blogImage" />
</p>I've Cancelled XM for Pandora2009-01-12T06:00:00Z2009-01-12T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/01/leaving-xm-for-pandora/
<h1 class="full-bleed">I've Cancelled XM for Pandora</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This past week I officially cancelled XM in favor of using <a href="http://www.pandora.com/">Pandora</a> in my car through my iPhone.</p>
<p>I mentioned before my <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2008/11/sirius-mostly-replaces-xm/">displeasure with with the XM/Sirius merger</a>, mainly XM wiping out their music channels and replacing them with Sirius stations.</p>
<p>Pandora works exceptionally well in place of an XM radio as long as you're only after music. (Which I am.) The Pandora pros include full color album art, complete artist and song titles, the ability to skip songs, and most importantly, the ability to customize your stations by voting songs up or down.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pandora-in-jetta.jpg" width="400" border="0" alt="Pandora on iPhone in the Jetta" class="blogImage" /></p>
<p>The signal reception is a <a href="http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/29/the-pandora-iphone-in-car-challenge">non-issue</a>. I can drive the 30 miles to work and back without ever encountering a break in the stream. This is true over 3G and Edge.</p>
<p>Cons are few. Sound quality is not as good as XM, although XM was pretty well compressed to begin with. Pandora really isn't far off from FM quality and should only get better in the future as bandwidth increases.</p>
<p>Best of all, the money saved from XM can go to offset the monthly AT&T/Apple money pit.</p>
Kitty Litter Cam!2009-01-23T06:00:00Z2009-01-23T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/01/kitty-litter-cam/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Kitty Litter Cam!</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I'm officially posting my latest project, <a href="http://bigfatmollycat.com/">Kitty Litter Cam</a>! I grew tired of the webcam pointing out the window capturing the occasional car going by, so I've moved it into the laundry room and pointed it at the litter boxes. With 4 cats in the house I figure the chances of catching some action was pretty good.</p>
<p><a href="http://bigfatmollycat.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/kitty-litter-cam.jpg" width="400" height="225" border="0" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>There's some fun stuff going on. <s>The live feed is broadcast through <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/">Ustream</a></s> while a second camera detects motion and uploads the video clips to the server. The <a href="http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome">motion detection software</a> will also send out a <a href="http://twitter.com/bigfatmollycat">Twitter message</a> whenever motion is detected.</p>
<p>I'll post technical details later. In the meantime, enjoy the cats and their litter time!</p>
Do-it-yourself Digital TV Antenna2009-01-30T06:00:00Z2009-01-30T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/01/do-it-yourself-digital-tv-antenna/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Do-it-yourself Digital TV Antenna</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This weekend I'm going to attempt to build my own DTV/UHF antenna to be mounted in my attic, hopefully in time to watch the big game, over the air, on Sunday.</p>
<p>Ernie turned me on to <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/maker_workshop_dtv_antenna_steadyca.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890">these instructions from Make</a>.</p>
<p><b>Update:</b> The antenna worked! Here are the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2009/02/dtv-antenna-success/">results</a>.</p>
<p>I've been using just a pair of rabbit-ears the last few weeks which actually work well with the digital TV signals. No adjustments needed between channels, although I am probably only 20 miles away from the majority of the towers in town.</p>
<p>Once the antenna is done we'll see if we can't pick up a little signal from some place further like Bowling Green.</p>
DTV Antenna Success2009-02-01T06:00:00Z2009-02-01T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/02/dtv-antenna-success/
<h1 class="full-bleed">DTV Antenna Success</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3245863764/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/dtv-signal.jpg" class="blogImage" alt="Signal from homemade DTV antenna" /></a></p>
<p>The homemade DTV antenna has been assembled and installed. Everything seems to be working well. All the local channels tune-in just fine. My TV doesn't display signal strength, so I don't really have any way of knowing if the signal is any stronger compared to the rabbit-ears. But it does get rid of the ugly antenna in the living room.</p>
<p>I placed the antenna in the attic above the garage and set-up an A-B switch to allow switching the living room TV between antenna and cable, should we ever subscribe to Comcast again.</p>
<p>Larger washers might be helpful, but other than that, the <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/maker_workshop_dtv_antenna_steadyca.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890">Make instructions worked out well</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3245034385/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/dtv-antenna.jpg" class="blogImage" alt="Homemade DTV antenna" /></a></p>
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100,000 Miles2009-02-15T06:00:00Z2009-02-15T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/02/100000-miles/
<h1 class="full-bleed">100,000 Miles</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I've officially put 100,000 miles on the Jetta since I've owned it. It took 5.5 years @ roughly 18,000 miles per year.</p>
<p>The car is actually running better now than it ever has, so I'm looking forward to many many more miles with it.</p>
<p>Here's a list of issues and repairs during the last 100,000 miles:</p>
<ul>
<li>Throttlebody replacement</li>
<li>Timing belt replacement</li>
<li>2 catalytic converter replacements</li>
<li>2 sets of tires</li>
<li>Several reattachments of the front underneith splash guard</li>
<li>Water pump replacement</li>
<li>Soon to be 2 sets of floor mats</li>
</ul>
<p>Probably couldn't ask for much less.</p>
Nashville Tea Party2009-02-27T06:00:00Z2009-02-27T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/02/nashville-tea-party/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Nashville Tea Party</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>Some photos from today's Tea Party in Nashville. More photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157614517469868/">here on Flickr</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157614517469868/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nashville-tea-party.jpg" width="400" height="266" alt="Nashville Tea Party" border="0" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157614517469868/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/country-back.jpg" width="400" height="266" alt="Nashville Tea Party" border="0" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
1 Year Time Lapse of Weather Alerts2009-03-09T05:00:00Z2009-03-09T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/03/1-year-time-lapse-of-weather-alerts/
<h1 class="full-bleed">1 Year Time Lapse of Weather Alerts</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><object width="400" height="246"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ir_d8JbQWQg&hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ir_d8JbQWQg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="246" /></object></p>
<p>For over a year now my server has been pulling down an hourly snapshot of the <a href="http://www.weather.gov/largemap.php">current NOAA weather alerts</a>.</p>
<p>This is a one year time lapse compiled from these images from March 2008 to March 2009. A snapshot of alerts was taken every hour. At 24 frames per second: 1 second = 1 day.</p>
It pays to buy local2009-04-02T05:00:00Z2009-04-02T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/04/it-pays-to-buy-local/
<h1 class="full-bleed">It pays to buy local</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This story starts with a terrible experience using Amazon.com, and ends with a wonderful outcome at the local record store.</p>
<p>I was making an Amazon purchase and decided to throw in the new <a href="http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/">Yeah Yeah Yeahs</a> album. Well, after everything was all said and done I was going to end up paying $10.50 in shipping for a $9.99 CD. This was after I had to call into customer service on the phone to have my password reset. (Another rant for another day.)</p>
<p>So I knew anyone local could beat $20.49 for a CD. I went down to <a href="http://www.grimeys.com/">Grimeys</a>, paid $14 with tax and ended up with an EP that came with it.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/its-blitz" width="400" height="" border="0" alt="Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz with EP" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
Murfreesboro Tornado2009-04-10T05:00:00Z2009-04-10T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/04/murfreesboro-tornado/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Murfreesboro Tornado</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>We've had a very active weather event today in the Middle Tennessee area. Using the traffic widget we happened to watch the Murfreesboro tornado pass over I-24 in real time. We hope everyone is safe this afternoon.</p>
<p><strong>Update</strong>: Just wanted to add this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR2tqYbiUZQ">clip</a> from WKRN as the tornado passed over I-24. It's a devastating situation down there. Pay attention to the <a href="http://www.wkrn.com/">local news</a> if you have to be down there or are looking for ways to help.</p>
<p><object width="400" height="324"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cR2tqYbiUZQ&hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cR2tqYbiUZQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="324" /></object></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3429886520/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/murfreesboro-tornado-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Murfreesboro Tornado" width="323" height="299" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3429072089/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/murfreesboro-tornado-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Murfreesboro Tornado" width="322" height="298" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2009/04/murfreesboro-tornado/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/murfreesboro-tornado-radar.jpg" border="0" alt="Murfreesboro Tornado Radar" width="400" height="348" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
Shepard Fairey Stickers2009-07-05T05:00:00Z2009-07-05T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/07/shepard-fairey-stickers/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Shepard Fairey Stickers</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3690588878/in/set-72157620855692377/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/Obey-Propaganda-Printing-Services.jpg" width="400" height="510" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Obey Propaganda Printing Services" /></a></p>
<p>In 2000 I had the chance to interview <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_Fairey">Shepard Fairey</a> over the phone as a Graphic Design project for school.</p>
<p>I remember the most interesting aspect of the interview was Mr. Fairey talking about the balance between his <a href="http://obeygiant.com/">street art</a> and <a href="http://www.blkmrkt.com/">commercial</a> <a href="http://studionumber-one.com/">art</a>. He said he would often cover up his commerical art (billboards) with street art.</p>
<p>He sent me an envelope of stickers a few days later. These are the stickers I held on to from that mailing. The rest have been stuck elsewhere.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157620855692377/">More stickers on Flickr</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3690589400/in/set-72157620855692377/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/Obey-Power-and-Equality.jpg" width="400" height="535" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Obey Power and Equality" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3689784183/in/set-72157620855692377/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/Andre-the-Giant-has-a-Posse.jpg" width="400" height="352" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Andre the Giant has a Posse" /></a></p>
Jolicloud Review2009-08-20T05:00:00Z2009-08-20T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/08/jolicloud-review/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Jolicloud Review</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.jolicloud.com/">Jolicloud</a> is a Linux based OS that's blurring the lines between web apps and desktop apps. They do this by "installing" web apps such as Flickr and Facebook right along side traditional apps like Firefox and Pidgin. Want to use Twitter or Google Maps? Just click the application icon on your desktop like you would any other application. What Google hopes to do with their upcoming <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html">Chrome OS</a>, Jolicloud seems to have already accomplished.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3839103298/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jolicloud.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="266" class="blogImage" alt="Jolicloud" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Installation And Hardware</strong><br />I've been using Jolicloud on my Dell Mini 9 Netbook for about a week. Eventhough this is still alpha software, the install process was super smooth and this is the first Linux distro I've used where wireless works right away with no crazy custom kernel compiles and fanangaling.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/dell-mini-9.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="371" class="blogImage" alt="Dell Mini 9" /></p>
<p>Another nice touch is having a Flash plugin installed and working from the start. No need to install that separately.</p>
<p><strong>Look and Feel</strong><br />The Jolicloud interface is beautiful. We all live within the realm of the web these days and this interface is designed to fit in that world. The Jolicloud interface feels like a trim, slick web app rather than a dated and clunky desktop experience.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3838314891/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jolicloud-wi-fi.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="266" class="blogImage" alt="Jolicloud Icon Bar" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Oh so good, but oh so not</strong><br />And where Jolicloud really shines, it's also falling terribly short. While the Jolicloud interface is fantastic, it's very limited in scope, as the Jolicloud interface is really only for app installation. So your desktop and application launcher, where you spend the most of your time, is a rebranded version of the Ubuntu NBR launcher application.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/3838317445/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jolicloud-desktop.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="266" class="blogImage" alt="Jolicloud Desktop" /></a></p>
<p>The Ubuntu NBR launcher is a fine app, but if the Jolicloud team can extend its app installer interface across the entire OS, they'll really have something special. That Jolicloud interface is so well done, I want to see it everywhere!</p>
<p><strong>Makes Perfect Sense</strong><br />Wanting to edit a document from Google Docs, it feels so natural to just click on the Google Docs icon on my desktop. It performs so much like a traditional app, yet it's all being run from the cloud in the sky. This is the future and Jolicloud is leading the way.</p>
<p>As a side note, this post was written with photos imported and resized entirely with Jolicloud.</p>
Best Google Reader Feature Ever2009-09-18T05:00:00Z2009-09-18T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/09/best-google-reader-feature-ever/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Best Google Reader Feature Ever</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>The addition of the 'Prev' and 'Next' buttons in <a href="http://reader.google.com/">Google Reader</a> is welcomed brilliance.</p>
<p><a href="http://reader.google.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-reader-feature.jpg" width="400" height="111" alt="Google Reader" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p>No more trying to scroll through long posts riddled with photos only to have my favorite browser buckle under the load.</p>
Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta2009-09-23T05:00:00Z2009-09-23T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/09/petit-le-mans-at-road-atlanta/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This weekend I'll be driving down to <a href="http://www.roadatlanta.com/">Road Atlanta</a> for the <a href="http://www.roadatlanta.com/ev_petit.lasso">Petit Le Mans</a> event. Seeing some great cars and races aside, the secondary goal is to regularly post photos and updates to this blog and <a href="http://twitter.com/calem">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/solar-panel.jpg" width="400" height="300" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="Solar Panel" /></p>
<p>We'll be camping without access to the power grid, so I'm working on a solar setup to charge batteries and maybe power a small electrical device or two. We've got a 100 watt solar panel tied to a cigarette/car outlet for plugging in DC devices. I have a 100 watt DC to AC inverter that will be tested. So far, the solar panel will power the inverter, but with a lack of sun this past week, I haven't been able to draw enough energy to power an AC device off the inverter. With the way the weather forecast looks, we may not see any sun while we're down there.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/solar-panel-ipod.jpg" width="400" height="300" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="Solar Panel charging iPod" /></p>
<p>Last year, with several thousand people at the track, AT&T's data network was very spotty. So updates are all dependent on AT&T having gotten their network together. But weather and crappy networks aside, the race will be lots of fun!</p>
<p>More to come with pics of our setup once we get to Road Atlanta.</p>
The True Cost of Owning a Car2009-10-04T05:00:00Z2009-10-04T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/10/the-true-cost-of-owning-a-car/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The True Cost of Owning a Car</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>This afternoon I went through all my service and repair records and added up the total cost of owning my 2000 Jetta over the past 6 years/107,000 miles (145,000 total). The total cost was just under $7,300. That comes to approximately $1,200 per year and $100 per month.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jetta-repair-cost.gif" width="384" height="232" border="0" alt="Jetta Repair Cost" class="blogImage" /></p>
<p>A lot of that cost is normal maintenance such as tires, oil changes, battery, etc. Some of the bigger repairs have included a throttlebody replacement, water pump, 2 catalytic converters, and axle replacement.</p>
<p>The engine and transmission themselves have been fantastic on this car. It's been the surrounding components that have developed the most issues over the years.</p>
Fall Color at Savage Gulf2009-11-01T05:00:00Z2009-11-01T05:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/11/fall-color-at-savage-gulf/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fall Color at Savage Gulf</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>My Dad and I went to <a href="http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/SouthCumberland/">Savage Gulf</a> for some last minute fall foliage shots this weekend. The color was excellent, but unfortunately the height of the bluffs doesn't come through the photos very well. Savage Gulf is one of the more beautiful Tennessee parks I've been to. We hiked from Stone Door almost to the bottom of the canyon, but had to turn back due to time. Definitely want to get back to Savage Gulf soon.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4066430021/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/savage-gulf.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Savage Gulf" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4067178238/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/top-stone-door.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" alt="Top of Stone Door" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4066429101/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/branches-savage-gulf.jpg" width="400" height="266" alt="Branches at Savage Gulf" border="0" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4066428991/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/stone-door.jpg" width="400" height="601" border="0" alt="Stone Door" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
NaNoDrawMo 20092009-11-02T06:00:00Z2009-11-02T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/11/nanodrawmo-2009/
<h1 class="full-bleed">NaNoDrawMo 2009</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1219303@N25/">NaNoDrawMo</a> <a href="http://stevenf.tumblr.com/post/219998282/neven-and-gus-both-expressed-interest-in">requires</a> its participants to create 50 drawings in 30 days. I've had a little empty sketchbook sitting around for some time now that I thought would be perfect for this exercise. I'm doing quicker sketches rather than finished drawings which seems to fit better in the smaller space of the book.</p>
<p>I started with some renderings of objects but have started to move into faces and characters. More to come!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4070837630/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nanodrawmo-phone.jpg" width="400" height="267" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="NaNoDrawMo phone" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4070837774/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nanodrawmo-face.jpg" width="400" height="262" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="NaNoDrawMo face" /></a></p>
Funky Apple Magic Mouse Panel Design2009-11-03T06:00:00Z2009-11-03T06:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/11/funky-apple-magic-mouse-panel-design/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Funky Apple Magic Mouse Panel Design</h1><p class="date"></p>
<p>I was reading the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/11/you-win-some-you-lose-some-a-review-of-apples-magic-mouse.ars">Ars review</a> of the <a href="http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/">Magic Mouse</a> and came across a screenshot of the new mouse's control panel. This is one of the few interface layouts from Apple that seemed to have almost zero thought put behind the design. Here's a little before and after of what I thought it should look like. Lots of simplification can happen here. Removing the separate checkmarks and drop-downs and replacing them with just drop-down menus really takes the business away from this panel. It's also more in line with the design of the Mighty Mouse and Spaces panels.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4072104427/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/apple-magic-mouse-panel-small.jpg" width="400" height="650" class="blogImage" alt="Apple Magic Mouse Control Panel" /></a></p>
New Year's Eve on the Beach2010-01-01T00:00:00Z2010-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2009/12/new-years-eve-on-the-beach/
<h1 class="full-bleed">New Year's Eve on the Beach</h1><p class="date">December 31, 2009</p>
<p>A few photos from the beach at midnight.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4235596856/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/beach-new-year-01.jpg" alt="New Year's on the beach at Seaside, FL" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4235596846/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/beach-new-year-02.jpg" alt="New Year's on the beach at midnight at Seaside, FL" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4235596850/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/beach-new-year-fireworks.jpg" alt="New Year's on the beach with fireworks at Seaside, FL" /></a></p>
Nissan Leaf Event Nashville2010-01-18T00:00:00Z2010-01-18T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/01/nissan-leaf-event-nashville/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Nissan Leaf Event Nashville</h1><p class="date">January 17, 2010</p>
<p>Nissan was showing off the <a href="http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/">Leaf</a> this evening. I snapped a few photos below. I like the prospect of driving an all-electric vehicle. The price needs to come down a bit, but for around-town applications, the Leaf sounds promising.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Nissan wasn't showing off the motor or the battery pack tonight. That will have to remain a mystery for the time being.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4286548266/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-front.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Front" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4285806209/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-charging-port.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Charging Port" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4285807777/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-back.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Back" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4286549832/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-event-nashville.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Event Nashville" /></a></p>
How to Cure Adobe's Laziness2010-01-31T00:00:00Z2010-01-31T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/01/how-to-cure-adobes-laziness/
<h1 class="full-bleed">How to Cure Adobe's Laziness</h1><p class="date">January 30, 2010</p>
<p>Steve Jobs <a href="http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/01/googles-dont-be-evil-mantra-is-bullshit-adobe-is-lazy-apples-steve-jobs/">called Adobe "lazy."</a> He was referring to Flash, but it's also spot-on for <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/">Adobe's Creative Suite line of software</a> most often used by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_design">Graphic Designers</a>. With multi-touch software interaction bearing down on us like a freight train, Adobe is about to be obliterated at the crossing. With their Creative Suite stagnating, Adobe is one clever competitor away from becoming obsolete.</p>
<p>Here are <strong>5 things Adobe can do to save itself</strong> and rekindle the excitement Designers once had when sitting down to use Adobe software.</p>
<p><strong>1. Go Multi-touch</strong><br />Multi-touch and gesturing is so much more natural than wrangling a mouse, keyboard, or pen tablet. This new way of interacting between human and machine gets us back to the way fine artists interact with pen and paper, paint and canvas, even ad layout before the age of computers.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/iwork-multi-touch-ui.jpg" alt="iWork Page Layout" /><br /><small>Multi-touch page layout with iWork.</small></p>
<p>What if I could start drawing shapes in Illustrator with my hands like I would on paper? Precisely laying out a magazine in InDesign with my finger tips, carefully gauging spacing with my eyes? How about burning and dodging photos in Photoshop with the flick of my wrist like I did in the darkroom? This would be a dream come true for all artists using a computer to output their work.</p>
<p><strong>2. Give us a Designer's UI</strong><br />Adobe's user interface is over 20 years old. I'm stuck using these bland controls from the 1988 era while companies like Apple and <a href="http://brushesapp.com/">guys like this</a> give us beautiful controls that are masterfully crafted.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/adobe-ui-control.jpg" alt="Old Adobe UI controls" /><br /><small>An example of a tired old Adobe control element.</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/brushes-ui.jpg" alt="Brushes UI" /><br /><small>An example of a UI control from <em>Brushes</em>. Take note, Adobe.</small></p>
<p><strong>3. Hire some Graphic Designers</strong><br />Since the Macromedia merger it's clear there's been zero consulting with people who actually use Adobe's creative software. <a href="http://adobegripes.tumblr.com/">Adobe UI Gripes</a> points this out ad nauseam. Cryptic messages, inadequate type lists, abysmal handling of typography... Adobe needs to learn from its users.</p>
<p><strong>4. Start Over. From Scratch.</strong><br />Obviously, to implement any of these changes, you have to start over. All your software has to be rewritten to take advantage of today's and future technology. This is tough when you're sitting on a 20+ year-old code base, but look what's happened to Windows. Bloated, slow, unintuitive, unfriendly. Sound familiar?</p>
<p><strong>5. Lead.</strong><br />When Apple announced the iPad, they invited some big names up on stage to demo their apps and show off their innovative approach to multi-touch software interaction. EA showed us a whole new way to play games. MLB showed us a new way to interact with sports. Apple showed us a new way to interact with spreadsheets. Then someone showed us a new way to approach creative arts. But it wasn't Adobe on stage. It was Steve Sprang, a single developer who came up and showed us his <a href="http://brushesapp.com/">Brushes app</a>. This app is what Adobe should have been demoing and it should have been called Photoshop Touch. But instead, a multi-billion dollar company was trumped by one guy.</p>
<p>Leading will come naturally once Adobe gets its heart back in it and starts implementing the above ideas. It's tough to lead, especially since Adobe has no competition in the Graphic Design field of software.</p>
<p><strong>Adobe can be Great Again</strong><br />In the 1990s, Apple and Adobe pioneered the great digital transition in the world of Graphic Design. We're about to enter a new era with multi-touch interaction becoming more mainstream and I want to see Adobe at the forefront of this movement. I want to create with my hands, again, not using a mouse or stylus pen as a proxy. Adobe has the history to make it happen. I hope they do it before Apple, or someone else does. I hope Adobe is listening.</p>
Nashville Snow Photos2010-01-31T00:00:00Z2010-01-31T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/01/nashville-snow-photos/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Nashville Snow Photos</h1><p class="date">January 30, 2010</p>
<p>A few photos from Nashville's biggest snow since 2003.
</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4318237284/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-tree-small.jpg" alt="Snowy Tree" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4317504637/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-poles-small.jpg" alt="Power Lines in the snow" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4318237242/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-hill-small.jpg" alt="Snowy Hill" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4318237200/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/night-snow-small.jpg" alt="Snow at night" /></a></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-band.jpg" alt="Storm warnings" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-radar.jpg" alt="Snow radar" /></p>
How Much Does Apple Loathe Flash?2010-02-09T00:00:00Z2010-02-09T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/02/how-much-apple-loathes-flash/
<h1 class="full-bleed">How Much Does Apple Loathe Flash?</h1><p class="date">February 08, 2010</p>
<p>Enough to blatantly highlight the <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad</a>'s lack of Flash support at least four times during the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>/Safari demo. It begins to become obvious considering how carefully planned out those presentations are.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flash-ipad.jpg" alt="Lack of Flash on the iPad" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flash-ipad-2.jpg" alt="Lack of Flash on the iPad" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flash-ipad-3.jpg" alt="Lack of Flash on the iPad" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flash-ipad-4.jpg" alt="Lack of Flash on the iPad" /></p>
Facebook thinks I like Toilets2010-03-05T00:00:00Z2010-03-05T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/03/facebook-thinks-i-like-toilets/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Facebook thinks I like Toilets</h1><p class="date">March 04, 2010</p>
<p>Facebook served me up a nice targeted ad today. Apparently I'm really into toilets. But not just any toilet, the DUALLY of toilets: The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/caromausa">Dual Flush Toilet</a>. For when you need that extra flush.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/dual-flush-toilet.jpg" alt="Facebook Dual-Flush Toilet" /></p>
The Acclaim Trip2010-03-05T00:00:00Z2010-03-05T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/03/the-acclaim-trip/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Acclaim Trip</h1><p class="date">March 04, 2010</p>
<p><strong>Final Update:</strong> The car made the trip just fine. I have a good weekend of detailing ahead of me. The car must have sat under a tree for some time and needs a good wipe-down outside and in.</p>
<p>There seems to be a bit of sludgy debris in the cooling system which was probably stirred up with the replacement of the water pump. The temperature read a bit high during the first 50 miles or so of driving, but has normalized since then. A flush may need to happen soon. That seems to be the only major issue. At 38,000 miles, the Acclaim should have some good driving time left in it.</p>
<p><strong>Update 9:00p:</strong> We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow. The car has been driven around town off and on today. It feels strong. We'll be stopping about half-way in Johnson City to visit a friend. Hopefully we'll make it back home before dark.</p>
<p><a href="http://twitpic.com/16yv5t"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/acclaim-md.jpg" alt="Plymouth Acclaim" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Update 11:30a:</strong> <a href="http://twitpic.com/16yv5t">The Acclaim</a> is in hand. It needs a good scrubbing, but everything runs smooth. The location we picked the car up from had a <a href="http://twitpic.com/16yzrs">Tesla Roadster sitting in one of the bays</a>. Very cool. That's te closest I've been to a Tesla. I think it's presence is a good sign for the Acclaim acquisition.</p>
<p><a href="http://twitpic.com/16yzrs"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tesla-roadster.jpg" alt="Tesla Roadster" /></a></p>
<p>The Acclaim is without spare tire and locating a spare wheel on a Saturday is a challenge. May hit up a junk yard. More to come.</p>
<p><strong>Update 6:30a:</strong> The plane awaits: <a href="http://twitpic.com/16xmrp">http://twitpic.com/16xmrp</a> An Acclaim fun fact: The Acclaim was rated third in reliability behind Accord and Camry in 1995.</p>
<p>We're flying up to Baltimore in the morning to pick-up and turn right back around with a 1995 Plymouth Acclaim with only 38,000 miles on the odo.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/plymouth-acclaim.jpg" alt="Plymouth Acclaim" /></p>
<p>It's a unique find, but ultimately will extend the life of the Mooth fleet as all three of our vehicles are at the 150,000 mile mark. The Taurus will likely be retired.</p>
<p>Hopefully updates to this post will be frequent as we make our way to Baltor and back with our new old car.</p>
Square Foot Gardening2010-03-24T00:00:00Z2010-03-24T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/03/square-foot-gardening/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Square Foot Gardening</h1><p class="date">March 23, 2010</p>
<p>This spring we've started a new gardening project using the <a href="http://www.squarefootgardening.com/">Square Foot Gardening</a> method. The premise is pretty simple. Building a designated container and filling it with specific soil eliminates poor soil quality. The container is divided and planting is planned ahead of time to yield more manageable amounts of food.</p>
<p>This is our first attempt at this method. It's all part of an effort to pay more attention to where our food comes from. Fruits and vegetables in most locations have been on an average journey of 1,500 miles before reaching your plate. So, not only is locally grown food fresher, the amount of fuel burned to get that food to our plate is almost zero when growing local. You can read more from the folks at <a href="http://www.slowfood.com/">Slow Food</a>.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to our garden, here are some photos of the construction process. The materials included 4 4-foot 2x6's, a sheet of plywood, small strips of wood to act as dividers, and an excellent soil mixture made up of several blends of compost, among other sources.</p>
<p>Seeds for 3 types of lettuce, broccoli, kale, peas and spinach were planted about 2 weeks ago and we're just now starting to see the lettuce sprout. We'll plant carrots and radishes this weekend. Later in the season we'll move on to tomatoes and squash. Assuming all goes well, I'll post updates throughout the growing season. Here's to healthy eating at a local level.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/frame.jpg" border="0" alt="Square Foot Garden Frame" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/box-bottom.jpg" border="0" alt="Square Foot Garden Bottom" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/box-plywood.jpg" border="0" alt="Square Foot Garden Empty" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/square-foot-garden-no-guides.jpg" border="0" alt="Square Foot Garden with Soil" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/square-foot-garden.jpg" alt="Square Foot Garden" /></p>
The Big 150,0002010-03-24T00:00:00Z2010-03-24T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/03/the-big-150000/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Big 150,000</h1><p class="date">March 23, 2010</p>
<p>Rolled over 150,000 miles yesterday. It took almost 4 years to add another 50,000 miles from the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2006/07/100000/">100,000</a> point, bringing my yearly average down to almost half that of 4 years ago. Here's to another 50,000!</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/150000.jpg" border="0" alt="150,000" /></p>
Hooking up a Parallel LCD to Arduino2010-03-29T00:00:00Z2010-03-29T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/03/hooking-up-a-parallel-lcd-to-arduino/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Hooking up a Parallel LCD to Arduino</h1><p class="date">March 28, 2010</p>
<p>A few months ago for my birthday I received an <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino</a> board and a small 16x2 LCD screen. The Arduino is a lot of fun. It's taken several months of off-and-on tinkering but I finally have it setup to read in RSS and XML feeds from a PHP script and display the selected data on the screen.</p>
<p>I'll post the code soon, but first I wanted to just briefly go over actually attaching the screen to the Arduino. I ended up buying a <a href="http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=709">parallel screen</a> which requires quite a few more connection points compared to using a <a href="http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9067">serial screen</a>. I used <a href="http://www.arduinoprojects.com/node/13">this wiring scheme</a> to hook-up the LCD. Finding the correct diagram for my screen took a little while of searching around the net, but once I found the right one everything worked well. (Sorry for the poor photo quality.)</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hookup-wire-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hookup-wire-large.jpg" border="0" alt="Hookup Wire" /></a></p>
<p><small>Hookup wire. The 22 gauge wire fits snugly into the Arduino. Getting two wires into the same port is tricky, however.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-large.jpg" border="0" alt="Arduino with LCD screen" /></a></p>
<p><small>Arduino with LCD screen.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cut-wires-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cut-wires-large.jpg" border="0" alt="Wires cut to length" /></a></p>
<p><small>Wires cut to length.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lcd-connected-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lcd-connected-large.jpg" border="0" alt="LCD connected to Arduino" /></a></p>
<p><small>LCD connected to Arduino.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-hello-world-large.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-hello-world-large.jpg" border="0" alt="Hello, World!" /></a></p>
<p><small>Hello, World!</small></p>
TrendMeme: Search and Rank the Trends2010-04-19T00:00:00Z2010-04-19T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/04/trendmeme-search-and-rank-the-trends/
<h1 class="full-bleed">TrendMeme: Search and Rank the Trends</h1><p class="date">April 18, 2010</p>
<p>On my continuing quest to learn how to code I've created a fun little application that lets you vote and rank the <a href="http://trendme.me/">current Trends</a> from <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>. The application is called <a href="http://trendme.me/">TrendMeme</a>. In addition to voting, you can see what's currently being said about a Trend, comment on a Trend and even search and browse for past Trends.</p>
<p><a href="http://trendme.me/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/trendmeme-home.jpg" border="0" alt="TrendMeme Homepage" /></a></p>
<p>Furthering my PHP abilities I used the <a href="http://cakephp.org/">CakePHP</a> framework to construct this app. I learned a lot about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model%E2%80%93view%E2%80%93controller">MVC process</a>. CakePHP has its oddities (the SUM function is largely absent) but overall I think it's a solid tool and it was very helpful.</p>
<p><a href="http://trendme.me/trends/view/4795"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/trendmeme-trend.jpg" border="0" alt="TrendMeme Trend Page" /></a></p>
Candor Gallery Bringing The Hits2010-04-28T00:00:00Z2010-04-28T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/04/candor-gallery-bringing-the-hits/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Candor Gallery Bringing The Hits</h1><p class="date">April 27, 2010</p>
<p>I haven't mentioned <a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a> in quite some time, so I wanted to post a little update. I've been paying attention to traffic stats lately and am excited to report that the Candor Gallery Widget is still receiving up to 115,000 views per month. While no major updates have been released in the last couple years, artwork continues to be submitted.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.candorgallery.com/"><img src="http://www.candorgallery.com/images/candor-gallery-widget-elohim-sanchez.jpg" alt="Candor Gallery" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The amount of people who have contributed artwork and who continue to use the widget as a source for viewing artwork still amazes me. My thanks goes out to everyone who has contributed over the years.</p>
<p>With that said, I think it's time to consider a Candor Gallery refresh. Nothing definite is in store yet, but something along the lines of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> / <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">Deviant Art</a> / <a href="http://dribbble.com/">Dribbble</a> may be in order. Something that lets users interact with each other more so than the current setup allows. The widget will always remain in place as long as people continue to download it, but with such a talented pool of artists as a user base, I think there's an opportunity to do something more for that group of users and beyond.</p>
<p>Please send any feedback to <a href="mailto:curator@candorgallery.com">curator@candorgallery.com</a> or post a comment below.</p>
Stones River Prior to Percy Priest Lake2010-04-28T00:00:00Z2010-04-28T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/04/stones-river-prior-to-percy-priest-lake/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Stones River Prior to Percy Priest Lake</h1><p class="date">April 27, 2010</p>
<p><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/">OpenStreetMap</a> shows <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=36.0775&lon=-86.5579&zoom=12&layers=B000FTF">the path of the Stones River prior</a> to the building of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Priest_Lake">Percy Priest Lake</a> in the 1960s.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=36.0775&lon=-86.5579&zoom=12&layers=B000FTF"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/stones-river.jpg" width="400" height="414" border="0" alt="Stones River" class="blogImage" /></a><br /><small>The Stones River prior to the construction of Percy Priest Lake.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=percy+priest+lake&sll=36.075187,-86.570206&sspn=0.225043,0.493698&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Percy+Priest+Lake&ll=36.085454,-86.558533&spn=0.112507,0.246849&t=p&z=13"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/percy-priest-lake.jpg" width="400" height="401" border="0" alt="Percy Priest Lake" class="blogImage" /></a><br /><small>Percy Priest Lake.</small></p>
<p>The idea that all that land, places where people lived and even entire towns like Jefferson are now under water is fascinating to me. You can follow where roads like Couchville Pike used to span from the 840 area all the way over to where Nashville International Airport now sits. Little pieces still stick out <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37086&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.718442,92.900391&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=La+Vergne,+Rutherford,+Tennessee+37086&ll=36.096742,-86.552804&spn=0.014061,0.022681&t=h&z=16">here</a> and <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37086&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.718442,92.900391&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=La+Vergne,+Rutherford,+Tennessee+37086&ll=36.106815,-86.599238&spn=0.00703,0.01134&t=h&z=17">there</a>.</p>
<p>Jefferson, or <a href="http://www.tngenweb.org/rutherford/jefferso.htm">Old Jefferson</a> is the most interesting. Once the County seat, now <s>under water</s> demolished.</p>
Historic Flooding in Middle Tennessee2010-05-01T00:00:00Z2010-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/04/historic-flooding-in-middle-tennessee/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Historic Flooding in Middle Tennessee</h1><p class="date">April 30, 2010</p>
<p>The flooding continues to worsen, with more rain expected on the way. Merredith and I were out in the rain most of the morning entering into the early afternoon, spending time in Fairview. We tried to stop for a late breakfast at the Loveless, but the wait would have been over an hour.</p>
<p>The rain and roads were just terrible along I-440 around 1:00. Traffic was slow and water was ponding. We stopped for lunch at the I-65 Harding exit and watched the rain continue to fall. On the way home from lunch we took Harding headed East to I-24. Water was pooling on Harding in multiple areas, traffic was slow. We decided to take I-24 back to La Vergne, but there was so much water on I-24 we got off at the very next exit which was Haywood Lane/Antioch Pike.</p>
<p>Antioch Pike turned out to be just as bad as the interstate; water over the road, completely blocking the road just beyond Hickory Hollow Parkway. What we didn't realize at the time was that we were seeing the very beginnings of Mill Creek coming over its banks. On Mt. View Road the water was deep enough between the I-24 ramps and Old Franklin Road to submerge a motorist. We went around and called Metro.</p>
<p>Murfreesboro Road heading into La Vergne was equally flooded in spots, with motorists having to slow down to get through the water. Into La Vergne, Old Nashville Highway in front of the Co-Op and Behind the Dominos plaza was covered in water, and spots of Stones River Road were also covered.</p>
<p>Once we were home we began to see the full effects of Mill Creek submerging cars and trucks on I-24, Bell Road, Blue Hole Road and Antioch Pike. Had we stayed out a bit longer, waiting for that table at the Loveless, we likely would have been right in the middle of the flooding on one of those roads.</p>
<p>I was driving, so wasn't able to snap any photos, but plenty of other folks did:</p>
<p>Photo of I-24 at Bell Rd. from WSMV: <a href="http://tweetphoto.com/20716205">http://tweetphoto.com/20716205</a></p>
<p>Video of a school portable floating down I-24 at Bell Rd.: <a href="http://yfrog.us/49qsfz">http://yfrog.us/49qsfz</a></p>
<p>Jackass truck driver causing floating cars to run into each other, threatening bystanders: <a href="http://www.twitvid.com/SZBE5">http://www.twitvid.com/SZBE5</a> (I-24 at Bell Rd.)</p>
<p>Drivers braving flooded I-24 at Briley Parkway: <a href="http://www.twitvid.com/PXVVP">http://www.twitvid.com/PXVVP</a></p>
<p>The <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Cameras Widget</a> caught several still image of the I-24 flooding.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-bell-road-flooding-02.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="Flooding at I-24 & Bell Rd." /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-bell-road-flooding-01.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="I-24 Flooding" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-bell-road-flooding-03.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="I-24 Mill Creek Flood" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-briley-flooding-01.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="I-24 Briley Parkway Flood" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-briley-flooding-02.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="I-24 Flooding" /></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/i-24-briley-flooding-03.jpg" width="342" height="312" border="0" alt="I-24 closed at Briley" /></p>
Flooding in the Bordeaux Area2010-05-06T00:00:00Z2010-05-06T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/05/flooding-in-the-bordeaux-area/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Flooding in the Bordeaux Area</h1><p class="date">May 05, 2010</p>
<p>Some coworkers and I volunteered with <a href="http://www.hon.org/">Hands On Nashville</a> to help people clean-up from some of the flood damage in the Bordeaux, North Nashville area. Here are a few images from that part of town.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4583681565/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/house-on-road-small.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="House moved off foundation" /></a></p><p><small>A house moved off its foundation by flood water. Hummingbird Rd. and Buena Vista Rd.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4583681773/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nashville-flood-2010-small.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Flooded Road" /></a></p><p><small>Two lane road covered with water.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4583681815/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/usn-school-fields-flood-small.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="USN Fields" /></a></p><p><small>USN sports fields flooded.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4584311022/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/whites-creek-flood-small.jpg" width="400" height="266" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Whites Creek and County Hospital Rd." /></a></p><p><small>Whites Creek running over County Hospital Road in North Nashville near Briley Parkway.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4583681525/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/buckled-road.jpg" width="400" height="533" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Buckled asphalt on Tucker Rd. off W. Hamilton Rd." /></a></p><p><small>Buckled asphalt on Tucker Rd. off W. Hamilton Rd. leading to a bridge over Whites Creek.</small></p>
How High is Percy Priest Lake?2010-05-06T00:00:00Z2010-05-06T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/05/how-high-is-percy-priest-lake/
<h1 class="full-bleed">How High is Percy Priest Lake?</h1><p class="date">May 05, 2010</p>
<p>Precy Priest Lake/Dam has been <a href="http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/pao/News/10-30%20update%20may%205%20releases.htm">holding back</a> a lot of water to help prevent further flooding along the Cumberland River in Nashville. Yesterday morning I went down to the Hurricane Creek Boat ramp in La Vergne to see <a href="http://lakeinfo.tva.gov/htbin/lakeinfo?site=JPH&DataType=Obs">how high</a> the water was.</p>
<p>As you can see, the entire ramp and parking area is still under water.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4584310500/in/set-72157623880749141/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/percy-priest-flood-2010-small.jpg" border="0" alt="High water at Percy Priest Lake" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37086&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.736609,81.5625&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=La+Vergne,+Rutherford,+Tennessee+37086&ll=36.048726,-86.561998&spn=0.001297,0.007022&z=18&layer=c&cbll=36.048725,-86.561997&panoid=t2zpsZ9i_xcbe3QxjURsVw&cbp=12,338.72,,0,3.9"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/percy-priest-google-street-view.jpg" border="0" alt="Precy Priest from Google Street View" /></a></p><p><small>This is the normal <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37086&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.736609,81.5625&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=La+Vergne,+Rutherford,+Tennessee+37086&ll=36.048726,-86.561998&spn=0.001297,0.007022&z=18&layer=c&cbll=36.048725,-86.561997&panoid=t2zpsZ9i_xcbe3QxjURsVw&cbp=12,338.72,,0,3.9">view of Percy Priest Lake from Google Street View</a>.</small></p>
Weather Alert Script for your Home Server2010-05-23T00:00:00Z2010-05-23T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/05/weather-alert-script-for-your-home-server/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Weather Alert Script for your Home Server</h1><p class="date">May 22, 2010</p>
<p>With the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2009/04/murfreesboro-tornado/">often active tornado season</a> in Middle Tennessee I've been meaning to buy a weather radio. But first I wanted to see if my home server could do the job for me. Using <a href="http://www.linux.org/apps/AppId_2367.html">beep</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron">cron</a>, and the <a href="http://wiki.wunderground.com/index.php/API_-_XML">weather API</a> from <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/">Weather Underground</a>, I've crafted a homebrew weather alert system.</p>
<p><strong>How it works:</strong> Utilizing cron, a PHP script is run every ten minutes retrieving the number of active weather alerts for a specific zip code. On most days the alert count is zero. However, if an alert is active, (a severe thunderstorm watch or a tornado watch, for example) cron starts running a separate PHP script every 1 minute looking specifically for severe thunderstorm <em>warnings</em> or tornado <em>warnings</em>.</p>
<p>If a watch is active, the server uses beep to send out a specific sound.</p>
<pre>
beep -f 75 -l 3000
</pre>
<p>If a warning is active, beep outputs a different sound.</p>
<pre>
beep -f 900 -l 1500 -r 4
</pre>
<p>As it happens, our server is just off the kitchen, so we can hear the beeping from the main part of the house.</p>
<p>Here is the code:</p>
<pre>
< ?php
function pullWXAlerts() {
$zipCode = 37086; // Your Zip Code
$wxAlerts = "http://api.wunderground.com/auto/wui/geo/AlertsXML/index.xml?query=".$zipCode; // Weather Underground API
$xml = simplexml_load_file($wxAlerts);
$alertCount = count($xml->xpath('//AlertItem')); // Counting the number of active alerts.
echo "\nActive Alerts: ".$alertCount."\n\n";
$alerts = array();
if ($alertCount > 0) {
echo "The following alerts are active for ".$zipCode.":\n";
foreach($xml->xpath('//description') as $alert) {
$alerts[] = $alert;
echo $alert."\n";
}
shell_exec('beep -f 75 -l 3000'); // Beep if an alert exists
$wxAlerts = print_r($alerts,true);
$mailBody=<<<_ORDER_
The following alerts are active for the $zipCode zip code:
$wxAlerts
_ORDER_;
mail('user@domain.com','WX Alerts',$mailBody);
}
echo "\n";
// If alerts exist, start checking for additional warnings every minute.
$lsResult = shell_exec('ls /etc/cron.minutely');
$f = strstr($lsResult,'wx-warn');
if (($alertCount > 0) && ($f == false)) {
echo "Copying warning script to /etc/cron.minutely.\n";
// Copy our script to be run once a minute into /etc/cron.minutely
shell_exec('cp /home/user/wx-alerts/wx-warn-min /etc/cron.minutely/');
} else if (($alertCount == 0) && ($f == true)) {
echo "Removing script from /etc/cron.minutely\n";
// If no alerts exist, remove our script from /etc/cron.minutely
shell_exec('rm /etc/cron.minutely/wx-warn-min');
}
}
pullWXAlerts();
?></pre>
<p>Above is the script that looks for watches every ten minutes. If watches exist, a second script is copied over to to the cron folder and is run every minute. I've added the functionality to also email myself if an alert exists.</p>
<p>This is the script that runs every minute if a weather alert is active:</p>
<pre>
< ?php
function pullWXAlerts() {
$zipCode = 37086; // Your Zip Code
$wxAlerts = "http://api.wunderground.com/auto/wui/geo/AlertsXML/index.xml?query=".$zipCode; // Weather Underground API
$xml = simplexml_load_file($wxAlerts);
$alertCount = count($xml->xpath('//AlertItem')); // Counting the number of active alerts.
echo "\nActive Alerts: ".$alertCount."\n\n";
$alerts = array();
if ($alertCount > 0) {
echo "The following alerts are active for ".$zipCode.":\n";
foreach($xml->xpath('//description') as $alert) {
$alerts[] = $alert;
echo $alert."\n";
if ($alert == "Tornado Warning" || $alert == "Severe Thunderstorm Warning") {
shell_exec('beep -f 900 -l 1500 -r 4');
echo "Beeping 4 times for ".$alert."\n";
$warn = true;
$warning = $alert;
}
}
$wxAlerts = print_r($alerts,true);
if ($warn == true) {
$mailBody=<<<_ORDER_
The following warnings are active for the $zipCode zip code:
$warning
_ORDER_;
mail('user@domain.com','WX Warning Alert',$mailBody);
}
}
echo "\n";
}
pullWXAlerts();
?>
</pre>
<p>Once again we're getting an alert count. If an alert exists and it's either a thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning, beep takes over and starts sounding the alarm.</p>
<p>I had to customize my crontab in order for the system to run a job every ten minutes as well as every minute. There is a lot of <a href="http://adminschoice.com/crontab-quick-reference">info about crontab</a> on the interwebs.</p>
<p>Once cron is set up, you can call these files from a bash script like so:</p>
<pre>
#!/bin/bash
php /home/user/wx-alerts/pull-wx-alerts.php
</pre>
<p><strong>A word of caution:</strong> While this system may work well for some, it's likely not ideal for everyone. Some system beeps are very quiet. You're also relying on computers to get the alert out. Not to mention your internet connection and power company. Personally, I'll still be investing in a real weather radio, but this can act as a decent failsafe.</p>
Kodak Zi8 Sample Footage2010-07-01T00:00:00Z2010-07-01T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/06/kodak-zi8-sample-footage/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Kodak Zi8 Sample Footage</h1><p class="date">June 30, 2010</p>
<p>I picked up a <a href="http://store.kodak.com/store/ekconsus/en_US/pd/Zi8_Pocket_Video_Camera/productID.156585800">Kodak Zi8</a> for an upcoming road trip and have been shooting a bunch of test footage. For the price, the HD image quality is quite decent. Here are a couple clips from downtown Nashville taken earlier this week:</p>
<p><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I5nGVnQ8nxE&hl=en_US&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I5nGVnQ8nxE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241" /></object></p>
<p><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b0GVYCVEw88&hl=en_US&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b0GVYCVEw88&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241" /></object></p>
My 16mm Short Film2010-07-13T00:00:00Z2010-07-13T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/my-16mm-short-film/
<h1 class="full-bleed">My 16mm Short Film</h1><p class="date">July 12, 2010</p>
<p>I took a film class at <a href="http://utk.edu/">UT</a> (about 8 years ago, now) that required us to shoot several 16mm shorts throughout the semester. Of those several films, I finally <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-nbaeC5-BQ">posted</a> my favorite to YouTube.</p>
<p>The actor is my brother, Colin. Chris Conner did the score and opening title as a test project many years after the film was shot. The transfer to video didn't turn out too well, but that's what you get for videotaping film projected onto a wall.</p>
<p><object width="400" height="321"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v-nbaeC5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v-nbaeC5-BQ&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="321" /></object></p>
NOAA Weather/Radio Fax over Shortwave Radio2010-07-14T00:00:00Z2010-07-14T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/noaa-weatherradio-fax-over-shortwave-radio/
<h1 class="full-bleed">NOAA Weather/Radio Fax over Shortwave Radio</h1><p class="date">July 13, 2010</p>
<p>While it would be a lot of fun to set up a <a href="http://www.asciimation.co.nz/bb/2010/06/27/receiving-weather-satellite-pictures-in-new-zealand-part-1">weather satellite receiver and read signals from space</a>, cost and time begins to become an issue.</p>
<p>So, while reading about receiving sat. signals, I learned that <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">NOAA</a> also <a href="http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/radiofax.htm">broadcasts</a> various weather maps over shortwave radio for marine vessels. I just happened to have a little shortwave receiver and with the closest <a href="http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulf.shtml">NOAA Radiofax station in New Orleans</a>, I thought I'd see what I could pick up.</p>
<p>Using a piece of software called <a href="http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html">MultiMode</a> and with my radio tuned to 8503.9 kHz, I plugged my radio's audio out into my laptop's audio in, checked the <a href="http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/fax/PLEZ01.gif">broadcast schedule</a>, and waited to see what I could see.</p>
<p>With the built-in antenna the signal was a bit noisy, but you can see the outline of a map coming through. Not too bad. It takes a minute or two for each map to be received. You can see my results below. And below that is what the map is supposed to look like.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/full-weatherfax.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/full-weatherfax.png" border="0" alt="NOAA Weather Radiofax" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/PYEE80.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/PYEE80.gif" border="0" alt="NOAA Weather Radiofax original" /></a></p>
<p>My next task is to try again using a proper antenna. With the ubiquity of the internet, it's fun to obtain data using these older methods.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Garden Update - Stunted Growth, Yellow Leaves2010-07-18T00:00:00Z2010-07-18T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/garden-update-stunted-growth/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Garden Update - Stunted Growth, Yellow Leaves</h1><p class="date">July 17, 2010</p>
<p>This is our first season <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/03/square-foot-gardening/">attempting Square Foot Gardening</a>. Up until the last few weeks, we really had a hard time getting things going.</p>
<p>Everything went well to begin with. We planted a variety of spring lettuce, carrots, radishes, etc. And they all sprouted right away. Unfortunately, they never grew any further than a few small leaves. Same issue with pepper and cucumber plants that were panted later. They never grew any further than the size they were when planted. Leaves also began to turn yellow. So growth was obviously being stunted for some reason.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/stunted-cucumber.jpg" border="0" alt="yellow, stunted cucumber" /></p><p><small>These cucumber plants stayed this same size for several weeks. (July 3rd)</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/stunted-yellow-garden.jpg" border="0" alt="yellow, stunted garden" /></p><p><small>Overall yellowness and lack of growth. (July 3rd)</small></p>
<p>After a lot of reading, it seemed the garden had all the appearances of a nitrogen deficiency. As a lot of posters suggested, we applied blood meal. A week or two later we're seeing green leaves and normal growth.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/green-garden.jpg" border="0" alt="green, growing garden" /></p><p><small>Green leaves with actual growth after blood meal application. (July 17)</small></p>
<p>While we're a little behind in getting things started, I hope we'll have enough time to produce a modest amount of vegetables before the end of the season. At the least, we should have a decent fall garden of lettuce and even better results next year.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/wild-tomato.jpg" border="0" alt="Wild tomato plant" /></p><p><small>This is a tomato plant that randomly popped up on the other side of the lawn. I'm anxious to see what it produces.</small></p>
Cable Modem and Router on Solar Power2010-07-20T00:00:00Z2010-07-20T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/cable-modem-and-router-on-solar-power/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Cable Modem and Router on Solar Power</h1><p class="date">July 19, 2010</p>
<p>I had the opportunity to use a <a href="http://www.solarcellsales.com/techinfo/docs/sr100p1.pdf">Siemens 100 watt panel</a>[pdf] from <a href="http://www.tapeonline.com/">work</a> and build a small setup that I'm currently using to power my cable modem and wireless router at home.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/solar-battery-setup-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/solar-battery-setup-big.jpg" border="0" alt="Solar battery setup" /></a></p>
<p>It's a simple setup. The 100 watt panel:</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/siemens-sr100-solar-panel-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/siemens-sr100-solar-panel-big.jpg" border="0" alt="Siemens SR100" /></a><br /><small>Siemens SR100 100 watt solar panel</small></p>
<p>Which connects to the power regulator. This prevents the battery from being overcharged:</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sun-force-solar-charge-controller-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sun-force-solar-charge-controller-big.jpg" border="0" alt="Charge Controller" /></a><br /><small>Sun Force Solar Charge Controller</small></p>
<p>The regulator connects to the battery. I'm using a marine deep-cycle 75 amp hour battery from Wal-Mart.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/marine-battery-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/marine-battery-big.jpg" border="0" alt="marine battery" /></a><br /><small>75 amp/hr deep-cycle marine battery</small></p>
<p>Connected to the battery is an inverter which allows me to power standard AC devices.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cobra-inverter-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cobra-inverter-big.jpg" border="0" alt="Cobra power inverter" /></a><br /><small>Cobra 400 watt inverter</small></p>
<p>The total power draw from the connected devices, including the 0.5 amperes used by the inverter equals 1.65 amperes. If my math is right, the 75 amp/hr battery should power the modem and router for 45 hours if the battery were allowed to drain completely.</p>
<p>In actual use the modem and router drain the battery to around 60% overnight. If the sky stays sunny, the solar panel provides more than enough energy to recharge the battery each day.</p>
<p>The panel itself is not in an optimal position. It probably misses 3 hours of morning sunlight, then maybe another hour or two of late afternoon sun due to its location on the ground. It's also not properly angled.</p>
<p>Solar panels connected to a battery pack can be a great system, but the current cost for solar panels really puts a robust system out of reach for a lot of people. The solar industry says $1.00 per watt is were these systems need to be in terms of cost. I'd like to see half that. A 3,000 watt non-battery system that ties directly into your home grid for around $3,000 with an inverter (not including labor costs) would be fantastic.</p>
<p>As for my little system, it's a lot of fun to have even a tiny portion of my home being powered off the grid, even though I'll never see a difference in my electric bill. I don't know enough about batteries, so I worry about having one inside the house. I monitor its level constantly, never letting the battery get below 50%. I need to get a battery box, but with the gases that the battery gives off, I just don't know how much of a concern that is with the inverter being so close-by.</p>
Chihuly at Cheekwood2010-07-23T00:00:00Z2010-07-23T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/chihuly-at-cheekwood/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Chihuly at Cheekwood</h1><p class="date">July 22, 2010</p>
<p>A few photos from the <a href="http://cheekwood.org/Art/Chihuly_Nights.aspx">Chihuly exhibit at Cheekwood</a> last night. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/sets/72157624565082334/with/4820766747/">More on Flickr</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4820767149/in/set-72157624565082334/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/chihuly-01.jpg" border="0" alt="Chihuly Nights at Cheekwood" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4820767003/in/set-72157624565082334/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/chihuly-02.jpg" border="0" alt="Chihuly Nights at Cheekwood" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4820767281/in/set-72157624565082334/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/chihuly-03.jpg" border="0" alt="Chihuly Nights at Cheekwood" /></a></p>
The Maine Trip (aka Jeff's Wedding)2010-07-26T00:00:00Z2010-07-26T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/07/the-maine-trip-aka-jeffs-wedding/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Maine Trip (aka Jeff's Wedding)</h1><p class="date">July 25, 2010</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.google.com/latitude/apps/badge/api?user=3565205032732348262&type=iframe&maptype=terrain&z=7" width="420" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Update 7/30:</strong> Jeff got the job done. We attended a nice ceremony and reception in Bangor and met lots of nice folks. Many had traveled as far as we did and even further.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jeff-wedding.jpg" alt="Jeff's Wedding" /></p>
<p>The stock of Cadillac Mountain Stout has also been secured and lobster has been consumed by all. The best part of Bangor has been the weather. An amazing mid 70s for highs.</p>
<p><strong>Update 7/29:</strong> DC and Baltimore traffic was a breeze this morning. We drove right through Philly and NYC with minimal traffic. I-95 took us right through the Bronx.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bronx.jpg" alt="The Bronx" /></p><p><small>The Bronx from I-95</small></p>
<p>For whatever reason, Connecticut was the trouble spot. Between 2:00pm and 7:00pm traffic was ridiculous. Bumper to bumper most of the way inside and outside of the largest cities all the way to Massachusetts.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nyc-skyline.jpg" alt="NYC Skyline - Empire State Building" /></p><p><small>New York City Skyline</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/philly.jpg" alt="Philadelphia Skyline" /></p><p><small>Philly Skyline</small></p>
<p>The worst part of the Northern portion of the trip was the crazy amount of tolls we had to pass through. States imposing tax/tolls on the Interstate system just doesn't seem right. I guess the people up North don't mind. That's something you won't see in the South, however.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/toll-booth.jpg" alt="New York State Toll" /></p><p><small>Toll in New York State</small></p>
<p><strong>Update 7/28:</strong> The drive from Florida to DC was really quite uneventful. We stopped at <em>South of the Border</em> (just South of the North Carolina line) which felt like a 1960s/1970s era tourist trap. Lots of statues of gorillas, flamingos, and Pedro in a sombrero.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/south-of-the-border.jpg" alt="South of the Border" /></p><p><small><em>South of the Border</em> just South of the North Carolina border</small></p>
<p><strong>Update 7/28 8:37a:</strong> We've repurposed the trip into <a href="http://www.barharborbrewing.com/cadillac_mountain_stout.html">the most epic beer run ever</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Update 7/27:</strong> Flew into Jacksonville and picked up the minivan which is a light blue Chrysler Caravan. We're calling it the Blue Beauty. Got the CB/WX radio installed for maximum information consumption as we make out trip northward. Here's an image taken from the air, plus some HD footage taken from the plane:</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/plane-view.jpg" border="0" alt="The view from above" /></p>
<p><object width="420" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G4l_o6MWGLU&hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G4l_o6MWGLU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="340" /></object></p>
<p>The events this summer include a road trip <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Jacksonville,+FL&daddr=Bangor,+ME&hl=en&geocode=FRjVzgEdnQgi-ynrr87xFrfliDHix_yWOH3NxA%3BFZ6cqwIdqojm-ym9KREQRkuuTDF3dq-nsBgJTQ&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.215051,74.443359&ie=UTF8&z=5">from Jacksonville Florida to Bangor Maine</a> to attend Jeff's wedding. 6 of us are piling into a mini van for this epic 2,700 mile drive over the course of a week or so. I'm going to be adding updates to this post. Photos, video, etc. Our progress can also be tracked on the embedded Latitude module above. You can also <a href="http://twitter.com/calem">follow along on twitter</a>.</p>
<p>The fun starts tomorrow afternoon when I fly out to Jacksonville. Check back often!</p>
Cucumbers & Peppers2010-08-05T00:00:00Z2010-08-05T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/08/cucumbers-peppers/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Cucumbers & Peppers</h1><p class="date">August 04, 2010</p>
<p>We got a <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/garden-update-stunted-growth/">late start</a>, but this week we finally got a small harvest from our garden. Three cucumbers and three jalapeno peppers!</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cucs.jpg" alt="cucumbers and jalapenos" /></p>
AT&T Fears a Verizon iPhone, Big Time2010-08-27T00:00:00Z2010-08-27T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/08/att-fears-verizon-iphone/
<h1 class="full-bleed">AT&T Fears a Verizon iPhone, Big Time</h1><p class="date">August 26, 2010</p>
<p>How scared is AT&T of a Verizon iPhone? Well, if AT&T's exit survey is any indication, they're very concerned.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/verizon-iphone.jpg" /></p>
<p>After <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/08/good-bye-att-h%E2%80%A6one-3g-tmobile/">dropping my AT&T iPhone plan for T-Mobile</a>, AT&T called asking me to take an exit survey. All the normal questions were asked, "Why did you leave, what didn't you like, how was the service" etc. etc. This went on for 20 minutes.</p>
<p>Near the end of the survey, AT&T started asking about Verizon specifically. Questions like, "Even if you've never been a customer of Verizon, what is your perception of them?" They wanted to know what I thought of Verizon based on what other people I know have said about Verizon. AT&T also asked what I thought about Verizon's coverage compared to AT&T's coverage. Obviously taking those AT&T vs. Verizon coverage map commercials to heart.</p>
<p>They never mentioned the iPhone specifically, but with <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-said-to-start-offering-iphone-ending-at-t-s-exclusivity.html">all signs pointing to an upcoming Verizon iPhone</a>, AT&T is obviously concerned. AT&T knows exactly when their exclusivity deal with Apple is up, so if anyone outside of Apple knows that a Verizon iPhone is coming, it's AT&T. Also, AT&T never asked a single question regarding any other carrier.</p>
Good-Bye AT&T. Hello iPhone 3G on T-Mobile2010-08-27T00:00:00Z2010-08-27T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/08/good-bye-att-hello-iphone-3g-tmobile/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Good-Bye AT&T. Hello iPhone 3G on T-Mobile</h1><p class="date">August 26, 2010</p>
<p>Finally made the big switch from AT&T. I've written a few times about the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2008/09/2-months-using-att-the-iphone/">lack of AT&T service at my house</a>. This past month my contract finally expired so I made the switch over to <a href="http://www.t-mobile.com/">T-Mobile</a>. The best part is I'm still using <a href="http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/3g/">my iPhone</a> as my primary device.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/t-mobile-iphone.jpg" alt="iPhone 3G on T-Mobile" /></p>
<p>Adding on to Merredith's family plan, I'm now paying $75 less per month. I get the same number of minutes, unlimited data and unlimited text (which I didn't have on AT&T) for only $15 more per month on top of Merredith's existing bill. That's a fantastic savings, and I couldn't be happier. Oh, and that also includes tethering!</p>
<p>The only downside is lack of 3G service on the iPhone due to T-Mobile using different frequencies for their 3G service. Surprisingly, I really don't miss 3G. <a href="http://www.pandora.com/">Pandora</a> and all my other regularly used apps still run as expected. I can still stream <a href="http://somafm.com/">SomaFM</a> on the 'High Bandwidth' setting without breaks in service.</p>
<p>If I do feel the need for 3G speed I can tether the Sony Ericson TM717 that came with my account to my laptop and surf that way.</p>
<p>But best of all, I actually get uninterrupted voice and data service at my house. T-Mobile's coverage is much better in that regard.</p>
<p>T-Mobile was also very easy to deal with in the store. They were able to tell us exactly how much everything would cost.</p>
<p>All-in-all, I'm very happy to be on T-Mobile. The service is excellent and I can actually use their product at my house. Imagine that!</p>
Fall Garden Sprouting2010-09-14T00:00:00Z2010-09-14T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/09/fall-garden-sprouting/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fall Garden Sprouting</h1><p class="date">September 13, 2010</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/radish-sprouts.jpg" alt="Radish Sprouts" /></p>
<p>Our spring and summer gardens were met with a <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/garden-update-stunted-growth/">bit of bad luck</a>, but I think our fall garden might actually work out. We've "grown" if you will.</p>
<p>As you can see, they're just sprouts at the moment, but already they've made better progress than our spring set; They produce noticeable growth day after day. These photos were taken on Monday and already the plants are almost twice as big today.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lettuce-sprouts.jpg" alt="Lattuce Sprouts" /></p>
Small Design Mod2010-09-14T00:00:00Z2010-09-14T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/09/small-design-mod/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Small Design Mod</h1><p class="date">September 13, 2010</p>
<p>I've been wanting to redesign the entire <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/">site</a> for some time, but with so many little <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/cable-modem-and-router-on-solar-power/">personal</a> <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/garden-update-stunted-growth/">projects</a> distracting me, I've decided to let that want go for a while.</p>
<p>In the meantime I've gotten rid of the huge image of the rooftops and condensed the header down to something much less obnoxious. A good chunk of content is now visible without the need to scroll.</p>
Fiery Gizzard Trail2010-09-15T00:00:00Z2010-09-15T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/09/fiery-gizzard-trail/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Fiery Gizzard Trail</h1><p class="date">September 14, 2010</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4993863476/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/fiery-gizzard.jpg" alt="Fiery Gizzard Trail" /></a></p>
<p>Early this past spring my Dad and I spent some time on a portion of the <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/tennessee/fiery-gizzard-trail-to-ravens-point">Fiery Gizzard</a> trail near Tracy City, TN. The trail is beautiful with several falls and huge 500+ year old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuga">Hemlock trees</a>.</p>
<p>Nearby at <a href="https://tnstateparks.com/parks/south-cumberland">Grundy Lake State Park</a> are the remains of old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel)">coke ovens</a> from the late 1800s. Very interesting formations used in coal processing.</p>
<p>We were there early enough where very little foliage had sprouted. Going back during the fall or after a snowfall would make for great photo taking.</p>
Ohio Metro Buses Run Nashville MTA Routes2010-10-15T00:00:00Z2010-10-15T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/10/ohio-metro-buses-run-nashville-mta-routes/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Ohio Metro Buses Run Nashville MTA Routes</h1><p class="date">October 14, 2010</p>
<p>For the last several months I kept seeing all these <a href="http://www.go-metro.com/">Ohio Metro buses</a> running through Nashville. I just assumed Nashville MTA had bought a bunch of used buses and hadn't gotten around to repainting them (much less getting new tags).</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ohio-metro-bus.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ohio-metro-bus.jpg" alt="Ohio Metro bus in Nashville" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ohio-metro-bus-nashville.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ohio-metro-bus-nashville.jpg" alt="Ohio Metro bus in Nashville" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>As It turns out, <a href="http://www.go-metro.com/news/2010/nr16.html">Cincinnati has loaned</a> <a href="http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2010/05/Nashville-MTA-ramps-up-service-after-flooding.aspx">25 buses</a> to Nashville MTA to fill the gap from Nashville buses lost to the historic flood back in May.</p>
<p>A fine gesture of goodwill from Ohio.</p>
How to Turn a Google Mini into a Home Server2010-10-18T00:00:00Z2010-10-18T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/10/how-to-turn-a-google-mini-into-a-home-server/
<h1 class="full-bleed">How to Turn a Google Mini into a Home Server</h1><p class="date">October 17, 2010</p>
<p>Turning a <a href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/search/mini.html">Google Mini</a> into a home server is easier than you think. There are a few barriers to entry (funky screws and BIOS passwords, for example) but these can all be circumvented.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Google Mini" /></a></p>
<p>Work was getting ready to recycle the old Google Mini that once ran our site search, so I asked if I could have it in the hopes of repurposing it as a home server. The small size and fun color had great potential for home use. Not to mention the decent hardware inside.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-ports.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-ports.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Ports on the Google Mini" /></a></p>
<p>The Google Mini is a search appliance that many companies use to power search on their website or index documents on their intranet. The Mini is basically a super stripped down version of what Google uses to crawl the web. We ran the Google Mini as our site's search index for several years before moving on to more custom methods. It had its limitations, but served us well.</p>
<p>At home I've been running a very underpowered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_n_Series">Dell N-Series</a> as my home server. It mostly serves files, but does do a little heavy lifting from time to time <a href="http://bigfatmollycat.com/">calculating litter box uses</a> and capturing video. Simple SQL queries seem to bring it to its knees as of late. The maxed out 792MB of RAM, Celeron CPU and ancient IDE drives don't help much, either.</p>
<p>With a 3.0Ghz dual core/threaded Pentium 4, 2GB of RAM and SATA hard drive, the Google Mini is a worthy upgrade.</p>
<p><strong>Getting a new OS on the Google Mini</strong><br />
The Google Mini runs a custom version of <a href="http://www.redhat.com/">Red Hat Linux</a>. However, booting up yields no command line access much less a GUI. No problem. We want a new OS on this thing anyway. We just need to change our start-up options in the BIOS and boot from an external optical drive or USB drive. Unfortunately, the BIOS is password protected. Getting around the BIOS password requires opening the case and reseting the CMOS.</p>
<p><strong>Step 1 — Unscrewing the Lid</strong><br />
The lid to the Google Mini is fastened with two screws designed to keep people out. The non-standard screw heads look difficult at first, but simply wedging a small flat-head screwdriver into the head loosens the screws right up. They might as well have used flathead screws, it's that simple.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/screws.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/screws.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Funky Screws" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 2 — Removing the Giant Google Sticker</strong><br />
We have the screws out, but the lid can't slide off because of the big blue Google sticker that covers the entire top of the server. The sticker must be peeled off in order to remove the lid. This was the most time consuming process. I still have sticker residue that I need to clean off. However, once the sticker is peeled back, the lid slides right off.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-inside.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-inside.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Inside the Google Mini" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 3 — Resetting the BIOS</strong><br />
Different Google Minis come with different internals. This one happened to have a single processor <a href="http://www.supermicro.com/">Super Micro Computer</a> <a href="http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/P4/E7221/P8SCT.cfm">SUPERO P8SCT motherboard</a>. Other Minis have <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/1781/3">come with dual processor Pentium 3 boards</a>. In our case, to clear the CMOS and eliminate the BIOS password requirement, I had to bridge two contact pads with a screwdriver. Close everything up, power on the machine, hit the DEL key and straight into the BIOS we go.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/motherboard-contact-pads.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/motherboard-contact-pads.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="motherboard contact pads" /></a><br /><small>The two contact pads to bridge with a screwdriver.</small></p>
<p><strong>Step 4 — Install an OS from USB Key</strong><br />
In addition to setting the boot device order I also had to set the hard drive boot order in the BIOS. In this case, my USB key was showing up as a second hard drive. With <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a> on the USB key, I simply plugged the drive into a free USB port and the Google Mini booted right off the USB drive. Installation went smooth, the machine rebooted and now I have a speedy home server ready to serve. There's only one problem for home use...</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-usb-key.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-mini-usb-key.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Google Mini Booting from USB Key" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 5 — Silencing the Google Mini</strong><br />
The Google Mini runs loud. The processor fan is terribly noisy. Much too noisy for a home environment. Now I'm stuck trying to find a way to shut it up. In my case I'll probably end up building a special sound deadening shelf in the laundry room where the Mini will reside. I've also thought about transferring the motherboard into a new case with quiet fans. But then you lose the cool blue form-factor of the Mini.</p>
Finally Free of Comcast2010-10-25T00:00:00Z2010-10-25T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/10/finally-free-of-comcast/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Finally Free of Comcast</h1><p class="date">October 24, 2010</p>
<p>This past week we made our final call to Comcast. We cancelled. No more ridiculous phone calls asking them to fix their service. No more sending them money every month. It feels good.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/comcast-cut-my-phone-line.jpg" border="0" alt="Comcast cut my phone line" /></p><p><small>Comcast cut my phone line.</small>
</p><p>We cancelled Comcast cable television service last year in favor of <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2009/02/dtv-antenna-success/">free television</a>, but we were still holding on to their internet service. All had been mostly well until the past week or two when a Comcast truck showed up on our street. They were doing a little bit of work. Likely hooking up the new neighbors with some cable television service. Maybe some internets, too. Well, as soon as that happened, and maybe it's all a coincidence, our Comcast internet service went down the toilet. It's strange (it always is) and perhaps unexplainable, but we no longer had internet service in the morning. Everything worked fine in the afternoon and evening, but in the morning, nothing. This has been going on for over a week.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/1002642768.png" border="0" alt="My slow Comcast internet" /></p><p><small>My little trickle of Comcast internet service in the morning.</small></p>
<p>So I called Comcast one day while I was at work. I was alerting them to a problem with their service. I was hoping by helping them, they could help me get back online. Well, they wouldn't help me. I was informed I would have to reset my modem and router with a Comcast rep on the phone in order to get any kind of support from Comcast. Obviously, being at work, I didn't have access to my modem or router. I told the rep we had reset the modem and router multiple times every day for several days. I once again let them know there was a problem with their service. Could they help me? Sorry, they can't issue any support without confirmation of a modem and router reboot happening over the phone with a Comcast rep. Comcast decided that was the end of that call.</p>
<p>I called right back. Some how (this was some sort of sign) I ended up with the same agent I had just spoken with a minute earlier. "I believe I just spoke to you a few minutes ago. We can't give you any support until you reset your modem and router with me on the phone." This time I let into the agent a bit. I promised her we reset our modem and router a million times. I promised her nothing had changed on our end. I promised her something was wrong with the service on Comcast's end. I just wanted my internet service to work. "Can you help me?" "Fine, I'll start a support ticket, but I'm going to have to note in your account that the modem and router reset was not done over the phone under Comcast supervision..." And so that was it. One too many conversations like that over the years.</p>
<p>A couple years back we had the same tech come out to the house 3 or 4 times in a row all in one week. Comcast's internet service was down and they just couldn't get it fixed. The tech continually berated me for the orange light that was illuminated on my router. In his mind this meant I needed to update my router firmware. This was a big problem (in his mind) and was likely the cause of all the service trouble we had been having. That's when I tried to explain the orange light was the result of the <a href="http://www.dd-wrt.com/">open source firmware</a> I had installed on the router. I assured him all was fine and well with the router. He handed me a photocopy of directions detailing how to upgrade my router's firmware.</p>
<p>That's when Comcast cut my phone line. The final tech to come out spent a long time outside at the junction box and for some reason decided to cut the phone line that runs from the pole to our house. I still can't explain that one.</p>
<p>And now Comcast is in it's twilight hours in our household. This is likely the last post to be published from a Comcast connection hooked up to my house. It might be different if they gave even half a damn. But they don't. Good riddance, Comcast. Here's hoping my next internet provider will do a little better. (I'm looking at you, TDS.)</p>
Lake Elsinore California2010-11-24T00:00:00Z2010-11-24T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/11/lake-elsinore-ortega-highwaycalifornia/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Lake Elsinore California</h1><p class="date">November 23, 2010</p>
<p>I'm posting a few photos of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Elsinore,_California">Lake Elsinore</a> area from our trip to California earlier this month. According to the locals, the air was unusually clear.</p>
<p>Most of these images are taken from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_74">Ortega Highway (74)</a> near Lake Elsinore. 74 is a fun, twisty, road that winds through the hills North from the coast. (I wished I was driving something other than our rental car, but still an exhilarating drive.) Coincidently, flying out of Orange County, we flew directly over Lake Elsinore.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/5203482230/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/newport-coast.jpg" border="0" alt="Newport Coast" /></a>
</p>
<p><small>Newport Coast, CA</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/5203482688/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lake-elsinore.jpg" border="0" alt="Lake Elsinore" /></a></p>
<p><small>Lake Elsinore from Ortega Highway</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/5203482480/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ortega-highway.jpg" border="0" alt="Ortega Highway" /></a></p>
<p><small>Ortega Highway above Lake Elsinore</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/5202887033/in/photostream/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lake-elsinore-close.jpg" border="0" alt="Close-up of Lake Elsinore" /></a></p>
<p><small>Close-up of Lake Elsinore below Ortega Highway</small></p>
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<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lake-elsinore-above.jpg" border="0" alt="Lake Elsinore from Above" /></p>
<p><object width="420" height="253"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L80TO_VFjh8?fs=1&hl=en_US" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L80TO_VFjh8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="253" /></object></p>
Snow Shadow2010-12-13T00:00:00Z2010-12-13T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2010/12/snow-shadow/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Snow Shadow</h1><p class="date">December 12, 2010</p>
<p>A quick photo of shadows in the snow from last night's snowfall. It's cold in Nashville. 16° currently at the house. Our coldest start to December since the 1940's according to <a href="http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=La+Vergne&state=TN&site=OHX&textField1=35.9993&textField2=-86.5732&e=0">NWS</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/5259887326/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-shadow-small.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="shadows in the snow" /></a></p>
5 Things I Learned in 20102011-01-06T00:00:00Z2011-01-06T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/01/6-things-i-learned-in-2010/
<h1 class="full-bleed">5 Things I Learned in 2010</h1><p class="date">January 05, 2011</p>
<p>Lots of people seem to be doing a 2010 reflection post of some sort, so I wanted to jump in as well. To be a little different I thought I would reflect on what I learned this year. In no particular order: <strong>6 Things I Learned in 2010</strong></p>
<p><strong>1. ActionScript 3.</strong><br />Finally got a decent grasp on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionScript">AS3</a> after several years hacking around with AS2. Some basic AS3 skills went into our <a href="http://www.tapeonline.com/games/cornhole">Flash based Cornhole game</a> this year. Be sure to throw a few bags in your off time.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tapeonline.com/games/cornhole"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cornhole.gif" border="0" alt="Cornhole Game" /></a></p>
<p><strong>2. CakePHP.</strong><br />I never took any programming classes in school, but have spent the last few years really trying my best to teach myself basic scripting/programming skills in some of the most relevant web related languages. I've been playing with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP">PHP</a> for a while (<a href="http://candorgallery.com/">CandorGallery</a>) but really got into <a href="http://cakephp.org/">CakePHP</a> this past year. CakePHP is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-view-controller">MVC</a> based PHP framework that really lets developers do some powerful stuff. I built a little proof-of-concept webapp that imported trending topics from Twitter and let users rank the worthiness of the trends. I've since decommissioned <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/04/trendmeme-search-and-rank-the-trends/">that project</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/trendmeme-trend.jpg" border="0" alt="TrendMeme Trend Page" /></p>
<p><strong>3. jQuery.</strong><br />I jumped into a tiny bit of Javascript a few years ago when working on the <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Widget</a>, but could never make my ideas actually function. This year I finally got into <a href="http://jquery.com/">jQuery</a> which has been an amazing tool for actually getting stuff done. I really cut my teeth on jQuery when building <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/pulse/">Pulse</a>, which is a little app that accepts your zip code and displays current information based on that location, pulling in current tweets, weather, weather maps, news from Google News and photos from Flickr. This one was fun to work on.</p>
<p><a href="http://midnightcheese.com/pulse/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pulse-screenshot.jpg" border="0" alt="Pulse - What's happening around you" /></a></p>
<p><strong>4. Gardening.</strong><br />Not just gardening, but learning about how this country grows/manufactures food and then gets it to the population has been a huge wake-up for me this past year. From chickens that are too fat to move, to patented seeds, to grain fed vs. grass fed animals, and on and on and on; It's really quite disgusting how we feed ourselves. On the other side of that, participating in vegetable and meat CSA programs has been wonderful. Our <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/garden-update-stunted-growth/">backyard gardening project didn't work out very well</a> this year, so I'm looking forward to improving this coming spring.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lettuce-sprouts.jpg" alt="Lattuce Sprouts" /></p>
<p><strong>5. Tinkering.</strong><br />It's amazing what you learn just from playing around with what interests you. This year I <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/03/hooking-up-a-parallel-lcd-to-arduino/">tinkered with an Arduino</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/03/square-foot-gardening/">built a squarefoot garden</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/05/weather-alert-script-for-your-home-server/">scripted my home server</a> to alert us to tornados and severe weather, rigged a <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/cable-modem-and-router-on-solar-power/">solar panel and battery to run my home router and modem</a>, built a small iPod charger out of yard lights, pulled down <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/07/noaa-weatherradio-fax-over-shortwave-radio/">weather maps off NOAA radio</a> and on and on picking up all kinds of information about how things work.</p>
<p><strong>Looking Ahead</strong><br />
Eyeing 2011, I'm looking forward to the continue rise of the <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/01/nissan-leaf-event-nashville/">electric vehicle</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/01/how-to-cure-adobes-laziness/">multi-touch workstations</a>, iPad v2.0 with retina display and GPS at half the cost (fingers crossed), releasing a version of <a href="http://seedlinglog.com/">Seedling</a> (web app for logging progress of plants in your garden), and continued learning and tinkering!</p>
Tall Snowman2011-01-12T00:00:00Z2011-01-12T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/01/tall-snowman/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Tall Snowman</h1><p class="date">January 11, 2011</p>
<p>It was amusing catching this guy out of the corner of my eye while driving home last night. The neighbors got some good height on this rather tall snowman.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tall-snowman-big.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tall-snowman-big.jpg" border="0" alt="tall snowman" /></a></p><p><small>Tall snowman</small></p>
Tennessee Traffic Widget Version 2.02011-01-17T00:00:00Z2011-01-17T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/01/tennesee-traffic-widget-version-2/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Tennessee Traffic Widget Version 2.0</h1><p class="date">January 16, 2011</p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Widget</a> v2.0 has been released. On the front-end, this new version restores Memphis and Knoxville camera images to the widget.</p>
<p>On the back-end, this version of the widget is a complete rewrite. The city and camera list is now dynamically generated each time the widget is accessed. This will result in much faster update times on the periodic occasion that camera image URLs change.</p>
<p>Visit the <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Widget site</a> to download the new version.</p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tennessee-traffic-widget.jpg" width="348" height="340" alt="Tennessee Traffic camera widget for OS X" border="0" /></a></p>
Another Middle Tennessee Snow2011-01-26T00:00:00Z2011-01-26T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/01/another-middle-tennessee-snow/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Another Middle Tennessee Snow</h1><p class="date">January 25, 2011</p>
<p>We ended up with 2 inches in the La Vergne area. Definitely a good snow for Middle Tennessee. Here's some HD footage from around 7:00 this morning.</p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b6L89i0TSp4" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>Roads were still bad this morning, despite looking clear. The <a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/">Tennessee Traffic Camera Widget</a> caught this accident.</p>
<p><a href="http://tncam.midnightcheese.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/briley-parkway.png" alt="wreck on Briley Parkway - Tennessee Traffic Widget" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/2-inches-of-snow.jpg" alt="2 inches of snow" border="0" /></p>
Rolex 24 Series Race at Daytona 20112011-02-02T00:00:00Z2011-02-02T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/02/rolex-24-series-race-at-daytona-2011/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Rolex 24 Series Race at Daytona 2011</h1><p class="date">February 01, 2011</p>
<p>Compilation of video and still images taken at this year's <a href="http://www.grand-am.com/">Rolex Series</a> race at <a href="http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/">Daytona</a>.
</p><p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/chairs-daytona-speedway.jpg" border="0" alt="Chairs at Daytona International Speedway" />
</p><p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m-E5nuOo6yk" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3nxqLhgC4G4" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LvY5VtAtHE0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8j17AdIs8lg" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EMY3QvHzeIE" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yKMeCE9FNGM" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="420" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xINAPF5b_9U" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe></p>
Just Another Nashville Snowpocalypse2011-02-10T00:00:00Z2011-02-10T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/02/just-another-snowpocalypse-in-nashville/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Just Another Nashville Snowpocalypse</h1><p class="date">February 09, 2011</p>
<p>It only took about 2" of snow to turn a 30 minute afternoon commute into 2, 3, 4 or more hours. I spent 2 hours in the car after leaving the office at 8:30 last night. Merredith spent over 4 hours trying to get home.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nashville-snow-i-65.png" border="0" alt="Snow in Nashville I-65" /></p>
<p><small>Nashville snow at I-65 near Armory Wednesday Afternoon</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nashville-snow-440.png" border="0" alt="Snow in Nashville I-440" /></p>
<p><small>Nashville snow at I-440 near 21st Ave Wednesday Afternoon</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-murfreesboro-rd-airport.jpg" border="0" alt="Snow and traffic on Murfreesboro Road entering the airport tunnel" /></p>
<p><small>Snow and traffic on Murfreesboro Road entering the airport tunnel</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-ice-i-24.jpg" border="0" alt="Snow an Ice on I-24" /></p>
<p><small>Snow on I-24 Wednesday night around 10:00pm</small></p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/snow-in-lavergne.jpg" border="0" alt="Snow in LaVergne Thursday Morning" /></p>
<p><small>Snow in LaVergne Thursday Morning</small></p>
Bulging MacBook Pro Battery2011-02-20T00:00:00Z2011-02-20T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/02/bulging-macbook-pro-battery/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Bulging MacBook Pro Battery</h1><p class="date">February 19, 2011</p>
<p>Normally I swap between two different batteries when using my <a href="http://gdgt.com/apple/macbook-pro/15-inch/">MacBook Pro</a>. Today I opened a drawer to my desk to fetch one of the batteries and found a bulging surprise waiting for me. From the photos below you can see the results of some type of internal reaction.</p>
<p>Luckily, the reaction wasn't enough to burst the battery or start a fire. Thankfully, the battery wasn't in my laptop at the time.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bulging-macbook-pro-battery.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bulging-macbook-pro-battery.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bulging-macbook-pro-battery-2.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bulging-macbook-pro-battery-2.jpg" /></a></p>
Nissan Leaf Review2011-03-26T00:00:00Z2011-03-26T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/03/nissan-leaf-review/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Nissan Leaf Review</h1><p class="date">March 25, 2011</p>
<p>The <a href="http://drivenissanleaf.com/">Nissan Leaf Drive Electric Tour</a> stopped in Franklin this weekend at <a href="http://www.nissanusa.com/about/corporate-info.html">Nissan's North American headquarters</a>. I <a href="https://drivenissanleaf.com/Event/Default.aspx">signed up to drive</a> some weeks ago and our group was the first to drive Saturday morning.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4286548266/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-front.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Nashville" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><strong>In short, the Leaf felt like any other small car.<br />It felt good.</strong>
The Nissan Leaf feels just like any other small sedan on the market. And that's a good thing. Actually, the car is quite a bit smoother and feels more solid than most. (The Chevy Aveo is a nightmare on the interstate). But all things considered, aside from the dashboard, there's nothing else about the drive that tells you you're steering an electric car.</p>
<p>The test drive lasted approximately two and a half miles including some interstate time. Acceleration was excellent. I had no trouble getting up to interstate speeds (70mph).</p>
<p><strong>Range Indicator needs work</strong>
The only thing that really bothered me was the range indicator. The car indicated 103 miles in available range when we left, yet after returning 2.5 miles later, the car indicated 78 miles available. I'm sure the range algorithm is to blame. Even our tour guide said it was just recently updated to factor in hills. And granted, it was a cold morning (low 40s) with interstate driving and heat blasting. That would take some time to get used to. I wonder if it wouldn't be more acceptable as a simple full/empty gauge rather than trying to indicate range down to individual miles. Even most gas cars don't try to do this.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/leaf-range-meter.jpg" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="Nissan Leaf Range Meter" /></p>
<p><strong>A Different Driving Interface</strong>
The gear shifter was another oddity where Nissan is trying something different. The car can be in park, drive or eco drive. But it's not your standard shifter. To shift from park to drive, the "shifter" is more of a nob that you drag in a "C" shape, then the nob retracts to it's original position. The car is placed back in park by pressing the "P" button located in the middle of the shifter nob. That's all fine once you get used to it, but if Nissan really wants to get people into electric cars, giving them unfamiliar controls seems to take away from the goal. It's just one more excuse for someone not to buy.</p>
<p>Reverse and Neutral were not readily obvious. I was so curious with Drive and Park that I didn't even think to ask about those other two.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-shifter.jpg" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="Nissan Leaf Shifter" /><br /><small>This photo from Nissan is actually a bit different from the actual model I drove.</small></p>
<p><strong>Minimal Maintenance, Awesome Accessories</strong>
With an electric car you do away with oil changes, radiator fluid (and leaks) and lots of other little sub-mechanics like fuel pumps, water pumps and thousands of moving parts that make up a gasoline engine that inevitably need to be serviced and maintained.</p>
<p>You can basically control the Leaf from your phone. The car can notify you if you forget to pug it in at night. You always know where the closest charging station is, and here's the interesting part, Nissan can tell you if someone is using a specific charger. This is huge because this means Nissan knows when, where and how much electricity each car is acquiring (and spending). The data Nissan is collecting is impressive. I assume they'll use it to learn the habits of drivers and to make improvements over time.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/leaf-iphone-control.jpg" class="blogImage" border="0" alt="Nissan Leaf iPhone Control" /></p>
<p><strong>I'd Buy One</strong>
If I had an extra $32K hanging out, I'd absolutely buy a Leaf. I'd be paying an early adoper fee at this point, but that's okay with me. My commute length (30 miles round-trip) is ideal. Even with our current cars, we rent when taking long trips, so no change there. The Leaf has a funky look, but it could look twice as weird and still not matter as long as I never had to pull up to a gas pump again.</p>
<p>All in all, the Nissan Leaf feels like a great car. The issues described above are just nitpicks which I would love to have the chance to get used to. Hey Nissan, can I barter some design work in exchange for a Leaf? I think that's fair.</p>
<p><em>Sorry for the lack of photos this time. We arrived so early, our group was ushered through with zero waiting and I never had time to even pull out my phone. Nissan also didn't have the "Win a Nissan Leaf Booth" manned, so unfortunately, I won't be winning a Leaf. :)</em></p>
<p>Here are a few photos from the Leaf tour from last year:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4286548266/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-front.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Front" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4285806209/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-charging-port.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Charging Port" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4285807777/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-back.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Back" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/4286549832/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/nissan-leaf-event-nashville.jpg" alt="Nissan Leaf Event Nashville" border="0" /></a></p>
Honda Indy Grand Prix at Barber: Photos2011-04-10T00:00:00Z2011-04-10T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/04/honda-indy-grand-prix-at-barber-photos/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Honda Indy Grand Prix at Barber: Photos</h1><p class="date">April 09, 2011</p>
<p>Select photos from the Continental Tire Sports Car Series Race and the PORSCHE 250 Race (<a href="http://www.grand-am.com/">Grand-Am</a> Rolex Series) on Saturday at the <a href="http://www.barbermotorsports.com/">Barber Motorsports Complex</a> in Birmingham.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/gt-class-line-up.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/gt-class-line-up.jpg" border="0" alt="GT Class lined up to enter starting grid at Barber" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-race.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-race.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Continental Tire Race at Barber" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mustang-camaro.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mustang-camaro.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Mustang and Camaro Cars" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/vette.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/vette.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Whelen Corvette" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/reba.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/reba.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Reba McEntire" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ants.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ants.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Ant Sculptures at Barber Motorsports Park" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-motorsports.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-motorsports.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Barber Motorsports Park" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/camaro.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/camaro.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Camaro racing in Continental Tire race" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/vw-gti.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/vw-gti.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="VW GTI" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-museum.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/barber-museum.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="Barber Museum" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/st-winners.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/st-winners.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="ST Class Winners at Victory Lane" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/gt-winners.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/gt-winners.jpg" border="0" class="blogImage" alt="GT Class Winners at Victory Lane" /></a></p>
My iPhoneTracker Map2011-04-20T00:00:00Z2011-04-20T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/04/my-iphonetracker-map/
<h1 class="full-bleed">My iPhoneTracker Map</h1><p class="date">April 19, 2011</p>
<p>A former Apple employee has created an app called <a href="http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/">iPhoneTracker</a> that pulls data from your iPhone backups in iTunes and then displays pretty much everywhere you've been lately. There's a <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/04/apple-location-tracking.html">huge storm of privacy concern</a> going on as a result.</p>
<p>You can certainly tell what cities someone has been to, but most of the location data is way off. Hundreds of miles off in my case. I can't imagine anyone finding much use in this as local data is grossly unreliable.</p>
<p>Here's my map. Larger dots are correct. I have been to Birmingham and Jacksonville, but the smaller dots in places like Northwestern Alabama and the central panhandle of Florida are completely incorrect.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/iphonetracker-map-large.png" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/iphonetracker-map-large.png" border="0" alt="iPhoneTracker Map" /></a></p>
Arduino, LCD and Plexiglass2011-05-15T00:00:00Z2011-05-15T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/05/arduino-lcd-and-plexiglass/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Arduino, LCD and Plexiglass</h1><p class="date">May 14, 2011</p>
<p>I've been wanting to build some type of container for my <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/2010/03/hooking-up-a-parallel-lcd-to-arduino/">Ardiuno/LCD combination</a> for some time. A couple weekends ago I finally bought some plexiglass and machine screws and made it happen.</p>
<p>The plexiglass is more fragile than I expected. It's extremely scratch prone and cracks easily with just a slight bit of pressure. Scoring and snapping was actually the easiest part of dealing with the plastic. Drilling holes produced small cracks on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>Eventually I got it right and now the <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino</a> and its components have a solid base to function on.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-plexiglass-large.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-plexiglass-large.jpg" alt="Arduino, Plexiglass and LCD screen" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-close-large.jpg" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/arduino-lcd-close-large.jpg" alt="Arduino and LCD screen" border="0" /></a></p>
bbbrowser: Fun with the Dribbble API2011-06-09T00:00:00Z2011-06-09T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/06/bbbrowser-fun-with-the-dribbble-api/
<h1 class="full-bleed">bbbrowser: Fun with the Dribbble API</h1><p class="date">June 08, 2011</p>
<p><b>Update June 2018:</b> Dribbble no longer allows access to the "firehose" of shots via the API which means bbbrowser is no longer able to function. Thank you for all the interest and compliments over the years! It was a fun and inspirational project.</p>
<p>I love thinking up ways to display interesting data that continuously updates. Browsing through the <a href="http://dribbble.com/api">Dribbble API</a> I thought it would be a lot of fun to see <a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/everyone">everyone's</a> shots pass through a display as they're uploaded.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bbbrowser.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/bbbrowser.jpg" border="0" alt="bbbrowser — Fun with Dribbble" class="blogImage" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://midnightcheese.com/bbbrowser/">bbbrowser</a> hits the Dribbble API every 24 seconds and displays the newest shots in your browser window. I like to leave this window open throughout the day and watch all the new artwork roll in. It's a great source of inspiration. If your browser supports fullscreen mode, even better.</p>
<p>The layout is tailored to widescreen monitors. The images do stretch as your browser is resized, however, so make sure you find that sweet spot between size and aspect ratio. (I'd hate to see someone's beautiful typography get all squishy.)</p>
<p><a href="http://midnightcheese.com/bbbrowser/">Jump in and start exploring</a>!</p>
Broadcast iTunes AirPlay Tracks to Campfire Chat with TrackFire2011-06-09T00:00:00Z2011-06-09T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/06/broadcast-itunes-airplay-tracks-to-campfire-chat-with-trackfire/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Broadcast iTunes AirPlay Tracks to Campfire Chat with TrackFire</h1><p class="date">June 08, 2011</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/Cale/TrackFire" title="TrackFire on GitHub">TrackFire is now on GitHub</a> for your forking pleasure.</p>
<p>TrackFire is an <a href="http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptX/AppleScriptX.html">AppleScript</a> "app" that posts <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/">iTunes</a> track titles played over an <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/airplay/">AirPlay</a> device to a <a href="http://campfirenow.com/">Campfire</a> chat room.</p>
<p>In the office we often play music from iTunes over an Airport Express device for the entire floor to hear. Inevitably, someone asks, "What band is this?" Being the avid users of Campfire that we are, we thought it would be perfect if iTunes AirPlay tracks could automatically have their name and album info posted to a Campfire chatroom. And so TrackFire took form.</p>
<p>The AppleScript runs every few seconds checking for a running version of iTunes, then if iTunes is in play mode and broadcasting to a specific AirPlay device, the track information is posted to Campfire.</p>
<p>For the most part, the script runs without issue, but an error is thrown every once in a while. "Can't make «class cFIT» id 10219 of «class cUsP» id 10192 of «class cSrc» id 65 of application 'iTunes' into the expected type." (Still tracking down the cause.) Thanks to the folks over at the <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/">Apple Discussion Boards</a> for all their help.</p>
<strong>Installation</strong>
<ol>
<li>Paste the script into AppleScript Editor replacing the Campfire variables with your own information.</li>
<li>Save as an Application with "Stay Open" checked. Double-click your new script and it will run in the background.</li>
<li> Use iTunes as you normally would and the script does the rest.</li>
</ol>
<pre>
(* Begin user defined settings ************)
property campfire_token : "1234567" (* Your Campfire API authentication token *)
property airplay_device : "Apple TV" (* The name of your AirPlay device *)
property campfire_room : "https://yourname.campfirenow.com/room/123456/speak.xml" (* The Campfire room you'd like to post to *)
(* End user defined settings *************)
global current_track, last_track, current_device
on run
(* init at runtime*)
set current_track to ""
set current_device to ""
set last_track to ""
end run
on idle
if application "iTunes" is not running then return 10
tell application "iTunes"
if (player state is not playing) or (current track is equal to last_track) then return 5
set last_track to current track
set minimized of front browser window to false
set visible of front browser window to true
set current_device to my getDevice()
if current_device as string is not equal to airplay_device & " AirPlay" then return 5
set track_info to my mungeText({name, artist, album} of last_track, "", " :: ")
set track_info to track_info as string
set track_info to my mungeText(track_info, "&", "&") -- Replace ampersands
set track_info to my mungeText(track_info, "\"", """) -- Replace quotation marks
set track_info to my mungeText(track_info, "'", "'") -- Replace apostrophes
set shellCommand to ("curl -u " & campfire_token & ":X -H 'Content-Type: application/xml' -d '<message><type>TextMessage</type><body>" & track_info & "</body></message>' " & campfire_room)
set shellCommand to shellCommand as string
do shell script shellCommand
(*display dialog shellCommand*)
(*log "Posting to Campfire:" & shellCommand*)
return 5
end tell
end idle
on getDevice()
tell application "System Events"
tell process "iTunes"
return description of button 8 of window "iTunes"
end tell
end tell
end getDevice
on mungeText(itxt, stxt, rtxt)
set tid to AppleScript's text item delimiters
if class of itxt is text then
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to stxt
set itxt to text items of itxt
end if
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to rtxt
set otxt to itxt as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to tid
return otxt
end mungeText
</pre>
Seedling: A Garden Tracking App2011-08-30T00:00:00Z2011-08-30T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/08/seedling-a-garden-tracking-app/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Seedling: A Garden Tracking App</h1><p class="date">August 29, 2011</p>
<p>Since it's inception about a year ago, I've been working on a new project that has really been a lot of fun. The project is called <a href="http://seedlinglog.com/">Seedling</a> and it's a new web app that will let people track the progress of their backyard gardens.</p>
<p>The app lets you <a href="http://blog.seedlinglog.com/2011/08/logging-plant-progress/">log basic milestones</a> like plant yield, height, photos, etc. With that data, the app automatically creates graphs so you can visualize the progress and performance of your fruit and vegetables (or any other type of plant.)</p>
<p><a href="http://seedlinglog.com/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/seedling-app.jpg" alt="Seedling" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>There will also be a social aspect to Seedling. In addition to posting and sharing photos, people can comment on milestones and follow other users.</p>
<p>We're aiming for a soft launch/preview in time for folks to start tracking some of their fall gardens, which means invite emails will be going out soon.</p>
<p>To sign-up for the first launch or to receive more info as we progress, you can get on our email list at <a href="http://seedlinglog.com/">http://seedlinglog.com/</a> We'll also be posting more info on the <a href="http://blog.seedlinglog.com/">Seedling blog</a> in the coming weeks.</p>
Podcastin' with Jawgrind2011-09-06T00:00:00Z2011-09-06T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/09/podcastin-with-jawgrind/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Podcastin' with Jawgrind</h1><p class="date">September 05, 2011</p>
<p>I had the opportunity to geek out with <a href="http://trey.cc/">Trey</a> and <a href="http://about.me/stephenwyattbush">Stephen</a> on the <a href="http://jawgrind.com/post/9729604918/episode-2-stephens-moustache">lastest episode of Jawgrind</a>. We had a lot of fun talking about all things web related: <a href="http://www.vimconf.org/" title="VimConf">VimConf</a>, <a href="http://www.getskeleton.com/" title="Skeleton Boilerplate">Skeleton</a>, <a href="http://10k.aneventapart.com/" title="Responsive Web Design in 10K of code">10K Apart</a> (I'll be posting my project soon), bookmarking sites, <a href="http://html5weekly.com/" title="HTML% Weekly">HTML5</a> and <a href="http://javascriptweekly.com/" title="Javascript Weekly">JavaScript Weekly</a>, Rails 3.1 and much more. Alcohol may have been involved.</p>
<p>Stephen and Trey are much more talented in the world of web dev than I, so it was great to sit-in and learn a thing or two. <a href="http://jawgrind.com/post/9729604918/episode-2-stephens-moustache">Give Jawgrind a listen here</a>.</p>
10K Apart Weather App2011-10-05T00:00:00Z2011-10-05T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/10/10k-apart-weather-app/
<h1 class="full-bleed">10K Apart Weather App</h1><p class="date">October 04, 2011</p>
<p><a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/wx/">10KWX</a> is a responsive weather app that I submitted to this year's <a href="http://10k.aneventapart.com/">10K Apart</a> exercise.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Day.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Day.png" border="0" alt="10KWX weather app during the day" /></a></p>
<p>The app uses a web browser's <a href="http://dev.w3.org/geo/api/spec-source.html">geo location feature</a> to grab the user's location and then pass that info off to <a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/weather/">Yahoo!'s weather API</a> for current conditions and forecast.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Mobile.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Mobile.png" border="0" alt="10KWX Mobile screen shots" /></a></p><p><small>The application is responsive!</small></p>
<p>To fit within the 10K file size limit, use of images was out of the question. But, what's a weather forecast without a nice graphical indicator of the weather? Using the HTML5 canvas element and CSS3 animation I was able to render the graphics and the subtle animation of each weather illustration. (Be sure to check in during a thunderstorm.)</p>
<p>Having done quite a bit of animation in Flash and After Effects, CSS3 animation techniques are actually a welcomed way of doing things. I love being able to specify keyframes as percentage points.</p>
<pre>
@-moz-keyframes rain1 {
0% {
margin-top: 0px;
margin-left: 0px;
opacity: 0;
}
20% {
margin-top: 6px;
margin-left: -4px;
opacity: .55;
}
80% {
margin-top: 54px;
margin-left: -36px;
opacity: .55;
}
100% {
margin-top: 60px;
margin-left: -40px;
opacity: 0;
}
}
</pre>
<p>One bug(?) I found with CSS3 animation was not being able to span values across multiple percentage breaks. For example, looking at the animation above, I originally didn't have the top and left margin values written out on the 20% and 80% marks, just the 0% and 100% marks. But, this caused some funky animation to occur, especially on the iOS version of Webkit. Adding top and left margin to the 20% and 80% points solved this problem. The only downside: It requires calculating those margin values at that specific percentage point.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Night.png" rel="lightbox"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/10KWX-Night.png" border="0" alt="10KWX weather app at night" /></a></p>
<p>This project was a lot of fun. Surprisingly time consuming, but that happened to be a good thing.</p>
<p>You can view my <a href="http://10k.aneventapart.com/Entry/Details/555">10K Apart project page</a>, the actual <a href="http://10k.aneventapart.com/2/Uploads/555/">10KWX app</a>, and this enhanced version of <a href="http://www.midnightcheese.com/wx/">10KWX</a> with a nice font from Google and the ability to enter a zip code as a URL variable. (?z=33186)</p>
<p>Also, <a href="http://visitmix.com/labs/ai2canvas/">Ai->Canvas</a> is a great plugin for converting Adobe Illustrator shapes to a canvas object.</p>
Displaying Twitter and Weather on your Arduino LCD Screen2011-10-28T22:08:00Z2011-10-28T22:08:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/10/displaying-twitter-and-weather-on-your-arduino-lcd-screen/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Displaying Twitter and Weather on your Arduino LCD Screen</h1><p class="date">October 28, 2011</p>
<p>Pieced together from many different sources, the following scripts will allow you to display the Twitter public timeline, the top 20 Twitter trending topics and the current weather on your <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino</a> LCD screen. This is done with a PHP script and an Arduino connected to OS X via USB.</p>
<p>You can <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/download/arduino-tweet-weather.zip">download the scripts as a zip file</a>.</p>
<p><strong>The Arduino Program</strong>
The tricky part of this project was getting the text to scroll up the two line LCD screen. In the Arduino program, we're looking to see if a line of text has a special character prefixed to it. Text prefixed with '!' will place the text on line 1. Text prefixed with '@' will place the text on line 2. Sending the '^' character clears the screen.</p>
<pre>
#include <liquidcrystal.h>
#include <wstring.h>
// initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins
LiquidCrystal lcd(2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12);
void setup() {
analogWrite(5, 100); // Set LCD contrast level (0-255)
lcd.begin(16, 2); // Set the LCD's number of rows and columns
Serial.begin(9600); // Initialize communication with serial(USB) port.
lcd.print("Hello."); // Print welcome message to LCD.
}
int bufferArray[250]; // Our array to store characters arriving from serial port.
int output = 0;
int i = 0;
void loop() {
int count = Serial.available();
if (Serial.available() > -1) {
delay(1000);
for (i=0; i<count ; i++) {
bufferArray[i] = Serial.read(); // Put into array
output = 1; // Show new data has been recieved
}
}
if (output != 0) { // If new bytes have been recieved
int position = 0;
if (bufferArray[0] == '!') { // Print on first line if message begins with '!'
lcd.clear();
lcd.setCursor(0,0);
position = 1;
} else if (bufferArray[0] == '@') { // Print on second line if message begins with '@'
lcd.setCursor(0,1);
position = 1;
} else if (bufferArray[0] == '^') { // Clear screen if message begins with '^'
lcd.clear();
lcd.setCursor(0,0);
position = 1;
} else {
lcd.clear();
lcd.setCursor(0,0);
}
int j;
for (j = position; j < count; j++) {
lcd.write(bufferArray[j]);
}
output = 0; // Don't print on next iteration
memset(bufferArray, 0, count);
count = 0;
}
}
</pre>
<p><strong>The PHP Script</strong>
With those rules established, our PHP script can handle the rest. I'm using fun classes like <a href="http://php.net/manual/en/function.wordwrap.php">wordwrap</a> and <a href="http://php.net/manual/en/function.explode.php">explode</a> to break long strings of text into LCD width chunks that are placed into an array, prefixed with our placement characters, and fed to the Arduino.</p>
<pre>
<?php
// Include the PHP Serial class.
include "php_serial.class.osx.php";
//Define the serial port to use
define('SERIALPORT','/dev/cu.usbserial-A900adK5');
// Weather
$zipcode = 37211;
$title = "Nashville WX.";
// Setup the serial connection
$serial = new phpSerial;
$serial->deviceSet(SERIALPORT);
$serial->confBaudRate(9600);
// Time
$lastTime = date('D M j H:i:s Y');
$lastTime = strtotime($lastTime);
// Scroll text up LCD screen
function scrollChunks($message) {
global $serial;
$serial->deviceOpen();
for ($i=0; $i<count ($message); $i++) {
if ($i==0) {
$serial->sendMessage($message[$i]);
} else if ($i&1 && $i!=0) { // If $i is odd and not zero
$serial->sendMessage($message[$i]);
sleep(1);
$message[$i] = substr_replace($message[$i], "!", 0, 1); // Print on top line !
$serial->sendMessage($message[$i]);
} else if (!($i&1) && $i!=0) { // If $i is even and not zero
$message[$i] = substr_replace($message[$i], "@", 0, 1); // Print on top line @
$serial->sendMessage($message[$i]);
sleep(1);
$message[$i] = substr_replace($message[$i], "!", 0, 1); // Print on top line !
$serial->sendMessage($message[$i]);
}
echo $message[$i]."\n";
sleep(1);
}
sleep(1);
$serial->sendMessage(" ");
$serial->deviceClose();
}
// Wordwrap our text to lines no more than 15 characters long.
// The LCD displays 16 characters at a time, minus a space for our
// placement character.
function segmentString($t) {
$chunks = wordwrap($t, 15, "\n", true);
$chunks = explode("\n", $chunks);
// Alternate each line with '!' and '@'
for ($i=0; $i<count ($chunks); $i++) {
if ($i&1) {
$chunks[$i] = "@".$chunks[$i];
} else {
$chunks[$i] = "!".$chunks[$i];
}
}
scrollChunks($chunks);
}
function displayRSS() {
global $serial;
global $title;
echo "Display only: ".$title."\n";
sleep(3);
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage($title);
sleep(240);
$serial->sendMessage("^");
sleep(3);
$serial->deviceClose();
}
function pullWXRSS() {
global $zipcode;
$yql = "http://query.yahooapis.com/v1/public/yql?q=select%20*%20from%20weather.forecast%20where%20location%3D".$zipcode."&format=json";
$session = curl_init($yql);
curl_setopt($session, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER,true);
$json = curl_exec($session);
$json_output = json_decode($json,true);
global $serial;
global $title;
$title = $json_output['query']['results']['channel']['item']['condition']['temp']."F ".$json_output['query']['results']['channel']['item']['condition']['text'];
echo "Pull and Display: ".$title."\n";
echo "Waiting a few seconds to display on Arduino...\n\n";
sleep(5);
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage($title);
sleep(240);
$serial->deviceClose();
sleep(3);
}
// Display current weather from Yahoo! YQL
function displayWX() {
global $lastTime;
global $title;
$currentTime = date('D M j H:i:s Y');
$currentTime = strtotime($currentTime);
echo "\n\n\n\nCurrent Time: ".$currentTime."\n";
echo "Last Time: ".$lastTime."\n";
$timeDiff = $currentTime - $lastTime;
echo "Time Difference: ".$timeDiff."\n";
// 1 hour = 3600
if ($timeDiff>=3605 || $title == "Nashville WX.") {
echo "It's been an hour. Pulling WX.\n";
$lastTime = $currentTime;
pullWXRSS();
} else {
echo "An hour has not passed. Displaying old WX.\n";
displayRSS();
}
displayPubTimeline();
}
function displayPubTimeline() {
$jsonurl = "http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/public_timeline.json";
$json = file_get_contents($jsonurl,0,null,null);
$json_output = json_decode($json,true);
foreach ($json_output as $tweet) {
$name = $tweet['user']['screen_name'];
$text = $tweet['text'];
echo "\n\n\n".$name."\n";
echo $text."\n\n";
global $serial;
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage("Twitter User:");
sleep(1.5);
$serial->sendMessage("@".$name);
echo "@".$name."\n";
sleep(2);
$serial->deviceClose();
if (strlen($text) > 16) {
segmentString($text);
} else {
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage($text);
$serial->deviceClose();
}
sleep(5);
}
sleep(5);
displayTopTrends();
}
function displayTopTrends () {
$jsonurl = "http://api.twitter.com/1/trends/daily.json";
$json = file_get_contents($jsonurl,0,null,null);
$json_output = json_decode($json,true);
$json_output = current($json_output['trends']);
global $serial;
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage("The top 20");
sleep(1);
$serial->sendMessage("@Twitter trends:");
$serial->deviceClose();
sleep(3);
echo "\n\nTwitter Trends\n\n";
foreach ($json_output as $trend) {
$trendname = $trend['name'];
echo $trendname."\n";
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage("^".$trendname);
$serial->deviceClose();
sleep(15);
}
$serial->deviceOpen();
$serial->sendMessage("^");
sleep(1);
$serial->deviceClose();
sleep(3);
displayWX();
}
displayWX();
?>
</pre>
<p><strong>PHP Serial Class</strong>
The PHP script requires an OS X specific serial class to talk with the Arduino board. I'm using <a href="https://gist.github.com/51342">this serial class by Rémy Sanchez</a>, modified by <a href="http://andrewhutchings.com/php-serial-class-for-os-x">Andrew Hutchings</a>. You'll need to define your serial device (which you can find in /dev). It should look something like /dev/cu.usbserial-A900adK5.</p>
<p><strong>Bash Start-up File</strong>
In addition, due to the way OS X handles communication over the USB connection (you can <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110313064208/http://www.mydarkmaterials.co.uk/about/">read more about it here</a>) we need to run a sleep command to prevent the Arduino from resetting itself each time you send data to it.</p>
<pre>
#!/bin/bash
# Persist LCD screen (prevent Arduino from resetting)
# OS X
nohup sleep 360000 < /dev/cu.usbserial-A900adK5 &
# Linux
#nohup sleep 360000 < /dev/ttyUSB1 &
#stty -F /dev/ttyUSB1 -hupcl
php tweet-arduino.php
</pre>
<p>That's it. Pass the Arduino program to your Arduino, change the name of your serial device in the PHP script and these scripts should run right out of the box.</p>
Switching From WordPress to Octopress2011-11-03T10:37:00Z2011-11-03T10:37:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2011/11/switching-from-wordpress-to-octopress/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Switching From WordPress to Octopress</h1><p class="date">November 03, 2011</p>
<p>Today marks yet another milestone for Midnight Cheese by successfully making the migration from <a href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress</a> to <a href="http://octopress.org/">Octopress</a>. With web trends moving toward fast, light, and responsive, my WordPress setup was becoming slow, bloated, and stagnant. WordPress functions well, but for a single user it was just too large of a feature set. The slow page-load times really made this obvious.</p>
<p>Octopress is the complete opposite of WordPress. Octopress is all static. No scripting. No DB.</p>
<p><strong>Some History</strong><br />The current design is the default Octopress theme. That means a redesign is coming soon. I started looking back and realized 2007 was the last time I applied a design update, which is a bit embarrassing.</p>
<p>Octopress is the fourth blogging CMS that the site has operated under. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogger_(service)">Blogger</a> started everything off very early on, followed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greymatter_(software)">Greymatter</a> (also based on static files) in 2001, WordPress in 2004, and now Octopress.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/midnightcheese-2002.png" alt="Midnight Cheese in 2002" border="0" /></p><p><small>Midnight Cheese in 2002</small></p>
<p><strong>Issues with Disqus</strong><br />The WordPress import instructions on the Octopress site worked well. The most time consuming part for me was getting <a href="http://disqus.com/">Disqus</a> properly set up. It turns out you have to enable comments on each post.</p>
<code>
comments: true
</code>
<p>This meant a lot of text manipulation across some 470 posts. I used a little perl action to run through the _posts folder and change what was needed in each file. Basically a find and replace action.</p>
<code>
perl -pi -e 's/type: post/type: post\ncomments: true/g' *.html
</code>
<p>In addition, to get the comment count to appear on the main index view, I had to implement <a href="http://www.benjiegillam.com/2011/09/octopress-slash-disqus-issue-resolved/">this Disqus fix from Benjie Gillam</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Image Files and Redirects</strong><br />Storing my repo on <a href="http://github.com/">Github</a>, I decided I didn't want to have all my images and various media files sitting on Github's servers, or across multiple repos on my various computers. On most posts I often have quite a few images. To solve this I created an assets subdomain and moved everything over, keeping all those large files out of the code base.</p>
<p>Many of my images rank well on Google image search which drives a good bit of traffic to the site. That meant 301 redirects for all my images. And again I used that perl script to run through all the posts to modify image URLs.</p>
<p><strong>To the Future</strong><br />I love how light and responsive the site has become with the static setup. Next on the list is a fresh design and custom asides. Flickr will probably be top on the aside list.</p>
Old Stones River Road2012-01-07T12:27:00Z2012-01-07T12:27:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2012/01/old-stones-river-road/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Old Stones River Road</h1><p class="date">January 07, 2012</p>
<p>If you look at the <a href="http://g.co/maps/4vhf6">Percy Priest Lake area on Google Maps</a> you can often see old roads that lead straight into the water. Recently I noticed such a road parallel to Stones River Road here in La Vergne, and this past fall Merredith and I decided to take a walk to see what we could find.</p>
<p><a href="http://g.co/maps/4vhf6"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/google-maps-old-stones-river-road.jpg" alt="Old Stones River Road on Google Maps" /></a></p><p><small>Old Stones River Road on Google Maps</small></p>
<p>It turns out there was quite a bit to see of Old Stones River Road. From small drainage bridges to old fencing to the actual roadbed, it looks as though the road was left as-is when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_priest_lake">Percy Priest Lake</a> was built in the 1960s. The following photos were taken just south of the Hurricane Creek boat ramp area.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/6654353083/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/old-stones-river-road.jpg" alt="Old Stones River Road" /></a></p><p><small>Old Stones River Road</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/6654343085/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/old-stones-river-road-drainage-bridge.jpg" alt="One of the drainage bridges along Old Stones River Road" /></a></p><p><small>One of the drainage bridges along Old Stones River Road</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/6654350701/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/old-stones-river-road-drainage.jpg" alt="Old Stones River Road showing fencing and drainage bridge" /></a></p><p><small>Old Stones River Road showing fencing and drainage bridge</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/6654354413/"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/percy-priest-lake-from-old-stones-river-road.jpg" alt="View of Percy Priest Lake from Old Stones River Road" /></a></p><p><small>View of Percy Priest Lake from Old Stones River Road</small></p>
A quick how-to with the aprs.fi API2012-09-11T15:49:00Z2012-09-11T15:49:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2012/09/a-quick-how-to-with-the-aprs-dot-fi-api/
<h1 class="full-bleed">A quick how-to with the aprs.fi API</h1><p class="date">September 11, 2012</p>
<p><a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2012/09/a-quick-how-to-with-the-aprs-dot-fi-api/www.aprs.org/">APRS</a> lets users share information (GPS tracks, WX info, etc.) both over the internet and over the air via amateur radio. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System">See Wikipedia for more about APRS</a>.)</p>
<p><a href="http://aprs.fi/">aprs.fi</a> is the go-to site to see current APRS activity in your (or any) area. They also have an <a href="http://aprs.fi/page/api">API</a> that lets users tie into all this great data.</p>
<p>In the example below I've written a small PHP script that demonstrates how to pull data from the API and display that data in your terminal window.</p>
<pre>
<?php
ini_set( "user_agent", "Midnight Cheese (+http://midnightcheese.com/)" );
echo "\n\nFetching APRS data...\n\n";
function display_APRS() {
$json_url = "http://api.aprs.fi/api/get?apikey=0000&name=KBNA,KF4KFQ,AG4FW,WR1Q&what=wx&format=json";
$json = file_get_contents( $json_url, 0, null, null );
$json_output = json_decode( $json, true);
$station_array = $json_output[ 'entries' ];
foreach ( $station_array as $station ) {
$name = $station[ 'name' ];
$temp = $station[ 'temp' ];
$temp = ( ( 9 / 5 ) * $temp ) + 32; // Convert celsius to fahrenheit.
echo "Temperature is ".$temp."°F at ".$name."\n";
}
echo "\n\n";
}
display_APRS();
?>
</pre>
<p>In this case we're requesting a list of weather information posted by a handful of different operators. The API returns the data in JSON which is then parsed and displayed. The final output is displayed below.</p>
<pre>
Fetching APRS data...
Temperature is 82.04°F at KBNA
Temperature is 84.92°F at KF4KFQ
Temperature is 78.08°F at AG4FW
Temperature is 82.94°F at WR1Q
</pre>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aprs.fi-large.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aprs.fi-large.png" alt="Objects on the aprs.fi map." /></a></p><p><small>Lots of APRS objects displayed on the <a href="http://aprs.fi/">aprs.fi</a> map.</small></p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Republic Wireless Review2012-11-07T13:41:00Z2012-11-07T13:41:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2012/11/republic-wireless-review/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Republic Wireless Review</h1><p class="date">November 07, 2012</p>
<p>Now that I have a month's worth of time with Republic Wireless under my belt, I thought this would be a good point to write up a review of those first 30 days.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://republicwireless.com/"><img alt="Republic Wireless Logo" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/republic-wireless-logo.jpg" /></a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://republicwireless.com/">Republic Wireless</a>
is geared toward users who spend most of their time in an environment with persistent Wi-Fi. When in range of Wi-Fi access all phone calls are placed and received over Wi-Fi. When outside of Wi-Fi range Sprint is the carrier that all calls and data are routed through.
</p>
<p>With most of a user's calling minutes and data flowing over Wi-Fi, Republic Wireless can charge a low monthly fee of just $20 for unlimited everything.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/android-large.jpg"><img alt="Android OS" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/android-large.jpg" /></a>
</p>
<p>With access to Wi-Fi at home and work, this works out well. Even prior to Republic Wireless, my data usage over the cell network never made it over half a GB per month. So far so good! Let's get into some detail.</p>
<p>
<strong>First Impressions</strong>
<br />
While this is mostly UPS's fault, my box arrived mangled and open. Luckily nothing had fallen out of the box in transit. (As far as I know.) I was looking forward to Republic Wireless stickers that
<a href="http://www.yitch.com/republic-wireless-optimus-cellphone-unboxing/">other customers had received</a>
but was disappointed not to find any in the box. Maybe they fell out along the way.
</p>
<p>Luckily the phone itself was unscathed. I was able to open everything up, charge the phone, and make calls right away.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/busted-box-large.jpg"><img alt="Busted box" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/busted-box-large.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>UPS did a number on this package.</small>
</p>
<p>
<strong>The phone: Motorola DEFY</strong>
<br />
The
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Defy">DEFY</a>
is by no means a high-end Android device, but compared to the iPhone 3G that I was using previously, the DEFY is lightening fast. Switching between apps produces no lag. Waiting (sometimes minutes) for the keyboard to respond after a keypress on the iPhone is a thing of the past.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/motorola-defy-large.jpg"><img alt="Motorola DEFY" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/motorola-defy-large.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>The Motorola DEFY.</small>
</p>
<p>
Coming from the iPhone, the DEFY feels cheap and fragile, even though Motorola
<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/motorola-defy-t-mobile/4505-6452_7-34176620.html">touts it as a rugged device</a>
that is water resistant and able to absorb shocks.
</p>
<p>The best hardware feature of the DEFY compared to the 3G is the high-res screen. Even switching back and forth between the DEFY and the iPad 2, the iPad begins to look low-res.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-res-screen-large.jpg"><img alt="High res screen" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-res-screen-large.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Notice the smoothness of the edge of circular elements like the @ symbol.</small>
</p>
<p>GPS is more erratic on the DEFY compared to the iPhone. Some of this could be attributed to Waze's software, but when sitting at a traffic light the GPS software has a difficult time knowing that the device is stationary. The position icon will move back and forth and the map will spin around thinking the device's direction has changed. Never saw this behavior on the iPhone.</p>
<p>
<strong>Android UX</strong>
<br />
This being my first Android device, I actually expected a much worse experience after using iOS. There's no question Android isn't as polished as iOS, but it's by no means unusable. The biggest fault in Android is the lack of consistency when interacting with similar UI elements across apps. For example, when using a text field, selected text is the usual indicator that text will go away when the user starts typing. This appears in Android, but only half the time. In other instances when interacting with a text field, the text will not be selected yet still disappear when the user begins to type. That makes me question whether or not the text I'm about to modify is about to all disappear.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/selected-text-large.jpg"><img alt="Selected text" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/selected-test-large.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>This text is clearly selected.</small>
</p>
<p>There are tons of little things like that throughout the OS. When the screen is off, iOS will light the screen and display a notification when receiving a text message. Android does not do this, so it's difficult to know when notifications are arriving if you have the phone on silent.</p>
<p>Pinch and zoom gestures aren't as smooth as iOS. Icons aren't very well designed and often use unnecessary animation. The icon indicating that GPS is in use is an animated crosshair. There's no reason to create that extra distraction for the user.</p>
<p>The row of hardware based buttons at the bottom of the screen are silly. That should all be in the software UI.</p>
<p>Individually, these are all small annoyances, but they can add up to a less than pleasant experience.</p>
<p>Android does offer a few nice items, including the ability to have on-off switches for Wi-Fi, GPS, etc. on the home screen. They're not there by default which is great for normal users, but it's nice to have the option for power users. I do like Google's voice commands. I find myself using that quite a bit for alarms, weather conditions and measurement conversions.</p>
<p>Most of these complaints can be attributed to the DEFY running Android version 2.3. Next month that will be a two year old operating system. In the tech world, that's a lifetime. Unfortunately, with the Google/handset manufacturer track record, I'll be amazed if I see a newer version of Android show up on this phone.</p>
<p>
<strong>Wi-Fi Calling</strong>
<br />
I think this is where Republic Wireless will really shine once the service moves out of beta. Wi-Fi call quality placed on a connection without heavy network traffic is quite superb. Audio has much more clarity than a traditional call placed over a cellular network.
</p>
<p>On the shared public Wi-Fi at work (which is very user heavy) I do get reports of echoing, or artifacts similar to those heard on services like Skype or Vonage when under similar network conditions. On the receiving end, I've never heard audio drop or degrade.</p>
<p>I had to make some tweaks to my router at home to hear both ends of a Wi-Fi conversation, but once that was done I haven't had any issues at the house. From what I've read on the Republic Wireless forums, the next over-the-air phone update will address some of the router issues that require settings to be changed by the end user.</p>
<p>I've only had one person comment on call quality and that's only been when standing outside of the building where Wi-Fi coverage gets sketchy, combined with the busy network traffic. Not bad for beta.</p>
<p>
<strong>Cellular Service</strong>
<br />
Cellular service from Sprint is what you would expect from any carrier: Reliable calls and data based on their coverage map. Data doesn't appear to be limited or throttled for Republic Wireless users. I recently spent two long weekend completely off Wi-Fi and encountered zero issues.
</p>
<p>
<strong>SMS Messaging</strong>
<br />
A couple issues to keep in mind here. Text messaging is only mostly supported. MMS messaging is not supported at all. Basic text messaging works without issue, but a lot of services like GroupMe and WoW don't support sending messages to VOIP based services like Republic Wireless. It does vary service to service. Google Calendar alerts send just fine. But, keep that in mind if you rely heavily on those types of services.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Go for it.</strong>
<br />
All in all, for the price, the service is completely worth it. If you're not a heavy phone and data user, Republic Wireless takes care of the basics. Calls are clear and data is abundant. If you don't consider yourself technically inclined, wait until they get all the kinks worked out and sign-up once they're out of beta. Adjusting router settings isn't something the average user should have to deal with.
</p>
<p>I'll be sticking with the service and look forward to what Republic Wireless has in store in the near future.</p>
<p>
<strong>In Summary</strong>
</p>
<strong>The Good</strong>
<ul>
<li>Great price</li>
<li>Unlimited calling and data</li>
</ul>
<strong>The Bad</strong>
<ul>
<li>2-year-old Android OS</li>
<li>Fiddling with router settings required</li>
</ul>
Amateur Radio2012-11-09T16:04:00Z2012-11-09T16:04:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2012/11/amateur-radio/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Amateur Radio</h1><p class="date">November 09, 2012</p>
<p>
Because I'm not already leading a completely geek-filled lifestyle between my
<a href="http://myemma.com/">day job</a>
and my time on
<a href="http://jawgrind.com/">Jawgrind</a>
discussing the merits of original Star Trek episodes, I decided to seal the deal and get my ham radio license.
</p>
<p>The process of getting my license kind of happened by accident. My grandfather was a ham (K9PSA) and I always remember seeing his radio setup as a kid, but I never really put together what it was all about. Last year I accidentally stumbled upon a form of data transmission popular in the ham world that allows people to transmit text across great distances with an extreme minimum of transmission power.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/psk31-large.jpg"><img alt="PSK31 Screenshot" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/psk31-large.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Screenshot of PSK31. Notice the "waterfall" of incoming signals. Transmissions are appearing from as far away as Cuba.</small>
</p>
<p>
The idea of transmitting messages across states and countries sans-internet is interesting, but the visual aspect of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSK31">PSK31</a>
that allows you to literally see the data flowing through a block of spectrum is intriguing. So I had to try it myself.
</p>
<p>Over the last several months I've been using a little RadioShack shortwave receiver to view the transmissions, and now that I finally have my license, I hope to be transmitting soon.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/radioshack-dx-402.jpg"><img alt="Radioshack DX-402 Reciever" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/radioshack-dx-402.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Radio Shack DX-402 Reciever</small>
</p>
<p>I passed both my Technician and General tests in March and received KK4HSX as my call sign. Now I've begun to slowly put a rig together. Recently I picked up an Alpha Delta antenna and mounted it to the highest point in the attic. With a length close to 40 feet, it fit perfectly stretching from one end of the attic to the other.</p>
<p>
While saving up some dough to get a decent radio for that antenna, I've been playing around a bit on the local repeaters with a little
<a href="http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communications/Amateur_Radio/Portables/TH-K20A">Kenwood TH-K20A</a>
FM transceiver. I even enlisted my Dad's help in building a larger (j-pole) antenna to plug into that little handheld. Still trying to find some time to properly test that thing out.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightcheese/8041018911/in/photostream/"><img alt="J-pole antenna" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/j-pole-antenna.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>J-pole antenna</small>
</p>
<p>That just about sums things up for now. I'm sure many more amateur radio related posts will follow this one.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Building an RSS Reader With Meteor2013-06-27T08:53:00Z2013-06-27T08:53:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2013/06/building-an-rss-reader-with-meteor/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Building an RSS Reader With Meteor</h1><p class="date">June 27, 2013</p>
<p><a href="http://meteor.com/">Meteor</a> is a nifty Javascript based platform that features live page updates as data is changed across browsers and users. With the demise of <a href="http://www.google.com/reader/">Google Reader</a>, I thought an RSS reader might be a good application to put Meteor through its paces. Turns out Meteor does a fantastic job and is a lot of fun to work with.</p>
<p>I named my RSS reader <a href="http://ocular.herokuapp.com/">Ocular</a>. (<a href="http://ocular.herokuapp.com/">Feel free to kick the tires</a>.) With my design background and reading habits in mind, Ocular behaves differently from RSS readers most of us are familiar with. RSS is an amazing tool and a fantastic way to deliver information. The only down-side is the lack of visual design accompanied with most feeds. Ocular solves this by displaying the actual article associated with that feed item.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ocular-full-article-large.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ocular-full-article-large.png" alt="Ocular RSS Reader" /></a></p>
<p>By showing the actual article, the content's original design is preserved, allowing the user to read content as the author intended. More added bonuses include the ability to see and interact with comments, and if you're generating revenue through advertising, those ads will also be visible to the user.</p>
<p>The other major difference between Ocular and traditional RSS readers is the way Ocular handles new feed content. I'm a very casual reader when it comes to RSS. I don't read every single feed item that is pushed out by major content publishers like <a href="http://www.engadget.com/">Engadget</a> or the <a href="http://nytimes.com/">NY Times</a>. With that in mind, Ocular only checks for feed updates when you're running the app. In my case, I keep Ocular open in a separate tab during the day while I'm working. At night, Ocular is closed and not pulling in updates. Turns out, this works out great because I'm still not missing any content. Sites that post less frequently still get picked up because Ocular is pulling in feed items based on the date of the last item that was pulled in. If one of my favorite sites publishes a few times overnight, those posts will be pulled in in the morning. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a site like <a href="http://www.theverge.com/">The Verge</a> publishes 30 items overnight, it's possible I might miss a few of the older feed items when I fire up Ocular in the morning. But, I'm not concerned about that because I don't want to read that much content to begin with.</p>
<p>Aside from those differences, Ocular has features you would expect in an RSS reader: Feed lists, unread counts, the ability to mark favorites, etc.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/ocular-article-list.png" alt="Ocular RSS feed list" /></p>
<p><strong>Meteor technical details</strong><br />
Here are some methods specific to Meteor that I've found interesting when building this project. I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to Javascript, so please, feel free to suggest improvements.</p>
<p><strong>Pulling in RSS feeds</strong><br />
Probably my favorite functionality in this app is all the feed updates happening in the browser using the <a href="https://developers.google.com/feed/">Google Feed API</a>.</p>
<p>Here's a shortened example:</p>
<pre>
.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: "http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/services/feed/load?v=1.0&num=10&q="+url,
dataType: "jsonp",
success: function( data ) {
// If article published date is newer than feed's last published date, add the article to the DB.
if ( Date.parse( articles[j]['publishedDate'] ) > lastPublished ) {
Meteor.call( 'addArticle', {
feedId: feedId,
title: articles[j]['title'],
url: articles[j]['link'],
publishedDate: articles[j]['publishedDate']
}, function( error, result ) {
Meteor.call( 'updateReadCount', feedId, 1);
});
}
}
});
</pre>
<p>If RSS articles are newer than the last saved RSS articles, we tell Meteor to save that article</p>
<code>
Meteor.call( 'addArticle' );
</code>
<p>and update the unread count</p>
<code>
Meteor.call( 'updateReadCount', feedId, 1);
</code>
<p>In our model file, those calls look like this:</p>
<pre>
Meteor.methods({
addArticle: function( options ) {
options = options || {};
pubDate = Date.parse( options.publishedDate );
return Articles.insert({
owner: Meteor.userId(),
feedId: options.feedId,
title: options.title,
url: options.url,
publishedDate: pubDate,
read: false,
favorite: false,
share: false
});
},
updateReadCount: function( feedId, num ) {
return Feeds.update( feedId, {
$inc: { unreadCount: num }
});
}
});
</pre>
<p>The beauty of Meteor is, as soon as those DB entries are updated, the template updates the list of articles and the unread count all without a page refresh. It's really exciting when you see that happen for the first time.</p>
<p><strong>Displaying articles</strong><br />
This is a simple process, but something I had never done before. Using an iframe to house the article, when a user clicks on the feed item they'd like to read, the iframe is populated with the source URL from the feed article and the article is marked as read with a markRead method.</p>
<pre>
// client.js
Template.articleList.events({
'click .article': function( event ) {
Meteor.call( 'markRead', this._id );
}
});
// model.js
markRead: function( articleId ) {
return Articles.update( articleId, {
$set: { read: true }
});
}
</pre>
<p><strong>User accounts</strong><br />
A nice add-on tool is the <a href="http://docs.meteor.com/#accountsui">accounts-ui package</a> that makes dealing with user accounts quick and easy. In the template, adding the login/account UI is as simple as adding a single line:</p>
<pre>
<div class="header">
{{loginButtons}}
</div>
</pre>
<p>Then in the client file we can do things like check to see if the user is logged in and do actions based on that state:</p>
<pre>
// If user is logged in, show a div.
if ( Meteor.user() ) {
$( "div" ).show();
}
</pre>
<p>Pulling in data based on the logged in user looks like this in the client file:</p>
<pre>
var feeds = Feeds.find({$or: [{owner: Meteor.userId()}]}, {sort: {"title": 1}}).fetch();
</pre>
<p>That pulls in a list of RSS feeds associated with that user and sorts them alphabetically by title.</p>
<p><strong>Large data</strong><br />
The one drawback facing the current iteration of Ocular is sluggishness around updating large sets of data. If I have an unread count pushing 1,000+ items and I mark all items as read, Meteor takes several seconds to make those changes to each record and apply a "read" class to each html element in the template. I don't know if the hang-up is on the DB side or the template markup side. I'm sure there's a better way to optimize my approach, but that's something I'm still learning.</p>
<p><strong>A great experience</strong><br />
All-in-all Meteor has been a lot of fun. I wish I was doing more to take advantage of the power of live page updates. Something like a list of articles marked as favorites across all users in real time could be fun.</p>
<p>For someone somewhat new to the deep depths of Javascript, I found Meteor to be relatively smooth sailing. <a href="http://docs.meteor.com/">Documentation</a> is well done and it was rare that I encountered any major roadblocks. If you're interested in Meteor, definitely give it a try. I'm already thinking about what I can build next.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> I get a lot of requests to see the entire application code so I've <a href="https://github.com/Cale/ocular">posted the project to GitHub</a>. I hope this helps others starting out with Meteor.</p>
Raspberry Pi + Node.js + Socket.IO + Twitter Streaming API = Internet Bliss2014-02-27T08:52:00Z2014-02-27T08:52:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2014/02/raspberry-pi-plus-node-dot-js-plus-socket-dot-io-plus-twitter-streaming-api-equals-internet-bliss/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Raspberry Pi + Node.js + Socket.IO + Twitter Streaming API = Internet Bliss</h1><p class="date">February 27, 2014</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Twitter no longer offers the Streaming API option.</p>
<p>I've had an idea floating around for to build a tiny web app that does nothing but display new Tweets as they roll in from my <a href="https://dev.twitter.com/docs/streaming-apis/streams/user">Twitter User Stream</a>. I envisioned displaying the resulting feed on a spare laptop or an old smartphone 24/7. <a href="http://nodejs.org/">Node.js</a> felt like it might be a good solution to make that happen. After reading through the Node docs and a quick <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16427039/displaying-streaming-twitter-on-webpage-with-socket-io-node-js">search on Stackoverflow</a>, I found a great example of making this project happen with both Node.js and <a href="http://socket.io/">Socket.IO</a>.</p>
<p>Here's a look at my version of this app which also includes a bit of CSS to make things look better in the browser.</p>
<p><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/twitter-node.gif" alt="Node.js Twitter stream" /></p>
<p><del>Check out the end result running on my Raspberry Pi</del>.</p>
<p>I won't go into installing Node.js as it's pretty straight-forward from their site. You will need to install a few extra packages, but that's easy enough:</p>
<code>
npm install express socket.io twit
</code>
<p>The application code is shown below, but also <a href="https://github.com/Cale/TweetNode">hosted on Github</a> for easy download. We'll start with the server (server.js) where the Twitter stream is consumed and processed. In this version I'm using the <a href="https://dev.twitter.com/docs/streaming-apis/streams/public">Twitter Firehose</a> and limiting the Tweets that come back based on a keyword. In this case, any Tweet that contains the word 'Nashville' will be displayed in the browser.</p>
<pre>
javascript server.js
var express = require('express')
, app = express()
, http = require('http')
, server = http.createServer(app)
, Twit = require('twit')
, io = require('socket.io').listen(server);
server.listen(4040);
// routing
// Tell Node to load node-twitter-stream.html when the browser requests /
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
res.sendFile(__dirname + '/node-twitter-stream.html');
});
// Tell Node to serve the CSS file when requested
app.get('/node-twitter-stream.css', function (req, res) {
res.sendFile(__dirname + '/node-twitter-stream.css');
});
// When processeing the Twitter firehose, only show Tweets with this keyword
var watchList = ['nashville'];
var T = new Twit({
consumer_key: 'your key here'
, consumer_secret: 'your secret here'
, access_token: 'your token here'
, access_token_secret: 'your token here'
});
io.sockets.on('connection', function (socket) {
var stream = T.stream('statuses/filter', { track: watchList })
//var stream = T.stream('statuses/sample') // Firehose (sampling of all Tweets)
//var stream = T.stream('user') // Your user stream
// When a Tweet is recieved:
stream.on('tweet', function (tweet) {
// Makes a link the Tweet clickable
var turl = tweet.text.match( /(http|https|ftp):\/\/[^\s]*/i )
if ( turl != null ) {
turl = tweet.text.replace( turl[0], '<a href="'+turl[0]+'" target="new">'+turl[0]+'</a>' );
} else {
turl = tweet.text;
}
var mediaUrl;
// Does the Tweet have an image attached?
if ( tweet.entities['media'] ) {
if ( tweet.entities['media'][0].type == "photo" ) {
mediaUrl = tweet.entities['media'][0].media_url;
} else {
mediaUrl = null;
}
}
// Send the Tweet to the browser
io.sockets.emit('stream',turl, tweet.user.screen_name, tweet.user.profile_image_url, mediaUrl);
});
});
</pre>
<p>The HTML file is static except for a small piece of JQuery that fades the old Tweet out and fades the new Tweet in. If a Tweet has a photo attached to it, the photo is added as a background image (node-twitter-stream.html).</p>
<pre>
html node-twitter-stream.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<head>
<title>TwitterNode</title>
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes">
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black">
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Vollkorn' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/node-twitter-stream.css">
<script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.js"></script>
<script>
var socket = io.connect('http://localhost:4040');
socket.on('stream', function(tweet, user, avatar, media) {
$( "#tweetd" ).fadeOut( function(){
$( "#bg-image" ).css( "background-image","");
$( "#tweetd" ).empty();
$('#tweetd').prepend('<div class="image"></div><div><img src="'+avatar+'" width="48" height="48"><a href="http://twitter.com/'+user+'" target="_blank">@'+user+'</a> '+tweet+'</div>');
if ( media ) {
$( "#bg-image" ).css( "background-image","url("+media+")");
}
$( "#tweetd" ).fadeIn();
})
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="tweetd">Waiting for Tweets...</div>
<div id="bg-image"></div>
</body>
</html>
</pre>
<p>Here is the CSS (node-twitter-stream.css) that styles the application. There's a small media query used here for better display on smartphones.</p>
<pre>
css node-twitter-stream.css
body {
background-color:#000;
color:#ddd;
font-family:'Vollkorn', serif;
font-size:4em;
letter-spacing:-0.04em;
margin:0;
padding:50px 75px 0 75px;
}
a {
color:#ff5842;
}
img {
float:left;
position:absolute;
right:0;
bottom:0;
}
div {
word-wrap:break-word;
}
#bg-image {
background-size:cover;
background-position:center center;
opacity:.35;
position:absolute;
top:0;
right:0;
bottom:0;
left:0;
z-index:-10;
}
@media only screen and (device-width: 320px) {
/* Style adjustments for viewports 520px and lower */
body { font-size:6em; }
}
@media only screen and (device-width: 320px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) {
/* Style adjustments for viewports 520px and lower */
body { font-size:6em; }
}
</pre>
<p>With Node installed locally, you can now run this app and take a look in your browser.</p>
<code>
node server.js
</code>
<p>I wanted to access the app from anywhere and running from a <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/">Raspberry Pi</a> over the internet seemed like a good option. There's <a href="http://blog.rueedlinger.ch/2013/03/raspberry-pi-and-nodejs-basic-setup/">a great write-up on Matt's Blog</a> that explains how to get Node running as a service. In other words, your Node app can run behind the scenes even after rebooting your Raspberry Pi.</p>
<p>That's it! You can now access your Node app from anywhere on any internet connected device. One item to watch out for, however, is the IP address you specify in the HTML file.</p>
<code>
var socket = io.connect('http://localhost:4040');
</code>
<p>For internet users, you'll need to specify your external IP address. For clients on your local network, the Pi's local IP address will be required. I ended up using a URL variable that would determine which IP address to use.</p>
Building the Softrock Ensemble RXTX2014-04-07T11:39:00Z2014-04-07T11:39:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2014/04/building-the-softrock-ensemble-rxtx/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Building the Softrock Ensemble RXTX</h1><p class="date">April 07, 2014</p>
<p>
Looking for a cheap
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_frequency">HF</a>
alternative, I picked up one of the
<a href="http://fivedash.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7">Softrock Ensemble RXTX</a>
kits and spent the last several weeks slowly putting the kit together. The Ensemble is a
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio">software defined radio.</a>
In summary, the hardware provides the signal, leaving the computer software to do the heavy lifting. That includes both tuning and processing of received signals.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/softrock-ensemble-rxtx.jpg"><img alt="Softrock Ensemble RXTX" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/softrock-ensemble-rxtx.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Softrock Ensemble RXTX</small>
</p>
<p>I had high expectations for this little board and it delivers fairly well. The receive functionality is fantastic, even though setting up the software is a nightmare. Transmitting is still a work in progress. However, I think I'm close.</p>
<p>
<strong>The beauty of SDR</strong>
<br />
Software defined radio is all about the visuals. In essence, SDR allows you to "see" a wide band of spectrum all at once. If you think about the FM radio band that your car stereo listens in on, the SDR equivalent shows you all the FM transmissions/signals at once. Each transmission is represented by a column of lovely reds and greens flowing up the screen. To listen in on a single transmission, simply click where you want to listen. No more scrolling or scanning until you find something that doesn't sound like static.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hdsdr.jpg"><img alt="HDSDR" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hdsdr.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>HDSDR displaying 80 meters.</small>
</p>
<p>
In the ham radio world, instead of broadcast stations, we're looking at individuals transmitting conversations through voice, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code">morse code</a>, and digital modes. The same principle applies. Click on a column to listen in.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Building the kit</strong>
<br />
This was the most complex solder project I've taken on and I have the errors to show for it. Everything went fairly smoothly until I soldered in a transformer, forgetting to first strip the coating off the wires. In removing the transformer, I damaged the board enough where one of the metal rings lining one of the solder points was accidentally ripped out. I had to use a piece of scrap to hard-solder two points together. On the up side, things still tested out and functioned properly.
</p>
<p>At the time, I thought the build process would be the most difficult part of this project. Little did I know, the software setup for this board would be one of the most difficult software setups I've ever encountered.</p>
<p>Being a UX guy it typically doesn't take me long to figure things out when it comes to software. However, words can not describe the frustration experienced trying to get the SDR software set up to use this kit.</p>
<p>
<strong>HDSDR software</strong>
<br />
When
<a href="http://www.hdsdr.de/">HDSDR</a>
works, it's a beautiful thing. The software really is easy to navigate. Tuning is straight-forward and the visuals are amazing.
</p>
<p>As awesome as the software is, there's no good step-by-step documentation to walk the user through the process. I understand there are a lot of variables in these setups including various sound cards and even the way the boards are built. That may be one reason for a general lack of documentation. The other issue is, when setting things up, I tried so many different combinations of this and that, I can't remember what I did to get the thing working. That makes writing documentation difficult and I wish I had taken notes along the way for the benefit of others.</p>
<p>
<strong>Receiving</strong>
<br />
Once the software is in good shape, let the receiving begin. I built my kit for the 20, 30, and 40 meter bands, but I'm still able to receive from 80 meters to about 15MHz very well.
</p>
<p>Speaking about sound cards for a moment, from what I can gather, a really good sound card is what's needed to make these kits really work well. The sound card in my desktop machine does a great job. On the other hand, plugging the Ensemble into my laptop, I experience mirrored instances of signals. Unfortunately, playing with HDSDR's image reduction settings yields no change in my experience.</p>
<p>
<strong>Transmitting</strong>
<br />
As difficult as the setup was for receiving, I still haven't figured out the proper configuration for transmitting. The unit will transmit. I've been able to pick up my own transmissions on another receiver. The issue I'm having is a double transmission of the signal. In the screens below, you can see what that looks like when transmitting digital modes. Could this simply be due to the fact that my reciever is so close in proximity to my transmitter?
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jt65-double-signal.jpg"><img alt="JT65 double signal transmitting with Softrock" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jt65-double-signal.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Double signal transmitting JT65 with the Softrock.</small>
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/psk31-double-signal.jpg"><img alt="PSK31 double signal transmitting with Softrock" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/psk31-double-signal.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>Double signal transmitting PSK31 with the Softrock.</small>
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hdsdr-double-signal.jpg"><img alt="HDSDR showing double transmit signal" src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hdsdr-double-signal.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><small>HDSDR displaying the double signal when transmitting.</small>
</p>
<p>
I've posted to the
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/softrock40/info">Softrock group</a>
and read all there is to read, but I'm pretty well stuck at this point. I don't have the knowledge to know if it's hardware related or software related.
</p>
<p>Until I figure that out, my days of transmitting are off in the not so distant future.</p>
<p>In the end, this has been a fun project and I use the kit regularly. It's a great learning tool. If you're on the fence about putting one of these kits together, I'd highly recommend it. Be prepared, however. A time consuming battle awaits when it comes time to interface with the computer. Keep at it, it will work eventually.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Decoding Data Packets From the International Space Station2014-06-21T17:08:00Z2014-06-21T17:08:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2014/06/listening-and-decoding-data-packets-from-the-international-space-station/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Decoding Data Packets From the International Space Station</h1><p class="date">June 21, 2014</p>
<p>On June 19th I set up my Kenwood HT paired with a magnet mount antenna in the driveway, tuned the radio to 145.825 and listened to data packets from the International Space Station magically flow through the radio's speaker as ISS flew overhead.</p>
<p>During a period of three minutes of time, 22 data packets were recorded. I used my iPhone placed next to the handheld's speaker as a recording device.</p>
<p>The audio can be <a href="https://soundcloud.com/midnightcheese/iss-data">listened to here</a>, and the decoded packet information is displayed below.</p>
<p><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/155494745&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe></p>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
fm K9CMI to APX205 via RS0ISS*
<br />=4007.30N\08817.95WhPHG5130_73 from Paul in Champaign, IL_M
</td> </tr><tr>
<td>
fm <span>K4IPH</span> to CQ via RS0ISS*
<br />=4035.60N/07934.34W-Bob in Vandergrift, PAM
</td> </tr><tr>
<td>
fm <span>KB2M-2</span> to 3YTU0W via RS0ISS*
<br />`g](l \`/`Winter QTH/SatGate _%M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />=4006.06N\07409.14W(**de FN20wc**
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>K9CMI</span> to APX205 via RS0ISS*
<br />=4007.30N\08817.95WhPHG5130_73 from Paul in Champaign, IL_M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>N2RRJ</span> to CQ via RS0ISS*
<br />=4000.57N/07408.13W-Greetings from N2RRJM
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W9QO</span> to STPX1V via RS0ISS* SGATE WIDE2-2
<br />'oIPl \-/]M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />=4006.06N\07409.14W(**de FN20wc**
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W5XV</span> to DADV9S via RS0ISS*
<br />'vQvl \-/]=M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />=4006.06N\07409.14W(**de FN20wc**
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>KB2M-2</span> to 3YTU0W via RS0ISS*
<br />`g](l \`/`Winter QTH/SatGate _%M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>KC4MCQ</span> to CQ via RS0ISS* SGATE WIDE2-2
<br />Salt Springs FloridaM
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />:W5XV :How's it goin', eh?
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />=4006.06N\07409.14W(**de FN20wc**
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>AA9LC</span> to W2THC via RS0ISS*
<br />de Grant AA9LC
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>WU2V-1</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />:HEARDlast:W5UL-15,KB2M-2,AA9LC,W2THC,WU2V-6,KB1CHU,N2QKV
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>N8ROA</span> to CQ via RS0ISS*
<br />=3948.45N/08202.30W-DARRIN ROSEVILLE, OHIO {UISS52}
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>KC4MCQ</span> to CQ via RS0ISS* SGATE WIDE2-2
<br />Salt Springs FloridaM
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>KC4MCQ</span> to CQ via RS0ISS* SGATE WIDE2-2
<br />=2920.58N/08144.33W`Salt Springs, FloridaM
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>KB2M-2</span> to 3YTU0W via RS0ISS*
<br />`g](l \`/`Winter QTH/SatGate _%M
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>W2THC</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />=4006.06N\07409.14W(**de FN20wc**
</td> </tr><tr><td>
fm <span>WU2V-1</span> to APRS via RS0ISS*
<br />North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Field Communications
</td> </tr>
</table>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
SpaceX-4 Lanuch & NASA Social: A Homecoming2014-09-16T11:31:00Z2014-09-16T11:31:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2014/09/spacex-4-nasa-social-launch-a-homecoming/
<h1 class="full-bleed">SpaceX-4 Lanuch & NASA Social: A Homecoming</h1><p class="date">September 16, 2014</p>
<p>I can't tell you how excited I am to have been selected to attend a <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2014/09/spacex-4-nasa-social-launch-a-homecoming/intriguing">NASA Social</a> event featuring the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_CRS-4">fourth launch of SpaceX's Dragon capsule to resupply ISS</a>. After <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/steeltoedloafer/sets/72157637857661216/">seeing what my friend Ernie</a> was able to experience during his NASA Social trip, I knew I had to do one, and here's my chance.</p>
<p>What makes this trip to the Space Coast extra special for me is the homecoming feeling this trip has taken on over the last few weeks.</p>
<p>Growing up in South Florida, the space program was always prominently featured in school. In 6th grade our class had a unique opportunity to drive up to Titusville and experience a one day version of <a href="https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/education/camp-ksc.aspx">Space Camp</a>. We had a lot of fun on that trip. During the bus tour portion I specifically remember passing a launchpad that had a Shuttle positioned and ready to launch within the next few days.</p>
<p>Prior to that 6th grade trip, in the mid to late 80s, my family would often visit my grandmother who lived in Titusville. Every once in a while we'd sit in her house and notice the windows begin to rattle just a bit. We all knew that meant NASA was launching a Shuttle that day.</p>
<p>We have another family member that worked for a NASA contractor doing quality control for the engines built for the Shuttles. We celebrated his 80th birthday this summer.</p>
<p>Later, in the 1990's when living in Miami, I vividly remember my family driving out of town to see the Shuttle travel across the sky during a night launch. It was amazing we could see a launch from that distance.</p>
<p>NASA and space travel was always an intriguing subject growing up. Getting a chance to go back to Titusville almost 20 years after my last visit for an even greater in-depth look at the space program is more than I could ever ask for. I can't wait!</p>
Introducing Amateur Radio Weekly2014-12-09T11:38:00Z2014-12-09T11:38:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2014/12/introducing-amateur-radio-weekly/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Introducing Amateur Radio Weekly</h1><p class="date">December 09, 2014</p>
<p>While the <a href="http://hamweekly.com/">newsletter</a> has already been published for several issues, I recently realized I haven't formally posted anything about it!</p>
<p>With that said, today, I'd like to officially introduce <a href="http://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>. It's an email newsletter published every Saturday featuring the most interesting links shared in the ham radio community that week.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/amateur-radio-weekly-large.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/amateur-radio-weekly-large.gif" alt="Amateur Radio Weekly email newsletter" /></a></p>
<p>The links will focus heavily on new technology, do-it-yourself projects, amateur radio in space, and anything else that promotes the ham radio hobby in a progressive manner. 10-12 easily scannable headlines generally make up an issue of Amateur Radio Weekly. Super simple, yet highly relevant. The ultimate goal is to elevate the hobby both for newcomers and established hams alike.</p>
<p>The weekly email newsletter format has been a success in internet technology circles, and I think we'll see the same for the ham crowd. (Thanks to those of you who have already signed up!)</p>
<p>Head over to <a href="http://hamweekly.com/">hamweekly.com</a> to sign-up, and if you like what you see, please share it with others.</p>
<p>73, K4HCK</p>
Hiking Mount Mansfield2015-01-03T12:06:00Z2015-01-03T12:06:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2015/01/hiking-mount-mansfield/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Hiking Mount Mansfield</h1><p class="date">January 03, 2015</p>
<p>In August I had the opportunity to hike the <a href="http://www.summitpost.org/mount-mansfield/150938">Sunset Ridge Trail</a> to the summit ridge of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mansfield">Mount Mansfield</a> near Burlington, Vermont. This was by far one of the most beautiful, yet challenging hikes I've been on. The trail starting from <a href="http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/underhill.htm">Underhill State Park</a> was only 3.3 miles one way, but the 2,600 foot elevation gain wasn't easy, especially above the tree line. There are two or three places where pulling yourself up large rocks is required. <a href="http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Mansfield/forecasts/1339">Wind was a factor</a> during my hike. Hiking down the mountain the winds had picked up considerably, and were strong enough to push me down. Once below the tree line, all was normal.</p>
<p>The challenges aside, the view and the vegetation above the tree line was beautiful. All worth the time and effort.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-stowe-instagram.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-stowe-instagram.jpg" alt="Stowe from top of Mount Mansfield" /></a><small>Stowe ski slopes in view from the top of Mount Mansfield.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-arctic-flora.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-arctic-flora.jpg" alt="Arctic flora on Mount Mansfield" /></a><small>Mount Mansfield holds roughly 200 acres of alpine tundra dating back to the Ice Ages.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/arctic-alpine-zone.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/arctic-alpine-zone.jpg" alt="Arctic Alpine Zone sign" /></a><small>Arctic Alpine Zone sign</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/just-below-treeline.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/just-below-treeline.jpg" alt="Just below tree line" /></a><small>Just below the tree line. One of a few areas required to scale larger rocks.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/west-chin-natural-area.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/west-chin-natural-area.jpg" alt="West Chin Natural Area" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/sunset-ridge-trail.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/sunset-ridge-trail.jpg" alt="Sunset Ridge Trail sign" /></a><small>Sunset Ridge Trail sign.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/looking-down-trail.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/looking-down-trail.jpg" alt="Looking down the trail" /></a><small>Looking down the trail. The blue stripes mark the trail.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-rock.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-rock.jpg" alt="Top of Mount Mansfield" /></a><small>Top of Mount Mansfield.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-trail-sign.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-trail-sign.jpg" alt="Sunset Ridge Trail Sign" /></a><small>Trail signs.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/top-of-mt-mansfield.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/top-of-mt-mansfield.jpg" alt="Arctic tundra" /></a><small>Arctic tundra.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mountain-ridges.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mountain-ridges.jpg" alt="Mountain ridges" /></a><small>Mountain ridges viewed from the top of Mount Mansfield.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/usgs-marker.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/usgs-marker.jpg" alt="USGS marker" /></a><small>A USGS marker was placed at the top of the mountain in 1924.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-panorama.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-panorama.jpg" alt="Panorama view from top of Mount Mansfield" /></a><small>Panorama view from top of Mount Mansfield</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/cale-top-of-mount-mansfield.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/cale-top-of-mount-mansfield.jpg" alt="Cale at the top of Mount Mansfield." /></a><small>Me at the top!</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-aprs-trail.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mt-mansfield-aprs-trail.gif" alt="Mount Mansfield APRS trail" /></a><small>In the portrait above you'll notice an antenna behind me. I was running an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System">APRS</a> beacon that transmitted my position every few minutes. The above screenshot shows the results from <a href="http://aprs.fi/">aprs.fi</a>. Only positions transmitted from above the tree line reached any near-by receivers.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mount-mansfield-aprs.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mount-mansfield/mount-mansfield-aprs.gif" alt="APRS detail" /></a><small>Details of my APRS position packets. A few packets managed a 112 mile trip into Canada!</small></p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Super Simple APRS Position Reporter2015-12-13T14:25:00Z2015-12-13T14:25:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2015/12/super-simple-aprs-position-beacon/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Super Simple APRS Position Reporter</h1><p class="date">December 13, 2015</p>
<p><strong>Barest of bones APRS RF position reporter</strong></p>
<p><strong>Update 7/2019:</strong> I highly recommend using <a href="https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf">Direwolf</a> in place of this solution. Direwolf provides the same result using the same hardware setup but with many more options (smart beaconing, igate, digipeating) and is much less taxing on the Pi's CPU. Most importantly, that project is actively maintained. Detailed set up <a href="https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf/tree/master/doc">instructions</a> are also available. As such, I'm no longer providing support for this project.</p>
<p>Updated 8/2017 to point to the master gpsd repo when setting up the web server.</p>
<p>I've been pondering an idea for a super bare-bones <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System">APRS</a> position reporter through RF for over a year. This project idea has been in response to the more hardware heavy <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/">Raspberry Pi</a> projects that involve extra TNC hardware, additional sound cards, and custom cabling.</p>
<p>My criteria has been a Raspberry Pi and an HT as the two major hardware components. No hardware TNCs and no custom cabling. I'm also not using a traditional APRS software package like <a href="http://xastir.org/index.php/Main_Page">Xastir</a> or <a href="http://ham.zmailer.org/oh2mqk/aprx/wiki-Aprx-en.html">APRX</a>.</p>
<p>In this project I'm using a Raspberry Pi B+, USB GPS receiver, Baofeng UV-5R, and a mono 3.5mm audio cable between the Pi and HT.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/raspberry-pi.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/raspberry-pi.jpg" alt="Raspberry Pi B+" /></a></p>
<p>Through the Pi's audio output an APRS message is sent to the VOX enabled HT.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/baofeng-uv-5r.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/baofeng-uv-5r.jpg" alt="Baofeng UV-5R" /></a></p>
<p>The magic happens in the software. A <a href="https://github.com/casebeer/afsk">Python based modem library</a> and a relatively simple <a href="https://gist.github.com/Cale/699979c3f597378dfaca">PHP script</a> are the main components driving the project.</p>
<p>Let's dig in. This setup uses <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/">Raspian</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Setting up GPS</strong></p>
<p>A simple USB GPS receiver will do just fine for this project. I'm using an old <a href="http://www.amazon.com/DeLorme-Earthmate-U-S-A-DVD-ROM-Windows/dp/B000PIJT3Q">Earthmate LT-20</a>. In order for the Pi to read the GPS data we'll install <a href="http://www.catb.org/gpsd/">gpsd</a>.</p>
<code>
sudo apt-get install gpsd gpsd-clients
</code>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/earthmate-lt-20-gps.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/earthmate-lt-20-gps.jpg" alt="Earthmate LT-20 USB GPS" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Setting up the local web server</strong></p>
<p>The main PHP script will read the gpsd information through a JSON file. We'll need to install apache and PHP to serve the JSON file locally.</p>
<code>
sudo apt-get install apache2 -y
</code>
<code>
sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 -y
</code>
<p><a href="http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/gpsd.git/plain/gpsd.php.in">Drop this file from the gpsd project</a> into the web server directory, /var/www/html/ and name it gpsd.php</p>
<p>Execute gpsd.php from the command line to build a needed configuration file.</p>
<code>
cd /var/www/html
</code>
<code>
sudo php gpsd.php
</code>
<p>If you open a web browser on your Pi and navigate to http://localhost/gpsd.php?op=json with your GPS connected and a clear shot of the sky, you should see position information appear. This is where the main PHP script will be reading the GPS data.</p>
<p><strong>Install Python modem</strong></p>
<p>I mentioned earlier I'm not using a traditional APRS application to generate messages. Instead I'm using a simple Python library called <a href="https://github.com/casebeer/afsk">afsk modem</a>. Install this using pip.</p>
<code>
sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev
</code>
<code>
sudo pip install afsk
</code>
<p>The optional PyAudio libraries are not required.</p>
<p>This library takes a properly formatted APRS message string as input and generates a Bell 202 AFSK audio sample and AFSK encoded APRS/AX.25 packet.</p>
<p>Make sure the Pi's sound output level is turned up. I set mine to 80.</p>
<code>
alsamixer
</code>
<p>And finally, be sure Raspi Config is set to play audio through the 3.5mm port, not HDMI.</p>
<code>
sudo raspi-config
</code>
<p><strong>The main script</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://gist.github.com/Cale/699979c3f597378dfaca">Download the the main PHP script</a> and place it in your Pi's home folder. You'll want to modify the first two variables entering your callsign and any extra message you want transmitted with your position.</p>
<p>Running this file from the command line will show you what's happening.</p>
<code>
php aprs-position-beacon.php
</code>
<p>Reading in the GPS data, the script converts that to an APRS message string, runs the message through the modem library, outputs a WAV file and then plays the audio file through the Pi's onboard sound card. That triggers the VOX enabled UV-5R and you're now transmitting your position via APRS over RF.</p>
<p>There are several methods to <a href="http://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/8734/execute-script-on-start-up">run this script automatically at startup</a>.</p>
<p>That's it.</p>
<p>My Raspberry Pi lives in my car and I've attached a mag mount antenna to the Baofeng for better reception.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/diamond-mag-mount-antenna.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/diamond-mag-mount-antenna.jpg" alt="Diamond mag mount" /></a></p>
<p>Here are typical results over 7 days of commuting.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aprs-position-track.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aprs-position-track.jpg" alt="APRS position track" /></a></p>
<p>In the future I'd love to figure out a way to power the Baofeng from the car. Currently I have to take the HT in the house to charge every few days. I also have to turn it on and off each trip to and from the car.</p>
<p>Another potential upgrade may be a 12 watt amp to help improve packet reception in areas where IGates and Digipeaters are scarce.</p>
<p>As a side note, I highly reccommend the Pi B+ or better for this project. I tried the same setup with two different original Pis, but the stray RF passing through the audio cable was strong enough to override the HT's squelch, preventing the HT form transmitting.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: First Impressions2017-01-17T12:36:49Z2017-01-17T12:36:49Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/01/MacBook-Pro-with-Touch-Bar-review/
<h1 class="full-bleed">MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: First Impressions</h1><p class="date">January 17, 2017</p>
<p>The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has carried with it <a href="http://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/10/27/new-macbook-pros-and-the-state-of-the-mac/">plenty of criticism</a> even before it landed in the hands of customers. Work handed us new MacBook Pros a couple weeks ago. Here are some observations based on several days of use.</p>
<h2 id="graphics">Graphics are glitchy</h2>
<p>Maybe it’s the Apple Thunderbolt to USB-C dongle, maybe it’s my display, maybe it’s the MacBook, but the combination of those three has created a frustrating experience. Sometimes the MacBook doesn’t recognize the display. Sometimes the MacBook crashes when connecting the display. Sometimes everything works just fine.</p>
<p>The graphics glitches are the weirdest part. With continued use, however, these issues seem to have lessened in occurrence with no specific action taken.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/macbook-pro-display-glitches.gif"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/macbook-pro-display-glitches.gif" alt="MacBook Pro graphics glitches" /></a></p>
<h2 id="login">The log-in experience is off</h2>
<p>With the addition of TouchID to the MacBook Pro, Apple is hiding the password field when presenting the user with the log-in screen. It took a while to realize I can just start typing to enter my password. Clicking the user icon with the mouse isn’t necessary and use of TouchID isn’t required. This is only an issue because I don’t keep my laptop open when connected to my monitor.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mackbook-pro-with-display.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mackbook-pro-with-display.jpg" alt="MackBook Pro with display" /></a></p>
<h2 id="touchbar">Touch Bar</h2>
<p>I rarely get a chance to use it, and when I do, I only use it when required. At work my machine is closed, connected to an external display. But when I’m not at my desk, so far, I haven’t found much use for Touch Bar.</p>
<p>From an experience perspective, it’s now a third input device, and second display device to pay attention to in addition to the traditional devices (trackpad/keyboard/display). The user is forced to pay attention to two output devices (display and Touch Bar) when switching context (between apps, for example). Many of the best Touch Bar interactions appear when using the keyboard. Unfortunately, most users are looking at the screen when using the keyboard. The Touch Bar remains out of sight and out of mind.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/touch-bar.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/touch-bar.jpg" alt="Touch Bar" /></a></p>
<h2 id="keyboard">Keyboard</h2>
<p>The keyboard feels fine. Key presses are louder than older MackBook Pro keyboards. The keys feel like they don’t travel as far, but my typing is in no way hindered.</p>
<h2 id="trackpad">Trackpad</h2>
<p>It’s too big. There’s no longer a place to rest my palm because the trackpad spans from the bottom of the keyboard to the bottom edge of the MacBook. I’m finding myself relearning how to use the device. It’s very awkward.</p>
<h2 id="usbc">For now, USB-C is a pain,</h2>
<p><A href="https://medium.com/@ageitgey/the-new-macbook-pro-is-kind-of-great-for-hackers-64c1c577a4d2">but it will likely get better. The Apple Display I use at work can’t power the new MacBook Pros. I’ve been equipped with a number of dongles, including Thunderbolt to USB-C and a USB-C to three-port USB dongle. This will get better as USB-C becomes more widely adopted, but for now <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hypershop/hyperdrivetm-compact-thunderbolt-3-usb-c-hub-for-m?ref=6lqctm&utm_source=jellop&utm_medium=facebook&utm_term=5.jellopcrowdfunding.com&utm_campaign=CL&utm_content=Hyperdrive-CL1">it’s a mess</a>.</A></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/no-power.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/no-power.jpg" alt="No power here" /></a></p>
<h2 id="performance">Performance</h2>
<p>Honestly, this machine doesn’t feel much snappier than the 3-4 year old MacBook Pro I was using previously. Granted, Chrome is probably the biggest resource hog in my current toolset, but even with 28+ tabs open, there’s not much difference.</p>
<p>Battery performance isn’t nearly as impressive as my previous model MacBook Pro. Guessing, I would say the new machine provides 33% less use time when on battery power.</p>
<h2 id="formfactor">Form factor</h2>
<p>The weight reduction and slimness are a welcomed improvement. There’s a big difference here compared to previous models.</p>
<p>The Apple logo no longer lights up! That was a big differentiator between Apple and everyone else. Not to mention some serious marketing power being dialed down.</p>
<p>The pads on the bottom of the MacBook aren’t nearly as sticky as previous models. In the past, it was quite difficult to push the machine across a smooth surface like a glass table. Coupled with the weight reduction, the new MacBooks slide around very easily. A cat leaping off a counter could easily send the MacBook Pro flying.</p>
<h2 id="okay">It’s fine</h2>
<p>The MacBook is still a fine machine. You’re probably not going to find Apple’s build quality in any other manufacturer, assuming you care about such details. If you’re buying a MacBook Pro for the first time, it’s worth every penny. If you have a 3 or 4 year old machine and are thinking about upgrading, I’d wait. I don’t think the price justifies the incremental improvements of this release. Let USB-C become more wide-spread and wait for another iteration or two of Intel hardware to really feel a difference in performance.</p>
Sabbatical: Background, preparation, and hitting the road2017-03-07T18:50:13Z2017-03-07T18:50:13Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/03/Sabbatical-Background-preparation-and-hitting-the-road/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Sabbatical: Background, preparation, and hitting the road</h1><p class="date">March 07, 2017</p>
<p>In August 2016 I had the opportunity to take a month off and spend that time on the road, driving from Murfreesboro, Tennessee to Yellowknife, Canada, and back. This is an in-depth, 9 part series of that trip.</p>
<p>Part one will start with the preparation involved in planning a month-long road trip, the why, and the first few hundred miles of the almost 8,000 total miles traveled. I hope you enjoy.</p>
<h2 id="part1">Part 1</h2>
<h2 id="why">Why Yellowknife?</h2>
<p>I have zero connections to <a href="https://www.yellowknife.ca/">Yellowknife</a>, but it's a place on the map that I've been fascinated with ever since playing with a physical globe as a kid. When holding a globe, Yellowknife is one of the most Northern cities marked on the map of North America. Yellowknife is so far away from everything. Who lives there? How did they get there? Instant interest.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yellowknife,+NT,+Canada/@53.0266294,-133.3955833,3.72z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x53d1f12ca34682c9:0xb4c137244371ef81!8m2!3d62.4539717!4d-114.3717886!5m1!1e4"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/yellowknife-map.jpg" alt="Yellowknife map" /></a></p>
<p>Exactly 10 summers ago I <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2006/06/yellowknife/">mentioned the idea of driving to Yellowknife on this same blog</a>. In the fall of 2015 I realized I had an opportunity to take advantage of an employment perk: 5 years with the company and I was eligible to take a month off and do something meaningful with that time. August 2016 became the time frame, giving me a little less than a year to prepare.</p>
<p>A major source of inspiration was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Way_Round">Long Way Round</a>, Ewan McGregor's documented journey around the world on motorcycles. Absolutely worth the time to watch if you're interested in extended journeys to far away places.</p>
<h2 id="research">Research</h2>
<p>Tons and tons of research. In fact, I wish I had done even more research because there were many instances where the trip could have been better had I spent more time planning, and booking further out. I spent hours determining not only where to go, but where to stay, which vehicle would be best suited, what kind of gear I would need, border crossing logistics (I had never been to Canada), budget, drive time calculations, itinerary, passport, international phone & data options, etc.</p>
<h2 id="route">Planning the route</h2>
<p>Yellowknife was the ultimate destination, but as they say, the journey is what it's all about. With that in mind I wanted to see as many new places as possible. The National Parks around the Rocky Mountains were places I had never been, so those areas naturally became the destinations of choice to fill the long road ahead.</p>
<p><a href="http://yk.midnightcheese.com/#routes"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/routes.jpg" alt="Routes" /></a></p>
<p>The opportunity to visit family in Minnesota would become a last-minute opportunity, which also helped determine the route to Yellowknife.</p>
<p>A road trip is one of my most favorite things in the world, but that doesn't mean 8, 9, 12 hours on the road isn't awful. With 4 weeks I could take my time and avoid extended stints on the road. Several loose rules of the road would be applied:</p>
<ul><li>No driving to a destination at night.</li>
<li>Avoid more than 5 hours on the road per day if the destination was a camp site. Time to set up camp had to happen in daylight.</li>
<li>No rushing around in the morning to tear a site down.</li>
<li>Except for the journey from Alberta to Yellowknife and back, no back-to-back days on the road.</li></ul>
<p>Most of those rules would be broken! Cold nights turned into speedy campsite tear downs in the mornings. The car's heater would be calling my name.</p>
<p>Eventually, I had a solid itinerary with a few days of padding built-in "just in case."</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/itinerary.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/itinerary.jpg" alt="Itinerary" /></a></p>
<p>Most of my destinations were booked ahead of time, and that was smart, because many places ended up being completely booked. I wasn't able to book a few locations ahead of time and that became a problem. I nearly missed the opportunity to camp in Glacier and was forced to stay just outside of Banff National Park because I didn't book far enough out. (Next time I would consider booking a year in advance in order to get the best spots in the parks.)</p>
<h2 id="vehicle">The vehicle</h2>
<p>This was a tough decision. I was very mindful of the fuel costs involved in an 8,000 mile journey on the road. I wanted something fuel friendly, but I knew I would have a lot of gear to haul with me between camping equipment, food, clothing, and more. A car wasn't going to do it. A utility vehicle would be a must. Another requirement was the need for enough room to sleep in the vehicle if severe weather was encountered in a camping situation. (That situation would absolutely become a reality.)</p>
<p>These <a href="http://sportsmobile.com/sportsmobile-4x4/">Sportsmobiles</a> were it. Econoline Ford vans converted into cross-country beasts. Unfortunately, no one rents these beyond weekend trips. I searched all over, but a long-term rental option just didn't exist. Probably for the best because it would have cost a fortune. A Chevy Suburban or Tahoe from Enterprise would end up being the vehicle. Even though I didn't plan to do any off-roading, hauling a heavy load of gear through winding mountain roads felt like the capability of a V8 was warranted.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tahoe.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tahoe.jpg" alt="Chevy Tahoe" /></a></p>
<p>Ultimately, the Tahoe was surprisingly fuel efficient considering the load and the terrain. The car's instrumentation reported between a 23 and 25 MPG average.</p>
<h2 id="timing">Timing</h2>
<p>Researching the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowknife#Geography_and_climate">climate in Yellowknife</a> and all points between, August felt like the best time. No chance of snow or severe cold (temperatures can get down to -40F in winter). Being a road trip, I didn't want to risk winter weather becoming a problem. Both the danger of driving through winter weather in the Rockies and the potential for weather related delays were some things I wanted to avoid. I knew I would be camping for a good portion of the trip, and I wanted to be comfortable. (This wouldn't be the case!)</p>
<p>Avoiding some of the crowds at the National Parks seemed like a possibility by going in August as many school systems would have resumed classes for the fall. (This also was not the case!)</p>
<p>Spring time was seriously considered, but the risk of snow and cold was still too prevalent.</p>
<h2 id="gear">Gear</h2>
<p>A lot of planning went into the gear, but that will be discussed through-out this series.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/packed.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/packed.jpg" alt="Packed and ready to roll" /></a></p>
<h2 id="mile0">Mile 0: Hitting the road</h2>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mile-zero.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mile-zero.jpg" alt="Mile zero" /></a></p><p><small>Mile zero in Murfreesboro, Tennessee</small></p>
<p>The first destination was a camp site at <a href="http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r1/jubilee.htm">Jubilee College State Park</a> just outside of Peoria, Illinois. This first stint of the trip was familiar and easy. As a kid, my family would travel many summers to Peoria to visit family. The drive also happens to be one of the most boring drives possible. Tennessee hills quickly give way to flat fields of corn. And that's about it. The Peoria skyline unexpectedly rises out of the corn and suddenly you're back in suburbia.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/illinois-corn.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/illinois-corn.jpg" alt="Illinois corn" /></a></p>
<p>Camping was about as uneventful as it gets. The park was largely empty. Weather was perfect and clear.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tent-illinois.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tent-illinois.jpg" alt="Illinois camp site" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-sunset.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-sunset.jpg" alt="Jubilee Park sunset" /></a></p>
<p>I had my first chance to play with my camera setup under the stars, traveling with a Fuji X-T1 and a 16mm f1.4 lens.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-night.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-night.jpg" alt="Jubilee Park night" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-stars.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jubilee-park-stars.jpg" alt="Jubilee Park stars" /></a></p>
<p>One night in Peoria and it was off to <a href="http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/StateForests/blackRiver/">Black River State Forest</a> in Wisconsin. First time in Wisconsin.</p>
<h2 id="wisconsin">Mile 787: Wisconsin</h2>
<p>This was a site choice that could have used more up-front planning. The camping area backed up to a Walmart. Not exactly a great outdoor environment.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/black-river-state-forest.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/black-river-state-forest.jpg" alt="Black River State Forest" /></a></p>
<p>Nevertheless, the weather continued to be perfect and apparently <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/on-wisconsin-elk-return-to-jackson-county-but-are-a/article_1a7e09bb-9964-5c6e-a9c9-ea09a8f26d6c.html">the Elk were back</a>!</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/elk-are-back.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/elk-are-back.jpg" alt="The Elk are back" /></a></p>
<p>Part two continues with <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/03/Sabbatical-Family-in-Minnesota-and-crossing-the-Canadian-border/">a stop to visit family in rural Minnesota before attempting the border crossing into Canada</a>.</p>
Sabbatical: Family in Minnesota and crossing the Canadian border2017-03-16T20:24:30Z2017-03-16T20:24:30Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/03/Sabbatical-Family-in-Minnesota-and-crossing-the-Canadian-border/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Sabbatical: Family in Minnesota and crossing the Canadian border</h1><p class="date">March 16, 2017</p>
<p>Previous: Part 1 <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/03/Sabbatical-Background-preparation-and-hitting-the-road/">Background, preparation, and hitting the road</a></p>
<h2 id="part2">Part 2</h2>
<h2 id="spiritlake">Mile 1146: Spirit Lake</h2>
<p>The drive to Minnesota was largely flat and uneventful. It looked like I would run directly into my first batch of weather, but the timing was just right where the thunderstorm slid just to the east of my final destination of Spirit Lake.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/minnesota.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/minnesota.jpg" alt="Minnesota near Vergas" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/radar.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/radar.png" alt="Radar" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/East+Spirit+Lake/@46.6103761,-95.8774372,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x52c9b3cef6d05e93:0x38d5dbaa0a9c345!8m2!3d46.6114248!4d-95.8578214">Spirit Lake</a> is just East of Fargo, near the Detroit Lakes area of Minnesota.</p>
<p>Just a few yards from the shore of Spirit Lake lives my Great Aunt Jean and Cousin Terry. They live in a wonderful place that they now call their permanent home having previously only spent time in the summers, traveling up from Peoria.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/terry.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/terry.jpg" alt="Terry on Spirit Lake" /></a></p>
<p>The land has been in the family for generations. One of the most interesting things I learned was how the lake levels have risen over the last few decades. Touring around the lake, Terry pointed out all the areas he used to be very careful of because the sand bars were just below the surface. Now he doesn't have to worry at all, estimating the lake has crept up taking away nearly 20 feet of land between the lake and the house.</p>
<p>In the winter the lake freezes over completely. Visiting in August, it wasn't too much longer before all the boats and boat docks would be pulled out of the water for the season.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/boat-dock-spirit-lake.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/boat-dock-spirit-lake.jpg" alt="Boat dock on Spirit Lake" /></a></p>
<p>Spirit Lake is beautiful, tucked miles away from gas stations and stores. The first evening, Terry prepared fish caught right out of the lake and it was fantastic.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cabin.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/cabin.jpg" alt="Cabin on Spirit Lake" /></a></p>
<p>We traveled across the area taking a look at the <a href="http://www.dlccc.org/holmes.html">floor of pennies</a> and the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tamarac/">Tamarac National Wildlife Center</a> where the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/noco/index.htm">North Country National Scenic Trail</a> passes. Also had a chance to hang out at the Becker County Sportsman's Club and watch Terry shoot.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/floor-of-pennies.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/floor-of-pennies.jpg" alt="Floor of pennies" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/national-scenic-trail.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/national-scenic-trail.jpg" alt="National Scenic Trail trail head" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/becker-county-sportaman-club.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/becker-county-sportaman-club.jpg" alt="Becker County Sportsman's Club" /></a></p>
<p>The entire area is beautiful. Far away from everything. Exceptionally peaceful. The idea of retiring or working remotely from a location like that is very appealing. I could have stayed twice as long as I did. Of course it helps to have fantastic hosts and tour guides.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/spirit-lake-rocks.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/spirit-lake-rocks.jpg" alt="Rocks on Spirit Lake" /></a></p>
<h2 id="northdakota">Mile 1412: North Dakota</h2>
<p>Leaving Minnesota and traveling through North Dakota began to yield a different picture of the country. In a way it was very sad. Highway 52 largely follows the railroad tracks across the state. Every several dozen miles was an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamoose,_North_Dakota">old railroad town</a>. Maybe a few hundred people per town. Sometimes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire,_North_Dakota">much fewer</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flaxton-north-dakota.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/flaxton-north-dakota.jpg" alt="Flaxton North Dakota" /></a></p>
<p><small>Flaxton, North Dakota</small></p>
<p>Each town had its own main street and several blocks of homes surrounding. Unfortunately, most of these towns had seen their best times several decades ago. Main streets were very empty. Houses weren't kept up as well as in the past. It was clear that progress elsewhere had robbed these towns of their livelyhood. And yet enough families still stick around to keep things running.</p>
<p>Beyond the small towns, closer to the Canadian border I passed a number of <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-dakota/914710-us-52-question.html">hillsides that had number after giant number</a> spelled out in rock. Apparently they were local high schools spelling out class years. Not sure if they were graduating seniors or some type of championship recognition, but the years went back decades and decades.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/numbers-hills.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/numbers-hills.jpg" alt="Numbers in the hills" /></a></p>
<p><small>Numbers in the hills.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/north-dakota-storm.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/north-dakota-storm.jpg" alt="Thunder storm" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/north-dakota.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/north-dakota.jpg" alt="North Dakota" /></a></p>
<h2 id="canada">Mile 1593: Crossing into Canada</h2>
<p>Crossing the border brought plenty of unknowns. I just didn’t know what to expect. Would there be a line? How long would the process take? Would my entire vehicle and contents be searched? Prior to the trip I heard stories of extensive searches, parties being detained separately, and then abruptly being allowed to go on their way as they were.</p>
<p>Crossing at the town of Portal couldn’t have been easier. No other cars. I was asked how long I would be in Canada and that was it. I was on my way. Never had to leave the vehicle.</p>
<p>Part three continues with <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/04/Sabbatical-Thunderstorms-at-Jackfish-Lake-in-Saskatchewan">thunderstorms at Jackfish Lake in Saskatchewan</a>.</p>
Sabbatical: Thunderstorms at Jackfish Lake in Saskatchewan2017-04-25T19:33:04Z2017-04-25T19:33:04Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/04/Sabbatical-Thunderstorms-at-Jackfish-Lake-in-Saskatchewan/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Sabbatical: Thunderstorms at Jackfish Lake in Saskatchewan</h1><p class="date">April 25, 2017</p>
<p>Previous: Part 2 <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/03/Sabbatical-Family-in-Minnesota-and-crossing-the-Canadian-border/">Family in Minnesota and crossing the Canadian border</a></p>
<h2 id="part3">Part 3</h2>
<p>Once in Canada, the Tahoe was immediately switched over to Metric mode. The way GM handles that on the instrument panel it felt like I was driving really, really fast. At this point the trip computer became useless because I had no idea how many miles I had traveled as the trip computer also converted over to Metric.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tahoe-metric-mode.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tahoe-metric-mode.jpg" alt="Chevy Tahoe in Metric mode" /></a></p><p><small>Chevy Tahoe in Metric mode.</small></p>
<p>An interesting thing is the way fuel economy is calculated. In the States it’s miles per gallon. The emphasis on the amount of distance you can travel. In Metric mode, the calculation is Liters per 100km. A seemingly subtle difference on the surface, but the emphasis is on how much fuel you’re using. I’d bet the psychological impact is great enough that if the States measured fuel economy by Gallons per 100 miles, there would be a lot more fuel efficient cars on the road.</p>
<p>Anyway, Canadian money is also very cool. The material is a cross between vellum and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyvek">Tyvek</a>. The colors are awesome, the transparent areas, the foil… what’s not to like? U.S. money is drab in design.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/canadian-money.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/canadian-money.jpg" alt="Canadian money" /></a></p>
<h2 id="regina">Mile 1,744: Regina</h2>
<p>The first overnight stop in Canada was in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan">city of Regina</a>. This was also my first hotel stop. Somehow I ended up with zero photos from Regina. Even so, the city was beautiful. Quaint neighborhoods, proper downtown area. Grid system of streets. Uneventful.</p>
<p>I was surprised at the popularity of the CFL. The Rough Riders, based out of Regina, were getting ready for a game. The entire hotel staff was in Rough Riders gear. I drove by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Field_(Regina)">old Mosaic Field stadium</a> which would close two and a half months later after its start way back in 1936.</p>
<h2 id="jackfish-lake">Mile 2020: Jackfish Lake</h2>
<p>Until this point, unless you’re in a major city like Regina, Canada is mostly rural. This is unlike the U.S. where between big cities are patches of suburban sprawl every several exits of the interstate. Canada feels more rural. Stops off the highway are small towns. Some chain type stores exist in those small towns, but nothing like the U.S.</p>
<p>There’s also no concept of an interstate system across Canada. There are highways, but no continuous stretch of divided road with no cross streets or turn lanes. As highways enter small towns, cross streets, turn lanes, and traffic signals are all part of the journey.</p>
<p>This was the drive to get to <a href="https://www.albertaparks.ca/jackfish-lake/">Jackfish Lake</a> just <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Battleford">North of the Battlefords</a>. Planning this destination out ahead of time and looking at the map, Jackfish Lake is well beyond a major city and not that close to many small towns. I expected a quiet Friday, but that was not the case. I don’t know where everyone came from, but Jackfish Lake was packed full of people. It was like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Priest_Lake">Percy Priest Lake</a> on Labor Day weekend. Shorelines packed with people and water filled with boats all partying and playing music. Unexpected for sure, but fun.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-campsite-horizontal.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-campsite-horizontal.jpg" alt="Jackfish Lake campsite" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish Lake campsite.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-shore.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-shore.jpg" alt="Shore of Jackfish Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Shore of Jackfish Lake.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-campsite.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-campsite.jpg" alt="Jackfiosh Lake camp" /></a></p><p><small>Another campsite photo.</small></p>
<p>I had a great camping spot on a hill overlooking the large lake. My beach chair was set up and I enjoyed my crossing the border victory cigar. Did a lot of exploring walking around the lake.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-trail.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-trail.jpg" alt="Trail at Jackfish Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Trail at Jackfish Lake.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-saskatchewan.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-saskatchewan.jpg" alt="Jackfish Lake in Saskatchewan" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish Lake.</small></p>
<p>As evening crept in there was a fantastic lightning show across the other side of the lake. It appeared the storms would stay to the North and West, but late into the evening new storms popped up and it was clear my camp site would be taking a direct hit. And it did.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-sunset.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-sunset.jpg" alt="Jackfish Lake sunset" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish lake sunset.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-sky-on-fire.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/jackfish-lake-sky-on-fire.jpg" alt="Sky on fire at Jackfish Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish Lake sky on fire, and storms building.</small></p>
<p>Having spent previous thunderstorms in a tent at night with a stream of water rushing through the middle of that tent as a result, I elected to ride the storm out in the Tahoe. Went through that situation once, wasn’t going to go through it again.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lightning-clouds.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lightning-clouds.jpg" alt="Storms at Jackfisk Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish Lake storms.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lightning-strike.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lightning-strike.jpg" alt="Lightning strike at Jackfish Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Jackfish Lake lightning strike.</small></p>
<p>The camp site was in the thick of it. This time, however, the tent survived and no water made its way inside. Technically, I could have fared the storm in the tent without issue. But in that situation with the amount of lightning, and the chance of limbs coming down from the trees, there was no reason to risk it.</p>
<p>The next morning was beautiful. Perfect weather to pack up camp and head on to the town of High Level and my first chance to catch a look at the Aurora.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/saskatchewan-hills.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/saskatchewan-hills.jpg" alt="Saskatchewan hills" /></a></p><p><small>Saskatchewan hills.</small></p>
<p>Part four continues with <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/07/Sabbatical-First-Aurora-at-High-Level/">High Level and First Aurora</a></p>
Sabbatical: First Aurora at High Level2017-07-09T20:18:43Z2017-07-09T20:18:43Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/07/Sabbatical-First-Aurora-at-High-Level/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Sabbatical: First Aurora at High Level</h1><p class="date">July 09, 2017</p>
<p>Previous: Part 3 <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2017/04/Sabbatical-Thunderstorms-at-Jackfish-Lake-in-Saskatchewan/">Thunderstorms at Jackfish Lake in Saskatchewan</a></p>
<h2 id="part4">Part 4</h2>
<p>From Jackfish Lake in the Battlefords, I was off to High Level via Edmonton. Venturing even further north, the landscape becomes increasingly rural. Forrest, fields of hay dotted by oil pumps and grain elevators are the extent of the landscape.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mackenzie-highway.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/mackenzie-highway.jpg" alt="MacKenzie Highway" /></a></p><p><small>Somewhere along MacKenzie Highway.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pioneer-elevator.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pioneer-elevator.jpg" alt="Pioneer elevator" /></a></p>
<h2>Mile 2720: High Level</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Level">High Level</a> meets those rural expectations. It’s a small town. A couple fast-food restaurants, hotels, and gas stations along with housing for about 3,000 residents.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-level.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-level.jpg" alt="High Level" /></a></p><p><small>High Level, Alberta</small></p>
<p>The hotels fill to capacity at night. The parking lots full of utility trucks, presumably working the numerous oil pumps, or timber industry.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/work-trucks-high-level.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/work-trucks-high-level.jpg" alt="Work vehicles" /></a></p><p><small>Work vehicles at the hotel.</small></p>
<p>High Level was my first experience with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hortons">Tim Hortons</a>! A mash-up between Panera and Dunkin’ Donuts, but with a “fresh” feel to it. I don’t know why they didn’t do better in the States. I was mostly after their coffee, which worked out just fine.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tim-hortons-high-level.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/tim-hortons-high-level.jpg" alt="Tim Hortons in High Level" /></a></p><p><small>Tim Hortons in High Level</small></p>
<h2>Aurora at Hutch Lake</h2>
<p>When initially planning this trip I didn’t expect an aurora viewing to be possible. Aurora occurs year-round, but at the northern latitudes, the night sun usually blocks out any chance to see the northern lights. However, the second half of August just happens to be the time of year when the sun is beginning its more winter pattern. Still, the sun doesn’t set until 9:30, so it means a late night trip to attempt an aurora viewing.</p>
<p>I planned a drive out to Hutch Lake which is about 20 miles north of High Level. I left the hotel between midnight and 1AM. The sun had set completely at that point.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-level-bridge-construction.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/high-level-bridge-construction.jpg" alt="Bridge construction north of High Level" /></a></p><p><small>Bridge construction on MacKenzie Highway, just north of High Level.</small></p>
<p>Driving out to the lake, I really had no idea what to expect when looking for aurora. Intensity, duration, color… My expectation was that of watching a meteor shower. Very brief encounters of awesome every several minutes. The experience was nothing like that. Just a few miles from the lake I noticed a somewhat faint movement in the sky. Initially, I assumed it must be fog or clouds, but there was no mistaking what I was seeing and trying to describe how amazing it was is terribly difficult. It was tough to focus on the road for the last few miles of the drive to the lake. I was afraid it might not last and considered pulling over to the side of the highway.</p>
<p>One of the most surprising things about Canada was the presence of people in unexpected places at unexpected times. Driving to the shore of Hutch Lake I was somewhat nervous venturing into the wilderness without cell service and potentially any other humans for dozens and dozens of miles. However, pulling up to the lake shore, I found a late night party of campers in RVs. As I set up my camera gear a few of them came down to see what I was up to. They didn’t visit long, which was fine, because the sky was dancing with light.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora-hutch-lake.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora-hutch-lake.jpg" alt="Aurora on Hutch Lake" /></a></p><p><small>Aurora on Hutch Lake</small></p>
<p>If one could visualize the wind, that would be my best description of aurora. Aurora is very fluid, continuous, and stretches from one end of the sky to the other. Watching the streams of light, it looks like it’s traveled a long way, with plenty more miles to go. The waves of light appear to have a thicker base toward the bottom, with rays extending upward toward space. Like the waves are sitting on an invisible barrier.</p>
<p>Staring, watching the aurora ebb and flow, for minutes on end, is incredibly peaceful. Other worldly. It’s an experience like no other and after experiencing it once, you’re addicted from that point on.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora.jpg" alt="Aurora" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora-hint-of-orange.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aurora-hint-of-orange.jpg" alt="Northern lights with a hint of orange" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lake-aurora.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/lake-aurora.jpg" alt="Northern Lights" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/big-aurora-on-hutch-lake.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/big-aurora-on-hutch-lake.jpg" alt="Big Aurora on Hutch Lake" /></a></p>
<p>High Level put on an amazing show, but it wouldn’t be the last chance at aurora on this trip.</p>
<p>Part 5 continues with driving to Yellowknife.</p>
The Antenna on Rocky Top2017-11-12T19:13:14Z2017-11-12T19:13:14Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2017/11/The-antenna-on-Rocky-Top/
<h1 class="full-bleed">The Antenna on Rocky Top</h1><p class="date">November 12, 2017</p>
<p>During homecoming weekend at UTK, KM4BAN and I had an opportunity to take a tour of one of the most unique shacks in amateur radio.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.utarc.org/">The University of Tennessee Amateur Radio club</a> has a set of antennas nestled between the lights at the top of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neyland_Stadium">Neyland Stadium</a> in Knoxville. The tower is so high, most of the 102,000+ fans wouldn't ever notice it. With the lights on, it's impossible to catch a glimpse.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aa4ut-qsl-card.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/aa4ut-qsl-card.jpg" alt="AA4UT QSL Card" /></a></p><p><small>University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club QSL Card</small></p>
<p>The shack itself is located deep within the bowels of the stadium tucked away in what's known as East Stadium Hall. This structure, which houses a number of offices and classrooms, has since been engulfed by stadium improvements.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/deep-in-neyland.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/deep-in-neyland.jpg" alt="Neyland Stadium" /></a></p><p><small>Neyland Stadium</small></p>
<p>To reach the radio shack visitors pass the old office of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Bass">William M. Bass</a>, founder of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm#University_of_Tennessee_at_Knoxville">Body Farm</a>. The hallway still smells of formaldehyde.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/east-stadium-hall.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/east-stadium-hall.jpg" alt="East Stadium Hall" /></a></p>
<p>According to the club, prior to 1999, the shack was largely abandoned for several years and the HF antenna was torn down during the addition of the East sky boxes. Reentry to the room was eventually granted, the club was reinstated, and a new antenna placed on the roof of the new sky boxes.</p>
<p>If you have an ARRL membership you can <a href="http://www.arrl.org/pubindex/search/page:4/Merged.year:2000/Merged.month:03/Merged.pubs:QST/model:Merged">see a photo of the old antenna</a> on page 20 of the March 2000 addition of QST.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hf-antenna-neyland-stadium.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hf-antenna-neyland-stadium.png" alt="Old HF antenna on top of Neyland Stadium in the year 2000" /></a></p>
<p><small>Photo reproduced with permission from ARRL.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://www.utarc.org/p/home.html">Read more about the history of the club</a> which dates back to 1947.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/401-east-stadium-hall.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/401-east-stadium-hall.jpg" alt="401 East Stadium Hall" /></a></p>
<p>The radio room is unassuming from the hallway, but once inside it's everything you want in a shack with multiple HF stations, a 440 repeater, and digital capability.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/utarc-stadium-shack.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/utarc-stadium-shack.jpg" alt="UTARC stadium shack" /></a></p><p><small>Just outside the windows you can see the newer stadium superstructure which now encases the shack and East Stadium Hall.</small></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/utarc-radios.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/utarc-radios.jpg" alt="UTARC Radios" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/more-utarc-radios.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/more-utarc-radios.jpg" alt="More UTARC Radios" /></a></p>
<p>Antenna cables run out of the walls and windows and upwards of 150 feet to the antennas on the roof of the East sky boxes.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/qsl-cards.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/qsl-cards.jpg" alt="Wall of QSL Cards" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/more-qsl-cards.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/more-qsl-cards.jpg" alt="More SQL Cards" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hb9ajk-ql-card.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/hb9ajk-ql-card.jpg" alt="HB9AJK QSL card" /></a></p>
<p>UTARC has been very active over the years once <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110611212626/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2008/feb/07/cross-atlantic/">holding the record for flight duration and distance for amateur balloons</a> through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_Knoxville">Spirit of Knoxville</a>.</p>
<p>They've also operated with the Amateur Radio Clubs of the Southeastern Conference during SEC Championship football games.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sec-arc-certificate.jpg"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sec-arc-certificate.jpg" alt="Southeastern Conference Amateur Radio Clubs" /></a></p><p><small>Southeastern Conference Amateur Radio Clubs.</small></p>
<p>Here's a recent <a href="http://www.utdailybeacon.com/news/campus_life/radio-club-reflects-on-past-accomplishments-looks-to-future/article_bd49c4ae-b5b9-11e7-813e-b3f7e04a7255.html">write-up of the club from the Daily Beacon</a>. Recent activities include Field Day and setting up satellite coms with the campus police department.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there's a sense of uncertainty in air. The athletic department has unveiled its latest round of stadium improvements which include dismantling the 70 year old East Stadium Hall altogether. The club and their equipment could be kicked out within the next two years. Fortunately, the club is building out a second shack in a nearby engineering building should that day come.</p>
<p>Bobbie Williams (W1BEW) has been the trustee of the club for roughly 15 years. A huge thanks to Bobbie for giving us the tour and sharing some of the history of the club.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
<img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/utarc-w1bew-stadium-radio-room.jpg" class="full-bleed" alt="W1BEW" title="W1BEW" />
APRS beacon with Uputronics GPS Board and a Raspberry Pi 32018-02-10T07:25:01Z2018-02-10T07:25:01Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2018/02/APRS-beacon-with-Uputronics-GPS-Board-and-a-Raspberry-Pi-3/
<h1 class="full-bleed">APRS beacon with Uputronics GPS Board and a Raspberry Pi 3</h1><p class="date">February 10, 2018</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
<p>This is a detailed, step-by-step guide to using an <a href="https://store.uputronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=81">Uputronics GPS board</a> as the main component of a Pi based APRS position beacon. This project is very similar to my previous <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2015/12/super-simple-aprs-position-beacon/">APRS beacon project</a> using a USB GPS module. I worked very closely with Chris, K7AZ who was very gracious to lend out the GPS board for this project.</p>
<p>The Uputronics GPS board is typically used as a timing device/NTP server for the Pi in absence of a real time clock (using date and time info via GPS). For this project I'm more interested in the positional data coming from the board.</p>
<p>The board itself is a great piece of hardware. The GPS signal locks in almost instantly. Even in the house. It performs much better than the USB GPS modules I've used in the past. On to the guide.</p>
<h2>Download Raspian Stretch Lite, write to SD card</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/">https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/</a>
</p><p>I'm using the CLI only version to keep the system load low, but this should work just the same with the desktop environment version.</p>
<p>I used the <a href="https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/usb-creator-gtk/">Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator app</a> that comes with Ubuntu to create my SD card.</p>
<p>Attach GPS board, antenna, SD card to Pi.</p>
<p>Boot Pi</p>
<h2>Configure Pi with raspi-config app</h2>
<code>
$ sudo raspi-config
</code>
<p>Set locale to en us UTF-8.</p>
<p><strong>Timezone</strong>
<br />Keyboard: English (US), generic PC keyboard
<br />Wi-fi US</p>
<p><strong>Interfacing options menu</strong>
<br />Enable SSH
<br />P6 Serial -> Login Shell (no) Hardware (yes)</p>
<h2>Board setup</h2>
<p>I borrowed most of the GPS board setup from <a href="https://ava.upuaut.net/?p=726">Anthony Stirk (M0UPU)</a>.</p>
<code>
$ sudo nano /boot/config.txt
</code>
<p><strong>Add at the bottom:</strong></p>
<code>
# Allow the normal UART pins to work<br />
dtoverlay=pi3-miniuart-bt<br />
dtoverlay=pps-gpio,gpiopin=18
</code>
<p>Save and Quit Nano.</p>
<p><strong>Enable wi-fi</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
</code>
<p>Go to the bottom of the file and add the following:</p>
<code>
network={<br />
ssid="wifi-name"<br />
psk="wifi-password"<br />
}
</code>
<p><a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/wireless/wireless-cli.md">Wifi reference</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Update the Pi</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo apt update
</code>
<code>
$ sudo apt upgrade
</code>
<p><strong>Disable bluetooth serial support</strong> (I'm guessing the GPS serial connection conflicts with the Bluetooth serial interface)</p>
<code>
$ sudo systemctl disable hciuart
</code>
<p><strong>Not sure what this one does</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo systemctl mask serial-getty@ttyAMA0.service
</code>
<p><strong>PPS tools (pulse per second)</strong> reads the GPS board which sends GPS/time info every second</p>
<code>
$ sudo apt install pps-tools
</code>
<code>
$ sudo apt install libcap-dev
</code>
<code>
$ sudo reboot
</code>
<h2>Verifying PPS is working</h2>
<p>Ensure the GPS has a signal lock and the green PPS LED on the Uputronics Pi+ GPS Expansion Board is blinking once per second.</p>
<code>
$ dmesg | grep pps
</code>
<p><strong>Output should be similar to:</strong></p>
<code>
[ 2.443494] pps_core: LinuxPPS API ver. 1 registered<br />
[ 2.446699] pps_core: Software ver. 5.3.6 - Copyright 2005-2007 Rodolfo Giometti <giometti@linux.it><br />
[ 2.471796] pps pps0: new PPS source pps.-1<br />
[ 2.471886] pps pps0: Registered IRQ 498 as PPS source<br />
[ 6.965166] pps_ldisc: PPS line discipline registered
</code>
<code>
$ sudo ppstest /dev/pps0
</code>
<p><strong>Output should be similar to:</strong></p>
<code>
trying PPS source "/dev/pps0"<br />
found PPS source "/dev/pps0"<br />
ok, found 1 source(s), now start fetching data...<br />
source 0 - assert 1418933982.998042450, sequence: 970 - clear 0.000000000, sequence: 0<br />
source 0 - assert 1418933983.998045441, sequence: 971 - clear 0.000000000, sequence: 0
</code>
<p style="color:#f00;">If you see “Connection timed out,” the GPS may not have a solid signal or the board may not be properly set on the Pi. This tripped me up for a while.</p>
<h2>Set up GPSD</h2>
<p><strong>Edit gpsd config</strong>
<br />This took a while to figure out. The pi version assumes a USB GPS device will be attached, so we have to disable USB auto config and define the serial device in the config file.</p>
<code>
$ sudo nano /etc/default/gpsd
</code>
<code>
Change USBAUTO="false"
</code>
<code>
Change DEVICES="/dev/ttyAMA0"
</code>
<code>
$ sudo /etc/init.d/gpsd restart
</code>
<p><strong>Test gpsd</strong></p>
<code>
$ cgps -s
</code>
<p>You should see GPS info populated: Time, lat, lon, grid square, etc.</p>
<p>Reboot for good measure and run cgps -s again.</p>
<h2>Setting up the local web server and gpsd script</h2>
<p><strong>Install apache web server which will read GPS info and feed the APRS script</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo apt install apache2 -y
</code>
<p><strong>Install PHP which will run our APRS script</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php -y
</code>
<p><strong>Install gpsd script that feeds GPS info to APRS script</strong></p>
<code>
$ cd /var/www/html
</code>
<code>
$ sudo wget http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/gpsd.git/plain/gpsd.php.in
</code>
<p><strong>Rename gpsd script</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo mv gpsd.php.in gpsd.php
</code>
<p><strong>Execute gpsd script</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo php gpsd.php
</code>
<p>If successful, you should see a bunch of HTML in the console and navigating to <a href="http://localhost/gpsd.php?op=json">http://localhost/gpsd.php?op=json</a> in your Pi's web browser should produce a bunch of plaintext looking GPS information.</p>
<p><strong>Edit gpsd.php</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo nano gpsd.php
</code>
<p>On line 100, change the 2000 value to 4000.</p>
<h2>Install AFSK software modem</h2>
<p>This is a <a href="https://pypi.python.org/pypi/afsk/0.0.3">Python library</a> that generates Bell 202 AFSK audio samples and AFSK encoded APRS/AX.25 packets.</p>
<code>
$ sudo apt install python-pip python-dev
</code>
<code>
$ sudo pip install afsk
</code>
<p style="color:#f00;">If you get a "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -=: 'Retry' and 'int'", try rebooting and run sudo pip install afsk one more time.</p>
<p><strong>Set your Pi's output audio to 60.</strong></p>
<code>
$ alsamixer
</code>
<p>Press the 'up' key on your keyboard until you get to 60. Press 'esc.'</p>
<p><strong>Force audio output through 3.5mm jack, not HDMI</strong></p>
<code>
$ sudo raspi-config
</code>
<p>Choose "Advanced Options"
<br />Choose "A4 Audio"
<br />Choose option 1
<br />Exit
</p>
<h2>Install main APRS script</h2>
<p><strong><a href="https://gist.githubusercontent.com/Cale/699979c3f597378dfaca/raw/538f95b73efbf808004e785bff3d407e2da2ce36/aprs-position-beacon.php">Download main beacon script</a> from Github</strong></p>
<code>
$ cd ~/
</code>
<code>
$ wget https://gist.githubusercontent.com/Cale/699979c3f597378dfaca/raw/538f95b73efbf808004e785bff3d407e2da2ce36/aprs-position-beacon.php
</code>
<p><strong>Edit the script and add your callsign to line 13</strong></p>
<code>
$ nano aprs-position-beacon.php
</code>
<h2>Test run the script</h2>
<code>
$ php aprs-position-beacon.php
</code>
<p>You can ignore any "PHP Notice" messages. You'll see lat lon info on the screen. If the GPS board is unable to pick up a signal, you'll see "No GPS data is available."</p>
<p>When a GPS signal is acquired, you should see "Transmitting beacon" and "Playing WAV."</p>
<p>At that point you should see a "packet.wav" file show up in your home directory. That's another confirmation the script is working.</p>
<code>
$ ls ~/
</code>
<p>If you plug the Pi's audio into a speaker, you should hear the APRS/AFSK modem sounds.</p>
<p>For the HT, I plug the audio cable into the mic port and turn on VOX. Your HT should then transmit your position!</p>
<p><strong>Next steps:</strong> Starting the beacon script on boot.</p>
Product Management: Any Given Day2018-06-22T14:53:28Z2018-06-22T14:53:28Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2018/06/Product-Management-Any-Given-Day/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Product Management: Any Given Day</h1><p class="date">June 22, 2018</p>
<p>Product Management is sometimes viewed as a nebulous role. Even among PMs there's both great mystery and interest in each other's process, routine, and general way of doing things.</p>
<p>To shine some light on what a PM actually does from day-to-day, I thought it would be fun to document my events from a single day providing Product Management support for the User and Account Management team on the <a href="https://myemma.com/">Emma</a> side of <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/">Campaign Monitor</a>.</p>
<p>It turned out to be a good day to document. I had a wide range of activities happening from product release to sessions with Product Marketing as well as interactions with members from other teams across the business.</p>
<h2>6:00am Getting the day started</h2>
<p>I'm up at 6:00 each day spending two hours cooking a leisurely breakfast, checking-in on the vegetable garden, and tending to other houshold items like making sure the pets are fed.</p>
<p>I try to avoid Slack and email until I'm in the office. I'll glance at the notifications on my phone or look at my calendar to get a sense of what's ahead for the day, but I try to maintain a boundary from starting my work day until I'm in the office.</p>
<h2>7:50am - 8:40am Commute</h2>
<p>My commute is about 50 minutes in the morning. Podcasts are a must. Seeking Wisdom, Inside Intercom, and Freakonomics are a few staples, among others.</p>
<h2>8:45am - 9:00am Coffee & Slack</h2>
<p>I grab coffee and have about 15 minutes to catch a glance of what lies ahead for the day before heading into my first meeting at 9:00. Today I'm starting with Slack, continuing a conversation with our head technical writer based in the Australia office. She and I are discussing how we can better manage communication over feature deployments and associated support documentation.</p>
<h2>9:00am - 9:30am Meet with an Account Executive</h2>
<p>Our AE outlined a few specific use-cases that a prospect is hoping our platform can handle via our API. I'm providing context around the capabilities of our API both making sure the use-cases his prospect is putting forth are possible with our platform, but also helping to empower him with more technical knowledge should the prospect come back with further questions.</p>
<h2>9:30am - 11:00am Unscheduled time</h2>
<p>Today I'm using this 90 minutes of unscheduled time to respond to email, add a couple tickets to the backlog, and make some last minute additions to supporting documentation for a set of features that we're enabling for all customers at 11:00am.</p>
<p>The pertinent email is a response to one of our 3rd party developers that may be helping us provide some updates to our WordPress plug-in.</p>
<p>The backlog tickets are a continuation of work completed in the previous sprint and in progress in the current sprint. They are the final piece of an effort to move a specific set of admin controls from a legacy section of our app to a new, modern experience. They include sunsetting the old, and communicating that change to customers.</p>
<p>Documentation for our feature release at 11:00am required a few late additions to represent a feature that was finished ahead of schedule. Bonus!</p>
<h2>11:00am Product release!</h2>
<p>Today's product release was a soft enablement of our new two-factor authentication options. Typically we'll iterate on a feature over several sprints, deploying to production behind a feature flag. For today's enablement, all that was left to do was flip the switch, enabling the feature for all users. Leading up to this point we ran a small beta group of customers in order to test and gather feedback. In this case, the feature will be available for customers, but we won't push an in-app (<a href="https://www.intercom.com/">Intercom</a>) announcement for a few more days.</p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/2fa.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/2fa.png" alt="Two-factor authentication" /></a>
<h2>11:30am Team stand-up</h2>
<p>Pretty typical routine, here. Our team consists of two developers, a Technical Lead, Engineering Manager, and Product Manager. We each talk through what we accomplished yesterday and what we plan to tackle today.</p>
<h2>1:30pm - 2:45pm Product Marketing Monthly Sync</h2>
<p>This is a time for the two teams to talk through what product has released in the past 30 days and what's expected in the coming 30 days. This helps drive Product Marketing's campaigns going forward and we talk through what they have planned on their roadmap.</p>
<h2>3:00pm Discovery Check-in</h2>
<p>We're working toward a <a href="https://midnightcheese.com/2018/06/Product-Management-Any-Given-Day/%E2%80%9Chttps://jpattonassociates.com/dual-track-development/%E2%80%9D">dual track development</a> process. For us, that means in addition to the normal development process of fixing bugs and delivering new features, we're also spending time in "Discovery" doing research around a larger problem we'd like to tackle in the coming weeks. Currently, we're working through 6-week chunks. Presumably, what we research in the current six weeks will be validated and ready to develop over the next 6 weeks. Discovery includes defining a problem and then crafting potential solutions with the help of Product Design and the team's Engineering Lead. That's then validated with customers and we decide whether or not to move forward.</p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/6-week-cycle-roadmap.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/6-week-cycle-roadmap.png" alt="A 6 week cycle roadmap with discovery" /></a>
<h2>4pm Pride Celebration</h2>
<p>The day ended a little early with the arrival of snow cones and a local non-profit coming into the office to give a talk about the work they're doing with LGBTQIA youth in Nashville and surrounding counties.</p>
<h2>Post Day</h2>
<p>While my day winds down, half our team is two time zones away on the west coast. I do my best to keep an eye on Slack should anything arise that requires collaboration. Today we had a late bug arise around users and API keys. This required a few minutes of defining the expected outcome of the fix.</p>
<p>That's largely it. Key items missing from today that do show up regularly on other days include customer and prospect conversations and larger team meetings to help groom and plan future work.</p>
<p>How does your typical day compare?</p>
Apple Dashboard and how Widgets nearly ruled the world2019-12-14T11:40:16Z2019-12-14T11:40:16Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2019/12/Apple-Dashboard-and-how-Widgets-nearly-ruled-the-world/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple Dashboard and how Widgets nearly ruled the world</h1><p class="date">December 14, 2019</p>
<p>The OS X Dashboard death knell has been tolling for some time, but it was once a premier space for front-end devs to show off.
</p><p>This post is a look back on Dashboard's heyday but also how close Widgets came to being the obvious springboard to iPhone apps before the release of the App Store.</p>
<img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/steve-jobs-dashboard-keynote-2005.png" alt="Steve Jobs and Apple Dashboard at WWDC 2005" />
<p><small>Steve Jobs demoing Dashboard at WWDC 2005.</small></p>
<h2>Some history</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_(macOS)">Dashboard</a> was unique because its little applications (Widgets) weren't heavy Cocoa apps written in Objective-C, but instead HTML, CSS, and Javascript all running in Webkit.</p>
<p>This was a big deal because the barrier to application development became incredibly low. Any front-end developer could build an application that ran on the OS X desktop. It sounds trivial, but the divide between "application developers" and website builders was vast back in the early 2000s. (At least it felt that way for many of us.)</p>
<p>Apple was invested in Widgets. How invested? An entire section of the Apple website was <a href="https://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/">dedicated to Widgets</a> where users could download the little apps. This was never the case for traditional apps. Can you imagine an Apple directory and repository for desktop applications in that time period?</p>
<p>Apple also had a Widget category for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Design_Awards">Apple Design Awards</a> in 2006 and 2007.</p>
<p>Apple employees on the Apple Dashboard listserv encouraged Widget developers to enter the awards and so we did! I entered <a href="http://candorgallery.com/">Candor Gallery</a>, a Widget that rotated artwork submitted by a community of artists from around the world.</p>
<a href="https://candorgallery.com/"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-v1.2.jpg" alt="Candor Gallery Widget" /></a>
<p><small>The Candor Gallery Widget.</small></p>
<p>I had so much fun developing the Widget and the system that allowed artists to send in artwork for consideration for display. I learned basic PHP and MySQL to support and build out this idea. The images and artist info would need to be stored and retrieved and submissions would need to be processed.</p>
<p>Eventually, Candor Gallery was displaying 1,700 unique pieces of art across 4,000 widget views per day. Apple published a count of 40,000 downloads at one point in time. Big numbers back then.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/icreatemagazine">iCreate magazine</a> asked if they could include Candor Gallery on a CD-ROM of software that was sent with every issue. CD-ROMS!</p>
<a href="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/icreate-cd-rom-spread.jpg"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/icreate-cd-rom-spread.jpg" alt="iCreate Magazine CD-ROM spread" /></a>
<p>Apple singled out Candor as the "Featured Download" on apple.com on multiple occasions. That's incredibly validating.</p>
<a href="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-featured-on-apple.png"><img src="http://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/candor-featured-on-apple-crop.png" alt="Candor Gallery featured on apple.com" /></a>
<p>I even went to WWDC 2006 and was able to witness the Apple Design Awards ceremony. Candor didn't win, but it was exciting nonetheless.</p>
<h2>Front-end developers' chance to rule the iPhone</h2>
<p>WWDC 2006 was a bit of a dud in terms of announcements (Intel Macs in 2005 and the iPhone in 2007) but it was a fun experience. How many people can say they saw a Steve Jobs keynote in person?</p>
<p>Front-end development dominated several conference tracks and seeing the Webkit team talk about upcoming HTML and CSS support was exciting. Apple was heavily invested in the web and the technologies driving it.</p>
<p>This continued into 2007 after the announcement of the iPhone. Remember, during that first reveal, Steve Jobs was adamant about <a href="https://www.cultofmac.com/125180/steve-jobs-was-originally-dead-set-against-third-party-apps-for-the-iphone/">no native third-party apps running on the iPhone</a>. Third-party apps would all be web based, driven by Webkit.</p>
<p>Web based you say? Looking at iOS and Dashboard, there was a clear relationship brewing. Widget icons even looked like iOS app icons! Widget developers rejoiced!</p>
<p>Porting Widgets over to iOS would be trivial and expose our apps to a much, much larger audience. Apple went so far as to release <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashcode">Dashcode</a>, an application to help drive both Widget and iOS web app development. Front-end web developers were suddenly on equal footing with application developers.</p>
<p>And that high would run for another year until Apple announced the App Store and supplemental SDK to build native, third-party applications for iOS.</p>
<p>Bummer. With the App Store exploding with new apps every day, users turned their focus away from Dashboard and Apple soon did the same.</p>
<h2>What could have been</h2>
<p>Imagine if Apple had stuck to its guns and kept native third-party apps off its devices. The web might look different. Web standards might have advanced more quickly even across other platforms as Android and Windows Phone could very easily have followed Apple's lead on web based apps.</p>
<p>In the end, Dashboard had a good run and without it I may never have conquered my scripting fears by taking on things like PHP and SQL. In that regard, I owe Apple a lot of gratitude.</p>
<p><small>Open Graph image <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">CC</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitta/212566890/in/photolist-jMsJo-jRSgF-x6Xzz-bYh2J9-Mn8aJ7-5z47Sg-79MpU4-26K2mDb-34WAD-5d8j3o-5tgos8-YLNHwp-pnHqX-6D7999-6D77U9-57MJo3-rtfjpQ-N3wUBz-79MoVK-2crY6CR-25hEssg-7fU7so-6D2XvB-79MpPX-bniaoy-M3QH-3aqQ5-u69xS-x6Xm7-4KurHv-dsg2v-3UkDQ-jcM6V-7uHij-nfFXM-4TeYUW-T8yr-Cu1Y1-4tjWD-3c7sxS-Cu1PA-BY1dz-25Hvg-BY1dA-6oULbd-T8yD-6jWvxa-7yzMPh-5vASLr-Gqtgg">Nikita Kashner</a></small></p>
First Things First Manifesto2020-05-12T15:44:41Z2020-05-12T15:44:41Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2020/05/First-Things-First-Manifesto/
<h1 class="full-bleed">First Things First Manifesto</h1><p class="date">May 12, 2020</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.designishistory.com/1960/first-things-first/">First Things First design manifesto</a> was a defining document in the design world in the 1960s, so much so that it's been refreshed over the years (<a href="https://maxbruinsma.nl/index1.html?ftf2000.htm">2000</a>, <a href="https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/february-2014/updating-the-first-things-first-manifesto-for-2014/">2014</a>) to represent the challenges of the current age. With Earth Day being celebrated for the 50th year, yet another iteration (<a href="https://www.firstthingsfirst2020.org/">F1rst Things F1rst</a>) was written this year.</p>
<p>This latest version lined up so well with a version I wrote last year as part of a <a href="https://scad.edu/">SCAD</a> class project that I thought I would post that here in solidarity. A designed poster also accompanied this assignment, which is included at the end.</p>
<h2>A Design Manifesto</h2>
<p>Designers as individuals are responsible for the unfortunate state of our society.</p>
<p>While previous generations of designers have been concerned with industry's tangible outputs and the belief that those outputs have been what contribute to an empty culture, the core responsibility lies with individuals driving that industry. Individuals embrace questionable behaviors. Individuals drive the design profession toward unethical practices on a daily basis. Through individual designers' actions, the profession as a whole is robbed of focus, wallows in false narratives, and drives excessive consumption. In turn, our society suffers.</p>
<p><strong>I have a lack of focus</strong><br />I'm too obsessed with the latest thing, the latest process, the latest tool to drive the process. So much precious time is spent thinking around the problem, I never solve it.</p>
<p><strong>I line up to carry dirty water</strong><br />Big companies do bad things, but I'm always there to rebrand and distract from the core issues.</p>
<p><strong>I perpetuate mindless consumption</strong><br />Design drives us to buy useless goods in the physical space and collect empty likes in the digital space.</p>
<p>I must do more than point out the problems. I must work toward self-help, pushing back on these questionable norms.</p>
<p>Individual responsibility forms the whole. As one of us changes our actions, others take note. A steadfast persistence guides more of us toward a better path. Eventually, collectively, we create positive change through thoughtful and ethical design choices.</p>
<p>I promise to give myself proper time, space, and research to work through problems and offer solutions. I promise to release myself from cleaning up corporate mistakes, pushing back on companies to own their missteps. I promise to provide users with the experience they deserve, freeing them from the maze of consumption.</p>
<p>Join me in keeping these promises, creating a healthy community of designers, and ultimately, building a healthy world to live in.</p>
<p>Cale Mooth</p>
<img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/manifesto-poster.jpg" width="900" alt="Manifest poster" class="full-bleed" />
What's the goal? Amateur Radio license changes2020-08-02T09:18:03Z2020-08-02T09:18:03Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2020/08/What-s-the-goal-Amateur-Radio-license-changes/
<h1 class="full-bleed">What's the goal? Amateur Radio license changes</h1><p class="date">August 02, 2020</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.arrl.org/">ARRL</a> appears to be embarking on a campaign to provide more spectrum access to Technician Class Hams. (It's impossible to find any mention of this on their website, but that's a different blog post.) This is the most significant and potentially game changing task the ARRL can take on as the biggest lobbying force for the hobby.</p>
<h2>What's the goal?</h2>
<p>Before getting into whether or not this <a href="http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ODV/Second%20Board%20Meeting%20July%202020/Doc%2025A%20Band%20Plan%20Final-1b.pdf">draft plan</a> is good or bad for the hobby, we need to ask what the goal of all this is. I assume the ARRL has communicated their goal somewhere, but again, impossible to find on their website. Do we want more people to join the hobby (growth)? Do we want more existing Hams to participate within the current framework (retention)? Do we want to maintain the status quo?</p>
<p>What do we want the future of the hobby to look like? Do we want to see real increases in participation and diversity, beyond the <a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/view/us-amateur-radio-population-grows-slightly-in-2018">stagnant 1% annual growth rate</a>? Or do we want to continue on the current path of a small, homogeneous, yet tight-knit community that we see today?</p>
<h2>The current barrier to entry</h2>
<p>The current license class system is an arbitrary barrier to entry. The chasm of privileges between Technician and General Class licenses is the biggest road block to both entry and regular participation in the hobby, and this is coming from personal experience. Halfway through my Technician class in February of 2012, I realized that the Tech license wasn't going to be sufficient to allow me to play around with digital modes. My entire goal of going through the Tech license class was to play around with JT65 on 20 meters. The Tech license wasn't going to get me there, and a General license class wouldn't be offered for another year. To solve this, I promptly started memorizing General pool test questions on QRZ so that I could pass both the Tech and General tests on the same day.</p>
<p>There are a lot of problems to unpack from that experience. License classes and test sessions, in general, are slow to come by. A huge problem in today's world of instant gratification and attracting younger members (I was 32 at the time). I missed out on a proper education around General operating technique and precautions because I simply memorized the test. On the surface, you could argue it's dangerous not to have the proper education, but I think what it really says is there's not a good reason to have General privileges walled off behind another license class and test. (I have neither blown up my rig, or been contacted by the FCC due to non-compliance of the rules.) The upgrade system is broken, either way. I don't believe most people would do what I did. In that scenario, I believe most people would give up on the hobby if they learned halfway through the Tech class that they would only gain access to a sliver of what's possible with a General license.</p>
<h2>Big changes equal big results</h2>
<p>The only way to both cultivate and increase the size of the Ham community is to widen the entry path. We need the interest and participation from more people or this hobby will literally die off in another 20 years. There's no down side to giving Techs more access to HF. The Tech license itself provides enough checks and balances against the airwaves becoming a Citizens Band situation.</p>
<p>If we want to keep the status quo of a walled-off community with a slow drip of new participants, let's keep doing what we're doing. If we want younger voices with new thought leadership and new technology ideas, and simply more people to talk to on-air, let's give Techs more room to participate.</p>
<p>I know a lot of Hams that picked up their Tech license and promptly put it in a drawer never to be picked up again. I bet a few more privileges would encourage them to take a second look.</p>
<code>For more content like this, subscribe to <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">Amateur Radio Weekly</a>, a weekly summary of the most relevant content in the world of Ham Radio. ♦</code>
Open Firmware DEFAULT CATCH! code=3002020-10-06T20:31:20Z2020-10-06T20:31:20Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2020/10/Open-Firmware-DEFAULT-CATCH-code-300/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Open Firmware DEFAULT CATCH! code=300</h1><p class="date">October 06, 2020</p>
<p>There are a number of <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8207206">forum posts</a> that focus on a firmware error thrown by older Macs, from PowerBook G3 laptops to some of the early iMacs and G3 towers. All of the posts suggest zapping PRAM and various other software solutions that don't seem to solve the majority of Macs running into the problem.</p>
<p>I recently aquired an old Apple PowerBook G3. It booted up just fine the first time, but every subsequent boot resulted in the <strong>DEFAULT CATCH! code=300</strong> Open Firmware error. I tried booting from a number of bootable CD-Rs (Ubuntu, OS X, OS 9) but that also resulted in the dreaded code=300. The OS X CD wouldn't boot at all. But I noticed the OS 9 CD would get so far before throwing one of those full, freeze the entire OS bomb errors. A common problem due to OS 9's lack of protected memory. Then I noticed the Ubuntu CD would freeze on boot at the RAM disk stage every single time. These were two strong suggestions that the RAM chips might be bad.</p>
<p>Under the PowerBook's keyboard was easy access to the two RAM sticks. I removed one and the system booted completely every time. Swapping the sticks resulted in the code=300 error once more.</p>
<p>If you find yourself working with an old Mac and run into an Open Firmware DEFAULT CATCH! error, there's a good chance your RAM is bad.</p>
Moving from Hexo to 11ty2021-03-30T00:00:00Z2021-03-30T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2021/03/moving-from-hexo-to-11ty/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Moving from Hexo to 11ty</h1><p class="date">March 29, 2021</p>
<p>This blog is now generated using <a href="https://www.11ty.dev/">Eleventy</a>! I recently moved everything over from <a href="https://hexo.io/">Hexo</a> for a multitude of reasons. Primarily, the template I was using was bloated with unnecessary logic, markup, and various JS libraries. I didn't like the idea of using a template when I could instead build and design something from scratch. It didn't feel right not having a custom approach. In addition, Hexo had a number of <a href="https://github.com/hexojs/hexo/issues/4325">outstanding bugs</a> with caching that was making development nearly impossible.</p>
<p>This isn't a how-to on moving away from Hexo, but a number of sources helped me along the way. CSS layout is based very closely on Josh Comaeu's <a href="https://www.joshwcomeau.com/css/full-bleed/">Full-Bleed Layout Using CSS Grid</a>. This is the first time I've incorporated CSS grid on this site and I was surprised to see how simplified the layout process has become. Utilizing this example took minutes as opposed to hours using other methods. Eleventy setup was sourced heavily from <a href="https://alexpearce.me/2020/06/jekyll-to-eleventy/">Alex Pearce</a>, especially getting the date based URL structure right. In addition, I had a handful of excellent examples from <a href="https://treypiepmeier.com/">Trey</a>, <a href="https://joshmock.com/">Josh</a>, and <a href="https://alexezell.com/">Alex</a>. Trey has a great <a href="https://github.com/trey/blank2">11ty starter project</a> with <a href="https://sass-lang.com/">Sass</a> and Netlify support.</p>
<p>I've enjoyed a more manual approach with this project. The CSS is so minimal, I decided against an extension, though I love Sass for large projects. Same with markup. I'm writing HTML elements manually as opposed to using Markdown. Markdown has its place, I just really enjoy writing HTML elements "by hand."</p>
<p>11ty is the 6th tool I've used to publish this site since 2001. It started with Blogger, then <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greymatter_(software)">Greymatter</a>, moved to WordPress, then <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2011/11/switching-from-wordpress-to-octopress/">Octopress</a>, Hexo, and now Eleventy. This tool feels the most manageable and flexible so far and I hope to stick with it for a long time. Or at least until the next shiny new tool starts trending. This <a href="https://github.com/Cale/midnightcheese-11ty">project is viewable on GitHub</a>.</p>
Twitter on a 2nd Generation Kindle2021-05-26T00:00:00Z2021-05-26T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2021/05/twitter-on-second-gen-kindle/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Twitter on a 2nd Generation Kindle</h1><p class="date">May 25, 2021</p>
<p>I recently created a Twitter appliance using an old <a href="https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazon-kindle-second-generation-review/">second generation Kindle</a>.</p>
<p>The allure of <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/">vintage computing</a> has been strong so I figured what better device to play with than an older second generation Kindle. The best feature of this old e-reader is the built-in "free forever" 3G internet access that came with the device. The purpose of the free internet connection was to purchase and download e-books from any location. A relatively low bandwidth and presumably low cost feature that Amazon could easily afford from all the ensuing e-book purchases.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/twitter-timeline-on-kindle.jpg" alt="Second Generation Amazon Kindle with Twitter" /></p>
<p>Amazon also included an "experimental" web browser. At the time, just about every website was accessible in all the black and white glory an e-ink screen could provide. Catching up on news and social media was possible. Today, not so much. When this Kindle was first released https wasn't a thing outside of checkout flows. Now, with the ubiquity of https, this Kindle's experimental web browser can display almost zero modern websites because the browser doesn't support https.</p>
<p>Enter the lo-fi web. Sites like <a href="http://68k.news/">68k.news</a> and the <a href="http://frogfind.com/">FrogFind!</a> search engine breathe new life into an old browser. With those sites as inspiration, I whipped up a bare bones version of my Twitter feed and pointed the Kindle's web browser right at it. Success! It's nothing more than using the Twitter API to surface the latest Tweets and their associated user avatars. No interaction other than paging through the results and hitting refresh for more.</p>
<p>Initially I tried to include image media but doing so quickly exhausted the limited amount of available RAM and crashed the browser.</p>
<p>The result is the modern web experienced through a slow, low resolution computing lens. It may not be much, but it's fun to revitalize this old hardware. And it's tough to beat a free connection to the world wide web.</p>
My First Experience with the Internet2021-12-09T00:00:00Z2021-12-09T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2021/12/first-internet-experience/
<h1 class="full-bleed">My First Experience with the Internet</h1><p class="date">December 08, 2021</p>
<p>I first stumbled on to the Internet in August of 1994. Until that point, I had been online in one form or another, whether that was playing games dialed into <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/crap-shoot-imagination/">The Sierra Network</a> or dialing into local <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system">BBS</a>s. In 1994 there really wasn't a direct connection to the Internet available at home. You had to tie up your phone line to dial into a separate network or BBS which then happened to be connected to the Internet. The Internet was simply a sub feature of closed online services.</p>
<p>In my case, I was at home on the family Packard Bell PC packing either a 386 or maybe by that time a 486 CPU which powered a phone modem with blistering speeds somewhere between 1200 and 9600 bps. We either subscribed to or regularly picked up copies of <em>Computer Shopper</em>, a massive magazine at the time filled with all sorts of computer related articles, ads, and directories. Specifically, <em>Computer Shopper</em> contained <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/textfiles/3344546218/in/photostream/">pages and pages of BBS listings</a>. BBSs were listed numerically by area code, so you'd scan through looking for your city's area code and locate your local BBSs. Calling phone numbers with area codes different from your phone number's area code cost extra, charged per minute. So you couldn't dial just any random BBS. It had to be in your city.</p>
<p>We lived in Miami at the time, which meant I didn't have to scan too deep into the listings to find the 305 area code. On this particular day in August I found a different type of BBS that was hosted by the Miami Dade County Public Library System. They called it the Miami FreeNet. I wish I could remember more about FreeNet. I've never been able to find any information about it online. I assume the name indicated that it was an open BBS (some were private and cost money to gain access). Whatever it was, it was local, free, part of the library system, and that was enough for me to dial in and start exploring.</p>
<p>I don't remember how I stumbled onto the Internet. Like every other BBS this one was text based. No graphical interface, no images on the screen. Just text and more text. It was the equivalent of a terminal window. I tabbed over to one menu item or another and perhaps ended up in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)">Lynx</a> instance? Regardless of the web browser I was using, I know I ended up on yahoo.com. Difficult to forget a service named Yahoo! I know this took place in August of 1994 because from Yahoo! I ended up on the Woodstock 94 website. The Woodstock website was such an interesting experience because they were uploading digital images during the festival. That meant I could be at home experiencing the festival by downloading the same images in near real time. Of course the images weren't displayed inline. Each image had to be downloaded individually, waiting half a minute or more for each to transfer at 9600 bps. Once downloaded, the images could be opened in Microsoft Paint and taken in in all their glory. It really was a miraculous process, images transferring hundreds of miles across telephone lines. Apparently, Woodstock 94 was one of the first events to offer that type of online experience. Sadly, only <a href="https://yorgodouramacos.wixsite.com/thebiglp/single-post/2014/06/30/woodstock-94-time-capsule">partial descriptions</a> of the "net-connected" portion of the event seem to remain online.</p>
<p>And that was it. That simple experience of "instantly" viewing images of an event happening across the country was enough to want to explore more. This experience was unlike anything else and I knew it was the future.</p>
<p>A year later I'd be dialing into the Internet more directly, this time living in Nashville, connected to the Nashville Computer Solutions Network (NCSN) and surfing away with Netscape and a fully graphical web experience. A year after that I'd be building my first website for money at 16 years old.</p>
Wasting an Evening with distcc2022-04-26T00:00:00Z2022-04-26T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2022/04/wasting-an-evening-with-distcc/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Wasting an Evening with distcc</h1><p class="date">April 25, 2022</p>
<p>I need to stop going down these <a href="https://www.gentoo.org/">Gentoo</a> rabbit holes. Recently I picked up an old PowerBook G3, <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2020/10/Open-Firmware-DEFAULT-CATCH-code-300/">restored it to working order</a>, and opposite of my better judgement immediately installed and compiled Gentoo. Got it working. All was well.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, because Gentoo builds all updates from source, it can take 3-4 days just to compile and update a bare-bones install running i3 and a web browser. I've known about distcc for a long time. <a href="https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Distcc">Distcc allows other machines on the network to compile binaries</a>. This sounded like the perfect solution! I could offload the compile time from the old 400mHz G3 and blaze through updates in just a few minutes utilizing a modern machine. I finally decided to give it a shot.</p>
<p>Got everything installed and configured on the PowerBook, the machine that would be doing all the heavy lifting (Gentoo in a VM on an AMD Ryzen 7), and for good measure and testing purposes, an old Dell Mini 9 also running Gentoo. This portion wasn't without its <a href="https://bugs.gentoo.org/690906">hiccups</a>.</p>
<p>Tests worked well when running updates on the Dell. The Ryzen machine picked up the work from the old laptop and powered through. Not the same results when updating the PowerBook. Turns out cross compiling different architectures requires more work involving <a href="https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Crossdev">crossdev</a>. Got crossdev installed, but ran into errors when building out the PowerPC toolchain. Something around gcc "not supported by your assembler." Tried different versions of gcc, but to no avail. At that point, things were beyond my knowledge base. (Some weird issue with keyboard input hanging when working with the VirtalBox VM didn't help.)</p>
<p>Cross compiling with distcc didn't work this time around. But it got me thinking about Gentoo in general. Gentoo used to be my favorite distro. It's a very educational distro in that it forces you to learn through their lower-level setup process. And it's one of the few distros that still supports older architectures such as 32-bit x86 and PowerPC. Just about every other distro has moved on to amd64 and ARM exclusively. The number of roadblocks when working with Gentoo day-to-day just feels much higher than it used to be. Emerge updates routinely result in conflicting packages and circular dependencies. Emerge --sync has been plagued with <a href="https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-1142994-highlight-manifest+verification.html">failed manifest validations</a> requiring continuous mirror changes. Documentation is out of date.</p>
<p>I know it's pointless to try and keep this old hardware running, much less ask it to run the latest OS technology. But solving those puzzles are fun. Unfortunately, the puzzles seem to be getting more and more complex.</p>
Yoshi Sodeoka Rides the Psychedelic Wave2022-05-30T00:00:00Z2022-05-30T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2022/05/yoshi-sodeoka-rides-the-psychedelic-wave/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Yoshi Sodeoka Rides the Psychedelic Wave</h1><p class="date">May 29, 2022</p>
<code>This is a research and writing sample from Art History 701 at SCAD. The assignment was to write a short research paper about a contemporary artist of my choosing.</code>
<h2><a href="https://sodeoka.com/">Yoshi Sodeoka</a> Rides the Psychedelic Wave</h2>
<p>Contemporary artist Yoshi Sodeoka was an early pioneer in combining art and technology in the emerging internet age and continues to influence digital art and popular culture 30 years later. Art and technology have had a symbiotic relationship since the first pigments were applied to the Lascaux Caves in France, and Sodeoka is only one artist in an extensive line of artists and movements that consider the melding of art and technology as a means toward a better existence. However, his consistent body of tech-infused work stands above, shaping political discourse, popular music, as well as the technology used to buy and sell art itself.</p>
<p>Yoshi Sodeoka was born in Japan and later moved to the United States in 1989 to study art and design at Pratt Institute in New York City.<sup>1</sup> Since moving to New York, Sodeoka’s career has spanned three decades combining art and cutting-edge technology to develop a style often described as psychedelic art. His success includes exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum, Tate Britain, and many others.<sup>2</sup></p>
<p>Sodeoka was one of the earliest artists to integrate internet era technology in his art. For one of his first projects, he served in the role of Art Director in 1996 for Word Magazine, a webzine considered one of the first of its kind. Word Magazine included some of the first examples of pixel art on the internet. At the time, publishing daily art content on the internet and building a community around it was ground-breaking. In those early years, Sodeoka would begin experimenting with emerging technologies like DVD, Enhanced CD, and Macromedia Director. Eventually he turned to video, mashing up analog VHS signals with the personal computer, often moving images and signals back and forth between mediums to create a unique style.</p>
<p>Sodeoka’s desire to combine technology and art was not unlike the work of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiments_in_Art_and_Technology">Experiments in Art and Technology</a> (EAT), a collective of artists in the 1970s that combined multiple mediums with new forms of technology to create unique experiences. This comparison links Sodeoka with the likes of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman, two titans of the American art world. While the technology (wireless audio, sonar, and space age mirrors to name a few) EAT adopted was earlier and different from what Sodeoka would eventually adopt, the goals were similar: to enact change in the world using art and technology.</p>
<p>In the coming decades, Sodeoka would do exactly that by forming a multitude of experimental art collectives including Undervolt & Co and C404. Through these groups, Sodeoka would drive political discussion, shape what popular music looks like, and invent entirely unique motion graphics processes in After Effects along the way.</p>
<p>In 2004 Yoshi Sodeoka produced one of his pinnacle political art pieces, a digitally manipulated video of George H. W. Bush’s 1991 State of the Union Address titled <em><a href="https://sodeoka.com/ASCII-BUSH">ASCII BUSH</a></em> (Figure 1). The video is rendered in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) in which the subject matter appears as a constantly changing digital array of characters and symbols. The audio is digitized to make the voices sound robotic, and the cheering crowd sound like white noise. The result produces a very grating, flat, and programmatic feel to the topic of war and politics. The stateliness, patriotism, and presidential feel are erased, replaced with a cold, cruel, and unwavering drone of unfamiliar visuals and audio. The viewer is forced to experience the political message through a completely different lens.</p>
<p>More recently, Sodeoka was commissioned by the psychedelic music project Tame Impala to produce a music video for a track titled <em><a href="https://sodeoka.com/Elephant-Tame-Impala">Elephant</a></em> (Figure 2). With a background in music, Sodeoka tries to merge visual and sound together as a single entity, often visualizing color and shape in his mind before ever producing a single visual element.<sup>3</sup> The process produces his signature psychedelic motion graphics style, a blend of analog and digital signals interacting, shifting in shape and color, and creating a sometimes-dizzying barrage of visual intensity. <em>Elephant</em> is no exception. The music video rolls, flashes, bends, duplicates, and explodes with color. The shifting visuals often keep pace and react with the underlying beat of the music to create a synthesis of audio and visual perfection. Sodeoka’s intense visual style pairs well with the repetitious, electronic, and distorted sounds of Tame Impala.</p>
<p>To achieve his unique visual style, After Effects has emerged as Sodeoka’s tool of choice. While After Effects is a common tool, his results are often in a class of their own. Going beyond simply running video through a series of effects, Sodeoka has developed his own entirely unique process by utilizing After Effects’ programmatic scripting engine Expression. Through programming, visuals can take on computational and randomized forms, producing unlimited unique outcomes that are often difficult to label as a specific category of art.</p>
<p>As technology has advanced throughout his three-decade career, Sodeoka has continued to embrace the latest tech-driven tools and concepts in his work. This is true today with Sodeoka’s adoption of cryptocurrency, specifically non-fungible tokens (NFTs), in many of his latest pieces. Whether cryptocurrency and NFTs are simply a marketing fad or here to stay remains to be seen, but Sodeoka has effectively harnessed their purpose in the current moment. His NFT art closely mimics his other pieces by using the same After Effects method to produce wild, abstract, and constantly shifting blobs of pixels that mesmerize the viewer in a manner appropriate for the current era of continuous consumption of media.</p>
<p>In addition to selling several of his own pieces as NFTs on platforms like Foundation, Sodeoka has been commissioned to collaborate with major brands such as Forbes to incorporate NFTs into fundraising campaigns. In the piece titled <em>Merchants of Metaverse</em> (Figure 3), Sodeoka collaborated with photographer <a href="https://www.michaelprince.com/">Michael Prince</a> for Forbes to create a digital version of a special edition magazine cover featuring the Winklevoss Twins of Silicon Valley fame.<sup>4</sup> In this piece, Sodeoka repurposes a traditionally designed magazine cover and applies his trademark visual style of hybrid analog and digital glitches to give the cover an animated presence that is impossible to achieve in traditional print form. This is a notable example of multiple forms of technology coming together to create new experiences. Older print technology merges with more modern forms of graphic design which then merges with innovative After Effects and NFT processes creating completely new forms of art. Typography slices and splits, images break into blocky sets of pixels, and the entire cover begins to transform, revealing its digital essence. The visuals are fitting, referencing the subject matter of the cover: The Metaverse, Silicon Valley, and the investors driving it. In the end, the NFT auction raised $333,333 benefiting the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation.<sup>5</sup></p>
<p>Yoshi Sodeoka’s body of work spans an impressive 30 years of incorporating the latest technology in his art. In a time in which the world experiences changes at a blindingly fast rate, Sodeoka’s art manages to keep pace. His ability to embrace change should be noted not only in the space of technology, but in the way that embrace affords him the ability to continue to be a part of popular culture and shape the way culture is defined visually. Whether through music, politics, or publishing, Sodeoka continues to challenge his viewers. With an impressive variety of work already behind him, what will the next 30 years of his technology infused art look like?</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sodeoka-ascii-bush.jpg" alt="Yoshi Sodeoka, ASCII Bush, 2004" /></p>
<p><small>Fig 1. Yoshi Sodeoka, ASCII Bush, 2004, Digitally Filtered Audio and VIdeo,
<a href="https://sodeoka.com/ASCII-BUSH">https://sodeoka.com/ASCII-BUSH</a></small></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sodeoka-elephant.jpg" alt="Yoshi Sodeoka, Elephant, 2012" /></p>
<p><small>Fig 2. Yoshi Sodeoka, Elephant, 2012, After Effects Rendered Music Video,
<a href="https://sodeoka.com/Elephant-Tame-Impala">https://sodeoka.com/Elephant-Tame-Impala</a></small></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sodeoka-merchants-metaverse.png" alt="Yoshi Sodeoka, Merchants of the Metaverse, 2021" /></p>
<p><small>Fig 3. Yoshi Sodeoka, Merchants of the Metaverse, 2021, Mixed Digital Media, <a href="https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-the-Metaverse">https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-the-Metaverse</a></small></p>
<p>Endnotes</p>
<p><sup>1</sup> Naoko Fukushi, ”Yoshi Sodeoka,” Shift Japan, October 4, 2003, <a href="http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2003/10/yoshi_sodeoka.html">http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2003/10/yoshi_sodeoka.html</a></p>
<p><sup>2</sup> Jyni Ong, “Digital artist Yoshi Sodeoka’s Work Cannot Be Categorised,” It’s Nice That, September 9, 2015, <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yoshi-sodeoka-the-new-york-times-digital-050919">https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yoshi-sodeoka-the-new-york-times-digital-050919</a></p>
<p><sup>3</sup> Kate Neave, “In Digital: Behind the Screen with Yoshi Sodeoka,” OpenLab, accessed May 19, 2022, <a href="https://openlab.fm/news/in-digital-behind-the-screen-with-yoshi-sodeoka">https://openlab.fm/news/in-digital-behind-the-screen-with-yoshi-sodeoka</a></p>
<p><sup>4</sup> Forbes Press Release, “In A First For The Publishing Industry, Forbes Transforms Latest Cover, Featuring Cameron And Tyler Winklevoss Into NFT Contemporary Art,” April 5, 2021, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2021/04/05/in-a-first-for-the-publishing-industry-forbes-transforms-latest-cover-featuring-cameron-and-tyler-winklevoss-into-nft-contemporary-art/?sh=53d0d7825dcf">https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2021/04/05/in-a-first-for-the-publishing-industry-forbes-transforms-latest-cover-featuring-cameron-and-tyler-winklevoss-into-nft-contemporary-art/?sh=53d0d7825dcf</a></p>
<p><sup>5</sup> Vince Dioquino, “Forbes Mints Cover As Its First NFT: ‘Merchants of the Metaverse’,” CryptoDaily, April 9, 2021, <a href="https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-the-Metaverse">https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-the-Metaverse</a></p>
<p>Bibliography</p>
<p>Dioquino, Vince. “Forbes Mints Cover As Its First NFT: ‘Merchants of the Metaverse’.” CryptoDaily,
April 9, 2021. <a href="https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-%20%20%20%20%20the-Metaverse">https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2021/04/Forbes-Mints-Cover-As-Its-First-NFT-Merchants-of-
the-Metaverse</a>.</p>
<p>Forbes Press Release. “In A First For The Publishing Industry, Forbes Transforms Latest Cover, Featuring
Cameron And Tyler Winklevoss Into NFT Contemporary Art.” April 5, 2021. <a href="https://www.forbes.com
/sites/forbespr/2021/04/05/in-a-first-for-the-publishing-industry-forbes-transforms-latest-cover-
featuring-cameron-and-tyler-winklevoss-into-nft-contemporary-art/?sh=53d0d7825dcf">https://www.forbes.com
/sites/forbespr/2021/04/05/in-a-first-for-the-publishing-industry-forbes-transforms-latest-cover-
featuring-cameron-and-tyler-winklevoss-into-nft-contemporary-art/?sh=53d0d7825dcf</a>.</p>
<p>Fukushi, Naoko. ”Yoshi Sodeoka.” Shift Japan. October 4, 2003. <a href="http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives%20%20%20%20%20/2003/10/yoshi_sodeoka.html">http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives
/2003/10/yoshi_sodeoka.html</a>.</p>
<p>Khaikin, Lital. “Yoshi Sodeoka Video Artist Interview: Psychedelic Apocalypse in the Digital Realm.”
Redefine Magazine. November 6, 2019. <a href="https://redefinemag.net/2014/yoshi-sodeoka-video-artist-%20%20%20%20%20interview-psychedelic-digital/">https://redefinemag.net/2014/yoshi-sodeoka-video-artist-
interview-psychedelic-digital/</a>.</p>
<p>Neave, Kate. “In Digital: Behind the Screen with Yoshi Sodeoka.” OpenLab. accessed May 19, 2022.
<a href="https://redefinemag.net/2014/yoshi-sodeoka-video-artist-%20%20%20%20%20interview-psychedelic-digital/">https://openlab.fm/news/in-digital-behind-the-screen-with-yoshi-sodeoka</a>.</p>
<p>Ong, Jyni. “Digital artist Yoshi Sodeoka’s work cannot be categorised.” It’s Nice That. September 9,
2015. <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yoshi-sodeoka-the-new-york-times-digital-050919">https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yoshi-sodeoka-the-new-york-times-digital-050919</a>.</p>
<p>Schumacher, Sebastian. “All You Can E.A.T. The 1970 Pepsi Pavilion in Osaka.” Uncube. July 14, 2019.
<a href="https://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/13753251">https://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/13753251</a>.</p>
<p>Smith, Greg J. “Interview with Yoshi Sodeoka: Infinite Cycles.” Sedition. June 2, 2019.
<a href="https://www.seditionart.com/magazine/interview-with-yoshi-sodeoka-infinite-cycles">https://www.seditionart.com/magazine/interview-with-yoshi-sodeoka-infinite-cycles</a>.</p>
Apple Watch Owners: How do you rely on this thing?2022-08-04T00:00:00Z2022-08-04T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2022/08/ditching-apple-watch/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Apple Watch Owners: How do you rely on this thing?</h1><p class="date">August 03, 2022</p>
<p>After wearing an Apple Watch nearly 24/7 for the last 6 months I switched back to my Fitbit because I kept missing important text messages.</p>
<p>It took me a few months to realize this, but Apple approaches smartwatch design completely differently than the other smartwatch brands. While Fitbit and others treat the smartwatch as a supplement to the smartphone, Apple treats the smartwatch as a replacement to the smartphone.</p>
<p>This approach manifested itself most critically in the way Apple Watch handles notifications. Prior to Apple Watch, I relied very heavily on the visual notification cue of the phone, relying on the screen illuminating when a new text message arrives. For example, I always keep my phone in view when I’m working at my desk which provides an excellent cue that a notification has arrived, even with the phone silenced.</p>
<p>When notifications are enabled on Apple Watch, iPhone no longer illuminates the screen and no longer plays an audio cue when a text message arrives. The user is forced to rely solely on the watch.</p>
<p>This became problematic in instances when relying on text messaging to know that food was ready from a food truck, or a table was ready at a restaurant. In these noisy environments my iPhone sits on the bar so that I can visually see that message come in. Without the visual cue from the phone I started missing these messages because I couldn’t hear the watch, didn’t feel the watch vibrate, and didn’t see it illuminate. Of course, Apple doesn’t provide any options to get the full notification experience on both devices. It’s one or the other.</p>
<p>Eventually I started missing important messages from my wife simply by sitting at my desk. There seems to be some logic where the watch determines the user is in some sort of focus mode (is it listening for keyboard activity?) and doesn’t give a haptic or audio cue that a message has arrived. Maybe I’m that focused on my work and simply oblivious, but I’d like to think I know myself better than that. The final straw was a missed message from Merredith related to car trouble.</p>
<p>The other downside to Apple Watch taking over notification duty is the lack of variety in notification sounds. When relying on the iPhone, I knew what types of notifications I was getting simply based on sound. Apple Watch only has a single sound for all notifications. No customization in that space either. A step backward from the iPhone experience.</p>
<p>Notifications aside, from a health tracking perspective I was getting way less movement with Apple Watch. Fitbit prompts the user to achieve 250 steps an hour. That got me away from my desk on a regular basis which resulted in more steps and much needed mental breaks. Apple Watch prompts the user to stand, but doesn't require a step count. I could stand at my desk for 1-2 minutes and I met the goal. Apple Watch also doesn't highlight step count in any way. They leave that up to 3rd party apps. Light fitness tracking and movement is definitely secondary for Apple.</p>
<p>Fitbit isn't all roses. While I can go 4 days without a charge (vs. charging every other day with Apple Watch), the app ecosystem is non-existant. In the 6 months I was away, Fitbit appeard to only release one new watch face. They rely much more heavily on the development community to provide watch faces and their standards are low. Most faces are visual monstrosities that require additional purchases.</p>
<p>These are downsides I'm willing to live with if it means no longer missing important messages.</p>
Survey Results: Ham Radio Nets2023-01-03T00:00:00Z2023-01-03T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2023/01/survey-results-net-directories/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Survey Results: Ham Radio Nets</h1><p class="date">January 02, 2023</p>
<p>A few weeks ago I <a href="https://mastodon.radio/@K4HCK/109377264989505051">shared a survey on social media</a> that focused on ham radio nets. This survey was an attempt to understand how people seek out information about nets and how they discover new ones. This post will reveal some of the highlights from the 35 responses that were collected from that survey.</p>
<p>First of all, thanks to everyone that participated! I'm a product manager by day, so this type of qualitative research is one of my favorite aspects of the job. The insights are always enlightening. So without further delay, let's dig in.</p>
<h2>Survey Question 1</h2>
<p>The first question intended to uncover how people are learning about new nets. The most repeated answers included</p>
<ul>
<li>Spinning the dial and simply listening to the radio</li>
<li>Word of mouth from other hams at social gatherings (club meetings)</li>
<li>Using <a href="http://netlogger.org/">NetLogger</a></li>
<li>The Internet: Newsletters, websites, Google Search, email groups, social media, online club calendar, forums</li>
</ul>
<p>This question revealed three notable insights.</p>
<p>First, there's not one definitive source for discovering new nets. The methods and sources vary wildly and no single method stood out from the rest.</p>
<p>Second, a surprising insight was the use of NetLogger. I had never used NetLogger so I download the app which quickly revealed itself as a legitimate net discovery tool. The "Select Net" button turns out to be a live listing of active nets using NetLogger and there are plenty to choose from. Sadly, the website hides this very helpful feature. (Aside from the name, the website tells nothing of what the app does.)</p>
<p>Third, a lot of discovery is happening in the Internet space, but again, there's no one source that people gravitate to.</p>
<h2>Survey Question 2</h2>
<p>The second question focused on the Internet and ultimately sought to reveal websites dedicated to net cataloging and discovery. Common responses included</p>
<ul>
<li>Google</li>
<li>NetLogger</li>
<li><a href="https://duckduckgo.com/">Duck Duck Go</a></li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.arrl.org/arrl-net-directory">ARRL net directory</a></li>
<li>Additionally, several mentions of information being out of date from search engine results</li>
</ul>
<p>Similar insights arose from this question as with the previous question, the most notable being the lack of a dedicated source for hams to discover nets. The ARRL Net Directory was listed twice, but clearly this tool isn't a priority for the ARRL based on the poor experience and limited data set.</p>
<h2>Survey Question 3</h2>
<p>The third question attempted to uncover why people are searching for nets. The responses varied from boredom to looking for more info after hearing about a net on the air. No notable insights were surfaced from this question.</p>
<h2>Survey Question 4</h2>
<p>The fourth and final question simply asked what type of nets people are interested in and this garnered the most varied response yet. Name the net type, and someone was looking for it:</p>
<ul>
<li>HF nets</li>
<li>Wires-X nets</li>
<li>ARES nets</li>
<li>Emcom nets</li>
<li>Casual nets</li>
<li>Nets on repeaters</li>
<li>Traffic nets</li>
<li>Club nets</li>
<li>Rag chew nets</li>
<li>Fun nets</li>
<li>Educational nets</li>
<li>DXing</li>
<li>SKYWARN</li>
</ul>
<p>There are a lot of nets out there!</p>
<p>To summarize, the big takeaway from the survey is the lack of a centralized, definitive source for cataloging and discovering amateur radio nets. There's no <em>Repeater Book</em> of ham radio nets. No single source to see which DMR or 20m SSB nets are happening Thursday night at 9:00 when I get off work. No way to look up a city and find out what nets are taking place on the local repeaters. It should be easier to find a net and connect with other hams.</p>
<p>Does anyone else see an opportunity lurking?</p>Hacking the University Mac Lab2023-03-09T00:00:00Z2023-03-09T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2023/03/hacking-the-university-lab/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Hacking the University Mac Lab</h1><p class="date">March 08, 2023</p>
<p>Everything is a hack, from the rendering engine displaying this text to the <a href="https://www.sunburstandluminary.com/">onboard software that ran on Apollo</a>. It's all expertly crafted, but the fundamental nature of computers force the potential for bugs and critical errors. No software is full-proof.</p>
<p>This is a short story about hacking the University of Tennessee library computer labs around the year 2002. It's not a sinister, bring the network to its knees type hack. Nothing was broken. This hack involved font files, an FTP client, and a lab of Macintosh computers running <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_9">OS 9</a> that were tightly locked down to prevent users from accessing system level settings and files.</p>
<p>At UT I was a graphic design major which meant I was producing lots of graphic design projects using apps like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Quark Express. Like most design schools at the time, UT was a Mac shop. The design program had its own small lab of about a dozen Macintosh computers, a large format printer, and an HP Scanjet 4c<sup>1</sup>. I was also fortunate to have my own Mac which I purchased by saving from the part time jobs I had in high school. It was a 233MHz beige G3 tower. A beast of a machine at the time!</p>
<p>Working on various graphic design projects meant hours in front of the computer getting every detail just right. Cutting out images in Photoshop, creating logos and vector art in Illustrator, and pouring over typographic details in Quark were the standard tasks. Unfortunately, lab space was hard to come by. The design lab was almost always full. It also had weird hours, open late to all hours one day, and closed the next. Weekends were equally unpredictable. I had my own Mac in my dorm room, but living in The Zoo<sup>2</sup>, it was constant chaos and distraction. Not a place to concentrate on work.</p>
<p>With access to quality workstations lacking, it often meant packing up the Zip Disks we used to haul our work around, and seeking out other labs on campus. However, quality Mac labs were few and far between. Most of the dorms had Mac labs, but the machines were terribly dated and didn't have the Adobe suite of apps installed. The only other viable option was the Mac lab at <a href="https://www.lib.utk.edu/">Hodges Library</a>. This was the main library which meant a huge computer lab with both Mac and PC workstations. This lab was also almost always open except for maybe Sunday mornings. The machines were new, and they had just about every relevant piece of software installed, including the Adobe suite of apps. However, there was one major problem. The Macs in Hodges were locked down with software that limited user access.</p>
<p>Specifically, access to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_folder">System Folder</a> which housed the Fonts folder, was unavailable. This was problematic because most design projects were using fonts beyond the system defaults. That meant we had to install any custom fonts onto the machine we were working on and that was done by dragging font files from our Zip Disks into the System Fonts folder. (In addition to the design files on our Zip Disks, there was always a large Fonts folder full of hundreds of fonts that design students would pass along to one another. Adobe's network-enabled font offering was still years away.) Without the ability to access the Fonts folder and install fonts, it would be impossible to work on a project with any typographic component.</p>
<p>As a result, I'd carefully plan out which projects should be worked on at any given lab. If I had a ton of image manipulation to do, I could jump over to Hodges with no problem. If I had a lot of typographic work in a project, I'd have to do that in the design lab or on my computer. Dealing with the locked down Macs in Hodges was a hassle. Most of the other Macs on campus were completely wide open. No restrictions. This was a time before every student had some form of single sign-on account that was required to gain access to any machine on campus and beyond. In the late 90s and early 2000s, anyone could walk into just about any lab, sit down, and have completely open access to any machine and the university network at large. The school had virtually no concept of who was using what in a public lab.</p>
<p>Of course, that meant I could poke around those locked down machines in the Hodges lab with little concern or trace and try to find a way around the protections that were locking down the Fonts folder. I needed the freedom to do my design work where I please, with whichever fonts I please!</p>
<p>I don't remember the details around how I came to the eventual solution, but the hack ended up utilizing FTP server and client software. I spun up an FTP server on the Mac, probably using an app like <a href="https://www.macintoshrepository.org/28812-white-pine-s-ftpshare-v3-1-4">FTPShare</a><sup>3</sup>, then, on the same machine, used <a href="https://fetchsoftworks.com/">Fetch</a><sup>4</sup> to connect to the FTP server. At that point, I had "root" access to the entire file system on the Mac, bypassing the software in place that removed access to the Fonts folder through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finder_(software)">Finder</a>. I could simply drag and drop the fonts from my Zip Disk into Fetch, and Fetch "uploaded" the fonts to the Fonts folder. Problem solved! I could work on any project I wanted using any font I wanted in any lab I wanted.</p>
<p>While this wasn't a complex hack, it illustrates the limited nature of software and inability to cover all use cases. The software locking down the lab computers solved the problem for 99.9% of use cases. Users couldn't get into system folders through the Finder. It didn't take into account accessing the file system outside of Finder.</p>
<p><sup>1</sup> I don't know why I remember this scanner in such detail, but at the time it was INCREDIBLE to be able to scan images into Photoshop at 600 DPI. It was a real game-changer for design projects, taking visual exploration to new heights. This video is a long, but very <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA4rRJMZKkE">satisfying overview of the Scanjet 4c</a>.</p>
<p><sup>2</sup> At the time, Hess Hall at the University of Tennessee was nick-named <em>The Zoo</em> because it was constant chaos. This was likely a result of no air conditioning which required the windows to be open 24/7 and every sound coming from that building somehow amplified itself across campus. It was also the largest dorm on campus featuring two wings and a courtyard surrounded by the U shape of the building. (I've seen things in that building that I will never unsee.)</p>
<p><sup>3</sup> Mac OS 9 had a built-in FTP server that could be enabled, but the software restricting user access also removed access to network settings.</p>
<p><sup>4</sup> Before <a href="https://panic.com/">Panic</a>'s <a href="https://panic.com/transmit/">Transmit</a>, <a href="https://fetchsoftworks.com/">Fetch</a> was <em>the</em> FTP program for the Mac. It's what you would expect from a piece of Mac software. Simple, easy, and a joy to use.</p>
<img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/powermac-g4-quicksilver-computer.jpg" class="full-bleed" alt="The Hodges Library computer lab featuring a PowerMac G4 Quicksilver." title="PowerMac G4 Quicksilver at the University of Tennesse, year 2002." />
<p>This is it! The University of Tennessee Hodges Library Mac computer lab featuring a PowerMac G4 Quicksilver tower running Mac OS 9! Photo taken January 28th, 2002 around 10:30 PM.</p>
<p>Look at the terrible wooden chair in the background. That's what we sat on for hours on end. <em>And we liked it!</em></p>Introducing NetFinder - The Definitive Ham Radio Net Directory2023-04-19T00:00:00Z2023-04-19T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2023/04/netfinder-ham-radio-net-directory/
<h1 class="full-bleed">Introducing NetFinder - The Definitive Ham Radio Net Directory</h1><p class="date">April 18, 2023</p>
<p><a href="https://netfinder.radio/">NetFinder</a> is an online directory of Ham Radio nets designed to help Hams discover new nets and connect with other Amateur Radio operators.</p>
<p>A comprehensive and easy to use directory of Ham Radio nets is a project that I've thought about for years and recently spent the past 18 months building. This project is intended to fill what I see as a gaping hole in the hobby: A central place to easily find a net and get on the air.</p>
<p><a href="https://netfinder.radio/nets/modes/echolink"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/netfinder-echolink-nets.png" alt="A screenshot of NetFinder displaying a list of nets utilizing EchoLink." style="border: 1px solid #ddd;" /></a></p>
<p>NetFinder accomplishes this goal through the following tools:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Simple search by name:</strong> If you know the name of a net but need more information, simply search by name and results appear instantly.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://netfinder.radio/nets/modes">Browse nets by mode:</a></strong> Only interested in DMR or CW nets? Nets are grouped by a variety of categories for easy browsing.</li>
<li><strong>Nets happening now:</strong> NetFinder lists nets in progress during the current hour and nets coming up in the next hour.</li>
<li><strong>Search by location:</strong> (Coming soon!) If you're out of town and looking for a net to join on a local repeater or curious about which nets operate in your area, this tool will provide the answer.</li>
<li><strong>Community sourced:</strong> NetFinder is driven by the Ham community meaning nets can be added and edited by anyone.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Why NetFinder?</h2>
<p>Aren't there other ways to find net information online? Yes, but they each fall short.</p>
<p>Several months ago I conducted a survey asking Hams what tools they use to discover new nets and <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2023/01/survey-results-net-directories/">the answers were all over the place</a>. The survey verified the lack of a central source for good net information. NetFinder attempts to consolidate several use cases on to a single platform.</p>
<p>The ARRL has a net directory, but the user experience is poor and there's not an easy way to find local nets. NetLogger is a great site for finding nets on the air right now, but only surfaces nets using their net management software. Search engines like Google are hit or miss. There are many spreadsheets floating around the internet that attempt to provide a comprehensive list, but those aren't scalable and are a poor experience as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://netfinder.radio/nets/view/the-nine-o-clock-net"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/netfinder-nine-oclock-net.png" alt="A screenshot of NetFinder displaying information for the Nine O'Clock Net out of Seattle, Washington." style="border: 1px solid #ddd;" /></a></p>
<p>Think of NetFinder as the RepeaterBook for nets.</p>
<p>With that said, I invite you to <a href="https://netfinder.radio/">take a look around</a> and see what you think. <a href="https://netfinder.canny.io/feature-requests">Feeback is welcome</a>. It is early days and a lot more is still planned for this project. The number of nets in the directory is still small, but it's enough to show the potential of this tool. I hope you'll join me in cataloging the nets of the world, and helping other Hams find ways to connect on the air.</p>
<p>—K4HCK</p>The State of Linux on a PowerMac G5 October 20232023-09-27T00:00:00Z2023-09-27T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2023/09/state-of-linux-powermac-g5-2023/<h1 class="full-bleed">The State of Linux on a PowerMac G5 October 2023</h1><p class="date">September 26, 2023</p>
<p><strong>TL;DR</strong> Debian 12 Sid (PPC64) will install on an early PowerMac G5 start to finish. <a href="https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/snapshots/2023-06-18/">Download</a>, then burn the ISO to CD, hold down the "c" key on startup, run through the installer and all should be well. More info on the <a href="https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/power-mac-g5-debian-sid-12.2392730/">MacRumors Forum</a>.</p>
<p>First of all, this entire article is dumb because it's all about trying to run a modern Linux server OS on a 20 year old machine running a CPU architecture (PowerPC) that has largely left the consumer market. There's really no reason this machine should support anything modern, but thanks to some tireless engineers, a lot of modern software can still run on a what is still a fairly capable machine.</p>
<p>I picked up a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Mac_G5">PowerMac G5</a> on a whim for the nostalgia factor. While back in the day I owned Apple hardware with a G3 and G4 chip running as my daily driver, I never did own a G5. I jumped straight from a Titanium PowerBook G4 to one of the very first Intel MacBook Pros. I did work with a few G5 machines at work.</p>
<p>Anyway, besides this machine being old, it's also power hungry, running well over 100 Watts at rest. Two factors against it potentially running as a home server. The <a href="https://libre.computer/products/aml-s905x-cc/">Libre Le Potato</a> on my pegboard will outperform this machine in almost every way. Bananas.</p>
<p>So I wanted to try my hand at running my own <a href="https://pixelfed.org/">Pixelfed</a> instance and decided the G5 is the machine. To make this a reality, I would need to run Linux. Well, most Linux distros no longer officially support older PowerPC architecture, in this case, PPC64. PPC64 is different from the more modern series of POWER chips running PPC64LE. In fact, reading through the top hit when searching for PPC Linux distros, most of the <a href="https://www.pcwdld.com/best-powerpc-linux-distros">top 10 distros</a> listed no longer support PPC64 at all.</p>
<p>However, I eventually found the <a href="http://fienixppc.blogspot.com/">Fienix</a> project, a Debian based distro that aims to keep old Apple PowerPC machines afloat with a recent Linux build. This seemed promising even though it appears to be run by one individual with no community around it. As you might guess, this is where things went south.</p>
<p>The best way to install a new OS on New World Apple machines is via optical disc media. Trying to boot a USB drive via Open Firmware is an absolute nightmare. Devices and device paths are incredibly cryptic. I never could boot Fienix from USB media. I tried multiple USB sticks, all the different device aliases, followed the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS58kQ10qas">special video</a>, but no luck. I did happen to have some DVD disk media in the back of the closet, but it had all degraded to the point where I couldn't burn a working copy. I must have burned a half dozen or more DVDs but they all produced corrupt discs. The installer would only get so far before hitting read errors. If they booted at all. So no USB, and no DVD based media. Fienix was out.</p>
<p>Mistakenly, I then turned to Gentoo. I previously stated that I was completely <a href="http://midnightcheese.com/2022/04/wasting-an-evening-with-distcc/">done with Gentoo</a>, but what other option did I have? Gentoo is the only major distro that still supports the PPC64 architecture. And they have CD ISO files. My CD media is still functional, and I was able to boot the CD and run through the Gentoo install process without issue. The problems came with Yaboot, the default bootloader <a href="https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:PPC64/Installation/Bootloader#Using_yaboot">suggested in the Gentoo Handbook install instructions</a>. I went through two lengthy Gentoo installs which ultimately failed when trying to boot with Yaboot. As I mentioned previously, Open Firmware is the most absolute worst piece of software to work with. Pairing Open Firmware with Yaboot summons the devil. The Yaboot man page describes Open Firmware as "<a href="https://manpages.debian.org/jessie/yaboot/yaboot.8.en.html">disgusting</a>." I couldn't agree more.</p>
<p>I ran through a couple Gentoo installs and a million tweaks to Yaboot trying to get the G5 to boot into the new Gentoo install. No luck. Turning to the forums, I learned that the Yaboot instructions in the Gentoo Handbook are incorrect because Gentoo's implementation of Yaboot doesn't currently work with the G5. This has been the case for at least a year. Great.</p>
<p>Rather than simply let it go, I decided I would try to help the next person trying to install Gentoo on a G5 and edit the Gentoo Handbook to note that this would be an impossible task and to save time by avoiding Gentoo like the plague. So I went to try and make an edit to the Handbook. I figured I wouldn't have permission to straight-up edit, but could at least start a discussion so someone with authority could add a note. (It is a Wiki after all!) <a href="https://mastodon.social/@elac/111052512381408863">Creating an account was a non-starter</a>. Then my frustration got the best of me and I decided to post to the Gentoo forum and let people know that the Gentoo Wiki signup process was prohibitive and that a note needed to be added to the Handbook to let people know that installing Gentoo on a G5 using Yaboot is broken. <a href="https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-1165052.html">That did not go well</a>. As of this writing, the Handbook has not changed and some poor soul is wasting hours on end trying to get Gentoo installed on a PowerMac G5.</p>
<p>What's that? The <a href="https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook_Talk:PPC64/Installation/Bootloader">discussion tab</a> on the Handbook suggests using Grub instead of Yaboot? Fool me 100 times, shame on me. I ran through two or three more Gentoo installs, this time trying to boot with Grub. No luck. Once again, I am done with Gentoo.</p>
<p>At this point I had visions of going back to whatever latest version of OS X would run on the G5 and then run a virtualized Linux install. Turns out virtualization really wasn't a thing people did back when the G5 was in its prime. There was a lot of emulation of x86 for Windows and Linux, but no apps that supported virtualization. (QEMU was a thing, but the only examples I found were already running on a PPC Linux install, not OS X.)</p>
<p>More Googling, more searching. I kept seeing results from YouTube talking about "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Ugfqj1ank">Installing MODERN DEBIAN on a Power Mac G5!</a>" and just kept ignoring them because who watches videos that should be a blog post. So I finally watched the video (at 1.5 speed, of course). Dude really had this one weird trick to get Debian Sid running on this old PowerMac G5? Yes, yes he did. Somehow, downloading the "unofficial" Debian 12 PPC64 ISO, burning it to CD, and installing the OS just worked. I can't believe such a thing even exists, but it does, and it's amazing. Modern magic.</p>
<p>So huge thanks to <a href="http://users.physik.fu-berlin.de/~glaubitz/">John Paul Adrian Glaubitz</a>, a volunteer Debian developer that still regularly cranks out PowerPC install images and manages the <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/">Debian PowerPC mailing list</a>. Crazy that it all comes down to one person keeping all this old hardware useful in the modern age.</p>
First POTA Activation2023-12-24T00:00:00Z2023-12-24T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2023/12/first-pota-activation/<h1 class="full-bleed">First POTA Activation</h1><p class="date">December 23, 2023</p>
<p><a href="https://parksontheair.com/">Parks on the Air</a> (POTA) is one of the best things going for the Ham Radio hobby. It's uncomplicated, fun, and the <a href="https://pota.app/">web app</a> that is central to the entire system is a wonderfully modern technical implementation and user experience.</p>
<p>Today, I activated a park for the first time and I can see why so many Hams make activations a regular event. Dedicating 90 minutes outside while playing radio with a nice view of nature is tough to beat.</p>
<p>As far as first activations go, I tried to set myself up for an easy first try. We happened to be staying at <a href="https://tnstateparks.com/parks/paris-landing">Paris Landing State Park</a> (<a href="https://pota.app/#/park/K-2965">K-2965</a>) for a few days so I knew I would have plenty of time to give an activation a try. Even if I failed the first attempt, I knew I could try again in a few hours or even the next day. Fortunately, everything would work out on the first try.</p>
<p>Weather was just about perfect. 55 degrees, little to no wind, and broken clouds kept the temperature manageable. I'm terrible when it comes to the cold, so this was getting toward the no-go end of things for me! The park didn't have much activity, so it was easy to find a prime picnic bench by the edge of Kentucky Lake. 10 minutes to unload, set up the antenna and radio, and I was ready to get on the air. I had been practicing with a few backyard "activations" leading up to this weekend, so I felt comfortable with the setup process. (Those activations did not go well, but that's another blog post.)</p>
<p><a href="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pota-activation-paris-landing-state-park.jpg"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pota-activation-paris-landing-state-park.jpg" alt="Amateur radio setup overlooking Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing" /></a></p>
<p>POTA setup overlooking Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing.</p>
<p>The only real hang-up of the day was getting my laptop's clock synced with a time server. I used the laptop just 10 minutes before my activation while connected to a reliable network and assumed the clock was synced up, but that wasn't the case once I started operating. The laptop's clock was around 2 seconds slow compared to other operators on the band, and that was enough to hinder any hopes of an FT8 QSO. Thankfully, my phone (barely) had a data signal and I was able to use its hotspot feature to get a connection to my laptop and get the clock synced. I don't know if the sync service just wasn't running or if the clock drifted that much in the 10 minutes it went unconnected from the internet, but something to account for next time.</p>
<p><a href="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/antenna-kentucky-lake-paris-landing.jpg"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/antenna-kentucky-lake-paris-landing.jpg" alt="View of a Buddipole overlooking Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing State Park" /></a></p>
<p>Buddipole overlooking Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing State Park.</p>
<p>From backyard testing I knew the Buddipole antenna works well on 15 meters so I started there. It was slow going at first and I wondered if I'd be able to get the 10 required QSOs to get full activation credit, but ended up landing all 10 required QSOs within 37 minutes. I budgeted 90 minutes so with my remaining time I switched over to 20 meters and worked 7 more stations over the next 15 minutes. Of the 17 total QSOs operating at 5 Watts, I would estimate another 5 QSOs that I wasn't able to complete. Interestingly, the final QSO map favored the east cost of the US.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pota-qso-map-k-2965.png" alt="17 QSOs plotted on a map of North America" /></p>
<p>Activation QSOs mapped.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/pota-signal-reports-k-2965.png" alt="Signal reports from North America to Europe" /></p>
<p>Signal reports during my activation.</p>
<p>All-in-all, this activation went very well. The few bumps were relatively easy to overcome. Had I not done a few practice runs in the backyard over the last couple weeks, this would not have been successful at all. I learned a lot from those test runs. For future activations, I think it's time to slim down my overall setup. The Gator Box works well, but I have a bunch of extra equipment in there because it usually sits on my desk at home as my main station. The heavy power supply, power distribution module, Raspberry Pi, and associated cabling could all go. Something to tweak in the coming months.</p>
<p>Thanks to all the POTA supporters out there! This was a fun activity and I definitely see myself doing this again.</p>
<p>For those interested, this is my gear list for this particular activation:</p>
<ul>
<li>Radio: Yaesu FT-857D</li>
<li>Antenna: Buddistick PRO</li>
<li>Antenna Tuner: MFJ-929 (Shouldn't need this, but I haven't yet taken the time to test without it.)</li>
<li>Battery: Bioenno LiFePO 3A/36 Watt-Hours</li>
<li>Case: Gator Case 4U Audio Rack, Shallow</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/highway-79-bridge-paris-landing.jpg"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/highway-79-bridge-paris-landing.jpg" alt="Highway 79 bridge over Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing State Park" /></a></p>
<p>Highway 79 bridge over Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing State Park.</p>
<p><a href="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sunrise-paris-landing-state-park.jpg"><img src="https://assets.midnightcheese.com/images/sunrise-paris-landing-state-park.jpg" alt="Sunrise at Paris Landing State Park" /></a></p>
<p>Sunrise at Paris Landing State Park.</p>
Contributing to the Internet Archive's DLARC2024-01-07T00:00:00Z2024-01-07T00:00:00Zhttps://midnightcheese.com/2024/01/amateur-radio-weekly-internet-archive/<h1 class="full-bleed">Contributing to the Internet Archive's DLARC</h1><p class="date">January 06, 2024</p>
<p>The <a href="https://archive.org/">Internet Archive</a> recently <a href="https://archive.org/details/amateur-radio-weekly">added Amateur Radio Weekly</a> (ARW) to their <a href="https://archive.org/details/dlarc">Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications</a> (DLARC) collection and I couldn't be more excited! I've been producing <a href="https://hamweekly.com/">ARW</a> since 2014 (minus a two year pause to focus on grad school) collecting the most interesting stories and projects related to ham radio each week and sending that summary out as an email newsletter. Needless to say, it's an honor to be added to this special collection.</p>
<p>As the web matures we're beginning to see more discussion around <a href="https://wordpress.com/blog/2023/08/25/introducing-the-100-year-plan/">preserving content</a> as creators age beyond this life. It's certainly something I've thought about over the last few years, which is why the inclusion into DLARC is so wonderful. There's an opportunity for the content that I've created to live on for other generations to explore. If nothing else, each newsletter is a time capsule of that period in time.</p>
<p>Kay Savetz, the curator behind DLARC recently <a href="https://www.zeroretries.org/p/zero-retries-0133#%C2%A7whats-new-at-digital-library-of-amateur-radio-and-communications-january">published an update</a> in an issue of <a href="https://www.zeroretries.org/">Zero Retries</a> and it provides a great overview of what the Internet Archive is trying to accomplish, and how far they've come since starting this project in 2022. This update calls out some incredible finds from some of the biggest contributors to the ham radio hobby. It's humbling to have my newsletter mentioned in the same article.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Newsletters, meeting minutes, and other documents from the KARO-ECHO Ham Radio Association, based in central California, are now in DLARC. We’ve added all 15 issues of Hambrew magazine, "for amateur radio designers and builders," which was published by George DeGrazio WF0K (SK) 1993 through 1997. And, a complete archive of Amateur Radio Weekly, Cale Mooth K4HCK’s wonderful email newsletter that highlights exceptional ham radio content on the web.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I noticed a <a href="https://archive.org/details/dlarc-software-appleII?tab=collection">collection of Apple II software</a> that's recently been included and now I'm ready to pull the old Apple out of the closet and try to receive RTTY on that old hardware!</p>
<p>It's worth mentioning that the entire DLARC project wouldn't be possible without the support of <a href="https://www.ardc.net/">Amateur Radio Digital Communications</a> (ARDC), a leading organization that funds forward-facing projects across the hobby.</p>
<p>Here's to many more years of Amateur Radio Weekly, and many more lifetimes of exploration provided by the Internet Archive's DLARC!</p>