1. Downes

    Bug Jacket

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    March 22, 2023. I tried on the bug jacket I picked up on Sunday to make sure it would fit. As you can see, it does. The bug jacket may be essential when I’m cycling in La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve this summer (I’m hoping that by waiting until August I…
  2. Downes

    Mourning Dove

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    March 21, 2023. A mourning dove soaks in the late afternoon sun in our back yard. The birds are all returning, and are not pleased to find the ground still covered with snow. Thank goodness for our feeder! Today was a day of three meetings and I even got a…
  3. Downes

    My New Horse

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    March 20, 2023. I took my bike out for a longer ride for the first time today (where ‘longer’ means 8km – still building up slowly). Pretty happy with the ride, though I’ll need a new saddle. It takes more effort to pedal than my previous gravel bike, but over…
  4. Downes

    The Old Quarry Trail

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    March 19, 2023. This squirrel greeted us near the beginning of the Old Quarry Trail in west Ottawa. We did a roughly 6 km loop around the trail. Our timing was good; it was -6 so everything was frozen. Next week, this trail will be too soggy to walk (there…
  5. cogdog

    Humanery and/or Machinery

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    Despite the apparent demise of blogs the flat line of the RSS-ograph blips with a pulse from David Kernohan “on chatbots.” FOTA is alive!

    Unsure if my comment gets through the gate (a first one generated a critical WordPress error, sorry, David), but I have to at least assert my …

  6. Downes

    My Luggage

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    March 18, 2023. This is my luggage, finally returned after almost three weeks. It could have been worse, I suppose. The tags tell a story of a much-travelled piece of luggage (it certainly went places I didn’t, like Heathrow). This was otherwise a productive day as I spent pretty much…
  7. Downes

    Woodpecker in the Apple Tree

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    March 17, 2023. This is one of our regular woodpeckers hiding out in the crabapple tree in the back yard. Today was a day of meetings and productivity. The itch is trying to make a comeback but I’m fighting it off with medication. Oh, I can’t wait for spring. Today…
  8. Downes

    The Great Hunter

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    March 16, 2023. This is Emma chasing a bug (probably one of the many Asian lady beetles that spend the winter in the house). I had a much more productive day today and got a bunch of things off the ‘to-do’ list. Still a lot stacked up. But it’s nice…
  9. Downes

    Happy Birds

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    March 15, 2023. It was a lot nicer and warmer today and the birds were happy hanging out by the feeder. I am happier too. Not only am I feeling stronger and healthier, I got a phone call from Iberia saying they were sending me my luggage; it should arrive…
  10. Downes

    Sad Birds

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    March 14, 2023. There was a long of something from the sky – now? sleet? slush? – along with a lot of wind and the birds were not happy. But they were still willing to flock to the feeder. I began today to actually feel like I’m recovering from everything.…
  11. Downes

    Basement Window

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    March 13, 2023. Julia thinks she’s fooling me, but I can see that she’s watching my reflection in the basement window, just in case I make any sudden moves (like, say, to pet her). Still sick. Still no luggage. https://flic.kr/p/2onwsfn
  12. Downes

    Pinhey Trail

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    March 12, 2023. I sniffled and sneezed my way through a hike on Pinhey train in west Ottawa today. There was a lot of debris from last year’s storm, as elsewhere, which led to things like this lichen being easily accessible for cool photos. Forgot my camera, and also, was…
  13. Downes

    The Petting Zone

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    March 11, 2023. This is Charlemagne in the ‘petting zone’, which as you can see is the space at the cat is basically level with the human, making it easy to reach between the rails and offer a nice safe petting. The cardboard was there to prevent them as kittens…
  14. pramodk

    What to do when you lose your job?

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    More than 1 lakh tech employees were laid off so far in 2023. Some close associates of mine who got great academic credentials and stellar careers so far are part of the downsizing. This is particularly affecting mid-career IT professionals who spent a decade or two in the IT industry,…
  15. pramodk

    Future is AI

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    Recently OpenAI has made Chat GPT public and it is already shaking the tech world. Students are using chat GPT for their assignments, digital marketers are using it for content creation and so on. Lets look at how AI could possibly impact the world in the next decade.

    One of …

  16. Downes

    Nordstrom

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    March 9, 2023. This is the Nordstrom at Rideau Centre in Ottawa. I had never been to a Nordstrom, and with news that the chain is now closing in Canada, I thought I’d peer in before they disappear. So today I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning (where I…
  17. Downes

    Munich

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    March 7, 2023. This is some art inside Munich’s international departure area. I had a fairly relaxed noon flight from Madrid with a short stop in Munich en route to Montreal. Except for the itching it was pretty relaxed, and I was even upgraded to business class (thanks Lufthansa!) on…
  18. Downes

    Saint Teresa

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    March 6, 2023. This is a statue of The monument of Saint Teresa de Jesus by Toledo sculptor Luis Pablo Gómez Vidales.It’s in a little parklet next to a convent on the northern wall of Toledo. I spent the day in the city, still enjoying the hotel room, but also…
  19. Downes

    Toledo

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    March 5, 2023. This is the Alcázar in Toledo, Spain, as seen from the spire of a nearby church (131 steps up inside the Iglesia de los Jesuitas (San Ildefonso)). Toledo is maybe a half-hour ride in the high-speed train from Madrid, which I took in the morning. I booked…

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