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Tools

What I use.

Tools..Tools..Tools.. What tools do you use in your daily job? There are many that make my life easier. I’m a Windows guy. There are several reasons I haven’t jumped ship to Ubuntu or *gasp* Mac. If I had it my way, I would be using a Linux machine. There are several projects that I work on that require Microsoft. A Linux machine running a Windows VM would be nice, but I don’t think I want to risk it

Some of the tools I use daily are:

Visual Studio Code – Source Code Editor. This is where I do my NODE and PHP work.
Chrome – My favorite editor, even with all the headlines I see on web. The Developer Tools are my favorite.
Draw.IO – Best place to draw up diagrams.
Notepad++ – Quick and dirty editor that is full of features and plugin that allow you to get the job done.
DBeaver – My favorite DB tool. I use to be a MySql Workbench fan until I accidentally installed the new one that wasn’t supported in Windows 7!
Filezilla – Best way to FTP. No one has time for the command line FTP! 🙂

I will try and explain why I love each one of these tools. I’m not here to try and convince you to switch, just let you know what is in my tool belt.

Visual Studio Code (VSCODE)

This is by far my favorite code editor. I have a subscription for Webtorm, and it is a great editor with a lot of features. The plugins for VSCode are what make it so great. The community is developing powerful pluginns that are very useful. They have done a great job at making it easy to push/pull/commit changes to Github/Gitlab. VSCode makes it easy to debug your code too.

If you get a chance, I would suggest looking into the Live Share plugins. It makes pair programming so much easier. If your coworker is in the other room or in another city, this is very useful!

Chrome

Chrome is my browser of choice and it’s been hard to break the addiction. There are several alternatives, but when it comes to debugging code, Chrome is by far my favorite. The developer tools are the best! There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not in there tracing calls to my APIs and figuring out what is going on. Debugging CSS is the other thing I’m doing in the DEV tools a lot. I cannot make things look pretty, so it is nice to be able to go in and tweak the CSS and see what it does.

Like every tool it isn’t without problems. Most of the problems I have with it are with my machine. I have 3 monitors at work and one is having a driver issue, so when I try and do PIP on that screen using the Google PIP Plugin. That is my machines problem.

DRAW.IO

In my college years, I spent many hours documenting my code and drawing UML diagrams. EER diagrams by hand or using old WordPerfect tools or Microsoft Tools. That is what we had at the time. There were no free apps as cool as this, that I can remember. I’m very thankful for the free tools that we have now.

DRAW.IO makes it easier to create flowcharts, user stories, EER diagrams (there are other tools for this. See DBeaver), and many other tools. I use it through Google Drive integration. The downside to this is when you want to share a drawing with someone, they usually need a GMAIL account if you want them to be able to edit it. (as far as I can tell).

Notepad++

This is definitely my go to application for quick editing for random files. I’m sad when i’m using Linux and I don’t have access to it :(. It has syntax highlighting, so you can see reserved words easily. When I need to manipulate data, I can pull it into here and use Regular Expressions to format the document fast. There are even tools to format XML and JSON files so it is easier to read. The code folding is also a valuable feature that gets used daily!

My only problem with this tool is when I have to edit a super duper large file! I’ve run into this several times and I have to split the file up or find another editor.

DBeaver

When it comes to viewing tables and running queries, it doesn’t get any better than DBeaver! If your references are setup correctly it is so easy to get an ER Diagram from your tables. There is always some client or manager that wants to see what your tables look like, and this makes it easy!

My biggest gripe with this tool is the way it manages files, but it could be a problem with me. I create new script files and then forget to give them a name, so it makes it harder to find my “scratch” pad of queries.

Overall it is my favorite query tool for MySQL and PostgreSQL. I still find myself going to Workbench for somethings that I’m use to using. I use Microsoft for MsSQL Databases, but that is because I’m lazy!

Filezilla

I love Linux and the terminal, but when it comes to FTP, I prefer to use a GUI. Filezilla is my favorite quick tool to go to. I’m usually downloading a DB that has been backed up or something. It also makes it easy to forget my FTP password, because I’ve saved it in the settings. SFTP via WinSCP is my alternative. Another super easy tool to use.

To wrap up..

I’m very open minded and not the type of person who lives by the “Do it my way or it’s the highway” and I love learning about tools that make my job easier. I use to use WebStorm code, but my co-worker started using VSCode and loved it! I’m also a creature of habit, so it took me about 2 weeks to make the switch to VSCode. With daily use and persistence, I was able to make the switch. Who knows which one is the best, but I’m really enjoying VSCode more than WebStorm.

Android Studio did redesign their editor using the same editor as what WebStorm was built from, by JetBrains. They did a great job at making it easy to use.

Take all of this with a grain of salt or take a look at them if you have never heard of them. I love finding new tools to use, so please leave a comment with any tools you’d like to share.

Happy New Year

The new year is here! We had a busy week ringing in the new year and enjoying time off not thinking about the inevitable. Going back to work and school!? I went back to work on Thursday. The boy goes back to school Monday, 6^th of January. I’m hoping it goes well for him. We have been bad about keeping up with reading and some other daily habits that he has been used to. This week hasn’t been that exciting so there isn’t much to report.

We rang in the new year at the Provo Recreational Center. They have a lot of family-friendly things to do from 7pm until Midnight. This is the second year we’ve been, and it is super fun! They have:

A Hypnotist
Bounce Houses
Dog Shows
Acrobatics
Karaoke
Face Painting
Comedy Show
Game Shows (Family Feud)
Dancing
Virtual Reality
Fireworks (One at 10pm and one at 12pm)

There is a lot to do. I may have left some out. It felt like the night flew by! We didn’t get home until 1am and then to sleep at 2am. Jacob and I both slept until 12pm! It was awesome!

He didn’t quite understand how to do it. I may be failing as a father!

One thing I wanted to talk about but I’m a big people watcher. I love the big city. There are a lot of people in a small place. I can sit on the corner and watch people shuffle by. I’ve always found it very interesting. In the past, I’ve been a pretty shy person, so it was always a good time to come out of my shell by talking to complete strangers.

I don’t live in the city or anywhere I can watch people. Where we live, we don’t have a lot of street traffic we can look at, so sitting out on your porch at night watching the world go by is hard. My office window at work faces a driveway into the back of the building. Behind our building, there is a path down into the neighborhood behind us. It is used by a few people during the summer. We are pretty sure there are some shady people using the path. They are fun to watch but not as exciting as the big city.

I have found a few cool live camera sites that are fun to watch while I’m at work. There is a very nice camera in New York, Time Square Cams, that is fun to watch It’s a pretty famous camera, so you see people stopping and waving at the camera. Their Grandparents or Parents are home watching on the camera. It’s fun to watch the interactions.

While watching on Friday, a mother and baby walking one way and another lading coming towards them. The baby tripped and fell. She picked herself up and the lady stopped and helped and showed concern for the baby. It’s a typical interaction you’d expect. Two complete strangers (as far as I know) interacting. Internally, this interaction I’m witnessing is playing out in my head. I find it very interesting. Another camera I watch a lot is in Hermosa Beach at a restaurant. You can see the beach, people waiting in line to go eat, or people exercising up and down the beach. Super fun.

MILLIONS of people live int this world, and we will never meet them all. There are some that you’ll never want to see again, but there are some you’ll want to keep in touch with. Personally, I find it fun to meet new people.

Here is a story about meeting random strangers. We were at Legoland several years ago, and Jacob randomly got on a ride with this girl. They HIT it off and wanted to ride the next ride together. It was just her and her mom and dad. We had to stand in line with Jacob, her, and her parents. The kids were treating each other like they knew each other before talking, laughing, and having a great time! We were trying to get to know her parents. It was slow at first, but we ended up spending the WHOLE day with them. We learned a ton about them, and they did the same with us. We were from two different worlds. We were the Mormons from Utah, and they were Catholics from California. Fortunately, that didn’t matter to anyone. We were all sharing a great experience riding rides and enjoying a theme park. It was great. We keep in touch with them on Facebook. It was a great experience and we never would have met them if it weren’t for two kids making friends.

Life is busy, and it’s hard to stop and talk to everyone you see. A smile, wave, or a quick “HI” are super easy! I’m not much of a “Goal” person. I think I’ll try it out this year and make it a point to meet new people and/or make someone smile. Everyone has a story or something to say. Give them a chance. You should stop and listen to that story sometime.

Meniere’s Disease

“Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can lead to dizzy spells (vertigo) and hearing loss. In most cases, Meniere’s disease affects only one ear ” – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374910

For several years, I’d get sick once a year around spring. I’d get a little dizzy and feel nauseated. On May 26th 2017, We were up in SLC for a little stay-cation and swimming in the pool and I got sick again. I was dizzy and could hardly walk. I sat got out of the pool and waited for about an hour, before I could walk back to the hotel room. After a good night of sleep, I was better.

The following Monday, we were celebrating my son’s birthday at Chili’s and I started getting sick again, which included the chills, dizziness, and an upset stomach. Sleep was the only thing I could do. There were several more times that I would end up getting sick, before visiting the doctor. The Dr looked at me and said. “You may have Meniere’s Disease”. Let me send you to the best doctor for Meniere’s.

I did some research and noticed that I had all the symptoms. I have had tinnitus for several years in my right ear and losing hearing in it. After several tests at the new Dr Office, they diagnosed me with Meniere’s Disease. I was devastated since there is no real cure, but there is a diet you can do to control the symptoms. The hardest one is limiting your sodium intake! WHAT!?!?! Everything good has sodium in it! All the quick and easy meals are loaded with sodium! I have to limit my intake to 1500 mg a day.

Let me back up a bit. An “Episode” of Meniere’s can be different for different people. In my cases, I would get extremely dizzy and the room would feel like it is spinning! I get sick to my stomach. There are things you can take to hep, such as motion sickness pills or some narcotics prescribed by the doctor. These episodes can come on without warning. Mine would usually hit at work. It usually takes about 4 hours to recover from an episode. You are usually left with a foggy head for a day. It’s super hard to explain. I’m so glad I work for a company that is willing to let me sleep off an episode in my office!

When I was diagnosed, I watched my sodium like a hawk. My sodium levels were way out of whack, due to my paranoia. I ended up getting sick, because I wasn’t eating enough sodium! The Doctor told me “You are severely dehydrated, and I can either send you do the hospital or you can go buy two bottles of Gatorade and drink them!”. I was able to get myself re-hydrated and back on the mend. I was always a fast-food type of person. It was easy to grab something to eat when you are in a hurry. Unfortunately, there is way too much sodium in fast food. Fast food has become a thing of the past, unless they can hold the “salt” on the fries and burger!

I have had Meniere’s for 2.5 years now and I’m still trying to figure out what I can eat. There are somethings I miss that are high in sodium and I will try a little here and there when I can. You have to weigh the consequences of eating that high sodium meal. Is it worth getting sick!? There are times you get away with a 2000 mg day and others where a 1200 mg day will get you sick. It’s super crazy! My weight has dropped by 40 lbs after making the dietary changes. I miss stuffing my face with fast food!

I have found a couple Facebook groups that have helped me deal with this disease.

Living with Meniere’s Disease – This is a great group for questions about Meniere’s. While reading the group, you need to remember one thing: Everyone is effected differently by this. The people on this group are not all the same and you will see some that can’t function at all and some that have episodes 1 to 2 times a year. I was completely freaked out when I joined this group, because I thought, I was doomed!
Shaking the Salt: A Low Sodium Lifestyle – I love this group for finding low sodium alternatives. I’ve found some awesome products on here that I’ve been able to incorporate into my diet, such as low sodium chips, salsas, etc.

Meniere’s is tough, but I think you can do it if you are disciplined and willing to make changes. I suggest you find a great support group, because you are going to be overwhelmed! Episodes are going to happen, so have a plan! Carry your rescue medications with you! (Dramamine is my first line of defense)

Continue..Inspiration..

I wanted to continue on with who inspired me. I thought about it this week, and I realize what I like others may hate. It’s like when I want to share my favorite restaurant, Charlie Chows, with my friends and I talk it up and how good it is but when I take them there for the first time they are like “blah, that was OK”. The glory about this place is you have a million ways to make your food and you are in control of how you make it. It’s really hard to get it right the first time. There is nothing worse than that. I feel like I let them down. To each their own, so I won’t take offense if you don’t agree with me here. If you want to try it, let me know, I will go with you 🙂

I always had a dream to play the guitar. I have spent the last 3 years taking lessons, but I kind of stopped earlier this year. I got frustrated with my hearing and ability to play. I don’t know much about music theory, so it is pretty frustrating. I love music and listening to it. I wish I could sing, and I feel like i’m pretty good when I’m in the car singing to myself. I’m sure I’m like all those people on American Idol that get laughed at :). I found this one singer named Mike Posner and he has a cool sound and some accoustic songs I’d like to play. Some of his famous songs and my favorite are “Be As You Are“, “Move On“, and “I took a Pill in Ibiza“. I found out this week that he has a podcast (“What does this all mean?”) and I became obsessed with it this week. I haven’t listened to all of them but what I have heard, they are pretty good. He is a big thinker and into meditation and self improvement. It is pretty interesting.

One of his stories is about his father that passed away from Brain cancer. He has a song called January 11th, 2017 that is about his father. Since he works for himself (he mentioned this in an interview and in the podcast and they talk in the song), he was able to move home 10 months before his father died and spend those 10 months living in his house with his father. It’s an amazing story, he talks about it in his first podcast “Happy Father’s Day”. I encourage you to listen to it.

My father passed away when I was 15 years old. It was almost 30 years ago on November 30th, 1989. I was sitting in school about 11:30a waiting to go to lunch. Someone came over the intercom and said “Could you please send …. to the office”. I went. My aunt was there bawling and we went out to her car and she gave us the news and took us to the hospital. It was INSANE! I wasn’t able to say my goodbye’s or spend 10 months knowing. I found that pretty cool that he was able to spend the time he needed. I will have to write about my Father in a future entry. I have a TON of stories that I could tell.

Mike Posner has a pretty interesting story and I just found it pretty interesting. He walked across the united states, which was pretty insane! (see the link ). One last story that he told, was how he felt about seeing a homeless person walking without shoes. I’m going to butcher it, but if he has 10 pairs of shoes at home, why can’t he just give him his own shoes to help? I thought that was pretty profound. I have a ton of extra stuff that sits in my closet unused. Why can’t I give them to those that are in need? Winter is coming on and there are people freezing, and I have a ton of coats I need to donate. 🙂

Lots of rambling here.

Inspire…? Dream…?

Have you ever watched a video on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever that gave you the warm and fuzzies. One that really motivated you for 2 or more seconds. 🙂 This is my favorite kind of videos to watch. I do like watching the fail videos, but if I cringe or have to feel sick inside after the video, I try and void it. 🙂 There are a few content providers that I watch that have videos that make you feel good and spark deep thought after watching. Here are a few, of the many, I watch regularly…

Prince Ea is one of them that I like to watch. He is pretty good at his video production. I don’t like some of his click bait, and I usually avoid the ones that seem like click bait. For instance, the video title “STOP saying ‘I Love You'”. I have yet to watch this video. I love saying “I love you” to my wife. He usually has that, but he has a reason for his advice, but WHAT? I’m going to have to watch the video after typing this now. For the most part, he has a lot of really good videos. They leave you feeling good and wanting to change the world.

Here are a few (of many) I like:

Dear Future Generations: Sorry — I totally feel for the future generation. My son is going to have to deal with a lot of crazy stuff. I’m sure my parents felt the same.
What if? — This one is short, but I found it very interesting.
Before You Punish A Child, See This — This one makes me want to be a better father/person. Be mindful about what you say. Very powerful.

Dan Mace is another YouTuber that has some videos that inspire me. His videos are put together pretty well and very interesting. In his second season, he started this thing where you can go to his site and ‘plant a seed’. “A seed is a thought you’ve always had and wanted to act on” (www.notnormalshow.com) It is an awesome idea and he explores some random ideas.

Breaking the law in international waters (with cop and gang lord) — This one is pretty interesting. Have you ever looked at someone and made a quick judgement and profiled them before you even got to know them? Have you ever been able to get to know someone you’ve done that too? How did it turn out? I think about this all the time with Criminals and Cops. Cops are generally pretty cool people. Some “hoodlums” are pretty cool if you get to know them. You have cops keeping you behind bars, because you broke the law. The criminal hates the cop because he is keeping them in jail. I find it interesting. These two could look past their differences and become pretty good friends. 🙂

Yes Theory is another good channel with awesome content. They have a lot of excellent videos that inspire and leave you feeling good. From their About page it says:

“We believe that life can be as authentic and fulfilling as you wish if you seek discomfort. “

These guys had an Instagram challenge over the summer called “100 Days of Sweat.” I never participated, but I followed the updates from many of the other viewers and it was pretty inspiring. A lot of people made some great changes in their life and looked great! A few of my favorite videos are:

2 Strangers Swap Lives Across the World for 72hrs!! – What a crazy video. They find two strangers that agree to take a flight and swap lives with someone. They find the perfect people to switch and it turned out to be a pretty epic video. It is definitely worth the 23 minute investment 🙂
I Took My Pizza Delivery Guy Around the World — This video is just crazy. Kind of cool random event that you could do with a stranger. Would you do it? I would.
Overnight on the Most Dangerous Bed in the World!! — I am scared of heights! So I can totally feel the pain the one guy is going through with this challenge! It looks like a beautiful place to visit, but I don’t think I could make it out on their without passing out or dying. Facing my fears is one of the things I do not do well. Aside from heights, I think public speaking is another big fear.

Check these videos out. Feel free to post some videos that inspire you! I’d love to see them.

New Home…

About 6 years ago I purchased a hosting account with a company called host4asp.net. I was looking for a place I could host some NODE applications on as well as C# .NET applications. I do a lot of custom software at work and we’ve hosted sites before. My boss was the hosting guru, I just helped write the code for the sites. He did all the work to get it setup. I wanted to learn the magic, so this was my chance. Hosting with them has been the worst experience so far. They work, but they are super slow and have switched companies a couple times since host4asp.net.

I’ve had a lot of troubles with them, but lately it has been the super slow response times with WordPress and various other issues. My coworker told me about this cool company he uses called Vultr. They have super cheap plans, so I wanted to give it a try. I setup a super small machine, hosted in NJ (Furthest away from my home) that is $3.50 a month. He also mentioned a site called Ploi.io that is super easy to setup and deploy your machine. I was able to setup my machine with MySQL, WordPress, ssh, etc really quick. When I say really quick…I mean it was fast, but I did have a bit of a learning curve. I accidentally setup a new beefy server that probably cost me $0.03 to run for an hour before I realized my mistake. Super easy though.

I’ve spent the last week moving this site over from host4asp.net to https://blog.iwatson.net – It’s been an interesting adventure. My domain is hosted somewhere in an old account and I’m working on moving it over with my other domains. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to create a new A record for the domain. Forwarding my old site to this new url.

I’m sitting in a condo in San Diego, family vacation, at 12am and I’ve finally figured it all out. Vultr has sped up my WordPress site a good deal. I’m super excited! I have everything forwarded over and hopefully everything is setup correctly.

I can’t wait to start migrating over some of my other sites to Vultr. My next adventure is to try and get the mail server setup, so I can completely remove this domain off the old hosting company. I’ve prepaid for their service, and I’ll continue to use it until I can close the account. I will keep you updated on how Vultr is going, so far so good! I’m pretty happy!

iWatson

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