Oly featured on Van-Life
Oly got himself featured on the Van-Life blog today:
http://www.van-life.net/post/20352188352/model-1989-vw-vanagon-westfalia-location
Picture was by me on the iPhone, using the Camera+ and Instagram apps.
Further reference in the great iCloud debacle
Apple’s great. iCloud still sucks. Especially since they clearly have only one engineer working on the project. Apple, I understand you want to sell new phones, new computers, and the whatnot. And trust me, us folks who love Apple products will buy them, eventually. You’ve got us hooked. But stop making the iCloud service so closed that I can’t even use the iMac I bought last year to access the service.
Here’s another workaround, in case your mail is broken:
http://www.macstories.net/news/configure-an-icloud-email-account-on-snow-leopard/
For quick reference, the mail server name is p02-imap.mail.me.com, because I suppose mail.me.com would have been too obvious. Fuckers.
Vanagon Instrument Cluster Rewire
A couple of weeks ago I managed to fry the dashboard light circuit on the instrument cluster. Not that it wasn’t in sad shape already. I had patched various sections of the both the light circuit and the ground on the circuit sheet where the copper wiring was damaged. As a result, the need to replace the circuit sheet wasn’t a surprise, and I had been thinking about it for some time. I figured I could create a replacement wiring harness, using connectors from the original and sold 24 gauge wire instead of the plastic circuit sheet. First, though, I had to map out the circuit.
That took the longest, even with Bentley’s assistance. Eventually, using my digital camera, a lightbox, and Omnigraffle, I managed to create a circuit map which would serve as a guide for my new wiring harness
With that as my guide, I began using a DB25 connector and 24 AWG wire from Cat5e cable. The idea for using a DB25 connector came from a fellow Vanagon owner’s solution (link updated! Thanks Edward!). When complete, the new connector looked quite good. I was quite happy with my soldering.
Moving on, I used ring connectors for the fuel and temp gauges, and actually used the connectors to the tach, voltage regulator, clock, and oil pressure control unit by removing them from the original circuit sheet. This meant that I wouldn’t have to come up with adaptations in order to make the connections. On the original circuit sheet, there are a number of capacitors and resistors. These I decided to move to a circuit board, which I bought at Radio Shack. Finally, I soldered the lights (which I changed to LEDs) into the harness.
Overall, the result is quite good, and preliminary tests seem to indicate that I got the whole thing right. One thing I don’t like is that the dash lights are not easily serviceable. I may have to revise that to use some wire disconnects of some sort. For now, however, I can once again see my gauges at night.
iCloud & iCal Sync
Found this write-up here on how to get your Snow Leopard iCal syncing to your iCloud.
Shameless Self Promotion
I’ve rigged up a portfolio of some of my iPad vector artwork. Go to http://portfolio.kpcnsk.com/ . Do it. Now.
Further Proof That the Medical Industry Lags Behind the World
The fact that the medical industry relies so heavily on fax machines for communication is one pretty damning piece of evidence for the fact that the healthcare industry has advanced no further than 1985. But if you’re more visually oriented, here’ a little tidbit for you.
This is the image that Humana uses to identify its PPO product line in 2010:
Recognize it? Here’s the image that Microsoft used to identify its Office suite, circa 1997:
Of course, why you’d want to associate your product with anything as bloated as Microsoft Office, I’ll never understand.
It is what you think it is
Me: I don’t mind paying a premium for things I want, but every time I deal with Bank of America I feel like I’m being ripped off.
Kevin: That’s because you are being ripped off.
In February I owed $450 and change. I paid $200 of it that month, and in March I owed the remainder plus a nominal interest fee. That’s fine. I didn’t pay my bill in full that month, so BoA has every right to hit me with that fee. So in March (a few days after I received the statement and well before it was due) I paid the remainder plus the new interest fee. Done. Credit card balance $0.00.
Wrong.
April statement says I owe $1.50, a “Minimum interest charge.” I’m not sure this is legal. It smacks of dirty.
Update: I called Bank of America and pointed out that I had paid my balance in full. The customer service representative checked my account, reversed the charge, and apologized for the error. Still, apparently this kind of thing happens all the time.