Heaven's Advocate

As I'm arguing with my roommate the other day, as we do pretty much every day (in a healthy jokingly manner), I know I like playing Devil's Advocate, but I want to introduce a new term now, Heaven's Advocate.

If you don't see the good in something, then the Heaven's Advocate will find it for you.

 - A Devil's Advocate finds the "bad" points in your argument. A Heaven's Advocate will find the "good" part of your story.
 - When you talk with a Devil's Advocate, you are meant to get defensive. When you talk with a Heaven's Advocate, the same thing can be done.

Have any more ways of describing a person that likes to be Heaven's Advocate? (As not related to religion)
~ Simply Advanced ~


NOTE: You don't have to believe in a religion to use these terms. They just happen to coincide with terms that religious books use, but words evolve.

NOTE2: "Evolve" is another word that doesn't have to refer to Darwinism, which it was originally used (just one time in the book).

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Windows 8 Power Users

There is going to be a new paradigm with Windows 8. I'm not just talking about the Modern UI (also was known as Metro UI).

Microsoft provides users many advanced mouse functionalities that hasn't been natively including in an operating system.

Typically, when we think of power users, we think of experts at the keyboard that have memorized many shortcuts and snippets of code. But, the new paradigm shift from Windows 8 is going to provide people the ability to call themselves mouse power users. Perhaps more people will learn about mouse gestures because of this. I'd give it at least another two years before mouse gestures become more mainstream, not just the mouse device gestures.

Personally, I typically prefer the keyboard to mouse, so much so that I created a script that allows keyboards to perform a double-click. But, there are definitely some times that the mouse is faster. Also, for those who don't like to use the keyboard at all there are many programs that you can download to provide your mouse the ability to do pretty much anything.

 - Just Gestures
 - Mouse Gestures

Let me know your experiences with mouse gestures.

~ Simply Advanced ~

*I did not personally try out these programs

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Lease Renewal

Feels like I'm signing my life away to the apartment I'm staying at. One year is a very long time to have a housing lease, especially since I'm graduating in with my Computer Engineering Bachelors in May. There have been multiple job offers, but I'm still thinking of starting my own mobile app development business  Simply Advanced, LLC, which I have already purchased. So, I guess a little structure in my life as I work on the business 120 hours a week might be a little good.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Food is Memory

Computer literate people will know that there are many different levels of computer memory -- more than just RAM and hard drives. As I was preparing my after-dinner snack (delicious Churros cereal), I thought that the food that I eat and have in my apartment is highly analogous to memory in a computer. I will succinctly explain the analogy from fastest to slowest memory.

Registers - Chewed food, ready for consumption
L1 Cache - Food in mouth
L2 Cache - Food in spoon
GPU - Food in bowl (Either eaten one spoonful at a time or gulping it down(parallel processing))
RAM - Food in box
Flash - Food in my room
Solid-state drive (SSD) - Food in the pantry
Hard drive - Food at the grocery store
Tape - Wherever food is before the stores
Cloud - Food that is still on the farm


~ Simply Advanced ~

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Stack Overflow Error

I just got my first stack overflow error when creating an Android app!

Code typically doesn't work well when a function starts like:


    private void setOnClickListeners() {
        setOnClickListeners();

        ....
    }


=]

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Simply Advanced Unit Converter - 50000 Downloads!

It may not sound like much, but this one app has more downloads than all my other apps combined. Unit converters is a big market and this app has at least two features that don't appear in other unit converters.

This is easily my choice and many others' top choice for unit converters.

Testimonials:

• "Simply the best And I tried all of them"
• "Does the job, quickly and cleanly Simple and straight forward interface makes quick conversions a breeze. Enter in your measurement, and all the related units are converted and updated instantly."
• "Simple but the best No more complications just a simple complete unit converter."
• "Great Improvement Looks and works great. Love the new logo. Keep it up!"
• "Look no further Wouldn't even consider any other unit converter after this one."
• "Powerful & straightforward Just what I needed for metric & temp conversions!"

..and that's just the on the first page. =D

Thank you everybody for supporting the app by giving it five stars!

Link: The best android unit converter in Google Play.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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The Future of Memorizing Pi

According to the Pi World Ranking List, the top name has memorized 67890 digits of pi! And there are at least fifteen people worldwide that have memorized over 10000 digits of pi.

Before I quickly researched those numbers, I was thinking would a future record holder be able to calculate pi in their head? Eventually, humans are going to have computers connected to their brains. So, perhaps in twenty years we will be able to calculate pi in our heads and get a world record in the trillions of digits? Tens, of thousands of digits is already takes hours to complete.

I was able to say about 65 digits from memory in a 10 second interval, but this number may be a little lower to include breathing and speaking up for a microphone. So, I will go with about 50 digits per 10 seconds.

That's:
300 digits per minute.
18000 digits per hour.

This means that the Chao Lu of China took around 3.8 hours to say all the 67890 digits of pi. But, I'm going to assume that he paused a few times to drink and eat. So, that would bring the total to over 4 hours.

If you also want to memorize the digits of pi, then you can find the first 100000 digits of pi here.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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LegalZoom: Simply Advanced, LLC

Finally, just submitted all the documents and payments to LegalZoom so that Simply Advanced, LLC could be official. I heard a few good things about them and this is the real test for me. LegalZoom says that the filing process could take anywhere from 20-35 days. I will share with the world how the experience goes.

The application process on LegalZoom is relatively straightforward. On the first page, they say it will take about 15 minutes to complete. I'm sure I spent at least 30 minutes reading every question and help available. Be sure to read about the details of LegalZoom LLC creation before beginning the process. There are a few fees that they don't tell you about during the application process.

One interesting experience while filling out all of the forms was getting a phone call by one of the LegalZoom representatives. I didn't have any questions at the time, but I'm sure it can be really useful. And now I have the email and phone number of a specific representative, rather than an overarching number with menus and submenus.

I've read a lot about starting and running businesses already, but there is still a lot of business materials that I have to read before considering myself capable of running this business. It's time to learn fast by throwing myself into it.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Electronics-Free Zone

I just read an interesting article on Lifehacker about having an electronics-free zone in a home. Even though I am one for having technology and electronics everywhere, I really like the idea of having absolutely no electronic devices or outlets in at least one room at home.

http://lifehacker.com/5977939

And to expand on the idea, perhaps this mentality can added to restaurants, airplanes, workplaces, and Tuesdays 11-2pm. Just throwing ideas out there. That way people have clear their minds by not having to worry about a phone going off or having an email to answer. By clearing your mind, you could potentially achieve a higher level of thinking and creativity.


~ Simply Advanced ~

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App to Clipboard Multiple Items

I may have mentioned this before, but just now I thought of a good way to do this on a desktop computer. If there is anybody else who would like to save multiple items to their clipboard, then please email me or contact me via Google Plus.

I believe this can help me while programming, and I'm sure there are other uses for it too.

The first version would just have the ability to copy different text to multiple clipboards, then future versions would have the ability to save anything.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Why Do So Many Apps Need Location Permission To Install?

Answer: Ads pay more when developers provide user locations to them.

I'm not going to link to any particular ad networks. But, I know about them because every week different ad networks email me telling about how they pay out the most to developers.

If you don't feel comfortable giving out your location to apps that don't need it, then don't install them. Apps would run perfectly well without location permissions.

I am a developer for Android and Windows platforms. Currently, none of my apps give any user information to ad networks. I make enough money from my apps already due to popular use.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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LTE Discovery Update Version 2.0

Huge update to LTE Discovery! We could have called it version 1.34, but these drastic changes made us call this version 2.0. We are not calling this beta anymore!
Recent Updates in version 2.0. 1. Now distinguishes Phantom LTE signals from usable LTE2. Added BSID, SID, NID, date, and time information to GPS list3. The present network is displayed whenever app is open4. Optimized background tasks. (App works in background)5. GPS Coordinates list vastly improved, better formatting6. Ability to store more GPS coordinates of detected LTE signals7. Ability to clear GPS list8. Added a help page9. Change to Dark Holo theme10. Other UX and UI and performance improvements11. Many other bug fixes. All known bugs fixed.
Only available on Google Play for Android users.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Music Genre of the Day: 60's Oldies!

The Clovers - Love Potion Number 9

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy

And so many more great 60s. I'm using Jango because they are commercial free. Choose "Decades: 60's" then "Hits from the 60s".s

~ Simply Advanced ~

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Can't USB Connect to Device Through Eclipse?

At first, I couldn't connect to a Nexus 7 or HTC Evo LTE in Eclipse. Windows 7 could see both of the devices, but Eclipse for some unknown reason would not detect them so that I could debug the Android apps.

Solution: Update Eclipse to the newest version and also update the Android SDK in the Android SDK Manager. You can update Eclipse and the ADT plugin by going to Help -> Check for Updates.

If your computer doesn't have the drivers for the devices, then you should download them from the manufacturer's (OEM) website. One starting point would be http://developer.android.com/tools/extras/oem-usb.html to help point you on your way.

Asus Nexus 7 Driver: http://www.asus.com/Tablet_Mobile/Nexus_7/#support_Download_32 (then click USB)

~ Simply Advanced ~

PS - This is assuming that the device is already properly set up in proper developer debugging mode.

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Procrastination Versus Doing Dishes

tldr: Every time, I clean my dishes right after I finish eating or cooking. I don't care for doing the dishes, but I dislike procrastination even more.

• Dishes are easier to clean right after eating.
• I'm going to wash my hands after eating. So, by combining hand washing and doing dishes together I save time by only having to dry my hands once.
• This saves me from procrastinating on other works in the future because my areas are already clean.
• I have clean dishes for next time I eat sitting in the dish rack. Grabbing a dish from the dish rack is faster than open and closing a cabinet. Bonus quick seconds add up.

It feels good knowing that I have a clear mind so that I can focus 100% of my brain power on just a single activity. I wouldn't want it any other way.

~ Simply Advanced ~

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