Deposit checks to EverBank with a ScanSnap scanner

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I have a bank account with EverBank. They have a feature that enables check deposits from home. It uses a Java applet that runs in the browser. The applet includes a scanner driver that directly controls any TWAIN compliant scanner. The general idea is that a customer will go to their web site, log in, turn on their scanner, click the “make an online check deposit,” and then the Java app will scan and upload the image.

That scenario doesn’t work for me because my ScanSnap document scanner is not TWAIN compliant and likely never will be. So I contacted EverBank and their support staff “changed” my account so that it runs a different Java applet. Instead of controlling a TWAIN scanner, it accepts two scanned JPEGs. Once the changes to my account were completed, I tried using the feature and got this error message.

There’s two straight forward ways to tackle this problem.

  • Do as they suggest and select 32-bit Java. Run the Java Preferences app in Applications / Utilities. Reorder the list so 32-bit Java is first. This works, but it means that all Java apps will run 32-bit instead of 64-bit.
  • The other workaround is to set one web browser to run in 32-bit mode and always use that browser for online banking. Since I rarely use FireFox, I set FireFox to run in 32-bit mode and it worked as expected.

Then I set up a new ScanSnap profile for scanning checks. I named it “EverBank” and configured the following options:

  • Application: Scan To File
  • Image Quality: Best (slow)
  • Color Mode: Color
  • Scanning Side: Duplex
  • File format: JPEG
  • Paper size: Auto
To deposit a check, I switch to the EverBank profile, scan the check, and then choose the resulting files in the Java applet. It works.
Twitt

Apple Pie Parfait

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Today’s breakfast treat was a fairly healthy Apple Pie Partfait.

Apple Pie Parfait

  1. thin layer of grape nuts
  2. 3/4″ layer of plain yogurt
  3. thin layer of grape nuts
  4. generous 3/4″ layer of apple pie filling
  5. thin layer of grape nuts
  6. 3/4″ thick layer of plain yogurt
  7. sprinkling of finely crushed ginger snap cookies

The result was eight thumbs around around the breakfast table. The fresh yogurt is deliciously creamy without the fat. The grape nuts are a very satisfying crunch without the fat of a crust.

Backstory

This meal was spawned between then tensions of desire for an apple pie and knowing that my grandmothers genes are mostly why I have elevated cholesterol. I wanted apple pie, but I didn’t want the calories or saturated fats in a delicious butter crust. Continue reading →

Twitt

Minivan + kids + interior lights = dead battery

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Our family vehicle is a Honda Odyssey. The dome lights are toggle switches. Push the light, it’s on. Push again, it’s off. There’s no visible way to tell which position it’s in. If a child pushes the light and it gets left on, the next morning we have no minivan until after a date with Mr. Battery Charger. Since the kids were able to reach the dome lights, we’ve been vigilant. There are ways to be vigilant. We’ve tried:

  1. Exit the vehicle. Close all doors. Lock with the remote so interior lights turn off. Peer inside to see if any lights are on.
  2. Disable interior lights entirely with switch on dash.
  3. Re-enable interior lights, but forbid children from ever, ever, ever touching the light switches.

The third solution works most of the time. On Nov 3rd, I gave some neighbor kids a ride home from school. When they got out, one of them pushed the light switch to turn it off. The lights don’t turn off when the door is opened, so nothing happened. The child exited the van. Having trained my kids not to touch the switches, I didn’t perform #1. On Nov. 4th, we biked to school while Mrs. Odyssey and Mr. Charger hooked up.

On Nov. 5th, I found this post on the OdyClub site, detailing the LED bulbs another Honda owner ordered from China and installed in his Odyssey. I paid $28 for the following ten LED bulbs, shipped: (1) 51109, (4) #51002, (2) 35725, (1) 34641, and (1) #34608. When they arrived a couple weeks later, I installed them in about 15 minutes.

Last night, both kids were reading books on the ride home from swim classes. Both kids left their interior lights on. Both parents failed to notice. This morning, I opened the garage and saw the lights on. I smiled. When I got in, the van started. Mission accomplished.

Twitt

My Top iOS Apps

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iPad Most Used Apps: Mail, Notes, Epicurious, Safari, Instapaper, FeedlerPro, PasswordWallet (PW)

Mail & Safari: neither require much explanation. Both apps are mature and reliable. Mail works great for presenting a unified view of my 6 email boxes (iCloud, Gmail, 2 personal, 2 business). Reading mail and browsing on the iPad are more enjoyable. If the iPad is nearby, it gets grabbed before an iPhone.

Notes and I weren’t very fond of each other at first. The awful Marker Felt font and no decent sync consigned it to an unused app screen. When iOS 4 brought sync support, I finally began using the Notes app as well as Notes feature in Mail.app on my Mac. On the Mac, I can change the font. What a relief! Since the two sync, I can make changes on the Mac or iPad.

I enter my recipes as notes on my Mac. Then I view them on the iPad in the kitchen. I often make small edits in the kitchen too. All those, “I should update that…” things actually happen now, while I’m thinking of it. Here’s a few of the notes I have: Apple Pie, Whole wheat pie crust, Gordon’s Chili, Carrot Cake, Yogurt [making] notes, Blackberry Pie. I do use notes for other things, like Perl Best Practices, Javascript Cheat Sheet, W3C DOM, Climbing: Plan Trip, Climbing: Packing List, Seattle Bucket List, and notes I’ve taken while reading numerous books.

Epicurious: I like the Epicurious app. It’s rather poky, but it has a recipe sync feature that makes it worthwhile. I can browse through the epicurious.com site and find recipes, add them to my “recipe box” and then go to the kitchen, pull up Epicurious, and then view the recipe I just chose. The laptop in the kitchen idea never worked well (I tried several times) but the iPad in the kitchen is delicious!

Instapaper: Go get it. Use it for a week. You will love it. Trust me.

Feedler Pro: RSS feed reader. An excellent one. If you subscribe to RSS feeds, it’s indispensable.

Password Wallet: I have 788 passwords. Every web site, computer, app, software registration, etc has it’s own password. Most are randomly assigned by PW. They are stored in an encrypted file that syncs between my Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Less Used But Great iPad Apps: Twitter, Facebook, AIM, iSSH, Photos, Redfin.

iPhone Most Used Apps: Mail, Grocery IQ, Calendar, Camera, Safari, Notes, PW, FeedlerPro, Instapaper, Google Maps, OmniFocus, USAA (killer feature: deposit checks with my phone), Chase (killer feature: the only business checking with iPhone deposit, else I’d be rid of my TBTF bank account entirely), Scrabble, Facebook, Instagram, Reminders.

I have at least a dozen other apps I love, but only use on occasion. For example, the Airport Utility, for configuring my WiFi. I don’t use it often, but when I do, I’m really glad to have it. Apps like that: Stocks, Vanguard, Waze, AIM, WordPress, Skype, NPR, My TSA, FlightView, iBooks, Kindle, Remote, Youtube, Allrecipes, Dropbox, Zillow, Reunion, Epocrates, WordBook, iGrill (bluetooth remote for my kitchen temp probe), and of course, a handful of games and edu apps for kids.

Twitt