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<title>Steve Reid&#x27;s RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/index.html</link><description>RSS Feed from Steve Reid</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2005 Stephen L. Reid&#x2c; All Rights Reserved.</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-10-03T23:49:46-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:59:32 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>iSlideRule and iPhone</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2008-10-03T23:49:46-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a147e43a998712db6588d1a8bf93aa6b-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a147e43a998712db6588d1a8bf93aa6b-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's an idea I had for an application for the iPhone a couple of months back (when I first got my iPhone).   ...  It will take awhile to show up in the iTunes application store I'm sure, but I hope that folks will find it not only interesting, but useful as well.   


Anyway, now that I've completed the first version of it, I have some additional ideas for features that I could add to it (which, for obvious reasons, I won't actually post here yet! 

...For now, I'm hoping to have reviews that will be useful as an aid for me to improve the app.    I did a bit of testing of my own on it to ensure that it worked OK, and in doing so, found that I wasn't handling a full 180 degree rotation correctly.  

...I even purchased an iPod Touch just to insure that the app would work on it (of course, they sent me a second generation touch.    Since I cant' quickly verify that it works on a 1st generation Touch, I didn't mark it as compatible with that platform.  ...  The app doesn't do anything to strange or restrictive that would limit its capability on the older Touch.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TI Connect for OS X 1.7 is available&#x21;</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2007-11-17T11:25:11-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/5e1aae2b5a8d0f9e8615787dc79ba3e8-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/5e1aae2b5a8d0f9e8615787dc79ba3e8-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week TI Connect for OS X, version 1.7, was finally posted and made available on the TI website (education.ti.com/ticonnect).  ...  The major feature of this update over the previous one is that this release is a universal binary, running natively on either the PowerPC or Intel Macintosh architectures.    I did most of the work on this a couple of years ago, but in the past couple of months, the pressure finally built to the point where it had to be released.    A few tweaks here and there to finalize features, and get it through testing, and now its available!


There are a few other new features (such as contextual sending of calculator files via the Device Explorer (so we have a UI to show progress of sending; a major improvement over past contextual file sending where no UI was provided).    The Data Editor now includes GDB and Window/Range variable viewers (not Editors), and on Intel machines running 10.4 or better, Quartz is used for image manipulation (screen shots, etc).    Other past issues resolved in this release include problems with downloading apps and OS updates via TI Software Update from the TI Online Store (the infamous "Invalid Product ID" issue for one).


This version of TI Connect runs on Mac OS X 10.3 and later only, and the download is about 8.5MB.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>It&#x27;s Been Awhile...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-11-15T21:12:34-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/954b29d45600bd604da701e846780f90-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/954b29d45600bd604da701e846780f90-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's been a while since I posted anything here, so I thought I'd just put a few thoughts and updates as to what's been going on with me here.


...Can't really discuss what it is, of course, but its fun, and innovative, and a challenge;  all the things I like about my job.    We've got a great team of people on this one (like all the projects we do, of course), and its moving forward rapidly (at least I think so).     I've got enough time right now to do a really good job of up-front design and thinking through all the interactions that are needed in the system, as well as how communications with the outside world will work.   ...  My whiteboard is covered with design notes, as well as half of a notebook full of scribbled down ideas, comments, features, and little pieces of the system design, all block-diagramed out.   

...My pool playing has been "back-burnered" lately by a number of things (time, health, work, etc.) but I'm hoping to turn that around and get back to the table soon.    I do enjoy playing and for me; it is a relaxing way to spend a few less stressful hours during the week (and I miss having a couple of cold beers with the team!)


...And, for those that have looked over my site before; I just added a <a href="http://www.meebo.com"  rel="external" >Meebo</a> widget to the side panel of my front page here.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dammit Jim&#x21; We Won&#x21;</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2007-09-07T04:33:55-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/862f811e42498925b1d1abb518067385-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/862f811e42498925b1d1abb518067385-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We just finished the final week of the APA Summer session here in Dallas.    The 8-Ball team that I am on, Dammit Jim @ Drinks, won the division playoffs.    We finished 2nd in the normal season, and won the playoffs this past Wednesday night.    I played the lead-off match and won against a very good competitor.    I won the final game of my match-up by playing an excellent defensive shot, resulting in ball-in-hand for me after my opponent was unable to contact one of his object balls.    With ball-in-hand, I was able to put away my final ball, and got position on the 8-Ball for the win.   All in all, we had a very good night and a very enjoyable match against a very friendly and great team.     So; now we're eligible for next year's 8-Ball City Tournament and the possibility of a trip to Nationals in Las Vegas.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Vacation 2007</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-08-21T21:37:42-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e7645113440ab6eb5d79bcd315b4c22f-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e7645113440ab6eb5d79bcd315b4c22f-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The trip from Dallas TX to Wilbur WA was my usual route.    Dallas to Amarillo, to Raton, NM, to Denver CO and on to Cheyenne, WY.    Continuing north to Casper, and Sheridan, then on to Billings, Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula, MT.   

...My return trip was roughly the exact route, but I side-tracked from Raton, continuing south through Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM, then taking I-40 back to Amarillo, TX, and then on to Dallas.


During my vacation, I worked on projects around my parents home, as well as on my lake house on the Columbia River.    I also took a day-hike with my nephew and sister (pictures in my photo album!)


This vacation was enjoyable, but, as always, it felt too short even though I took off nearly 4 weeks from work.    I left with several projects planned for the next year, as well as several projects that weren't completed.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>47 - 74</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-05-18T07:19:59-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/be8166cca5927cf323bf595278a42715-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/be8166cca5927cf323bf595278a42715-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Happy Birthday to Me!    It's my 47th birthday today... and as my sister pointed out to me last night on the phone, for a few months here, if the digits of my age are transposed to 74, it's my dad's age...  hmmm.


I don't have much planned for today.    Work, then I think I'll go play darts at Drinks for something different to do tonight.    I haven't played a tournament in quite a while (actually, I haven't played darts in quite a while so it should be very interesting!   ;-)


Anyway; time to get the day going...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time For A Change</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-08T17:33:01-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/b04fe51b2b19e95baa6ed5cb803b2c12-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/b04fe51b2b19e95baa6ed5cb803b2c12-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So, last Friday (Good Friday), I decided it was time to take action and go get a new vehicle.     I've been thinking about a new vehicle for some time now, and finally had the time to go take care of business.


I went to North Central Ford in Richardson, TX and sat down in the Fleet/Commercial Sales department (nice thing about being a member of Texans Credit Union ).   ...  It had been a reliable vehicle for the past 13 years, but it was time.


...In other news, my 9-Ball team continues its advance; we've won the past couple of weeks and are in good position to be ready for the upcoming City 9-Ball tournament.   

...I've been spending some of my spare time recording my vinyl albums over to my computer, and adding them to my iTunes collection.  ...  I then connected my Technics SL-Q300 turntable to the preamp (I've had this turntable since the early 1980's and its still one of the best I've ever seen in terms of performance for the cost.)   ...  I've still got the majority of my collection to go; but I can take my time and do a recording every now and then as I want to.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Spring&#x2c; Vinyl&#x2c; Pool and Stuff</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-03-11T13:14:09-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/bbc4a1dba9417a827c0a70e7efc597b0-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/bbc4a1dba9417a827c0a70e7efc597b0-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I sit here looking out the window, the sky is blue with a few clouds, and a slight breeze is blowing.  ...  I've also been walking to work when I can; usually Tuesdays and Thursdays as the other days of the week I have lunch out with friends.


I've resumed (after a few year layoff) the conversion of my album collection from vinyl to electronic so that I can put the songs on my iPod.  ...  Of course, a few albums that I have and have listened to make we wonder what I was thinking when I bought them.   

...It started off pretty good, but work is taking a toll on my ability to concentrate on my pool game.   ...  My 9-Ball team is holding position about midway in the standings, but I would wish we were in better position.     We've got a few weeks to turn around and start winning consistently again... we'll see what happens.


This next week is a critical one at work; our latest project goes into full system test.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The New Dallas APA and my teams</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2007-01-27T15:42:25-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/1088b0e791f0b3880f7a7515d6a3440a-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/1088b0e791f0b3880f7a7515d6a3440a-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My 9-Ball team is playing about the same as usual, which means we're playing pretty well.  ...  We're having fun and looking forward to the city tournament coming up later this year.


The 8-Ball team I play on, Dammit Jim, has won the first two matches we've played so far.    Of course, I'm acting as captain right now and having fun with that.  

...The "new" APA has completely revised and updated the rules, and put more responsibility in the hands of the captains, division reps, area reps, and so on than was there before.  ...  If everything works like they say it should, a lot of the "sand-bagging" players will hopefully just leave the league.    I believe that in playing in the APA, a player should constantly strive to improve their game and advance their skill level if they can.    Time will tell if the new structure will work like everyone hopes it will.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Good Start to a New Year</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-01-02T20:32:41-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c6c9b41f1615e366945a6fb33c26b6fb-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c6c9b41f1615e366945a6fb33c26b6fb-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, it's 2007, and I'm busy updating websites since I just returned from my Christmas trip to Washington state.    It took a bit since my original flight plan was through Denver (that flight, on Frontier Airlines, was cancelled since the airport was still closed on Dec 21, 2006 due to the recent blizzard).    So, new plans were made, and I flew Alaska Airlines to Seatlle, then on to Spokane via Horizon Airlines.     The return trip was on the 1st instead of the 4th, so vacation was cut a bit short.    Flew back on Horizon from Spokane to Portland, then via American Airlines from Portland to Dallas.     It was basically a good trip all around.


I've posted additional pictures in my pictures gallery under the Construction heading.     Mainly because they're all pictures taken down at the new house on the lake over Christmas (my parents and I spent most of my vacation down at the house and I really hated to leave the place because it is very comfortable!)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Win One&#x2c; Lose One</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2006-12-02T15:01:54-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/cab384dec8a92dfd0ed9fa19a7f3c2ec-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/cab384dec8a92dfd0ed9fa19a7f3c2ec-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I won my 9-Ball match against a skill level 6 player on Monday, but then lost to a skill level 6 in 8-ball on Wednesday.   

...My 9-Ball team is still the finest team I could ever ask for or want, and are generally the best bunch of people I could want to play pool with.


...Wednesday, its 75+ outside, and by Thursday morning, we're having an ice-storm... albeit a mild one compared to others I remember here.


So, after a long week, I spent Friday evening over at Drinks; mostly just drinking my favorite beer and having conversations with a number of my friends there.    I played one game of 8-Ball (which I just barely won), and watched some very good darts being played in the tournament there.      There were a large number of people playing (over 50), most of whom I know, and a significant number of those that I had not seen in several years.  

...In a few weeks, I'm heading up to Washington to spend a couple of weeks with my parents over Christmas and New Years.   

...My wardrobe could use some updating before Christmas (ie. my jeans are starting to wear out and I need to replace them) and I might just get a small Christmas tree and some lights and do a bit of decorating around the apartment... maybe... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update to web tools</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-18T09:24:01-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/6256cae76ff51ecc7bbfe06a1958feb4-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/6256cae76ff51ecc7bbfe06a1958feb4-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm finally upgrading to the latest version of Rapidweaver, version 3.5.


I've been putting it off since I've got to upgrade the themes I use and that may take some time.    So; I've kept the older version around so that I can continue updating some sites, but I'm upgrading my personal site with the new tool (always treat your own stuff like a guinea pig...)


I do like the new UI enhancements they've provided and will be exploring some of the new features to see how I can use them.     So far, looks pretty good!   And its universal so it'll run on my new 20" iMac.    The PPC version had some difficulties when rendering photo albums for publishing and would crash.    I found work-arounds for that (order of how things are done and when), but what a pain... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Halloween 2006</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-10-28T17:29:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/5770d7d4fde3bdf984cb37c6fc0e5318-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/5770d7d4fde3bdf984cb37c6fc0e5318-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm taking the computer along since I need to upload this entry, along with changes to their website as well as mine.


This past week, I ordered a new 20" iMac computer with wireless keyboard and mouse (it should show up early next week).    This is the first new computer I've bought for myself since 1999 (when I bought my old Blue & White G3 system).   ...  It's been about 9 months since I had my own Internet access; other than through work, or over at Drinks.  ...  With the service I ordered, it's costing me about 1/2 of what my previous cable internet service cost, and I get faster up/down speeds as well.  


The DSL modem and filters and self-install kit arrived yesterday at nearly the same time as I arrived home from work.  

...With the new computer up and running, I'm going to be getting started on a program I'm developing for my brother.  ...  I figure its going to take a while to get it all designed and coded, and the quicker I get started, the quicker I can get it done, and we can start making some money from his idea.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Back from Vacation</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-10-19T17:19:14-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/056c654b41f1c1371b379dec57adec72-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/056c654b41f1c1371b379dec57adec72-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I arrived back in DFW from vacation last Sunday night and am now back at work.    Vacation was loads of relaxation punctuated with a lot of hard work both at my new house on the lake, and at my parent's house.    My dad & I hung new overhead doors on his garage, laid a tile floor in the kitchen at my new house, finished countertops, installed sinks, attached light fixtures, and generally kept really busy.  

...My brother John, with the US Army Corps of Engineers, was the landscape architect who designed the Fort Lewis Memorial Park.   

...I installed lots of lighting and placed a tile floor in the kitchen down at my new house.  ...  Check out these links ( here, here, and here ) to see what progress was made while I was on vacation!


...While I was gone, my 9-Ball team completed the summer session playoffs and pulled off another victory in winning the division playoffs yet again.     This makes 4 sessions out of the past 5 that my team has won the playoffs for this division.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mid September in Washington</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-09-17T11:38:17-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d2fe0967ac1e0b5b7f11707db86a6964-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d2fe0967ac1e0b5b7f11707db86a6964-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, I'm on vacation at the moment in Washington state.    I've been working on the house up here putting the finishing touches on it.


In the past week, we've put down some tile, grouted existing slate that was down, fixed the laminate floor damage that was done by the flooding we had earlier in the spring, and I've been working the fill in around the foundation where sand was washed away by rain.


All in all, so far so good.


I put some new pictures on the house construction area.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Late summer update...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-08-22T18:39:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ebcd20cbadcf1d849ac412efff3a9336-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ebcd20cbadcf1d849ac412efff3a9336-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, with the assistance of a very good friend, my house is nearly all back together.    The ceiling is repaired, and re-textured/painted, and now all that remains is finishing the repairs to the attic A/C unit (actually, I'm replacing it).


...Pool's summer session is just about over; our last 8-ball match is tomorrow night; and I believe I'm about done with playing 8-Ball in league.    I enjoy 9-Ball immensely, but 8-Ball, while fun, is proving to be too much to handle as captain.  

...Vacation will be a welcome break; even though I've got lots of work to do in Washington.    Plans are to finish the house and get all the doors hung and trim installed, as well as tiling the upstairs bathrooms and putting fixtures in.  

...I figured I should put something in here just to let people know I'm still updating the site.    It's been a month and my friend Josh was commenting last week that I hadn't updated in a while...  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hot&#x2c; Hot&#x2c; Hot&#x2c; and Still Vacation delayed...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-07-22T20:17:47-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a43386c3efa239074ebed5c04ec37493-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a43386c3efa239074ebed5c04ec37493-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Catching up on the news here; well... over the 4th of July, my house in Rowlett decided it was time to give me another test!  

...It decided to go out on the 4th of July and not in a minor way.   The "emergency" drain tray that catches any condensate water that may not make it to the main drain system decided to literally fall to pieces, and the main drain failed, so I had wet carpet, wet drywall, and wet fiberglass all over the place in the back bedroom that I used to use as an office.


...As it turns out, I definitely need a new A/C coil, and I'll be replacing the old, outdated, and bad duct work that had lost its outer plastic sheathing (amazing how that stuff can go bad...)     That, plus a new drain tray, re-route the drain system, put up some new drywall, tape, texture, and paint, then new underlayment and re-lay the old carpet (which is perfectly fine and dry), and we'll be ready to go to market again!    I'm still giving whoever buys the place a "new carpet allowance" to put whatever carpet they want into the house.  

...We're focusing on having more fun this season than really caring about winning, but sometimes individual match wins (like this week's) are just so satisfying!    ;-)  I like winning against players that are really not very sportsmanlike; or just have plain super-ego's that make them think they just can't be beat...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another week and now; vacation delayed&#x21;</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-06-23T18:49:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/b6c8bfe50cc41a0d3b6b3bd2e8978e4a-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/b6c8bfe50cc41a0d3b6b3bd2e8978e4a-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I've been asked about my house by several people; I direct them to the house (give them the address and such) and tell them to contact a realtor to see it...  

...Big news this week at work; my vacation plans were basically put on hold.    I lose the airline tickets I have (they're non-refundable, although work will refund me for them since they need me to stay and help to complete the big project thats going on.)     So, vacation is put off and delayed; probably till closer to Labor Day at this point.  

...My 9-Ball team won Monday night; playing at home against the other "home" team; the team formerly known as "Chris's Team" and now known as "Who Cares?" 

...My 8-Ball team won the match 3-2 on Wednesday night, so all the pool this week was good (maybe because I didn't actually play in either match; just acted like a "captain"!!!)   

...I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with not much going on except a little web-work and some yardwork out at the house in Rowlett (weeding, trimming, and generally upkeep...)


For now, I'm sitting here with a cold beverage and good friends... and getting ready to sign off.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Summer</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-06-16T17:46:08-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c47866dd37356035f90716fbec8c77a8-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c47866dd37356035f90716fbec8c77a8-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's been hot (and dry for the most part) for some time already this year; more than normal.   


Tomorrow, I've got to run out to the house, adjust the soaker hoses around the house (mainly the amount of time I run them each day), and mow the yard.  

...I left work a bit earlier than normal today (still, it was after 5pm, but when you've been getting in at 5:30 or 6am and staying until after 6pm all week, 5pm seems early!).    I'm here at Drinks Saloon, enjoying a cold Keystone Light and some nice jukebox music and conversation with some friends of mine.


Vacation... in two weeks, I'm supposed to leave on vacation...  heading to Washington state as usual...  and wow! ...  I can hardly wait to get up north where it is cooler, and spend some time at my house on the lake.  ...  I'm planning on completing the upstairs bathrooms (tile floors, fixture installs, etc) and finishing out the kitchen and breakfast area floors.     It's lots of work, but a lot different than what I do at Texas Instruments.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another Year of 9-Ball</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2006-06-14T18:10:37-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e69981b3fd3541fe89ba3cdd54dc99be-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e69981b3fd3541fe89ba3cdd54dc99be-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We wanted to win our way to Las Vegas for this year's 9-Ball National Championships.


...We won in both the first and second rounds and thereby got the third round (Saturday night) off since that was an elimination round on the loser's side of the bracket.


We had played against two very good teams Saturday; one from Quinlan, and the other from Royse City...  both teams had great players and great people on them and we enjoyed playing both matches.  ...  The A/C wasn't exactly working at 100% levels, and it was 100 degrees outside...


...One player wasn't eligible for the tournament (she joined the team too late in the session to get 10 matches in).    Two players missing wouldn't normally be a problem; but they were my skill level 4 players that I really needed.    As it was, with the skill levels  I had at hand, I couldn't play all 5 match-ups in the round...   

...The project I'm on (a big one) is due to ship shortly and there are way too many things not working properly yet.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>46 (or 39.7) and counting...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-05-18T17:32:34-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/4a30dcff26bab45ffc57e6c51fe37191-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/4a30dcff26bab45ffc57e6c51fe37191-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today (all day long) is my 46th birthday.    I walked to work this morning, early, and left work around 4pm (after about 10 hours of work...   :-)


Now, I was going to stay at home and have a quiet birthday, but then I remembered its free pool day at Drinks, so here I am, tweaking a few websites... and then I'll be playing a bit of 8-Ball and maybe some 9-Ball... (just to stay sharp)  My 9-Ball team won our division playoffs (again; this makes 3 times the past 4 sessions...)    New season starts next week, and I've put my new 8-Ball team together.    We should (hopefully) do well this summer!


Back to an ice cold Keystone Light now, and a pool table!


-S.46
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Whew&#x21;  I&#x27;ve been busy...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-05-12T18:41:49-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a933d8871883ff4c2e839263562c71d4-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a933d8871883ff4c2e839263562c71d4-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Work is crazy right now... too many hours, too much to do, and no time to do it.      The project is nearly complete, but there is still a lot left to do to get everything working.


My 9-Ball team is in playoffs right now; we won Monday night so are in the Division finals this coming Monday...  and we get to play the same team we played the finals against last session!     It's an All-Drinks Saloon final in our 9-Ball division!


I've got my old 8-Ball team put (pretty much) back together and we'll be starting in a couple of weeks.     I also have my summer travel all booked and planned... as usual, Washington state for about a month... 

...There have been a few people look at my house; but no offers as yet.  

...Have to go back and tweak the Drinks website a bit to add the latest message from Joan...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>House Is Up For Sale&#x21;</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-04-24T17:05:08-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/6143e4694bbc48cfcf20a46d6d0ce3dd-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/6143e4694bbc48cfcf20a46d6d0ce3dd-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It took me a while to move most of my stuff out, clean up the place, and get my good friend, Worthie Cunningham, out there to fix up the place; patch, paint, tweak, etc.  

...The house is in such good shape now, I *almost* feel like moving back out there.   

...Work is hectic, as usual, with daily requests coming in for me to jump from project to project... which I just plainly won't do.  


Tonight, I'm over at Drinks, getting ready for our last 9-Ball match of the regular season.    We have a BYE next week, so don't have to play the last week.    It looks like we'll be finish in 3rd place; good enough to make playoffs...  who knows?   maybe we can capture the division for a second season in a row... not that we need to.    We're already qualified to go to our local city tournament to try to win our way to Vegas... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Easter @ The New Apartment</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-04-16T15:09:01-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/eb107fa4389fcb49c4cf6938793decf2-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/eb107fa4389fcb49c4cf6938793decf2-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's been several weeks since I posted anything, so I thought I'd take a moment and put something together.


...I've completed my move to my new apartment and am getting comfortable there.    I currently don't have internet connectivity at the apartment, and am considering just not getting connected here.    I have adequate access both at work, and over at Drinks Saloon (free wi-fi there via www.ecast.net).  ...  Besides the move, I've been shuffled around on several projects at work and am getting dizzy from all the different stuff coming in from every direction.  


...We were in 1st place for several weeks, but have been losing lately and are missing a few of our more critical players.  ...  Its gotten to the point where I am planning on putting my own 8-Ball team back together again for the summer and beyond.    I've got a few new players that want to join so shouldn't have trouble fielding a full team.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fat Tuesday @ Home</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-02-28T21:04:11-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/2653952ebfa2891f445ee0e8812673d7-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/2653952ebfa2891f445ee0e8812673d7-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A slight correction from my last post;  we're actually getting carpeting for my house from the local carpet and furniture store in my home town, along with installation.  

...The 8-Ball team I'm on did good last week (we won 4-1), and we've (at least for the moment) moved into 1st place in our division.  ...  We've lost the last two matches; one pretty badly, and then last night (not so bad, but still a lost).  

...I'm doing both sides of the interface and should be able to complete things in short order; about a 4 week total turnaround time; then back to finish up the previous project I was on.


...Less than 3 weeks to go; and I've been packing as much stuff as I can; when I can.    The nice thing about moving like this; I can take my time; get the large stuff moved first, then move enough things so that I can use the apartment and also live at the house while I continue to move stuff.    This is basically how I spent my last month in an apartment when I was moving out to the house 14 years back...  geez, its been that long!  ...  It's lost that in the past few years; its just another suburb now; still a very nice place to live, but different than it was when I moved here originally.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Colds&#x2c; Pool&#x2c; Carpet&#x2c; and Stuff</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-02-12T21:43:51-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/1409273bf114ff38248628f58dd83231-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/1409273bf114ff38248628f58dd83231-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For the past several weeks now, I've had a fairly persistent and nasty headcold with some minor bronchial congestion.  ...  It's not keeping me from doing things I have to do, but it sure makes life not so much fun!   

...The 8-Ball team I'm on is doing darn good as well.  ...  He found a deal on a new 8 foot pool table for my house at the lake in Washington.   ...  He told me that he and mom will be practicing so that they can take me on when I come up this summer!    I am really looking forward to vacation; there's going to be lots of work for my dad & I to take care of (both on my house, and his... we've got a new roof to put on the shop.  

...The main issue is my project has to support several future products that have not been fully designed as yet; so I have to "anticipate" a bit on their design and be able to be flexible enough to handle interfacing to these future products.    Its quite a challenge, but I think I've got a good enough design implemented to cover it.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Moving Time is Approaching</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-01-29T17:14:34-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e426f252882d61035453bce0dae12bac-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e426f252882d61035453bce0dae12bac-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The time is getting closer and closer to when I'll be moving out of my house, and into an apartment (actually, a townhouse) closer to work.    I've been spending time on the weekends packing stuff into boxes (specifically, things that I plan on storing and not really using again for some time).     I can leave a lot of stuff in boxes that I want to keep, but don't necessarily need in the apartment.


...:-)   I'm going to miss the house after I move out, but the convenience of living closer to work and being able to actually walk to work (and subsequently NOT being in traffic and driving so much) will make up for it.   


...This is good news as I can use the money that the sale brought in to buy carpeting and tile for my house in Washington.  ...  I'm already looking forward to getting up to Washington this summer and working on the house; getting the yard started, trees planted, etc.  ...  I look forward to working with my dad on projects each summer; its a big reason why I enjoy my vacations so much.


...I made some breakthroughs in the past week or so and can now see the "light" at the "end of the tunnel" on this one.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another Season of APA is underway</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2006-01-21T20:08:01-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/0505a7a33a8d325f983dc8b365ebf0bb-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/0505a7a33a8d325f983dc8b365ebf0bb-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My 9-Ball team played very well this week and won 61-39 over the team we played.  ...  Unfortunately, work keeps me busy; and I'm also beginning to start my packing for my upcoming move back to an apartment.


I joined my 9-Ball co-captain and friend Jim's 8-Ball team this season.    It's different playing with a new team like this (and he signed me on as his co-captain... oh boy...).   ...  We were 2-2 going to the last game, and the other team had inadvertantly gone 1 point over the handicap limit.  ...  The league rule on this is pretty clear unfortunately, and is not very nice or forgiving.  5-0, all wins forfeited.  

...My 9-Ball team is looking forward to the upcoming city tournament, and our shot at getting to nationals in Las Vegas this next summer.  

...Here's a picture of my team; from left to right; Me, Canda, Nick, Dave, Jim, and Milo.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A New Year has begun</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-01-12T20:19:26-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/cf74135429b5ae53bbb58a4ead77f4a0-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/cf74135429b5ae53bbb58a4ead77f4a0-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, I've been back at work over a week now, and am making good progress on the current project at work.    I still have a few misgivings about whether it can be made to work reliably, but I keep working on the system anyway.


My 9-Ball team won the 1st round of playoffs while I was in Washington by a score of 52-48.  

...This week, we played against the playoff top-seeded team, Chris's Team, out of the same club my team plays out of; Drinks.  ...  If we manage to win there, we have the opportunity and honor to compete in Las Vegas at the next National Championship for the APA.


...After nearly 14 years in the house, the 20 mile one way drive is getting just a bit old, not to mention expensive in terms of gasoline.  ...  The floor plan I'm looking at will be available for move-in on March 18 according to the leasing office at the complex.    A few weeks out to be sure, but it gives me time to get everything packed that will be moved.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ready for Christmas break&#x2c; and New Years</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-12-18T18:38:09-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/70fdd96dbc08284bffd2d20604ad7335-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/70fdd96dbc08284bffd2d20604ad7335-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm just about ready to head out and visit my folks for Christmas.    I've got my shopping handled (got to love on-line shopping and shipping!  ...  Temperatures are running to the low single digits according to dad, and maybe reaching to just below freezing for highs.    I'm looking forward to seeing my new house at the lake since the last time I saw it this summer, it was still being built.


The past week saw my 9-Ball team not playing; we showed up, but the other team didn't; so a full match forfeit, and a few hours of practice ensued.    My project at work is slowly making some progress...  little by little I'm getting some of the system to work, at a low level.    I don't know how much farther I'll get in the next few days; hopefully enough to get something working.  

...Dad told me that the local VFW post in my home town is having a New Year's party on the 31st... and since I'll be in the area; I'm planning on going.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Updating the Web and the Week In (Quick) Review</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-12-04T11:37:36-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/097abf4ac1755d3ec2a045385ecc8d5a-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/097abf4ac1755d3ec2a045385ecc8d5a-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The website for my brother-in-law's business; Drew Marine, in Spokane, Washington; is now live at www.drewmarine.com.     I had done a version of the site using lighter colors, like a white background, and different navigation.     But, Drew likes the color scheme we had before with a black background and purple color scheme.  ...  I re-did the new site with that color scheme in mind, but more modern than what I had before.   

...Another site I've been working on for some time was my friend, Mark McQuade's site; McQuade Contracting.  

...I also added another new page to my site containing links to some sites I really enjoy.  

...Work is going a bit better as I'm finally starting to make some level of progress on the new project I'm on; not as much as I'd like, but at this point, I'll take anything.  ...  It's a bit frustrating knowing that I've got a great team, but we're not able to be competitive.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>4 Days Down and Ready To Go (Back to Work)</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-11-27T15:46:53-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/516ed8157de6ce06b0d3cccccc7a0a98-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/516ed8157de6ce06b0d3cccccc7a0a98-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I've had 4 days of downtime and am basically ready to get back to work after a relaxing Thanksgiving break.


...It's downtime I guess I really needed as I don't seem to get much these days what with work, billiards, commuting, and everything else.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So, it's mid-afternoon on Sunday, and I'm sitting here watching the Giants vs Seahawks game.  ...  I've been a "fan" (if you can call it that) of the Seahawks for awhile.   ...  I'm glad their season is going so well this year and I'd really like to see a Superbowl trophy head up to Seattle!   

...Still not making much progress on the new project, and will probably be having a sit-down with project management to discuss my concerns.     It seems like the system I'm supposed to be building upon isn't as far along, or ready, as I thought it was (and as far along as others thought it was as well...)     Good news in billiards, my 9-Ball team has Monday off, and the 8-ball team; well... let's not go there!  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An interesting week in Billiards for a change</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2005-11-25T21:46:39-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ed639437eccd0aadee50c7f9d4e86fcf-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ed639437eccd0aadee50c7f9d4e86fcf-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We won more than we lost, and had a good, fun, close match.     This is the type of match I really enjoy; especially when one of my newest, and least experienced players manages to eke out a win, and manages to win the match for the team in the process.   

...My 8-Ball team did pretty good, we won the first two games, but I managed to get my stick handed to me pretty solidly...    :-)  I played an good player and acquaintance of mine, the captain of the other team.    ...  We also lost the fourth game, and I didn't have a fifth player available; so we lost 2-3.     Better than the week before; and not as good as we could do; I've got good players on my team.    I think its just a matter of me not being a very good or motivating captain in 8-Ball.    This is a problem I'll have to deal with I guess.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Thoughts on a Sunday Morning</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-11-20T09:27:58-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c62166cac7fbde290c07d66641860889-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/c62166cac7fbde290c07d66641860889-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I sit here pondering the day ahead, planning activities for the day, I'm also thinking back over all the things that happened this week.   ...  I did get some type of start on a new project at work (but its going to take a while to get any understanding of this one; it's not an easy project at all and not really my area of expertise unfortunately).    My 9-Ball team swept our opponent Monday night 66-34, but my 8-Ball team fell flat on its face, or they would have if they had showed up.    Only Sonja and I were at the match; the rest of my team could not arrive in time to avoid forfeiting...  and I got beat by an 8 on the break... not the worst way to lose; that's for sure.


...I think it's a good day to rake leaves, put away the water hoses from the summer, clean up the yard, and make everything ready for Winter, now that the temperatures have finally cooled off.


I've also got lots of chores around the house to take care of; laundry, dishes, vacuuming, you name it...  typical Sunday at my place.  

...I guess it's time to fix breakfast and get my day going, and prepare for the coming week.  ...  Holidays are great; a good time to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming months.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sittin&#x27; on the dock of the bar...</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-11-11T20:11:27-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d52971ea20c7876210f15b82fc0527dd-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d52971ea20c7876210f15b82fc0527dd-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just finished some updates to the club's site, and have been visiting with some of my many friends here.     Last night, I watched a DVD of some "home-made" camera footage, taken by a friend of mine as he was journeying down to the New Orleans area taking some of his family members back to their homes.   ...  The utter devastation; homes literally "floated" off their foundations and laying in the streets (obvious, as they were being driven around).   

...I visited New Orleans in 2004 for a conference... walked the streets of the French Quarter, and the surrounding area... and was at the convention center by the Superdome.   ...  Bernard's Parish, not N.O. proper... but still; the total loss of EVERY home in every neighborhood they went through; walls blown in, blown out, houses completely put underwater and washed down the street by the water as it inundated the area...  it really makes you think, and feel.


I count myself lucky that I don't have relatives in the area, and at the same time, I feel for my friends that DO have family and relatives suffering through this disaster.   


The evening news focuses on the wrong aspects of this disaster... even a couple of months after the event.   

...(And darn it, I still have to get ready for jury duty on Monday!)  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wonderful world of the web&#x2c; and a quiet day at home.</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-11-06T18:28:46-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/2ac47b1a193d2bfb2e6d1d381c904878-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/2ac47b1a193d2bfb2e6d1d381c904878-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm just sitting here watching the end of the NASCAR race at TMS on TV...  and have my laptop (in my lap, of course).   ...  I've tweaked the Drink's Saloon website (www.drinkssaloon.com) and got it working and looking pretty much the way I want.


...However, this software has not been updated in several years, and doesn't even run on Mac OS X... requiring me to run the Classic environment to use it.     I'm getting used to the new software I'm using (RapidWeaver from RealMac Software, Ltd. - www.realmacsoftware.com)  I really like the way it handles web logging (a feature Homepage never had), and also how it integrates with iPhoto to set up and manage photo albums online.


I've now used RapidWeaver on my own personal site, two pub sites, and am working on two other sites with it right now; one of which is almost done, and the other is still pretty much a "work in progress".  

...The other big change in how I do things now versus a year ago; I'm "wireless" and use an Airport Express base station, hooked into my stereo (so I can listen to my iTunes music), and into my Surfboard cable modem with Comcast cable internet.    While I work on webstuff like this, I can download the latest developer updates from Apple that I need this coming week at work, watch a movie on TV (or listen to music if I want), and all from the comfort of my recliner instead of in my home office in the back of the house.


...:-)  Now, I think I'll just relax a bit and get ready for an upcoming week of work, billiards, computers, meetings, and shopping.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Difference Between Skill Level 4 and 9&#x2c; or How To Learn to Rack 9-Ball (Really Well)</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2005-11-01T18:56:51-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/4b57114135ae11bb72622d221e91df50-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/4b57114135ae11bb72622d221e91df50-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[in Dallas APA took on the other 9-Ball team from our home club; Drinks Saloon.    The first four of the five matches in our league match went basically like I expected; we won 2 of them, the other team won 2...  that's the way most of the league matches go in this division; fairly close.   


...I looked at this match as an opportunity to both learn, and to play my game as well.    The first rack started off slow, but I made 8 of the 10 points in the rack (each ball is worth a point, with the 9-Ball worth two points).


...I made 5 more points over those 9 racks, with my opponent taking the remainder, minus "dead" balls (balls going in on bad hits, or scratches.  ...  It was a pleasure watching someone so skilled at the game; I just wish he would have been playing someone else!  

...I did get a lot of practice racking 9-Ball racks, and attempting to make shots to try to get back into the game.    In the end, my opponent won the match 17 to 3, given our respective skill levels.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>PICTs&#x2c; PNGs&#x2c; and bitmaps</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2005-10-29T14:19:54-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a3986759d44119fdb1289d505b6e2ce4-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a3986759d44119fdb1289d505b6e2ce4-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I spent a lot of time working through the issues of replacing the use of PICTs (Macintosh image format) with other standardized image formats this week.    As I have written before, Apple has deprecated (made obsolete) the use of most of the Quickdraw imaging and drawing APIs in the Macintosh, effective in OS X 10.4.  ...  I had to come up with another way of translating calculator screen images (which are simple bitmap byte arrays) into something displayable on a Macintosh, and able to be moved around the network.    ...  I also found another way ( looking at some code written by another engineer ), but that method had the bad luck of not being able to translate from a core image in Quartz to anything other than a 1-bit deep TIFF image.   

...I came up with a method of taking the bitmap data from the various image formats and parsing through them to figure a threshold value for translating a potentially color image into a black and white bitmap.  

...Getting the software ready for the new Intel-based Macintosh systems means I've had to go through and fix a few data structures that are passed around the system via Apple Events.    Contents of the data structure have to be stored in a fixed format to deal with "endian" issues.   

...Next week, I'll be getting ready to start work on another project (part-time) that needs my expertise and ability.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fun and Frustration</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2005-10-29T14:14:56-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/74d88b9a751c1461f93395ea5e8a4743-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/74d88b9a751c1461f93395ea5e8a4743-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week in Billiards.... what can I say?     Monday, our 9-Ball team had a "bye", so no pool... most of our team showed up regardless, just to watch another match between two of the other teams in our division.


Wednesday was frustrating in that we had a new schedule (again), and my team was playing short, with a number of players being simply unavailable and out of town.     We (the players that were there) played as well as we could, but fell short.    We had fun, but were frustrated as well.     Hopefully, things will improve next week and we'll get things back on track.     :-)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>PICT versus PNG</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2005-10-21T17:25:57-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e2387e1129e89819ced37b1465f7f04c-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/e2387e1129e89819ced37b1465f7f04c-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When OS X came along, the basic internal drawing is now done with Quartz, rather than Quickdraw.   

...With the advent of PICT and most Quickdraw stuff being "deprecated" in OS X 10.4 (Tiger), TI Connect is going to need a new way of doing this work in the next update.   


After a little discussion, and a lot of research, I'm moving the internal stuff to use Quartz when 10.4 is detected (PICTs and Quickdraw will still be used on 10.2 and 10.3).     Basically, to make a Quartz image of the calculator screen, I paint a rectangle of an appropriate size all white (or green, if colored screens are wanted), and then paint a bunch of black "pixels" (a 1 x 1 rectangle) on the canvas.   ...  This was done with, you guessed it, PICTs, as an intermediary format, and extracting the bits out by copying the image data into a one pixel-depth (black and white) image.      So, with PICTs basically gone for all intents and purposes, I'll need to design a new way of doing this next week.  

...I've also got to spend some time next week to get our automated build system back up and running, now that I've had the source for all my projects moved from my "personal" CVS server over to the departmental build machines and their CVS servers.  ...  Then, I can start thinking about the new process we'll have to use for the upcoming TI Connect release (which should be a "universal" binary image).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TI Connect - the next generation</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2005-10-15T14:05:20-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/59fed0e1283fe197a993475b99bd31b3-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/59fed0e1283fe197a993475b99bd31b3-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week at work, I spent some time going over the list of features that are still not implemented in TI Connect for OS X (I have a LOT of features I'd really *like* to implement; some will be, other's won't).     I added in several "viewers" for types of data that we did not have editors already implemented for, and also reworked the auto-refresh feature of the screen capture.     I didn't really like the way it worked before as it was somewhat susceptible to timing out on the capture, and then, just stopping the capture sequence.    :-(


I'm still not sure when the next update will be approved or shipped (we're talking some months here for sure), but I've got plenty of things to work on in the software; new features, modifying older features, updates and corrections, as well as dealing with the changeover to the new Intel architecture announced by Apple at the 2005 WWDC.     Bottom line; I'm having fun with this stuff and still really like my job after all these years (just made 23 years at Texas Instruments this year)   ;-)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>To forfeit or not to forfeit... that is the question</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2005-10-15T13:59:03-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d9bfb95eacdb7d32b81859b8984474aa-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/d9bfb95eacdb7d32b81859b8984474aa-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[9-Ball this week was fun; we lost the match, but we had fun.  

...With the way the league is set up, the schedule for matches fluctuates and changes rather fluidly the first few weeks of the session.    This session was not different than in the past in this respect.    We had traveled to a new club for our week 2 match, only to have there be no opponent present.     This week, with a re-shuffled schedule, I traveled there to see if the other team would be there or not.     Turns out, the answer was "not", so I called the remainder of my team and let them know the news.     After some time sitting there at the bar talking with a number of very nice and friendly folks, I headed back to my "home" club, Drinks, and spent the evening with some friends there, watching them play their darts match in the DDA (Dallas Darts Association) league.


...Wrote it up as another forfeit; which makes 2 now, against the same "team", in 5 weeks of play...  we're off to a slow start this session for sure.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>This week in Dallas APA Billiards</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Billiards</category><dc:date>2005-10-09T12:57:38-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ae9edc30e46651ecb4083d67e7937725-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/ae9edc30e46651ecb4083d67e7937725-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm currently captain of two billiards teams, playing the APA league here in Dallas.  ...  The team has been in a "rebuild" mode the first part of this session, basically finding the right players for the team.     This week, we added a couple of new players (new to our team anyway).     We won our match this week; week 4 of the Fall session; after losing the week before.


My Wednesday evening 8-Ball team; "Stirred, Not Shaken"; had a bit rougher match this week and lost the match.     This coming week we travel once more to the "M & M Pouring Company" on Northwest Highway.    The last time we were there, the other team was still forming, and didn't show up.     This time, I'm hoping for a good match and lots of fun.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Playing with new web tools</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-10-09T12:56:20-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/0de2516b9c623f071767ccd1b61f9341-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/0de2516b9c623f071767ccd1b61f9341-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm playing around with the new RapidWeaver 3.2 public beta.    It looks really good and I like a number of its features over the previous 3.1 version.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TI Connect for OS X News</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2005-09-24T16:50:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/712c3233f921d1d3037d5817620d1d05-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/712c3233f921d1d3037d5817620d1d05-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This latest update to TI Connect for Macintosh OS X, version 1.6, supports Apple's latest OS X version, 10.4 (Tiger).  


Our earlier 1.1 release had issues when running under Tiger in that it couldn't identify an attached device.     The background TI Connect Manager had no trouble finding and identifying the device, but the front-end applications like TI Device Explorer had trouble matching up those devices to what it could recognize.


Along with that issue, I fixed over 150+ other issues as they were found during software test.    All this in a period of about 6 weeks...  it kept me busy for sure!


I'm pondering doing something here on my website along the lines of a "tips and hints" for using some of the more esoteric features that TI Connect provides.     There are lots of cool features in the application that deserve more than just a line or tool in a help file without going more in-depth.    I might even start a podcast with different short episodes on how to access and use some of these advanced TI Connect features.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Reworking my web world</title><dc:creator>steve@reid-performance.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2005-09-24T16:31:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a48241eb50e2e0d4ba1cdceb316e05be-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.reid-performance.com/weblog/files/a48241eb50e2e0d4ba1cdceb316e05be-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After several years of the same old website, and using the same webtools, I finally decided it was time to revamp both my site and my tools.


I've switched from the old (really old) tool I was using, Claris Homepage 3.0, to RapidWeaver 3.1.     While the new tool is much easier to use and does things in a much more up-to-date format, I've so far found that it doesn't have quite the level of control of formating that I'm used to.    I learned HTML coding in the days when text editors were used, and you coded all the tags manually; no WYSIWYG editors...


I'm sure that as I learn more about RapidWeaver, and the various features it has, I'll find ways to do precisely what I'm looking to do in terms of page formatting and layout.
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