Skype for Android 4 - Better but Useless

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, October 1, 2022.

Skype just released a completely rewritten version of their Android client.

It's a nice streamlined UI and for the first time on Android it actually loads the 15,422 chats I'm required to participate in work and is usable and responsive. I've used it for a few days and really want to like it.

But.

Even though it's faster and prettier it still destroys battery life. Imo.im ad Plus.im manage to handle multiple networks all day without putting a noticeable dent int the battery. With Skype up and running my phone is dead by the early evening. It's useless.

They also haven't fixed syncing the read state of messages which is the worst deficiency of Skype on both mobile and the desktop. Imo.im did this wonderfully until Skype cut them off at the kneecaps.

Back to Plus.im for now...

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Leafhopper Nymph

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Leafhopper Nymph

I spotted this odd looking bug in my porch a few weeks ago. It looks like a wingless fly with a hairy tail that wouldn't look out of place on a fly sized horse.

My Google-fu failed me so I turned to JustAnswer. Random insect identification isn't your typical veterinary question but Rebeccavet came through for me via a taxonomist in Kenya and told me it's a Leafhopper (Cicadellidae) nymph. Given this information Google Images confirmed that this seems like the most likely possibility.

(Full disclosure - I work at JustAnswer.)

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Leafhopper Nymph #photo #leafhopper #cicadellidae Photo of a Leafhopper Nymph, looks like a wingless fly with a hairy tail. )

Catfood Earth for Android 1.20

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Monday, May 31, 2021.

Catfood Earth for Android 1.20

I recently upgraded to the HTC One which has a transparent notification bar. This makes it hard to see notification icons when using Catfood Earth as your wallpaper, at least in the summer when it's always light at high latitudes and your white icons are displayed on top of polar ice and clouds.

Catfood Earth for Android 1.20 fixes this with an option to paint black under the notification bar. That's the only update other than the latest Xamarin runtime.

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Pride

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Pride

Updated 2013-06-30 19:51:

Pride

Updated 2013-06-30 20:37:

Pride

Updated 2013-07-01 00:31:

Pride

Updated 2013-07-01 08:37:

Pride

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Pride #photo #sanfrancisco Various photos from 2013 Pride in San Francisco, California. )

Commute

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

View of Alcatraz from Steiner and Pacific in San Francisco

View to Alcatraz from Steiner and Pacific - about to cycle down very fast.

Updated 2016-04-26 21:42:

Ecology Trial in The Presidio of San Francisco

View from the Ecology Trail in The Presidio of San Francisco.

(Previously: Commute failing to suck this morning...)

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Commute #photo #commute #sanfrancisco Photos from my commute in San Francisco. )

Free

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.

Free

Free Firewood... and Tibet

Sign seen in Bernal Heights, San Francisco.

In this photograph titled "Free," the viewer is immediately drawn to a makeshift, handwritten sign that reads "FREE FIREWOOD +TIBET!" The sign, crafted from a piece of paper, is affixed to the bark of a tree. Surrounding it, dappled sunlight filters through the leaves, casting gentle shadows that dance upon the surface of the paper. The background is a lush tapestry of greenery, composed of leaves and foliage, invoking a sense of nature’s quiet abundance. The overall scene feels organic and spontaneous, captured during a moment of serene outdoor stillness.

The composition of the photograph is striking in its simplicity. The centered placement of the sign serves as the focal point, guiding the viewer’s eye immediately to its message. This centralization reflects a straightforward style that contrasts with the natural chaos of the surrounding foliage. The play of light and shadow adds a dynamic element, enhancing the text’s legibility and imparting a natural texture to both the sign and the tree. What resonates well is the raw, unpolished nature of the sign against the natural backdrop, emphasizing a poignant rustic charm. However, the photograph might have benefitted from a slightly higher contrast or saturation to further differentiate between the sign and the foliage, making the message stand out even more vividly.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Free #photo #tibet Photo of Free Firewood... and Tibet sign in Bernal Heights, San Francisco, California. )

This week in defeating Patent Trolls

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Sunday, October 23, 2022.

Butterfly

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Butterfly

Photo of the moment a butterfly takes flight at the top of the Esmerelda stairs in Bernal Heights.

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Butterfly #photo #butterfly Photo of a butterfly taking flight in the Bernal Height neighborhood of San Francisco, California. )