Edacious: implementation of the withings scale api in java

The Withings Scale is a really cool product. It is a weight scale that has built in wifi so that when you weigh yourself, the information is automagically uploaded to their website where you can track your loss (or gain!) over time. It also tracks BMI, Fat Mass and Lean Mass. Sure, you could do this yourself with a vastly less expensive device, but the convenience of having something you just step on once in the morning for about 10 seconds is really cool. The scale is very well designed and looks nice in any room.

The best part of this device is that they provide geeks like me with a way to access the data you upload to their website. I'm working on a secret little project to make these numbers fun to play with. I needed a Java implementation of their API to access the data, so I wrote one and made it open source. Click the link above to buy the scale from amazon and keep your eyes open for the application I'm working on.

Grid

you really need a library for that?

Oh Ruby masters. Really? Are you kidding me?

sardine - a very partial webdav client for java

For ages now, I've had the need for a webdav client for java that just implemented the features that I needed and wasn't an overcomplicated undocumented mess (cough jackrabbit cough).

Primarily, I just needed the ability to get directory listings, put files on the server and get an InputStream to a remote file. I also wanted it to use a recent version of Apache HttpComponents.

Since nothing like this exists, I created one... it is called Sardine. Hopefully someone else will find this smelly fish useful. Enjoy.

Which build tool to use...

This blog posting is mostly spot on.

I guess I need to try out Rake, but the idea of using Ruby to solve a Java problem, seems like a bad idea too. Ant, with all its warts, is still my preference after all these years.

My favorite quote from that posting:

"Maven builds are an infinite cycle of despair that will slowly drag you into the deepest, darkest pits of hell (where Maven itself was forged)."

I couldn't agree more with everything the author said. I've been there. If you are using Maven to do builds, you should have your head checked (or even better, commit privileges revoked).