Jewel's Audio Memory Game - An Android App

My old pal, Vic Douse, has a daughter, Jewel. She loves Disney, balloons, and some video games/apps. She has autism.

Vic works with databases during the day, but at night, he has been very active in the autism community on PEI, serving as president of the Autism Society for years. (He won a Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal for his contributions).

Last winter, he started tinkering around with an Android app, despite not coding for years. The result is a simple memory/match game. The UX is simple, and that's OK: the point is that Jewel likes to play it. It helps her with her vocabulary.

So, check out Jewel's Audio Memory Game on the Play Store. It's free with no ads. Vic is delighted with each download, so please give it a go!

It's actually fun in a nostalgic way. My personal best for the 4x4 grid is 36 seconds, no doubt based on lucky strikes.

Christmas and Bittersweet Sentimentality

Some years back, I was on PEI for Christmas. I was at someone's house and walked into a dimly-lit living room, where a senior was sitting alone in the glow of tree lights, listening to old Christmas tunes, like my beloved Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.

The woman looked up at me, smiled softy, and said, "I listen to old Christmas music because it makes me sad".

It was one of the most insightful, pure statements I've ever heard. This woman was not well, had lost friends and relatives over the years, and was no doubt reflecting on old times. What better trigger for the "good old days" than music?

And yet in the present day, life was relatively good. People were home for Christmas, and there was lots of food, gifts, and merriment. But this is not about being unable to enjoy Christmas. It would be all-too-easy to write of depression, unsubstantiated statistics about suicide, and so on. But that is simply misplaced.

I love her phrase, because of the nuance. This person chose to listen to the music, and chose to go into that bittersweet reflective mood. In a way, she enjoyed it.

I'm not sure I've captured the moment here. Maybe it is the same notion as expressed in Auld Lang Syne. I don't know. But it was a wonderful moment, and I'll never forget it.

Hashtag #peibackgroundmusic

Over on Twitter, I'm trying to kickstart a meme for the hashtag #peibackgroundmusic .

Around town, I've noticed that 1970s-80s hard rock has become the new elevator music. I find this hilarious. On my morning commute, I walk through an empty Confed Centre mall to the strains of Led Zeppelin. I've had breakfast at Cora's, with Guns 'n' Roses as background music. I've been at the Charlottetown Mall, and Ozzy's Bark at the Moon was playing at a shoe store.

In the 1980s, this music was the ruin of a generation. Truly the devil's music!

My tweets have a basic formula: the location, the song/band, and the (non) reaction of the crowd. It is a celebration of the absurd, and a nostalgic look back to the rebellion of youth.

My God, Ozzy playing in a shoe store. And no one noticed.

PEI Marathon and Challenges

I'm excited to be part of a team relay (featuring work colleagues from ScreenScape) for the upcoming PEI Marathon.

A few years ago, I was fairly fit. I did sprint-level triathlons and, looking back, it seems I was always in the gym or in the pool.

I don't know if it's the tales of my glory days and the aura of intimidation that 'triathlete' exudes, but I often hear people qualify their goals with statements like "I'm only doing the short, 2.7 km leg of the marathon" or "I won't be very fast".

Don't apologize! To be honest, I'm not fit right now. Even if I were, my view is the same, whether you're an elite Cross-Fitter or attempting your first 5K: good for you. As long as your challenging yourself, that's great. You're not on the couch, eating Cheetos. You're out there, participating.

It's not just great, it's patriotic. This is material for another post, but we don't hear a lot about prevention in health care debates (we should). Running a 5K is a civic mitzvah!

Good luck runners! Have fun, and no apologies, no matter what the distance or pace.

M.E. 

ps. This is not to imply that I'm above some good old, semi-friendly trash talk with an arch-rival. Competition with the right person is a fabulous motivator.

A New Beginning: Will Someone Tell Michael Easter To Shut-Up?

Hello and welcome!

I've decided to start blogging again. This post is intended as a reboot, and as a bridge to the old blog.

Who are you?

My name is Michael Easter. I grew up on PEI, left to attend grad school in Ontario, lived in the USA for over a decade, and moved back home in 2010.

I have a technical blog, and while in St. Louis, I wrote an anonymous personal blog. Since 2010, I rarely write on Code to Joy and never write personal entries on CC.

Sure, I'm active on Twitter, and one might argue we are in a post-blogging era, but I miss writing. I miss the introspection. Though happy on PEI, I secretly miss the person I used to be (see, I just realized that now!), and hope the routine of writing will help re-establish good habits.

Why do I care?

Chances are, you don't! And that's OK.

I want to participate in the community on PEI. Both of my parents are highly active in the community, but I'm not a good fit as a volunteer firefighter or a member of the Women's Institute. But I hope to add my voice to the dialogue.

This will be new for me. My rules for the old blog included: nothing about work, nothing about romance, and nothing political.

This new venture will be more open. There won't be much about my career, but it will likely be political. I moved home to make a difference here, and though I'm still finding my way, this outlet may help.

On "30 for 60"

This deserves its own post, but it is a bid from the card game Auction. It is roughly analogous to "All In" in Texas Hold 'Em. I've always liked the phrase, and the spirit of the bid.

Plus, it reminds me of playing cards with family on my mother's side in Montague. I once thought the whole world played with the trump scheme, "5, Jack, Ace of Hearts, ...". (I was in for a surprise when I moved to Waterloo.)

On title of this post

I once saw a letter to the editor in the UPEI newspaper (the Gem?) that simply read, "Will someone tell [X] to shut-up?". X was my sister. There was no context. I always loved it and knew that my sister had been making waves.

Upshot

Let's see where this goes! I hope it's fun, and mostly positive (and fair when critical). Remember: the days are just packed!