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.

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.

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.

On Being Asked Why I Wear Two Watches
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On Being Asked Why I Wear Two Watches

Byrichard

During the Via Ferrata I did on Sunday I was asked why I wear two watches and I answered with a joke before giving the serious answer that I wear two watches at once because I want the data from both watches. I was asked why I need the data from both watches and that’s where there is a change that is happening at the moment.

A Waning in Garmin Watches

By wearing the F-91 for a few days and wearing the Garmin watch less and less I find that my desire for heart rate, steps, recovery and other things to be recoreded is declining over time. I wore the Garmin for the Via Ferrata because I wanted the data. In the end I just looked at the temperature data and not much else.

Over a period of weeks I think I have weaned myself off of the desire to quantify everything I do, to several different services. I’m wearing a casio on my left wrist, as the primary watch, and the Apple watch as a secondary watch on the right wrist. For weeks, or even months, I have been keeping data from walks but I don’t feel the need to check that data at the end of walks, runs or other sports. I’m happy just to do things.

Dependencies

Both Garmin, and Apple, made such a huge effort to get us to wear them twenty four hours a day, and work towards challenges, that they have turned me off of wearing them. They “punish” us for not walking, they “punish” us for not keeping a never-ending streak. According to the Apple watch I walked three hours out of five so far. It feels like we’re filling an addiction rather than getting interesting data.

Not the Only One

Funnilly I was not the only one wearing two fitness trackers. Someone else had a fitbit and a Garmin watch but because one was a band and the other was a watch it was less obvious. I suspect that it may become more common for geeks to wear two watches in the near future.

And Finally

If we want to we can use hand held gps devices and we can use our phones as GPS trackers. In my experience relying on phones as GPS trackers is likely to result in incomplete data. If you put a phone into battery saver mode while tracking you may lose the GPS track, including with Sports tracker, among other apps.

During the pandemic I could wear two watches without it being a problem. Now that I am slowly going back into normal society I have to choose whether to wear two watches or not, whether to be normal, or not.

Being L’âne de Buridan

Being L’âne de Buridan

Byrichard

For the last 24 hours I have been L’âne de Buridan because I wanted to do two activities. I saw that a group was hiking in Annecy and I was hesitating due to the drive, the parking and the distance. I also saw that there were no spaces left. That’s why I signed up for a second activity while sitting in the waiting list. I didn’t expect to get a place.

The second activity is a via ferrata and I love that sport and I just got new kit so I should use it. The issue is that the group that is doing this activity meets irregularly and I prefer to find a group that meets regularly, to spend time with people more often.

The first activity then changed from Annecy to being at La Dôle so I thought that committing to the VF would be much easier., except that it isn’t because A) Via Ferrata are fun but you usually spend more time getting there and back than climbing, and because the group meets irregularly the group becomes less interesting.

I’d like to elaborate on this point. One of my character flaws is that I often want to try something new, rather than remain loyal to a group of people. The result is that I end up with solitude, rather than companionship. I’d like to meet the new group, and new people, but at the same time I feel that I should show “loyalty”, and I use the word loosely, for the group that I have done one thing with, so far.

I now have two groups that do things on alternate days so I can easily be a regular with both groups.

And Finally

Annecy would have been a 50 minute drive, each way, Morez is a 40 minute drive. St Cergue is an 18 minute drive. It makes environmental sense to do the local walk, on a rare occasion when people do something that is so convenient for me. If I had known yesterday I would have kept the electric car.

A Meetup Weakness
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A Meetup Weakness

Byrichard

Before the pandemic, when life was normal, I would go to three or four events per week organised via websites. These days, on meetup.com things are organised every two weeks, and for just 15 people at a time. This means that if you’re not first to sign up you’re on a waiting list and you could be social once every few weeks, rather than three times per week. This frustrates me.

There is a simple solution. There is a demand for events to be organised. I recently bought fresh Via Ferrata stuff and may start doing them regularly once again. I want to accertain that I am comfortable with the sport after such a long break, and once this is done I can create my own via ferrata and walking group. I would organise things at least once per week, maybe more.

The biggest nuissance with Meetup.com is that it requires a monthly fee for having a group. The result is that groups are created, run for a bit, and then destroyed to avoid paying for longer. The alternative is to use Facebook but I absolutely hate what Facebook is and what it represents. Every time it abuses of peoples’ trust it and gets caught it never apologises.

I have car and I have three seats. Like I used to do before the pandemic I can pick people up in Nyon, drive them to and from the activity, and when it comes time to say goodbye they can contribute towards petrol and the cost of having a group.

I would never charge people a fee to participate in an activity because that goes against my ethos, but having people pay a fair share towards petrol is the right thing to do. If you don’t charge people for the petrol used, they abuse of our kindness as drivers.

There is an added benefit. The problem with group activities is that when they end people rush to the train, without saying goodbye and I find this really strange. Before the pandemic there would be a stop at a bar to have a drink, and then drive home. In the Pandemic age that stop no longer occurs. I find this to be a shame. At least by driving from Nyon to the via ferrata or hiking location there is a moment for conversation before and after the journey.

I could be like others, and take the same trains as they take but that would increase my costs for participating in events. It also doubles or triples the journey time.

Last week I walked an extra eight kilometres rather than take a train, so it isn’t that I want to use the car. I have spent five or six years doing almost all of my bike rides and walks from home. The point of the car is to expand my range, once again.

And Finally

As I got to the end of this post I noticed that I am included in the hike that I thought was overbooked, and I see that other people are doing a VF at the same time on the same day and now I am torn about which one to do. The beautiful irony.

The old paradox is back. Nothing to do for the entire week, and then two activities to do at the same time.