Escape from Escape

During my college days computers were run from teletype machines. These teletypes had a typewriter keyboard layout extended with unfamiliar keys like Control (Ctrl) and Escape (Esc).  You could press Ctrl-G and make the teletype ring its bell — ding! You could press Esc when you mistakenly wrote a BASIC program with an infinite loop and make the program… Continue reading Escape from Escape

Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

I just finished porting my electronic calipers mobile iOS app, EP Calipers, to the Mac. In doing so I decided to bite the bullet and change the programming language from the original Objective C (ObjC) to Apple’s new language, Swift. Here are some observations. The Swift programming language I’m comfortable now with Swift. Swift is… Continue reading Porting an iOS Project to the Mac

Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?

I had thought the answer to the question of the title was “yes,” given Tim Cook’s stance on strong encryption. But if a recent experience at my local Apple Store is any guide, the theoretical views of the Apple CEO on privacy have not trickled down to daily practice at the Apple Stores. My wife’s… Continue reading Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?

Who Can Write a Drug Dosage Calculator?

Several years ago I had an idea for a smartphone app that could be used to calculate doses for drugs that are prescribed frequently to patients with heart rhythm problems. These drugs include antiarrhythmics such as dofetilide and sotalol, and the new oral anticoagulants such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban. These drugs are handled by the… Continue reading Who Can Write a Drug Dosage Calculator?