A Few More Changes

I just can't stop fooling with this thing; Tasker is very addictive.

Although I created the system specifically for use in the Z3, I've also used it a few times in my Jag, especially since I found that there's a small gap at the top of the center console that can be used as an anchor point for the tablet mount.

The last time I did this I noticed that it seemed a bit odd to have the BMW logo down in the corner, so I made a small change.  I went out and grabbed a Jag logo (the snarling face version), cropped it to be a square, and transferred it to the tablet.  Then I changed the logo image element on the main screen to be a variable (%V3_CarLogo) instead of a hard-coded path.

I already had a pair of profiles tracking connections to the OBD transmitters in each car so that no matter which one linked up, the connection icon on the screen would come on.  It was a simple matter to add just one line to each of the entry tasks that sets the %V3_CarLogo variable to the proper path for the right image.

It's a completely aesthetic change, with no functional difference, but at least the interface is appropriately branded for each car.

The other change I made is even more whimsical.

Most people that know me think I'm a bit of a pyro; and they're not wrong.  Our house has a wood burning fireplace, but we've added a marble fireplace out on the patio, a gel fuel fireplace off the kitchen, a firepit at the back of the yard, a propane fire table on the back porch, and several portable gel fuel burners that we move around as desired.

We had some friends over this past weekend and were showing them a few of these.  Their reaction? "All you need now is a fireplace in your car."  And they were right.

A quick search on Google Play turned up all kinds of options, so I downloaded the free version of "Fireside" and made it part of the system.

Now, a long tap on the clock element on the main screen launches a virtual fireplace; just the thing for parking under the stars on these cool summer nights. An invisible scene that covers the entire screen goes back to the main display when I tap on it.

Not sure what I'll do next,  but a virtual aquarium is a real possibility.