Day: 4 February 2024

Weeknotes #54: Seafront, holiday parks and regulation

Weeknotes: Active week, scenic walks, insightful tech discussions, enjoyable media.

Week commencing Monday, 29 January 2024

A view of the bay at Seaview, Isle of Wight
The bay at Seaview, Isle of Wight

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 3/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 4/7. (52%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Plant diversity: 27. Total steps: 55,705

Life

  • The pain in my shoulder is getting worse. I’m sure it’s just a frozen shoulder, but I should get it looked at.
  • Related, I was nervous about doing Tai Chi because of the discomfort. It wasn’t as bad as I expected.
  • Another office day on Thursday. Lots of catch-up discussions and, finally, we managed one of the team meetings in a room together rather than spread out around the building on video calls.
  • Saturday, six-mile Red Squirrel trail from Merston to Sandown with a stop at the lovely cyclists’ café. Not too wet underfoot meant it was a lovely afternoon.
  • Sunday, a walk along the sea front, brunch and more sea views. It’s good for the soul. Peered through the fence at the former Harcourt Sands Holiday Park. Not much is happening, but then I found an Isle of Wight Guru blog about it and an accompanying YouTube video. Sad when so much prime Seafront land is unavailable for anyone to use.
  • Apple announced compliance with Europe’s Digital Markets Act this week. There was lots of commentary and all of it quite interesting; critiquing their approach or broadly justifying it. Personally, I buy iPhones because of the restrictions Apple puts in place. I don’t want – even the merest possibility of – a virus-laden mini computer. That’s Apple’s offer. There are other choices if you want them.
  • Related, James is trying out the Apple ecosystem after years in the other world
  • I haven’t done a Kickstarter for a while. Poem/1: AI rhyming clock looks like a lot of fun.

Media

Gym Buddy

You might not know it, but you are now my gym buddy, and it is your responsibility to get me to exercise. I’ll blame you if we don’t go.

In a fit of self-deprecation, I mentioned in my last entry that you don’t care what I say here. So you won’t care if I turn you into an invisible friend (but unlike the version I had as a five-year-old, who was the excuse for opening the car door while travelling at speed). You, my imaginary friend, have a purpose. You see, you are going to be my gym buddy.

Ha, I hear you cry, you can’t find the time to go to the gym. Your busy social life precludes you from even contemplating exercise. Well, my trusty invisible friend, that is but a weak excuse, and I am going to take you with me. I will not tolerate that lazy and unhealthy attitude. You see, you are gaining the pounds (don’t tell me you only deal in kilos), and I am going to be the one to make you go and exercise and lose the flab. I won’t listen when you say you’re going to the pub (you should have joined me in giving up drink), and I won’t tolerate you going to sit in the sauna rather than working out. I won’t stand for your nervousness when entering the gym, and I won’t listen when you say, ‘but everyone’s looking at me’.

No, my invisible friend, we are commencing a journey, and it’s for your own good.

And we start next Monday.

UPDATE: The alternative to you becoming my gum buddy was posting a picture of my ever-growing stomach on the site as a motivation. But then I thought I might be visiting you in the hospital as you recovered from the shock, so you can’t get out of it that way.

Love Revolution

Pop is good so you will be buying the next Phixx single, won’t you?

I know you don’t care at all, but I was incorrect (here and here). The new Phixx single is not out until March 8th, according to the newly designed Phixx official website (which, to be honest, needs some work to work with Mozilla). See, I am launching a campaign for the acceptance of pop as a musical form with people over 16. You must chant ‘pop is good, pop is cool’ every morning, and before you go to bed.

While on the subject, Caroline Cooper of carolinephotos.com has some great pictures of the Phixx boys, including our favourite Man of the Moment, Andrew.

If you also look at Caroline’s site, you will see some photographs of Liberty X taken in November 2003. They are labelled ‘Coronet’, which means they must have been taken at the one-off exclusive gig for World AIDS Day at The Coronet, London SE1, on Sunday 30th November 2003. Which means Caroline must have been one of the people wielding a big lens on that day. How do I know? I was there!

UPDATE: 9 Feb 2004 – I see the Phixx website now works in Mozilla. Great.