Category Archives: Present

Fitbit Versus Garmin Accuracy

by | 2021-03-25

Backstory: HP had an employee “wellness” program that provided employees with a (real cheap) pedometer. I found that using the pedometer did motivate me to go for longer walks. I bought a Fitbit One to replace the HP-provided pedometer and have been using Fitbits for 6-7 years. I had several One’s over the years. (I… Read more »

COVID-19 Vaccination – First Pfizer Shot Done!

by | 2021-03-24

I booked an appointment on March 1, the day they started taking appointments for 70+. I wasn’t particularly aggressive about finding the easiest possible appointment. I booked the closest site, earliest available there. Got the first shot yesterday (March 23). Pfizer. So far, only very minor pain at the injection site. Very smooth operation. In… Read more »

Exercising in A Minimal Home Gym

by | 2021-03-22

My New Year’s Resolution for 2020 was to join a gym, learn how to lift, and establish a going-to-the-gym exercise habit. I joined in February and started with a trainer… But COVID-19 lockdowns shut the gyms in Montreal in March. They reopened in July, but were shutdown again at the end of September.

Quantum Computation and Quantum Information

by | 2021-03-14

Back story: New articles about Google achieving “quantum supremacy”. Got me interested in understanding quantum computing. I have a Ph.D. in physics and worked for 40 years doing computer software, so I should be able to understand this stuff… Right? TODO: Link to the google paper. Simple summary of what “quantum supremacy” means. Google built… Read more »

A Year of COVID-19 Lockdowns

by | 2021-03-13

Today is the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdowns in Montreal. Thinking back, we were all scared about what we were hearing. Estimates were 30-50 times worse death rate than the annual flu. We all had to decide what we personally could do about the pandemic. I wrote a short summary of my thinking last… Read more »

Why Start a Blog?

by | 2021-02-28

Why am I doing this? We go through life collecting our stories. Once we have a full set, that’s when we die. I’m at an age where my collection is almost complete. Maybe it’s time to capture those stories. I started reading blogs 20 years ago. I’ve always thought it would be interesting thing to… Read more »