Sugar Dave's Place

I have been learning JavaScript/CSS/HTML 5 for the past 7-8 months and have a couple of applications available in the official Palm App Catalog. Early on, one of the downfalls of the Palm developer portal was that we could not see actual unique purchases of our applications. The numbers that could be seen for "downloads" were just that: TOTAL downloads which included application updates, re-installs, etc. That is just not a good number for people who want to try and anticipate potential revenue, user base numbers, and so on.

So, I logged into PreCentral last night just to see how many people have downloaded Mind Master since I released it (just over 8,000) and I noticed I had a private message waiting for me. It was from a Palm liaison asking if I'd like to put my app in the catalog as part of their early phase! I'm totally stoked, but there's a lot of work that's needed on the app to get it polished enough to pass the inclusion test.

Since we moved into this house in 2000, my wife always hated the big fluorescent rectangle that serves as a standard kitchen light. About a year or so ago, she bought a new fixture that was "absolutely perfect" for the kitchen and requested that I hang it for her. There were many problems that ensued (along with a lot of teeth gnashing) and, once I finally got the damned thing hung, I swore I'd never put another one up there again.

I have made my first publicly available application for the Palm Pre (and I guess other webOS devices). It is a game called Mind Master (I'm sure you've heard of a similar game that exists in the analog world) that is pretty fun if you like logic puzzles. I'll update this (or another) posting later with more details, but you can check out the "official" page at PreCentral.

So, my wife and I decided to try out Blu e-cigarettes. The idea is intriguing, as it allows you to "smoke" (actually vaporize) nicotine. The battery is shaped like a traditional cigarette but is slightly shorter. An atomizer screws into the battery and you push a nicotine cartridge over the atomizer. The end result is a small vaporizer loaded with nicotine that you can puff on to get your fix.

<sarcasm>Since I don't have enough side projects going</sarcasm>, I decided to jump into software development for the Palm Pre. Finally, my refusal to do Web development until the last couple years is biting me in the ass. I know next to nothing about JavaScript, HTML 5, AJAX, etc., which, of course, are all the things you need to know to develop applications for webOS (the operating system for the Pre and other devices coming soon from Palm.)

Once I got my simple coinbank module working, I decided to dive into another task that has been in the back of my mind for a couple years. I run another Web site for my family that is going to be used for news about events, such as our family reunion. My mother has also been doing a lot of genealogy work and approached me sometime ago about getting some of it published at the site.

Here's one that I don't have to do:

The winds were gusting so high that about 30 minutes ago, the fence that separates our back yard from our neighbor's fell over. It almost took out their A/C unit and wedged up against their house pretty well. Our dog, Max (aka Big Stinky, Doofus, rock-and-glass eater, etc.) was overjoyed as he ran through their yard like an escaped prisoner.

So, this has come together quickly (for me). I now have the minimum requirements for a rudimentary banking system. It only operates in whole numbers, and by default allows neither negative balances nor multiple accounts. It logs transactions. I will be using this module on the site for registered users....more details once I'm ready.

So, my wife thought it would be fun to paint my daughter's room while she is gone for Spring Break. She also convinced me to agree that the floor needed to be replaced. We've lived in this house almost 9 years and the carpets are very bad.

I have already replaced all the downstairs carpet with some click-together laminate flooring. That's a story for another time.

This time, the wife wants vinyl flooring. So, last weekend we went to the home improvement store to see what we could see. We found some cheap printed stuff that looks like wood and that's what she decided on.