Sandal sun stripes, yard work and finding fingers and fist
Posted By RichC on June 7, 2017
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Guest post: Monitoring Remote Locations #DIY – by Jeff Pitts
Posted By RichC on June 6, 2017
One of the fun areas of IT that has been growing in recent years is the “maker community” of products for do-it-yourselfers. These devices range from the Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, Photon, Arduino, etc. The movement is bringing electronics to those of us that have that tinkerer mindset, but it also extends the opportunity to try out new ideas before going full-fledged into rolling out devices that solve a problem.
For many of us in the pharmacy industry, the loss of an HVAC unit in the summer or winter, can be a costly event, and those of us in rural communities often have issues with a loss of power in the middle of the night. My IT department oversees 30 locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, some of which that are in “power-challenged” areas. Our furthest stores are an hour and a half drive from the corporate office and a circuit failure could be a power failure or maybe a circuit that is truly down. If the circuit is down, we want to have our telecom carrier on-site as soon as the door opens so we can minimize the amount of data that is sent over cellular backup circuits; but if it’s truly a power failure, we don’t want to pay for the carrier to show up and it not be their issue.
We experienced an HVAC failure at a store that almost cost us the entire pharmacy inventory last year and that event started us looking at potential solutions beyond the refrigerator and freezer monitoring we were already doing as required by law. Because Josh Coburn, my network admin, and I both enjoy tinkering with electronics including the Raspberry Pi, we discussed how we could use a single board computer device to monitor for power failures. Each design we looked at required a purchase a UPS to connect to the Pi in order know when the power died which would ultimately bump the cost of the low-cost device installation an additional $70-100, per store.
Near the end of last year I ran across the Photon from Particle.io, which is a smaller, low cost Wi-Fi enabled Arduino-like microprocessor. I ordered one and started playing with it, then bought one for Josh as a Christmas present. Within a few weeks we started talking about how we might be able to use the Photon instead of the Raspberry Pi. While Josh was researching the Photon, he discovered that Particle.io also made a Power Shield for the Photon, which provided the backup power source that would trigger a power failure alert and solved our need for a separate UPS unit for each installation. We realized that if we added the DHT-22 sensor, we could collect temperature and humidity, and could tackle the whole problem with one device for about $55 for per store which allows us to know if a circuit down alert was due to a power failure or is truly a bad circuit.
Josh has built a prototype of the device with the DHT-22 temperature and humidity sensor, so we can monitor the humidity inside the pharmacy areas of the stores.
The completed schematic, shown below, shows just the temperature sensor.
The next step was to build a Node.js server with a MongoDB backend to poll the devices and collect the data for each store, giving us the ability to store and track each location over time. The current data feed that we receive looks like the following, it also includes the WiFi signal strength (rssi) and the state of charge on the battery (soc):
The Node application polls each site every hour, records the data to MongoDB, and will send an alert if the values get too far out of range.
Could it replace the services we purchase for refrigerator and freezer monitoring required by the FDA and Boards of Pharmacies? Possibly, but I prefer to have that legal requirement covered by a company that specializes in those services, certifies the accuracy of the sensors, and provides the documentation for audits. For now, this is a quick and inexpensive solution for monitoring the temperature and power in each store.
Jeff A. Pitts is the Director of IT at Fruth Pharmacy
Priorities: Get your chores done, then you can watch the game
Posted By RichC on June 5, 2017
One of the more interesting photos making the social networking circles was that of a man mowing his lawn as a nasty looking tornado was churning in the background. According to the news, the man said "I was keeping my eye on it." That said, this is NOT the kind of guy you want to ask to watch your kids when you run to the store … but might be the kind to take storm chasing!
Elio Motors make appearances and send out optimistic updates
Posted By RichC on June 5, 2017
BUT … I would be remise not to share a few of the negative articles regarding Elio Motors weak fiscal condition, but would like to think this car will still be built. Last month Digital Trends published their update.
Elio Motors, the Arizona-based startup that promised to change the way Americans commute, is in dire financial straits. The company has delayed production of its three-wheeler several times, and is reportedly burning cash at an alarming rate.
A United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing reveals Elio Motors had just $101,317 in cash on September 30, 2016. That’s a rounding error at best for a car company. More recent financial information hasn’t been made public.
Worse yet, the same document declares recurring net losses caused an accumulated deficit of over $123 million. The company explained it’s uncertain about what the future holds.
“If we are unable to continue to obtain financing to meet our working capital requirements, we may have to curtail our business sharply or cease operations altogether,” wrote Elio Motors in the SEC filing. More recent information about the company’s finances hasn’t been released to the public.
Elio Motors made headlines when it leased a former General Motors factory in Shreveport, Louisiana. The plant manufactured trucks for decades — including the Chevrolet S10, the GMC Sonoma, and the Hummer H3 — but it closed down in 2012. Elio promised to give the local economy a significant boost and create about 1,500 jobs by producing the three-wheeler in the Shreveport facility. However, the factory remains idle, and news channel KTBS points out the company has yet to bring a single job back to the community.
To add insult to injury, Elio wasn’t the only company interested in the facility. Jaguar — Land Rover wanted to base its North American operations in Shreveport, and air conditioning giant Daikin considered setting up shop in the former GM factory. Daikin ended up moving to Texas and creating jobs there, while Jaguar — Land Rover delayed its plans to build cars in the U.S.
Cedric Glover, the former mayor of Shreveport, wants to investigate the deal and question — under oath — some of the actors involved in luring Elio to Louisiana, according to a KTBS report. Notably, he points out Stuart Lichter, an investor who played a key role in bringing Elio to the Bayou State, was one of the startup’s majority shareholders.
“A significant portion of Elio’s accumulated deficit represents the amounts incurred for engineering, [and] research and development work. These amounts are expensed as incurred and contribute to Elio’s operating losses, which in turn are reflected in the accumulated deficit,” a company spokesman told Digital Trends. The brand added that its debt amounted to $38.8 million in September of last year.
Displayed at auto shows around the nation, Elio Motors’ first car (pictured) is supposed to be a fuel-sipping, three-wheeled two-seater named P5. It has a narrow, highly aerodynamic body, and two front wheels that are completely enclosed to reduce drag. A 0.9-liter, three-cylinder engine developed specifically for the P5 returns up to 84 mpg.
Ahead of last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Elio announced plans to launch the P5 by the end of this year with a base price of approximately $6,800. To date, the company has taken 65,000 refundable and nonrefundable reservations, according to its official website.
In Glover’s opinion, the reservation holders have lost their money for good. In fact, Louisiana’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has launched an investigation to find out if Elio sold car reservations without the required license.
Still in business in spite of the quagmire it’s seemingly stuck in, Elio insists it remains on track to deliver a production car. However, it has delayed the start of production once again.
“We are targeting next year to start production and we plan on filling all reservations in our first year of production,” the company writes on its official website.
Updated 5/1/2017 by Ronan Glon: Added information about the other companies who wanted the former GM factory, the DMV’s investigation, and Elio’s official statement.
Rethinking our National Debt while still encouraging growth
Posted By RichC on June 4, 2017
From a small business perspective, excessive debt is near the top for reasons entrepreneurs fail in business. In my experience there are bankers and leasers with terms in the lenders favor, but not in the borrower’s favor. 
Bankruptcies are harmful not only to the person and family going through the ordeal, but on the creditors who have extended credit or "terms" to the bankrupt business (extended liberal terms to long time customers in my case).
On the other hand, most of us need to borrow. On the personal side, it is nearly impossible to buy a house without a mortgage. Some would say it is even necessary to borrow in order to go to school, buy a car or take a vacation — we in debatable waters at this point. As a business persona, capital is almost always necessary to start or expand, especially in equipment oriented businesses, and few owners or managers can carry enough inventory or have capital for receivables in today’s competitive business environment.
Same for rebuilding our country … although it is often too easy for politicians who love to spend and hate to pay anything back. Jim Glassman, Head Economist for JPMorganChase Commercial Banking wrote about this in is recent Markets and Economy article titled, "Does the US Have a Debt Problem?" I was particularly enlightened by the Debt as an Investment section:
Borrowing should be viewed as an investment—all debts must be paid, but if the money can be used to build greater wealth, taking on debt can be worthwhile. For example, if infrastructure spending were viewed as an investment, there would likely be fewer objections to debt financing for high-return projects. If roads are built where they’re most needed, the investment in infrastructure eventually pays for itself by promoting future growth.
It makes sense as we approach the budget negotiation in Washington DC over the next few months, particularly since many elected to serve do not run capitally intensive businesses or are educated as economists (nor are their constituents putting pressure on them to either "balance the budget" (conservative right) or "spend liberally on everything" (far left). Hopefully there will be sound judgement from a reasonably fiscally sound leader in the House of Representative (Rep Paul Ryan) and business minded President Trump using the bully pulpit to convince voters … that we’ll get a spending plan that promotes growth.
Stratolaunch emerges from the hanger
Posted By RichC on June 3, 2017
Stratolaunch, cited as the "world’s largest plane," has been under construction for four years, but is finally ready to come out of the hanger. The plane has a wingspan larger than a football field and according to the design firm Stratolaunch Systems, is designed to carry rockets into the stratosphere before firing the payload into space.
The aircraft weighs approximately 500,000 pounds and can carry payloads up to 550,000 pounds, with a wingspan of 385 feet. By comparison, the largest wingspan of a plane that has flown at least one flight is Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose, which had a wingspan of 319 feet.
The plane, which has 28 wheels, was built in the Mojave desert inside a custom-built hangar. It’s powered by six Boeing 747 engines and is getting ready for a test flight, according to Stratolaunch Systems CEO, Jean Floyd.
"Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be actively conducting ground and flightline testing at the Mojave Air and Space Port," Floyd wrote on the company’s website. "This is a first-of-its-kind aircraft, so we’re going to be diligent throughout testing and continue to prioritize the safety of our pilots, crew and staff. Stratolaunch is on track to perform its first launch demonstration as early as 2019."
The company was launched by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in a race to be the preeminent company for aircraft that can launch objects into orbit. Recognizing the achievement, Floyd added that more work is to be done and the company will have more to say.
"We have a lot of exciting activity ahead as we enter the testing process, and we look forward to sharing our progress during the coming months," Floyd wrote.
TechFriday: Apple iPhone8 and iOS11 as WWDC 2017 nears
Posted By RichC on June 2, 2017
Who doesn’t love anticipating "the next big thing" when it comes to tech, especially the mobile tech we used everyday? I for one am ready to replace my iPhone5s with some new hardware — if for nothing else, a snappier interface (it just feels slow). The plan for about a year has been to wait on Apple to announce the new iPhone8 (or whatever they will call it) and an update of iOS10 which is starting to feel like an old mobile operating system. The updates to iOS10 are fine, but the true innovation will likely wait for the hardware that can support it. (are my hopes too high???)
Rumors have been hard to pin down … which means Apple is doing a good job at keeping things under wraps, at least that is what experts say? WWDC 2017 is next week June 5-9 and most expect something from Apple besides the new iPad, MacBook refresh and Siri speaker. Most suspect it will be iOS11 features and a hint at what the iPhone8 might include. We shall see.
Without iOS powering the iPhone, all we have is a piece of hardware that looks like every other smartphone out there. But iOS is really the one thing that keeps fans loyal to the iPhone. Sure, the hardware is amazing, but iOS is really what makes me want to stay inside Apple’s ecosystem. And I suspect that’s the case for many other iPhone users.
Unlike in previous years, Apple somehow managed to prevent major iOS leaks. We’re just days away from WWDC 2017 and there have not been any major scoops about the operating system. We have no idea what’s coming, and I suspect that Apple will do its very best to keep some of iOS 11’s gems a secret during the keynote and even after the first iOS 11 betas are released, as they would practically confirm details about the iPhone 8’s features and final design.
Rumors say the iPhone 8 will support wireless charging as well as AR and VR. These features could be confirmed by iOS 11 leaks months before the iPhone 8 actually ships. Even the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor’s functionality could be explained by an iOS 11 leak.
Once upon a time, we did sail on Lake Erie #TBT
Posted By RichC on June 1, 2017
After searching through directories of a couple older computers looking for a document unrelated to the photo above, I ran across this picture of our family on our sailboat Tulla from the miid-1990s. I may have posted something (???) in a sailing related post years ago, but don’t think so? Anyway ia #TBT (ThrowBackThursday) post is long overdue since I have neglected to post any #TBTs to the blog in 2017.
This particular family photo of Katelyn, Brenda, Taylor and Rich was on Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio aboard our NorSea27 which we eventually owner financed for the new buyer (risky?)… which by-the-way helped pay for the kid’s college tuition (this was the second boat we sold for more that we paid). The Nor’Sea was a small, but solidly build boat with a separate aft cabin, which at the time I thought the kids would love; they preferred being all together. Who knew?
What originally attracted me to a smaller seaworthy cruising sailboat was that we were landlocked in Cincinnati and I had thought it could be put on a trailer and hauled without a special permit to new cruising grounds (unlike our previous boat Brenich or most other cruising sailboats). Alas, we did not take or make the time to do much sailing as with our kids were becoming teenagers; between school, their extra-curricular activities and friends … and our careers … Tulla didn’t get the kind of use I intended (kind of like our current boat Encore). Ugh!
Panorama while taking a break from yardwork #MemorialDay17
Posted By RichC on May 31, 2017
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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.