What does Small Dog Need from you?
In order to make our customer appreciation event a HUGE success we need all of our staff to become marketing superheros! How you…
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_Hello Fellow Technophiles,_
Ben Ryan here! I’m filling in this week for Mike who’s out on vacation. I would like to say thank you to all the Small Dog fans who voted in our annual Halloween contest. I am thrilled to be this year’s winner of best overall costume! As you can see from my picture, I was dressed as a Stormtrooper from the original trilogy of Star Wars movies. This was my most ambitious costume, and yes, I’m already thinking of how I can top it next year.
My prize this year was a “*Sonos Play 1*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85277/sonos-play-1-black smart speaker. I have been using it a lot, and I have been very impressed with it so far. Unlike most wireless speakers, the Sonos Play 1 can use many different music applications like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others installed on the internal storage of the speaker. The Play 1 then streams the music from the internet through these applications. For the most part, after the initial setup, the Play 1 can function as a standalone device. There is a play/pause button on the speaker itself that when pressed, pauses the resumes the playlist it was streaming, with no other action needed from your phone or any other device. It may not seem significant, but I have found that functionality to be very convenient.
In other news, if you have recently been having problems with iPhone alarm clock not going off, I would recommend updating your version of iOS. Part of the 10.1 update released on October 24th was a fix for a bug that caused alarms to sometimes not go off as scheduled. I found out about this bug when it caused me to report for work over two hours late on the day before the update was released. However, one of the benefits of working for an Apple Authorized Service Provider is that all was forgiven when I found and provided official Apple documentation on the glitch. Another reminder to always update your devices when updates are available and to back up your device!
Thank you for reading,
Ben
“BenRyan@SmallDog.com”:mailto:benryan@smalldog.com -
Customer Appreciation Event!
We are very excited to be launching our customer appreciation event this week in ALL of our retail stores. Starting on Thursday November…
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Shop Local, Support Local!
Shop Local, Support Local! Could our holiday deals be better? Yes! But shopping with Small Dog Electronics this holiday season means great deals…
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I have always been the glass half full kind of guy but this week really tried me. But thanks to Khadija for kicking my butt and breaking me out, I am again determined to work hard to make this rock we live on a better place.
I was playing around with some home automation stuff this week, too. I got a Google Home assistant and my initial impressions is that Google made a half-hearted attempt to compete with Amazon Echo. The Echo seems so much smarter and more capable but I will continue to put Google to the test.
My Amazon Echo now turns on and off my Philips Hue lighting, adjusts my Nest thermostat, reads me the morning news and now that I just installed an outdoor ceiling fan from the Big Ass Fan company, I can also control the fan and the fan’s light on our front porch. Siri remains my favorite artificial helper and is smarter than Alexa but Alexa remains more practical in real life. I bet it is not long before Siri makes her way into the home in a more prominent way–perhaps through the Apple TV.
Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!
Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
_Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_
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Walk With Your Knees Bent
I was on a conference call today with Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility where, of course, the topic turned to the recent election results. One of the business leaders said “keep your chin up” and another piped in with “and walk with your knees bent” as we all agreed that there was opportunity in the hard work that we have to do.
I woke up on Wednesday in shock and disbelief. I was unable to get started with my day, even though I had a lot of work to do. My thoughts turned to leaving the country, to giving up and the spiral of depressing dismay that many were feeling. It was actually my granddaughter, Khadija, that shocked me from my funk.
She and I first exchanged some posts on Facebook and then long heartfelt letters. Khadija is a high school senior choosing colleges. She, like me, had the first notion of flight and told me she started investigating colleges in Canada, Australia and the UK. As a young black woman it was personal for her. She said:
??When I found out the news I thought there is no way I can stay in this country, and I’m just about to enter adulthood is this really the place I want to live in? But it is, and I know what I need to do. We need to continue our campaign for love and stop the hate in this country and do whatever we can to speak as loud as possible for those who can’t. I fully intend on doing this, and I’m just getting started. I am not abandoning this country and everything I believe it can be.??
It is her commitment and faith that inspires me to work as hard as I can for all the issues that are so important. To fight for social justice, to combat climate change, to rise up against racism and to know that love will always conquer evil.
The results of the election may impact everyone differently but it will be the people that are the checks on unbridled power. It is Khadija’s generation that brings me mountains of hope and when I hear her say she is ready to fight I will be there at her side 100%.
The tremendous positive energy of the Bernie Sanders campaign was not just a fluke. It was the next generation saying – this is mine- and that voice is compelling and will continue to be heard. Hillary Clinton won more votes in this election and this valley has a way up!
This soapbox is basically dedicated to that beacon of hope that is personified by Khadija and her friends, the ones who we pass onto the responsibility to be the change agents we so need.
End soapbox
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Move Your Butt
One of the most popular uses of the Apple Watch is fitness. The Activity app is the center of that universe and one of the newest features is the ability to “share activity”. I am sort of a couch potato so when my friend Jen Mayer over at Charlotte Street Computers invited me to share activity with her, I was hesitant. But I did it anyway so I could see how this stuff works. Jen works sometimes as an aerobics and spin instructor so I am going to have a hard time competing with dog walking and the occasional swim in the ocean.
If you wear your Apple Watch throughout the day, the Activity app can automatically track your daily movements. You can check your progress, meet goals, and customize notifications. To get started, just open the app on your Apple Watch and enter some information about yourself.
You can check on your progress by opening the Activity app on your watch which will give you an immediate picture of your progress. Swipe up to see details for each ring. Swipe up again to see more, like how far you’ve gone that day. Firmly press any screen to change your daily Move goal. You can adjust only this goal.
!http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4876.png! There are three rings to measure your progress towards your goals, Move, Exercise and Stand. The Move ring shows how many active calories you’ve burned so far. Active calories, unlike resting, are ones that you burn by standing or moving around. The Exercise ring shows how many minutes of brisk activity you’ve completed so far. Complete your daily Exercise goal by exercising for at least 30 minutes each day. The Stand ring shows hours in which you’ve stood and moved for at least a minute. Complete your daily Stand goal by standing up and moving around for at least 1 minute during 12 different hours in the day. Even if you stand all day, you still need to move around. If you’ve specified that you use a wheelchair, the Stand ring switches to the Roll ring. Roll shows hours in which you’ve pushed around for at least 1 minute.
You can share your data with your friends for competition or just for fun. Stay motivated by sharing your activity with your family, friends, or trainer. When your friends meet all three Activity goals, finish workouts, or earn achievements, you get notifications about their progress.
To get started, add your friends. After you add friends, open the Activity app, then swipe left. Tap a friend to see their stats for the day. You can even send a message to all your friends just like in the Apple commercials.
Who knows, sharing my data with Jen and Grace might make me move my ass more…
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_Dear Friends,_
May you live in interesting times. Some say that is an ancient Chinese curse although no such Chinese expression exists. But if you had any doubt about just how interesting the times are they were answered this week with the surprising election results. Tim Cook sent a letter to Apple employees and said in part:
??While there is discussion today about uncertainties ahead, you can be confident that Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed. Our products connect people everywhere, and they provide the tools for our customers to do great things to improve their lives and the world at large. Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world — regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love.??
I can echo that sentiment for Small Dog Electronics. We will continue to be guided by our triple bottom line of people, planet & profit. We celebrate diversity and strive for social justice for all.
Every year around this time retailers trip over themselves to offer discounts and “door busters” in preparation for the big Black Friday and holiday season. After doing that for a number of years, keeping the store open for extended hours (24 hours at one Black Friday!) and still losing sales to those that just discount we decided to take a step back. It started when the mall we were in when we had a store in NH wanted us to be open on Thanksgiving. They threatened to fine us if we would not open. I refused to open, Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends not commerce. We went further the next year and instead of discounting our products we decided to give a percentage of each sale to the Vermont Food Bank. That was a very popular program and we are doing it again this year. We will be donating to the Vermont Food Bank here in Vermont and to Star of the Sea Outreach Mission down here in Key West. You will be hearing more about this exciting promotion.
This week’s Kibbles & Bytes Exclusive features the new “**iPad Pro 9.7-inch with 128GB Wi-Fi and Cellular**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002464/50-off-a-9-7in-ipad-pro-wifi-cellular-with-applecare? in Space Gray. We are bundling it this week with AppleCare Plus for the iPad and giving you $50 off! Get the iPad Pro with AppleCare+ for only “**$879.99!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002464/50-off-a-9-7in-ipad-pro-wifi-cellular-with-applecare?
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I voted before I left Vermont but if you haven’t voted please do so. Your vote really does count and very real offices from President right down to Mosquito Control officers (one promises not to spray kids on the way to school) are up for election. Our democracy is in your hands. Exercise that precious right to vote- you will feel good about it.
Now what am I gonna do? No more late night Cubs games on TV and then we have this stupid custom of turning our clocks back on Sunday. I mean who really wants it to be dark at 4PM? Well, basketball season is underway and Grace and I have a lot of projects and plans to accomplish down here. I tortured my body and ripped up our deck with full intentions of playing amateur carpenter to re-build it. But sore muscles and Grace’s common sense led us to hiring a carpenter to at least build the framing.
I am, obviously, still basking in the glow of the Cubs victory but I do want to thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes. I guess this year, I’ll have to change up my predictions a bit…like Cubs win it again!
Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_
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Inductance Loops
After my last article on resonant inductive coupling I received a question about how those interstate toll transponders work. I’ve never had one for my car. Even when I lived in Massachusetts I only really took the Pike from 495 out west and the toll was always exactly the same. So I had to look into how they work, but unfortunately, it’s not very exciting. They are basically RFID tags, but they are active, not passive. Each one comes with a permanently installed lithium battery expected to last between 3-5 years. When your vehicle approaches the toll plaza, transmitters in the plaza send a signal that “wakes up” your transponder, which then responds with a radio signal of its own. So there’s no induction happening, just good old radio communication.
Toll transponders may not be very exciting, but there is a pretty neat method commonly used for detecting cars stopped at traffic lights. You may notice that some intersections have saw mark patterns where you would wait at a red light. Sometimes it’s just a different chunk of pavement. This is the sensor that detects when a vehicle is waiting in order to more optimally control the signal lights. Did you think that it used some kind of a pressure sensor? A lot of people do, but actually, it’s far more clever and effective.
Inside the saw grooves they install a loop of wire called an induction loop. A controller box transmits electricity through the loop or loops at frequencies between 10kHz and 200kHz. Under normal conditions, the loop simply acts like an air-core inductor. We don’t often use air-core inductors because their inductive values tend to be low. Adding a ferromagnetic core (like iron) increases the inductance of inductors because of the higher magnetic permeability of a magnetic core (versus other materials like wood or air). This is exactly the principle behind an inductive loop vehicle detector. When the metal of your car passes over the loop, the inductance of the loop increases (its core is no longer just air). This change in inductance is picked up by the controller which then decides what do to with the signal lights.
You might guess that the change in inductance would depend on the type of vehicle passing over the loop, and you’d be correct. Smaller cars tend to produce larger increases because they are lower to the ground and therefore closer to the coil. The exact pattern of the signal generated by vehicles passing over the loops are also very unique. It’s almost possible to identify makes and models solely based on the different effects they have on the inductance of the loops.
As a bicyclist, those loops are my worst nightmare because they’re often not tuned to be sensitive enough to trigger based on a metal object as small as a bike. As I already said, the material plays a part as well. My bike is mostly aluminum which has a magnetic permeability roughly 1000x less than steel. Actually, the magnetic permeability of aluminum is almost the same as wood or air. For this reason, many traffic signals these days use optical motion detection cameras placed atop the signal poles. This technology is obviously more complex and wasn’t easily available until recently. Inductive loops are a very mature technology and are relatively failsafe. However, embedding the loop in the road means that if the road is resurfaced, the entire loop will need to come out and be reinstalled.
I was actually very surprised at how complicated the theory behind the operation of these sensors is. There is all kinds of documentation from transportation departments, and road construction firms online about how they work including lots of complicated math that I’ve left out here. As a possible topic for next time, did you notice how this is essentially a sensor to detect metal? Metal detectors work on a very similar principle but are more sensitive and able to do more than just detect YES/NO. As always, if you have any topic you’d like me to explore, send me an email.
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Triple-Press the Home Button in iOS 10 for the Magnifier
Do you ever find that small print like serial numbers, instructions or any other smaller print on items is hard to read? iOS 10 can turn your iPhone or iPad into a magnifying glass! You’ll first want to go into Settings > General > Accessibility > Magnifier and turn on Magnifier.
Press the Home Button three times quickly to bring up the Magnifier and then point the camera at what you want to see. The view is zoomed automatically, but you can change the zoom level with the slider, tap the flash icon to turn on the LED light ( if one if available on your device ), enable a filter to change the color or contrast, or lock the focus by tapping the lock icon. You can also freeze the image by tapping the big round Take Photo button. This is great for grabbing a picture of a tiny serial number!