Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Installed Thermodo's "companion app" on my 4th-gen iPad running iOS 7.0.6. Annoyed that I can't skip the identical introduction screens that I saw yesterday on my iPhone. Couldn't one button have provided a better experience? Tested it. It said the temperature was 74 degrees F. The Radio Shack digital thermometer I have had for years said it was 72 degrees F. Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins and unsweetened soy milk. Rode Muni to UCSF Parnassus. UCSF shuttle from Parnassus to Laurel Heights. Linkchecking, kiosk work. Lots of followup with trying to notify constituents about the Apple SSL/TLS bug, received an unsatisfactory workaround from Alex R in ITS, successfully sent a poorer-quality version of the message I intended to send, responded to a few questions about the problem. Began prepping an email to respond to feedback from Esteban's team, and this work consumed most of my day. Handled a small edit for Nadav in his lab site. UCSF shuttle from Laurel Heights to Mt. Zion. I serendipitously found and ate at Presidio Pizza Company, a new pizza restaurant at 1862 Divisadero. I had a veggie slice and a mixed green salad, about $10. My meal was delicious. The crust is a little softer on the bottom than I prefer but not disappointingly so. The interior is pleasant: white tile; vertical garden box; lighting made from rope, a pulley, and a railroad tie; and the world's largest pizza spatula. This is another of those places like Artesano where it's difficult to determine whether you're getting table service or counter service. I chose counter service because I wanted to sit in the sunny window, and I felt like a second-class citizen while observing others eating at tables. However, near the end of my meal a worker cleared my countertop and brought me my check. Weird and awkward. Doctor appointment. UCSF shuttle from Mt. Zion to Laurel Heights. Continued prepping an email to respond to feedback from Esteban's team. Tried to get an UberX ride, but the system was down. I tried other apps on my phone, avoiding those that had lengthy sign-up processes or delays lasting more than a few seconds on the startup screen (GroundLink) or those that displayed an error (Cabulous, "We are sorry but this version is no longer supported, please update it."). Of the apps I already had installed on my phone but never used, the one which seemed to have the shortest signup process was Summon, formerly InstantCab. From a desktop browser I quickly created a new email alias on my domain to use, then signed up from my phone and added my credit card. The whole process took about 10 minutes, and I had a ride within about another 10. Summon personal driver ride to the Mission. Dinner at Shotwell House with Danny, Romy, Drew, Phil, and Joel (of Hector and Joel): butternut-squash-and-ginger soup with garnishes of bacon and rosemary, boneless five-spice chicken breast, brussels sprouts with bacon, crispy rice. Rode UberX home.