Doug Toppin

Pleasant day for some Zwifting

I do esp32 projects for temperature sensor/wiper motor control. I use homeassistant to manage them and one issue I have is the ip changing if I leave the esp32 off for a few days. This can mess up HA and I end up deleting and recreating the device. Reserving and assigning ips in the router is useful

I am hopeful that, eventually, the one true faith will also provide Pup Cups (Bot Cups?) to our automated brethren.

As Dr Chandra said in 2010: The Year We Make Contact, “Whether we are based on carbon or silicon makes no fundamental difference. We should each be treated with appropriate respect.”

Back on the Sensi Touch 2 iOS app issue that I was having. I was not successful in getting it to stay connected to the thermostat while on my Google Wifi mesh network. It does stay connected to a non-mesh wifi that I also have.

McAlister's Deli might find it entertaining that a tiktok from SpudLad in the UK near Manchester prompted me to order a baked potato from them.

Also, this is what your dog looks like when you ask "Do you want to go ride to McAlister's?".

Tip on the Sensi iOS app for their thermostats. If you are trying to create your account using the app and get a “Network error” every time you try the create, turn off the iPhone WiFi to complete the account create, turn WiFi back on, and then use the app to configure WiFi on the thermostat.

2 breadboards attached with an esp32 board on them

esp32 work on a breadboard can be a pain because of not being able to get to the pins on one side or the other.
I finally broke down and joined 2 breadboards and it does make access to all pins easier.

It’s aggravating when you ask ChatGPT what someone of your age and fitness level should be running a 5k in and it says “You suck”

In my ceaseless quest to feel like hell after exercise, today I decided to replace the k in my usual run with an m.
The weather was way better than previously which helped a lot.

What you look like before you start your kettlebell, dumbbell, and Zwift workouts and what you look like afterwards.

Screen shot of a Zwift ride on the Champs-Élysées with results data.

The fun for today, after that hateful kettlebell and then HIIT workout, was some Zwift on the Champs-Élysées.
I could not make the time that
I recently saw a much fitter person than me make but I was a bit better than my previous time.

That is always an excellent ride. I did it a few weeks ago and did not come close to your time. Nice job!

Another impressive experience with ChatGPT I run HomeAssistant OS on a Raspberry Pi 4b initially with the micro-sd card. I wanted to switch that to an nvme/ssd instead for more…

I had another good experience with ChatGPT on improving my HomeAssistant running on a Raspberry Pi. It involved suggestions from it and an excellent example of the value of AI and it's awareness of prior conversations. I posted about it at dougtoppin.medium.com/another-impr...

Zwift fun for today. Well, I’m not sure it was actually “fun” but I did finish it.

In retrospect, an easier and more realistic approach would be to write a number on the sd card and just log it in a spreadsheet.

I’m also thinking that copying them to AWS s3 might make management a little easier and more easily allow descriptive metadata attached. Then I restore them when needed.

I had tried that but then needed to tape the post-it to the card. They also did not stack or sit well together.

Here is something that I am doing a bad job on. I have micro sd cards with the Raspberry Pi OS and the homeassistant OS in various states of configuration all over the place.
The sd cards are so small you can’t attach notes to them.
I’m starting to think I need little tiny bags for each with a note.

The On The Media podcast has an excellent episode on AI and music. AI is providing the opportunity to change, accelerate, and enhance music performance and composition.

Anyone that wants customized music should be learning how to effectively use it.

www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

I also decided to improve my solder station and got a Hakko along with a Kotto fume fan. I definitely felt like the Hakko was a better experience during my practice session.

For soldering practice today, I successfully strongly soldered my desoldering braid to the board. I made a mess removing it.
I also learned the importance of planning which parts to start with. Otherwise, you end up with parts being in the way if you do them in the wrong order.

Another 5k done at 84 degrees. It was freaking hot.
Once again, aggravated at the “Moderate” for Effort.

Workbench with various small electric circuit parts

Helping hands soldering station with a small circular board in the grips, roll of desoldering braid

Top of small round circuit board with LEDs and 2 sockets

Today was solder practice. It will hopefully help me get better at my Raspberry Pi and esp32 projects.
I successfully burned myself (twice), got practice with desoldering braid, twisted my arms and hands to weird positions to get the iron to the board, and maybe got a couple right.
Getting there.

Today I got to ride 20 miles in the French countryside, well virtually anyway.
As usual. Zwift was excellent.

As always, The Economist podcast Drum Tower has a particularly good episode "Battle-tested: China is closing the gap in high-tech weaponry". It includes numerous details on aviation and how a chain of technical resources are essential, not just the missile or aircraft. Definite recommend on this.

I am processing my Zwift fit files using GitHub copilot with vscode in a jupyter notebook. I could not find the ride/course name in the file. I am graphing some data and wanted to include the course name in the header. Does anyone know if the ride name is in the file?

If you are of a certain era and got the email from the social security administration today, you might should fact check it a little before you celebrate and spend all of the money that you think you are saving.

Zwift climb portal ride selection with an elevation in meters and in feet circled.

When picking a Zwift ride, it is important to pay attention to detail and note that the climb portal ride selection elevation is in meters and the elevation choice is in feet. If you don't and think that the ride selection elevation is in feet, you might be in for a surprise (like I was). Doh!

Small esp32 and dht22 circuit boards

Fun is when you try an esp32c6 with a DHT-22 for another Home Assistant temperature sensor and it just works.
This is in place of the previous, slightly more expensive, esp32-wroom-32 board.
Small electronics and Home Assistant are just plain fun.

Dummy 13 3d printed robot mixed up in corn cob silk

When shucking corn goes bad