Why do I use Signal?
Signal, if you haven't already heard of it, is an encrypted messaging app for both Android and iOS. My experience with Signal doesn't extend into the iOS realm, but the experience won't be that different, with the exception of iMessage being thrown into the mix. There...
Less Tech.
I really like numbers. I like graphs. I like plots. I like tables. I like SQL queries. It was pretty predictable that I'd like having a Fitbit on my wrist. No surprise that I'd find myself poring over the graphs in the app, checking my resting heart-rate (56-58 bpm...
Challenging People
I've ridden quite a bit in the last year. Last October I rode more than 600 km as part of the Great Cycle Challenge (which I will probably do again this year). I rode over 4,500 km in 2018. I climbed more than 41,000 metres. 263 hours in the saddle. This isn't a lot...
Shipwreck
A hundred metres or so from the beach at Port Willunga is the shipwreck of the Star of Greece. She sunk in 1888 after 20 years of service. 18 crew perished, and 16,000 bags of wheat destined for Great Britain were lost. If the tide is way out you can see one of the...
2019
I wonder how many thousand posts have been written in the last week about what changes people implement in their lives in 2019. They seem to be quite widely derided on Twitter, which I guess shouldn't surprise me. It's Twitter after all. A place mostly filled with...
![[Enthusiasm rising]](https://bitterswede.com/wp-content/uploads/EscapeByBike.png)
[Enthusiasm rising]
I know it's still a long way away. I know. 4.5-ish years. The kids will be 13 and 15. Me nearly 45. But I'm finding it tough to keep my mind away from planning this trip. What bike(s)? What time of year? What sort of food will we eat? Will we camp every night on the...
Five great songs by artists I don’t really like
I found this draft sitting around several days ago, and I thought "that's a good idea!". Just like I did when I first started the draft, which I have no recollection of. It'd be fun to write something snarky about lucky hits amongst rubbish song-writing. I had This...
Planning a big ride
My eldest, whom I will refer to as Mr10 for another two and a half months, and I are planning a big ride in in a few years. Probably Euro-late-spring of 2023 at this stage. I think I first heard of the EuroVelo paths on BoingBoing. Or maybe just in passing on Twitter....
A very smoky fathers day
Driving home from the Fleurieu Peninsula on Sunday there was a heavy blanket of smoke hanging over the hills and the Adelaide plains. I'd been to see dad, helped him repair his lawn mower and sipped a coffee at Port Elliot. I had spent longer there than...
SQL Server Management Studio – as another user
Skip skip skip all the preamble junk... My work, amongst many other things, involves managing a small herd of Microsoft SQL servers and a series of small web-apps. When I work from home, from my non-domain-joined machine, I want to be able to run the SQL...
70% Hydration Pizza Dough
Ingredients 1.1kg plain flour (split 700g and 400g) 770ml luke warm water (split 700ml and 70ml) 2g dry yeast pinch of salt 20g oil Method Roughly combine 700g flour and 700ml water in a bowl with a spoon, and set aside for at least 30 minutes (an hour is...
Winter Camping
A while ago we went camping in the Flinders Ranges. Winter camping is the outback is good. Days aren't too hot. The weather is usually fine. But nights are freezing. Literally. The night sky, though, is worth the cold. The cold weather is excellent for...