It’s been a few more months since I cancelled Charter’s TV service and everything has worked out great. I’m still loving Playstation Vue and it was even excellent for watching March Madness. I still haven’t adjusted my HD antenna either, which should tell you how much I watch live TV on the local channels. With Vue having On Demand for ABC, CBS, and NBC, I didn’t even need to use the Tablo to record any of my shows on those channels, so adjusting the antenna hasn’t bumped up my priority list. I added everything to the My Shows list in my Playstation Vue account and it’s easy to watch everything there. With so much great content on Netflix as well, it’s hard to start watching any new shows on traditional TV. I won’t be going back to cable TV anytime soon.
National Donut Day
Remove the Sticker
It bugs me when people don’t remove the clear protective sticker from things like a clock face or the display on a gadget/appliance. You haven’t finished unboxing/opening the item!
Makerfocus ESP8266
One of the recommended products that came up recently for me on Amazon was a set of 2 Makerfocus ESP8266 NodeMCU boards for $15.99. I’m familiar with the chip from using the Adafruit Feather HUZZAH with ESP8266 WiFi that came with AdaBox003. That board runs for $16.95 though.
The reviews for these were good and any issues people had were resolved quickly by the seller. I figured it was worth the little bit of risk to try out these boards as a way to have some WiFi capabilities on hand. When they arrived, I ran a few quick tests in the Arduino IDE and had no problems uploading code or connecting to Adafruit IO with some of the example programs. The boards are slightly wider than the Feathers I’m used to working with, so there is just a single row of holes on either side when plugged into a breadboard. One other difference is no JST connector for a Lithium Ion battery.
If you’re looking for a cheap intro to Arduino or a way to get an electronics project on your network, check out these microcontrollers.
Quick, Draw!
I’d never heard of Quick, Draw! before. It’s like playing Pictionary with a computer. I played a quick game (?) and hit 5/6.
They’re actually releasing millions of the doodles, which is pretty cool.
Sofia, Bulgaria in Pictures
I had a wonderful trip to Sofia, Bulgaria last week. I went there to work with my team, HR @ Automattic, which we call The Human League. What made the trip really great was having a local on our team. Petya planned everything for us!
Beer
I drank a Heineken and the Sweet Water on the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam.
I tried to stick to Bulgarian beers once I got there.
Food
Other than spending time with my teammates, my favorite part of the trip by far was the food. I was impressed. Took advantage of trying some things I’ve never seen on a menu.
Stuff to See
Muscle-ups
The start of men’s event 5 of the 2017 CrossFit Games Central Regional at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN.
Cinnamon Roll French Toast
They do breakfast right in the south! At Another Broken Egg Cafe in Nashville, TN.
Prince’s Hot Chicken
I was afraid of the hot after reading reviews, but I went for it. Turned out to be the right amount of nose-running heat for me.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
OMG that was delicious! At the Pancake Pantry in Nashville, TN.
Nick Momrik 