February 2012
42 posts
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letsloligag:
Gamestop doesn’t have my Neptunia pre-order? Wtf is this!?
I’m waiting for mine to show up in the mail. In a way I’m glad it hasn’t been delivered yet as I still need to find two monsters to plat the first game.
Listen More, Do Less →
This is one of the reasons I like Coffee Kids. You really don’t have to look very hard to find countless stories of some aid organization going in with some, “we’re here to save you,” plan without bothering to talk to the people they’re supposedly helping and find out what they think they need help with. These stories generally do not end well. While asking people...
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“First off, I want to say thanks to you for putting together such a great...”
– Eric Schaefer, King Coffee & Tea Services on Typica.
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Export CSV
Last night I was asked how to change the sample rate in Typica when using an NI USB TC-01 to make exported CSV files smaller. With that particular hardware there isn’t a way to change the sample rate (if you try, DAQmx errors out [fail gracefully? nah] so I made it a no-op), but we can do smaller CSV files. The easiest way to do that is to just output whatever is currently in the table view...
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kerneldaemon494:
My Wonderful Web-site: Google, Microsoft and Netflix want DRM-like encryption in HTML5
liquidzoot:
thoughts-on-computing:
mywonderfulweb-site:
HTML5 is supposed to set the web free. Free to deliver and shape online media in any web browser. However, several of the standard’s greatest champions want to be able to restrict the use of and tags through encrypted media...
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Related to that last post...
I’m thinking about doing a proof of concept wherein libffi is exposed through a JavaScript engine so I can write code in JavaScript and still access functions from arbitrary libraries installed on the system the program runs on.
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So Apparently Doctors and Pharmacists Don't Need...
I was recently having some medical difficulties for which I was prescribed a treatment with the following instructions: Take 4 tablets daily for 7 days then decrease by 1/2 tablet every week for 8 weeks. Under this, Qty: 91. No refills. In other words, the prescription is for 35 pills fewer than are required to complete the treatment. I am not amused.
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Further Adventures in Hardware Detection
Currently when using Typica with devices supported by NI DAQmxBase, the program configuration must be written with a device identifier such as “Dev1”. Ordinarily this isn’t a problem as there’s usually only one device connected and whichever device is connected is always “Dev1”. With some of the new features in the branch that’s going to be Typica 2.0,...
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“There is a tendency to dumb down languages and tools so that “programmers” with...”
– Bjarne Stroustrup (via nightorb)
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Virtual COM Port Detection
Today I spent more time on the automatic hardware detection capabilities being added for Typica 2.0. One of the new device families I’m adding support for (these are good for logging non-temperature data from sensors, hooking into the electronic control systems that a lot of roasters have, not so great for temperature data but usable in a pinch with some other parts) has a library for...
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Measurement Devices in Typica 2.0
Today I took some time to go back to the development branch that’s destined to become Typica 2.0 once it’s ready. In particular, I’m looking at making huge architectural changes in the way Typica interacts with various pieces of measurement hardware one might wish to use with it.
Originally, Typica only supported one measurement device: the National Instruments USB-9211. I...
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I'll Never Understand Cultural Protectionism
Cultural protectionism is one of those concepts that I don’t think I’ll ever understand. Such practices are a statement that the culture to be protected is not sufficiently compelling to stand on its own, that the culture needs to be protected or it will be lost. If this is true and not simply an overreaction by an overzealous authority, then there is no point to it for the culture is...
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Instructor Development Program →
This post seemed more appropriate for the company web site, but if you want to know what I think about what I was doing in Portland over the weekend, here you go.
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And I was in such a good mood this morning
I had planned on eating lunch at the airport in Denver today. Unfortunately, I’ve just finished lunch in Milwaukee where the Frontier flight I should have left on hours ago still hasn’t boarded. I am now waiting for a different flight to Dallas where another airline will take me to Portland. I’ll be arriving late evening instead of early afternoon, which kills my chance to get...
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Another Update on Racine Roast →
It’s back and it’s probably still not roasted in Racine.
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For those who want a legitimate army of Descos... →
diablosintellect:
Well, Desco will be a DLC class in Disgaea 3 Return. Yes, you read that right. Not DLC character, but DLC class. Yeah, I might really really really want this DLC when I get the game.
Okay, I might need to get a Vita.
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Conclusion: 2010 taxes
I didn’t think I’d be writing anything else about my 2010 taxes, but the refund check arrived today and to my surprise it was for $45.80 more than the IRS claimed it would be with the discrepancy listed as interest, so they’re being more fair with me than I expected. Still not happy about getting a 2010 refund in 2012 and still would like an apology for their unwarranted threats...
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Upcoming Portland Trip
One of my favorite things about working in the coffee business is having many opportunities to travel around (both within the United States and throughout the world), meet with others in the coffee business, and exchange ideas and experience. At the SCAA conference I’ve always done this informally, conversations in hallways, at exhibit booths, over lunch, and so on. I’ve learned a lot...
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Looking under the hood: addendum
Good analogy. I’ll only add that if you move steps 2, 3, and 9 to the bottom of the list and have 9 involve wiping the screen clean instead of just running some water (clean the machine immediately after use) those steps will be easier to perform and you’ll get better tasting coffee. The tap in step 6 also isn’t exactly best coffee practices (there are better grooming...
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Update on 2010 Taxes
Since I’ve written here about my recent trouble with getting the IRS to look at two numbers and notice that I had, in fact, paid my 2010 taxes and was owed a refund, I think it’s now appropriate to note that they have finally noticed that yes, indeed I had paid my taxes and they now think I’ll get a refund in 2 or 3 weeks. I still think it’s not right that there is no...
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Reflections on a New Feature
In my previous post I wrote about a new feature that I’ve added to the development build of Typica and a bit about the theory behind why someone might want such a feature. Now that I’ve had a chance to roast some batches with that feature enabled, run the batches through quality assurance, and take a look at some numbers, I’d like to talk about that a little more.
First, a...