Last night Justin came over and we worked on his website for a while. We put a new theme on it and then I showed him how to use some of the back end features. We also tested out the Pint Tracker app. I created a fob for Justin so it was ready when he arrived.
I now have Pint Tracker running as an AIR app. It is working out great. I have a shortcut down in my dock so it make it really convenient to start and stop Pint Tracker as needed. I found a real nice pint icon over at http://www.iconspedia.com
that I am using. Take a look at my dock and you can see the icon sixth from the right.
I also have Pint Tracker starting up when I boot or log in to the home theater computer. Now that Pint Tracker is an AIR app, I want to update the wood background. Give it rounded edges and maybe a border around it. I want to also work in a nice reduce and close icon. The only real changes I had to make to Pint Tracker to get it running as an AIR app were to make sure my links pointing to the PHP files were absolute. Otherwise Pint Tracker can’t find them. Then the last change was adding this bit of code so that I could drag the app around on the desktop.
1 2 3 4 5 | backwood.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, back_CLICK); function back_CLICK(e:MouseEvent):void { stage.nativeWindow.startMove(); } |
Previously I had been running Pint Tracker as a Mac widget. The problem with the Mac widget is that the widget is always on top of all other windows. Running Pint Tracker as a AIR app is a much better option since I can launch, reduce and quit with ease and it goes behind other open apps.
After Justin and I worked on this website for a while Ryan stopped by to see what we were up to. I had a fob ready for him as well. Here are a few “security” photos that Pint Tracker snapped when they scanned their fob for a pint.
Right now I have the camera on top of the TV mounted to the wall. Since I know it is there it is easy for me to get a good photo. Or a better framed photo anyway.
Last night just proved that people look at the fob reader and not the camera. So I need to come up with a way to have the camera and the fob reader in a box or case. Kevin suggested a cigar box so I will give that a try first. I would ideally like the camera to be up at head level. So maybe I will add a shelf next to the TV just for the fob setup. Look for an update on that in the next few weeks.
Here is the leader board after Justin and Ryan had a couple. 
We did run out of beer after just 4 pints last night. I knew we were close since Pint Tracker tells me the pint count. Well kind of. Right now Pint Tracker keeps track of individual people totals and beer type totals. Since this is only the second keg I have been tracking and the first was a Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat, I could tell how many we have been pulled from the tap. But it doesn’t keep track of the current keg totals just overall totals for a particular keg type. As soon as I add another keg of Pale Ale or Unfiltered Wheat I won’t know current keg totals. So I need to show current keg total on a new screen. I will have to come up with some kind of meter to show current keg % full. Only thing I can think of is a pint decreasing it’s beer level with each tap pull. Then show a warning when it drops down below a certain level. If you have a better idea let me know. Or maybe a keg photo with a break away cut out on it to show the inside and the beer level.
I was able to get 50 pints out of the last full keg. I buy the 5.5 gallon smaller kegs since they are easy to handle and lets me swap them out quicker for more variety. Also one thing to think about is different pint sizes. I use the following three glasses most of the time.
I would like to standardize to the two far left glasses since they are the same oz. size. That will give me a better reading on a keg’s pint count. Also I have to drain off a little with each session to get the warm beer out of the line. I would estimate that is about 3-5 pints over the life of a keg or a quarter pint with each session.
With a 5.5 gallon keg there are 704 oz. Using 16 oz glasses that is 44 pints, with 12oz pints that is about 59 pints, and with an average of 14oz per pint that is 50 pints. I had 50 pints out of this keg of Pale Ale and that is not counting drain off pints. I may be off a few pints this time because I have been testing and deleting those records from the database. I will get a new keg today of Fat Time so it adds another beer on the leader board. It will be interesting to see the beer count with another full keg. Also I need to start showing recent keg lifespans. I can see a few new screens being added very soon.
Sorry for such a long post but this is exciting (geek) stuff! Do you have any ideas to enhance the system? Let me hear them if you do!
Twitter It!Tags: AIR, AS3, Beer, fob, PintTracker
I clicked on your dock icon and prayed for a beer. Nothing happened, but several minutes later the wife got home from grocery shopping, and she just so happened to have picked up a case of beer for me. Your system works…genius!
Judging by the tallies, I don’t see your record being usurped at time soon. Cheers, mate!
That’s funny. I did think about your beer this weekend. I went to get a new keg and they had one of Sam Adams which is rare. But I picked up Fat Tire instead.
Can you put a timer on how long the tap is down? Then you can figure out how long it takes to pour a pint. You can convert to ounces and then after the tap is let up you should be able to get an estimate of how many ounces are left which you can translate to pints, glasses, etc. Very cool stuff.
The problem with that is that not ever pour is the same. Sometimes I have to drain off a little to get the warm beer out of the line. So a timer is not the best option.
I have decided to start tracking drain-offs as a user. This will tell me how many I waste over the life of a keg.