Root-Geek

I've finally decided to "root" my Droid 2.
Verizon puts a bunch of apps on it that you can't remove (bloat-ware, crap-ware, whatever you call it), and it was really driving me nuts to have these running all the time.
Turns out it's fairly easy to do.  Here's a link to the instructions that I followed:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/09/01/how-to-root-the-droid2-droidx2-droidx-and-droid3-running-gingerbread/

Here's the meat of those instructions (note, I had to search for a 32-bit version of the Motorola drivers):

Download:  MotorolaOneClickRoot.zip

Instructions:

1.  Make sure you have Motorola drivers installed - [Download Drivers]

2.  Download the MotorolaOneClickRoot.zip file from above and unzip it to your Windows PC.

3.  On your phone go into  Settings>Applications>Development and check the box for USB Debugging.

4.  Plug phone into your computer and select “Charge Only” mode.

5.  Navigate to MotorolaOneClickRoot folder and run MotorolaOneClickRoot.exe.

6.  Follow the instructions in the command window.

7.  Your phone will complete 3 steps, rebooting along the way.  When it finishes, you will be rooted.

 Once that's done, I installed Titanium Backup from the android app store, and upgraded to the "pro" version.  Worth every penny!  It lets me "freeze" apps to disable them, and if I want to later, I can uninstall them completely.  I'm a little wary to start nuking stuff right away just in case there's some system function in one of those apps, so I'm happy to freeze them for now.

I should have done this a long time ago!

To India!

One week from today, I'll be part of a team of 10 people from Dow Corning sites around the world traveling to Bangalore, India for a month-long service trip.
I'm very honored to be chosen to represent our company and contribute to improving sustainability in a real way.  My sub-team will be working with Sustaintech to improve their supply chain and quality assurance for cooking products that use less fuel and improve safety and economics for their operators.
I'm very much going to miss my family for the time that I'm away, but we're blessed to have many family, friends, and neighbors that will be looking after them, so I know that they will be well protected and cared for.
Unlike my annual backpacking trips though, I will be in contact with home through blogs, email, skype, etc.  As a matter of fact, the team will have a running blog of our adventures, and I'll plan to link mine to my facebook page so all my FB friends can stay up to date with what I'm up to.
Please pray for our team that we would be well prepared, and that we will have a positive impact in India and in our various home cities when we return.

Science-Geek

I recently read Richard Dawkins' new book called "The Greatest Show on Earth - The Evidence for Evolution" I've not read Dawkins before, and I was really impressed with his engaging writing style and wit. He starts off by stating that "Evolution is a fact, and this book will demonstrate it." and then goes into great and interesting detail on the subject of natural selection.
I kept expecting the natural selection discussion to build into some sort of proof of evolution, but it never came. Showing that natural selection is true isn't surprising or controversial. As a matter of fact, the key word there is "selection." There must be some pool to select from, which is precisely why in the example of the many thousands of generations of E. Coli didn't evolve into something other than E. Coli. Through natural selection, they selected different attributes that were already present, but they didn't become some new thing.
Toward the end of the book, he's honest enough to admit that there's no evidence for what the first steps were, and he comes to the conclusion that "It must have been whatever it took to get natural selection started." That sounds a lot like creation to me.
Far from proving that evolution from nothing to life as we know it today is a "fact", this book simply points out that somehow self-replicating life was created, and life has been making small adaptations since then.

Android-Geek

There are a few applications for the Android phone that I consider to be essential in order to have the functionality that I expect from a smart phone (from the perspective of an ex-iPhone user), and there are a bunch of apps that really add to the utility and experience.
First, the essentials:

1. Bible. This app is free, and has every version of the Bible that you could want. It requires a network connection, but it's pretty zippy. For my off-line Bible needs, I also have a copy of the free OliveTree Bible app, and have purchased several Bible translations for it.
   
2. Notes. This simple app lets me write stuff down. Not exciting, but I gotta have it.
   
3. SMS Popup. By default, the Droid barely lets you know that you got a text message. Installing this app lets me configure the device to wake up the screen and display the contents of a text message when it comes in. It's super configurable, down to the color of the LED and how fast it blinks! You can also set it up to do different things depending on who texts you.
   
4. Touch Timer. I gotta be able to set a timer for baking my flour-less chocolate cake, or roasting coffee. This is the app that let's me time stuff.
5. SplashID Password Manager. When you have a couple-hundred different passwords like I do, it's essential to have a secure place to store them. I can't say enough good things about this app, and the people at SplashData. I had the iPhone version of this application, and the desktop companion. They gave me the desktop version for Android, and helped me easily migrate all my passwords from one version to the other, then wirelessly sync all my passwords to my new Droid!

Ok, so those get me able to do mundane stuff, what about the things that really take it to the next level? Most of these aren't available for the iPhone, and they're the stuff that makes people say "wow."

1. Ringdroid. Making your own ringtones from any part of any song on your device is something that would have been so nice to have on the iPhone, but Apple can't make money off of that. On Android, it's free and easy!
   
2. WikiMobile. A handy application to easily access the source of truthiness on the internet - Wikipedia.
   
3. Google Voice. Get my voicemails automatically transcribed and sent to me by text message?!? Really?!? Oh yes, and so much more. Ring multiple phones at once; send some callers direct to voicemail. . .
   
4. Droid48. Every geek needs to have an RPN calculator. Apparently, this developer also has a C64 emmulator, but even I'm not THAT geeky.
   
5. ShopSavvy. Use the camera on the phone to scan a product bar code, and then automatically look up prices at on-line stores and local stores.
   
6. Easy Envelope Budget. Synchronized virtual envelopes to keep our spending in check. If you know me, then you know that I'm geeky about budgeting and think it's really really important for a lot of reasons. This app makes it super easy to keep track of.
   
7. Scoreboard. Another app from our friends at Google, this one lets you specify your favorite sports teams and aut0matically receive updates when they score. Being a Lions fan though, I don't expect to get many notifications from this one.
   
8. Google Goggles. Last, but not least, this cool new app lets you take a picture of something, and it will do a Google search on it. Curious about a painting? Take a picture, and find out who the artist was. It's pretty amazing.

So those are the apps that I have on my Android phone. There are thousands more out there, and more coming every day. I'm trying to limit myself to ones that I'll actually use so that I don't fill up the phone with junk.

Mobile-Geek

As an ex-iPhone user, here are my impressions after a couple days with the Motorola Droid.
I tend to agree with a lot of the reviews that I read, that for most users, all else being equal, the iPhone 3GS is the best phone out there right now. Does that mean that I regret switching? Not at all! Because all else is NOT equal.

1. I am not the typical user. I like to have a lot of options and settings, and take the time to figure out how to get the most out of my equipment. The android operating system allows far more customization than the iPhone. Apple is really good at making products that do a few things very well and have very few options for doing much else.
2. AT&T coverage is not good in the places that I care about. Maybe it's OK some cities, but there's no 3G coverage in my city at all, and even voice coverage at my house is inconsistent at best. When we first got our iPhones, they worked OK at home, but a few months ago, it got worse to the point that we really couldn't use our phones at home.
3. Apps can run in the background on the Droid, and there are a wider variety of apps because they're not tightly controlled like the apps on the iPhone. That makes it possible for apps that change how text messaging works, or apps that replace voicemail with Google Voice. One of the coolest ones is an app that lets me make ringtones from any of my music files, Apple will never allow that because they charge for ringtones.

So, if you want a smart phone that “just works” out of the box, you don't mind lock-in with Apple, and AT&T has coverage in your area, then get the iPhone. But if you want a smart phone that you have control over, has better apps, and is on the Verizon network, then the Droid (or another android phone) is for you.

Chain-Geek

With around 4000 miles on it, it was about time to change the chain on my commuter bike.
As you can see from the photo, the pins were quite worn. This is the cause of what is called "chain stretch."
Bike chains do get longer with use and wear, but they don't actually "stretch"; it's the accumulated wear of the pins like the one shown here that add up to the extra length. And when a chain is a little longer, it doesn't fit into the sprockets very well anymore.
Now that I have a new chain (and new "cassette" of rear gears), the bike literally runs like new. I should have done this repair a long time ago! I can't believe how smooth and quiet the bike is now.

Chocolate-Geek

If you like chocolate, and don't care about your health, this is the dessert for you!
The ingredients are as easy to remember as they are shocking. When people ask what's in it, they are usually taken aback.

• 1 Pound Chocolate (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 1 Pound of Butter (yeah, a whole package of the real thing)
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

That's it. 4 ingredients.
Here's how to put those crazy ingredients together:

Line bottom of 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper or wax paper (this is important if you don't want to have to use the bottom of the springform pan as the serving dish. It will not come off otherwise). Coat bottom and sides of pan with vegetable oil spray. Wrap outside of pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent seepage (seepage is messy!).

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. While chocolate is melting, crack eggs in a bowl and whisk until frothy.

When chocolate and butter are melted and combined, transfer to a bowl. Slowly whisk in sugar until dissolved, scraping sides of bowl. Slowly whisk in eggs until well combined. Mixture will be somewhat elastic.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Set pan in a larger baking pan. Add hot water to larger pan so that it comes 1 inch up sides of springform pan (this is important for even baking; you don't want the edges to overcook while the middle is undercooked).

Bake in preheated oven 50 to 70 minutes. When it is done, it will rise and feel somewhat firm in the center. It may also crack near the center like a cheesecake.

When done, carefully remove pans from oven. Remove springform pan from pan of water, then remove foil from springform pan. Cool on wire rack. When cool, refrigerate uncovered at least 8 hours or overnight (I've gotten by with just a couple hours in the fridge with OK results).

Do yourself and your guests a favor and serve this with some really good fresh ground coffee. It's extremely rich, and you will enjoy having something nice to sip on while you enjoy this desert.