Mac-o-Phobia

The first time I flew anywhere, I remember my parents having a big envelope full of plane tickets. Each one was printed on card stock and seemed to be several pages long. Also, flying from Vermont to anywhere generally requires several stops, so it was a pretty good sized stack. These tickets were probably the most important thing to remember on the way to the airport.

More recently, I have checked into flights by swiping my credit card at the now-ubiquitous digital kiosks, which has made the inevitable (at least for me) last-minute scramble out of the door a little less stressful.

Now Apple has been granted a patent that when fully implemented should make travel even more convenient for all of you iDevice users out there. The patent is for a service that Apple calls “iTravel” in the application. Using near-field radio communication (NFC), your iDevice “will store and transmit travel reservations and traveler identifications using a travel management application. Various methods may be employed to acquire the reservation and identification information on the handheld device.”

What this means is that once NFC readers become common at the airport, all you will need to do is wave your iDevice near the reader to check in or board the plane. In the meantime, it seems that this function will be handled by *Passbook,* which is one of the new features that Apple has announced will be a part of “*iOS 6 (due to be released this fall).*”:http://www.apple.com/ios/ios6/

According to Apple: “With Passbook, you can scan your iPhone or iPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon.” Their example image, which I have included with this article, shows that this will be accomplished via a QR code displayed on the screen.

As Don mentioned, it’s Friday the 13th, and boy, does it feel like it. I also woke up feeling like today was cursed, but I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say that a certain toddler welcomed the day with a blood curdling scream…fast forward through a conspicuous coffee spill, an ill-timed last square of toilet paper and I found myself at work, commiserating with others that at least our day didn’t look like this:*

* On Friday the 13th, 1979, a black cat crossed the path of Houston football player Tony Frisch and was accidentally kicked 67 yards for a world record.
* On Friday the 13th in 1962, a Colorado couple, while watching Channel 13 in the honeymoon suite of a Las Vegas motel, were crushed to death by a falling mirror.
* On Friday the 13th in 1957, a duck hunter, wearing a rabbit’s foot around his neck while hunting near 12-Gauge, Texas, was kicked to death by a giant 3-legged jack rabbit.
* On Friday the 13th in 1966, a Detroit sociologist (who had just demonstrated his lack of fear by walking under 13 ladders and throwing a black cat through a mirror) was run over by a limousine driven by blind soul singer.

Other things to note to maintain good luck today:

* Never trust a rabbit that tries to sell you his foot.
* 4-leaf clovers are lucky today–but not if you smoke them.
* The number “13” is very unlucky–especially if it’s the only one you can get on the drugstore blood pressure machine.
* Walking under a ladder can be very unlucky today–especially if it’s at the drugstore the 16-year-old with zits is climbing down with a barbecue grill.
* Stepping on a cricket can very extremely unlucky today–especially for the cricket.
* Wearing garlic around your neck today will ward off evil spirits. It will also ward off good spirits, indifferent spirits, and any other spirits with noses.
* A rabbit’s foot is not lucky. If you don’t believe me, ask the rabbit.
* Wearing a lucky penny between your toes means good luck and blisters.
* For good luck, hang a horseshoe over your front door. For really good luck, hang the entire horse over your front door.
* Horseshoes usually bring good luck today, but never trust a horse that wears high heels.

__*Taken from “Little Known Scary Stuff That Occurred on Friday the 13th” and other fun stuff, “found here.”:http://halife.com/daily/archives/friday_the_13th_fun.html Calls to verify their authenticity were not returned because our phone lines have been chewed by the mice that the black cats didn’t catch.__

“__Image source__”:http://www.quickmeme.com/Business-Cat/

Blueberries, motorcycle riding and my Cubbies are in the cellar. It is a sure sign that these are the dog days of summer. If I can get you away from the lake or barbecue for a moment, I want you to know how much all of us here at Small Dog Electronics appreciate your support and business.

We set out to build a community and have some fun, and it has been the great feedback and support from Kibbles & Bytes readers and our customers that makes this all worthwhile. Thank you! Now, back to summer…

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Kali, Dawn & Mike_

_Dear Friends,_

It is Friday the 13th and for a moment there on my ride into work on the 1970 Norton I thought it was my unlucky day. I was enjoying the leisurely ride in when some doofus decided to make a left turn right in front of me. Fortunately, that antique motorcycle is light and agile and I was able to go wide around the guy in the shoulder. After uttering a few choice epitaphs and saluting the guy, I was back to enjoying the ride with nary a car in sight.

It is July, and Apple has promised to release the next version of OS X this month. One of the features that I am very excited about is AirPay Mirroring. While you can mirror most content from your iPad to your big screen TV through an Apple TV device, the same is not true with your Mac. Mountain Lion fixes this and will allow you to wirelessly stream your content from your Mac to your TV.

The last time I really wanted this feature was when I was doing a big Keynote presentation and wanted to practice while chilling on my couch. I ended up having to move the presentation over to the iPad to do what I wanted, and that was not all that easy. AirPlay Mirroring is coming to a Mac and living room later this month–it’s a great new feature of Mountain Lion!

I am fighting off the birds from my ripening blueberry bushes but it looks like a great crop this year. I look forward to waking up and going outside to pick a bowl of berries, put a little granola on it and call it breakfast. I know that it has been very hot and dry in most areas of the country and drought conditions in many. Here in the north country we have had a few very hot and humid days, but mostly we have had dry and seasonable temperatures with cool nights and sunny days. Kinda perfect if you ask me! My solar photovoltaic array at my house was commissioned this week and I watched as my electric meter spun backwards. I should get a good percentage of my power from this array–at least this time of the year!

Cheerio, chaps! For all of you who look forward to the “*Olympic Games*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games every two years, and perhaps more specifically, the “*Summer Olympics,*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Olympic_Games this year’s games are being held in jolly old England–“*London, to be exact.*”:http://www.london2012.com/ (For those who couldn’t care less about them, it’s probably good not to pay attention to any media between July 27-August 12…)

NBC will be covering the Games again, as per usual, and this year, they have developed what looks to be a fantastic app for those of us who don’t have TV. (It’s true…I’ve been without TV for nine years running over here–pardon the pun.)

“*NBC Olympics*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nbc-olympics/id542497845?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 is presented by GE, which makes it free for users.

It features:

* Top news, both overall and categorized by sport
* Video on-demand, which will include highlights and other featured videos
* Photo galleries with athlete photos, events and more
* Hometown coverage connected to your local NBC affiliate
* Social network connect with Facebook, Twitter and Google+
* Schedules, results, and medal counts

In addition, NBC has released “*NBC Olympics Live Extra,*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nbc-olympics-live-extra/id542511686?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 which looks to provide far more video coverage–live–as the events are taking place!

There are some Pre-Games features, including on-demand video: a preview of the London Games and a recap of the Beijing Olympics. Once the Games start, it will include the following:

* Live coverage of every event of the 2012 Summer Games
* Event replays to relive the every moment
* Alternate camera views, ideal for sports such as gymnastics and track and field
* Push notifications to receive reminders
* Gold Zone, a live streaming channel with every gold medal event

I’ve downloaded both, and the countdown has begun…just 14 days, 5 hours and 45 minutes (as of this writing)!

Here’s the second in a series of “Meet the Small Dogger,” wherein I introduce a new employee to Kibbles readers. This employee, “*Matt Curran,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/mattc is actually new to the company, so this article is a way to introduce him to the Small Dog community as a whole.

I’ve been lucky to get to know Matt as he and I have carpooled a few times since he also lives in Addison County. Addison County is on the “other side of the mountain” from Small Dog Electronics’ head quarters. The road that we drive on has the claim to fame as being the highest elevation maintained by the State of Vermont’s Department of Transportation during the winter. This ridge of mountains divide the state and if you live on one side, you very seldom cross to the other side. People in Addison County think that those of us who commute over it every day are freaks.

Matt and I grew up in the same general location in Massachusetts (separated by decades, though!), so his accent and way that he talks makes me feel like I’m with my relatives. Here’s an interesting little tidbit: Matt and I were born in the same hospital in Fitchburg, MA at Burbank Hospital. It also turns out that there is a third Small Dogger (Nick Piccicuto) who was born there!

Matt has his MBA from Assumption College in Mass. He joined Hapy as Assistant Controller and as Don mentioned, Matt really brings some physical mass to the Accounting Department. I measured Matt’s shoulders and here’s how he stacks up:

He’s 13% bigger than “*Hapy,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/hapy 31% bigger than “*Art*”:http://www.smalldog.com/art and 57% bigger than “*Kali.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/kali (He’s pictured with “*Nessy,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/vanessa above.) He’s a big guy and a huge fan of football. He’s even been asked to help coach the Middlebury College football team. Can’t wait to start going to games! (I love football).

Matt and his wife have a 10-month-old son named Theodore. Matt, Megan and Teddy have now settled in Vermont, which is where Megan grew up. Matt’s been able to experience the best of Vermont by moving here in June–I think if everyone came here in June, the Vermont population would be HUGE! Hopefully, the drive over the hill in January will just make him stronger!

So Matt, welcome to Small Dog and Vermont. Did you get your official nip of maple syrup from the Vermont welcome committee? If not, perhaps Art intercepted the package…