Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: General Cogitation Page 20 of 40

Lost FitBit? Use Your Phone

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On June 12, 2015

In General Cogitation, Technology

FitbitI have been using the same FitBit for over two and a half years now so losing it would give me a great deal of angst. I have probably convinced dozens of friends and family to get their own FitBits and it sometimes baffles me when they say they can’t find theirs (I’m very OCD about checking my pocket probably once an hour for my FitBit, even if I have been sitting for an hour). So the obvious excuse, when I taunt them, is they “lost it” *sigh*

Well now that excuse is no longer valid. An update to the phone app a few weeks ago will now allow you to link multiple devices to one account, including your phone. You can now add your phone to your FitBit account as a “Mobile Tracker” and it will record your steps just as your FitBit would (granted I don’t know if the accuracy is the same).

If you don’t know how to hook up your phone as a tracker, I can help you out (unless you have already performed a search on Google and found the answer in the FitBit forums). You will need to have the FitBit app installed on your phone which you can get from the App Store or the Android Store.

Once you have the app installed and you have launched it:

  • Tap on “Account” at the bottom of the screen.
  • Tap “Set Up a New Fitbit Device” – which should be right in the middle of your screen.
  • Tap on the “MobileTrack” option at the bottom and follow any additional prompts.

This should set your phone up as a tracker and it will only track the basics (i.e. it won’t track sleep, stairs, etc). I use this option when my FitBit is charging and I am still going to be somewhat active – because every step counts! Once it has finished charging (or you find your by gone FitBit) I would remove the phone, which I recommend as only one device can be tracking steps at a time. Steps from all devices will be aggregated on your FitBit account.

So there you have it. If you have lost your FitBit or its charging, and you have a phone that supports all the functionality of the app (I believe the FitBit app still has functionality issues on iPhone 4) then you no longer have an excuse for your lower rank on the leader boards 🙂

Keep Calm and Walk On!

Save Joystiq and Massively!!!

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On January 30, 2015

In Fulmination, Gaming, General Cogitation

overworked-290x290I am beyond upset with the folks at AOL (who, ironically, haven’t been relevant since the 90s). I just read devastating news on Massively.com that AOL (or some VP at AOL that performed a “Ghostcrawler nerf” to Joystiq’s budget) will be shutting down Joystiq and all its affiliate sites. This includes Massively and potentially WoW Insider (though I have not heard anything officially posted by the WoW Insider staff).

Massively and Joystiq have been my primary go-to sites for gaming news and they are my primary sources for my MMO Times posts. The gaming industry is booming and will only grow bigger as gamers have children gamers (like me). This is a mistake that will have rippling affects, but I guess AOL is use to making ignorant mistakes.

A petition has been started and you should head over there and sign it immediately. There is also hashtags for twitter that you should start using immedately: #SaveJoystiq, #SaveMassively.

Hopefully there is some organization out there that still supports gamers and the gaming industry that might be willing to pick up these sites and not only give us our community back but give the great writers at Joystiq/Massively/etc their jobs back!

Update: Unfortunately WoW Insider is also going away. It is a solemn and lonely moment; however Adam Holisky (writer for WoW Insider) just tweeted this (there is hope):

/endsoapbox

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

An Involuntary, Temporary Hiatus

By

On January 4, 2015

In General Cogitation

Greetings, a belated MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We had a lot going on over the past 2 months. We had to prepare the house for guests as we were getting our daughter baptized. As you know from a previous post, I did not enjoy most of the preparation but I’m glad its done now! The rooms look great, just a few blemishes to patch up in a few inconspicuous spots. The down side of all the work we did, we had worn ourselves out so much we made ourselves vulnerable to all the fun cold and stomach viruses prevalent at this time of year. So the weeks following the baptism we were all sick with various cold, cough and stomach bugs.

Then Christmas came and we all went out to my in-laws in Connecticut and that’s when we all caught that nasty respiratory flu that has been going around. BTW, when I say “we all caught it”, I’m not being dramatic. Every person in the house caught it, even poor little Evie. We are all still fighting off the remnants.

So I guess 2014 ended poorly in that we were all sick, but 2015 is starting out pretty good since we are all in recovery. I didn’t make a New Years Resolution because I don’t make New Years Resolutions, I don’t see the point.

Anyway, that’s all for now.

DIAF Drywall!

By

On November 24, 2014

In Fulmination, General Cogitation

I have been MIA from my blog and other online activities for the past couple of weeks primarily because of all the renovation we had to complete before this past weekend. In just three short weeks we had to sand, paint and rip up carpeting in the last of our bedrooms (to convert it to an office) and then we had to tear down two walls, re-frame part of a soffet, hang drywall, mud, sand, paint and carpet the entire basement (which is where we keep the entertainment center and our computers). While the result of our intense labors will be enjoyed for many years, I NEVER WANT TO HANG DRYWALL AGAIN!!!

I’m not a renovation DIY’er. I hate every aspect of hanging drywall, especially the mess. Mud, dust, more dust … MORE DUST!!! OMFG, THE DUST!!!

If another opportunity to hang drywall should come up … I would rather be water-boarded and stretched on the rack!

/wrists

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Why I’m Hard On Microsoft

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On September 19, 2014

In Apple, General Cogitation, Microsoft, Technology

borgYou can ask anyone and they will tell you that I rarely cut Microsoft any slack. I have been working in Microsoft technologies for over 10 years now, and I’m pretty good at .NET development. People generally assume that if you make a career working in a technology then you should give the appropriate, unrelenting respect but that’s not how I work. I won’t swoon over every product Microsoft produces because I don’t agree that everything that comes out of Redmond is made of gold. (Also, for what its worth, I don’t swoon over Apple products either. I’m not getting online at 4 in the morning or standing in line outside the Apple store to buy the new iPhone just to have the new iPhone; that’s just not economically sane or reasonable. I swoon for no one … well, maybe except for Nathan Fillion but, come on, he’s Malcolm Reynolds!

It probably doesn’t help that from 1998 to about 2002 I was full blown anti-Microsoft. I would only use Windows if I absolutely had to. My first computer was configured for dual boot which gave me the option to use Linux or Windows and I used Linux 90% of the time I was actively using my computer. Eventually I began to cut Microsoft some slack and when Windows 7 came out, it was a turning point for me. Microsoft has been in business for nearly 40 years so I expect a lot from a company that has been around since the mid-70’s. Is it wrong for me to set the bar that high? Lately I feel as though Microsoft thinks they can throw their weight around and still get their way but this isn’t the 90’s anymore. The vendor no longer controls the market; the users are now dictating what they want and what they expect (I blame social media). If you’re not willing to listen to your users and consumers then you’ll never deliver what the people really want and you’ll get left behind by those that really do respond to criticism and feedback (hence why Apple and Google have been far more successful).

I think a lot of my harsh criticism stems from frustration. I feel like Microsoft has been extremely obtuse and out of touch with the modern world. How do you release something as wonderful as Windows 7 only to turn around and release something as odious as the Metro UI and Windows 8? I get that the industry has become more mobile where gestures and touch enabled devices are paramount for new products but Microsoft’s interpretation of a mobile UI was just awful. I also think that the Windows Phone and the Surface tablet was a terrible idea because the market was already saturated with several successful devices. It’s very disappointing because they made some very poor decisions; but I guess if anyone has the money to throw around its Microsoft. They have never really been afraid to take risks, no matter how terribly they pan out.

I’ve already seen a few rumors swirling around about Windows 9, code named “Threshold” and the early indicators are that they are going to separate the standard computer desktop user from the touch enabled user. Despite all the mud slinging I have been doing lately about Windows 8, I am excited for Windows 9 and to see if Microsoft has learned their lesson. I’m still not interested in either of their mobile devices (until they become less of an eye-sore) however futile it is to resist 😉

Is Apple Pulling A Microsoft?

By

On September 16, 2014

In Apple, General Cogitation, Microsoft, Mobile, Technology

Apple-MicrosoftLast week Apple unveiled the next iteration of their iPhone, which had the usual fanfare. Most of us, even those of us that are iPhone users, weren’t terribly blown away by the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus features. It was all pretty standard (bigger screen, faster processor, better camera, etc). I think the best feature of the new iPhone is the addition of NFC technology (which apparently Samsung already had in their phones). I guess that’s the first sign that Apple is looking a lot like Microsoft this year, playing catch up. If you are not familiar with NFC, it stands for “near-field communication”, which means it basically allows you to use your phone to interact with other systems simply by its proximity (or waving in front of a reader of some sort).

Apple added NFC for its new ApplePay system that only the iPhone 6/6 Plus will have. However, I think the big blunder here is that only POS systems (that’s point-of-sale, not the other acronym) which have the proper upgraded firmware will be able to utilize Apple’s NFC features. So, basically they have created a proprietary feature that if POS manufacturers don’t pay to upgrade their equipment, won’t be able to take advantage of it. My understanding is that Samsung uses a more universal NFC technology. I don’t know why Apple made ApplePay proprietary, seems pretty myopic to me. I mean, that didn’t work out so well for Microsoft!

Many people are screaming for Apple’s head over the whole U2 album. I’m not sure I really understand why people are nerd raging. I understand if the album had been something awful, like Eminem or Kanye West, but U2 is a highly respectable and classic rock band. The album was not downloaded directly to my device, it was in my iCloud. I had to explicitly tell iTunes to download the album so unless it was somehow forced onto folks devices, I’m not sure how people could have unknowingly downloaded the album. If, however, the album really was pushed out to everyone’s phones/iPads, well that is a pretty uncouth thing to do. Also, such a power play (i.e. forcing technology onto their users) is another common Microsoft move.

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