• Blindsight

    Posted on by Don

    Blindsight, by Peter Watts I saw a mention of this book somewhere on the Internet recently, and was intrigued enough — I think that there was a picture of an octopus involved — so I got it on Kindle. A good read: it’s a dystopian, “hard sci-fi” story about first contact, with a lot of speculating and philosophizing about consciousness and awareness in intelligent beings — the story’s premise is built on the possibility that awareness is an evolutionary drag on intelligence.

    The crew is post-human, with various enhancements meant to interface with each other and with the equipment they use; their leader is a resurrected “vampire” (that is, a member of an extinct superhuman subspecies that once preyed on humans), and “the Captain” is the ship AI, which really does not talk with anyone but the vampire. They are sent out to study and make contact with an obviously extraterrestrial artifact orbiting a nearby rogue planet, and things go from there…

    This book did not read as fast as, say, Titanium Noir — it took a long weekend rather than a day — but it was engrossing, and kind of creepy, and well worth reading.


    📂This entry was posted in cultural ramblings 📎and tagged

  • Back In The Old Groove

    Posted on by Don

    I’m back fro a weekend visit to my folks, Friday through yesterday. I helped them with a few errands, we went to Manasquan Reservoir during the nice weather Friday afternoon (first time there, for me), and on Saturday night we went out eat at Appleby’s. The rest of the time was just hanging out, talking and reading.

    (I’d managed to get my Cloud Library app back up and running, so I borrowed Titanium Noir by Nick Hardaway, and just burned through it during my visit. Pretty good: a near-future sci-fi murder mystery, like Phillip Marlowe by way of William Gibson, and fast-paced.)

    Now I’m home, doing laundry and getting other things done like cello practice, my Native Paths project, and bike maintenance –bikes took some heavy use the last few weeks, and there’s much overdue work that needs to happen.

    Anne is home from Vermont, and is now working on her own projects. We both made it through a very busy time mostly unfrazzled (mostly!), and are both ready to just get back into our usual routines.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Salisbury Beach

    Posted on by Don

    What a great weekend! Anne and I went to visit friends at their Massachusetts beach cottage, on the beach and practically in New Hampshire, for a few days of road cycling. We were there with our hosts Ed & Jan, and their friends Gayle and Bob & Beth, and Jen C. We did 32 miles Friday, 30 miles Saturday before the rains came, and another 20 on Sunday before we drove home. In between was pizza, and lobster, and a potluck at the cottage…

    Now we’re almost back to our regular routine: we’ll have Iris overnight and tomorrow, and I’m planning to do some Museum volunteering this week. I have yet to get back into the swing of the cello, but I played last night and it felt good.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Odds & Ends

    Posted on by Don

    Well, that went by quick — no posts for all of September! So, just some things that have been happening:

    • We just did a CAT-sponsored bike camping trip to Jim Thorpe this past weekend.
    • Last week was the final Shawnee Road Scholar bike program.
    • My mom’s birthday dinner (earlier in the month) was a success.
    • The cello ensemble is back together, we had our first practice a few weeks ago.
    • Plenty more, but it’s all starting to blur together…

    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • My Heart

    Posted on by Don

    I really don’t have much to say, but I wanted to post a few photos of Iris:

    Iris

    I took that Monday, when we had her for an overnight. She is so fun! She’s taken her first steps, and is just about to start walking on her own, and we love just letting her explore her world. (We are constantly forced to upgrade our child-proofing…)

    Iris

    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Summer In Deceleration

    Posted on by Don

    We went out to the Velodrome last night with Shari & Rick, and met Bill & Marie M there along with Joe & Laura. It was the last race of the season, the weather was perfect, and the place was as full as I’ve seen it in years — the whole scene still hasn’t recovered from COVID, and maybe it never will, but last night it was almost as full as the Friday nights of old. And it was just a lovely night, with some truly exciting Madison Cup racing, good friends, beer and french fries, and a spectacular fireworks show at the end. (I realize now that, between MusikFest, New Years, Independence Day, Heritage Day, and the odd Friday night at Coca Cola Park, I have become a fireworks snob…)

    Anyway, it was a good night, and today we’re off on a birthday ride: Sean C set up a slopeside party and overnight camping trip for Jen at Blue Mountain, and we’re all biking there together.

    It’s not the end of summer yet, and we’ve got a few more things planned before the cold weather arrives, but the late-summer bugs are singing, some kids are already back at school, and you can feel the plants getting ready to turn color. The seasons are turning, as they always do.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day the sporting life

  • Chillin’

    Posted on by Don

    I’m home at the moment, just waiting for Anne to get back from the big Women’s Overnight Bike Ride. This was a combined CAT/Adventure Cycling event that our friend Jennifer C put together, and I helped by borrowing Sarah A’s pickup truck (she was also on the ride) and doing support duties. It was a long exhausting two days, but now I’m just hanging out at home in our newly air conditioned house…

    Yes, we finally broke down and got a species of AC called a mini-split, which works like a heat pump: heat in the winter, cool in the summer. It took about a week to get installed, and we’ve had it running for maybe a month now. I love it, though it’s a bit weird to be so disconnected from the outside weather in our comfort bubble.

    Here are pictures I took while they were installing the system:

    Mini-Split Wall Penetrations
    Mini-Split Wall Penetration
    Mini-Split Inverter in Living Room
    Mini-Splits: Piping Partially Installed
    Mini-Splits: Outdoor Unit In Place
    Mini-Splits Fully Installed And Functional

    We have no room for ductwork in our walls, so the working fluid (air? water?) runs in the piping/conduit installed on the outside wall; I guess this is what makes it a “mini-split.” They are super quiet and really efficient, and are very popular in our neighborhood, where most houses are of a similar age and design. Anyway, we’re keeping with the Joneses…

    We had them installed and working for one day, when I had to travel down to Florida — but that’s a story for another post.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • I, Naturalist

    Posted on by Don

    Say hello to my little friend:

    Stag Beetle On Porch Screen
    Stag Beetle, Underside Through Screen Door

    I saw this beauty on our porch last night and took some pictures. It might not be obvious from my photos but this guy was over an inch long, slightly larger than a cicada, and in person it looked like a cross between a scarab and a nightmare. The iNaturalist app informs me that it’s a “Reddish-Brown Stag Beetle” (Lucanus capreolus), probably an adult male. They are native to the area, attracted to lights at night and not that uncommon, but this is the first one I’ve ever seen.


    📂This entry was posted in nature journal 📎and tagged

  • Happy Anniversary!

    Posted on by Don

    Happy 61st Anniversary to my Mom & Dad! We visited them for their anniversary, and took them out to dinner at a steak place called The Edge. Awesome meal, followed by some complimentary prosecco for the anniversary couple:

    Mom & Dad At Dinner

    Salute!


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • High Summer Rides

    Posted on by Don

    I got out with Renee for a ride in Jim Thorpe on the 3rd. It was a bit disappointing (OK, that was an understatement — it was devastating) when we discovered that a lot of the area around the trailhead had been logged off. I wanted to do the Deer Path but it was literally gone, and we ended up doing the Uranium Road and the Pine Tar Trail. By and large the ride was fun, but it was hard to see what they’ve done to that place, especially right at the entrance. Some pictures:

    New Game Lands Parking
    Logging In The Game Lands
    Logging In The Game Lands
    Logged Off Game Lands
    Monarchs on Milkweed
    Monarchs On Milkweed
    Mountain Laurel
    Mountain Laurel
    Where The Deer Path Was

    I did get to see some mountain laurel blossoms before they passed, but I could tell the main part of the season was long over. Maybe next year…

    On the Fourth I went over to Greg & Judy’s to do their annual ride, a little mellower version than in previous years — which is good because I don’t think I could have handled one of those old-school rides… An awesome morning on the road bike through, with friends I just don’t see often enough. I didn’t stick around for the post-ride BBQ — I just came home, showered & napped, and then that night we watched the fireworks from our porch.

    Doug and I did Jacobsburg in the heat yesterday, about 15 miles including some new rail-trail:

    And Anne and I got out this morning and sneaked in a quick 25 miles before the rains came. Not a bad week!

    It’s pouring now, on and off as storm cells blow through, and we’re just hanging out listening to jazz. Emmi & Kyle are coming over for dinner tonight (with Iris of course). Tomorrow is more rain.


    📂This entry was posted in the sporting life 📎and tagged