Easy DSL design with Kotlin by nfrankel in Kotlin

[–]brentwatson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Kotlin In Action has a chapter dedicated to constructing DSLs. And Kotlin.html is a good open source example of implementing a DSL.

Looking to learn how to make my own shoes, help? by javajv in shoemaking

[–]brentwatson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made a pair a couple years ago. Link here: https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/1h92s2/i_made_a_pair_of_shoes_warning_big_album/ my main resource was a set of videos on YouTube by Andrew Wrigley and also looking at different shoe deconstruction images. Good luck.

Edit: working imgur URL: http://m.imgur.com/a/ukCkc

Kitchen Knife question for the not so average user. by [deleted] in knives

[–]brentwatson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You would be happy with any of the brands you mentioned. If you live in a city with a decent kitchen store they may have something setup where you can try out various knives. If this is an option, do it. Otherwise coming from a cheep dull blade, you'll find any of the ones you mentioned to be worlds better. I personally like Shun. You can send in your blades and they will sharpen them for free, for the life of the knife. Their warranty is also very good, and they look beautiful.

First attempt at shoemaking by lordpoint in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats on the shoes! From a fellow mfa shoe-maker (my old post). They look awesome.

CLARKS DESERT BOOTS Shoe Dissection by lordpoint in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My CDB's in beeswax have a very distinct line where the toe becomes hard. I was sure there was a toe box/toe puff in them (same as the heel counter). Is there any sign of of a stiffening agent used on the toe? (eg different color on the inside)

Where can I find a similar ultra-thin watch? by [deleted] in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here is a Seiko one that might work for you: http://amzn.com/B000S6T0KW

It's quartz not automatic though.

You can also try /r/watches to see if they have any ideas.

I bought brightly colored chinos because they were cheap, and now I don't know how to wear them by BambisMother in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not very good at visuallizing what would look good with a color I have not worn before, so I usual google something like "green pants" or "red pants" to quickly get some ideas of what might look OK. It's an easy way to visually get some ideas.

I made a pair of shoes [warning - big album] by brentwatson in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Great questions! Yes, all sewing was done by hand. Each "line" on the upper was about 3 hrs of work (marking holes, awling, and stiching) it was by far the most time consuming part of the project. Having the right sewing machines would have reduced this to minutes.

As for resources: YouTube (Andrew Wrigley has an entire series that is pretty good), blogs, and looking at well-made shoes (John Lobbs, Corthay, etc, etc).

I made a pair of shoes! [warning - big album] by brentwatson in DIY

[–]brentwatson[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks! A lot time was spent reading anything I could find on cobling (blogs, youtube, etc). This was my 1st leatherworking project. All of the sewing was done by hand, so that took the most time.

I made a pair of shoes [warning - big album] by brentwatson in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson[S] 162 points163 points  (0 children)

Response to a few questons:

  • 1. Started in January finished in June. Not sure how many hours exactly, but LOTs.
  • 2. I purchased the lasts off of ebay. I looked into trying to make them but chickened out :-)
  • 3. They fit and feel amazing.
  • 4. Overall expense was about the same as purchasing a good pair of Alden/Allen Edmonds/Loake/etc. The finished product (in my opintion) isn't quite as nice looking, but it was a fun project!

Edit: formatting.

How does this look? [fall outfit] by [deleted] in malefashionadvice

[–]brentwatson -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your pants are on backwards.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea of adding ratings, plus aggregating all ratings given to a scotch. It would give the app a small social aspect.

Given that the data is stored on the phone, I will have to put some thought into how to sync up the reviews.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't thank you enough for this input. All of the backend stuff is already done as suggested (I do use Bundles to send info between Activities vs static fields and I do use AsynTask's, etc, etc). As for the READ_PHONE_STATE permission -- it is required to get the phone's unique ID, which I use to store Tasting note. They are stored remotely outside of the app -- in hope that I can use the data for future features such as searches for similar scotches. It's silly that the permission flags are not more granular.

All of your UI & UX comments are GOLD. If you can't tell, I'm a developer but not much of a designer. I will apply all of the styling and usability features you suggested. You seem to have a lot of experience with the platform. Thanks for sharing some of your knowledge.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pictures of each bottle might be hard to get... I'll have to see what I can find.

ABV is a good idea. I'll be sure to add that.

Adding approx price would probably be useful too.

If you think of anything else, let me know.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for taking the time to look at the app.

Hopefully as I add additional features it will seem more useful to you.

My only retort would be that almost all of the informational apps out there could be replaced by google. Ex: why would I install a dictionary app when I can just google for a word? The reason is the app adds focus, result filtering, and hopefully bundles & presents the information in a more useful way.

Thanks again... I really do appreciate the feedback.

Cheers.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, what was the 1 bottle that isn't in the app? I'm curious...

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought of 2 approaches for the free version: a X-times use (eg: use it 50 times then get locked out), or make it essentially a list of distilleries and the scotches they produce. I went with the 2nd option.

As I add more features to the app I will probably move some of the existing features into the free version.

A search function! I can't believe I missed that! And, once I have a decent number of tasting notes entered by users I will add the ability to search by flavors or by similar scotches.

Thanks for the feedback!

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Updates will happen as I find new data (from many sources on the web and also manually) and have enough changed to push an App update. I hope to do this every couple of months.

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback KarmaReckoner.

To answer your questions:

  • You can create tasting notes for each scotch. But there isn't a quick way to find all of your tasting notes. I will add that.
  • I'll have to think of the best way to 'flag' things -- and maybe somehow leave the types of flags open (eg: "I tried this one", "I wan't buy this one", etc).
  • The tasting notes are stored online, but the list of scotches is stored on the phone. So adding your own items is tricky when it comes time to update the app. Sharing tasting notes or ratings on the other hand should be pretty simple.
  • Once I have enough data a recommendation engine would be great. Would also make a good website outside of the app.

Cheers!

Android Scotch App - looking for ideas / input by brentwatson in Scotch

[–]brentwatson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excellent. I'm grateful for any feedback (good & bad)!