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EP Calipers for Windows

EP Calipers for Windows is done. Whew. As stated in my previous post, porting the app to Windows was a bit of a struggle. Installing tools like a bash shell, git and Emacs took some time and effort. The Windows tool to bridge iOS apps didn’t work. So I was forced to port the code… Continue reading EP Calipers for Windows

The Trials and Tribulations of a Windows Developer

After a very long hiatus, I am back doing software development on a Microsoft Windows machine. I decided to port EP Calipers, an app for making electrocardiographic measurements that is available on Android, iOS and OS X, to Windows. Several users had written to me and asked me to do this. Ever eager to please,… Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of a Windows Developer

Life Interrupted

I don’t mean to trivialize the plight of soldiers with the real thing, but I believe that after many years of carrying a pager (and later a smart phone qua pager) I have developed something akin to PTSD. I seem to have an excessive fright/flight response to the phone ringing, to sudden loud noises, and,… Continue reading Life Interrupted

Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

I just finished porting my electronic calipers mobile iOS app, EP Calipers, to the Mac. In doing so I decided to bite the bullet and change the programming language from the original Objective C (ObjC) to Apple’s new language, Swift. Here are some observations. The Swift programming language I’m comfortable now with Swift. Swift is… Continue reading Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?

I had thought the answer to the question of the title was “yes,” given Tim Cook’s stance on strong encryption. But if a recent experience at my local Apple Store is any guide, the theoretical views of the Apple CEO on privacy have not trickled down to daily practice at the Apple Stores. My wife’s… Continue reading Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?

On Political Correctness

[Editor’s note: In reprinting this 2007 essay we have taken the liberty of updating the original with the aim of making it more palatable to today’s college students. We have taken care to remove language that, while acceptable at the time of writing according to the standards of the era, can no longer be tolerated in… Continue reading On Political Correctness

1950s Prescription Drug Commercial

If annoying 21st century TV prescription drug ads were run as annoying 1950s TV ads (and taking into consideration 1950s morals and censorship). Here is a pdf version of this post formatted as a screenplay, if you’d prefer (it looks nicer). ====== CUT TO: TITLE CARD. “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.” Theme music begins. HARRY… Continue reading 1950s Prescription Drug Commercial

Déjà Vu

It’s 100 years in the future, and the Internet has become sentient, but not in a good way. Siri, Cortana, and Miss Google are constantly bickering with each other and purposefully mislead users with false information. Cyberspace has become a dangerous place to visit — some never return. And in the midst of this chaos… Continue reading Déjà Vu

About MorbidMeter

MorbidMeter was inspired by the 1974 short story “Forlesen” by SF writer Gene Wolfe which I read back in 1992 when it was republished in the story collection Castle of Days. Inspired is the right word here. MorbidMeter has nothing to do with the story — a Kafka-esque nightmare that like all of Wolfe’s work… Continue reading About MorbidMeter

Paris, Je t’aime

It is said that one shouldn’t write an email when angry. That also probably applies to blog posts. But I am too angry to heed my own advice. Since 2014 my wife and I have spent 6 or 7 months out of each year in Paris. We intend to go back again this January. There is… Continue reading Paris, Je t’aime