Calorie Tracker App for Web-Enabled Cell Phones

I'm at McDonalds, right? And, because I'm bored and a little obsessive, I start looking at the nutrition info on the back of their tray liner. It's got all the minutae there for every item on the menu, but the thing I find fascinating is the legend/explanation of the graphic meters. It's a graphic with five scales that kinda resemble thermometers-- for calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and sodium. This graphic meter appears on the packaging for many of their purchases.

Each scale is based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, and the percentage of the daily allowance is printed on each item. They even mark off the first third of each meter for you (three meals a day, they presume), so you can see if you are "on target" for an individual meal.

It gets me thinking-- what if you had some kind of software or technology that you could enter calories, protein, carbs, fat and sodium on the fly (like maybe with a web-enabled cell phone?), and it kept a running total for the day, and displayed the results in a similar five level graphic?

My first inclination is to do it as a web site (so you could do it from your computer, or a cell phone, or whatever)-- but you could probably code it as some sort of Java-based application for a handheld and/or cell phone, I guess.

You'd need to gather initial data-- the person's name/user id (maybe an email address?), their time zone (so you'd know when to reset the calorie counter clock each day), and their daily caloric intake goal (usually defaults at 2000 calories, but that could vary from person to person). They'd need to be able to go back and modify time zone and daily calorie allowance at will, because lots of people travel between time zones, these days.

Then, you'd need an interface where people can enter the food item name, and the five stats for it (calories, protein, etc.) It'd have to be as fast and easy as possible, or else people won't bother to use it.

EXAMPLE DATA ENTRY:

Food Item:
Calories:
Protein:
Fat:
Carbs:
Sodium:

The "Authority" Problem

I've noticed a disturbing trend in the past few years-- people in "authority positions" fabricating regulations, laws and the like.

Case in point: I was unhappy in a prior job and took steps to get another job elsewhere in the same organization. As a professional courtesy, I shared my intention with my supervisor-- so he'd know to start looking for a replacement candidate. This supervisor informed me that he had the right to prevent me from transferring to another department, thanks to a regulation in our organization, but that he wouldn't invoke it because "he was a nice guy."

I decided to follow up on that with our Human Resources department. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there was NO SUCH REGULATION. Not EVER.

I won't call this person a liar (because, like him, I'm a nice guy)-- but clearly he was repeating incorrect information he'd received from another authoritative source.

That's a serious problem, see?

Someone with "authority" over us tells us a "fact." We should independently verify such statements, but for some reason we don't. Maybe we're rushed for time and lazy-- or maybe the last time we tried to independently verify the "fact" we got accused of insubordination-- or maybe our brains just short-circuit and we confuse "authority" (as in, someone who has the right to give you orders) with "authority" (as in, Bob is an authority on Chinese mythology).

In the `60s, it was "QUESTION AUTHORITY." Today, in light of pervasive growth and changes in the field of Information Technology, I'd say "VERIFY AUTHORITY" is a more appropriate statement.

Thank Goodness for Wattpad

Off and on for the past two weeks, I've been trying to download and install a Java 2 Micro Edition program on my Nokia 3100 phone. Not a specific program-- just any application, more of a self-tutorial/proof of concept type thing. After all, if I'm going to learn how to write Java programs, I'm eventually going to need to know how to get them onto a cell phone.

Naturally, it proved much harder than it should have been.

Google searches lead me to GetJar.com first, but literally nothing I found there would download and install properly on my phone. I have no idea why-- but most of the time, the connection broke before it even completed the download, and on the one or two occasions where I was actually able to download the app, when I tried to run it, I got the infuriatingly vague "Invalid Application" message.

After many fruitless searches about MIDlets, and .jad files and .jar files, I stumbled across a web site called mobilerated.com. I wasn't convinced I'd have any better luck here, but figured I'd give it a try-- and managed to successfully download and install a Java 2 ME app called "Wattpad." It's amazing when stuff works like it is supposed to-- tends to restore your faith in things.

So, at least I know it's theoretically possible to write Java apps and get them installed and running on my phone. I was about to go out and upgrade to a new phone just to get this project off the ground and running.

The Web Developer's Toolkit

I've been working on a web project lately-- and it's got me thinking I should really put together a sort of "Web Developer's Toolbox." I mean, I currently use Dreamweaver, and I have templates-- but that's not the sort of thing I'm talking about here.

For instance, about two months I started using "Nifty Cube" to get the rounded corners effect on portions of my templates. It's actually turned out surprisingly well-- I can give my clients pretty rounded corners and columns of even lengths AND still have my valid XHTML pages without tables used as layout controls and spacer.gif files cluttering things up. And yet, I can't say honestly that I'm entirely fluent and comfortable in Nifty Cube (yet?). I need to use it repeatedly in as many different situations and designs as possible, until it becomes second nature.

So, tonight I decided to redo the default index page that comes with OS X's "Personal Web Sharing" feature-- rewrote it as valid Transitional XHTML, replaced the table layout with div tags instead, and then plugged in the link to the Nifty Cube code. It didn't work properly at first, until I realized I needed to put in a link break with a clear: both instruction to get the nested, floating div tags to render properly.

So, what other items should I consider adding to my "toolkit?" Dojo? Prototype?

"Insomnia", 20 questions and Cell Phones

For some reason, I woke up far too early this morning and was unable to return to sleep. Decided to fire up the computer and do some research on cell phones (halfway contemplating upgrading mine, after all)-- and wound up doing one of those "Answer this quiz to find your best cell phone!?" tests. Do those things EVER work right?

I wound up getting five recommendations-- one of which was the nice Nokia E70. Too bad no US carriers offer this phone, and it's way out of my price range. :P

So, I started digging through Google Products for the Nokia E70-- and found out there's a surprising demand for "dummy phones." Not sure what that's all about. Maybe it's for people who want to pretend to have fancy, expensive phones they can't afford? Or some sort of theft decoy for stores?

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, we have a very expensive secured/hardened version of the Nokia E70. This is the kind of phone someone like G. Gordon Liddy would have, I think.

Tattoos in the 21st century

I like to listen to young(er) people talking. The energy and exchange of ideas is contagious-- it provokes one to challenge traditional paradigms.

Consider the dilemma posed by tattoos. You want something edgy/cool/trend-setting, but won't become commonplace or stupid in a few decades. Too bad ink is so immutable and permanent.

Bold prediction: by 2020, a tech-savvy fashion company will develop a process to create tattoos with nano-particles instead of traditional ink. The tattoo owner will be able to re-design the tattoo's shape and color (including making it completely invisible) via a wireless signal, such as Bluetooth.

My townhouse

I have a love/hate relationship with my townhouse.

My townhouse is like that old suit in the closet that doesn't fit properly-- it chafes uncomfortably. You try to take it to a tailor, but they just shake their heads-- after all, double breasted suits aren't in fashion any more. They don't think it's worth tailoring-- like it's somehow beneath them to do so.

I've been trying to get home improvement experts to work on my house for the past two years. Usually, it goes something like this:

1) I call for an estimate, and they don't bother to return my call.

2) I call for an estimate, and they set an appointment, but don't show up.

3) I call for an estimate, they show up, take measurements, and then never get back in touch with me.

4) I call for an estimate, they show up, take measurements, and then give me an estimate for something other than what I asked them. (No, I'm not kidding)

5) They give me an estimate, but leave out part of the job-- or add something I didn't ask for or discuss with them.

6) They tell me the job can't be done because of a limitation with the townhouse (the joists go the wrong way, or there's not enough space, or the electrical wiring is too old/not standard, etc.)

7) They get the estimate right, and say they can do the job-- but I have to call them on a weekly basis to get them to actually come out and perform the job to completion in a timely manner.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. I'm supposed to believe that the townhouse is just too small and old to be upgraded; so I should just sell it and get a "real" house and upgrade that instead. Except, then I wind up going to a neighbor's open house, and see they've done a whole bunch of the upgrades that I've been told aren't possible-- and yet, they have the exact floorplan of townhouse that I do. It's hard not to get frustrated and take this personally.

So, you're probably wondering where the love part comes in now, right?

From a financial perspective, it has been a godsend. I bought it during the 1996 downturn in the real estate market. It has appreciated so much over the past decade, that even in this latest downturn, I'm still "ahead of the game." I wish I could say this was all the result of shrewd financial planning on my part, but the simple fact is I was just lucky-- I got in at the right time and held on.

I'm not planning on selling now, for many reasons. I believe the real estate market will eventually turn around, and if I were to sell it now, I'd miss out on an opportunity to make more money later. Besides, I still need a place to live, too.

(Hamme)red

Get ready. Here comes the elevator pitch--

Many Americans like to drink beer. Many Americans also like to help others who are less fortunate. Now, they can do both-- at the same time.

There's this Midwest beverage recipe called a "red beer." It's a blend of beer and tomato juice. A small not-for-profit start-up bottles and sells this "red beer" with marketing that combines macho bravado with social awareness-- by donating ALL of the profits to the socially progressive campaign known as (Product)RED. That's right-- ALL. It's a not for profit, remember?

Just think of the marketing possibilities with that premise. Here's a t-shirt you might see in a bar some day: "If ya wanna make money, get oil. If ya wanna change the world, get (Hamme)red."

So, who's in?

Next time around . . . .

Every year, I seem to go through the same frantic bullshit. There's always one or two pieces of documentation that the tax preparer needs which I somehow failed to provide them. It doesn't matter that from January til March, I put every envelope that has a "IMPORTANT TAX DISCLAIMER" in a special container-- something always winds up not getting to its destination.

I know, that sounds irrational-- like the "men in black suits" are tampering with my postal mail, doesn't it? ;)

No, I'm not suggesting that at all. Don't worry, I have not gone around the bend quite yet.

One of the documents I miss tends to be the receipt for my vehicle property tax. In Virginia, we get the initial notice/verification in the spring, but the actual tax has to be paid in October. So from October to Income Tax Day is nearly 6 months! The timing is all wrong for that, from my perspective.

Next year, I'm scanning every single document the tax person needs, converting it to a PDF, and sending it to them via email. No more of this running around like a jack rabbit at the last minute, trying to find some way to get my hands on a paper copy. I've just had it with that.

If Quality of Life is a question, then technology is only one small part of the answer

Modern people tend to think technology is THE answer to all problems. I see the appeal-- but it is too simplistic, and dangerously so.

You wouldn't give your four year old child a razor sharp chef's knife to spread peanut butter on their sandwich, right? Of course not, because we all recognize that young children don't have the understanding or minimum set of motor skill coordination to handle it.

Technology is a lot like that razor sharp chef's knife-- you need skills to use it properly. If you don't have the prerequisite skills and you use it anyway, there are likely to be consequences. Even in skillful hands, technology can have unknown/unforseen consequences that take years or even decades to fully reveal themselves.

So, technology alone isn't the answer-- but what about technology AND skill? Is that the combination that will help us (i.e. humanity) transform ourselves into a better world/society. I used to think so-- but now I am not so sure.

Germany in the 1940's possessed sophisticated technology, and were proficient users-- they even conducted experiments (some of them barbaric and sadistic) to develop new knowledge. To be fair, Germans aren't the only people to have done this. It's not hard to make a compelling argument that some nations/groups *today* are using technology in abusive and unethical ways.

So, technology + skill + ethics-- the equation is getting longer and more sophisticated. Is there anything else I'm missing?

Saturday morning Sudoku Therapy

It's been a pretty good morning. I've recycled my old magazines and solved a six-star, diabolical Pacific Sudoku (courtesy of the DC Examiner) in under 90 minutes. I didn't think it was going to turn out, because I was using a pen and made the "wrong turn" at the critical guessing point-- but somehow, I was able to "backsolve" from the row with the two conflicting numbers and purge the rest of the puzzle's errors.

The upshot of this is a strangely empowering feeling-- not a "Hey, I'm a genius!" kind of feeling, but more like a "I'm back in the flow/rhythm" sort of feeling. You know, like the sort of day when you can look at something that normally has you flummoxed and suddenly, POW!, it all makes crystal clear sense?

Coffee, Gas, and Rumor Mongering

I have a joke for you:

This old woman comes into this nice coffee shop and starts telling all the other patrons inside that they shouldn't be buying anything from this store because its parent company has ties to an Islamic terrorist organization.

One employee finally overhears this old woman's rumor mongering and publicly calls her on it-- asking her what evidence she has to support this allegation.

Old Lady: "Well, I have this friend in Israeli intelligence . . . "

Employee: "Oh, what's their name?"

Old Lady: "I can't tell you that-- it's a SECRET!"

Employee: "Yeah, most IMAGINARY friends are . . . ."



So, what have we learned here?

<sarcasm>Every time you buy a latte, a terrorist gets his "wings"-- but it's still okay to give your gas money to Saudi Arabia.</sarcasm>

GTD meets Nokia 3100?

Hi, my name is Jonah . . . and I'm a half-assed "Getting Things Done" implementer. ;)

I started reading David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done", back in Oct. 2006 when I was starting my new job. I'd be lying if I said I've implemented the entire process fully and correctly, but I have managed to re-engineer my Exchange/Outlook Inbox for a GTD-style workflow-- and it has helped me keep tabs on things that would have otherwise fallen through the proverbial cracks. My Inbox feeds my calendar and/or the categorized Tasks list; or, if it is a task I can do in the "right now", I can drop it into my reference folders as soon as the task is completed.

The problem is, what to do when I'm away from my computer. Yes, my work computer is a laptop-- but it's a monster Dell D800. And, let's be honest, even if it were smaller and lighter, there are some times when it's not appropriate/polite to have a computer with you. (I hate people who come to meetings and spend every minute of the meeting responding to email, or on IM, or playing solitaire, or whatever it is you are doing.) Sometimes, the actual work that needs to be done involves getting out from "behind" the computer, and talking with/getting information from people in a face to face manner.

Or, after hours, when you need to run the personal errands-- like recycling the plastic bags or the old magazines. Do you really want to be carrying around a laptop computer to keep track of your @Errands task list? No, me neither.

And that's where my system breaks down a little bit. I do have this old handheld PC from Compaq, and it does sync fairly well with Outlook. Unfortunately, the battery life on it is garbage. I'm not sure exactly why, but it seems like even when it is "off," there's some background process running that drains the battery. Besides, it's still slightly on the bulky side as far as sticking it in a shirt or pants pocket.

Now, my Nokia 3100, on the other hand-- much smaller and lighter, far superior battery life. The data entry inconvenience is about the same on both the handheld PC (software keyboard and tapping stylus) and the phone (T9 software keyboard).

I've started using the SMS message editor on my cell phone as a sort of capture/recall /organize point for my personal GTD items. I first saw the idea on Lifehacker, but have been trying to come up with my own way of doing it to accommodate the phone's feature limitations and my personal work style. At first, I'd just create a new message to keep track of today's/tonight's items only, putting one item to be done on a line by itself. Instead of sending the message, I'd just save it in my archive and refer back to it as needed. The 150 character limit kept me from making the list too long and crazy-- 12 items instead of 20, for instance. Once I completed an item on the SMS message, I'd go back and edit it the message and put an "X" in front of the completed item.

The downside, of course, is that sooner of later, the combined length of completed items and items remaining to be done is going to exceed 150. That and I'm constantly seeing the completed items mixed in with the remaining items whenever I am scanning for what to do next-- which isn't great.

It turns out that the Nokia phone lets me create folders inside my Text Messages box. You can actually move messages between folders. So, instead of putting all my items on one message-- I can create a message for each to do item, and then put the message in a folder to indicate the proper context for doing that item (e.g. AtHome, AtWork, WhileOut, etc.) When the task is done, I can move it into a Done folder and get it out of the way.

Is it perfect? No, of course not-- the data entry could be easier/faster on a different phone. And the memory limits on the text messages mean that unless I'm scrupulous about erasing items from the Done folder, sooner or later I will fill the phone up completely. Also, it'd be nice if the phone could synchronize back with outlook's Task items and mark completed tasks, so I wouldn't manually have to review and update the items.

But, it's a start. And it's a work in progress, and it's a process that is undergoing gradual improvement as I learn more about what my phone can do. Who knows? Maybe I'll discover that sending email/SMS messages between my phone and my work email adds that missing link I'm looking for. Or maybe there's a data cable and piece of open source software in my future that will automate that process. The point is, it doesn't have to be perfect in the right here and now.

Random Access

When James Joyce does it, we call it "Stream of Consciousness."

When I do it, we call it "disorganized and lazy writing." ;)

Consider yourselves warned.

I read an artticle in the DC Examiner a few days ago that got me excited. It's about a new security firm with unique personnel and a philosophy that mirrors my thoughts on how lame "passive security" is.

To recap: most security works along this thought process. If I add alarms/defenses to my assets, the would be intruder/thief decides attacking my assets is too much trouble-- and then moves on to attack a less fortified target elsewhere.

What sort of bullsh*t approach is THAT? Do you think Van Helsing/Buffy would just put on a garlic necklace/demon repelling amulet and wait for the undead/demons to go elsewhere and start munching on some other soul? OF COURSE NOT! They go on the offensive and take the fight to the enemy.

(Okay, I know-- no one takes pop-culture/fantasy/SF examples seriously. Well, okay, except for when Reagan got all "Dirty Harry" on us, but that was the 80's.)

Let's take a REAL example from the REAL world of police law enforcement. Did you know that police have "sting cars" they leave out on the street as bait, and when a car thief breaks in and steals the car, they use technology in the car to either bust the car thief right then and there OR (and this is where it gets exciting, folks!) they let the thief drive away in the car and use technology to trace the car back to the chop shop where OTHER STOLEN CARS have been taken? It's like technological judo-- you want to take my car? Okay, that's fine-- but you're gonna pay for it later when I take away your freedom, your associates' freedom and the entire shop where you guys work.

Why should identity theft be any different? Create some form of RFID card with a bogus account (a "honeypot," if you will) and when someone tries to access the service with that dummy account, it logs their IP address information, captures any shipping address info that they might provide, etc. Don't just give me a wallet that blocks RFID signals! Give me a "sting RFID card" that'll get some of these thieves off the streets (or at least, off the Internet).

This new security company I was reading about-- it sounds like they have similar ideas. It should be interesting to see what they do.

On another note-- the Java lessons are slowly moving forward. I managed to get through Ch. 6, which was all about the Java APIs. My study partner seems to have a real mental block/philosophical problem with using the APIs. Not me. I don't have time or energy to "reinvent the wheel"-- and somehow, I don't think it's too likely that a Java tyro is going to create a better "wheel" than the seasoned Java vets who've put these API packages together over the course of several years. Honestly, some people just like to be contrary about anything, don't they?

Not sure why, but Jim Neighbors seems to keep popping up in the verge of my conscious awareness today. Pleasantly surprised to learn he is still alive-- I could have sworn he'd gotten ill and passed away.