I was sitting on an overturned paint bucket, holed up inside a freezing cold electrical closet. Just another day at the office! I was trying to figure out the best way to queue up commands if a link in the system went down. I thought things out to their extreme conclusion… and realized that what […]

They say that a poor craftsman blames their tools, but anyone who has ever tried to crimp a cable with a dull punch-down tool knows that you can only do so much with what you are given. It won’t fit on a coffee mug, but a less pithy way of putting it is “a fine […]

True confession: I don’t like automated bathroom sinks very much. I know that sounds strange coming from someone who automates things for a living. But it’s the truth. Intellectually, I understand their utility. No water running all night. No touching taps that could be covered with all sorts of germs. But then I get into […]

Quick! Pull up a mental picture of the Amish. Now think about what kinds of technology they might be using. “That’s crazy talk, Hope,” you might be thinking right about now, “the Amish are practically synonymous with horse and buggies and the near total rejection of modern technology.” Actually, dear readers, the Amish view of […]

It was a lie so obvious and about something so utterly unimportant, I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. In the process of tracking down a fairly minor issue, I asked if a contractor had done work on a particular floor over the weekend. “We didn’t touch this floor,” they said. So how did […]

Our cat passed away a few months ago, and we kinda sorta forgot to pick up her ashes. Our vet’s office sent us a very kind letter where they struck just the right balance between “we’re very sorry for your loss” and “you really need to come back and get these cremains.” The thought that […]

We’ve all dealt with people who get more and more adamant, even as they get more and more wrong. Maybe it’s a coworker who swears up and down that they never got your TPS reports (even though you can see them sitting on their desk!). Maybe it’s a customer who tries to change the scope […]

A few weeks ago, I had the mortifying and frustrating experience of missing a flight that I was very, very early for. How does one go about missing a flight after sitting for a few hours in the terminal? It turns out that it’s a relatively easy process. Step One: Arrive early, then have your […]

I have been known to tout my bonafides by name-dropping the fact that I’m a Crestron Certified Programmer. But, if we’re going to get real about Crestron certifications, I am but a neophyte compared to the Crestron Certified Programmers who have completed further training/testing and achieved the upper levels of Silver, Gold and Platinum certification. […]