River loop

Jemma was off to do a bike ride with some kids from the rowing club. 

So I decided to do a river loop.

Now my river loops are not the same river loop that the lycra clad gurus undertake.  Old, fat and unfit mean that I cur corners and walk hills.  Today I though I would record times and which coffee shops were open.

6:30 Depart Graceville.

7:00 @slummerville boat shed and the little van with river views was open.  (KY at Hyde Rd was closed.  Unusual)

By 7:26 I was here at the boat sheds.  This fellow setting up where KafeKombi used to be beside commercial.

Earlier I had ridden past Alberto's and West End Park Cafes - both closed.

At 7:50 I was at Toowong.

8:05
Walked up Whitmore St.
This photo taken with the 'open camera' app in HDR mode.

After getting back on my bike at Whitmore st, blow me over if I didn't see a cafe on Swann Rd.  Figured I would stop this time for a coffee and a very nice brew it was too.
8:07-8:25

8:45 'home'.
Back in Graceville.
Not really home per se.  It's where I sleep and eat but it's depressing.  Most of the time I am alone and that sucks.

Anzac day 2020

ANZAC Day 2020.  No marches this year because of the Covit-19 pandemic.

This morning at 6m we all stood at the end of our driveways and acknowledged each other with a nod.

Simultaneously the rowing fraternity were running a remembrance service on Zoom.

After the locals drifted back inside, I walked down to the "boat park" near Pamphlet bridge to soak up the river ambiance.






Then I rode my bike into work. A coffee from the local. One of the other guys is here and a plumber turned up. It's all happening.

I'm enjoying the reduction in societal busyness. I feel sorry for all the people who have missed out on govt assistance. I feel a real affinity though for those stuck inside alone. at least I can get out and go to work and I do that as much as possible as it's too dam depressing to stay at home. I bet the suicide statistics are up.


 ANZAC day and the graph shows no new cases. A pretty flat curve. I do hear that 30% of hospital capacity is being opened up. Finally. I will go look to see how publicised this is or if it's even true.

Concept 2 PM2 Console Repair - Give Up

Sometime in the past the batteries leaked in the PM2 display console
https://thomsoneu.blogspot.com/2016/08/concept2-pm2-console-repair.html
I do not recall whether they were my batteries or whether this had happened pre purchase.

Anyway, now the unit is dead.

It's been sitting unused at work for a couple of years with no batteries in it.

With the Covid-19 isolation going on, I figured I would get it out and take it home.  Did that and put some batteries in and no display. 

Initially pulled it apart and cleaned up the battery terminals and the display came on but buttons did not work.  To get them to work, I had to clean both sides of the board with isopropyl alcohol.  There was a think coating of something all over the gold fingers.  I can only assume battery acid fumes.

That seemed to get it working.

Took it home and put it on the machine but got illogical results.  Some display segments never came on.

Back to work.  Pulled it apart again.
Buzzed out tracks and inspected under the microscope.
Lots of tracks eaten away and lots of open circuit vias.  This would need a through wire in every via and thats going to be time consuming.  What if there is via under a chip.  So decided to pension it off.

Logitech Bluetooth Mouse M585

My old mouse that uses a USB doodad had started to intermittently freeze.  I was not sure (and still not) if it was windows or the mouse.  I tried a wired mouse and that seemed better.

Yesterday my phone died.  So while I was buying a new phone, I bought a new mouse.

My laptop (Toshiba Z20t) only has two USB ports and having one used up by the mouse was annoying. I had previously tried Bluetooth mice but found them to be laggy.  Recently though people had told me 'no longer a problem'.

So I bought a Logitech M585 which can connect either by bluetooth or by using a included dongle.

Tried the Bluetooth and it's very good.

I also accepted the option to download the logitech software.
Seems like you can register the mouse to two separate computers and drive the mouse off the edge of one screen and onto the the screen of the other.  Have to try that sometime.  I'd imagine if kids got hold of this it would reek havoc in the classroom.

 To connect to Bluetooth.
1 on pc find "Add Bluetooth Device"
2. Hold centre button on mouse down for 3 seconds and release.
3. Observe the mouse shows up on the PC.
4. If the LED on the mouse is flashing, press the button on the mouse to stop if flashing and make it work as a mouse.

Not sure why I would want an account so I didn't.  It's a mouse after all.  Next I will need an account for my light switch or door knob.

Jemma Cleans Up Marcu's bike

Jemma wants a road bike.
Marcus left his at Thallon St.  He had asked for it back and Chris was going to throw it on the Toowong trailer to take to the Rowing Nationals in Sydney.  They were cancelled because of Covid-19.

So Jemma dug it out and we cleaned it up.

Cook a Roast Beef

3kg beef
5:30 Put in slow cooker.
        Sprinkle French Onion Soup powder on.
       Temp set to High.  In hindsight this should have been medium.  By morning it was cooked.  Need lower temp.  Use LOW as warm is not very warm

4:40pm  potatoes on.  Oven 180C
              cut up pumpkin, cauliflower, onions
5:10pm  turned potaotes
              Put in pumpkin and onions.
              Cat requests dinner
5:30pm  turned temp down to 110 (i dont think this oven is pretty accurate)
5:40pm  
6:10 serving


Baked Vegies  Oven 180 deg
T11.5 Hrs - Put in Potato
T-1     Hr  - Put in  Onion, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato.
T-30 min Start white sauce and Gravey
T-15 Minutes - Cauliflour
T-10 Min        - Brocoli

Covd-19 Probabilities and Generalisations

What is my probability of catching the virus?
Not everyone who encounters an infected individual will contract the virus [1]
[2] 14% of people who have covid-19 get it severe enough to go to hospital.
Confirmed cases leading to death is between 0.9 and 3.4%

If I am in contact with someone who has it (even if they don't know), How long until I see symptoms

How long does it take to get coronavirus after contact?

This is called the incubation period, and can take up to 14 days. We now know that the average time between catching Coronavirus and developing symptoms is around 5 days. The quarantine rules about how long to stay at home are based on the knowledge of the maximum time to develop symptoms. Once this time has passed, with no symptoms, a potential contact is considered clear.

If I do catch it,
What is the probability of having to go to ICU
Of dieing



[1] https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/71160
[2] https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-19/coronavirus-odds-of-survival
[3] https://www.growmedical.com.au/blog/guide-to-coronavirus-for-brisbane

Easter Coffee

Easter had all the makings of a super depressing emotional sh*t hole.  Living alone. The traditional friends camping cancelled. Covid-19 social distancing.  A reminder of what I'd lost by being such a F*ck head.

Decided to ride my bike into work.  Get a few things done in a more positive environment.

Walked across to my local cafe.  Lots of people there.  I had to queue to order my coffee.  A quick mental calculation and I am thinking that if it takes about a minute to make a coffee then I have a 20-30minute wait.  Stand back & take a photo.  This version taken as HDR with 'open camera' as the normal camera did not handle the sun too well and had the bit under the awning too dark.

Next thing I hear my name called and a skulk forward to pick up my coffee ahead of all those people who'd ordered way before me.

I guess it's nice to know your known somewhere.  :)

Covid-19 Learn from History

I think everyone should study History and Economics.
This is a an interesting video

3:40 Thought to have jumped specis pigs->human
3:50 Doc aletred authorities but nothing done

Mutated - 3 waves.  Don't let down our guard if it seems to have passed.
Spread around the world by troop ships.
City officials

Called the Spanish Flu because Spain was neutral and the media could report freely and accurately.  Other countries censored their media.  Interesting animation at 10:40 where Australia had closed it's self off and delayed entry of the flu for a long time.

Huge learnings
Social distancing is critical.
Stopping transport 

WW1 deaths 9M Soldier 7M Civilians
Flu 40-50M

Covit-19 End Game

END GAME
I ponder the end game. What is the plan or philosophy that our polies are trying to implement?

I know we have been hearing the message "Flattening the Curve". I understand that means slow the spread so that we do not end up with more people in ICU than we have places in ICU to accept them.

BUT what finish line are we trying for? How does this all end?

Are we going for herd immunity?
If this is our approach, then most us will get it. It's just a matter of when!

Are we trying to stop the spread all together?
If this is our approach then after it all dies down, it means there is a huge reservoir of people who are susceptible to the virus. And how will we know we really have killed it off? What about overseas? It would seem to me that this is a very risky approach.

OTHER QUESTIONS IN MY MIND
How do we balance physical health with mental health.

There is evidence that sunshine and fresh air gave very noticeable improvements to patents recovering from the 1918 pandemic. So why are we being told to stay inside. Yesterday the NSW police minister said lying down in a public park was unacceptable. You'd think it was safer to lie in the sun on your own in a park than being cooped up inside.

Why are people not allowed to go out in their tinnies?

PREDICTIONS
I would like to see modelling that shows the predicted number of deaths as a function of different strategies.

Then we could apply some perspective.  For example we have about 1000 deaths a year in Queensland alone from motor vehicle accidents and apparently the suicide rate is double that. So far in Queensland 3 deaths from Corona virus.

Now I certainly do not want to get it.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not of the view of this is just another bad cold.  I have been ventilated.  In more recent years, if I get a cold, I tend to spend two weeks off work coughing up phlegm.

INTERESTING LINKS
Federal Govt Dept Health Covit-19 Status

John Hopkins
https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19/tree/master/csse_covid_19_data/csse_covid_19_time_series

https://www.covid19data.com.au

https://twitter.com/MelissaSweetDr/status/1244809278294093825?s=19

Video predicting this and claiming due to the intensive farming of animals - cages etc
https://youtu.be/Se9yqWNIG8A