Noisy Deadlines

challenge

I was tagged by Joel to answer the Technology Questions Challenge!

🙌Challenge accepted!

When did you first get interested in technology?

I’ve always been draw to machines that could do things: TV’s, radios, rotary telephones, cassette players (note: I was born in 1979). These devices fascinated me, and I constantly annoyed my parents by asking how they worked. I even managed to destroy the only tube TV in our house while conducting an “experiment”: I partially unplugged it and touched both prongs of the plug with a piece of metal (I think it was a spoon) while the TV was still connected to power. BOOM—fried TV! My parents were not happy, especially since we were growing up during a time of crazy hyperinflation in Brazil, and electronics were not easy to replace.

But I truly fell in love with technology when my dad—who was a mathematician, civil engineer, and university professor—got access to computers at the university. One day, he brought home a small personal computer: the TK-85 (a Brazilian clone of the ZX81). I was hooked immediately. I must have been around 7-8 years old.

The TK-85 ran a BASIC operating system. It had a small keyboard, a joystick, no mouse, a TV output and it could be hooked up to a cassette player to load up programs. It didn’t have internal memory in the way we think of it now—every time we wanted to use a program, we had to load it into the RAM, which could take 30 minutes or more depending on the file size. The cassette player made these weird, alien-like noises while loading.

That’s how I got started with computers. I learned BASIC and DOS, and I still remember the thrill of moving from a text-only interface to using Windows for the first time—with a mouse and multiple windows! đŸ˜± The mouse was mind-blowing to me.

The rest is history. My dad kept upgrading our home computer, and as soon as I could save up enough money, I bought my own PC.

What’s Your Favorite Piece Of Technology All-Time?

This question always makes me think of the fundamental technologies that enabled the modern world: sanitation, steam engines, photography, electricity, the telegraph, the transistor, telephones, and more. Maybe I’m going too far back—but without electricity, we wouldn’t have any of it. So, I’ll say electricity!

If I had to name a favorite object, it would be the personal computer (with a good keyboard!). A close second would be the digital wristwatch.

What’s Your Favorite Piece Of Technology Right Now?

I love e-readers! I think they are such a neat piece of technology! I got my first Kindle in 2012 and used it for nine years before switching to a Kobo Libra H2O in 2021 (a few years after I moved to Canada) which I still use daily. E-readers gave me access to books that weren’t published in Brazil or were too expensive to import. I truly believe they help democratize access to knowledge, which makes it all the more frustrating to see what Amazon is doing with the Kindle ecosystem right now. Still, there are great alternatives out there, and I’m hopeful that independent e-readers will continue to innovate.

Name One New Cool Piece Of Technology We’ll Have In 25 Years!

I can’t predict the future, but I hope we move toward more sustainable production and use of technology. I’d love to see a future where planned obsolescence is a thing of the past and devices are modular, upgradeable, and repairable, so we stop generating the massive amounts of e-waste we see today.

So, it would be cool to have modular technologies. Also, solar or renewable powered devices and wearables. It would be amazing to have fully biodegradable electronics.

I also hope we create digital environments that aren’t driven solely by corporate interests: places where ecosystems can communicate with one another, protect privacy, encourage diversity and equitable access to knowledge (not just feed us junk and ads).

Final thoughts

This was fun! Thanks @Joel for tagging me!

It was nice to go down memory lane and reflect on how technology shaped who I am and how it could shape our future. I feel incredibly grateful to have had access to a computer at such a young age. Back then, computers weren’t ubiquitous in Brazil. It took years for personal computers to become truly popular and affordable. My dad was fortunate to be part of a small group of people who worked with computers early on, and that gave me a rare opportunity.

I’m hopeful that we’ll wake up from the hot mess we’re in today and shift toward a future where technology is more sustainable, open, accessible, and focused on helping humanity rather than exploiting it.

I will nominate:

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Update

Here are the responses:

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Post 81/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #challenge #tech #noisymusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Rideau Canal Skateway, Dows Lake, 2021 Rideau Canal Skateway @ Dows Lake

The Rideau Canal Skateway is known as the world’s largest skating rink. It's 7,8km long when the whole length is open. But there must be ideal winter weather conditions to allow it to open. Like constant negative temperatures for several days to create a sufficient thickness of water to freeze. It only opens a section when the ice is at least 30cm thick. Days with temperatures above zero with rain are a disaster for this huge outdoor rink. 2021 was one of the latest openings in the canal history. Maybe it was a combination of mild weather conditions and the pandemic restrictions.

But it opened!

There was 5km open this weekend and I checked it out. Because of COVID-19 all food stands, skate rentals and changing facilities were closed. But there were lots of benches thorough to let people change into their skates. We have to carry our own boots (no lockers there) so a backpack is definitely recommended. It was not busy since the City is strongly saying that only Ottawa residents should go to avoid crowds. It was easy to keep physical distancing. And masks are mandatory.

Skating under Flora Footbridge, that was built and opened in 2019 Skating under Flora Footbridge. First time!

Every time I go to the canal it's an intense experience. The cold, the ice cracks and bumps, the beautiful eerie scenery, the challenge. Ice skating is not natural to me so I still struggle. This time I tried skating 4 km. I consider it significant progress. Because I did skate 4 km one way + 3.5km back. It was a much better experience than last time. But I got exhausted! And what happens when you get tired ice skating? Your balance is gone. So I fell once, got up, kept going and stopped every now and then to rest. Up until the point I couldn't move anymore without totally loosing balance. My legs got wobbly because of the physical strain. I had to remove my skates and walk the rest of the way to the car. So, yeah, ice skating is intense! Not to mention I was sweating under my ski suit even though it was -15C with a real feel of -21C! ⛄

Getting some rest at the Rideau Canal Skateway, 2021 Getting some rest...

I still think ice skating is one of the hardest physical things I had to learn in my life. Heck, I'm still learning. I cannot do any fancy stuff, I can go forwards and I (awkwardly) stop. And that's it. I try to practice things like one foot glides and C-pushes. Maybe one day I'll be able to do cross-overs. The great thing about the Canal is that there is lots of space to practice! And I have fun!

Another aspect that makes me enjoy ice skating, with all its difficulties and struggles, is that it requires total focus. I can't be anywhere else. And balancing is subtle. Slight changes to the angles of the skates on the ice and the body's center of gravity can accelerate you, stop you or bring you to the floor. If feels like a crazy physics experiment.

With all the indoor rinks closed I'll probably be visiting the Canal every weekend, weather permitting. It's going to be an excellent practice.

#iceskating #learning #challenge #noisymusings #winter

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Me ice skating at the Canal - Dows Lake

I've reached the end of my Beginners Level 2 ice skating course. ☃

The thing about learning how to ice skate as an adult is that the learning process is painfully slow. And I say “painfully” in the literal sense of the word. It involves learning how to fall and how to get up on ice. It is challenging! Specially for me who had zero experience on the ice.

Last winter I took the Level 1 course (Intro to Ice) which taught me how to fall, how to get up and how to stand up on ice skates. I could barely glide forward. I would usually fall a few moments after I entered the rink. I could take little steps forward and I was terrified most of the time. I can say it was one of the most challenging things I've done in my adult life!

But now, 18 hours of ice skating later and feeling more confident, I feel way less afraid. There is a point in the learning process where you stop struggling with the laws of physics on having no friction under your feet, and start to actually just glide. But you gotta keep your balance. And that takes a lot of brain and muscle power!

Until now, while I'm skating forward, there is that awkwardness and wobbly body movements that denotes a beginner ice skater. But I feel completely satisfied with my progression! It was hard work!

So now I can say I find ice skating relaxing even when I'm struggling with it. It's a weird combination. It's one of those activities that requires mindfulness. Full focus. Concentration. And I think that is what makes it so rewarding in the end. It combines difficulty with fun.

These are the techniques I want to improve: stopping, one foot glide, backwards C-pushes (also known as “half-bubbles” and T-pushes.

And I can't wait to take the next course! I am ready for more! While I wait, I will continue going to the ice rink on weekends to practice until they are available to the public (you know, summer is coming).

#iceskating #learning #challenge #noisymusings #winter

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.