Author: Leon

Categories
Programming

Track Your Migraines on Facebook

Many people suffer from migraines, a kind of storm in the brain that causes more than just headaches. I am one of those people. After I’d heard Mark Zuckerberg speak at last year’s Facebook developers conference, it occurred to me that sharing the experience might fit with his vision to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

migraines screenshot

I had an app done in August but got distracted for several months. Over the Christmas break, I found the time to polish it up and release it. The main feature of the app is a personal database of migraine events with the aim to helping you discover patterns or triggers. In the context of Facebook allows you to automatically let your friends know you’ve had a migraine. That could lead to better understanding or just a feeling of comfort.

You can get started using the app by visiting the Migraines About Page on Facebook.

One advantage in waiting was the the new template bundles for the news feed is working flawlessly. In August it was brand new and buggy. I also had more fun with the Google Chart API. Once you get a few migraines recorded, I can generate a pie chart of how severe they are and a line graph of how many you have each month.

Categories
Entertainment

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin is Great

Born Standing Up by Steve MartinI have always been a fan of Steve Martin, even when I was a kid. Maybe it was because he became such a sensation just as I was becoming aware of pop culture. His sense of humor resonates with me. All comedy relies on identifying things that are “wrong” in surprising ways, but unlike the type of comedy that identifies the wrongs of society, Martin tends to stick to fundamentals. His style is to present material that’s wrong on simple logical terms.

I received a copy of Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life as a Christmas present and read it straight through that day. As is typical of Martin’s writing style, it is light and approachable. It isn’t heavy on details, but instead has an introspective style. I can imagine the same subject covered by a fan would detail every appearance, every album, every movie. I’ve read several books in that style that were interesting but left out the emotions and motivations. I appreciated how Martin discusses his struggle with panic attacks and his strained relationship with his father.

One detail that stood out for me is Martin’s love of the Somerset Maugham novel The Razor’s Edge. I really enjoyed that novel when I discovered it in college. I even like Bill Murray’s movie version. So, his mention of it made another point of validation for my admiration of Martin’s work.

Categories
News

Cool Threads From Livity

It’s probably too late to shop for gifts, but if you get cash for Christmas, head over to Livity Outernational and check out their cool clothes. My childhood friend, Isaac, runs the business and sent me some samples. The hoodie he sent me is now my favorite casual jacket.livity kelp overload

It’s super heavyweight and really fought off the cold. It’s been especially cold here in Northern California in the past couple weeks, but I’ve been comfortable. I also like the the whimsical and useful features of this hoodie. There are holes in the sleeves for your thumbs which while kind of fun are also practical for keeping the sleeves from riding up while your doing something active like snowboarding. There’s also a cool design of a “Kelp Overload” on the inside, or on the outside if you choose to turn this reversible jacket inside-out.

Maybe you’ll find something else at the store that you fancy, so check it out.

Categories
Programming

Facebook Platform Team Are Thankful

What a nice surprise! As a developer on the Facebook platform for more than a year, I get occational messages from Facebook about new features, such as the revolutionary Facebook Connect functionality that went live recently.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a note from the Platform Team thanking all 600K+ developers!

We wanted to take a moment and thank you for all of your great work and amazing applications that have helped make Facebook Platform the largest and fastest-growing social platform over the past year and a half. As we end 2008 there are over 660,000 of you worldwide building applications that give users more powerful ways to share and connect, and collectively your applications have reached nearly 140 million people.

It’s a stark contrast to the total lack of developer love shown by MySpace. I hope Santa leaves some coal in their stockings. I have no doubt there will be many presents under the trees of the Facebook Platform Team.

I am so very pleased to be working with Facebook in their mission to bringing people closer together. Little notes like this remind me of Mark Zuckerberg’s presentation last July and how I came away feeling inspired. So, to Facebook, I’d like to say, “no, thank you!”

Categories
Creative Pursuits

Cut Loose Like A Deuce

I’ve been messing around with t-shirt designs on Cafe Press. Recently I resurrected some designs from when I was kid, but this one is an original. It is based on a line from a song that you ought to recognize unless you just couldn’t understand them when you heard them. Click to cafepress.com/cut_loose if you want to buy a shirt with the design.

The previous shirts I uploaded were

The next one will be Martinez-themed.