Of Rain and a Pi 5 4GB
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Of Rain and a Pi 5 4GB

Byrichard

Rain was forecast today. If rain had not been forecast then I would have driven to Ins, near the Lake of Murten near Neuchatel to go around the lake at a slow up. I didn’t go, not because rain was forecast, but because rain was expected although not quantified. I like to drive and do things, sometimes, but if I drive so far, especially to do something in relative solitude I would prefer to do it when the weather is good, rather than rainy. By driving so far in the rain I am contributing to global warming for very little

That’s why I’m going to write about my current experiment. I saw, a few days ago, that the Raspberry Pi 5 4GB model was being sold at a reduced price so I decided to get one and experiment. Yesterday I installed Ubuntu on one SD card, but I also swapped the SD card from the 8gb pie to the four GB pi. So far I find that the 4gb pi copes well with Facebook, watching facebook reels, YouTube videos of 18 minutes or more and other simple browser based tasks.

It is easy for us to fall into the trap of looking at expensive laptops and thinking “I want the latest mac book pro” or “I want the latest framework laptop” and so on.

The truth is that for web browsing a Pi is good enough, especially the Pi 5.

Heat and Pi Crashes

As I was browsing, looking for more inspiration for this post I got the Pi to crash, simply scrolling down a Facebook page. In my experience Pi crash when they become too hot. It’s not that they have stopped working, but rather that they overheat and slow down, to the point to appear as if they have crashed. If you get a fan and blow air on them they usually revive.

That’s why it’s worth getting a fan to go with the Pi, to help with cooling.

I use the Raspberry Pi default case with the Raspberry Pi integrated heatsink and fan and it works reliably. I was using the Pi 5 default case with the default fan when it overheated and slowed to the point of appearing as if it had crashed.

One Pi5 works as a server that is always on. The second works as a laptop replacement, and the third is for experimentation, so that I stop breaking my main laptop replacement. I was recently experimenting with other desktop environments and was unable to recover. The third Pi was bought because it was cheaper than usual, so that I could experiment and learn more skills. It takes very little time to reconfigure a Pi as I want it but if I use it with Immich then that does take time to recover.

And Finally

If the weather was good I would be hiking and writing about the experience but since it’s rainy and overcast I am experimenting with a Pi5 4gb, crashing it, and then reverting to the Pi5 8GB to conclude the post. The official fan/heat sink costs 14.40 so it’s not that expensive but once it’s on the board it is hard to remove.

Next Sunday I should be doing something more interesting.

Wearing a Casio 168 For the First Time in Decades

Wearing a Casio 168 For the First Time in Decades

Byrichard

For years I have worn increasingly complex watches. I went from a Suunto Vector to a Suunto D9 via a Suunto Ambit 2-3 Spartan and more. Eventually I have been wearing a Garmin Instinct Solar and an Apple Watch SE.

For most of this time I was happy to wear increasingly advanced watches. I would change them every three to four years, or wait even longer. I was doing interesting sports so I settled on a single watch at a time.

Changing Focus

During the pandemic, with solitude, I got into the habit of wearing two watches at once. I was asked why and my answer was that they fed different databases. I was asked “Why do you need to feed several databases. I have asked the same question several times on this blog.

Data Silos

It has annoyed me for three years that I need to wear a Garmin for Garmin features, a Suunto or Apple Watch for Suunto and Apple features, and an Apple watch for Apple features. I find this especially absurd since all of this data is sent to our Android or iOS phones anyway, so it would be easy to setup two way synching.

That is where the Casio 168 comes in. It gives the data and time, has a timer, an alarm clock and the hourly signal, and that’s it. It’s a very simple watch like I wore as a child in the 80s or 90s, impatiently waiting for 15:05 so that I could leave school and go home.

Not Flitting Between Watches

The reason I mention this watch specifically is that I have worn it for several days without swapping it for another. I have worn it for several days and I’m happy with it. I considered wearing another casio with a step counter but decided not to. I’m tired. I am tired that when we wear watches we are encouraged to wear them all the time, rather than because we like their shape and form factor. I am tired of having watches that oblige you to wear them, to have a full set of data.

Having walks, hikes, bike rides and climbs is interesting, but to be tracked twenty four hours a day by mainly American companies gets tiring. For years I was happy to be tracked. I find it absurd that fitness trackers do not speak with each other so that you need to wear four trackers to have full data.

Not Missed

I am also interested to see that I don’t mind tracking my walks with Garmin or Suunto. I don’t mind not using the Suunto watch because it has less features than the Apple Watch SE when running. I don’t mind not wearing the Garmin because if I wear the Apple Watch and the SE I need to delete the data from one watch or the other in Strava.

I still send my data to Strava but I no longer use the site. It was interesting, until it was sold to investors. When we, the clients, become the product, Strava becomes a failure. Imagine a company that decides that its paying customers b ecome the product and you see why I no longer attach any value to Strava.

And Finally

Now when I am asked “Why do you wear two watches” I will be able to answer, “Because I like the look of this one, and this one is used as a fitness tracker.” It makes more sense than wearing two fitness trackers, unless I’m a blogger reviewing two or more units at once.

With Garmin I have the added advantage that I can track workouts with the Etreck Se which can hang from a belt clip, a bag strap or in a pocket.

Experimenting with an Electric Foot Scooter

Experimenting with an Electric Foot Scooter

Byrichard

Decades ago, by now, someone decided that they needed to make something like a scooter that could stand by itself, and that people could ride. they created the segway and for several thousand francs you could buy one. Some people did, but many did not. Several decades later someone else decided “Let’s put the wheels one behind the other like with a foot scooter. From then on the human being on the scooter would balance it.

Segways were a brilliant idea, but they provided a solution that was more expensive than it needed to be. The idea of electric foot scooters is an excellent one because it reduces the price and the barrier to entry. It’s also to take on public transport.

The one I have has a range of about 20km and a weight of about 13kg according to the instructions. It’s heavy to carry but in theory you lift it onto a train, and once you’re in a train station you put it down and push it beside you. It is not allowed to ride scooters in train stations.

Speed

Scooters are limited to 20km/h in Switzerland. That’s as fast as you’re allowed to go, so getting one that goes faster is moot. Electric scooters don’t start when you push the throttle. You need to be going at 2-3km/h before the motor kicks in and accelerates to 20 kilometres per hour.

Once you get to twenty kilometres per hour cruise control kicks in and it stays at 20km/h. If you go down a slope it stops pushing so hard, and if you start to climb it will detect that the speed has decreased and give more thrust, until it is at 20 km/h uphill.

Comfort

The electric scooter is a platform you stand on. I tend to find that my legs get tired because I tend to favour one leg more than the other. It also feels quite slow when you’re going on flat terrain. It’s slower than a bike so in theory a bike would be more interesting than an electric scooter, especially for people that can reach 30km/h and keep that speed.

The Niche

The niche of the electric scooter is to provide people with an alternative to the car for short journeys. Instead of walking at 5km/h you can take the scooter at 20km/h for a quick shopping trip two kilometres away. It is also easy to take onto trains and fold, and place as luggage, rather than as a bike so you can save on cost. A bike costs half the price of a human on public transport.

It is also practical when you visit people, or when you commute to work. You can take it from home to the train station, without waiting for buses, and from the train station to the office, without waiting for a tram. You save time, and money.

A Petrol Scooter Replacement

I was really tempted to get an electric scooter that could be sat on, until I saw the range, and the price, and then I changed my mind. I believe that the electric foot scooter is a great compromise because it gives a lot of flexibility for short trips, but also offers ease of use for taking on trains, buses, or trams.

Range

Although advertised of having a range of 20 kilometres I believe they can do more, especially if the landscape allows. In switzerland you’re either going uphill or downhill so for part of the journey the motor will not be needed. I have tried to trips and neither used more than one or two bars of charge.

Not Replaced

It does not replace the daily walk. This can still be an integral part of our day. The electric scooter is meant to get us from A to B for errands, or work, and at lunch time, or in the evening, we can leave the scooter at home, or in the office, while we go for a walk.

Limitations

I used the scooter to go to an outdoor workout location yesterday and it felt fine, except when I saw clumps of dirt or branches, pinecones and other objects on the road. I made sure to avoid those.

Another limitation is that it has no indicators so it is hard to indicate where you are going. Removing a hand from the handle bars feels dangerous and unstable for indicating.

On the journey back I went along a road that was in poor condition and here too I felt the limitations of the scooter. Because it has no, or minimal shock absorbers I was worried that if I take such surfaces too often I will shake the wheel connections to bits, like I did with a manual foot scooter.

You can get scooters with shock absorbers and more but they cost two to four times the cost of the one I got.

Opportunities.

It can be used for shopping, especially if you go every two to three days, but also for recycling if you go regularly. Instead of waiting for a car to be full you can fill a backpack, go to recycle, and then head home without taking up much space on the road.In this context I would use agricultural roads when possible.

And Finally

Walking is the cheapest form of tranport but it takes time. Electric bikes are great but they cost money. Electric foot scooters fill the gap between both forms of transport. They are small and light enough to transport in cars or on trains, but with the range to go twenty or more kilometres on a single charge. If the battery runs out then walking and scooting are still options, by foot.

I bought one of the cheapest models to see whether I liked using a scooter or not. I spent about 240 CHF.

The Lazy Weekend

The Lazy Weekend

Byrichard

For a while I have wanted to go on linear walks but I had no groups to do that with. Now I have the opposite issue. I have groups that only do linear walks so I’m missing circular walks.

I like linear walks. I like taking the train to the start of a walk, and then walking for a day or two, and then taking the train home. As you can tell from the context I like linear walks that last more than one day. The issue with linear day hikes is that they cost 60 CHF or more per walk whereas with a car they cost a few francs, especially if you car share.

In recent weeks I have been on three linear walks, one of which was a loop anyway, because I walked from home to the start of the walk, and back, meeting a group at the half way point.

This week I could do a linear walk on Saturday but it’s going from Les Paccots Les Rosalys to Gruyère and that’s another 60 CHF trip excluding other costs. I’d be happy to do that but I think I need this weekend to be logistically more simple.

I know that I can walk up 900 meters and down 1200 meters but this will be in snow, with the possible need for crampons. My instinct tells me that the snow will be soft and melting, so the walk will not be that pleasant.

If I had the half fare travelcard I would feel warmer about the idea of doing this specific walk. Spending 60 CHF per week, 240 per month, is a lot just to go for a walk. If and when I have the half fare the decision will be simpler. It’s nice to walk from one valley to the next, and the next after that. I just need to get the half fare card next month.

And Finally

There is a chance that it will be rainy on Sunday. If that is the case then it makes sense to do something on Saturday, and rest on Sunday.

The Lure of the Lavaux Slow Up

The Lure of the Lavaux Slow Up

Byrichard

Yesterday I noticed that there is a good event for people who like to walk, cycle, rollerblade, skateboard and more. The Lavaux Slowup is scheduled for the 9th of June 2024 this year.

The advantage of a slow up is that roads are closed to traffic so for a few hours people can benefit from the entire width of the road to cycle, walk, run, scoot, rollerblade or do other sports.

The last one I did was in Bulle and that was a relaxed loop around a lake, up and down a few hills. Two of us were on bikes and another was on roller blades.

The Lavaux slow up is linear rather than a loop. You can take the train to the start, skate or ride along the route, and then take the train home. What makes this route special is that you have a good view of the vineyards from the lake side. It doesn’t seem to go into the vineyards.

This is a golden opportunity to have an easy bike ride, or other, along the lake, without worrying about cars and other vehicles.

For once human beings have priority over vehicles.

And Finally

In theory this is a 10km walk, so quite easy to do for most people. Cully can be reached by train and bus, and Vevey is also easy to get to, and from.

At the time of writing I intend to go.

HowNOT2 Videos – Climbing Safety

HowNOT2 Videos – Climbing Safety

Byrichard

In scuba diving and aviation safety is a discussion that takes place before and after every dive or flight. It is discussed every time divers meet up. With climbing safety is important too but the focus is different. “This is how you should belay, this is how you should climb, this is how you should set up the top rope, and more.

With climbing I know what the safety rules are but I don’t necessarily know what the numbers mean. As an example, it’s because I read construction instructions for how to setup a Via Ferrata that I learned how safe they are.

It’s because I went with a VF maintenance crew that I learned about the safety steps to ensure that a VF is safe before the season begins.

I came across on Youtube and watched a few interesting videos yesterday. These videos have value because they test equipment, as it’s meant to work, and then when people make mistakes. It shows how different the performance on safety gear is.

In one video they show safety gear that is over a decade old. He mentions that it’s rated to 20km but when it is tested it lasts to just 13kn or so. The effect of age on that sling is clear.

A few years ago I belayed at an IFSC World Championship so I practised falling, and belaying. I learned how to catch a fall dynamically, rather than violently. Violently might not be the right term. The point is I learned to assist a fall, rather than give a hard stop.

Via Ferrata Safety

In climbing part of the fun is to push, and fall, but in Via ferrata the opposite is true. In VF you’re meant to stay within your comfort zone, and use a sling to rest. You’re not meant to fall. . When you do Via Ferratas the sling is there in case of emergency, to stop you from falling to your death. If you fall in VF you will fall to the next “queue de cochon”, pig tail in English. Your shock absorber will then deploy and you will smash against the cliff.

Falling Versus Safety

In climbing falling is part of the sport, so if you get used to falling without fear then you can push further. You can make progress with your climbing style and go up to more challenging grades.

With VF the kit is there in case you slip and fall. It will keep you in situ but you may be stuck. That’s why it’s good to be with others, but also why it’s good to know your limits.

In VF I have seen people get stuck two or three times. In both cases we needed to use ropes to get the person back onto the VF in one case, and beyond a challenging bit on a second VF.

And Finally

My reason for watching such videos is to get a better understanding of how safe what I am doing is, but also how dangerous mistakes can be. If you understand the risks you’re more likely to do things the right way.

It’s like the zip line I could have done a few days ago. I had everything I needed, but I haven’t done it for so long that I had to remember how to do it safely. You put the tandem speed on the cable. You attach your sling to the tandem speed and then you add the via ferrata set behind the tandem speed. You hold the top of the tandem speed, check that everything is in order and then . It’s a lot of fun, once you overcome your fear. In some places you can do them more than once. You can repeat the fun part. It also allows people to share their equipment.

When climbing and doing dangerous sports either get someone you trust to show you how to be safe or get a professional guide to guide you the first time.

My first VF was with a guide. So were my first climbs. It’s only when I understood the principles that I went with groups of enthusiasts.

Can You With Trail Glove 7 Around Lavaux?
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Can You With Trail Glove 7 Around Lavaux?

Byrichard

Yesterday I tried an experiment which could have been a silly one. I tried to do the Lavaux hike from Puidoux to Vevey with Trail Glove 7 shoes. They are barefoot minimalist shoes so I could have regretted it. I didn’t but mainly because of the preparation before hand.

The Preparation

I have worn through one pair of Trail Glove 7 shoes before switching to the pair that I am using now. In that time I have walked at least 800 kilometres with one pair and an unknown amount with the second pair. The second pair is starting to show signs of wear. I think the left heel is about to fail.

The key difference between barefoot shoes and normal shoes is that barefoot shoes do not offer much padding for the heel. Every time your heel hits the ground it hits with more force than it would with normal shoes.

With the Vapor Glove seven, trail glove 6 and meindl barefoot shoes I find that the padding is not enough for my normal walks so I wear them very little, especially when walking my usual walking routes.

 The Walk

Yesterday my shoes felt fine for almost the entire walk. They felt fine when going downhill and they felt fine when going uphill. They also felt fine in terms of temperature despite the snow. I think this is due to walking fast enough not to feel uncomfortable with the temperature.

It’s near the end of the walk that I could feel that my left heel was starting to hurt. It wasn’t excruciating pain. I was simply aware that my body was getting tired. You would expect this. It’s hundreds of meters of climbing and descending as well as a reasonable walking distance.

It’s 11.3km of walking with 447 meters of climbing and 636 meters of descending over three hours of moving time and three and a half hours overall.

And Finally

The advantage of barefoot shoes, once you get used to walking with them is that they are light and malleable. You have a more direct contact with the ground. I tried them because I started to find cheap shoes uncomfortable, and wanted to try something new.

I knew that this walk would be on tarmac and concrete so I wasn’t worried about deep muddy puddles and more. I still had spare socks in case. I switched to these shoes because I was curious and stuck with them because I find them comfortable.

The Lavaux Walk from Puidoux to Vevey

The Lavaux Walk from Puidoux to Vevey

Byrichard

Today I met with a meetup group to walk through the Lavaux vineyards from Puidoux to Vevey and the experience was good. The logistics of buying a train ticket confused me but other than this the experience was good.

I was able to catch a train from Nyon to Morges, change in Morges for the train to Puidoux before then getting off the train in Puidoux. The advantage of changing in Morges is that I just had to get off one train before getting onto the next.

At the start of the walk we were in snow, rain, and at one point it was almost but not quite hailing. The balls were small so I barely count them as hail. The advantage of walking in such weather is that the light is interesting. It changes from overcast to spotlit, to sunny, and back to rain and more. It’s dynamic weather.

The views are great and one of the nice things about this walk is that you’re seeing different landscapes around each bend. One moment you’re seeing chateaux and vineyards and the next you’re seeing the Alps, and then after that you’re seeing the motorway and more. The motorway isn’t a selling point.

What I appreciate, on this walk, is that you’re walking through old villages rather than modern ones. The buildings are old, with character. I like that we get a sense of history without having to drive to Italy or Spain, or Southern France. If you know where to look you can find historical sites in Switzerland. I think this is a nice cultural walk.

During the walk I was struck by something. We hear about how Machu Pichu and other cities are built with vertical terraces but on this walk the terrassing is quite vertical in parts. You’re quite high above the lake, and the view down to the lake is precipitous. I even thought it could be described as vertiginous during the walk.

And Finally

The walk is physical. The beginning is a steep descent, and then you get some steep ascents and descents, more than once. Vineyards are often built on slopes and this was clearly evident. At one point I was walking up a slope on tip toes. It’s not high, in terms of altitude, but it’s exertional for people with less experience of “mountainous landscapes”.

I enjoyed it and I think that this is a walk that I would do throughout the year. I would do it in spring, when the flowers are out, in autumn when the leaves are turning, and maybe in summer.

It’s a nice walk.

Daily Move Goal Reached One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fourty Seven Times

Byrichard

In three days I will have closed the activity on an Apple Watch 1750 times. I have a love hate relationship with the device. That Love/hate relationship started when I broke the screen on my Series three watch when climbing but continued on when I got into the habit of allowing the move goal to be raised every single week. In the end I was walking four hours per day, every day, during lockdown, to fill the rings. I eventually got fatigued.

Plenty of Miscounts

Although I say that I have almost reached the daily activity goal 1750 times this is rubbish. I have reached it far more than this. There are plenty of cases where I was wearing an apple watch, a garmin or a suunto and Apple either counted all three and then counted none, or it didn’t count anything at all.

Addiction, Rather than Health

It might sound impressive to wear the Apple Watch and fill those rings 1750 times but to me it is a sign of Apple’s desire to turn me into a quantified self addict. Does reaching a calorie goal count for anything?

According to Suunto, Garmin, Xiaomi and even Apple daily walks don’t count towards Vo2 max, so the Apple Watch is pushing me to reach 10,000 steps per day, and pushing me to burn a certain number of calories per day, but in reality a three or four kilometre run would count for more.

Higher Returns

My fitness shoots up when I walk and cycle, but it stagnates, or even declines as I walk daily.

I want my daily walks, runs and my regular bike rides, via ferrata and more to be enjoyed in the moment, without it being about a badge. Garmin and Apple make it about badges. Sports Tracker, Suunto and others make it about the experiences. I prefer the yearly distance by Strava as a measure of progress.

No Smashed Screen During a Via Ferrata

When I did the via ferrata on Sunday last week I was curious to see whether I would break the screen or not. A few years ago I broke the screen on a series four when indoor climbing. I don’t know whether it’s the rope, or hitting a plank of wood that fractured the screen. Since then my passion for Apple Watches has been muted.

Good Data

Although I love to hate the Apple Watch it does give more data than the Suunto Peak 5 and the Garmin Instinct Solar. It gives me power as watts for running, HRV (heart Recovery Value) and Vo2 max for running and cycling. Without this data I believe I would stop wearing the Apple Watch.

And Finally

Reaching the daily calorie goal for 1750 days means that I have reached that goal for 4.8 years. I have had an Apple watch since around the 11th of July 2018. In three days I could write about what I have learned after reaching the daily activity goal for 1750 days. I think it has no value. It’s a way for them to ensure loyalty to what I see as a mediocre device.

NixOS and Darwin – Partial success

NixOS and Darwin – Partial success

Byrichard

Yesterday I experimented with NixOS and Debian. I managed to install NixOS on the Pi4 and I managed to implement several changes to the configuration.nix file before the Pi started to overheat and become much slower. At this point I tried to run Debian and that worked.

At first Debian was running in command line mode so I took the time to install the KDE desktop and that’s when I ran into the same limitation of the Pi4. It tends to get hot and slow down to a crawl.

This could be seen as a failure, or as a success. The reason for which it is a success is that I managed to get NixOS to work on a Pi, in the first place, and that I managed to compile a few changes before the system became too slow to work.

With Debian too, I class it as a success, rather than a failure. I class it as a success because I read documentation, understood it, and then installed Darwin first in command line, and then with the GUI. It was working well enough for a bit. it’s when I left the machine to “sleep” and the display time out that the system failed to start again.

It counts as a success because if I had been using a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB or higher it would have worked well. It’s only because of the limitations of the hardware that this could be considered as a failure.

The other success that I am counting is that I was able to get my log ready for editing on three linux machines, within minutes, rather than quarter hours as I had previously. I have learned the work flow to get the hugo version of my blog downloaded locally, and set up the theme, and then git-ftp to upload the latest hugo compilation.

And Finally

Today I wrote my blog post using VIM rather than Wordpress and VS Code so it went faster. I find that I am gravitating towards simpler blogging habits once again. I only broke with blogging via VIM because I thought it would take hours to set things up again on the current machine.