Defaults to case insensitive

So this has bit me twice in the last week. Once for work and once on personal projects. When my mac updated to use APFS a few releases ago. It chose the most compatible option and is case-insensitive. Which is wrong for any one developing code and deploying on linux or unix based case sensitive systems.

Mac Disk Utility format options

I can change this, but I would have to reformat and rebuild my system. So I'll likely not change it till I get a new machine.

Making Pizza on a regular schedule

Maintaining a regular schedule is harder than ever. And, I find that doing some things every week, on the same day, and at the same time, helps to make things feel normal. It really helps to book-end the week and split the work week up from the weekend.

I make pizza every Saturday, I've been doing this now for a few months. I make the dough mid-morning. In the afternoon I split it into 2-3 dough balls. And, in the evening I make a pizza for me, and one for my wife.

It's an expected regular occurrence. Nothing to worry about, we know what to get to make it ahead of time. We don't have to talk about dinner for Saturday. And, it helps to differentiate the weekend from the weekday.

I do other things during the week to help with this as well. I try to always get up at the same time on work days. My alarm goes off at the same time everyday. On the weekend my alarms don't go off. I get up when I'm ready to.

Wait, what about the pizza

The Dough

I use the dough calculator on The French Guy Cooking site. I use the exact proportions listed here, but I normally change the flour by including about one cup of whole wheat flour.

I use the defaults for 3 pizzas at 250 grams, but I split it into 2 dough balls.

I mix the specified amounts in the stand mixer and then the ball comes together I let it sit for 10 minutes with the mixer off.

Then I knead the dough in the mixer for 20 minutes. Every 5 minutes I will turn the mixer off pull the dough off the hook and start the mixer again.

I then cover the dough in the mixing bowl for 2 hours.

After 2 hours I split the dough into two and form them into balls.

I then cover these dough balls for 4 hours.

When ready I use very little extra flour with my hands to form the dough into pizzas.

I set the oven as hot as it will go. For us this is 550 Fahrenheit.

The Sauce

Very basic pizza sauce

• tomato sauce
• olive oil
• dried oregano
• minced garlic
• salt
• pepper

Just brought together in small bowl or measuring cup, no cooking required.

My Pizza

I like the following on my pizza

• pizza sauce
• fresh basil, sometimes in the sauce
• onions
• green pepper
• sometimes sausage, usually low fat turkey sausage, pre cooked in a skillet
• Low moisture part skim mozzarella, cut into small slices and spread evenly
• provolone cheese, broken into pieces and spread evenly.
• pepperoni, normally low fat turkey, and on top, some people disagree with this

Her Pizza

She can't have milk based cheese

• pizza sauce
• fresh basil
• green pepper
• optional sausage
• fake cheese, Daiya normally
• pepperoni

Side Projects - So Hard to Get Started

I have multiple side projects whizzing around my mind at the moment. The long overdue re-write of Simply Lists, my ill-fated To-Do list app.  I don't expect to make much money with it, but It's something I want to write for my own use.  I have a Trello board all ready populated with tasks. I just need to get started.

I also really want to move all the content I have here to a self hosted blog.  This involves exporting my content from Blogger, converting it to something like Markdown, and using a blogging engine of some kind.  I'm currently liking the idea of using something like Hexo. I like the idea of generating a static site.

Speaking of blogging, I've recently started using Micro.blog. It's an open replacement to things like Twitter. You can use the social graph of Micro.blog, but keep your content on your own site.

Now I need to decide which of these to work on in my limited personal time. Hmmmmm

A little venting - Work Process or lack of

No details here - but in my opinion, one of the worst ways to start development for a new web site:

• Unclear requirements - make your best guess on major functionality
• No idea how the site will be marketed
• Intentionally tight, guaranteed to miss, deadline
• Other teams that will almost certainly want to have some say in the design left out of planning. They will want major functionality changed later
• Not focusing on User experience first

Stress levels are high. Confidence levels are low. Trying to stay positive. Just keep swimming.

Angular Js and the New World Order

JavaScript is Dead, Long Live JavaScript.

Over the last couple of months my day job has been undergoing a transition. We decided to change our thinking about Web Applications. We realized just how far behind we were. Web Applications have changed. The wild west is being tamed. the structured MVC world we are used to in the back in, has moved into the browser. Instead of single pages being rendered after each request to the server, we have full featured stateful applications running in the browser. Meanwhile the servers, where much of this logic and state used to exist, have now become reusable restful data providers.  The whole stack has shifted.

None of this is new of course. It's been going on for years, but I've only just poked my head out of the trenches and realized. In a broader sense it's the same transition that has been going on for years. So if like me you had not been paying attention Start Here:

• Angular JS
• Angular UI
• egghead.io
• Joel Hooks
• Bower
• Grunt JS

Update

Well so much for Angular. I know many people are still using it. I personaly have become very into using React for small reusuable components. But, Angular was not at all popular in my company, very few people liked working with it. It was also very difficult for us to admit that there was any real benefit to using it for the projects that we had at the time.

Back to full time

Sitting in the Toyota dealership waiting area this morning, thinking about the last two years and my upcoming return to full time employeement.

I still don't regret the attempt at running a personal buisness. I think I could have done better. I think I could have worked harder at it. Most importantly I plan on continuing to work on developing it.

I do think that not returning to my old position after "my year off" was a mistake. However, I'm not sure I would have learned as much if I had not totally comited to it. Our savings has suffered for that lesson, and I have been worried about money more than I usualy do. As a result of this I spent less on gadgets, music, and movies these last two years and I haven't really missed any of it. I do have a long list of items I plan on buying, but I'll space them out over the next year.

I think the hardest part of all this is returning to a normal work schedule and working for someone other than myself. I'm going to have to figure out how to balance the day job with my side buisness. The next few weeks will be interesting.

The Job Search

Well I decided it was time to get back to a regular Full Time Job again. Wish I could keep doing iPhone / and soon iPad development, but that will have to take the role of hobby again. No money in it unless your a big company or you get very lucky.

On the positive side I have already gotten several phone calls about possible jobs.

Work / Life Update

About a year ago I posted that I was taking a year off.  A friend of mine recently mentioned that I had not updated in a while about "The Year Off".  I wish I had made myself update weekly, hell even monthly would have been good.  At the very least I wanted to post when the year was over, and to see how I did.

Originally I wrote about these goals:

• Lose weight: I started the year walking regularly. I lost 30 lbs very quickly. I haven't maintained my walking schedule, but I'm getting back into it now. At least I have not gained the weight back. I hope to lose much more.

• Art / polymer clay: I have sold several items on our Etsy store. I made a bunch of stuff that is either for sale or has been given away as gifts.  I really do enjoy making things, but its not yet something I can do as a full time job. Who knows maybe someday.

• Programming for Fun: I started writing iPhone software for fun, but I will soon be selling my own iPhone applications. Its still fun, but hopefully I can spin it into a job.

• Guitar: I have not touched my guitar in a year. I still want to spend time learning to play.

• Spend more time with L: Here at least I have succeeded.

So whats next? Well....  I decided not to return to my old job.  This was a very hard decision to make.  I'm working on several applications that will be for sale on the iPhone App store soonish.  Soon my little software company will be off and running.

Year Off Update

ACK! three quarters of the year have passed by in a whirl.

I haven't been updating as much as I had planned, but we all know how that goes.

Here is a list of the other things I haven't been doing enough:

• exercising

• art

• programming

• reading

• traveling

Things I plan to do more of over the next 3 months: (see entire list above)

I have been spending a bunch of time gaming, relaxing, goofing off, cooking, etc...   Having said that I don't really regret it, I've had time to think about life, career, and everything. More to come on that later.

The last couple weeks I have been working on making Christmas presents for a few people. I'll post pictures of these items as soon as they are done.

Health care sucks

So we were able to get reasonably priced health care for L. But, because I'm overweight we were not able to get any for me.  The only way they will cover me is if I pay them a huge amount of money per month for a plan that barely covers anything. WTF is up with health care in the US.

It doesn't matter that I'm losing weight, it doesn't matter that I'm in good health otherwise.

I guess I should be happy that we got L covered so easily.

grumble grumble #$%$%^%^&#$%#$%@@!@!