After merging all of Roomie’s desktop and web components into one self-aware Visual Studio solution, learning a ton of new technology, and a little trial and error, I now have the Roomie desktop client talking directly to the new website.  Best of all, I can locally debug everything which means that I can get quicker feedback on code changes and (shrug?) even develop offline.  Below I have a simple example pictured.  A more impressive example is when I tell the Roomie desktop client to say something using text-to-speech, but obviously that would not convey over a screenshot.

The Roomie desktop client communicates with the Roomie web service using a custom protocol that I developed.  Both the server side (web service) and client side (Roomie desktop client) reference the same Visual Studio project to do the communication, so I am guaranteed protocol agreement.  It’s really satisfying to add some functionality or refactor in one place and have the changes propagate to every related component.

Yaaaaay programming!

This page, started on Thursday, January 7, 2011, is labeled “Ponderings.”  I revisited the page, pen in hand, whenever I had a thought-provoking idea, quip, or something like that.

And here is the text typed out:

Ponderings

July 7, 2011

7/7 It seems that the people with the most inspiring faith also have the most naïve views of the world.

7/12 Today a cop pulled me over for speeding.  As I drove away, ticket in the seat beside me, I smiled.  I can’t stand a perfect record.

8/16 Ponder daily: Do I feel whole?  Why?  What makes me feel good?  What do I need?  What is bad for me?  Who do I want to be?

8/17 Be the person you want to be, and don’t be ashamed of who that is.  (also, be kind, intelligent, and cute.)

8/22 Eventually plugging in headphones into a player and in ears will seam “steampunk.”

9/1 Going through life, write in pen, but don’t be afraid to scratch out your mistakes.

9/13 When I wear sunglasses, I make sure to smile, so that I don’t look like those empty-souled models on clothing websites.

9/13 A smile feeds the soul.

9/15 It’s the Bible, not Bigotry for Dummies.

To unlike and again like a post previously-liked post, e.g., picture, text, or video, on a social networking site in order to produce a notification for the target, e.g., content owner or someone tagged in the post, and remind them that you still like the post.  The relike is commonly used as a derpy way to tell the target that the person performing the relike as lubby dubby feelings for the target.

Example usage:

I am hopeless.  The best I can do is occasionally relike my favorite photos of him until he maybe gets the hint.

(I deleted my personal info from the email. No stalkers for me!)
 

This left me thinking, “Well that’s nice wait wut?”  Take from this what you will…

Kind of related, OkCupid does a bunch of cool (geekish) data crunching and publishes the findings on their OkTrends blog..

I’m not really a fan of jumping on the “mock Microsoft” bandwagon, but this is priceless.  I could say something intelligent-sounding about non-Google search engines’ difficult task of changing users’ mentalities about “search = Google”, but I wont.

Even with all its limitations, my iPad hooks into my Windows- and Microsoft-dominated world quite nicely.  I have hundreds of ripped DVDs on my Windows Home Server for viewing on my Xbox 360 through Media Center Extender.  Do I also want to view those videos curled up in bed with my iPad?  To quote Apple’s less-than-meek advertising slogan, “There’s an app for that.”  While I hate, hate, hate Apple’s uncanny ability to command attention, that doesn’t mean they don’t make some pretty nifty products.

Why do I have a picture of my iPad and Zune making hearts to each other?  It just so happens that I want to download an album that isn’t available on the Zune Marketplace.  Checking Amazon MP3, I discovered that the album wasn’t available there either.  What about iTunes?  I tapped open the iTunes app on my iPad, and sure enough there it is.  What’s great about DRM-free music?  I can download a song from iTunes, on my iPad, and sync it over to my Zune.  (I would say this is interoperability at its finest, but I suspect to have a less-than-satisfactory user experience with iTunes on Windows.)

The point, however, is that less and less consumers are having to choose sides.  Mac or PC?  The real issue is AAC or OOG, or why not support both?  The platform is losing significance.  Microsoft Exchange, a protocol for synchronizing email, calendar, and contacts, is available on Windows Phones, Android Phones, and iPhones.  The protocol itself is being served up not just by enterprises in business-type scenaros, but also for consumers.  Gmail, for example, offers Exchange support for free.  When every platform speaks a common set of protocols and file formats, something customers shouldn’t have to bother worrying about anyway, customers can more easily mix-and-match different devices and services.  A year ago got a Windows Mobile phone because it would easily synchronies with my Windows Live Mail.  Now, however, the phone and the email service can easily be interchanged independently, since both pieces can speak Exchange. (side note: yes, yes, IMAP exists blah blah.  That only synchronizes email.)

How long until there’s a Zune app for iOS?  What about a PlayStation Home app for Windows Phone?  Arguably the latter is more likely to happen, but all is possible in the magical world of technology.

This morning RoomieRemake woke me up with two short scripts.  And hey, more news!  I used the recently-updated website (which I’ve apparently never directly blogged about) to write the scripts.  Here’s a screenshot of that.

Here’s the script that ran on Dreaming Nest, my Home Server, which has a ThinkStick USB Z-Wave controller.

<RoomieScript>
  <Timing.WaitUntil Hour="8" Minute="50" />
  <ZWave.PowerOn DeviceName="Coffee Pot" />
  <Timing.WaitUntil Hour="8" Minute="59" />
  <ZWave.PowerOn DeviceName="Monitor and Speakers" />
  <Timing.WaitUntil Hour="9" Minute="15" />
  <ZWave.PowerOff DeviceName="Coffee Pot" />
</RoomieScript>

Here is the script that ran on Rory, the desktop computer in my bedroom.

<RoomieScript>
  <Timing.WaitUntil Hour="9" />
  <Output.OpenFile Path="F:/music/playlists/Driving in Spring.wpl" />
</RoomieScript>

Sure, an extra DVD might not cure cancer or solve world peace, but it sure is a nice gesture from a company that works really hard for customer loyalty.

Today I did some reorganizing and had a chain of really long USB cables to use, so I plugged one end into the back of the Xbox 360 and then wrapped the cable along the baseboards, ending nestled into couch.  Woop!  Now I have a USB port for the Xbox 360 right there.  My inner dork rejoices!

By the way, the Xbox 360 has USB keyboard support.  It’s really handy for typing out messages and such.  Media Center Extender doesn’t work all that great with the keyboard, unfortunately, since the arrow keys inexplicably don’t work in it.

Gross!

I just got a 2TB hard drive for my Windows Home Server.  Swim around in your bigger pool, my precious data!

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(found here)

Usually now when I get an IM from such an account I just block it.  I figured I’d try to help the other poor victim out, though…

edit:

Whoops!  I should read my own blog.  Here’s all the info on Wikipedia.

(name that sorting algorithm!)

A few days ago I submitted three email addresses for invitations.  I got two invitations last night, and interesting the one that didn’t get the invite was my gmail account.  Everything works the same anyway. Here’s a screenshot walkthrough of the setup experience.

After I clicked the invitation link in my email and signed in with my gmail account.  I was presented with this screen.

I clicked “Choose a number,” and I was presented with the main interface and an overlay with setup options.

Here I fiddled around until I got a good phone number.

The next step was to put in my existing cell phone number so that when people call my Google Voice number they get me.

The next step has Google Voice call my phone.
 

*ring ring* “Verifying your phone…” stayed on until I answered my phone and input the number.  The call was from my Google Voice number.
 

Success!  My impression of Google Voice has been very positive so far.  I’ll post more about it as I discover.