Blogging Barretts

Jan 09

Life lesson for Jake

If I can instill one thing in him over the next 10 years, this will be it.  I think the lines cross a lot sooner than 40.. more like 30!

Thanks to The Big Picture blog for the graphic

Jan 01

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Dec 27

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Dec 26

Crisp winter afternoon down at Chrissy Field. All Jake wants to do these days is “daddy walk” so a nice sandy beach with a view seemed like the right call.

Dec 20

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Dec 04

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Dec 01

First good use case for my Nest thermostat

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my new Nest thermostat and have enjoyed not paying much attention to it since then - it is simply working as expected.  Last week we flew back to North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday and had an opportunity to really utilize its features

• In the car on the way to the airport I remember not turning off the heat (hectic trying to get a kid ready for a cross-country flight).  I opened the iPhone app and turned off the system
• We flew home a week later and when we got off the plane at SFO, I opened the app and turned on the heat.  The house was warm an toasty when we arrived

Since our gas/electric bill runs about $200 a month in the chilly months, turning off the system for a full week saved us close to $50 and it would never have happened had I not been able to manage it remotely.  

Nov 27

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Nov 18

My new Nest thermostat

Many of my friends are tech / gadget geeks and living here in San Francisco certainly gives us a chance to see, play, and own the hottest toys around.  While most of the crew loves the personal electronics, I get even more excited about how technology integrates with homes and businesses.  That’s what I am a proud early adopter of the new Nest thermostat.  You can read all about the impressive ex-Apple team that put it together and my experience so far is nothing short of that Apple euphoric feeling.  Everything from the packaging to the ease of setup to the simplicity screams Apple in all the good ways.

• Packaging - brilliantly eloquent as if you were opening a new iPhone.  It even came with a slick screw driver to help with installation that will be valuable in the future.  Took about 10min
• Connection - once it was connected, it booted up (weird to say that about a thermostat) and immediately found our WiFi and asked to be connected.  Using the wheel built into the device, I entered the password and it immediately started downloading software updates. (it also went through a backup process, not sure where it is backing up to). 5min
• Peripherals - while it was downloading, I went to the App store and downloaded the iPhone app for the device.  Part of the fun will be adjusting and monitoring the temp from anywhere in the world
• Setup - going through the setup menu was easy and it asked me for things like my zip code, lowest temp when we’re away, etc.  Once done, it was running and ready and I quickly programmed the weekly schedule taking into account when the kids are home and when I am working at home.
• Usage - just getting started so I’ll let you know how it goes in a few months.  It supposedly learns constantly meaning it should be smarter then or something like that.

Nice little Friday treat after a brutal week  

Nov 16

Very cool thing Micron does for employees. They park a big truck in the lot full of turkeys and hams. Walk out, show your badge, and grab one. Free of charge. Too bad consultants don’t qualify

Oct 31

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Oct 19

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Oct 10

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Sep 05

Our grand plans for a Labor Day picnic where thwarted by the SF fog this morning so we ended up hanging out at the Koidins as our backup plan.  They not only have a great place with fun toys for the kids but also a really nice courtyard which came in handy when the sun finally came out.  We had never successfully taken a picture of the group without one of the kids melting down until today - this one turned out great. 

Sep 04

Another start to a Michigan football season and while I wasn’t so lucky to have my dad here again this year (they were in town last week) we did manage to catch a picture of Jake and I for posterity.  I hope you all notice that Jake looks significantly older while I only look slight more “weathered”.  Yesterday’s game was pretty odd with the weather delays and final termination but its fun to see Jake enjoying the activity even if he is still unable to sing “The Victors” or yell “Go Blue”