Public

Public Service Broadcasters in the Video On Demand Age

Years ago we could choose between watching SRF, TSR, France Télévision, RSI and other channels. We had just five channels to choose from but we had them available for free. Today those channels are still available but because we live in modern buildings with no external TV aerials we are stuck relying on Swisscom, Sunrise, Orange, and other telecom providers. You might think “But with a TV box we get access to all these channels, and we do, but we’re made to pay for content that should be available for free.

Public and Private on Strava, Komoot, Garmin and Suunto

For years I have used Sportstracker, and then Strava and Komoot and others. Whether I use one platform or another isn’t much of a concern. I can send my data everywhere. The question is whether I make that data public, private, or a hybrid compromise. With Suunto and Sportracker I usually keep almost everything private because I can’t highlight zones that I want to keep private. With Komoot it requires cropping the start and end point to hide where you live.

The Train from Eaux-Vives to Nyon

Within 31-34 minutes you can be in Geneva-Eaux-Vives by the RE33 train. Yesterday I tested it on the way back from Silicon Chalet Event 39 about Infrastructure as Code and Security, a combination for success. The talks were interesting and informative. It’s an opportunity to see people from the Geneva tech scene. For years I didn’t want to go to Geneva because by train and car it’s fine to get close to Geneva, but it’s less convenient to get from A to B.

Planning Hikes with Public Transport in Mind

Yesterday I was surprised that someone had planned an activity without public transport in mind. A few years ago I would not have noticed. For a long time I never considered that people would want to take buses and trains to the start of a hike. Now I do. For me, at this moment in time, I believe that every hike should start somewhere where public transport is available, both at the start and the end if it’s a linear hike, and at the start if it’s a loop.

Cantook and Audiobooks

Ebibliomedia makes it possible to borrow audiobooks. Yesterday I noticed that I can download these books via the Cantook ereader app on Android and iOS. With this freedom comes a quick and convenient way to listen to audio books without worrying about losing my place. With the website interface I could listen to a book but my progress would be lost as soon as I refreshed the page. In such a situation it makes sense to read a book one chapter at a time, and make sure to remember which chapter you have just finished.

The Allure of Public Libraries with E-Books

By joining a book club and hearing people speak about borrowing books, rather than buying them I was at once asking myself the question “Why wouldn’t you buy a book when you can afford it?” and “Why wouldn’t you want to own the books you read?” Since then I have changed my mind. Paid for Lending Libraries As I wrote two or three days ago Audible, Kindle, Kobo and other platforms allow you to borrow books.