Finished reading: Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave by SeΓ‘n OβHagan is a remarkable conversation about creativity, grief, and religionπ
πββοΈ The Mystery of the Shrinking Pool
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Thereβs an odd glitch with my Apple Watch: anytime I finish a swim interval, it claims there are still two meters left. Then after about five seconds, it realizes Iβve stopped, decides Iβve finished a lap after all, and moves to the next interval. It isnβt the pool, Iβve tried several different ones. Even stranger, it isn’t accumulating by lap. If I finish a 25m sprint: two meters short. A 500m interval: also two meters short.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 β
Dispatch from the Front Line: “Canada” is a question of what we can get
The ability of a population to withstand neighbourly aggression β “economic force,” if you will β depends on two things. The first is internal social cohesion and identity. The second is what the aggressor is willing to do or offer in order to secure capitulation.
The first is so important, yet so intangible and fickle
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 β
π§ Nice to have Strombo back on Apple Music radio. The show has been a regular companion for my long basement rides and was missed over the past few months
π Although I exceeded my goal of reading 45 books in 2024 by finishing 60 books. I’m going to keep my goal for 2025 at 45, anticipating that I’ll be reading more non-fiction this year which will slow me down – for the better.
If you’re interested in owning your own web content (and you should be), the new Micro.one is a fantastic option at a super affordable $1/month. I joined Micro.blog back in 2018 and am a very happy Premium user.
The people should own the town square
Nice to see this:
we are going to transfer ownership of key Mastodon ecosystem and platform components (including name and copyrights, among other assets) to a new non-profit organization, affirming the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual.
Mastodon continues to be our best, decentralized option and I’m glad it exists
πββοΈπ΄πββοΈ Finding the return to fitness sweet spot with RTT
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Thanks to a pre-Christmas flu and general busyness over the holidays, my triathlon training took a dive. This past week, Iβve really tried to get back into it. As a result, my watch and phone have been pointing out that my training load has spiked and are suggesting caution. At the same time, my readiness to train has been correspondingly increasing. Iβve been using this increase, plus generally feeling good, to keep the training intensity at the right level without overdoing it.
π§ Reducing βabundance blindnessβ by deleting my Apple Music library
Saturday, January 11, 2025
I lamented recently what a mess my Apple Music library had become. I was tempted to delete the whole thing and start again, only to end up doing nothing. What’s the big deal? It’s just a collection of songs. I search through them, find something I like, and hit play. Then Jason Burk said in Episode 128 of Hemispheric Views: I just, I find that I have this, like, abundance blindness where I have an infinite number of songs.
Finished reading: The Infernal Machine is another great book by Steven Johnson. I enjoy how he integrates seemingly small technological changes with broad historical trends. Always interesting to read π
Wednesday, January 1, 2025 β
π₯ΆπββοΈ Shortest and coldest swim of the year

Tuesday, December 31, 2024 β
George wishes everyone a happy new year! And, requests more liver treats

πΆ Top albums of 2024
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
According to my listening history, my top three albums of 2024 were: I’m a bit surprised that Nonkeen snuck in there at #3. It is rather different from the other two.
π Year in books for 2024
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
2024 was another great year for books. My favourite fiction book was Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Non-fiction was As Gods by Matthew Cobb.Β
Finished reading: Translation State by Ann Leckie is another great book in the Imperial Radch series. Iβve enjoyed each oneπ
Highlights of 2024
Friday, December 27, 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, a few personal highlights: Welcoming George to our family Our family trip to Portugal A recuperative cottage rental in Haliburton Completing the Ironman 70.3 in Muskoka Iβm so grateful for these opportunities and memories.
Finished reading: I enjoyed the satirical futility of The Posthumous Memoirs of BrΓ‘s Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis π
Wednesday, December 25, 2024 β
πMy family knows me well!

πΆ George meets snow
Saturday, December 14, 2024 β
Finished reading: A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab is a fun second book of a great series. Iβm looking forward to the next oneπ