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Showing posts from May, 2017

Moments Inside Google I/O 2017

Google I/O 2017 is the highly-anticipated and much-improved follow-on edition of Google I/O 2016.  It's evident throughout all aspects of the conference that they took feedback and lessons learned from last year's maiden foray into the Shoreline Amphitheater to make for a much more awesome experience.  Now, I sit here writing this to you from inside the Amphitheatre itself, comfortable in just a thin long-sleeve shirt and jeans, no wind at all (unlike last year), awash in sound from the LCD Soundsystem.  However, I almost didn't write you this story. A Nearly Missed Opportunity The registration window for I/O 17 came upon us.  Stacy reminded me it was time for this, but I balked at the price -- up $150 from last year!  Nevertheless, I still planned to register... until I didn't.  I hadn't realized I forgot until a day after registration closed.  My heart fell through the floor, and Stacy rolled her eyes... Oh Stevo... Oh well... I thought all hope was lost unt

Journey to a Fully Custom Pinball Machine - Part 1

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The"maker bone" has bit me pretty hard since 2011 when I began working on LEDgoes/BriteBlox and won 3rd place the Apps for Metro Chicago hackathon with Owtsee/headonout.  And while I've worked on a mixture of side projects for profit and fun since, I can't help but note the urge to do more ridiculous things for myself just to say I did them -- not necessarily to make any sort of profit (in fact, most of my projects sink an enormous amount of time spent over several years before true completion), but for the notoriety. The Actual Beginning Of This Post There... Now that the part Google Plus will post as the headline is out of the way, it seems to me that my coworkers generally love me, and I love them too.  I am seen as quite the maker type inside my area, and have been invited to participate in events even in various groups I don't necessarily belong to because they like to "claim" me.  Often, these are external recruiting events, and I love exuding