PhotoPrism, Walks in Cold Weather and Migrating to Linux

PhotoPrism, Walks in Cold Weather and Migrating to Linux

Byrichard

A Cold Walk

Yesterday I went out for my daily walk but within minutes I noticed that my legs felt cold and that I really did need the scarf that I wore. It’s exceptional for me to wear a scarf. My fleece and my inner coat both have neck protection built in so I usually feel fine. Yesterday was unusually cold so I was happy to add the scarf to really keep my neck warmer. I removed it for a few minutes because it felt itchy but I soon put it back on.

PhotoPrism is Still Indexing

In the meantime PhotoPrism has been chugging away, indexing tens of thousands of files and adding location information as well as other metadata. It has indexed 60,000 files of which 20,000 are videos. Most of the video files are junk though, stuff I saved that has no personal value. I’m marking the video files as private and I will probably delete them as they take teraybtes of space without having much value.

Migrating to a Linux Machine

I also experimented with migrating my blog writing from this mac to a Linux machine. I managed to gh clone the blog files from github to my local linux machine but struggled a little with uploading the test file from the linux machine to the web server. While writing this blog post I was reminded of the solution that should work.

My mac is old and I suspect that at some point the battery will fail and I will lose access to it. I already had to swap the battery once and soon it will die again, and that’s when I will stop using it.
I considered swapping the battery a second time but I saw that Apple is about to stop support for it. If I can use a Linux machine instead, then I save money.

And Finally

Walking in challenging weather is good. It requires us to equip ourselves better, to remain comfortable, whether it’s cold, rainy, windy, or a heatwave. By migrating from Google Photos to PhotoPrism I can keep photos and videos locally rather than in the cloud, and access them with ease, as well as slide from the cheapest service to the cheapest service without investing days or weeks in the effort.

Sliding from Mac to Linux is about learning, and cutting costs, but mainly about experimentation and learing about a different OS. It’s good to be comfortable on Windows, Linux and Mac. At least now if, and when, the mac fails I will be ready to slide from one device to the other.

Walking with Two Pairs of Airpods in Winter

Walking with Two Pairs of Airpods in Winter

Byrichard

During walks, especially once temperatures drop my old pair of airpods tend to die by the time I reach the half way point of my walk. When they’re getting old the batteries in airpods don’t last as long in cold conditions but they’re fine in warm conditions.


A few years ago when a pair of airpods died I didn’t immediately put both to charge and so one of them was dead, dead, not just temporarily dead. I tried to get Apple to sell me a replacement airpods but the person I dealt with was asking me over and over what the problem was and I told him, over and over. In the end I got so tired of dealing with this induhvidual (intentional spelling) and just ordered a new pair.


I looked at the price for replacing the charger and individual earphones and came to the conclusion that it was cheaper to just get a new pair. Sometimes they sell for 189 CHF and other times the same airpods sell for 110 so I buy them when they’re cheaper. The airpods that I killed are no longer in use.


Since then I have bought two new pairs, at least one and a half years between purchases. I use my airpods for every walk I go on, so one and a half hours a day. I also often use them when cooking so that’s even heavier use.


When airpods are new they’re fine with the heat, and the cold, so you can use the same pair without worry. It’s when they have been used for a year or two that they begin to hate the cold of winter. It’s at this time that the left ear usually dies. If an airpod dies while you’re walking you’re stuck without audio. During phone calls you go from a video chat that’s easy to hear, to impossible to hear, due to ambient noise traffic.


That’s where the second pair of airpods comes into play. Yesterday when I was walking I used my old airpods until I started to run. Half way through the run the old airpods died, so I swapped them for the new airpods and continued my run.


The point about airpods is that even when they don’t last as well in cold weather they are still good for years. By buying a second pair you can have a primary pair, that you plan to use for the entire walk, and the secondary pair for when the primary fails.


Why Not Wired?


You might ask “why not use wired earphones in cold conditions and the reason is “comfort”. Airpods are more versatile and practical when you’re wearing layers of clothing, coats and more. I do use wired earphones when it’s windy, when I know I’ll be talking on the phone.


With airpods it’s hard to shelter them from the wind but with wired earphones the mic is easy to shield from the wind. You can continue your walk and your conversation, without the person you’re talking with struggling to hear you.


And Finally


Airpods come in a small convenient charging box so it’s easy to walk with a spare pair in winter. The point is not that you buy two pairs at once. The point is that you buy one pair and use it until it starts suffering in winter, and a new pair, to use as a backup when the old pair fails. The old pair then heat up and recharge as you continue your walk. Once winter is over you can go back to carrying a single pair of airpods again.

Trail Glove 7 in Autumn

Trail Glove 7 in Autumn

Byrichard

This Autumn is different because I have worn running, shoes, normal shoes, and Trail Glove 7 in the rain. I was very happy with the Trail Glove 7 during the entirety of the heat wave. I had no issues with them but now that we’re moving into winter I feel the need for shoes with greater ground clearance for when I walk through puddles, or streams of water running down roads while the rain falls.


A few days ago I walked in a wet forest on a rainy day with the Trail Glove 7 and although I expected to feel that they were completely inappropriate I didn’t. I found that they felt comfortable when walking through scrub, on the stony path and when they were wet.


These shoes will not protect you from thorns and other spikes. The base of the foot is safe but the top of the shoe is made of soft fabric that could be pierced. Despite this I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I would have expected. In fact, I felt comfortable. I just had to be slightly more careful than usual, about where the top of my shoes scraped.


Avoiding Deep Puddles


The one unpleasant bit was when I was walking through deep puddles. Once or twice I felt the water rush into my shoes and wet my feet. It’s unpleasant for 20 seconds or so, until the water in contact with my feet warms up, and then it’s comfortable again.


A big fuss is made about the need for shoes to be waterproof, and in the middle of winter it will be essential. but this Autumn I feel fine, so far.


For years I have walked with waterproof shoes so I am in the habit of walking through deep puddles and I often experiment with their failure point and think “oups” as I feel water trickle into the shoes. With normal shoes puddles have to be several centimetres deep for water to run into the shoe. With barefoot shoes they need to be a few millimetres deep.


Waterproof Shoes Collect Mud


Although waterproof shoes are great in the rain they have one disadvantage. Their tread is excellent at collecting mud so although I have two pairs of shoes that are waterproof one is worn out and should be recycled and the other collects mud too easily and I think it’s at the limit of giving me blisters.


If I could walk in the mud I would be less exposed to cars. If I was less exposed to walking by cars I would not have stopped walking two or three of my favourite routes. The most enjoyable walking period was during 2020, when, thanks to lock down, roads were almost empty of cars.


Waterproof Shoes Dry Slower If They Get Wet


The problem with waterproof shoes is that you need to help them dry, if the interior gets wet. With non-waterproof shoes, if they get wet, you wear them until you get home and by the time you take them off, after a short drive, they will be almost dry, and by the next morning they will be fully dry.


I have got three pairs of shoes wet in recent weeks and I haven’t had to worry about drying any of them.


And Finally


I was pleasantly surprised to find that these shoes felt fine walking through the woods on a rainy day. I didn’t worry about the soles of my feet at all. I found that walking through scrub wasn’t more uncomfortable than with normal shoes. When rain falls vertically onto my shoes I don’t mind. It’s when I have to walk to the side of a path rather than straight through a puddle that I see the limitations of my barefoot shoes. In theory I could spend over one hundred and 50 francs to get waterproof barefoot shoes, but I can get normal waterproof shoes for 35 CHF. I have hiking boots for when it’s snowy and I have comfortable shoes for when it’s dry. It’s for Autumn and winter rain that I need to be responsible enough to wear cheap waterproof shoes.


At this time of year, especially on rainy days, when you’re forced to walk in the grass by cars, it makes sense to wear waterproof shoes, to keep feet comfortable and dry. If walking paths existed between villages and towns, rather than walking along the road side, I wouldn’t need waterproof shoes.


I could wear hiking boots but if I wear those, and I drag mud into the apartment building, neighbours will complain. I wear inappropriate shoes for the weather, because if they get muddy I can clean them in seconds, because we live in the age of drivers, and drivers never encounter mud.

Dry Weather, Clean Shoes

Dry Weather, Clean Shoes

Byrichard

We’re having dry weather which means that I have clean shoes, once again. They cut the grass recently but rather than see greenery we see yellow. We’re in March and it already looks as if we’re un June/July, with how dry the landscape is. The sides of the road, where it was once muddy, is now dry and hard. We are in summer dry weather despite being the first of march.


It’s windy and cold at the moment. You want to wear a good hat, good gloves, and to have layers that stop the wind from blowing through to chill us.


It was cold enough to kill the airpods after an hour of exposure to the weather today. On a warm day the airpods last for two or three hours. On a cold day they last for half an hour to an hour. With walks that last from one hour to one and a half hours I usually never run out of batteries. It’s a sign of cold weather that the batteries last less time than the walk.


In other news twitter failed again today for at least an hour or two. With mobile devices I tried to refresh the feed but saw nothing. I could still post and see replies, but I couldn’t read new tweets. Now that we expect Twitter to fail on a regular basis we don’t feel the same angst as before. It is unimportant.


And Finally – Mud season


At least one Londoner loves the mud because it absorbs his steps and lowers the pain he felt when walking on tarmac and other hard surfaces. I am puzzled by one recommendation. “Have a towel ready”. I know that football players have a brush and running water to clean their shoes. The idea of using a towel is new to me. I can think about it, next time it rains, in a few months from now.

A Frosty Morning

A Frosty Morning

Byrichard

Despite having a frosty morning today I still decided to go for a run in the morning rather than the afternoon. I mention the frost because I noticed that one velux had the usual frost fractals but the others were clear. This is curious.


Frost fractals on a velux
Frost fractals on a velux


I wore a thermal layer, a fleece, a t-shirt and some running shoes that were not waterproof. I would have run one route but a couple took the entire width of the road so I ran along the side of the road, and in the grass by the side of the road. Due to my wearing different shoes my feet and socks got wet and I could feel the dampness, a feeling that I usually do not get.


Safety


I am experimenting with running for two reasons. The first is that I don’t feel safe cycling on roads where drivers do not slow down, or give enough space when overtaking. I don’t like having to look behind me continuously to get drivers to slow down and give enough distance between me and them. I don’t know whether my fear is due to walking by the road every day for almost five years, and cycling for one and a half hours per ride. These might have amplified my sense of danger.


Easier to Dress for Running


The second reason is dressing warmly. Cycling is one of those sports where you dress to be streamlined, but by being streamlined it is easy to feel the cold. Warm cycling clothing is also expensive and although I can layer I am quite happy to walk.


Efficient


The nuance of running, rather than walking is about time. By running I can cover the same distance in half the time than I would if I was walking. This means that what would take one hour might take half an hour. That is more time to do other things. It is also easier to play chicken with the sunset, or grab a break between rain clouds.


Full Body


Running is also a full body workout, rather than a lower body workout. Running uses the upper body and the lower body. You can feel the shoulders, lower back, and pectoral muscles working. You can also feel tightness in certain running muscles after a run.


Avoiding injury


The reason for which I am careful with running, and why I am working towards a 5km goal is body strain. I found that when I pushed towards running more than 10 kilometres it hurt my knees. I want to give my body time to adapt to running, before pushing beyond 5 kilometres.


Cheap and Light


If I grow comfortable with running then I have a cheap, light, versatile sport to enjoy year round. I do need to get comfortable with hills around here. If I leave the village where I live then I have two directions with hills, one that is too short and too busy to be a workout and the other that is towards a town and civilisation. The other routes take me to the countryside.


Solitary


Aside from the points I have made above running is also a sport that you can do alone. Climbing, diving, via ferrata and other sports require at least one more person, and the relevant equipment. With running you need shoes and that’s it, if you want to be a minimalist.


And Finally


Walking and hiking for four and a half million to five and a half million steps per year doesn’t count as improving fitness after five years of routine. Cycling does, when I push myself, and so does running. I want to see my fitness go up, not down over the cold winter months. I want to feel that I am progressing, not stagnating. Running is a way of achieving this goal.

High Winds And A Skipped Walk

High Winds And A Skipped Walk

Byrichard

There is a cold wind blowing today so I skipped my daily walk. I can dress for the weather and I am usually fine. Today I simply decided to miss my daily walk. I believe that walking whatever the weather, whatever the wind, and whatever the precipitation is good. I also believe that it fatigues us. For this reason it makes sense, sometimes, to stay indoors, and focus on studying or spending money on things we don’t need.


Early Sunsets


One of the problems with winter, aside from cold weather and finding a valid excuse is short days. When days are short you spend daylight working towards your goals, and by the time you’re free to go out the sun has set. It sets at 1720 at the moment so a one and a half hour walk requires going at three in the afternoon at the latest. Today I missed the window of opportunity.


Studies


I finished a course on closures in JavaScript today and I played around with creating a function to convert from knots to kilometres an hour. The first version was simple and had no interactivity but the second version, by copying someone else’s code works. I always make sure to credit the source from which I am learning. The next topic will be JavaScript Classes.


Android and iOS


I revived my android phone and tried Google Pay and it works very well but then tried Android car play or whatever it is called and that worked badly. In fact it didn’t work, so I feel that unless I swap the car, or go for what could be an expensive car os upgrade I might as well stick with Apple despite not being enthused with the platform at the moment. I wish switching the two could be as easy as a dual boot computer or laptop. Choose one, or the other, and everything is smooth. Unfortunately you need to commit to one or the other.


Playing With Tweetdeck


Recently I grew tired of seeing tweets that fill the entire screen. Twitter is meant to be a microblogging platform, not FaceBook. One way to avoid seeing tweets that fill the entire screen is to use Tweetdeck.twitter.com. It allows you to see as many lists and columns as you want. You can use the number keys to change between views. I believe that the decision to design for mobile first is a mistake, in the current web landscape, but is worth exploring in another blog post.



A Cold Walk In The Wind

A Cold Walk In The Wind

Byrichard

Today I went for a cold walk in the wind. The wind was blowing from west to East so for at least half of the walk I had it in my face. This was a good day to wear a cagoule and to wear the face mask, even when people were not around. The windchill made walking unpleasant and I even considered skipping my daily walk but didn’t. I am disciplined enough to walk, even when it is unpleasant. This weather is frustrating because we have the cold, without any of the beauty. It would be nice to have this cold, with snow and ice, rather than just ice.


Linux Mint On an EEEPC


Last night I installed Linux Mint on an EEEPC quite easily. I downloaded a 32bit OS, flashed the ROM to a USB key, booted the OS from the SD card, and then installed the OS. So far I have done very little. The eeepc feels slow. It is an old machine, and even when it was young, a few years ago, it felt slow. It would be nice to install Linux on a newer machine, to take more advantage of the OS. I actually like Linux but most computers are either windows or macOS.


And Finally


I should re-work my website so that it is KaiOS friendly. For now the top bar navigation and images are not friendly for the OS, especially not on a phone such as the one I am playing with. I find that it refuses to load the blog section of the website, and it struggles with the drop down menus. I should turn that feature off for tiny screens, and just let people scroll down to the relevant content. I have an opportunity to think differently.


I think the old WML format, Wireless Markup Language would be better suited, than the modern multi-display farce.

The Unthreatening Clouds

The Unthreatening Clouds

Byrichard


The unthreatening clouds did not bother me during my bike ride but it was cooler than sometimes at this time of year. I occasionally felt that an extra layer or two would be welcome. That’s unusual in July at this time of year.


I chose routes that kept me as far from cars as possible. I also chose wider roads. They may be safer. The challenge is to find roads where cars are banned.



We will see if the rain comes.

Day 57 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Another Walk In The Rain.

Byrichard

Walking in heavy rain for two and a half hours doesn’t make much sense. You don’t see much. The more time you spend outside the more of you is wet, and by the time you get home you’re cold and in need of warming up.


It’s day 57, the 11th of May. In theory Switzerland has rebooted in safe mode and we can start returning to normal life. I don’t know whether the shops or other places were busy because I didn’t go into any shops.


View this post on Instagram

My daily walk.

A post shared by Richard Azia (@richardazia) on

Day 47 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Walk In The Rain
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Day 47 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Walk In The Rain

Byrichard

Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain. I walked for two hours, took pictures and listened to Echo Der Zeit and this episode of the Thru-Hiking podcast. Gretel Scarlet was the interviewee. She talked about South Bound (SOBO) hiking the PCT.


It’s interesting to see how different her attitude was to most people’s, how being a dancer, and someone who considers nutrition, speaks differently of food and injuries.


Thanks to the rain most people stayed indoors. This was a good opportunity to walk along routes that I have been avoiding for weeks due to the pandemic. In the process, my trousers and shoes got soaked so I was squelching along. Even cars were not that frequent. I crossed two people during my ten-kilometre walk.


A walk in the rain during the 2020 Pandemic.


I walked through a wooded part and the trail that I usually follow was now a river. I had to step to the side of the path to avoid walking through the “stream” that it had now become. My shoes were already wet from walking through some tall grass earlier on.


I used to be a cold water diver so being wet doesn’t bother me. I was comfortable for almost the entire walk. It’s only during the last kilometre when I turned to walk into the wind that I started to feel cold and tired. By this point my trousers were soaked and the humidity was moving upwards.


I had considered making the route longer when crossing the last village before home but decided not to. I didn’t want to have to walk along the road when agricultural paths were clear of people. In light of how I felt on the last leg that was a good decision.


@richardazia

##rain ##river ##switzerland

? Let’s Do It Again – J Boog