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Byrichard
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The Running of the Bulls

Byrichard

Whilst in Switzerland people stand in the streets as they watch the cows go up the mountains and come back down the Spanish enjoy a more extreme version with the same species. I was in the same street as the bulls were running up and down whilst in Spain and this was a fun experience.

I watched as the locals stood in the street chatting. One guy was dancing as he chatted to one group of girls whilst to my right some more girls were having a conversation. On the balcony close to the pharmacy I could see the staff in their white coats watching the activities from a safe vantage point. Further down the street a daughter was holding a four year old child. The child was watching what was going below.

A group of men started to pay attention, then a few more were spotted running up the street closely followed by a few bulls. One of these bulls was very powerfully built, with yellowish hair on it’s back. It was powerfully built. Now those that had been chatting were paying attention. Some of them climbed up the rejas whilst others climbed up the wooden devices that had been placed there to allow people to escape to safety. The bulls passed and a guy in an orange suit was chasing the bulls with a stick. One bull slipped and suddenly the guy in the orange t-shirt had a bull behind him. He dodged it in time.

It’s at this moment that a few people clapped at the prowess of this particular runner’s actions. They were having fun. The people went back to chatting waiting for when the bulls would come back the same way in a short while.

This was just one of the vantage points. In another street you could see lots of cages. They weren’t there to keep the bulls in. In fact these cages were designed so that a grown person could fit through the bars. As the bulls would come running down the street so they would run through the bars, to safety.

Some of the younger men were more daring. One in particular, with a pink sweater was going towards the bulls, waving this object at the bull and getting it to charge him. At the last minute he would dodge out of the way of the bull. He did this quite a few times, keeping the bulls active.

At this point it was amusing to see the locals. Some of the cages were designed so that wooden planks could be put across the top. Chairs had been placed there so that the locals could watch the activities comfortably. They were eating sunflower seeds and throwing the shells down. As a result some of those below would get the occasional shell falling on them.

The whole show was fun. I filmed these activities and I’ve started editing that footage to provide you with some fun video of a typically Spanish form of entertainment. This event had been going on for a week and it gave me a new appreciation of Spanish culture. If you’re close to a town as this event is taking place you should definitely take the time to watch it.

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Cycling in Winter

Byrichard

After cycling over 1100 kilometres in 2015, I aim to cycle 1200 kilometres in 2016. This goal is an easy one to achieve. It’s the 21st of January and I already have 100 kilometres logged. The weather over the last three weeks has been cold and wet. We have had rain almost every day and it recently turned to snow. As there is a lack of good weather there is no choice but to go out in the bad weather.

Cycling in these conditions is messy. Your clothes get soaked from the rain and as I cycle in the countryside I come home covered in mud. When I get home I change into dry clothes and I recover quickly.

Rain is easy to deal with once you’re ready to feel wet and dress for the cold. What is more challenging is cycling on slick tires on snow. Some of the roads I cycle on are salted and cleared but as I also use agricultural roads they are covered in snow. Safety takes focus and concentration. The rear wheel skids if you apply too much force to the pedal and the bike can skew if you are not careful.

Cycling in such conditions is not ideal. It demands resistance to the cold, stamina to continue making the effort and determination to set an achievable goal. I will continue towards 200 kilometres by the end of February. Cycling consistently now will make summer all the more pleasant and rewarding.

 

Static Web Generators and CMSes

Static Web Generators and CMSes

Byrichard

For weeks, or even months, by now I have been playing/experimenting with Hugo, 11ty and other solutions. I really like that with Hugo I can use FrontMatter as a CMS to create new posts, add the appropriate meta data, and keep track of what is published and what is in draft form. It allows me to create posts with the right metadata in seconds, rather than having to write the date, time, draft status and more by hand. It also generates the right file title for good archival practices.

Decap CMS

As I was looking for a CMS tool to make managing 11ty content easier I came across Decap CMS and it seemed interesting. I installed a version locally, and then I started to look at the code manually, rather than using the CMS tool. It felt complicated so I did some more research. Eventually I learned that in order to play with Decap CMS you need to setup a netlify account, a github account and then expose yourself to accidental charges when playing with a static website generator. I was struck by the paradox. Why would you use a CMS tool that requires you to commit to an external hosting tool? Why not use ClassicPress or WordPress and cut out the middle man. Of course the short answer is “because you still generate a static tool, but the interface is intuitive for non coders.

Yet Another Service

By requiring us to set things up via Netlify we’re forced to use yet another service, which is fine, when you’re using the service in the first place. I am not.

FrontMatter.Code

Within a few minutes frontmatter.codes could be setup locally do do what I want, to manage documents and frontmatter for an 11ty site. In so doing I keep development on the local machine, only connecting to the external server when I’m uploading site changes. I can use the same workflow as I have for Hugo, once I set it up.

ClassicPress and WordPress

It’s easier, for me to setup a ClassicPress or WordPress CMS and use that. ClassicPress feels very fast and I can use markdown or html for pages that I am creating, or that already exist. Within a short amount of time I can do what Decap CMS does, anywhere I want.

For WordPress you can use this method/tutorial or with the free playground option. Within seconds you can have a wordpress instance running on azure, up and ready for a new site and content.

In particular, while App Service F1 will not generate any cost, database usage is chargeable for “pay as you go” plans or when the usage limit of 750 hours per month for 12 months is exceeded. So, in order to ensure they will not pay for the WordPress playground, developers should monitor and track their database usage.

With this tool a wordpress instance is prepared for you, and for a month you can see what the cost would be, before jumping into a financial commitment.

And Finally

If I am experimenting with a Static website generator like Hugo or 11ty I want to have local versions to play with, rather than remote ones that may cost something if I am not careful. If I’m reading it correctly the basic plan I’m experimenting with is 3 CHF per month for a server in Northern Switzerland. With this “playground” I have the opportunity to experiment, and see whether that is the case.

The testing options are cheap, but for production Azure and other cloud solutions are expensive, which is why we use other cloud solutions, especially for personal sites. I will spend time experimenting with Frontmatter, set up for 11ty, following this learning experience.

Running in Trail Glove 7 and Thoughts on The Venu 3

Running in Trail Glove 7 and Thoughts on The Venu 3

Byrichard

For the second time in a few days I ran over five kilometres in the Trail Glove 7 shoes without my knees or other parts of my body suffering. With other shoes I would have stopped after two kilometres but for some reason I can run further with Trail Glove 7

Fewer Runs Per Week

At the moment I am running 5k but one or two weeks elapse between runs so my body has time to recover and adapt to running. My knees are under less stress as a result.

Different Foot Attitude

With normal shoes I would rely on the heel of the shoe to amortise the shock that is then transmitted to my knees. With the Trail Glove 7, especially warn out ones I tend to land on the front of my foot and absorb some of the shock before the heel hits the ground. I also adapted my walking style after several months of walking in various barefoot shoes.

Running in the Grass By the Side of The Road

When possible I was running in the grass by the side of the road. This lessens the forces that are at play. I think my body does benefit from trying to run along a softer route.

1 KG of CO2 Saved

According to the Suunto App my run saved one kg of CO2 yesterday. That’s good for the environment. If I get in ship I could run to the shops and back, rather than using a car and I would save more, benefiting the environment.

For an activity to count as saving CO2 it has to start at point A and end at point B. If you start and stop in the same place it does not count as saving Co2. This is a shame as I think that walks that start at home and end at home, without the use of a car save CO2.

Quick Thoughts On The Venu 3

Looking at headlines the two unique selling points are that it can track naps, and that it is more wheel chair friendly. The drawback to this watch is that it is a 500 CHF watch that wants to be a smart watch and a fitness tracker rather than a sports watch. For this reason I have little to no interest in it, despite liking siestas.

And Finally

The Apple Watch Challenge for this month is to stand for 12 hours a day for at least fourteen days. That’s not a challenge. That’s forcing me to wear the watch, like an addict, for 12hrs, to stand. I don’t want watches to make me stand. I want watches that let me live my life, and track how my fitness is improving, or degrading over time, without using “addiction” as a motivator. That’s why I like Suunto.

Conclusion

I don’t regret getting the Trail Glove 7. I find them comfortable for walking and running, especially on grass and soil, by the side of roads.