Author: paschmann

Open Source Project: Reach UI

paschmann

After building the open Source Reach SDK project, I realized it would be great to have an accompanying UI /Dashboard/Work bench where I would be able to test various notification methods and configurations before including them in my projects. Due to this, I build Reach UI, under the hood it is a simple static site with a Node.JS backend, using the Reach SDK. I think it does an ice job at showing how simple it can be to implement the SDK in your code base, and even includes some example code to make it even easier.

Check it out on Github below:

GitHub – paschmann/reach-ui: A test UI for the Node.js Reach SDKA test UI for the Node.js Reach SDK. Contribute to paschmann/reach-ui development by creating an account on GitHub.

Travel: New Zealand

paschmann

The flight from CLT to Auckland was pretty long, but no delays made it reasonable to survive 🙂

After landing, picking up a rental car and driving 4 hours, I managed to squeeze in a short ride, run and attend the Welcome banquet. Friday and Saturday I spent checking out the race course, getting in a practice swim and cheering on the women’s race.

Sunday was race day for me. Overall, things went pretty much according to plan.

Monday and Tuesday I spent driving from Taupo to Rotorua and then Auckland to fly out Wednesday.

The UX of Lego Interface Panels …

paschmann

After posting about the $100 million checkbox … I have been wondering about other really bad interface choices which have made it out into the world (and subsequently were the culprits of disaster). This is a nice article from the Interaction Magic team show casing the UX design of Lego Interface Panels, and some examples of (real world) bad patterns.

The UX of LEGO Interface PanelsLEGO interface panels are beautiful, iconic, and great for learning interface design basics. I bought 52 of them from BrickLink to explore the design, layout and organisation of complex interfaces.Read Moreinteractionmagic.com

Travel: Bay Area

paschmann

Not quite according to plan due to an Atmospheric River, which added some weather challenges, but had a great work trip with some personal elements added in for fun.

I am getting pretty good at assembling my bike in a Hertz rental garage.


The SAP San Ramon Office is not a terrible place to work for the week. Thanksgiving Pot Luck, Diwali and a trip to the Apple Campus made it extra special.

“The least you can do …”

paschmann

During a recent Diwali event at SAP, a speaker shared an intriguing story about Lucila Takjerad, an Algerian who was fortunate enough to be the recipient of someone’s help, and later graduated from Harvard. Below is the speech she gave at her commencement.

Lucila Takjerad
“The Least You Can Do”
Lucila Takjerad
English Graduate Commencement Speech
May 20th, 2019
The Least You Can Do

As Harvard graduates, you will be asked to go into the world and do the most you
can do. I am here to ask you to do the least.

I was born in Algeria. Every Friday, my sister and I had our weekly shower at the
public baths. We didn’t have running water at home. On winter nights, we cuddled against the cold because our heat was cut off. And, on some days, we hid our hunger in order not to worry our parents.

When I was seven years old, my country plunged into a bloody civil war. Every night, I prayed to God that tomorrow, there would not be an empty seat at our dinner table. read more

Aero Bottle Cover

paschmann

A fun 3D print to Carbon Fiber project.

Designed in Fusion 360, 3D printed a mould and did a wet layup in Carbon Fiber. Pretty happy with the way it came out and impressed it held up even on the really rough NZ chip sealed roads!

There was a lot of trial and error on this due to the deep cavity and needing a vacuum to hold the material in place.

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Gridfinity – Endurance Edition

paschmann

Gridfinity is a great solution for 3D printing custom storage solutions. There is a “Gridfinity” layout for hundreds If not thousands of tools, home goods, workshop items, kitchen utensils, you name it … the best part is that if something doesn’t exist, you can pretty easily design and then 3D print it.

Gridfinity Catalog

I decided to take that challenge on since there are not many Gridfinity designs for smaller cycling or workout items, like the Garmin Varia, Drop sweat monitor, Core Body Sensor or Garmin Edge unit I have. Using the design reference and a super handy Plugin for Fusion 360, I designed and printed a bunch to keep my work space organized. Below are some images and the prototypes of the prints. read more