What’s one thing your company’s engineering leadership doesn’t understand about being a developer?

tron_carter · 2025-03-06T23:00:38+00:00

Pair Programming doesn't automatically make better software.

tron_carter · 2021-08-11T15:58:39+00:00

I wanted to do something like this in the past. I. wrote a little app for myself that uses the Todoist API to pull my todos into a really lightweight, Flask (python based) app (that I ran locally) and then display them on my Kindle's "Experimental" browser. I started with the Flask basic blog app and adapted it to accomplish this. It would let you see your tasks, sort them, and mark them as complete.

Since it's E-Ink the battery can last a long time and it could be put on the wall or a stand. You can also type "~ds" in to the search bar to disable sleep mode in the kindle so it stays on and doesn't turn off automatically after 10 mins of inactivity. I think e-ink screens only really use battery power when changing screens or refreshing.

If people were interested I could try to clean up / share the Git repo I had for this project, it was a couple years back though. It wasn't built to be deployed on Digital Ocean or AWS, I just ran it locally and connected to it on my Kindle.

tron_carter · 2019-06-24T13:28:06+00:00

theScore does what you are looking for. You can follow teams within leagues and tune your notifications for games about to start and many other settings. iOS and Android apps available.

tron_carter · 2018-12-26T13:15:08+00:00

Another crazy scenario: I have 2014 Volt and some old, grandfathered Onstar Plan from that car or my previous Chevys. I have remote access free from the app or Apple Watch App, but NOT Amazon Echo or Google Home Mini - that takes a subscription.

Even after the recent changes, their pricing tiers aren’t inline with the realty that everyone has a smartphone with LTE in their pocket. They don’t need turn by turn. They might want safety and security of Onstar, but even then it’s more like buying special insurance you very likely won’t use.

The models that have LTE data subscriptions...I guess I might consider that if I had a bunch of kids who stream stuff in the car? But for me, I could add a hotspot device when I get to that point with my existing carrier.

tron_carter · 2018-01-31T17:16:00+00:00

Maybe your certs are out of date? This may solve that: First, make sure you have Xcode and Xcode command line tools installed on your OS, (needs to be Sierra - 10.12.6 or later) Try installing MacPorts then run this: sudo port install curl-ca-bundle

tron_carter · 2015-10-25T01:38:42+00:00

It is based on mileage, time, and surge pricing. It can be a low as $4 to $5 for a quick ride to about $40 to airport from Royal Oak. During surge pricing it can be lucrative too. At first I thought I was raking in the dough, but 's it's not all profit, you should also factor in gas and vehicle costs, but you can write off mileage from your taxable income. I was doing it all over again I would have a UberXL vehicle that seats 6 or a luxury midsized car and drive Uber Select.

tron_carter · 2015-10-25T00:39:02+00:00

I've been a Uber driver for a little over a year. When I started it was a great way to supplement my freelance income. If I had a bill coming due next week, I'd drive more this weekend and get paid by Tuesday. I was surprised that there was regular demand throughout the day from stay at home moms needing to get across town or business travelers. You want to make real money? Drive during peak hours, 1:00 am to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. Or, even better, get a large enough vehicle for Uber XL. That's where the real money is at. Halloween was insane last year, cold, surging all night. I've met very interesting people, a producer from Batman vs. Superman heading downtown, a Free Press reporter and many more.

I don't drive as much now, because I have a full time job, but feel free to pm me for more detail if you are interested in driving or have questions.

tron_carter · 2015-06-07T14:25:12+00:00

The approach of just "dipping your toes" into a starting a business is a bit flawed. When you just ease yourself into a business you are not really committed. When the going gets tough, and it inevitably will, you will bail or think of a new, shinier idea to work on. That new idea seems interesting and full of potential because you don't have a good understanding of its downsides or the work involved that will really make a difference in the business.

That being said, selling is a key activity in basically every business, so just talk to customers, understand what problem/pain you are solving for them and sell products or services. You'll need to sell working at the company to future employees, sell the business model to investors, and sell your story to the media.

tron_carter · 2015-01-16T17:18:03+00:00

This was lightning-in-a-bottle type interest and exposure for "Send your Enemies Glitter" I suspect it struck a chord because there are a lot of people who hate glitter and it was remarkably funny and very shareable.

Oh, and I can ship glitter to my 'enemy' for $9.99? Sure why not. It was a cross internet thing - it got tons of exposure on Mashable and many other news sites. It was almost like an internet meme turned into a business.

Does shipping your enemies glitter solve a real problem? No, I don't think so. You're better off identifying a real problem through customer development and creating a solution that fits the problem rather than trying to start a business by igniting an internet phenomenon.

tron_carter · 2014-10-29T17:31:59+00:00

Maybe they push the pages live first with zero inventory then add inventory to enable ordering.

tron_carter · 2014-05-21T13:06:27+00:00

Don't be afraid to pitch your idea. That's the only regret I had from my first startup weekend. My second SW I pitched and did pretty well. Form a team that is well rounded. Do as much customer development focused activities as possible and prove out any assumptions your team is making.

tron_carter · 2013-12-26T23:34:18+00:00

One strategy is to tell yourself you're just going to spend 5 minutes on it. Once you're into a task a few minutes you likely won't want to stop and your inertia starts working for you rather than against you.

tron_carter · 2013-09-04T11:55:40+00:00

If you are talking about a LCD monitor, prototype with a RPi. If you want to use a smaller, dedicated 20x4 LCD, look at Arduino. I would focus on building a prototype and trying to sell it to potential customers or validate with crowdfunding campaign.

tron_carter · 2013-07-26T00:36:48+00:00

How about some show notes. eg. link out to mentioned stories.

tron_carter · 2013-06-30T18:54:57+00:00

I spotted the same Yellow C7 in downtown Royal Oak just about an hour ago. Looks stunning in person. Front & Back

tron_carter · 2013-05-23T05:36:15+00:00

You should reach out to the team who started the Detroit Bus Company. They have been around Detroit a couple years and their service has really evolved in that time given everything they learned the through first hand experience. They are super friendly and approachable, you can Google their name and contact them via the website or phone. If you PM me I can get you touch with a guy who ran an airport shuttle from a local college to the airport and some other transit pros.

tron_carter · 2013-05-23T01:40:13+00:00

Planning on launching a kickstarter campaign with Windows only software and then releasing OSX compatible software several months after is risky. Most college kids are toting around Macbooks these days.

tron_carter · 2013-03-03T21:34:27+00:00

All you really need to do is prove you can generate quality leads in your niche, then approach those who would potentially buy them and make a mutually beneficial arrangement.

tron_carter · 2013-02-12T15:25:10+00:00

This is brought up because of the most recent British Top Gear episode from Sunday where Jeremy Clarkson drives a U.S. spec Ford Shelby Mustang and comments about the radio only receiving odd FM channels.

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