It was a fast week, as is shown by the items not crossed off of my to-do list. Sharing this list of what stimulated whatever side of the brain that stimulates one intellectually is also an item to be crossed off the list.
Catch-up – After taking a training course last week (more on that to come) it seems like I am still catching up on a lot. Catch-up... ketchup... which reminds me of my new favorite ketchup from TrueMadeFoods which has no sugar and is surprisingly good.
Mute Maria at the Pump – This post came out about how to mute those annoying “entertainment” spots that are playing at a gas pump near you. Sorry not sorry to my fellow Patriots fan Maria Menounos who is the star of many of these segments.
The Act is still the Law – A friendly reminder to myself and all that despite a pandemic, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, is still alive and well, the law.
POPOV, not Popov – Since I have been in the world of the Scrum framework for working over the last year or so, I have heard a lot of dissing on the Product Owner role. The Product Owner or PO represents the product stakeholder and is a key member of a Scrum team. That being said, it’s an important role, and I think a lot of it is based on the fact that there’s more emphasis on the Scrum Master role, at least that’s how I see it. So when I discovered Roman Pichler's Product Owner Podcast this week, it shed a refreshing light on the PO role.
Back to the Deck – This week the 2 outdoor, 50-meter swim meets my swim team puts on were given the green light. The Fox Cities Summer Classic will be on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20 and the 22nd Bird Bath Invitational will be Friday thru Sunday, July 9 thru 11, both at lovely Erb Park Pool in my home city. More information on these unique swim meets is available on this well-designed and highly-useful Web site.
Just Buy That New Technology Already – I’ve talked about planned obsolescence in the past, but after a while older technology just isn’t supported anymore. Let’s Encrypt is open source software that generates SSL certificates for free on your Web server. If that didn’t make any sense to you, SSL is the “S” in “HTTPS” and secures the information between your computer or device and a Web server. In September, Let’s Encrypt won’t support some older technology. The impact on the general population will be low, but could impact nonetheless.
Quiet Riot – The daily lineup for Riot Fest came out this week and it’s a great one. Unfortunately 3-day passes are sold out and only a couple of single day tickets are available. As I am not as young as I used to be, I like the VIP area, and all things considered, I will be missing this great lineup. Of course if anyone has an extra VIP 3-day pass, I’m more than glad to take it off your hands.
Saaaaaaaaaaaailing – The Yacht Rock channel is back on SiriusXM. If you don’t know what yacht rock is, put on an Izod polo shirt and time travel back to summers along the water in the 1970’s. It’s rock, but mellow. Thing Christopher Cross... if you know who that is. I was tuned in last summer while trying to maneuver a pontoon boat around a lake.
Zero Interest – Check out the label above for a beverage called Minute Maid ZeroSugar Lemonade. Modified Cornstarch? Glycerol ester of rosin? No thanks.
This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.
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Comments
The gas pump secret mute button reminds me of the Wired report this year on the secret code for the McDonald’s ice cream machine:
1. Press the cone icon on the screen
2. Tap the buttons that show a snowflake and a milkshake
3. set the digits on the screen to 5, then 2, then 3, then 1.
4. A menu magically unlocks.
“Only with this cheat code can you access the machine’s vital signs: everything from the volume of its milk and sugar ingredients to the temperature of the glycol flowing through its heating element to the meanings of its many sphinxlike error messages.”
All of McDonald’s restaurants use the same ice cream machine model—The Taylor C602 digital ice cream machine.
“No one at McDonald’s or Taylor will explain why there’s a secret, undisclosed menu”
Comment by
Matt Maldre
on 05/26/21 at 01:01 PM
@Matt - Interesting, is this something consumers use, or is it just for employees. You can guess how long it has been since I have been in a McD’s!
mp/m
Comment by
Mike Maddaloni
on 05/27/21 at 03:06 PM
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