Recently
General
I installed a new crankset and bottom bracket, new chain, and a new 15t sprocket (down from 16t) on my bike. That was a good day.
An experienced bike mechanic could do all of that in an hour or less, but I am not experienced, and this is more fun than work for me. I took my time with the disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and installation of all the parts, and it was awesome. There is something very relaxing about disconnecting from a computer screen and working with your hands for a while. You also end up using some pretty neat tools, like crank pullers, lockring tools, chain whips, and torque wrenches.
Code
I mentioned in my previous “Recently” that I had made my own iOS todo app, but that it was half-baked. I spent a few days adding the last few features that were missing, and now it can do everything the command-line tool t can.
I will write more about t.app in a separate post.
Reading
- The Untold Story of Silk Road Part 1, Part 2 – Two fairly long pieces by Wired about Silk Road and Ross Ulbricht. They’re long but fascinating and well-written. I think there is a lot more than just the question of whether it should be legal to buy and sell drugs for recreation that can be thought-provoking in this story. The right to privacy, whether authorities should be able to bypass encryption and similar protections and under what circumstances, and Ross’s work ethic and his preferences for how to live his life.
- Interactive Plots with ggplot2 – Title is self-explanatory. The syntax is really rough, but what it can do is pretty cool.
Listening
Serene, quiet, great music. Only two tracks, but Bonobo at his best.
- Brown Bird - Salt for Salt (2011)
This is difficult music to describe. I can’t put it in any common genre I know of. It is tagged with “alt-country”, “folk”, “indie”, “americana” on Last.fm. I can see the alternative country side, and it is folky. The vocals and instruments are simple and clear, especially with tracks that have both male and female vocalists singing together. Try listening to “Bilgewater” and “Thunder and Lightning”.
- Year of the Rabbit - Year of the Rabbit (2003)
This wasn’t my first listen, but “Say Goodbye” came up on the shuffle and reminded me of how good this album is. “Say Goodbye” is the last and best track on the record.