Valentine's Day

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There is some football game on this weekend that I might have to watch to catch the commercials. We are supposed to get a little snow, and even though there hasn’t been too much accumulation this year, the ski areas are trying to make more and the Valley is busy.

I am working on my little Austin Healey and will be replacing the convertible top this weekend, too.

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Kali and Stephanie_

In last week’s edition of Kibbles and Bytes, I talked about how crucial batteries are for all the gadgets we use today. I started our look at batteries by talking about the ubiquitous lead acid battery.

I’d like to thank one reader, Gene, who informed me that back in 1989, Apple actually released its first battery-powered laptop, the Macintosh Portable, which used a lead acid battery. The Mac Portable was a predecessor to the PowerBook series. Even the PowerBook 100 still used a lead acid battery. That’s a pretty incredible feat for the trusty little lead acid battery, but these were big and heavy machines, especially by today’s standards.

The next real step up in battery technology were the nickel chemistries Ni-MH (Nickel Metal-Hydride) and NiCd (Nickel Cadmium). Many older laptops also used these battery technologies. They’re certainly much lighter than lead, but they suffer from their own unique drawbacks. NiCd batteries were developed around 1900, but didn’t see widespread production and adoption until around 1950 or so in the U.S. For much of the latter half of the 20th century, NiCd batteries were the go-to battery for rechargeable consumer devices.

If you ever used a cordless drill, cordless phone, or any other battery powered device in the 80s and 90s, it was most likely NiCd. And if you remember using one of those devices, you should remember how you had to run the batteries all the way down before recharging them. Otherwise, the battery wouldn’t last as long the next time you used it. This is called the “memory effect” and it’s one of the biggest disadvantages to NiCd cells. Another problem with NiCd batteries is their toxicity. Much like lead, cadmium is a toxic heavy metal. NiCd batteries should never be thrown away. Always recycle or dispose of them properly.

When the Ni-MH battery started to become widely available in the early 1990s, it marked the beginning of the end of the NiCd battery. Ni-MH batteries have much greater capacity than NiCds and are far less toxic. If you’ve ever bought AA-sized rechargeable batteries, they were almost definitely Ni-MH. They are well-suited to today’s high-demand electronics like digital cameras and MP3 players because of their ability to deliver high amounts of power efficiently. They’re also very safe to use and their low cost means they see use in a wide array of applications, from robots like Honda’s ASIMO to production electric cars like GM’s EV-1. While they aren’t toxic, it’s still important to recycle Ni-MH batteries because nickel is a valuable metal and recovering it in recycling processes has a far smaller impact on the environment than mining it.

So how come we don’t use nickel batteries for our iPads and other devices? Well, as I said, NiCd batteries suffer from the memory effect. Imagine if you had to run your iPad all the way down before you could charge it again. Not very convenient. While they would work well in power hungry technology like an iPad, Ni-MH batteries self-discharge at a rate of 4% per day. This means your iPad would lose power even as it was just sitting there unused.

By now, you may have figured out the punchline in this battery article series: lithium (no, not the Nirvana song, the metal). Check back next week when I’ll explain why we pass over all three battery types in favor of that light, soft, and energetic metal when it comes to making batteries for the latest technologies.

If you’re a giant Spotify fan like I clearly am, you should check out a new site that has launched called “*Forgotify*”:http://forgotify.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=kibbles&utm_campaign=kibbs. They claim there are over 4 million songs on Spotify that have not been played once. If you currently have an account with Spotify, you can head over to Forgotify, hit “start listening” and prepare to be amazed.

When I tried it for the first time, this is what I got: Punnaram Kattalle by Vilayil Valsala. A female Indian singer (I think?). Well, you’re welcome Vilayil — you have officially been listened to by one person…me! But apologies to other testers/listeners of Forgetify — now that I’ve listened to it, I guess it comes off the list!

Give it a try and see what gems you stumble across.

Next week I’ll continue my music streaming article collection with a more in-depth look at Beats Music and whether I’ll stick with Spotify or convert to Beats! Stay tuned…

I’ll be honest here, I am not a huge Super Bowl fan. Last year, when the power went out during Beyonce’s performance (yeah Bey!) I took that as a sign and opportunity to leave the party I was at and head on home. But if feels wrong not to write ??something?? about the Super Bowl. So I confided in our office football enthusiast, Matty, to point me in the right direction of all of the essentials for game day.

Here’s his list of must-haves:

*Chicken wings*

If you plan on watching the big game without some finger-licking chicken wings, then you are “wicked weird!” Therefore, my recommendation will be to download the app “*Foodie Recipes*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foodie-recipes/id575737456?mt=8&uo=4&at=11lb7k&ct=kibbs. This month, they’ve chosen 40 different options for the ultimate game day foods. If you already have this app, make sure you update to the latest version to gain access to the 40 different Super Bowl recipes.

*Beer*

Well, duh! Food and drink is probably the best part (for me) of the Super Bowl. Check out “*Beer Hunt*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beer-hunt-fun-beer-tracking/id569979630?mt=8&uo=4&at=11lb7k&ct=kibbs which is an app you can use to track beer, discover new types, rate it, find recommendations, and have competitions with your friends. Just remember to always drink responsibly, folks!

*Super Bowl App*

Right from the National Football League themselves, introducing the “*Official Super Bowl XLVIII Interactive Game Program!*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-bowl-xlviii-nfl-official/id417071364?mt=8&uo=4&at=11lb7k&ct=kibbs Everything you need to know about the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. Enjoy animated starting lineups and stadium renderings, Twitter and Instagram feeds, and quickly-updated photos and video from the game. Pretty much everything you need to stay on top of things during the game — all in one app!

Or, if you aren’t super into the Super Bowl, but you are into PUPPIES, check out the famous “*Puppy Bowl*”:http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl?_ga=1.73099856.2121516428.1391011463 on Animal Planet. This year marks the tenth consecutive year, not quite 48, but still impressive.

bq. ??”Puppy Bowl X brings viewers a lovable lineup that’s itching to play in a winning combination of terrier tackles, touchdowns, puppy penalties, fumbles and Fido first downs. This year’s big game is sure to be a tail-wagger. From barking beagles and spunky spaniels to everything in between, we’ve got the cutest players taking the field on the most action-packed Sunday of the year.”??

The puppy bowl kicks off on February 2 @ 3pm.

So, which “Bowl” will you be watching? Puppy or Super?

When you purchase a 10W Hammerhead dual port wall charger we’ll throw in a *free* USB to 30-Pin dock sync cable ??(No packaging — less waste!)??. You’ll be charging your device in no time!

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