The Patent-Pending iCOPY

Have you ever had one of those electrifying moment when an idea seized you and would not let go until you'd made it a reality?  I just did. I was using my iPad to snap snap pics of some play tester feedback document before giving them over to a game designer. It's easy enough to do, but my hands are not steady and it's hard to hold the iPad and find the camera button and keep the document in frame and focused. I thought there had to be a better way to do this, after-all, cameras have been used for this purpose for a hundred years. Then the light bulb lit up over my head and I set to work.

I present the Patent Pending iCOPY

Yes, it's dorky and all hacked together, but it works! Place the document in the marked area in the box, place the iPad in the marked area on the top (ok, actually it's the box's bottom) and that's all there is too it.

The translucent plastic box acts as a light refractor, so there are almost no shadows to worry about. The box hold the iPad stable at the perfect height to photograph the entire page, and your hands are free to gentle tap the shutter icon so there no jiggle.

The self-adhesive soft-side velcro tabs are positioned to counter the slight bend in the box due to the plastic shape and the weight of the iPad at rest. This is a make-nice touch for the iPad, but it also adds more stability.

And the quality of the images?  Take a look for yourself.  :-)

After the obsession had released me, I looked through the web to see if anyone had made something similar.  Closest thing I found was a coin collector who made something similar on a much smaller scale for his iPhone.  So, maybe it's not patentable, after all, but it felt really god to be creative on a physical level for a change.

My New Friend

My New Friend

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss! This was my response to a poetry prompt on another website this week. The prompt was to write an interview poem.)

I Cannot Taste Green Eggs and Ham

I am Sam
Sam I am

A little colder
A little bolder
I do not like
Growing older!

Do you like
Green eggs and ham?

I do not like them
Sam I Am.
I cannot taste them
Old age – damn!

Could you taste them
With more salt?

I cannot taste them
With more salt.
I do not like
Green eggs and ham
And Sam you know
It’s not my fault!

Could you taste them
Hot or cold?
Could you taste them
Flavored bold?

I cannot taste them
Hot or cold.
I cannot taste them
Flavored bold!
I do not care
Where they are sold.
Dang it Sam
I’m growing old!

You may taste them
You should see.
Try them again
Just for me?

Sam!
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.

See, I told you
No taste at all!
Not even a hint
They’re bland.
That’s all!
I cannot taste them
Hot or cold.
I cannot taste them
Flavored bold.
I cannot taste them
With more salt
And dang it Sam,
It’s not my fault!

Old age comes
And takes away
Your taste, your sight,
Your urge to play.
Then one day
Your hearing goes
And your body aches
From head to toes!

So go away Sam
Leave me alone!
I’m in a bad mood
Just let me groan!
I cannot taste
Green eggs and ham.
Go away
Sam I Am!

MPG

I was going to do like Fred today and take a picture of my dashboard digital readouts, but unfortunately I'm technologically challenged with my little Tracfone and can't seem to successfully send a photo to myself. Every time I try to send the picture to either of my email addresses it says it's an invalid address. Frustrating! (And no, I wasn't trying to do that and drive at the same time. I took the picture when I stopped at a light and then tried to email it to myself when I got home.)

Anyway, by the time I got home it was less so I'll just tell you what it was. The book on the Civic HF says it is capable of getting 46 mpg "under the right conditions." I normally get around 35 in my driving area and with my driving habits. There is this neat readout on the dash that keeps track of you mpg as you drive along. You can actually see it going up or down according to your driving habits. Idling is not good! Fast acceleration is not good!

Recently when driving back and forth to see Merle at the hospital I had to slow down because of the rain and drove to Gainesville doing no more than 50 to 55 mph. I noted that the mpg I was getting was up to 42 that day. Today I tested it, driving no more than 55 from Chiefland to Ocala and Ocala to Chiefland. On the way home from Ocala the mpg had reached a high of 45.6 (which I took a picture of but couldn't retrieve it) but had gone down to 43.3 by the time I drove through Chiefland to home. So, it does pretty well for the slower, more conscientious driver.

Now, I have actually figured out the mileage with pencil and paper, gallons used into miles driven. And I can say that the actual mileage is usually about 2 mpg lower than what that mpg tracker on the dash says at the time you fill up the tank. But, even considering that, anything over 40 mph is great in my book!