Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Apple news, tech tips, and more…

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  • Too Many Passwords!

    Most of us have been using the Internet for many years, and have created accounts with hundreds of different Internet services. After a certain point, one cannot reasonably be expected to remember the passwords to all of their different accounts, especially since many websites have different requirements for password complexity. Having to remember too many different passwords is a common frustration we see here at Small Dog.

    This is a problem inherent in the username/password system. When the system was introduced decades ago, no one anticipated having to remember hundreds of different usernames and passwords. Other methods for authentication, like biometrics, have slowly become supported by more and more hardware and software developers, like Apple’s Touch ID, however there is still no viable system for authentication that can be used by virtually any device, so username/password has remained the most dominant method.

    The best solution to the problem of having too many passwords is to install a password manager. A password manager is an application that securely stores a users passwords, so that only one password is required to access any of them.

    The password manager I would recommend is LastPass. LastPass offers a desktop application, a browser extension, and a mobile app. A premium account is only $1 per month, and all of the core features are available with a free account. With LastPass, any time you see a password prompt, you only need to enter your LastPass password, and LastPass will find, decrypt, and enter your password to that service.

  • The Boston Celtics got their man when they signed Gordon Hayward as a free agent. I have been sneaking off to watch the NBA Summer league games (Grace disapproves) and our newest rookie Jayson Tatum is looking great, too. I see banner #18 in the future!

    Meanwhile, Grace and I are planning our annual pilgrimage to Wrigley Field in Chicago. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary this October and with any luck the Cubbies will be there in the post-season but we are heading there for a couple games in August. Anyone know anyone with awesome tickets? We went on one of our first dates at Wrigley Field and we are both fanatical Cubs fans so we go every year. Does anyone remember “Riverview Park”:http://www.defunctparks.com/abandoned/il/chicago-illinois-riverview-amusement-park/ – that is where we had our first date and of course, the park closed forever shortly after that.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,

    _Don, Emily & Hadley_

  • Tasty Waves, Cool Buzz

    The waves I’m going to talk about here are a little bit different than the “tasty” waves Jeff Spicoli was looking for in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but they’re still interesting and crucial to modern technology. First though, I need to distinguish what kind of waves I’m talking about. In previous articles, I talked about the electromagnetic spectrum. That spectrum itself is composed of waves too, and we describe electromagnetic radiation waves using wave terminology, such as frequency, amplitude and wavelength.

    The waves I want to talk about here though are different. These waves are more accurately described as “electronic signals”. A very basic and simple example of this kind of wave is AC electricity. The voltage varies according to a perfect sine wave up and down, positive to negative. It has a frequency (in the US, 60Hz). It has an amplitude, which is 170V for 120VAC. So this signal is a wave, a sine wave, but it’s not really inherent. We can (and do) create AC electricity with all sorts of frequencies and amplitudes. These waves can also be highly irregular and change over time rapidly.

    AC electricity is typically a sine wave because of the rotational methods by which most AC electricity is generated. Any time you have rotation and you’re stretching it over time you’re likely going to see something that resembles a sine wave somewhere along the line. The fact that our normal electricity comes in the form of AC isn’t wasted. We use the sine wave all the time. Induction motors for example use the rising and falling pulses of the wave to “kick” the motor armature into motion. The proper function of the motor depends on the sine wave input. We also use the frequency of the AC signal as a way for certain electronics to keep time.

    Sine waves aren’t the only signals we create and use. In fact, while sine waves might be ubiquitous in industrial operations where AC electricity is being used directly, in the consumer world, the square wave dominates. A square wave looks exactly like you’d expect, a square. Unlike the sine wave which gradually increases over time, the square wave goes from one extreme to another almost instantly. Then it holds at some value before dropping back down again. Computers would not function without square waves. A square wave clock signal is like the ultimate orchestral conductor inside of every CPU. Without that signal, the 1s and 0s would be in chaos. Every time the square wave clock signal pulses, one step of the computational cycle can occur. When I built a computer from scratch in college, keeping the clock signal at a reasonable speed was critical.

    Another huge use of square waves is in something called PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). PWM can be used to encode a message into a pulsing signal (like a clock signal) and then be transmitted via conventional means. This has applications in telecommunications, though it’s used less today with the advent of digital communications. PWM is also used in photovoltaic charging algorithms. When a battery is depleted, the pulses will be long in duration since the battery needs to be charged. As the battery becomes more charged, the pulses become shorter, thereby delivering less average current to the battery. PWM also has applications in just about any instance where precise motor control is required. Servo motors rely on PWM to function and normal, spinning motors can be adjusted for speed and torque with digital controllers. All CPU fans are controlled by this mechanism. Even my sewing machine relies on PWM. When I press on the foot pedal just a little bit, the motor only spins very slowly. Before PWM, this would’ve been accomplished using a variable resistor. A variable resistor would basically “burn off” excess power in the form of heat. This is wasteful and dangerous. If it got too hot, you could start a fire, or burn your foot. PWM simply sends shorter pulses of power to the motor causing it to spin more slowly. There’s no dangerous “burn off” of excess power. In fact, it’s only using the exact amount of power it needs.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5148.png!

    Square waves aren’t even the end of the story. There are triangle waves, and sawtooth waves and just about any other shape you can imagine (though they might not have any practical use). As an amateur composer of electronic music, the square, triangle and sawtooth waves are the bread and butter of synthesized sounds.

    I’m not sure if I’ve changed Jeff Spicoli’s mind on these waves, but hopefully others have found this explanation of waves and signals to be interesting.

  • Heading into the Library Stacks

    I remember way back when, that Grace and I would go to the Chicago Public library to “do our homework”. When we actually did some homework the reference section was my favorite. That and looking at the huge microfiche library of old copies of the Chicago Tribune.

    Did you know that Apple hid a huge reference library in your Mac?

    You’re probably used to Mac apps using red underlines to mark misspelled words, but did you know that macOS has long included a fully-featured Dictionary app as well? It provides quick access to definitions and synonyms in the New Oxford American Dictionary and the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, along with definitions of Apple-specific words like AppleCare and MacTCP. But that’s far from all it can do.

    First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Launch the Dictionary app from your Applications folder and then type a word or phrase into the Search field. As you type, Dictionary starts looking up words that match what you’ve typed so far–you don’t even have to press Return. If more than one word matches what you’ve typed, click the desired word in the sidebar.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5150.png!

    Notice the lozenges below the toolbar, representing the references that Dictionary can consult, and no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you–Dictionary can look things up in Wikipedia if your Mac has an Internet connection. In short, Dictionary gives you instant access to a dictionary, a thesaurus, and an encyclopedia containing over 5.4 million articles in English alone! You can click a reference’s lozenge to limit your search, or select All to scan all of them.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5151.png!

    If you want to look up words in another language, or even just British English, Dictionary has you covered, with a long list of other reference works. Choose Dictionary > Preferences and select those you’d like to use. You can drag the selected entries into the order you want their lozenges to appear below the toolbar.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5152.png!

    Once you’re in a definition, note that you can copy text for use in other apps–always helpful when wading into grammar and usage arguments on the Internet. More generally, you can click any word in Dictionary’s main pane to look it up instantly. If dictionaries had been this much fun in school, we’d have larger vocabularies! Use the Back and Forward arrow buttons to navigate among your recently looked-up words.

    As helpful as the Dictionary app is, you probably don’t want to leave it running all the time. Happily, Apple has provided quite a few shortcut methods for looking up words:

    * Command-Space to invoke Spotlight, and enter your search term.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5153.png!

    * Select a word, and then choose AppName > Services > Look Up in Dictionary to launch Dictionary and search for that word. This trick should work in most apps, but won’t work in all. If the Look Up in Dictionary command doesn’t appear, make sure it’s enabled in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services, in the Searching category.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5154.png!

    * Last but best, hover over a word or phrase with the cursor and either press Command-Control-D or Control-click the word and choose Look Up “word.” If the app supports it, macOS displays a popover with the definition or Wikipedia article. If you have a trackpad, you can also do a force-click or three-finger tap on the selected word–make sure the “Look up & data detectors” checkbox is selected in System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click.

    Now that you know how to take full advantage of the reference library that Apple has built into macOS, it’s time to get in touch with your inner logophile (feel free to look that one up).

  • Stay Cool

    Summer officially started this week. Has anyone checked with Mother Nature? Are we sure she got the memo? Seriously, sometimes I can’t tell…

  • All of us at Small Dog Electronics send our best wishes for a safe and happy Independence Day. I’ll be under the Prickly Mountain float in the parade pushing our people-powered creation just as I have done for 4 decades! Then it is the traditional strawberry daiquiri party with mountain croquet and bocce at my house. My fingers are red from cutting up strawberries by the end of the day!

    ??We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…??

    The most powerful statement ever on human rights and the relation of government to the governed. We celebrate our independence on Tuesday, keeping these sage words in mind.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Emily & Hadley_

  • Hot and Cold

    Last week’s article on cooling got away from me a little bit. I had actually intended to discuss a very interesting, lesser known cooling method but it was necessary to lay the groundwork of how temperature works. That’ll make this article a bit shorter and to the point.

    If you want to cool a large area, like a server room, a conventional air conditioner will always be your best bet. For the job, they are the most efficient. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to refer to air conditioners by a more technically accurate name: heat pumps. This is what air conditioners are actually doing. They are pumping heat from one area to another. Equipment in our server room generates heat, and the heat pump effectively absorbs that heat and pumps it outside. The heat in the server room heats up the cool decompressed gas and then this warmed, decompressed gas is directed outside, where its acquired heat will be dumped by a heat sink. Heat pumps can also work in reverse to warm an area. If our server room was an iguana habitat, a heat pump would take the small amount of heat present in cool, outside air, and compress the gas causing it to heat up, and then vent this heat, via a heat sink, into our iguana habitat.

    Generally speaking, any cooling mechanism has a heating component to it. This type of heating/cooling all works by moving heat energy around. Other types of heating and cooling are called exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions, respectively. An exothermic reaction converts potential chemical energy into heat energy. An endothermic reaction requires more energy input (in the form of ambient heat) so the result is the reactants become cool because they’re absorbing the heat. The applications for this type of heating and cooling are limited, but specific. For example, chemical hand warmers that heat up when you break them, or ice packs that cool when you break them.

    What if you had a small area, or even a small device that you needed to precisely cool, to within fractions of a degree? Chemical reactions and compressed gasses cannot be controlled precisely enough for this task. Enter the solid state Peltier effect. Any time you have two different types of metals joined together, heat energy can be generated or removed at the junction when electric current is passed through it. This will work with any two metals, but for high performance, useable cooling, Peltier devices normally use P N semiconductor junctions, and there are often dozens of them all packed into single wafer. When current is applied, one side of the wafer will become hot, and the other side will become cool. If left this way, the device can eventually self-consume. However, if you place heat sinks on both sides, the heat being “pumped” to one side of the wafer can be dumped. A heat sink on the cool side will allow for better cooling by providing more surface area for heat energy to pass through the device, to the hot side. Remember, heat energy is everywhere. What we call “cool” is just less heat. Unless “cool” is absolute zero, there’s still heat energy there.

    Because these junctions can be manufactured at virtually any size, and current through them precisely controlled, they can create extremely precise temperatures. They have no moving parts, no refrigerant gas, compact and flexible shapes, can be used in almost any environment and have far, far longer service life than a refrigerant-based heat pump. Their disadvantages are that they are not very energy efficient in terms of cooling/heating performance vs a refrigerant-based system and they are unable to create large temperature differentials. A typical device will only be able to create a temperature difference of 70 degrees celsius between the hot and cool side.

    Disadvantages aside, these Peltier coolers have many applications. Any small device (even USB-powered) that advertises cooling ability, will be a Peltier device. Small 12V coolers for vehicles often use Peltier elements. Spacecraft use them to reduce temperature differences on the spacecraft itself by pumping the heat generated by exposure to the sun to the shaded side of the craft. Some lasers use the coolers as part of the laser circuitry to maintain a precise temperature to stabilize the laser wavelength. Sometimes the coolers are even used as active (as opposed to passive) cooling devices for computer equipment.

    I think this about wraps up most of the heating/cooling methods I’m aware of. If there are any that I’ve forgotten about, or anything else you’d like to know about, send me an email.

  • Take Awesome Fireworks Photos With Your iPhone

    It’s that time of year, summer, including the fourth of July and fireworks. I seem it be on a roll so to speak when it comes to iPhone camera tips, so here’s a few more for the upcoming weekend, most of us will have our iPhones in our pockets and might want to capture that amazing moment.

    **1: Pick A Good Location**

    Consider your position before it gets dark. If you’re too close, you might not be able to capture the full glory of the massive color burst. Too far away, the fireworks will be little spots of light. Make sure there aren’t any power lines or lamp posts between you and the fireworks. If there’s nearby water, you might be able to take some interesting reflection shots.

    **2: Turn off the Flash**

    The iPhone’s flash works only at short distances, so turn it off to avoid annoying people around you. In the Camera app, tap the lighting bolt and then select off.

    **3: Disable HDR or Enable Keep Normal Photo**

    You probably want to disable HDR by tapping HDR on the Camera screen. and then tapping Off. HDR or High Dynamic Range, combines three exposures into one photo, which works well when some parts of a scene are dark and others are light. The problem with HDR is that fireworks will move slightly between the exposures, which may cause the photo to blur. That could be an interesting effect in its own right, so if you want to try leaving HDR on, be sure to enable Keep Normal Photo in Settings > Photos & Camera. That way, you can see whether you prefer the normal image or the HDR version.

    **4: Hold Still or Use a Tripod**

    To reduce the chance of your fireworks photos coming our blurry, keep the iPhone as still as possible. Try holding it with both hands and pressing your elbows to your sides. Even better, you can set up a tripod (selfie sticks can sometime work as well) to better stabilize your phone. Even a small portable tripod can work wonders. If you’re fortunate enough to get the right parking spot you can place the tripod on the roof of your car.

    **5: Try the iPhone’s Special Modes**

    **Burst Mode:** A great option! (also works well with lightning storms) Press and hold the shutter button to take multiple shots at once.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5145.png!

    **Live Photos:** Fireworks are all about motion, the slow climb, the pause and then the explosion of light and sound. If you enable Live Photos by tapping its bullseye icon in the Camera app (it then turns yellow), tapping the shutter button will take a mini-movie of the action. Tip: when you’re done with the fireworks photos turn off live photos to reduce the amount of space your photos are taking up on your phone.

    **Slow-Mo Video:** This is a really cool way to take these kinds of pictures and even more fun if you plan to share them on social media. Sure a regular video will work just fine, but there’s something extra special about seeing the color explosions slowly unfold.

    **Time-Lapse Video:** Another really fun way to capture the show! You can record the entire event in a time lapse video. Time lapse will compress the entire show into a few short minutes, just flip to Time-Lapse in the Camera app. Tip: you will need a tripod for the time-lapse video to work.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5146.png!

    **6: Use an App for Longer Exposures**

    Apple’s build-in Camera app doesn’t let you increase the length of exposures, which can provide striking light trails of fireworks. Lots of independent apps do offer that capability, including “LongExpo”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/longexpo-slow-shutter-and-long-exposure-camera/id594078421?mt=8 (free), “Shutter”:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/shutter-manual-camera/id1019169526?mt=8 (free), “Slow Shutter Cam”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slow-shutter-cam/id357404131?mt=8 (.99), and “Manual”:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/manual-custom-exposure-camera/id917146276?mt=8 ($5.49).

    Try out these tips this weekend if you can and Happy 4th of July to all!

  • Lock Her Up in Ten Easy Steps

    Your house that is. Automating your door lock can be easy and give you some versatility and control that is almost magical. Imagine that your door is unlocked whenever you approach it and locks whenever you leave home. Or imagine that a friend wants to stay at your house when you are gone but they don’t have a key. You can send them an eKey or just unlock the door for them from anywhere that has Wi-Fi.

    You can do all that and more with the August Smart Lock. I have installed August Smart Locks both here in Vermont and in Key West. Since I have renters or friends using my house when I am not there, it is easy to send them a key via email or let the cleaners in to clean up after them.

    The physical installation of the August Smart Lock is pretty darn easy. Yes, YOU can do it if you already have a deadbolt on your door you are only changing the inside of the lock. The outside with the key slot stays just as it is and you can, in fact, use your old fashioned key if you want. To install the lock the only tool you will need is a Phillips screwdriver.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5137.jpg!

    **Step One**
    Buy an “August Smart Lock”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=august from Small Dog Electronics!

    **Step Two**
    Put the included piece of tape over the outside of your current deadbolt (the side with the key!) to hold it against the door as you complete the installation.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5138.jpg!

    **Step Three**
    Unscrew the two screws holding the inside of your deadbolt and remove that latch or knob. You now have a piece of the deadbolt sticking through the door.

    **Step Four**
    Install the August backing plate and tail-piece adapter. The clever August backing plate fits most deadbolt locks and has adjustable holes so that the screws will fit. Using the screws you removed in step three, screw in the August backing plate. The August lock comes with an assortment of tail pieces. You need to select the one for your brand of deadbolt (there is a chart that comes with the lock!). Select the right tail piece and install it onto the August Smart Lock by pressing it into place.

    **Step Five**
    Install the August Smart Lock. Here’s a smart feature, the August Smart Lock has two little handles that you pop open and then you can place the lock into place with the tail piece connecting to that piece of your deadbolt that was sticking through your door and the lock clicking into place on their backing plate. Simply, push the two little handles back down to lock it into place.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5139.jpg!

    **Step Six**
    Push on the front plate of the lock to remove the magnetic front cover. The lock comes with batteries installed but they have a little piece of plastic to remove to make them active. Remove that. Just a note on batteries, I find that they last about 6 months and the August app will remind you when you need to replace them.

    This is the point at which I take a break and pat myself on the back for my mechanical skills. Everything from this point is software. One of the best features of the August Smart Lock is the ease of installation but it is also notable that it does not require a separate hub.

    **Step Seven**
    Download the August App. It is available for free in the Apple app store. Once you download the app and launch it, you are in the capable virtual hands of the app which will walk you through the set-up. Once you have the app and launch it, the app will scan for your lock. Once it finds the lock it will update the firmware on the lock if the lock needs it. Be patient and leave your iPhone near the lock while this is going on.

    **Step Eight**
    The August app will next ask you to calibrate the lock. This is a simple process of asking you to manually lock and unlock the door so that the software knows which is which. After calibration, you need to name your lock and assign in to your house and if you want, add a picture.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/5140.jpg!

    Check it out! Use the August app to open and close your lock. In order for you to be able to operate your lock remotely you must have HomeKit set up and an Apple TV or iPad set as your HomeKit hub. We have written in “past issues of Kibbles”:http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb1025/ about how to do this. Once you have it set up as a HomeKit device you can ask Siri to lock and unlock your door and incorporate your lock into “scenes” or “automations”.

    **Step Nine**
    Invite someone. Using the invite screen you can send an electronic key to almost anyone. You can invite them via their cell phone number or by email. You can grant them “always” access or just for a set period of time.

    **Step Ten**
    Automate with your iPhone. The August Smart Lock knows where you are because it knows your iPhone. When you are nearby it knows to open the door and when you leave, if you set up the auto lock feature it will lock the door. It does this through geofencing which uses GPS or RFID technology to create a virtual geographic boundary. Using the August App you can set this boundary so that when you are within that limit your door unlocks or when you leave it locks the door. Better yet, if you are using HomeKit, you can set up an automation to unlock the door through HomeKit. That way you can add other features, too, like unlock the door, turn on the lights and turn up the heat.

    The August Smart Lock is easy to install and set up and yet, it is one of the most powerful and versatile pieces of home automation gear. I like the lock a lot and highly recommend it. It is also great for renters since you are not removing or changing the deadbolt.

  • Jonathan Bombard

    Family: Mom (Heather) Dad (Andrew) Pets: Bella (bulldog) Hobbies/Interests: Mountain Biking, Skateboarding and snowboarding Favorite Books: N/A Favorite Bands: Dirty heads, 21 pilots…