The Easiest Way to Check your Blood Glucose

 I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic more than two decades ago, and at the time, the most exciting breakthrough in glucometer technology was one with which you could draw blood from less sensitive areas, such as a forearm or the heel of a hand, instead of one's fingertips. Still it was a pain—both literally and figuratively—to have to do this several times a day, and it was a major aggravation to have to carry a glucometer, lancets, test strips, and a lancing device around with me. As a result, I didn't test my sugar nearly as often as I should have.

It took many years for a solution to this problem arrive, but in about 2018, my doctor suggested I try the new Freestyle Libre2 14-day blood glucose monitoring system. This was a game-changer. Wear a sensor on my arm (I like to refer to it as a Borg implant) and check my sugar by touching a monitoring device or smart phone to it. When I first started using the sensors, my smart phone was one generation too old to be compatible with the sensors, so I used a dedicated monitoring device, which looked like a conventional glucometer, and even accepted test strips as a backup, but eventually, I upgraded my smart phone to one capable of reading the sensors, where I could use it instead. Less hardware to carry around meant more frequent checks. Just open the Freestyle Libre app and touch my phone to the sensor. What could be easier than that?

The answer to that question came to me last December when I went to visit my doctor for my four-month checkup and he handed me a 'gift bag' containing a new sensor, the Freestyle Libre3. This sensor used Bluetooth technology to continually communicate with my phone, providing updates every minute and triggering alarms when my glucose levels go out of range, either too high or too low. All I have to do is open the app to see how I'm doing. As if that wasn't an improvement enough, the Libre3 sensor is considerably smaller than its predecessor, presenting less of a target to bump and get knocked off my arm. 

The only real issue I've had with the Libre3 sensors is getting hold of them. When my doctor first wrote me a prescription for them, the pharmacy I used didn't have them and didn't know when they'd get them in stock, so I temporarily went back to the Libre2 sensors. Eventually, they became available, but either the way the prescription was written or the way my insurance company has specified that it be filled, I had to get a large quantity at once. The first pharmacy I tried wanted more than $500 for an order of nine sensors. I later found them at another pharmacy, where I get six for what I'd previously paid for two Libre2 sensors. Better functionality for a third the price, I'll take it!

The net result of all this is I'm checking my blood sugar more frequently than ever, and using that information to make better food choices, which is a win all the way around. 

The last time I saw my doctor, we found ourselves speculating what innovations a Freestyle Libre4 sensor might bring. Thirty-day service life? Smart watch integration? We'll just have to wait and see.

UPDATE: A few weeks ago, I went to refill my prescription for Libre3 sensors and received the most unwelcome news that my health insurance no longer covered them. They wanted me to switch to a different brand, the Dexcom G7, but they wanted prior authorization before making the switch. This process has dragged out for more than a month; meanwhile, my doctor has kept me supplied with free "samples" of Libre3 sensors. 

Based on my reading, the Dexcom G7 operates essentially the same as the Libre3, except that it lasts only ten days, instead of 14, and it transmits data to the user's phone once every five minutes, instead of every 60 seconds. I think I can live with the less frequent data uploads, especially if that extends my phone's battery life, which has been significantly shorter since I started using the Libre3. The ten-day operational life is a little more of a wild card, as I have no idea how much the Dexcom sensors will cost me. If my copay is significantly less expensive than the Libre3 sensors were, then it will okay; otherwise, it will be a less cost effective solution. I'll make a full assessment, if and when the prescription ever gets filled.

The Night They Drove Ol' Robbie Down

With the recent passing of Robbie Robertson on August 9, I'm finding myself revisiting the music of The Band, most of which he wrote. Today, The Band is widely acknowledged as one of the progenitors of the musical sub-genre known as Americana, which blends aspects of country, rock, folk, blues, jazz, etc., into a uniquely American art form.

The Band's story is also unique. Instead of bursting onto the scene with their debut album, they quietly paid their dues, first backing rockabilly artist Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks, then backing Bob Dylan as he controversially electrified the folk scene in the mid-'60s, eventually collaborating with him on the Basement Tapes project, while he recuperated from a near-fatal motorcycle accident.  

As a result, their first studio album, Music From Big Pink (1968) conveys a maturity, achieved through almost a decade of playing together live. It, and its 1970 follow-up, the eponymously titled The Band, make a good introduction to their music, and together contain many of their best known songs. 

While jumping on at the beginning with those two albums has its virtues, another option for a broader view is the two-disc compilation from 1988 called To Kingdom Come. Released during the heyday of CD reissues, To Kingdom Come has one noticeable shortcoming shared by many digital remixes from that era, which consists mainly of bumping up the bass and drums in an attempt to give the music a bit more 'punch'. Nonetheless, the collection presents a concise but comprehensive overview of The Band's entire catalog, plus a handful of unreleased rarities. The three-disc box set, Across the Great Divide, is also excellent in its own right, presenting The Band in context with their earlier incarnation as the Hawks, along with a larger helping of rarities, but I tend to prefer To Kingdom Come because it is more focused and presents a solid collection of must-have tunes.

Also worth considering for anyone new to The Band is their live album Rock of Ages. Originally issued on two LP's, and later in several different CD configurations, this album captures The Band at the peak of their powers in a four-night run at New York's Academy of Music, culminating on New Year's Eve 1971. Performances on this set are generally more energetic than their studio counterparts, as would be expected from a band that cut its teeth on stage. A particular highlight is keyboardist Garth Hudson's Bach-inspired organ workout, called "The Genetic Method". CD versions of this album are many and varied. Its first CD version was a single disc that was missing a couple of tracks to fit it onto one disc, as was common practice in the early days of CD reissues. It later came out as an expanded two-disc collection that included most of guest artist Bob Dylan's performance with them, as they welcomed in 1972. The entire four-night run was also issued as a limited edition box set, and at the other end of the spectrum is a severely truncated 11-track CD titled The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

Honorable mention goes to The Last Waltz, the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's concert film of the same name, which documented The Band's farewell performance on Thanksgiving 1976 that included a virtual who's who of popular music at the time, including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, and the Staples Singers, among others. Originally issued on three LP's, which later fit comfortably on two CD's, it also came out as an expanded four-CD box set titled The Complete Last Waltz. While it is excellent in its own right, it isn't as good of an introduction to The Band as some of the other albums mentioned, as the arrangements are often quite different from the originals and it represents a culmination of an era, and the final time Robertson would perform with The Band, although the other members would re-convene, tour and record, with Robertson's blessing but without his participation, on into the 1980s and '90s. 

The music world lost one of its brightest luminaries last week, but we can be thankful that Robbie Robertson's recorded output, both with the Band and as a solo artist, has granted him a certain measure of immortality.

The Next Phase of Chrome OS

One of the unique aspects of Chromebooks is the tight integration of the Chrome Web browser into the ChromeOS operating system. This architecture has both been lauded as elegant in its simplicity and derided as reducing those computers to a 'browser in a box'. I have to admit I fall into the latter category, and have always regarded Chromebooks as lesser computers with severely limited functionality. 

Fortunately, Google has been steadily moving toward expanding Chromebooks' functionality, first by making it possible to run Android apps on them, and more recently by allowing Linux apps to run in a virtual machine environment, code named 'Crostini', but also referred to as the Linux Developer Environment. It's a little clunky and requires at least rudimentary knowledge of the Linux command line interface, but once you get everything set up, you can run almost any Debian Linux application, including LibreOffice, Thunderbird email client, GIMP photo editing software, and Firefox Web browser, on your Chromebook. Officially Google says it's just for developers, but in reality, it marks a huge leap forward in functionality for those who prefer desktop apps to their Web-based counterparts.

Google is now poised to take the next step in the maturing of ChromeOS by separating the Chrome browser from the operating system. The project, known by its code name Lacros (Linux and ChromeOS) is intended, according to Google, to extend the useful lives of older Chromebooks by allowing them to receive browser updates even after they pass their official 'expiration date', after which ChromeOS updates will cease. This project has been under way for a couple of years, and has been available under an experimental flag that gave users the choice of running the integrated Chrome browser or the separate Lacros browser, which is actually a natively running Linux application that does not require Crostini for life support. 

The separation process will begin with ChromeOS 116, out next week, where Lacros will be turned on by default, no flag required, but it may be a little while before the integrated Chrome browser goes completely away. At that point, the Lacros browser will be renamed as Chrome and will sport the multicolored Chrome icon, instead of its present yellow Lacros icon. Once the process is complete, average users will hardly notice the difference.

That is all well and good, but I see an even larger possibility that I hope Google decides to leverage. If they can make a Linux version of Chrome run natively without Crostini, how hard could it be to allow other Linux applications to run natively as well? ChromeOS is based on Gentoo Linux, after all. To my mind, this would truly turn Chrome OS into a 'grown-up' operating system, in which the user can choose to run full-featured Linux applications with ease, just as one can with any desktop Linux distribution. 

I realize this move is not without some controversy among the Chromebook faithful, many of whom regard ChromeOS' Web-based approach as the future of computing, and see the separation of the browser from the OS as a step backward, potentially eviscerating what makes ChromeOS unique, but thin clients aren't for everyone, myself included. In fact, I avoided Chromebooks for almost a decade after they came out, because I felt I wasn't missing anything. I could do everything on a Mac, Windows or Linux machine that I could on a Chromebook, plus a whole lot more. And although I am now a Chromebook owner, I still feel that way, and only use it for specific tasks.

I don't have any special knowledge about the future of ChromeOS, but I am hopeful that the implemention of Lacros in ChromeOS 116 will be a decisive step in the evolution of the ChromeOS platform. 

UPDATE: I wrote the above shortly before ChromeOS 116 landed on my two Chromebooks, and the most amazing thing is how little of a difference it has made, day-to-day. Chrome behaves just the same, and because I had opted to use Lacros exclusively when I activated it in the previous version of Chrome OS, it implemented itself as the default, and the only way to know the difference is to check the version of the Chrome browser I'm running. So far, I'm pleased.

A Brighter Idea

 A few years ago, I had the bright idea to purchase a new, fairly high-tech light fixture for my front porch. It had built-in LED's and a light sensor to turn it on automatically at dusk and off at dawn. It worked flawlessly for about six or seven years, until one day a few years ago, it just didn't. At that point, it became an expensive mistake. Instead of replacing a bulb, I had to replace the entire fixture. 

Not one to make the same mistake twice, I opted for one that took screw-in bulbs, LED's of course, and decided I'd just have to accept the fact that I'd have to turn it on manually at night. A few days after I'd installed the new fixture, I was grousing to a friend about the loss of the light sensor, and they suggested a screw-in socket with a sensor. 

It sounded like a great idea, but when I priced them, they cost more than I was prepared to pay, and it appeared they'd add enough length to the bulb to make it stick out of the bottom of the fixture. Fortunately, that wasn't the only option. I ended up buying an LED bulb with a built-in sensor instead.

The unit I purchased was made by Sylvania and not only was it the only one on Amazon that carried a brand with a recognizable name, it was also one of the least expensive options. The same size as a normal bulb, this nine-watt LED bulb puts out as much light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb, albeit with an icy, bluish white hue that makes it seem even brighter. It doesn't do much for ambience, but it's great for nighttime visibility.

When turning the light switch on for the first time, immediately after installing the bulb, it came on for about one second, indicating that it works, before being shut off by the sensor, which detected afternoon sunlight. Several hours later, it turned itself back on in the encroaching darkness.

Although slightly more expensive than a comparable standard LED bulb without a sensor, it and the new standard fixture together cost significantly less than buying another sensor-equipped LED fixture, and replacing the bulb will require far less effort—and expense—than replacing the fixture. Also, as a hedge against inflation, I went ahead and bought two sensor bulbs, so I’ll have another one ready to go whenever this one fails, which I hope won’t be for a long time. Speaking of which, I cannot make any claims regarding the bulb’s longevity, as it has been in place for only a few days, but I'm pleased so far.

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In other light bulb news, I also have an LED bulb in a bedroom lamp that seems to be slowly failing. It's fairly dim when it first comes on, but then it comes up to full brightness after a few minutes. The thing is, I kind of like this malfunction. The first thing in the morning, when I turn it on with my "Hey Google" speaker. The dim light allows my eyes to gently grow acclimated before it comes up to full brightness. At which point, I'm ready to get out of bed. I don't know how long it will (mal)function in this manner before it quits completely, but I'll enjoy it while I can. I guess a dim bulb isn't always a bad thing.

A Key Repair

 

Many General Motors and other brand cars come with a remote key FOB with an integrated key that flips out in ‘switchblade’ fashion. My car came with key FOBs of this type. The key blade is held in place with a tiny roll pin that can work loose over time, and I had to super glue both of mine into place. Shortly before doing this to the first of the two keys, I had bought a pair of replacement shells online, with the idea of transferring the circuit board and key blade over to it, but the super glue proved easier, so I never used them—until now. The super glue solution worked well for a couple of years, just the tiniest droplet at each end of the roll pin, until I noticed that one of them had developed a stress fracture, just above where the key blade slips into place.

Facing an imminent structural failure, which is quite common on keys of this design, along with tearing of the rubberized buttons, I decided it was time to transplant the operational components of the cracked key fob over to one of the new shells. This is one of several options available. The list below may help you decide which is best for your needs:

Complete replacement—This is the most expensive option, but requires the least work on your part. Replacement key FOBs are readily available online for between $8 and $20, and you can have the key blade cut by a locksmith for an additional fee. This will be far less expensive than purchasing one from a dealership. Pairing the new FOB to your car can be done without any specialized equipment, as long as you have a working, factory original key, at least that's the way it works on many GM cars. Your mileage may vary.

Key blade swap—You can save the cost of having the key cut (about $20 in my case) on a replacement FOB by swapping the key blade from your old key FOB over to the new one.  Just tap out the roll pin, remove the blank key blade, replace it with the original, and press the roll pin back into place. You will still need to pair the remote with the car, but you will also have an extra remote, albeit without a key. You might put the blank key blade away for safekeeping, just in case you ever need to get it cut.

Component transfer—Empty key FOB cases with uncut blades are also available for about half the cost of a complete FOB that is ready to cut and program (around $5). This option allows you to swap the key blade and circuit board from the original remote into a new shell. This is the least expensive option, but the most labor intensive. This is the option I chose when the hinge on one of my original remotes started to give way.

Moving the key blade over was the easy part. I used a small precision screwdriver and a hammer to tap the roll pins out of both the damaged FOB and the empty shell, which included a blank key blade. The original key blade was a snug fit, but it went in and lined up perfectly, allowing me to press the pin into place with a pair of needle nose pliers. I first grasped the pin straight on and pushed it into the hole, then squeezed it the rest of the way with the jaws of the pliers.

The empty shell came apart easily, prying and twisting it with my fingers, but the original was not at all designed to come apart, which essentially necessitated the destruction of the original shell to extract the circuit board. In other words, getting inside of it marked the point of no return.

Before I made that decision, I had another one to make. I could either break up the case on the original remote to get to the circuit board and put it into the replacement case, along with the key blade, or I could get a replacement remote with a circuit board already installed, transfer the key blade only, and program the remote, leaving me three functioning remotes, two of which have keys. I ultimately decided to try the first option, since I already had the empty cases on hand.

Tearing into the original, factory remote was a challenge. Unlike the replacement units, the case is not intended to come apart, so one must be fully committed to this course of action. Once I started trying to get it apart, I quickly went from being hesitant that it was what I wanted to do, to be obsessed with the idea of getting it apart, no matter what it took.

Before I began tearing into it, I had already transferred the cut key blade to the new housing. This left me some room to slide a flat blade screwdriver in above the hinge, for maximum leverage to twist and pry, without endangering the circuit board inside. Mine eventually gave way, but the two halves of the case did not come apart cleanly. I eventually tore away enough of the back half (the one that does not have buttons) so that I could slide the circuit board out. At that point the original case was trash, although I did save the battery cover to have as a spare.

The final step is to put everything into the new case. There are essentially five parts that go inside the case—the circuit board, the key blade and hinge assembly, key blade release button, a spring, and a battery clip. Getting all of these parts properly positioned inside the case and tensioning the spring so the key blade pops out when the release button is pressed, and then snapping the case together, is a challenging proposition to say the least. The steps to do so are below. For purposes of this discussion, The side of the key fob where the buttons are located will be referred to as the ‘front’ and the side with access to the battery compartment will be referred to as the ‘back’.

1. With all necessary components extracted from the original, factory FOB, open and disassemble the replacement case. This will be far easier than opening the original unit, and should require no tools, only fingers.

2. Position the circuit board in the back half of the case, making sure the battery clip is properly positioned underneath it. The circuit board is asymmetrical, so it only goes in one way.

3. Position the spring in the back half of the case so that the end with the ‘ear’ extending from it catches on a little tab inside case.

4. Insert the button into the hole in the ‘hinge’ of the key blade assembly, making sure the three tabs of the button properly align with the slots in the hinge. It only goes one  way.
   

5. Lay the key blade and button on top of the spring so that the key is in the open position.

6. Tension the spring by turning the key blade counter-clockwise 1.5 turns until the key blade is in the closed position.

7. Holding the key in place so that the spring does not escape, bring the two halves together and snap into place. This will be challenging, as the circuit board will inevitably shift a bit. You can nudge it back into place with your finger through the battery compartment, keeping pressure on the corner where the key blade attaches to keep tension on the spring.

8. Once everything snaps into place (some replacement FOBs will also have a screw that will ultimately be hidden by the manufacturer’s emblem) insert the battery, snap on the battery cover, and test the remote. The buttons and the key should work as before.

At this point, I have three FOBs for my car—an unmolested original, a ‘frankenFOB’, which contains the original circuit board and key blade in a new enclosure, and a replacement FOB that I had cut and programmed. I also have a second empty replacement shell, should I ever need it. I had both the replacement FOB and the two shells on hand, so the only expense involved was having the blade cut on the replacement FOB. Had I realized how easy it would be to swap the key blade over, before I got the key cut, I might well have done that and saved a little money.

At this point, I am carrying the replacement FOB and using it on a daily basis. I prefer using it because the circuit board is of an updated design that requires the trunk release button to be held down for a second or so before the trunk opens. This effectively eliminates the common problem of spontaneous trunk opening. The frankenFOB is now the go-to spare and the remaining original is effectively retired, as its buttons are heavily worn and I’m not eager to perform another component swap anytime soon. 

UPDATE 1 Aug 2023: It's been almost three months since my adventures with the key FOBS. I've spent part of that time carrying the replacement FOB and the rest of the time carrying the FrankenFob. Both work quite well, and I've noticed one added benefit. Before I did all that, I was frequently finding my trunk open when I went to start the car. This is apparently a common problem with my make and model, and GM even came up with a programming fix to require the user to press the FOB's trunk release button twice to open it. I've found that carrying either the new or the renewed FOB, this doesn't happen anymore. I can only conclude that the buttons on both the replacement FOB and the replacement case are stiffer than the original, making them less susceptible to accidental pressings in my pocket. Since this was not initially a problem when I first got the car, I can further conclude that the buttons on the original FOBs weaken over time.

Rehabbing My Gas Grill

 When I moved into my house nine years ago, there was already a gas grill permanently installed on the deck and plumbed into the natural gas line. This has been a nice setup, because I never need to worry about propane cylinders, as there's an essentially endless supply of gas from the street. The grill worked well when I bought the house, although the built-in igniter never worked, but over time, it had started heating unevenly, the cast iron cooking grates were gradually rusting away, and the ceramic briquettes were starting to disintegrate, so I decided it was time to either replace the grill entirely, or at least replace some of its key components. Because of the natural gas thing, and my general aversion to hiring things done when I can come up with a way to do them myself, I decided I would be better off gutting it and replacing the needed parts. 

I ordered a new burner and enameled cast iron cooking grates from Amazon, but decided I would source the ceramic briquettes locally. The cooking grates came yesterday, and although they're from a third-party manufacturer, they fit the grill perfectly. I had thought the burner would be third-party as well, but it turned out to be a genuine, OEM Broilmaster part. 

Installation of both items was very easy. I had to attach the burner to the Venturi tube assembly, and from there, it was essentially a drop-in replacement. I just had to make sure the Venturi tubes were properly seated over the gas jets on the valve assembly. The cooking grates were even easier. And for good measure while I had everything apart, I used my shop vac to clear out the collected debris—briquette fragments, rust, ash, etc., so now it should be working almost like new. 

I didn't realize just how bad off the old burner was until I took it out. Instead of coming out as a single unit, it came out in three pieces. It was beyond shot. Fortunately, I had already committed to the full makeover, so now my grill is essentially still old on the outside, but mostly brand new on the inside, even if I still didn't bother replacing the igniter.

What really surprised me was the fact that no place around here sells the ceramic briquettes, or even lava rocks, for that matter. These used to be a common and inexpensive items that needed to be replaced occasionally, but it appears most newer gas grills do not use lava rocks, and the ones that did are now old enough that stores have stopped stocking them. All I can say is thank goodness for Amazon. 

Even at Amazon prices, my grill parts weren't exactly cheap. I ended up spending about double what I expected to on the replacement parts, but like the ceramic briquettes, it seems that inexpensive universal replacement grill parts are also less common than they once were, and I've also come to find out that Broilmaster grills—and parts for them—aren't exactly economy models. Besides, the natural gas connection would have necessitated professional installation, whereas just replacing needed parts did not. And now that the project is done, and it was a pretty simple one to be sure,  I can employ an old cliché and say that what was old is now at least partially new again.

Star Trek: Picard Hits All the Right Notes

 I have been a lifelong Star Trek fan since about the age of seven, more than half a century. With each new iteration I have been simultaneously hopeful that the producers would get things right and fearful that they would get them wrong. Usually, it's been a mix of the two, with the ratio of good to bad being the operative question.

Being old enough to remember when Star Trek was just a single 79-episode series, and not a TV, movie, multimedia, etc., franchise, the original series from the 1960s has always been the gold standard to which all other iterations are compared, and it's not a stretch to say some have measured up to that standard better than others.

There have been many times that viewers have felt Paramount had milked their cash cow dry and run out of good ideas, but like agricultural fields allowed to lie fallow for a season, there is always the opportunity for new growth.

The latest period of renewal has come with advent of streaming. Paramount+, originally known as CBS All Access, has used Star Trek as its flagship franchise, producing several new series, including some real gems along the way.

Star Trek: Discovery got off to a rocky start in its first season, while its second essentially served as a back door pilot for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Beginning with the third season, it has explored a series treatment originally penned by Gene Roddenberry and fleshed out as the non-Trek series Andromeda in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The series that has proved most surprising to me is Star Trek: Picard, which just wrapped up this week after three seasons, each of which encompassed a complete story arc. In this way, Picard captured the best aspects of both the films and TV series, as each season played out like an extended feature film. 

This was an innovative approach and it very much worked, especially in the just-concluded third and final season. Telling out a narrative over ten episodes gave the opportunity to be both expansive and concise at the same time, and best of all, to experience the types of moments that made for the best moments of Star Trek on both the big and small screens. Show runner Terry Matalas just made the whole thing work. 

While this particular iteration of Trek is now in the proverbial can—or canon, as the case may be—the final episode closed with some tantalizing tidbits, teasing of what could be ahead. Matalas has said in interviews that there is nothing solid in the works, but a passing of the torch certainly looks to be in the realm of possibility. Hey, we got Strange New Worlds out of Discovery, which seems set to yield a Starfleet academy spinoff as it warps off into the sunset later this year, so who knows. 

All I can say to that prospect is... Engage!