The Dangling Pointer – Page 11 – Sh*t my brain says and forgets about

Why I am Switching to Dvorak, again

On January 1, 2016

We have an internal movement at work to have people try out a new keyboard layout like Dvorak or Colemak. Why? I am not really sure other than it is something challenging to take on. I am personally doing it to learn to type with a bit more structure – my QWERTY typing is fast enough but I definitely do not use home row and I feel like it could be better.

One of my coworkers posted a few tips:

Go cold turkey, it’s the only way you’ll stick with it.
OS X has a Dvorak – Qwerty ⌘ option, which keeps keyboard shortcuts in their old Qwerty positions, if that worries you.
Be prepared for something like 6 weeks of low-level frustration at your slow, stubborn fingers. The good news is, you only need to get to about 30 wpm before it feels comfortable enough.
And my personal favourite suggestion, which some will disagree with: Don’t switch your keytops or use a keyboard overlay, it’ll just encourage you to hunt and peck. Learn by touch typing instead of looking down at the keys. OS X has an on-screen keyboard viewer, which will help you keep your eyes on the screen.

Want to learn Dvorak?

Learn the layout – http://learn.dvorak.nl/
Then improve your speed – http://www.keyhero.com

Time Left Until Year 2016 Around the World

By Aaron Douglas

On December 31, 2015

In Uncategorized

Interested to see when it’s 2016 around the world? Check out TimeAndDate.com’s awesome multi-zone countdown chart:

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/multicountdown.html

Also their interactive map is pretty slick:

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/newyearmap.html

Duplicated Simulators in Xcode – Quick Fix

By Aaron Douglas

On December 30, 2015

In Uncategorized

Here’s a quick script that deletes and recreated all of your iOS simulators in Xcode 7. Use it when you get the duplicated nightmare or if you just want to reset everything:

https://gist.github.com/cabeca/3ff77007204e5479f7af

The Snowman – Walking in the Air

By Aaron Douglas

On December 24, 2015

In Uncategorized

This is a clip from the animated short, The Snowman, from 1982. This was adapted from a book written by Raymond Briggs in 1978.

I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day… and it was on that day I made the Snowman.

This is my favorite scene from the animated short.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeVUnGQOIk

And the entire animated short –

Tater Tots Through Time

By Aaron Douglas

On December 23, 2015

In Uncategorized

Every year at the Automattic Grand Meetup the entire company gets together in one place for a little over a week to work and have fun. Part of that meetup requires everyone to give a four minute flash talk on any subject. This year my coworker Carolyn Sonnek and I decided to team up on our flash talk.

Carolyn and I are Tater Tot experts. EXPERTS. We dug deep and found some interesting facts on Tater Tots and even a conspiracy!

The Power of Image Macros in Chats

By Aaron Douglas

On December 22, 2015

In Uncategorized

Doesn’t the image convey a lot more emotion about my disdain for the ancient real estate agent we’re forced to work with?

And Justin if you’re reading this, it’s not you. 🙃

A Friend’s Sorrow

By Aaron Douglas

On December 17, 2015

In Uncategorized

Last week my friend Matt lost his wife Dawn. Nine days earlier they had their third child, a baby girl, Adeline. Dawn was only 42 years old.

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A friend of Dawn’s set up a GoFundMe site to help with the costs of Dawn’s passing, Adeline’s birth and for the children’s future education. If you have a few spare dollars please consider sending a donation in.

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Dawn was a loving soul and it’s quite apparent when you meet her family and pets.

GoFundMe site: https://www.gofundme.com/pqfkb9sw

Obituary: http://www.schmidtandbartelt.com/obituaries/detail.aspx?id=9158

I made an observation today while listening to Digitally Imported‘s Trance channel. There is something intangibly different about listening to a “real” radio channel versus listening to a “radio station” on Pandora. Knowing that others around the area/world are listening and experiencing the same song I am has a bit of magic behind it.

Maybe this is why I don’t like Pandora as much – the music seems to have less life because its automatically selected and not something shared with others.

By Aaron Douglas

On December 16, 2015

In Uncategorized

The Porch Project Completed

By Aaron Douglas

On December 15, 2015

In Uncategorized

Our back porch is our favorite place to hang out when the weather is nice during the year. It is screened in and we put wood frames with plastic in them up during the winter to keep it warmer inside and to prevent snow from getting in. Part of the problem is when its warm out and raining – the water comes right inside because the plastic isn’t up.

Our solution was to replace the screens with a multi-track window system. The windows are made of vinyl instead of glass so they’re super lightweight but very durable.

Before

It only took our carpenter a day to tear down and reframe the porch. We had to wait until a week or so after the initial install to get everything buttoned up with white aluminum for warmer weather. The finished product is really nice looking and super convenient to use!