Python has a uniquely bad title case function which turns my already silly name into Ry4An, capitalizing the 'a' because it follows a non-letter character. I can't be sure that all the bulk email I get that's sent to Ry4An Brase has passed through Python's .title() function, but I've not found another language or framework with so bad an implementation.

At least Python warns you that their version is terrible right in the docstring for title and provides a slightly better one they suggest you paste directly into your code. There are, of course, better versions available in libraries like titlecase which handle things like not capitalizing articles.

Last weekend we bought two Rodd lamps at Ikea for the guest room, and it struck me how amused I'd be if each one switched the other. Six hours and a few new parts later, and it came out pretty well:

The remote action is especially jarring because the switches are right next to the bulbs they would normally control:

I really lucked out with those lamps. The switches aren't integral to the bulb sockets as is often the case, and they're not even soldered. I was able to fit two extra wires through the lamp's main tube without going to a wire gauge that felt scarily thin -- LED bulbs helped there.

When I start up the shower it's the wrong temperature and adjusting it to the right temperature takes longer in this apartment than it has in any home in which I've previously lived. I wanted to blame the problem on the low flow shower head, but I'm having a hard time doing it. My thinking was that the time delay from when I adjust the shower to when I actually feel the change is unusually high due to the shower head's reduced flow rate.

NFC tags are tiny wireless storage devices, with very thin antennas, attached to poker chip sized stickers. They're sort of like RFID tags, but they only have a 1 inch range, come in various capacities, and can be easily rewritten. If the next iPhone adds a NFC reader I think they'll be huge. As it is they're already pretty fun and only a buck each even when bought in small quantities.

WordStar was the first word processor I ever used. It was non-WYSIWYG, and it was good. I haven't used it since the mid 80s, but I haven't used MS Word since the mid 90s either.

Sometimes I am sent .doc or .docx files, and usually I can figure out what's inside them using OS X Preview or Google Docs, but it's never perfect and frequently numbered lists get renumbered, which makes discussing the docs on the phone particularly hard.

We just passed through another graduation season, and for the second year running I was able to get by with the same stack of form letters:

Dear _______________________________,

My ( Congratulations | Condolences | ___________________ ) on your recent (
Graduation | Eagle Rank | Loss | ___________________ ).  It is with ( Great Joy
| a Heavy Heart ) that I received the news.  I'm sure it took a lot of ( Hard
Work | Cigarettes ) to make it happen.

I'm sure you'll have a ( great time | good cry ) at the ( open house | wake )
and ( regret | am glad) that I ( can | cannot ) attend.

As you move on to your next phase in life please remember:

[  ] the importance of hard work
[  ] the risks of smoking
[  ] there are other fish in the sea
[  ] don't have your mom send out your graduation invites -- you're an adult now
[  ] ________________________________________

and the value of personal correspondence.

Sincerely, your (Cousin | Scoutmaster | Parolee | _____________________),

Ry4an Brase

Enclosures (1): ( Check | Card | Gift | Best Wishes )

It's available as a Google Doc.

The University of Minnesota has a Scholar's Walk which celebrates great persons affiliated with the U and the awards they've won. One display labeled "Historical Giants" remains without any names. Since the U can't reasonably be anticipating any new history, I imagine that four years after installation there's still a committee somewhere arguing about which department gets more names. Not content to wait for committee I decided to add a historical giant of my own -- a time traveller.

I'm a huge fan of the Khan Academy (and if you haven't yet watched Salman's presentation at TED2011 you should go do that). I'm involved (slightly) in an effort to bring Khan Academy instruction to a local school district and have a standing offer to "coach" participants. Today, though, I found a use for the Khan Academy site probably doesn't endorse: dealing with online panhandlers.

Before today I'd never seen an IRC panhandler, email sure, but never IRC. This morning, though, someone wandered into #mercurial asking for money to renew a domain. Most people ignored the request since it's grossly inappropriate in a software development work space, but I offered the kid the money if he'd do algebra problems on the Khan Academy site.

Between telecom troubles, warranty repairs, botched on line orders, and marriage related changes in insurance, mortgage, and bank accounts I've spent a lot of time on the phone with customer service representatives lately. Few issues get resolved in a single call and even fewer without a transfer to another office.

I put together a sheet to keep track of who I spoke to, when, how to get back to them, and what they promised me. Now I grab one whenever I'm about to dial a 1-800 number to talk to the almost-friendly, nearly-helpful people on the other end. Besides the convenience of being able to say "On January 21st at 3pm Janice, CSR number JA5692, told me she'd ship the replacement FedEx overnight," representatives seem on their best behavior when you start out every interaction asking for their name and customer representative number.