Of Blue Skies and Autumn Leaves

Of Blue Skies and Autumn Leaves

Byrichard

Today we might as well speak of blue skies and autumn leaves because that is what we’re facing. The Septemper/Autumn grey clouds, fog, and cold are not here yet. Instead we have warm sunny days. The habit of walking one and a half hours a day is perfectly safe, with such a stable weather system.


Sigg Bottles


I have two Sigg water bottles, the half litre and the one litre. For months or even a year they lied dormant due to the pandemic and attempts to clean them. I used the tablets but I didn’t like the taste so I left them aside. Yesterday or the day before I decided to take a sponge and clean the exterior and mouth of the bottles. That’s when the taste I expect from these bottles came back.


Previously I had cleaned the bottles with a brush but that didn’t work. Using a sponge did. It is something so simple, and yet I did not consider it. If you don’t like the taste of a bottle try cleaning with a sponge. My one litre bottle lives inside a neoprene sleeve so although it has been smashed about over the years it still has no scratches on it, despite hiking, climbing, via ferrata, conferences, work and more.



Forgetting to Track a Walk


Today I went through the motions of tracking the walk and I thought I had started the tracker but when I went to stop tracking as I arrived home I noticed that either I forgot, or I pressed the wrong button. Before the pandemic, and even slightly into the pandemic I would have been annoyed not to have a perfect record of my walks and activities. One and a half years into a pandemic I don’t care. I stopped using Strava because I grew tired of seeing who was ignoring common decency by not self-isolating locally.


I also do the same activities day after day, for years in a row. It isn’t interesting. There is no mystery. I also have no link with people doing group activities. People who do city things have returned to their old habits, but I see that group sports have not returned. The pandemic is still too volatile for things to be as they were.


Although I forgot to “track” my walk it is still logged as steps, heart beat and more. The effort is logged, but it’s not visual.

A Cloudy Sky

A Cloudy Sky

Byrichard

Today as I walked from one village to another I looked up the hill and I saw a cloud arch framing a nearby village and I had to take a picture. The framing of the image was rather unique. It is below. Is it kitsch? There is a good chance. It was unique, so I captured it.


The Cloud Arch
The Cloud Arch


I liked looking up at the sky today because it was different from usual. It was full of interesting clouds and the light played between areas that were in the shade, and others that were in the clouds. I saw a rainbow in one place, and a curtain of rain falling on the Jura in another.


A curtain of rain falling on the Jura


Seeing such a dynamic weather system is nice. I got cold during the walk so I had to wear another layer. I feared that I would be rained on but luckily I was not. This is the type of weather where you setup a camera and you start recording time lapses in the hope to catch something interesting.


And Finally – Flickr


An old barn covered in growth
An old barn covered in growth


When you play with Instagram you share your daily life, and you share things for likes, and to feel that you are part of peoples’ lives. With Flickr you don’t. When you look at the right galleries you see people with an artistic eye. You see images that play with contrast, with composition and framing and more. You also get a sense of intimacy and currentness that you don’t get with Instagram. Looking at these images inspires you to take better pictures, and to think about light and composition, but also about the time of the day, and subject matter.

Autumnal Colours

Byrichard

One of the great things about using the word Autumn, rather than Fall, is that we can say that something looks Autumnal. We can say it with a single word. With the word Fall, you need to add context. Fall sounds like something people do when they make a mistake and lose their balance. I prefer Autumn, it is a nicer word.


Autumn colours - a tree that is turning
Autumn colours – a tree that is turning


At least the colours are changing, and the weather is still for t-shirts. It is still warm. I am uninspired to write today.


Autumn leaves
Autumn leaves

Of Beets, Columns of Black Smoke and Finished Books

Of Beets, Columns of Black Smoke and Finished Books

Byrichard

If you walk around at the moment you see that they have cut corn, sunflowers and beet. You also see that there are piles of beet in fields, queues of tractors waiting to send them on a train journey and more. Agriculture is busy at the moment.


Plenty of Beets
Plenty of Beets


This morning I heard quite a few sirens of emergency vehicles and as I looked out of the velux I saw a column of black smoke rising. I was curious as to its origin. I thought “Is it a car or is it a building.” It turns out that a car had decided to start burning while being driven on the motorway. I saw no mention of injuries or other. It seems a strange thing, for a car to spontaneously combust. I wonder what mistake led to the fire.


Recently I have been very good at picking up books, but terrible at actually reading them. I want that to change. There was a time when I was reading 8000 pages a year, and this year I have managed just 2900, in theory. I want that to change. I want to get into the habit of finishing books again. In 2015 I read 29, and this year I read just twelve. My reading habit has really changed since then. I took a journey back in time and read plenty of James Bond books.


I skipped recycling today because the experience of driving and shopping this morning was unpleasant. The obligations of normal life, without the rewards. Pandemic life.


See you tomorrow.

Logging Hours Rather Than Days In A Row

Logging Hours Rather Than Days In A Row

Byrichard

Duolingo and Babbel log days in a row, rather than the progress made in a day. The Kindle App counts days and weeks in a row. Kobo and Apple Books both log reading time. I want to dump Duolingo but I don’t want to lose my days in a row streak.


Language Learning Streaks


Plenty of apps like to log streaks. For them it is a way of addicting us to their app, to force us to use their app every day, whether we feel like it or not. It is a way for them to hold on to us as users, way after we have lost a passion for the app. I hate Duolingo but I keep using it only to keep my streak. I don’t use it to learn German now. Babbel is better. It allows you to move on, and choose whether to repeat a mistake. It also provides you with an in-depth explanation of what the grammatical rules are. Understanding the logic makes learning much easier.


Book Reading Streaks


I have read every single day for a year, so to count days in a row is silly. When apps count how many days in a row I do things I want to beat my current record for days in a row. With books this is silly, because books are across Kobo, Kindle, Apple Books, physical books in the real world and more. This means that I would need an app to count how many days in a row, I read, rather than a bookseller’s app.


I like Goodreads’ ability to tell you how many pages you have read in a year. I find that this is a great way of judging whether you have been an avid reader, or not. I tend to read a lot, but not to finish books. I can start a book and finish it a few years later.


Consistent Good Habits


Developing consistent daily good habits, like blogging, or like reading, or daily walks are all good. To get into habits that you can do every day, automatically is useful. These habits give structure to our day, but they also keep us moving forward. I find that with certain apps, their desire for streaks, has a negative impact on habits. I hate Duolingo for forcing me (so to speak) to use their app to learn every day. Without the streaks I’d be happier.


Pedometer++, a walk tracking app counts how many days in a row, you can maintain a streak, but it allows you to miss a day or two, if you’re cycling or taking a rest day from walking. This is healthy. Another fun app is Pacer. It allows you to take on walking challenges. The challenge I am currently on is to walk the Camino De Santiago in 180 days. I am 259 kilometres in, out of 819, and ahead of the time limit they set. I am currently walking from Marismas de Santoña to Santander.


Blogging As a Daily Habit


What I have written over the last 103 days may not have much value, but it provides me with writing practice. Writing daily, means repetition. Repetition makes it boring to read. I will try to improve my writing habit.




The Curse of The Electric Light Bulb
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The Curse of The Electric Light Bulb

Byrichard

Have you ever considered how nice it would be to wake up when the sun comes up, and to end the day when the sun goes down? In summer the days would be long and filled with memories. In winter we would head to sleep when the sun sets. Every day we would either gain three minutes or lose three minutes.


The curse is not the light bulb itself, of course, but rather in the ability for people to make noise for extended periods of time. For all the talk of blue lights, yellow light, reducing distractions and more, the real challenge is to live somewhere where neighbours or family do not wake you too early, or keep you up too late.


The Balcony


Although many people fantasise about balconies I have grown to hate them. People either sit on them all day and smoke so you never have fresh air, or they sit out at night, talk, yell and make noise all night long. By creating the balcony architects have created a way for people to inconvenience their neighbours. I find balconies and gardens to be uninteresting.


For me there is more pleasure in going out for the day, in going to climb, to walk, to ride a bike or to do something else for a day, to spend time in the fresh air, while doing sports.


A balcony, is like a summer beach. It’s nice to walk on in the evening or in the morning, but it’s boring to sit on it all day. I’d rather be in the outdoors doing something active, rather than passive.


The Sound System


Apartments are built to stop the noises from fridges, toilets, dishwashers and washing machines being transmitted across from one apartment to another, but soundproofing against televisions and other audio systems is lacking. This means that every single day you are at the mercy of neighbours suffering from hearing loss. The noise is just loud enough to be heard, but not enough to be enjoyed. It invades your personal space.


Until I moved into an apartment, I never understood why people wanted to spend money on white noise machines, but over the last two or three years I do. The problem with white noise machines is that you need to find one that is loud enough to cover the noise, without being too loud to prevent you from sleeping. I have yet to find the ideal solution.


Duration


When written down, the issues above do not look that problematic. Close the windows and you deal with the issue of smoke. Find a white noise machine and you deal with the issue of noise. The problem is that both of these problems can last from 1600-0300, or even longer. That is a long time to be inconvenienced, especially every two to three weeks.


Impact


Quality of sleep, and consistency of sleep are both impacted. It means that every two to three weeks your sleep pattern is shifted by a number of hours resulting in fatigue or other problems. It also makes it less interesting to make early plans. We’re in a pandemic so there are no real plans for early in the morning. Out of Pandemic it does have an impact. Being able to go to sleep when the circadian rhythm says “bed time” is useful to avoid fatigue. A few years ago, when I was sleep deprived I was breathalised, to see if I had been drinking, which I hadn’t, but I thought, “my sleep deprivation is the danger at the moment.”


Common Courtesy


When I watch television I normally put it loud enough for me to hear, but not so loud that it can be heard through walls. When I listen to music, podcasts or audio books I listen with earphones. This prevents too much sound making it through the walls. No one has complained about me making noise, but I still have that habit anyway. I prefer to be unheard if possible.




With A view of the Mont Blanc
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With A view of the Mont Blanc

Byrichard

I’m afraid to open the veluxes because of the threat of finding yet another large spider. I don’t mind having to dispose of it, but I hate the idea of having one walking around without me knowing. A great alternative to open windows is to go for your daily walk. You’re far from neighbours, from smokers, from metalworking and more. You are free to daydream. Today the Mont Blanc was clearly visible. The image is at max zoom with an iphone 8+.


A view of the Mont Blanc, as seen from Vaud


Yesterday and today the harvesters are out collecting corn and sunflowers. I captured a harvester as it dumped sunflower seeds into a trailer before moving on to finish the field. It is a shame to miss it at work.


A combine harvester unloading Sunflower seeds
A combine harvester unloading Sunflower seeds


What I Am In The Process Of Learning


Today I got a step closer to being able to control WordPress more proficiently than I can at the moment. With hierarchies related to taxonomies via specialist post creation. Coding your own post types and your own taxonomies gives you enormous control over what you can do with WordPress. I have projects. I know how I want to use this newly acquired knowledge.


This website will be overhauled. The static part will be moved into the CMS, and the CMS will behave, as the old website did, but with ease of new post creation and more. The challenge is in updating to new technologies, and using this process as a learning and consolidation phase, as I did with CSS and other technologies over the years and decades.



I don’t feel comfortable writing about my trials and tribulations on Linkedin because it feels as though you need to be at your peak, rather than as a between achievements point. With the blog, I can document the learning curve, and the progress I make as I work towards acquiring new skills, in my efforts to build a different career path than the things I have done so far. I also have a project to work on in my free time, aside from the website. The second project is ambitious, and useful. You will learn more, as I get ready to reveal more.


The Daily Walk – 100 Days of Consecutive Blogging.

The Daily Walk – 100 Days of Consecutive Blogging.

Byrichard

We walk daily to look into the distance, to have fresh air, and to think about things. We take our daily walk because it’s a habit. We take our daily walk because it is a way of travelling from one place to another, without necessarily changing location.


A flower, with a field, and the Alps behind it.


Today is day 100 of writing a blog post every day. Every day I have tried to find inspiration to write and every day I have succeeded. The posts go unread, but the challenge is not to be read. The challenge is to be consistent. I have managed that challenge.


We are in a pandemic so I do not travel to via ferrata, hikes in the mountains or activities. There are no conferences, so I do not go to large events. My ideas and inspiration come from what I read, see, hear or feel. As we meet very few people we also converse less. Ideas are harder to share and discuss.


I question whether, when the pandemic is over, I will have the motivation to try to resume a social life. At the moment, because we’re in a pandemic, I feel that the answer is, “definitely not.” This is a self defense mechanism, and a way of commenting on the one and a half years of pandemic.


We have to be solitary to cope with pandemic solitude, but we also have to be that way inclined to be in that situation.


See you tomorrow.


Playing With Github and Visual Studio Code

Playing With Github and Visual Studio Code

Byrichard

Today I felt like taking a break from studying Wordpress. I played with some code from a book I got for free on the Apple Bookstore. At this moment this code is consolidation. I will get to the challenging stuff later. I have read, from many sources, that it’s good to have examples of your work online when you learn to code.


There are two steps to take although I don’t think the order matters. The first is to create a new repisotory on There are two steps to take although I don’t think the order matters. The first is to create a new repository on WordPress. In my case it is Laughing Raclette. The name is ridiculous, but it’s available, and absurdity and humour are good. Once you have created a repository, it will provide you with help on how to connect your local directory. I connected it via Terminal in VS Code, to my online repository. The process was quick and simple.


When I work from books and courses I commit changes to git at the end of each individual lesson. If it is video based this will be at the end of the video. If I am working from a book it will be at the end of the chapter. I have the same break points as the course. We can then step through our work. We can revise a chapter that we are struggling to get to grips with.


If you writing code and you make a typo, then git and github are useful. With track changes you can compare your erroneous code with that of the instructor. Once you know what the error is you can move on with the course. In future you know to look out for that typo, or erroneous code.


The other benefit of studying code and commiting to Git and Github is that we develop the habits that will be required prThere is another benefit of studying code and committing to Git and Github. It is that we develop the required professional habits. We learn to use the active voice, and to write clear, and succinct descriptions.


It is when we study that we need to pick up good habits. It allows us to show the trial and errors, in some case, but also the rate of progress. The skills that we practice as we learn, have the time to become professional habits later on. We can also get feedback during the process.

Taking a Break From The Apple Watch

Taking a Break From The Apple Watch

Byrichard

Yesterday I decided to take a break from the Apple watch for up to a week. I am tired of two behaviours. The first of these is the watch’s habit of saying that I did not stand for two or three hours in a row. I know that I have. I need to stand to cook, or to brush my teeth and other tasks. It also annoys me that if you bend your arm it counts that you sat down. Bend your arm to check if you have been standing for at least one minute and it resets the counter.


The second flaw comes from the monthly challenge. The challenge for this month is to do 4900 minutes of exercise if I remember and this is absurd. It will always push you to strive more, to reach further and to work out harder. It lacks flexibility.


If the workout goal is 4900 minutes, then that’s over two hours per day. In theory that’s a nice challenge, but in the long run it leads to exhaustion. Last year, I would let the app tell me to do up to 600 calories or more of exercise a day. That goal led to me exhausting and fatiguing myself because there are no breaks. It pushes, and pushes. It doesn’t think “You need to rest” or “you did sport A rather than sport B so we will adjust the monthly goal. It’s AI, without fatigue built in.


The other challenge, having three watches with three ecosystems. There is little to no interoperability. The steps aren’t transferred from Suunto to Apple from Apple to Suunto. Garmin wants other data than the other two. To feed all three databases you need to wear three watches. It would be nice to sync the data between the three without thought. This would give us the freedom to slide between platforms. This would give us the opportunity to wear a single watch.


Running Up Four Floors at a time, Walking Two Hours A Day


I almost never walk up the stairs, especially a single step at a time. I always run up them. I run up at least two steps at a time and I sprint three or four floors without getting winded. I also walk from one and a half to two hours a day. The Apple watch tells me that I didn’t stand for two hours in a row. If I don’t stand for one or two hours it is because I am studying or working. By telling me to stand the watch is telling me to procrastinate.


For clarity, the watch doesn’t tell me anything. I turn off notifications. I check the fitness app to see how the day is going, and that’s when I see that it says I haven’t stood for two hours. That little light blue bar annoys me. I have a compulsion to have a perfect collection of filled bars, every hour.


That’s why I need to take a break from the watch. It makes me care about something that doesn’t matter at all. Standing is a recommendation, for people who need to get into the habit of working out. I don’t have that problem. I can ignore it.


Turning It Off


I looked for an option to turn off the standing trend but can’t. I can cut it down to six hours a day, but the issue is not standing six or twelve hours a day. It’s wanting to have a “perfect” day, and keeping the trend in the fitness app increasing. This benefits my life in no way, so turning it off would be the ideal solution.