Author: Bob Martens

Categories
Technology

Tools and Jobs

I have acquired a Kindle. It is an older model and has no bells and no whistles (thankfully). It is strictly a reading device. It also happens to be the best way to read simple literature in a digital form.

However, if I want to read any of the “reams” of documentation I currently keep in Dropbox for the various systems we are using or plan on using at work … I reach for my iPad Air. If I want to read a programming book or some sort of manual then I also reach for the iPad Air … or maybe even a machine running Mavericks so that I can have Xcode or TextMate nearby.

This is only one example of how different tools (in this case: devices) are better at some jobs than others. I could read my fiction on the iPad or even the iPhone, but the Kindle is just better for doing that sort of reading for any number of reasons. By the same token, I could email the documentation to my Kindle and read it there, but the iPad is just better for reading documentation (especially large PDFs) and also for working through programming books.

Take it a step farther and there are some things that the Kindle and iPad are just not capable of, and that is alright. I feel like the Kindle would be worse in some non-trivial ways if it was trying to be more and the iPad would be worse if it were trying to be more. The idea of converging every task into a single device is a nice idea, in theory, and can end up being a terrible thing when brought into reality.

Reality has a way of doing that, by the way.

Categories
Business Life Technology

Technology in the Barn

Now that we have almost 4000 little pigs in our hog barns, our focus turns to how to better manage the double-sized operation without needing to add manpower. My dad and brother are excellent herdsmen, and I have no doubt that the added pigs are in good hands … but my end revolves around making sure that our numbers stay good and that we are building a sustainable business not just for the short-and-medium term but for the future a well.

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Of course I jump to thinking about using technology in some capacity, so I’ve been working in my mind about how that will work.

The most obvious change we have made is to move our bookkeeping online to Quickbooks Online and using the iOS apps to make us more honest and to easily add receipts for those things we purchase. The update to the website has made the service much easier to use and we have been pleased with it so far.

However, when it comes to working out at the barns themselves that is still going to be a WIP. Since the office is not complete (it is currently a covered mud hole until the ground thaws enough to pour the concrete floor), that will need to happen in the future. However, here are some thoughts on what I am going to be attempting.

  • I am going to keep as little technology permanently out in the office. I’ll have a place to keep papers that need to be scanned, but the technology for the office will be completely mobile so that it can be kept in better conditions.
  • Every piece of paper we need to keep around will be scanned, organized, and stored where it can be backed up continuously. The documents we have are too important to have in only one physical location.
  • I am looking at moving some of our paper stuff to an iOS application. Some benefits would be digital historical records for the pigs along with additional features like a camera that can be used to document needs within the barns and easy access to information like dosage recommendations for medications and other information. That is a very long-term project but after going through PQA Plus certification there is so much to keep track of that you really need to have a companion with you and I think an app could do just that.
  • Our generator maintenance schedule and information will also need to be digital in some way. Possibly a separate application or maybe just a spreadsheet to start until I get a better handle on what the information needs to look like.

Those are just a few ideas I am tossing around at the moment. More will come, many will die off and be replaced with others but the idea is to try and use technology to make things easier and not more difficult. The benefits should always benefit the farmer and the animals and I think there are huge areas completely ignored by the technology industry right now to do just that.

Categories
Technology

Mobile-er

I’m making a rather major change to how I view and use mobile computing. Up to this point mobile devices have been a really nice companion to have around and I prefer to use things like the iPad and iPhone for some tasks, but I’ve never really been “all-in” when it comes to using them for more than just “nice to have” tasks.

UnknownThat’s going to change.

Today I had a box on my desk and inside of that awesome box was two things:

  • cheap Photive iPad Air Smart Case
  • 32 GB iPad AIr

In my mind I’ve had the idea about going with desktop + iPad as my main computing platform for today and the future. I’ll hopefully write about how it goes as times continues unabated. Here is what I am thinking at this moment.

  • I went with the iPad Air over the iPad mini with Retina display for one simple reason … typing. I am hoping to do a lot of typing on the iPad and I surmised that the full-size iPad would make big difference and so far I think that was a smart move. Typing is much more comfortable on the Air than it ever was on the iPad mini.
  • The cheap Photive case is going to get replaced with something better. I have a CaseCrown Omni Case coming and should work better. I’m hoping the construction is better along with being a 4-fold cover instead of a 3-fold. I think the 3-fold works well at the iPad mini size, but the added size of the iPad Air really needs that extra fold.
  • I’m now in the market for a good, high quality bag to use as my daily carry bag. Right now I have a cheap-ish backpack that I used for a 13″ MacBook Pro that worked really well, but it is now too large for something the size of an iPad Air. I’d love a good canvas or leather bag that will stick with me for years. I’ve had a ton of cheap nylon bags in the past and they wear out, I want something to “wear in” this time.
  • The A7 is freaking amazing. It is so fast compared to the A5 I was used to on the iPad mini. That, alone, is almost worth an upgrade.

I will have more to say, obviously, along with some more ideas on how to incorporate the iPad and iPhone into our growing farm operation in the future. This will at least give me something to start with.

Categories
Life Technology

Better iOS Mail

Ben Brooks shared a link to Mailbox and Folder Management in iOS Mail and it has changed how I use Mail.app almost completely … in a good way. I have two folders I want to keep track of outside of the unified inbox, and now I have easy access to both of those folders.

Simply awesome.

Email is probably the most important communication platform that I have, and this just made iOS better for me in a non-trivial manner. The saddest part for me is that I didn’t know about it before.

Categories
Technology

Web Tool for XenServer: Xen Orchestra

While not earth-shattering for most, having a good web-based tool for managing XenServer installations is something I have been looking for since we started our virtualization project at work a few years back.

Well, here is Xen Orchestra to do just that!

xo21This morning I finally spent the little bit of time it takes to get Xen Orchestra up and running as a virtual appliance on our XenServer infrastructure and so far I have been very pleased with it. It is still very young and needs some time to cook, but it will allow me to do the basic things I need to do from the web instead of needing to spin up my Windows VM to get XenCenter going.

That makes me very happy.

Features are missing, things are sometimes a little clunky, but I think the basic bones of the application are there for all to see and this could end up to be an excellent web-based tool to help anyone with a XenServer of XAPI-based infrastructure.