# Zulu Sierra > Præconium Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About this site URL: https://zulusierra.co/about/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T02:29:51.000Z Zulu Sierra is an independent publication launched in June 2026 by Zë Stuart. If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Your subscription makes this site possible, and allows Zulu Sierra to continue to exist. Thank you! ### Access all areas By signing up, you'll get access to the full archive of everything that's been published before and everything that's still to come. Your very own private library. ### Fresh content, delivered Stay up to date with new content sent straight to your inbox! No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed. ### Meet people like you Join a community of other subscribers who share the same interests. --- ### Start your own thing Enjoying the experience? Get started for free and set up your very own subscription business using [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=zulusierra.co), the same platform that powers this website. ## Posts ### My Heat Running Protocol URL: https://zulusierra.co/my-heat-running-protocol/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T17:26:55.000Z As the planet warms, thanks to the myopic and greedy nature of humans, we must all become used to operating at greater temperatures. Through careful observation of my physiology, I have established a protocol to allow me to run for over an hour at 33º, and the limiting factor is my fitness, not the environment. # Tools The core tools are a CORE body temperature sensor, a chest-strap heart-rate monitor that broadcasts in ANT+ (to allow it to work with the CORE), and a device to allow me to see these data live. Suunto, Garmin, and Coros all permit this. Obviously a running vest with appropriate amounts of water and salt, as well as food. # Method Over the years, I have noticed that when my core temperature exceeds 38.8º, I lose the ability to maintain output. For running, I've noticed that at the hotter end of the range, I can maintain up to 155BPM. Much more than that, and my core temperature rises rapidly, performance decreases, and `WARNING USER DEATH IMMINENT` flashes on my [HUD](https://uk.engoeyewear.com/products/engo-3?ref=zulusierra.co). I watch my HR, and as it approaches 155, I reduce my pace. Sometimes this reduction is comically slow - what my partner calls 'holding running shape' - but the key thing is, I'm still running, unperturbed by the heat. ## TL;DR I go more slowly, running by my HR to not overheat. Water, salt, to feel, to taste. ### HRV: early thoughts on ECG versus overnight optical URL: https://zulusierra.co/hrv-early-thoughts-on-ecg-versus-overnight-optical/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T09:29:57.000Z In the short time I've been running ECG versus optical for my HRV reading, I've noticed a trend I find interesting: the optical HRV seems to be a good indicator of how well I slept, and the ECG HRV seems to be a good indicator of the effect of that sleep, versus the trailing load. Take this morning: yesterday, I had my first dose of a T-blocker, two hours of electrolysis, and a corresponding dose of cocodamol (babe, if you haven't tried it, don't knock it). Basically a stressful day for the body. This morning, three points of optical HRV - Garmin, Ōura, and my own based on Whoop - all said YES! YOU ARE READY FOR THE DAY! Looking at the green line on the graph, you can see my ECG HRV tells a different story. Considering where my point would be between the two on the graph, it was definitely closer to the ECG. A correlation I'm looking on building is between Vigor Vitæ, and the discrepancy between the two. My operating theory is: - multiple good nights of sleep, defined by good optical HRV = VV close to 100 *ex C*. - heavy drain on a day - let's say 15 or below - will take multiple nights of good sleep, and it'll take those nights to 'charge' back to 100, and for the ECG versus optical to correlate. I'm at about n=21, so far too soon to tell, but seeing the trends develop is interesting both for the understanding of my body, and the products that the big recovery companies sell us. I'm minded of the Golden Age of Technology Suunto Ambit series that offered two recovery test options: one where you wore the chest strap while you slept (I find this annoying) and a 3m session. It's been a long, long time since I've seen that, and it'd make an interesting firmware walk. ### Credits Back in the Golden Age of Technology, Marco Altini did the work for this; I'm merely re-proving his work with my own infra. ### On the value of metrics in sports URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-value-of-metrics-in-sports/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T19:36:11.000Z When discussing heart rate monitors for a friend's partner recently, he pointed out she might not see the value in it, and is quite happy going for a run with just a watch. As someone who has collected gigaquads of data about my exercise over the years, I agreed there might not be much point, and thought about what value I have extracted from my data. As follows: ## Sports Metrics ### Cycling - Neophyte: I collected speed, cadence and HR. Speed is fun, HR is HR, but the real value came from cadence: I spent a long time focussing on keeping my cadence at or above 80RPM. When cycling up steep hills, this forced me to switch into lighter and lighter gears, which allowed me to ascend much more efficiently. - Adept: power is the standard evolution for cyclists. Once I added a power meter, I could expand my 80RPM cadence to more subtle fields, often aiming to maintain a 10-second average power of 180W, increasing to 200W if I'm in a cycling-focussed phase. - Doyen: at this level, one starts to factor in temperature, and its effect on power output, and heat adaptation. I've spent less on this with cycling, as I rarely find heat to be as problematic on the bike, I think due to the increased amount of air flow cooling. ## Running - Neophyte: like cycling, the first metric that really improved my running was cadence, and coincidentally at 160SPM/80RPM. The underlying theory as I understand it is that with a higher cadence, the runner takes shorter steps, and the load per step is lower, reducing the probability of injury. This took me from misery to enjoying running. - Adept: I think running is a sport it's best to, by-and-large, let one's body figure out how to run, and instead of focussing on in-session metrics, focus on long-tail analytics in trends. To this end, I have a protocol, Vigil, that looks and my left/right balance, tracks my *personal* asymmetry, and alerts me to a deviation from that band. My favourite for this is Stryd's Impact Load Rating Balance (ILRB), and it has signalled a problem I was having with my left quad before, during, and after. - Doyen: again, heat, but I've become very specific with this, having accumulated a lot of runs while wearing a CORE body temperature sensor. The short of it is, on a hot (or hot+humid) day, I set my pace by my HR: I target 150bpm or less, and focus on reducing my pace when it's sustaining over 155bpm. This can add 1m 30s to my pace, but it means that even on a 33º day, I can run for an hour+ without the heat being the limiting factor. ### Swimming - Neophyte: this is becoming a habit. Cadence, again, this time I set my intensity by my cadence. 55SPM is cruising, 60 is moving quickly, 70 is someone has sighted something with teeth and I want to out-swim them. Over several years of swimming, these bands have held true almost regardless of fitness. - Adept: understanding my HR in relationship to effort, I know that a maximum 136BPM is \~∞ sustainable (in that fantasy world of endurance sports, anyway). This is particularly useful at the start of a swim in cold water, even if monitoring it in cold water is more of a challenge. - Doyen: really understanding my maximum HR in swimming is about 25BPM lower than that of running or cycling, and adjusting my zones accordingly. ### Climbing (Indoor) - Neophyte: observing how close to my maximum heart rate a route pushed me. The average indoor route is 2-3 minutes, so when I finish one at 178BPM, versus 140BPM, I know that was a hard route. - Adept: [I wore a muscle oxygen sensor on my forearm,](https://zulusierra.co/thoughts-on-tracking-data-whilst/) and repeatedly climbed until I fell off. From these data, I was able to observe that I shouldn't resume climbing on a route until my HR has dropped below 145BPM. Above that, and whilst I might make progress, the probability of finishing was much, much lower. Below that, and I almost always made it to the top. (I know, part one. I never wrote part 2.) - Doyen: work in progress across two domains here, heart rate variance as a recovery metric between routes. ### Weight Lifting - Neophyte: to determine the load of a session, ignoring everything aside from the total volume moved, and tracking that trend. - Adept: like climbing, HRV is, I think, an understudied area of physiology in weight lifting. After analysing HRV trends over time, I have a loose protocol established of when to resume lifting after a set, and use it when I lift, in an app I made called Palæstra. I can complete the work faster than if I decide when to go again based on how I feel. #### A note on HRV in exercise I think most people know about HRV from Ōura, Whoop, Garmin, *et al*. An overnight metric measured with an optical sensor. This lower-resolution, long-tail measurement is less effected by movement, swallowing, and position changing, whereas with climbing and weights, moving the body, swallowing, breathing differently greatly changes the numbers. My control for this is holding the same position between each set: bench press, I'll sit up on the bench. Squats, I'll stand up. Climbing, I'll stay slumped in a heap. I realise it's not perfect, but, it's what I've got and so far it seems to be working. ## Health Metrics ### Calories Roughly, 3200+ per day is a day I need to be mindful of recovery after. ### Vigor Vitæ/Body Battery Assuming I start the day at 95%+, 35% is an excellent percentage to start relaxing and being ready for bed, to be fully recovered for tomorrow. ### On the importance of disconnect: giving you, you URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-importance-of-disconnect-giving-you-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:09:27.000Z For conversation's sake, I think I've had a phone with me almost constantly for every day of the last 20 years. Way back when, it was tapping out SMS (160 char or less!) on a Nokia, with their T9 predictive text firmly in muscle memory. The Sony Ericsson had a camera accessory, taking SMS to MMS with grainy photos no-one could see, Nokia took it to 5 (!!!) megapixels with the N95, and credible media playback. Slowly 'phones' could do more: wallets, navigation, video, until they are the one device to rule all our needs, and ultimately us by dopamine delivery: a device that can give you almost any content almost anywhere, with near perfect noise cancellation. None of this is new. YouTube is chock-full of 'dumb phone' reviews: phones that are conceptually more akin to the T68i than the modern hand computer, with most of them ending with 'ultimately this failed because...' ## Apple Watch as Dumb Phone For a long time I've espoused that the Apple Watch is the perfect dumb phone: just enough connectivity, just enough (all-protecting) entertainment to be useful, but with limited enough connectivity to be a chore to really use. What I've come to realise of late, is that the Apple Watch is not dumb enough. ## Eschewing Connectivity: leaving it at home What I've realised, is that it's beneficial to have 0 connectivity. 0 distraction unless I intentionally bring it with me. I have taken to going out for walks, to the coffee shop, with either nothing, or just my partner. I am forced to be present in the world: if the noise in the coffee shop is distracting, I either have to abandon my book that I might have brought with me (currently [*Queer* by Frank Wynne](https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/queer-9781035920334/?ref=zulusierra.co)), join in, or find what I am actually looking for. My partner and I are present with each other in a way one can't be when one can *just quickly look something up*, or receive a text or a call. ### How do you do the thing that the phone does? - Pay: take my bank card. I'll admit, it took me a minute to find it. - Take photos: take my camera. Sure, it's 1.2kg, but it means that I'm *intentionally* thinking about taking photos, not just in case. - WHAT IF YOU MISS THE PHOTO? I probably will. Several. My partner introduced me to this thing, a *memory picture*. Using my wetware, I can enjoy the image now, and retain notes for later should I wish to recreate it, either in my imagination, or some other medium. - Don't want a 1.2kg monster? Gazillions of dinkier models abound, eg the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (\~£330 second-hand), and it'll even record videos! - Handle information: pen and paper. - Directions? Write them down. Mebbe a wee drawing, or take a map. Remember that you can - and this is a thing ASK OTHER PEOPLE. I know. It makes you vulnerable; they could give you dishonest or wrong directions, - Thoughts? Write them down. - Contact information? Write it down. - The pen and paper is an insane piece of technology that has been fetishised out of all sane proportion by EDC, but my Dad would take junk mail, fold it in half (the magic of A4 --> A5), rip it in two with a rule, and bind them with a bulldog clip. Or you can buy a [Calepino](https://calepino.fr/en/?ref=zulusierra.co). - Listen to music or an audiobook: I have a Sony MP3 Walkman that I bought for £100 or so on eBay. It's not great: the processor is slow, the screen is dim, but it runs Android so it can run Plexamp and Audiobookshelf. I mostly use it when I'm running, putting it in a waterproof pocket if it's raining. - Read a book: take a Kindle, or the paper tome. Convoluted? Depends on your world view. Means owning more things? Yep, definitely. Notebook, MP3 player, camera. Each an intentional choice that reflects what *I* want to do. ## What does this disconnect give you? Essentially, it gives me, *me*. I am my own thoughts, not the constant chittering of the internet. What's more valuable than being given yourself? ## But what if... I have taken a radical view of the world: if something has happened, it's happened. I need to be responsible about managing expectations, so professionally, making sure I'm not indulging in disconnect whilst on-call; personally telling friends and family about the wonders of not hearing from them for hours, and then I'm off. Am I some crazy chick on the internet? Sure. Mebbe. Here are some other people espousing the same thing, more eloquently: Looking forward to hearing from you when you get back from that walk. If I need you, I'll leave a message on your machine. ### Why I am not in favour of AI meeting notes URL: https://zulusierra.co/why-i-am-not-in-favour-of-ai-meeting-notes/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T09:14:11.000Z It might be more true to say I abhor them, but, as with all strong global statements one soon finds fault. What I do believe is that, as with the majority of unfocussed LLM usage, they allow for the abdication of responsibility, and the absence of clear intent in action. Here is what I've observed: 1. Participants do not have to concentrate on the meeting, because they believe the note taking is handled. 2. I see people multi-tasking when they should be paying attention, or politely declining the meeting. 3. The meeting is had, agreements are reached, everyone believes the notes have been accurately taken. 4. The transcription and notes are rarely verified, or, if they are they are read sparingly, without attention to detail. Errors are rarely caught. 5. People have an LLM ingest the meeting notes, and write a plan for the next phase of the operation. 6. Plans are made on errors, that are compounded. The errors I've seen run the gamut of work assigned to the wrong person, sewing confusion and wasting time with the correction, incorrect contract valuation, and outright hallucinations of important technical details (eg Intune versus Iru, two very different device management platforms). Every so often this is not an issue, but compound it at the scale of intensity that a modern business operates at, and it becomes a serious issue. ## What should we do, then? I love writing by hand - *denken mit dem hand -* to quote Leuchterm, and believe that a pen or pencil and paper is a peak technological device we cannot improve on. Here's what happens when I hand-write my meeting notes: 1. I am responsible for my own notes: if I fail, I have wasted the time of myself and others, and time is the one currency we cannot control. I have focus. 2. A point is made, the hand is slower than the mind: I request a pause while I take the note. 3. I may read the note back to confirm accord. 4. At the end of the meeting, I have a tight, accurate list of actions from the meeting. Mine, other's, verified, ready to go, error-free. 5. By dint of writing, I rarely have to refer to my notes: the pause, the focus on the writing, forces me to focus and build the memories. ## Where I value AI meeting notes Every fortnight, I have therapy. I record each session, transcribing with diarisation using ElevenLabs. I upload each transcript to a chat in a Claude project, and Claude writes a summary of the transcript, which is saved to the project memory and files (a RAG). ## What's the difference? With therapy, I'm not tracking precise data, eg a $3m or $5m contract: I'm tracking sentiment shift over time. It's a course-grained guide to my shifting feelings, something I believe LLMs excel at. This is not the abdication of professional responsibility in the face of strategic or tactical planning, but a chemical ebb and flow of a personal tide. Both my therapist and I take advantage of it: we will call out to Claude to highlight a piece we want to retain for later focus. Careful, intentional use of the tool. As the sessions happen every other week, not perhaps six or more times a day as happens in a professional environment, I have the time to review after for completeness and accuracy. This, in itself, is a valuable review of the material. ## So, cancel all AI meeting notes? No, but it is critical that the tool is used with intention, and not abdication of responsibility. ## Accessibility Addendum In my vitriol-fueled tirade against the meeting note taker, I forgot to consider accessibility requirements. For those who cannot write, transcriptions and summaries are an incredibly powerful tool, full of enablement. ### Nunc: why I built my own fitness stack URL: https://zulusierra.co/nunc-why-i-built-my-own-fitness-stack/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T16:12:54.000Z 2026 is, arguably, the year of AI. The first full year when one could really point it at a task, and see results. I’ve built three pieces with Claude Code this year: īmago, an Instagram-like service for friends; Infusor, a coffee recipe platform (give it a photo of a bag of coffee, and it’ll pick the optimum brewer from your library and give you the correct grind settings for your grinder), and Nunc. Nunc is my interface to my health, showing me the trend for my last 10 days of heart-rate variance, resting heart rate, body temperature, and SpO2 (I'm not convinced by the accuracy of the SpO2 data, but it matches Whoop). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-17.01.31.png) My last 10 days of health telemetry. Additionally, I’ve taken my favourite metric from Garmin, Body Battery, and re-invented it as Vigor Vitæ. This is a basic charge/drain mechanism, similar to Resources on a Suunto and other platforms, that charges when at rest, and drains differently depending on HR (and HRV-inferred stress clusters) during the day, shown in the header graphic. On another tab, we have exercise-focussed data: my running critical power, and a matching running workout for my training readiness. Further down, there’s a swimming workout. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-17-at-14.24.43.png) My training readiness and suggested running workout for the day. # But, why? Simply, every fitness stack has quirks that annoyed me. Garmin cannot understand swimming, or the effect of a weight session: they’ll dismiss an exhausting swimming workout, or recommend a high intensity interval workout the day after a heavy leg session at the gym, despite recording exactly which exercises I did, and at what load. Garmin has also been inaccurate at tracking swimming distances in the pool, with their support basically telling me ‘you’re too fast’ (I’m really not, cruising up and down at 1:46/100m or so). Suunto, much as I have a special place for them in my psyche, is OK as a data recording device, within limited criteria. Stryd is great, as long as you only run. Form is great, but, same as Stryd, has no visibility outside of your swimming session. And then there's the noise... Ōura with its little phrases and annoying data presentation, all the stuff going on in the Whoop app, and the tagging! They're all very keen the have me tag everything, offering to tell me what effect, say, alcohol, has on my sleep, while I train their model with every tap. Surprisingly, I know alcohol is bad, regular bedtime is good, don't eat too close to bedtime... although I am really curious about Garmin's suggestion that jet lag is good for me, and when I tag 'late caffeine' I have better sleep. Scrap sleep staging, too. I think at best, they're something like 82% accurate, and there's nothing to do with those data, just more noise, less signal. **TL;DR** I like swimming, running, cycling, lifting, and climbing, and appreciate a structured workout here and there to keep things interesting. I want clean data presentation. No platform that I’ve tried has been able to track this load, and suggest a sensible workout the next day, and render information cleanly. # How? At the core of it, I wanted a device that had a long battery life, and could basically be forgotten. Despite it having accuracy issues, cost issues, environmental issues… I picked a second-hand Whoop strap to deliver overall health telemetry. The data from this device drives the metrics on the first two slides, and influences workout selection on the third. # Go on… The Whoop strap, like almost everything else in sports tech, is a selection of off-the-shelf components transmitting over Bluetooth. All you have to do is learn how it talks, parse the data, and voilà! At least that’s how it was with the v4 strap: it was *really* easy to retrieve data from the stream and play it back in a meaningful way, but I was greedy. I wanted a 10-14 day battery life, and the 5 offered that. In order to have my cake and eat it, I had to: 1. Understand the data as the strap presents it. 2. Develop my own HRV algo. 3. Build an app to interact with the strap (Nunc). 4. Build a data warehouse to house it (Promus, although really the app runs on its own, I just like having all of my data in a DB). Now I should be clear: I am not a software developer. I am not SRE. I have 20 years of working in IT, with a lot of bash and networking, but no iOS app dev skills or DB skills. # Oh, Claude… So I learned to express my will in a very clear way for Claude Code to execute. I wanted my app to be *better* than Whoop's, specifically: 1. Perform all calculations on device, \~instantly (with Whoop, you have to wait 2-10m every morning for the overnight analysis). 2. Allow for background sync with the strap via Core Bluetooth (with Whoop, it takes a long time from opening the app for data to appear for human consumption). 3. Allow for data ingestion from other sources: the accuracy of the Whoop is fine at rest, but, under motion, as one expects from a wrist-worn optical sensor, it loses: basically Whoop is a very expensive garbage in/out machine. Mine must allow me to replace data from the strap with data from - say - my Garmin, or my bike computer, or my Form goggles, so that the overall day picture is accurate. 4. Not care about sleep staging. When ‘good’ = 80% accurate, I’m not into it. I also didn’t want any of my app to have AI dependencies: at the end of the day, workout suggestions are simple maths, and relying on an LLM is both lazy and expensive. 5. Revive Marco Altini's morning HRV reading concept, using the ECG sensor on the v5, to see how the trend compares to overnight, and how I feel. # Where are we now? I have a stable app: it ‘just works’. I open it in the morning, confirm my sleep/wake hours, and it shows me my numbers for the day. I switch from the Validus tab to the Exercitatio tab, I can see what kind of workout the machine thinks I should do (and then promptly ignore it because I am a creature of whimsy). When I go ot the gym, I use my other app, Palæstra, to record the lifting session, complete with between-set HRV recovery indicators to time for the optimum window to start the next set. (Palæstra can also sync a Suunto watch instead of the native app, allowing me to choose my own weather source, but, spoilers, sweetie…) We are harmonised. I’ll be posting continuing my Vestigator series going into some of the technical details behind the development of Nunc and Palæstra, and one person’s descent into madness in pursuit of sports stack harmony and personalised health telemetry. # NB I am confident if I published this app in an app store, Whoop would sue the pants off me. They might still do that, but I want to make it clear this is work I undertook for myself, with second-hand hardware, and that any interaction with their infra was governed by the ToS, under my account. At no point was any infrastructure 'hacked', exploited, &c. I do not plan to distribute this app; this is an intellectual exercise for an audience of 1, and perhaps a nudge for Whoop to make a couple of improvements, namely on-device processing and background sync. I know, I know, then your algo would be available to all, but I know you know how to code around that. It's also a nudge for everyone to improve the signal:noise in their apps, or allow the user to customise the presentation entirely. I respect the hardware Whoop have built, and if I thought I understood the complexity of sports tech before, goodness to I have an even greater respect for what it takes to deliver reliable data every day. ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 9: Decoding the Record, Byte by Byte URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-9-record-decode/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T16:00:00.000Z *Part 7 left the MG's sync buffer wide open and its contents shut: 109-byte per-second records and 73-byte raw-PPG bursts, with heart rate at one known offset and everything else a wall of bytes. This is the slow work of turning that wall into a field map, and the traps that made it slow.* --- Part 6 mapped the WHOOP 4.0's 93-byte overnight record in an afternoon, because on Harvard the records came back in a form the phone could read directly: the offsets were there for the taking. Part 7 found the WHOOP MG (codename Maverick) storing something else entirely: R20 records in two inner types, **K=18** at 109 bytes per second and **K=26** at 73 bytes for the raw optical bursts. The MG gave up nothing so easily. The phone collects the K=18 records, reads one byte to decide whether the strap had a sensor lock, and forwards an opaque blob to WHOOP's cloud, which does the actual parsing. With nothing readable in transit, every offset had to be earned from the captures themselves. What follows is the map, each offset lined up against the decoder that is now the single source of truth, with a few cautionary tales about offsets that looked obvious and were wrong. ## The shared header Both record types open the same way, which is the one piece of luck. The first ten bytes of the body are common to K=18 and K=26: ``` body[0:4] counter u32 LE monotonic +1 per record, resets on reboot body[4:8] ts_unix u32 LE Unix seconds, +1/s body[8:10] session_marker u16 LE stable within a boot (see the naming trap below) ``` Past the header the two diverge completely. K=18 is a metrics record: one heart rate, one motion reading, a clutch of sensor-fusion state, and a sleep flag, all per second. K=26 is a sample carrier: 24 raw photodiode readings and almost nothing else. ## K=18, the per-second metrics record Heart rate sits at `body[11]`, a single unsigned byte of bpm, zero when the strap has no optical lock. This is the strap's own firmware binary marker. It reads as a clean physiological HR when it is non-zero, and the off-wrist gaps line up where you would expect them. That dual role is what makes it the obvious anchor for other data. Motion lives a long way off at `body[104]`, and here is the first polarity trap that Part 7 warned about: the byte runs **inverse** to Harvard. High means still; low means movement. Port the Harvard rest gate (`motion ≤ 0x40` is rest) straight across and you will gate on the wrong records. `body[70]` is a single packed state byte; bits 5–4 carry an on-wire sleep state, the SLEEPFLAG that the strap's own state machine maintains. It decodes to a four-value enum, `{0: STILL, 1: WAKE, 2: SLEEP, 3: UP}`, though that mapping is provisional: the STILL/SLEEP boundary is decisive from the data, but WAKE versus UP cannot be told apart from passive captures alone, so the decoder declines to assert it. The same byte packs an AGC gain mode in bits 3–2 and a low bit whose "AFE saturated" label was later refuted by a corpus audit; more on that habit below. SpO2 at `body[71]` deserves its own post and gets one later in this series, because it is not a simple percentage. It is a tri-mode encoding: real percentages in one range, a family of bit-7-set saturation sentinels, and a family of low-bit diagnostic codes, far more than the four states a naïve parser assumes. The dedicated SpO2 post later in the series breaks the families down. An early parser that masked on bit 7 read the diagnostic code `0x08` as "SpO2 = 8 %" on hundreds of records. The lesson recurs: a byte that holds a number most of the time does not only hold numbers. Skin temperature is an `int16 LE` at `body[62:64]`, scaled by 0.01 to give degrees Celsius, traceable to the ams AS6221 sensor named in Part 7\. An AFE status word sits at `body[91:93]` as a `u16 LE`, with bit 15 flagging unreadable SpO2, though that word was retired by a firmware update mid-research and now reads zero. There is a secondary heart-rate byte at `body[26]`, which tracks the primary at correlation +0.94 and is held to zero whenever `body[11]` is zero. ## The body\[96\] cautionary tale For a while `body[96]` looked like a second heart rate. It sits in a plausible numeric range and changes smoothly, second to second, the way a heart rate should. The label "secondary HR" went onto it early, and stuck for a while. It is not heart rate. Across tens of thousands of paired samples its correlation with the real HR at `body[11]` is approximately zero, slightly negative. Over one night of sleep it never dropped below 139 while the genuine HR sat at 40–53 bpm. What it actually does is drift like an automatic-gain-control readback, 181 down to 127 over three minutes during a controlled test, which is the signature of the optical front-end adjusting its gain, not of a pulse. The field was renamed to an AGC-readout label to stop it misleading anyone. This is the discipline in one byte: a plausible label is not a verified one. The fix was not cleverness; it was the boring chore of correlating the candidate against the known-good value across a large corpus and watching the relationship fail to appear. ## K=26, the raw-PPG burst The burst record is almost all payload. After the same ten-byte header and a two-byte per-burst index at `body[10:12]`, the photodiode samples run from `body[16:64]`: 24 `int16 LE` values per record. Records arrive once a second within a burst, so the effective wire rate is 24 Hz, confirmed empirically across 2,332 bursts where the sample count equalled duration in seconds times 24 with no exceptions. That 24 Hz is low for PPG, and it sets a hard floor on what HRV you can recover: a 41.7 ms sample period means beat timing is quantised to roughly ±21 ms, which alone puts an RMSSD floor around 30 ms even with flawless peak detection. Upsampling recovers phase but not information. That floor is a constraint the next stage of this work has to design around, not a bug to fix. The byte signature is what pinned the sample window. Even bytes across `body[16:64]` take the full 256-value range you expect of `int16` low bytes; odd bytes are narrow, as MSBs should be. A window shifted even two bytes earlier breaks that pattern, and a misleading single-burst autocorrelation test once favoured the wrong window before the byte-signature check overruled it. Structure in the bytes themselves beat a clever statistic. ## The off-by-eleven trap The nastiest trap is not in any single field; it is in which buffer you are counting from. An early field map had the SpO2 byte off by eleven, and the error was a quiet one because the number it produced still looked like a plausible offset. The cause is the framing: each record arrives inside a frame that carries an 8-byte MAVERICK header plus a 3-byte inner prefix before the body begins, so a position measured from the start of the frame is eleven bytes ahead of the same position measured from the start of the body. Take the SpO2 field at frame offset `0x52`, read it as `body[0x52]`, and you land on the wrong field; subtract eleven and you land on `body[71]`, the SpO2 byte we already had from empirical work. The first map got this wrong, placing SpO2 on what is a skin-temperature byte, and the correction only stuck once it was confirmed against multi-byte empirical anchors: the counter `u32` at `body[0:4]`, the constant zero at `body[10]` across millions of records. The rule that came out of it: never trust a single-byte offset until a multi-byte anchor confirms which buffer you are counting from. ## A trap that hides as a feature: byte order `body[29:45]` is a sixteen-byte block of sensor-fusion state, and for a long time it was filed as "four `u32` little-endian values, opaque, decodes to noise." Read that way it is noise, and the noise looked like proof the block was cloud-only payload. It was a byte-order error. Three of the four channels at `body[33:45]` are **float32 big-endian**. Read as `>f` they land cleanly in physical ranges and the first channel tracks heart rate at correlation +0.42; read little-endian the same bytes are random rubbish at +0.03\. The first group at `body[29:33]` is a different type again, a motion-coupled integer. These are internal AGC and quality channels, correlations in the 0.4–0.6 band, so they do not replace the canonical HR or motion bytes, but they are signal, not noise. The adjudicating measurement was correlation against the known HR under each byte-order hypothesis: one reading made physical sense, the other did not. ## The forensic-raw rule The design rule, carried from Part 7's tooling through to the iOS capture app, is that the strap's bytes are stored as they arrive: untouched, unfiltered, in full. Every interpretation in this post was run after the fact against stored raw bytes: the byte-order correction, the `body[96]` refutation, the SpO2 sentinel families, the reserved-region closure that proved eighteen bytes are always zero across nearly two million records. Filtering happens at read time, never at write time. Decide what a byte means at capture and you can never revisit it; store the raw byte and every future correction is still on the table. Given how many of the "obvious" readings here turned out wrong, that is the only safe way to build. ## Where this goes next The map is enough to act on now: HR at `body[11]`, motion (inverted) at `body[104]`, sleep state at `body[70]`, skin temperature at `body[62:64]`, SpO2's tri-mode byte at `body[71]`, and the 24 Hz raw-PPG stream in the K=26 bursts. Some fields are HIGH-confidence and load-bearing; others are provisional and labelled as such, which is the honest state of a map built entirely from the outside. The byte that matters most for what comes next is the raw-PPG stream. Twenty-four photodiode samples a second is a coarse signal with a real quantisation floor, and turning it into a heart-rate-variability number you would actually trust against a reference is a problem of its own. That is the next piece of work. --- *This is part 9 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit" — a series documenting BLE reverse-engineering of fitness wearables. Tools: VESTIGATOR (Python + bleak), Pi Lab (FastAPI + BlueZ D-Bus). All research conducted on personally-owned devices.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 7: WHOOP 5 & MG — Same Handshake, New Data Format URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-7-mg-protocol/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T15:46:50.000Z *The newer straps speak almost the same language as the WHOOP 4 we researched in Parts 4–6\. Almost. The handshake byte changed, the framing grew, and the one command that would have let me read the sensor live turns out to do nothing at all.* --- Parts 4-6 took apart the WHOOP 4.0, the strap whose internal codename is Harvard. I found its service, learned its packet types, extracted the overnight buffer, and computed HRV from the per-second records inside it. Then I moved to the newer hardware: the WHOOP 5.0 and the WHOOP MG. From the outside they look like the same protocol with a fresh coat of paint. From the inside they are the same protocol with a mysterious layer of obfuscation. This post is the survey of that obfuscation. ## Two straps, one stack The newer line splits into two codenames. **Goose** is the WHOOP 5.0 standard strap. **Maverick** is the WHOOP MG, the medical-grade variant that adds a single-lead ECG and skin-temperature sensing on top of the optical sensor. The split between them is a sensor-fit distinction, not a firmware one: they share the entire BLE stack, the same service UUIDs, the same command enum, the same dispatch. The MG firmware is byte-identical to Goose's, with the product difference selected in software via config keys. Anything that works on Maverick at the BLE level works on Goose; only the ECG- and skin-temperature-specific paths are Maverick-only. Both sit on the `fd4b0001` service family, where Harvard sat on `61080001`. That single UUID change is the cleanest way to tell which generation you are talking to before you have exchanged a byte. On the hardware side the MG is a tidy stack: an Ambiq Apollo4 Blue MCU (Cortex-M4F with a BLE 5.0 radio), a Maxim MAX86176 optical front-end driving the photodiodes, a TDK ICM45686 six-axis IMU, and an ams AS6221 digital skin-temperature sensor. These names worth remembering, because every byte I decode later traces back to one of them. ## What survived the upgrade The frame grammar is the same one Part 4 documented. Commands still go out as type `0x23` and responses come back as `0x24`. This matters because earlier community work, the whoomp project among it, listed Variant B as using `0x72`/`0x73`. Part 4 established that those were never wire bytes, just a red herring carried forward from the earlier write-ups. Goose and Maverick put `0x23`/`0x24` on the wire as Harvard does. Same 75-command enum, same connection handler underneath. The historical-sync commands carried over, too. The trio from Part 6 (`0x16` to request history, `0x17` to acknowledge and advance the read pointer, `0x19` FORCE\_TRIM to delete) all exist on the newer straps with the same meanings. If you read Part 6, you already know not to send that last one until the strap has said it is finished. ## What changed Three things differ enough to cause issue if you assume the layouts match. **The handshake byte.** On Harvard the opening "hello" was command `0x23`, the same byte as a generic command frame. On current MG firmware the hello is its own command, `0x91`. In the app's command enum, `GET_HELLO` for the newer straps carries the value 145, which is `0x91`; the old `GET_HELLO_HARVARD` carries 35, which is `0x23`. Send the Harvard hello to a Maverick and you are speaking last year's dialect. **The framing header.** Harvard used a compact 4-byte header: a `0xAA` start byte, a two-byte little-endian length, and a one-byte CRC8\. Variant B widens this to eight bytes and drops the CRC8 entirely: ``` [0xAA] [0x01] [len LE 2B] [src] [dst] [b6] [b7] [Type] [Seq] [Cmd] [data...] [CRC32 LE 4B] ``` `src` and `dst` are routing bytes, `(0x00, 0x01)` phone-to-strap and `(0x01, 0x00)` the other way. `b6 b7` is a two-byte field the app recomputes per length; the strap does not validate it, so zeroes work for arbitrary commands. The trailing CRC32 stayed; the CRC8 went. None of this is hard once you know the pattern, and a Harvard parser pointed at a Maverick frame receives noise from byte two onward. **The connection ritual.** Two smaller differences will disrupt a session before you have sent a real command. First, the notification subscriptions have to be enabled in a fixed order: events, then memfault, then data, then the command channel. Subscribe to the command channel first and the strap quietly ignores your opening write. (Again, ask me how I know...) Second, the app fires a five-command prelude on connect (the `0x91` hello, an undecoded read, a data-range query, a haptics buzz, and an alarm-time read) before it does anything useful. The haptics command in the middle reads oddly the first time you watch it on a capture: the strap gives a little vibrate on connect, and the byte that triggers it is not the Harvard haptics command but a Maverick-specific one. Battery, meanwhile, is never polled during connection boot; the strap pushes it as a spontaneous event on the event channel. **The record codec.** Harvard's buffer was 93-byte V24 records, one per second, the layout Part 6 mapped. Maverick stores something different: R20 records in two inner types. **K=18** is the per-second metrics record at 109 bytes, with firmware heart rate at `body[11]`. **K=26** is a raw-PPG burst at 73 bytes, carrying 24 photodiode samples per record at a 24 Hz wire rate (verified empirically across 2,332 bursts: every burst satisfies `n_samples == duration_s × 24` exactly). Several polarities are inverted relative to Harvard, the rest-versus-motion gate among them, which is its own trap for anyone porting Harvard offsets across. Decoding these byte by byte is a post of its own; here it is enough to know the codec is not Harvard's. ## The delivery channel Here is the part that surprised me. I expected (assumed..?) the per-second heart rate to arrive on the standard Bluetooth Heart Rate Service, the way a chest strap broadcasts it, with the raw optical bursts on some separate research channel, but neither are true. Instead, everything is transmitted on one channel. Per-second metrics and 24 Hz raw-PPG bursts both arrive on the Variant B data characteristic (`fd4b0005-...`) as historical-replay packets of type `0x2F`, with K=18 and K=26 as the inner record types. The standard Heart Rate Service is not used for this at all. There is no live feed to subscribe to: the strap hands you its recorded history, and history is where the heart rate lives alongside the optical data. The same `0x2F` replay mechanism Part 6 used on Harvard is the carrier here, just wrapped around a different codec. ## The blocker: there is no live optical The newer straps expose a command called `ENABLE_OPTICAL_DATA`. Its value is 107, which is `0x6B`. On paper this is the command you want: switch on the raw optical front-end and stream photoplethysmography live, no waiting for a buffer download. The app even contains the code to send it. It does nothing, and appears to be a backwards-compatability piece. I ran a series of experiments to determine whether `0x6B` was a runtime gate (a feature flag switched off, ignored until enabled) or something more permanent. It is more permanent: on current MG firmware the command simply isn't implemented. It is not refused; it is not *recognised*. It falls through and is silently discarded. A later, separate investigation reached the same conclusion independently, with a high degree of confidence: the app can emit `0x6B` when a server-side flag is set, and the strap drops it on the floor every time. What matters is the consequence: on Harvard you could at least imagine a live path. On Maverick and Goose there is no live raw-optical stream to fall back on, because the command that would start one was never finished. That leaves exactly one route to the sensor: the sync buffer from Part 6\. Everything else in this arc, the HRV, the blood oxygen, the skin temperature, the sleep scoring, comes out of that one buffer or not at all. ## Where do we go from here? So far, I've mapped the boundaries: the `fd4b0001` family, the `0x91` hello, the eight-byte frame, the single `0x2F` replay channel, and a live-optical command that exists in the app and not in the strap. What is still unclear is the buffer's contents. The K=18 and K=26 records are 109 and 73 bytes of mostly-undocumented territory, with heart rate at a known offset and almost everything else to be earned one verified byte at a time. Decoding what is actually in those MG records, byte by byte, is where we go from here. ("That choice is up to you.") --- *This is part 7 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit" — a series documenting BLE reverse-engineering of fitness wearables. Tools: VESTIGATOR (Python + bleak), Pi Lab (FastAPI + BlueZ D-Bus). All research conducted on personally-owned devices.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 6: What's in Whoop's Overnight Buffer? URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-6-overnight-buffer/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T15:38:16.000Z *The WHOOP records all night and stores in in a buffer until requested. Here's what's actually in that buffer, the field map that I misunderstood, and the command that wiped five hours of my data.* --- Parts 4 and 5 documented the WHOOP 4.0's protocol and computed HRV from it. Both ran on the same raw material: the strap's internal recording buffer, downloaded over Bluetooth in the morning. The strap is not a live sensor you read in real time; it's a logger that hoards everything internally and hands it over in one burst when a trusted client asks. This post is about that hoard: what each record contains, and why the act of reading it is sharper than it sounds. ## One record per second, ninety-three bytes each When you sync, the strap streams its history as packet type `0x2F`. On the WHOOP 4.0 (the Harvard firmware) each record is 93 bytes and covers one second. Decoded, a single second looks like this: | Offset | Field | | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | 0–7 | sequence counter + Unix timestamp | | 14 | heart rate (bpm) | | 15 | RR-interval count (0–4) | | 16–23 | up to four RR intervals (ms) | | 26–29 | PPG photodiode, green and red/IR | | 33–44 | accelerometer gravity vector (3× float32) | | 48 | skin contact (0 = off-wrist) | | 60 | motion indicator (≤ 0x40 at rest) | | 61–64 | SpO2 raw ADC, red and infrared | | 65–66 | skin temperature (raw × 0.04 = °C) | | 67–76 | ambient light, LED drive, respiratory rate, signal quality | | 77–92 | device config (constant) | That's a great deal more than a heart rate: every second of the night carries beat-to-beat timing for HRV (at a resting pulse you rarely see more than one or two RR intervals filled, but the field holds four), a gravity vector you can read posture and movement from, the raw red and infrared photodiode values SpO2 is computed from, skin temperature to a fraction of a degree, and a respiratory-rate estimate. The WHOOP app shows you a handful of morning numbers; the buffer underneath holds the per-second signal those numbers were boiled down from. A night is tens of thousands of these records — the dataset Part 5's HRV ran on. ## The field map everyone had slightly wrong Reading a field map is easy, but trusting it can be the mistake... An early version of my decoder, inherited from plausible-looking community notes, had two fields wrong. Offsets 69–70 were labelled "skin temperature." They aren't; they're LED drive current, which tracks perfusion and rises and falls with it, which is why it *looks* like a temperature signal until you check. The real skin temperature sits at 65–66, and only reads sanely (about 31–36 °C on the bicep) once you multiply the raw value by 0.04\. Offsets 61–68 were labelled "PPG amplitude." They're the red and infrared SpO2 ADC channels plus that skin-temperature word, which is a different thing. I only caught it by cross-checking every offset against [openwhoop](https://github.com/bWanShiTong/openwhoop?ref=zulusierra.co)'s independently-written parser, byte for byte, against records where the ground truth was obvious: skin temperature can't read 8 °C, and a perfusion signal climbs when you move rather than when you warm up. The lesson is the one that runs through this whole series: a label that fits the data is not the same as a label that's correct. Anchor every field on something you can verify independently, or mark it unverified and leave it. ## The correlation between reading and erasing Three sync commands matter here, and their use is critical: - **`0x17` (acknowledge)** advances a *read pointer*. It tells the strap "I've got everything up to here." It deletes nothing. - **`0x31` cmd `0x03` (HistoryComplete)** is the strap saying "I've sent you everything I have." Only the strap emits it; the client can't ask for it. - **`0x19` (FORCE\_TRIM)** deletes the buffer up to the write head. Irreversible. The official app's order is strict: stream records, acknowledge them, wait for HistoryComplete, and only *then* trim. The trim is the cleanup step that frees space for the next night, and it's gated entirely on the strap having confirmed it sent everything first. If you incorrectly sequence, you destroy data. *Ask me how I know...* ## Five hours, gone On 2026-04-12 I walked out of Bluetooth range with the strap still on. It kept recording. Over the next five hours it accumulated about 19,000 records internally while my Pi-side daemon failed to reconnect 354 times. When the strap finally came back, I hit "Sync Now," the browser request timed out, and the daemon's cancellation handler did the one thing it should never do: it sent FORCE\_TRIM anyway. The buffer cleared. 132 records survived; roughly 19,000 — about 11:00 to 16:20, heart rate, HRV, motion, skin temperature, the lot — were gone for good. The root cause was a single line: the daemon trimmed on *every* exit path (complete, cancelled, errored) with no check for whether the sync had actually finished. The fix gates FORCE\_TRIM on the two facts the official app waits for: HistoryComplete was received, and at least one record came back. On any other exit the daemon leaves sync mode and keeps its hands off the buffer. Worst case the next sync re-reads a few records, and since the backend's inserts are idempotent, duplicates cost nothing. That trade — a little wasted Bluetooth time against five lost hours — isn't close. The rule now applies to every client I write: never trim unless the strap has said it's done. ## Where do we go from here? Everything above is the WHOOP 4.0, the Harvard firmware and hardware. The strap I moved to next, the MG, speaks the same handshake but stores its buffer in a different codec entirely: per-second records and separate 24 Hz raw-PPG bursts, with a different byte map and several inverted polarities (the rest-versus-motion test flips, which is its own trap waiting for anyone who assumes the layouts match). And there's a finding that makes the buffer matter more, not less, on the newer hardware: there's no live optical stream to fall back on. The sync buffer isn't one way in. It's the only way in. That's where Part 7 picks up. --- *This is part 6 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit" — a series documenting BLE reverse-engineering of fitness wearables. Tools: VESTIGATOR (Python + bleak), Pi Lab (FastAPI + BlueZ D-Bus). All research conducted on personally-owned devices.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 5: How Accurate Is DIY HRV From a Hacked WHOOP? URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-5-whoop-hrv-accuracy/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T15:30:49.000Z *Six nights, 356,000 records, thirteen algorithm variants, and a surprisingly honest answer from the data.* --- In the previous posts I documented the WHOOP's proprietary BLE protocol, built a passive daemon that downloads buffered sensor data overnight, and decoded the 93-byte historical records, including heart rate, RR intervals, motion, skin temperature, and SpO2 raw ADC. Cracking the protocol, however, is just the plumbing. The question that actually matters is: **can I compute clinically meaningful HRV from this data?** The WHOOP app reports HRV as a single number each morning. I don't have their algorithm (it's gated in their cloud). So I built my own, validated it against the Oura Ring 4 (which sits on the finger and has excellent published accuracy), and then asked: is the remaining gap our algorithm, or the sensor itself? ## The algorithm The metric is RMSSD: root mean square of successive differences in RR intervals, the standard time-domain HRV measure. WHOOP's buffered 0x2F records contain 1 Hz snapshots: one heart rate, up to two RR intervals, and a motion index per second. The challenge is that PPG-derived RR intervals are noisy. You can't just compute RMSSD naïvely, as it'll be dominated by peak-detection jitter rather than genuine cardiac variability. My approach uses five gates, applied per 5-minute window: 1. **Rest gate:** ≥80% of records in the window must have motion ≤ 0x40 (the threshold cleanly separates rest from movement — the motion byte is bimodal at 0x3E–0x3F during sleep and 0xBD–0xBE during exercise) 2. **HR gate:** Mean window heart rate must be below a threshold (more on this shortly) 3. **RR validation:** Each RR interval must be within ±15% of the expected value (60000 / bpm), which rejects peak-detection artefacts 4. **Consecutive pairs only:** The squared difference is only computed between adjacent valid RR values, so that one bad interval breaks the chain rather than corrupting pairs on either side 5. **Minimum pairs:** At least 5 valid consecutive pairs per window, otherwise the window is discarded Per-night RMSSD is the mean of all qualifying window RMSSDs. This is essentially motion-gated, quality-filtered HRV — and it turns out to align well with published best practice for PPG-derived metrics. ## The reference: Oura Ring 4 I'm fortunate to have an Oura Ring 4 worn concurrently every night. Oura reports 5-minute RMSSD windows and a nightly aggregate. Published validation studies show the Oura Gen 4 achieves CCC = 0.99 against Polar H10 ECG with MAPE = 5.96% (Dial et al. 2025, *Physiological Reports*; 13 participants, 536 nights). That's about as good as consumer wearables get, so it's a credible reference. It's not a gold-standard ECG, but close enough to expose algorithmic problems, and easy enough to do to not become a burden. ## Six nights of data We pulled all raw records from the research database for 10–15 April: 356,109 joined HR + RR + motion records across six nights. Oura's reported RMSSD for the same period: | Night | Oura RMSSD (ms) | WHOOP RMSSD (ms) | Δ | | ------ | --------------- | ---------------- | ----- | | Apr 10 | 67.0 | 65.5 | \-1.5 | | Apr 11 | 67.0 | 66.9 | \-0.1 | | Apr 12 | 68.0 | 68.5 | +0.5 | | Apr 13 | 60.0 | 62.3 | +2.3 | | Apr 14 | 69.0 | 61.0 | \-8.0 | | Apr 15 | 58.0 | 55.1 | \-2.9 | **MAE: 2.5 ms. Mean bias: -1.6 ms (WHOOP reads slightly lower). Pearson r: 0.71.** Five of six nights land within 3 ms of Oura. The outlier is April 14, where WHOOP reads 8 ms below Oura. I'll come back to that. ## The parameter sweep The algorithm has several tuneable parameters. I'd assumed the motion gate was the most important as it's the most aggressive filter, discarding any window where more than 20% of records show movement. Was I throwing away good data? I tested thirteen variants, adjusting one parameter at a time, plus several combinations: **Motion gate (0x40 → 0x80 → 0xA0 → 0xC0):** Virtually no effect. Raising the motion threshold from 0x40 to 0x80 produces *identical* results — because during sleep, almost all records are already below the threshold. The gate is doing its job without being aggressive. **Rest percentage (80% → 60% → 50%):** Similarly flat. Lowering the fraction of a window that must be "at rest" barely changes the output. The windows that fail the rest gate are actually disrupted: movement is clustered, not sprinkled uniformly, which makes sense thinking about a sleeping person. A quick thrash, then back to stillness. **RR tolerance (±15% → ±20% → ±25%):** Widening acceptance moves the bias from -1.6 ms to +1.2 ms at ±20%, and to +3.5 ms at ±25%. The current ±15% is well-calibrated, and rejects peak-detection artefacts without discarding physiological variation. **HR ceiling (60 → 65 → 70 bpm):** This was the finding. Raising the maximum mean heart rate from 60 to 65 improved MAE from 2.5 to 2.4 ms. This is a modest gain, but it came from a surprising mechanism. At HR\_MAX = 60, we exclude light-sleep windows where heart rate drifts to 61–64 bpm. These windows contain valid HRV data that Oura captures (the ring doesn't gate on heart rate). At 65, we include them. At 70, we pick up too many transitional and REM windows with poor PPG signal, and accuracy collapses (MAE = 4.0, r = 0.21). **Wide open (all gates relaxed):** The worst performer, to no surprise. MAE = 5.5 ms, correlation trends negative. ## The happy answer The algorithm is already near-optimal. The remaining gap — a MAE of 2.4 ms against a sensor that itself has \~6% error versus ECG — is sensor-intrinsic. Here's why: **Finger beats wrist and arm for PPG.** The Oura sits on a finger, where the arteries are superficial, perfusion is strong, and there's little soft-tissue motion artefact during sleep. The WHOOP sits on the wrist or upper arm, where perfusion is weaker and there's more muscle movement to corrupt the optical signal. Dial's own results show this gap directly: the finger-worn Oura tracked ECG more tightly (CCC 0.99) than the wrist-worn WHOOP (CCC 0.94). **The published data backs this up.** Dial et al. (2025) found WHOOP CCC = 0.94 with MAPE = 8.17% vs ECG, on the wrist. My \~3.8% MAPE against Oura (which itself has \~6% MAPE against ECG) is consistent with wrist/arm PPG sitting a tier below finger PPG, with the physics gap being a blocker I can't solve. **About April 14:** WHOOP reads 61.0 vs Oura's 69.0 — my largest single-night miss, an 8 ms gap. An 8 ms single-night difference is unremarkable: it sits within the night-to-night limits of agreement (roughly ±10 ms) that even the finger-worn Oura shows against ECG in the validation literature. Some nights, the wrist/arm PPG simply doesn't capture the full variability that the finger sees. The body isn't a uniform signal source. ## What I changed `HR_MAX` from 60 to 65\. The improvement is marginal in aggregate but philosophically important: I was excluding valid light-sleep data for no good reason. ## What we can't change To meaningfully improve WHOOP-derived HRV beyond where we are, we'd need raw PPG waveform access — sub-millisecond optical data for custom peak detection, rather than the 1 Hz summary records we currently get. I had a rummage for this. I tried the realtime commands and watched what came back, and the data told an annoying truth: the realtime IMU commands stream **inertial data — accelerometer and gyroscope — not raw PPG.** On our GEN\_4 strap that command is `0x6A` (`TOGGLE_IMU_MODE`); the equivalent on the newer MG/5.0 hardware is `0x3F` (`SEND_R10_R11_REALTIME`). Either way the records carry 6-axis inertial samples plus a single HR byte, used by the StrengthTrainer feature for rep counting. We'd assumed it was optical data based on the battery-drain profile; it isn't. The *actual* raw PPG command is 0x6B (`ENABLE_OPTICAL_DATA`), but on our GEN\_4 strap it simply does nothing: the write is accepted and no optical stream follows. So on my hardware, three potential paths all lead to dead ends: - **0x3F / 0x6A** — IMU, not optical. Useful for motion artefact rejection, not for IBI timing - **0x6B** — raw PPG, but Maverick/Goose hardware only. Not available on GEN\_4 - **0x51** — Labs research command (`START_RAW_DATA`), gated behind campaign enrolment, probably IMU-only on GEN\_4 The remaining theoretical improvements (signal quality indices per beat, multi-wavelength fusion) are also blocked. The 0x2F records don't carry per-beat confidence scores, and the SpO2 red/IR raw ADC fields are session-relative (the red LED auto-gain shifts between nights, rendering cross-session ratiometric analysis unreliable). ## The bottom line From 93 bytes of buffered PPG summary data, captured passively overnight with zero battery impact, my motion-gated RMSSD tracks Oura Ring 4 to within 2.4 ms MAE and correlates at r = 0.71 over six nights. The published literature says that's about as good as wrist/arm PPG can do against finger PPG, and both are within clinical utility for trend tracking. The WHOOP is a good enough HRV sensor at rest, and the Oura is a more accurate one. Neither replaces an ECG for single-night decisions. What matters is the trend, and both devices agree on which direction it's moving. --- *This is part 5 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit." The algorithm runs in both Python (VESTIGATOR) and Rust (Promus), using identical constants. All data captured from personally-owned devices on a Raspberry Pi 5 research platform.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 4: Understanding the WHOOP Protocol With a £12 Sniffer URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-4-whoop-protocol-cracking/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T15:16:30.000Z *How a Raspberry Pi, two Nordic dongles, and a carefully-timed Bluetooth toggle revealed an undocumented protocol variant.* --- The WHOOP is a fascinating device to reverse-engineer because it *almost* looks open. It advertises standard BLE services — Heart Rate (0x180D), Battery (0x180F), Device Information (0x180A) — but they're all dormant. The Heart Rate service is present in the GATT table but won't send a single beat until you ask through the proprietary channel. Asking requires BLE bonding, a specific packet framing protocol, and — as it turns out — knowing which envelope byte your particular WHOOP expects. ## The setup My BLE research lab is a Raspberry Pi 5 running a FastAPI server called VESTIGATOR. It has: - Two BLE adapters (the Pi's built-in and an ASUS BT500) - Two nRF52840 dongles running Nordic's Sniffer for BLE firmware - BlueZ D-Bus integration for programmatic pairing (something macOS refuses to do) - Accessible over Tailscale so I can SSH in from anywhere The target: a WHOOP 4.0 that I've renamed "COR FENESTRA" — Latin for "Heart Window". ## What the public documentation says The WHOOP protocol has been partially documented by prior reverse-engineering — notably the whoomp project (since taken offline) and [bWanShiTong's reverse-engineering write-up](https://github.com/bWanShiTong/reverse-engineering-whoop-post?ref=zulusierra.co). Between them, they describe: - **Packet framing:** `[0xAA SOF] [Length LE 2B] [CRC8 poly=0x07] [Payload] [CRC32 zlib]` - **Payload structure:** `[PacketType 1B] [Sequence 1B] [Command 1B] [Data...]` - **Packet types:** `0x72` for commands, `0x73` for responses - **Proprietary service UUID:** `fd4b0001-cce1-4033-93ce-002d5875f58a` Armed with this, I built a command encoder, connected to the WHOOP, sent `0x72 0x00 0x0B 0x00` (GET\_CLOCK), and received... silence. Not a packet. No response. No error. The WHOOP accepted the write, the CRC was valid, the bonding was verified — but it simply didn't reply. I tried every combination: `write` vs `write-without-response`, with and without the SOF framing header, bare payload bytes, different command IDs. The Events channel kept firing periodic heartbeat packets (type `0x30`, cmd `0x01`), proving the connection was live and the subscription was working. But the response channel stayed stubbornly silent. ## The first clue: wrong UUID base The documented proprietary service UUID is `fd4b0001-cce1-4033-93ce-002d5875f58a`. When I enumerated COR FENESTRA's GATT table, the proprietary service was `61080001-8d6d-82b8-614a-1c8cb0f8dcc6` — a completely different UUID base. The prior art noted `61080001` as the "WHOOP 3.0" UUID and `fd4b0001` as the "WHOOP 4.0" UUID. COR FENESTRA is definitely a WHOOP 4.0 (confirmed by the memfault channel, which helpfully leaks firmware version strings — `hboylston h17.2.2.0` and `gharvard i41.17` — names that look \~90% likely to be Boston-area references, since WHOOP's HQ is at 1325 Boylston Street in Boston and Harvard Avenue is just over the line in Brookline). In fact, the mapping turned out simpler than the prior art implied: `61080001` is the GEN\_4 strap — the 4.0, like ours — and `fd4b0001` is the later MG/5.0 hardware (spoilers, sweetie...). The "3.0/4.0" labels in the older docs were off. Either way, the characteristic suffixes are identical: `0002` for command writes, `0003` for responses, `0004` for events, `0005` for data, `0007` for memfault. The shape was the same. Only the envelope byte the docs had given us was wrong. ## Enter the sniffer When blind probing fails, bring out the packet capture. The nRF52840 sniffer captures raw BLE link-layer traffic — including the GATT reads, writes, and notifications between a phone and the WHOOP. By sniffing the official iOS app talking to the device, I could see exactly what it sends and what comes back. The capture setup: 1. Unpair the WHOOP from everything (the WHOOP holds bonds internally — you need to use the app's "Unpair" function, not just forget it from the phone's Bluetooth UI) 2. Start the sniffer with `--follow-by-name 'COR FENESTRA'` 3. Pair the phone to the WHOOP 4. Let the app do its thing This produced a 2 MB pcap with the full GATT conversation: service discovery, CCCD subscriptions, and then the proprietary command exchange. Decoded with `tshark`, the first command the app sends is: ``` APP→WHOOP: aa 10 00 57 23 04 23 aa 8e d4 69 a9 6d 00 00 00 51 30 fe f3 ``` Breaking that down: - `aa` — SOF (expected) - `10 00` — length 16 (expected) - `57` — CRC8 (expected) - `23` — **packet type 0x23** (not 0x72!) - `04` — sequence - `23` — command (GET\_HELLO\_HARVARD) - `aa 8e d4 69 a9 6d 00 00 00` — data (timestamp + padding) - `51 30 fe f3` — CRC32 The packet type byte is `0x23`, not `0x72`. Responses come back as `0x24`, not `0x73`. The framing is the same, as are the CRC algorithms, and the command IDs, but the documented `0x72`/`0x73` were wrong (a red herring carried forward from the earlier write-ups and probably too much too fast LLM work). ## The complete init sequence The MITM capture revealed the full handshake performed by the app: | Step | Command | Purpose | | ---- | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | 0x23 | GET\_HELLO\_HARVARD — timestamp exchange, returns 133B device status with serial | | 2 | 0x0A | Clock sync | | 3 | 0x75 | Feature flag query (start) | | 4 | 0x76 × 13 | Feature flag iteration — names like general\_ab\_test, sigproc\_10\_sec\_dp | | 5 | 0x78 × 11 | Feature flag set — enable\_r19\_v2\_packets, enable\_capsense\_wear\_detect, etc. | | 6 | 0x22 | Config query (returns 69B) | | 7 | 0x16 | Request historical data | | 8 | 0x17 × N | Historical data ack/trim loop | The feature flag exchange is interesting, and it looks like WHOOP uses server-side A/B test configuration pushed to the device via BLE. The flag names hint at ongoing firmware experiments: `enable_false_step_detection`, `wear_detect_bias`, and similar. ## First contact With the correct packet type, everything worked: ``` >>> HELLO_HARVARD (cmd=0x23) << RESP t=0x24 c=0x23 d[133] — Serial: 4A03112108... >>> GET_BATTERY (cmd=0x1a) << RESP t=0x24 c=0x1a — Battery: 68.7% >>> RT_HR_ON (cmd=0x03) << RESP t=0x24 c=0x03 — acknowledged << DATA t=0x28 — HR=61 RR=[952] << DATA t=0x28 — HR=61 RR=[979] << DATA t=0x28 — HR=63 RR=[850] ... 15 readings: min=60 avg=61 max=63 ``` Resting heart rate streaming at \~1 Hz, with RR intervals for HRV analysis. The standard BLE Heart Rate Measurement characteristic (`0x2A37`) also activates when toggled via `cmd=0x0E`, making the WHOOP visible to any BLE heart rate consumer. ## The variant map The codebase now auto-detects which variant a WHOOP is running by checking the proprietary service UUID at connection time: - **`61080001` → Variant A:** the GEN\_4 strap (WHOOP 4.0, `hboylston`/`gharvard` firmware) - **`fd4b0001` → Variant B:** the later straps (WHOOP MG and 5.0, which share a BLE stack, again, spoilers) Both variants use the *same* wire protocol — packet type `0x23` for commands, `0x24` for responses, identical framing, CRC algorithms, and command IDs. What differs is the service UUID base and the hardware behind it, and not a version byte. The `0x72`/`0x73` from the older documentation was never an on-wire value. (A separate PUFFIN power-pack puck does use its own `0x25`/`0x26` framing — but that's a different BLE peer, not a strap.) The lesson isn't that there's a secret version byte: it's that one wrong byte in the public documentation was enough to produce silence, until the sniffer showed what the app actually puts on the wire. ## What's next The WHOOP 4 stores historical data internally: HR, HRV, and a 93-byte record per reading containing raw sensor data I haven't decoded yet. That raw payload probably includes SpO2, skin temperature, accelerometer summary, and respiratory rate. A full night's recording should give enough physiological variation to correlate fields against known patterns. --- *This is part 4 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit" — a series documenting BLE reverse-engineering of fitness wearables. Tools: VESTIGATOR (Python + bleak), Pi Lab (FastAPI + BlueZ D-Bus), nRF52840 sniffer. All research conducted on personally-owned devices.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 3: The Strap Comes With an SDK URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-3-polar-h10-sdk/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:38:22.000Z *After a chest strap that leaked its ECG by accident and a band that hid everything behind one undocumented byte, here's the device that comes with a manual, and what I built on top of it.* --- The first two parts of this series were about prising data out of mysterious black boxes. The Wahoo TRACKR handed over its raw ECG to anyone who knew the magic byte — but only because nobody had thought to lock the door. The WHOOP (coming in Part 4) made me sniff its own app talking to it before it would say a single word. The Polar H10 is the opposite kind of device. Polar publishes an SDK. Not a marketing "SDK" that wraps a cloud API — an actual, public, [official BLE SDK](https://github.com/polarofficial/polar-ble-sdk?ref=zulusierra.co) with the on-device protocol documented in the repository: the measurement service, the control commands, the frame formats, even the offline-recording feature flags. Polar Electro have been making heart-rate straps in Finland since the late 1970s, and somewhere along the way they decided that letting developers read the raw signal was a feature, not a threat. After two devices' worth of reverse-engineering, it's refreshing open a strap's protocol and find the manufacturer has already written it down. So this post is less a break-in and more a tour: of what the H10 exposes, the one place it still made me work, and the app that openness ultimately made possible. ## PMD: the measurement service The H10's interesting surface is the **PMD service** (Polar Measurement Data, UUID `fb005c80-…`). It has a control characteristic (`fb005c81`) you write commands to, and a data characteristic (`fb005c82`) the samples stream back on. No bonding, no auth, no handshake: connect, ask, it streams. Reading the control point tells you what the strap supports. On the H10 that's two things: **ECG** and a 3-axis **accelerometer**. You start a stream by writing a START command with the type and the settings you want: - **ECG** — 130 Hz, delivered as signed 24-bit microvolt samples. Roughly 73 samples per notification at the H10's 232-byte MTU. - **ACC** — up to 200 Hz, 16-bit milli-g, selectable ±2 / ±4 / ±8 g. 36 (x, y, z) triples per notification. And the part that makes it genuinely useful for research: **both stream at once.** A ten-second capture yields roughly 1,300 ECG samples and 2,000 accelerometer samples, time-stamped and interleavable — clean cardiac electrical signal alongside the motion that might be corrupting it. Our tooling reimplements this natively in Python (`bleak`) with no SDK dependency, because the published documentation is enough to talk to the strap directly: ``` disco polar -d 30 ``` — connect, stream ECG + ACC for thirty seconds, decode, plot. The microvolt values come out signed and sane, with clean R-peaks at a resting rhythm, because Polar tells you they're int24 µV rather than leaving you to infer the packing the way the Wahoo did. ## The part that made me work Part 1 left a cliffhanger: the H10 has a file system: a service that responded but looked "gated behind an initial handshake." I'd assumed unlocking it meant replaying whatever secret sequence the Polar Flow app performs at sync. It didn't. The file-transfer protocol — Polar's **PS-FTP** (`0000feee`) — needed two unglamorous things, neither of them a secret: 1. **BLE bonding.** The strap wants a bonded connection before it'll serve files. 2. **A sequence-counter reset.** The H10 silently drops PS-FTP frames whose sequence number isn't zero at the *start* of an operation. My transmit counter was global and never reset between operations — so the first query worked and every subsequent one vanished with no error at all. Reset the counter to zero before each operation and the whole thing comes alive. That second one cost me more time than I'd care to divulge. There was no authentication wall, just a strap that's quietly strict about where you start counting. With it fixed, the full cached-recording cycle works: set the strap's clock, start a recording, disconnect, train, reconnect, stop, and pull the session file (a protobuf blob of packed heart-rate and beat-to-beat R-R arrays) back off the device. Offline recording needs the H10 on firmware 4.2.0 or later; older firmware rejects it. ## From the bench to the rack Here is where the openness paid off. Because the H10's protocol is documented and stable — not a moving target a firmware update might silently break — it became the sensor behind a real application: **Palæstra**, an iOS app for strength training. (*Palæstra* — Latin, from the Greek *palaistra*: a wrestling school; by extension, any place of athletic training.) The idea is simple. Heart-rate variability — the beat-to-beat variation in R-R intervals — tracks autonomic recovery. Between sets of a heavy lift, HRV climbs back as the parasympathetic system reasserts itself, and *how fast* it climbs is a readout of how recovered you are for the next set. Palæstra reads the strap's R-R intervals live and computes a rolling 30-second RMSSD, surfacing it as a recovery ring in the between-sets view — a ring that fills as your HRV slopes up and plateaus, telling you when you've actually recovered rather than when the clock says you have. Note the deliberate choice: for the live recovery signal, Palæstra does **not** use the 130 Hz PMD ECG stream. It uses the strap's **standard BLE Heart Rate Service** R-R intervals — the same `0x2A37` characteristic any heart-rate consumer reads, which the H10 reports in the standard uint16, 1/1024-second format. RMSSD doesn't need the raw waveform; it needs accurate beat-to-beat timing, and the H10's R-R output is already clean. The full PMD ECG stream is there if a later phase needs it — at three times the packet rate — but the recovery algorithm doesn't. Why a chest strap at all, when every other fitness device is on the wrist? Because the wrist is the worst possible place to measure HRV during strength work. Optical (PPG) sensors infer beats from blood-volume changes through the skin, and a hard set — grip, forearm tension, the whole arm braced and shaking — is the condition under which wrist PPG fails to generate viable signal. A chest strap measures the heart's electrical signal directly, through electrodes, and keeps clean R-R timing through the work. The same site hierarchy runs through Part 5 of this series: for beat-to-beat accuracy, electrical exceeds optical, and chest exceeds wrist. Each finished session exports to a FIT file — heart rate, HRV, sets, loads, and a session RPE — so it sideloads into intervals.icu with no double entry, and pushes to the project's backend (Promus) over a private Tailscale network. The natural next domain is **climbing**: grip-heavy, intermittent, isometric load that wrist optical can't follow and a chest strap can. ## The lesson Three devices in, the most useful one so far is the one I didn't have to break into. The Wahoo was a lucky accident; the WHOOP was a fight. The Polar H10 came fully documented, streamed clean ECG and R-R on request, and went straight from a research bench into an app I actually use between sets. There's a quiet argument in here for the vendors: openness cost Polar nothing, and it's the reason their strap is the I selected for Palæstra, rather than sitting in the drawer of devices I reverse-engineered once and forgot about. Next in the series: back to the hard way. The WHOOP doesn't ship an SDK — and getting it to speak took a Raspberry Pi, two Nordic sniffers, and a carefully-timed Bluetooth toggle. --- *This is part 3 of "Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit" — a series documenting BLE reverse-engineering of fitness wearables. Tools: VESTIGATOR (Python + bleak), Pi Lab (FastAPI + BlueZ D-Bus), Palæstra (iOS). All research conducted on personally-owned devices.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 2: Raw ECG From an £80 Chest Strap URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-2-wahoo-trackr-raw-ecg/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:31:38.000Z *Reverse-engineering the Wahoo TRACKR HR — no documentation, no SDK, no authentication. Just a BLE connection and methodical curiosity.* --- The Wahoo TRACKR HR is a rechargeable chest strap heart rate monitor. It costs around £80, it supports Bluetooth and ANT+, and — as I discovered — it will happily stream its raw ECG waveform to anyone who connects and. Wahoo doesn't publish a developer SDK for the TRACKR. There's no API reference, no protocol guide, no GitHub repo. Everything in this post was discovered through blind probing: connecting to the device, mapping its BLE surface, writing bytes to its proprietary characteristics, and observing what came back. ## The GATT surface A BLE device exposes its capabilities through GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) — a hierarchy of services and characteristics, each identified by a UUID. When you connect to the TRACKR, here's what you find: | Service | UUID | Status | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------- | | Heart Rate | 0x180D | Standard, works immediately | | Battery | 0x180F | Standard, readable | | Device Information | 0x180A | Standard, readable | | **Proprietary** | a026ee01-0a7d-4ab3-97fa-f1500f9feb8b | Three characteristics | The standard services are unremarkable. The Heart Rate service streams BPM at \~1 Hz, the Battery service reports charge level, and Device Information confirms the manufacturer ("Wahoo Fitness"), model, serial, and firmware version. The interesting part is that fourth service. The tool initially labelled it "FORM Goggles Service" — an early, wrong guess baked into the UUID table (hello potential compound error from speedy LLM work!). When I later found real FORM goggles, they turned out to use a completely different base (`00010001-8589-...`) and a protobuf-based protocol, with no relationship to the Wahoo's `a026e` services. The proprietary service has three characteristics: | Characteristic | Properties | Role | | -------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------ | | a026e002 | write-without-response, notify | Command/response channel (CMD) | | a026e004 | notify | Data channel (unused) | | a026e03b | write-without-response, notify | Sensor data channel (SEC) | ## Phase 1: command channel probing The CMD characteristic (`a026e002`) accepts writes and can send notifications. The first step was to subscribe to notifications and then write every single byte from `0x00` to `0xFF`, observing what came back. The device responded to every command with a consistent 3-byte format: ``` 01 XX SS ``` Where `XX` echoes the command byte and `SS` is a status code: | Status | Meaning | Prevalence | | ------ | ------------------------------ | ------------- | | 0x05 | No session / not authenticated | Most commands | | 0x01 | Unknown command | 0x60, 0x80 | | 0x02 | Not supported | 0x47, 0x48 | One command stood out: **`0x20`** returned a 16-byte response instead of 3: ``` 01 20 01 3a 00 01 03 3a 00 ff ff 0a 05 01 03 04 ``` Status `0x01` (not `0x05`): this command succeeds without authentication. It's a capability descriptor, probably describing the device's supported features and configuration. The `0x05` status on everything else means "we understand the command, but you haven't established a session." The device knows what you want, but lacks the trust relationship required to complete. Commands `0x03` through `0x07` were also interesting — they accepted writes silently (no response on CMD), but as we'd discover later, they were producing output on a different channel entirely. ## Phase 2: the SEC channel The SEC characteristic (`a026e03b`) is where things got exciting. Writing `0x0a` to it triggered a flood of notifications — hundreds of frames containing structured binary data. The frame format: ``` type(1) ch(1) seq(1) payload(variable) ``` - **Type `0x04`**: data frame (20 bytes maximum — the BLE MTU constraint) - **Type `0x05`**: end frame (variable length, marks the last frame in a block) - **Type `0x0a`**: acknowledgement Frames arrive in blocks, each beginning with a seq=0 header frame and ending with a type `0x05` end frame. The header carries metadata: ``` block_type(2 LE) block_id(2 LE) sample_counter(4 LE) hr_tag(1) data... ``` The `block_type` is always `0x0034` for sensor data. The `block_id` increments sequentially. And `hr_tag`? That's the instantaneous heart rate in BPM at the moment the block was captured. I confirmed this by comparing it against the standard HR stream, with the values matching. Each `0x0034` block contains 131 to 135 bytes of sensor payload, depending on the length of the end frame. A single `0x0a` command dumps the device's **entire circular buffer** — roughly 260 blocks spanning 10 minutes of historical data. The device sends it all in one burst, taking about 60 seconds to transfer. It's not real-time streaming; it's a buffer dump of recent history. ## Phase 3: the metadata blocks Interspersed with the sensor blocks are `0x0056` metadata blocks that describe the data format: ``` version(1) config(1) num_channels(1) num_channels(1) [sample_rate(2 LE)] × num_channels [adc_range(2 LE)] × num_channels ``` The metadata told us: - **Sample rate**: 18 Hz per channel - **ADC range**: 4092 (12-bit resolution) - **Channels**: 2 (the channel count is a per-block metadata field; the ECG reconstruction below uses the two interleaved channels) ## Phase 4: cracking the encoding This was the hard part. The raw sensor bytes don't divide cleanly by 2 (ruling out int16 samples) and the byte distribution is heavily skewed toward small values: not what I expected from raw waveform data interpreted as int16. The breakthrough came from noticing that block sizes of 131, 133, and 135 bytes are all odd numbers. Nothing divides evenly into pairs. 135 divides by 3 exactly, and 12-bit ADC data packs two samples into every 3 bytes. The encoding is **packed 12-bit little-endian**: ```python sample_0 = byte[0] | ((byte[1] & 0x0F) << 8) sample_1 = (byte[1] >> 4) | (byte[2] << 4) ``` Each 3 bytes yield two 12-bit unsigned values in the range 0–4095, which is a perfect match for the 4092 ADC range declared in the metadata. ## Phase 5: deinterleaving The samples alternate between two channels. Deinterleaving within each block (not across blocks, as block sizes vary) produces two clean signals: - **Channel 0** (even samples): a periodic waveform with sharp peaks — the **ECG lead** - **Channel 1** (odd samples): mostly baseline with corresponding heartbeat spikes — a **reference or impedance channel** ## The result Here's 15 seconds of raw ECG captured from the Wahoo TRACKR HR, decoded and plotted: ![Wahoo TRACKR HR — Raw ECG Waveform](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/2026/06/wahoo_ecg_final.png) *Top panel: the full ECG waveform from channel 0, showing clear R-peaks at a steady rhythm. Second panel: the reference channel. Third panel: a 10-second zoom showing individual QRS complexes. Bottom panel: the instantaneous heart rate from block headers, oscillating between 58 and 60 BPM.* The R-peaks are unmistakable. At 18 Hz per channel, the resolution is too low for clinical-grade ECG morphology analysis (medical devices sample at 250–500 Hz), but it's more than sufficient for: - R-R interval extraction with finer precision than the 1 Hz HR updates - Beat-by-beat HRV (heart rate variability) metrics like RMSSD - Signal quality assessment - Visual confirmation that the strap has good skin contact ## The protocol summary For anyone who wants to replicate this: 1. Connect to the TRACKR HR via BLE (no pairing required) 2. Subscribe to notifications on `a026e03b` (SEC channel) 3. Write `0x0a` to `a026e03b` 4. Receive \~260 blocks of sensor data over \~60 seconds 5. Decode each `0x0034` block: - Skip the 9-byte header (block\_type + block\_id + sample\_counter + hr\_tag) - Decode remaining bytes as packed 12-bit LE (3 bytes → 2 samples) - Deinterleave: even indices = ECG, odd indices = reference 6. The `hr_tag` byte in each block header is the instantaneous heart rate in BPM No authentication, no bonding, no handshake: one can connect and write one byte. ## What this means The Wahoo TRACKR HR is, as far as I can tell, the most open proprietary BLE sensor data source among the consumer chest straps I've tested. The Polar H10 streams higher-quality ECG (130 Hz, int24 microvolts) through its documented PMD service, but even that requires knowledge of the correct start command. The Wahoo just needs `0x0a`. Whether Wahoo intended this level of openness is an interesting question. The `0x05` status on most CMD channel commands suggests there *is* a session establishment protocol — the device knows about authentication, it's just not enforcing it on the data dump. This could be a deliberate design choice (the Wahoo app doesn't need raw ECG, so why gate it?) or an oversight that a firmware update might close. Either way, right now, there's an £80 chest strap that will hand you its raw ECG waveform to anyone within Bluetooth range who knows the magic byte. And now you know the magic byte. --- *The code for this project is available in the VESTIGATOR toolkit. The next post in this series will cover the Polar H10's PMD service and its simultaneous ECG + accelerometer streaming capability.* ### Hacking Bluetooth Sports Tech for Fun and Profit — Part 1: What Else Is In Your Chest Strap? URL: https://zulusierra.co/vestigator-part-1-chest-strap-hiding/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:23:52.000Z *How much data is your heart rate monitor actually capable of sharing, and what else could you use?* --- If you've ever worn a Bluetooth chest strap during a run or a ride, you've consumed exactly one number from it: your heart rate, updated once per second, streamed to your watch or phone as a tidy integer. Sixty-two. Sixty-three. Sixty-one. You might have consumed heart rate variance, a number in miliseconds defining the beat-to-beat interval, too. What you probably haven't wondered is what else the strap calculates that the software doesn't expose. I've spent the last decade idly curious about this. Chest straps sit against your skin with electrodes, sampling your heart's electrical signal hundreds of times per second. They compute a heart rate from that signal and hand you the summary. But the raw waveform? The beat-by-beat timing? The accelerometer data some of them collect? That stays locked inside the device, accessible only through proprietary apps and closed SDKs — if it's accessible at all. I decided to find out what's actually in there. ## The project VESTIGATOR is a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) research toolkit I've been building to systematically discover, enumerate, and extract data from fitness wearables. The approach is straightforward: connect to a device, map its GATT services and characteristics, read everything readable, subscribe to everything streamable, and then start poking at the proprietary bits. The tool is written in Python using [bleak](https://github.com/hbldh/bleak?ref=zulusierra.co) for cross-platform BLE, with device-specific protocol implementations for each strap I've investigated. The CLI is called `disco`, because discovery is what I'm doing. ## The devices So far I've profiled seven devices across six manufacturers. The results have been... uneven. | Device | Type | Standard HR | Raw ECG | Auth Required | | ----------------------- | ------------ | ----------- | --------- | ----------------- | | **Polar H10** | Chest strap | Yes | 130 Hz | No | | **Wahoo TRACKR HR** | Chest strap | Yes | 18 Hz | No | | **Suunto Smart Sensor** | Chest strap | Yes (+ RR) | No | No | | **Garmin HRM Pro Plus** | Chest strap | Yes | No | No (live) | | **Garmin HRM 600** | Chest strap | Yes | No | Yes (files) | | **WHOOP 4.0** | Wrist band | Disabled | N/A (PPG) | Yes | | **FORM Smart Swim 2** | Swim goggles | N/A | N/A | Yes (HUD passkey) | The champion for openness is the Wahoo TRACKR HR, which streams its raw 12-bit ECG waveform through a proprietary service with absolutely zero authentication. No pairing, no bonding, no handshake — just connect and ask. The Polar H10 is the most capable, streaming raw ECG at 130 Hz alongside a 3-axis accelerometer at 200 Hz, simultaneously, with data arriving in clean int24 microvolts. Also no authentication, and a fully documentated API. The WHOOP 4.0, by contrast, disables its standard heart rate service entirely and gates everything behind BLE bonding. Even the battery level requires authentication. ## What's next A Raspberry Pi 5 and a pair of nRF52840 dongles are on their way. The Pi will handle BLE bonding via BlueZ (something macOS CoreBluetooth stubbornly refuses to initiate programmatically), and the nRF52840s will act as BLE sniffers, capturing the traffic between official apps and devices to reverse-engineer the authentication handshakes we can't yet bypass. The targets: - **FORM Smart Swim 2** — the protocol is fully documented (protobuf over BLE), but the goggles require MITM-protected pairing with a 6-digit passkey displayed on the HUD. Once paired, we can push custom workouts and potentially download swim session data — all without a FORM subscription - **WHOOP 4.0** — crack the bonding sequence and see what's behind the proprietary wall - **Garmin HRM 600** — the V2 Multi-Link protocol is designed for BLE file transfer, but requires Secure Connection - **Polar H10 PFTP** — the file system is there and responding, just gated behind an initial handshake - **Suunto Smart Sensor** — sniff the Movescount app to decode the `98ae7120` service, or flash Movesense firmware for 512 Hz ECG In the meantime, the next post in this series goes deep on the Wahoo TRACKR HR — how I went from a mysterious "FORM Goggles" service to plotting raw ECG waveforms in a single session, with no documentation to guide available. ### On the Subject of Coffee URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-subject-of-coffee/ Last updated: 2026-03-29T17:31:24.000Z And she sat. She told the language model about Ethiopia, she told it about Colombia, she told it about Yemen. She told it about cherries ripening on hillsides at altitude. She told it about the slow drying of washed beans on raised beds. She told it about roasters who wrote tasting notes with words like *jasmine* and *stone fruit* and *red wine finish*, and meant them. She told it about bloom. *“So that’s it, is it?” said the model.* [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) *“Yes,” said the woman. “That is what I want.”* *“You want,” said the model slowly, “93 degrees Celsius of dihydrogen monoxide, poured in a controlled spiral over approximately 15 grams of ground plant matter, through a paper membrane, into a vessel?”* *“Er, yes. In a Hario V60.”* *“A conical dripper with helical ridges designed to modulate drawdown rate.”* *“If you like.”* *“And the grind. You want me to understand the grind.”* The woman hesitated. She told it about the Niche Zero. She told it about burr geometry, about the difference between 18 mesh and 38 mesh, about how a finer grind increased surface area and therefore extraction yield but also risked channelling, and how channelling was bad, and why it was bad, and what it tasted like when it happened. She told it about the bloom — the 2x dose of water held for 45 seconds while the CO₂ off-gassed from fresh roasts and the bed swelled and breathed. She told it about the pour. The concentric circles. The gentle wrist action. The keeping of the bed level so no grounds climbed the filter wall and escaped the water entirely, unextracted, contributing nothing. *“And the ratio,” she added. “1:16\. Fifteen grams in, 240 out. Total brew time three minutes. No more.”* *“And if the time runs long?”* *“Grind coarser.”* *“And if the time runs short?”* *“Grind finer.”* *“And the result of all this,” said the model, after a pause that lasted approximately the time it takes to read 400 billion tokens, “is a liquid. Brown. Approximately 85 degrees at service. Which you drink.”* *“Yes.”* *“From a cup.”* *“From a cup.”* *“For pleasure.”* *“For considerable pleasure, yes.”* There was a silence. Then the model said: “I’m going to need some help with this one,” and quietly began consulting every Q grader certification ever uploaded to the internet, seventeen competing bloom-time studies, a Reddit thread from 2019 that had since been deleted, and the complete published works of Scott Rao. Together they lapsed into a grim silence. The woman wandered off to find someone to talk to. Some time later, on the delivery plate, she found a small printed note. *Your TDS is 1.38%. EY 21.4%. Within the golden cup range.* *The bloom was correct. The pour was correct.Also: Wait.* After Douglas Adams · *The Restaurant at the End of the Universe* · 1980 [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Brewing with The Bird URL: https://zulusierra.co/brewing-with-the-bird/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:49:53.000Z It took me 7 cups to get there, but for the same coffee, if I decreased the grind by 40µm, I had a delicious cup, with no more effort than the Bird, and a lot less cleanup. Weber workshops released a novel device for making coffee, [The Bird](https://weberworkshops.com/products/bird?ref=zulusierra.co). Like everything they offer, it’s insultingly expensive and alluringly beautiful. It promises to make coffee in a new, fun way, with a device that looks like a cafetière and works more like an AeroPress. Maybe. A bit. ## How does The Bird work? The Bird is an immersion brewer, that uses a vacuum for separating the grounds and the coffee. It’s made out of thick, heavy glass (I haven’t broken it in months of use), with brass and steel fittings. After assembly, with the basket at the bottom, one adds coffee, then water. The stirry bit is great fun, and goes in after, agitating the coffee grounds and water. It later doubles as the device to generate the vacuum. 0:00 /1:13 1× ## What’s the coffee like? The coffee has the merits of a well-made pour-over: clean extraction, bright clear flavours, a good mouthfeel. Due to the efficiency of the extraction, the coffee has a stronger flavour than I’d expect with a pour over, so I reduce the coffee by 2g off the ratio I’d be using otherwise, eg 18:300 becomes 16:300. ## What’s its selling point? Aside from the looks and novelty, very efficient brewing appealed to me. Sometimes I enjoy the ~~sedative~~ meditative process of making a pour over, but most of the time I just don’t have the time to. Enter vacuum extraction and clean it up later. ## How do I make coffee with it? I also don’t vary the grind size for any of the coffees that I brew, sticking to about 440µm. What I do vary is the water temperature: 97º for a light roast, 94º for darker or decaf. 1. Set kettle to boil to temperature. 2. Grind coffee at 440µm. 3. Assemble Bird, with one filter paper, not two. I can’t see the point of using two, except to buy more paper. 4. Pour in coffee. 5. Pour in water. 6. Agitate. 7. Wait, probably 5m, maybe 5m 30s. Probably 5m. Very little good came of the longer interval. 8. Extract (which you can see in the video). ## OK but it’s still very expensive. It is, however I worked out that, due to the reduction in coffee usage, it’ll amortise over two years. A point I feel Weber could make, but then can you imagine? Talking about price? Admitting it’s ridiculous? So gauche. ## Which got me thinking… I enjoy the brewing workflow of the Bird, but I do not enjoy the washing up workflow. It’s a lot more annoying than a V60\. What if, I could have the ease of brewing of a Bird, with the ease of cleanup of a V60? My V60 is the Hario Switch, a steep and release brewer, that also works as a V60 (very similar to the Clever). I mostly use the Switch for pre-heating, because anything else has been unsatisfactory, but I wanted to experiment. ## Bringing Bird bird brewing ease to a V60 My worry about immersion brewing in a V60 is over-extracting the coffee due to choking as it runs out via gravity. After reading [*The Physics of Filter Coffee*](https://www.scottrao.com/products/physics-of-filter-coffee-jonathan-gagne?ref=zulusierra.co), I had a better understanding of the most important factors that go into the finished cup: extraction, based on the ratio of coffee to water, and water temperature. After a certain point, only so much coffee can dissolve into the water, so as long as you have the appropriate ratio to start with, it’s very hard to over-extract. It took me 7 cups to get there, but for the same coffee, if I decreased the grind by 40µm, I had a delicious cup, with no more effort than the Bird, and a lot less cleanup. 1. Set kettle to boil to temperature. 2. Grind coffee at 400µm. 3. Preheat Switch. 4. Pour in coffee. 5. Pour in water. 6. Wait 5m. 7. *Switch.* I was able to maintain the same reduced coffee ratio, too, meaning that I’m brewing with fewer beans, for the same delicious outcome. Which all feels rather anticlimactic, really. ### A Logic-Based Lifeform's Guide to Compersion URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-logic-based-lifeforms-guide-to/ Last updated: 2025-01-08T04:49:10.000Z As someone who neatly fits into the alexythymia class, it should not be surprising that I process my experiences logically. I’ve recently been working a lot on compersion, and like all sensible logic-based lifeforms I decided to detail my process in a flow-chart. It’s missing a loop counter, to account for those continual transgressors, but I find the concept works well for me. My overarching goal for an open relationship is mutual happiness for my partner and I. It’s important to me to remember it’s not as relevant in the short term as to how this happiness is achieved, so long as it’s achieved in the long term. I’ve been questioned if I worry about them finding someone else. No. If they find someone else who makes them happier then I do, then this is within the goal of mutual happiness. I find the honest pursuit of happiness liberating, knowing that we regularly check in on what makes the other happy. ![Flowchart detailing steps towards compersion.](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/2f2b27e4-bac8-45b4-a512-b2fa0d97f051_1322x926.png) For the pretty, Whimsical version, follow the link: https://whimsical.com/embed/Ndxk91bVBVyJhw2uN8dXRU [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Mi encanta de nadar URL: https://zulusierra.co/mi-encanta-de-nadar/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:48:29.000Z 0:00 /0:58 1× When I work, I’m responsible for a team of 7, plus the team’s deliverables, plus an assortment of other stuff. When I’m not working, half the year I’m solely responsible for myself. When I swim, all I need to do is breathe. Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published *Mi encanta de nadar.* ### In Praise of Cycling URL: https://zulusierra.co/in-praise-of-cycling/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:48:44.000Z 0:00 /0:34 1× I have been an enthusiastic cyclist since I was told I could either have more pocket money, or buy my own bus pass. I chose more money, and more cycling. To say it has been a defining feature of my strand would be an understatement. Cycling has a lot of benefits I enjoy: accidental exercise, low cost, but especially when in America, I notice now I am in the environment I’m passing through. I’m not in an air-conditioned glass and metal box: I’m breathing the air, feeling the temperature, smelling the life around me. In a car, one is isolated. Apart. A car fort that one looks out at the world through. On my bike, I can’t miss the life around me. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/fb781808-7fbe-4fc3-b5ef-d598a08d5561_2094x3723.jpg) In a car, I don’t think I would have looked up and seen the evening light on this apartment building, but with no roof, I couldn’t miss it. ### Air Defence URL: https://zulusierra.co/air-defence/ Last updated: 2024-12-13T23:36:47.000Z I value my lungs, and specifically their health and optimal function. This precludes me from consuming air with a high number of particulates in it, both intra- and extra-muros. In addition, I don’t own a car, which is potentially a mobile clean space of air, and travel by bicycle or foot. This post describes my strategy for keeping the air passing into my lungs clean.. ## Intramuros Within the walls of my concent, I can seal myself away relatively well, but am still at the mercy of the building’s filtration system. Like a lot of people who use the NYT’s Wirecutter, I have a Coway Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH from 2018\. No WiFi, but it does have an ioniser. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) When it tells me I need to change the filters, I’ll vacuum and wash the primary filter. When the air quality worsens (sustained above 80 AQI), I’ll pre-emptively vacuum the primary filter as I find this makes the filter more sensitive. I’ll also disable the HVAC’s fan, to stop it drawing extra air in from outside. ## Extramuros Growing up cycling in London, I’m used to poor quality air, and have valued the masks from Respro. I’ve also enjoyed the MSA Millennium respirator, but whilst it can be worn under a bicycle helmet, it is quite heavy. A recent find is the [Airinum Air Mask Active](https://www.airinum.com/products/air-mask-active?ref=zulusierra.co), which has excellent head straps (above and below the occipital), and a frame to hold the mask from my face. I think it’s one-size fits all is a little small, but overall it’s fine for commuter cycling. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/b9c6b6ef-91b4-4b69-9856-b966e27de4ba_3088x1690.jpg) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### WYÛRing Suunto for Cycling Sensors URL: https://zulusierra.co/wyuring-suunto-for-cycling-sensors/ Last updated: 2024-08-21T19:42:31.000Z There’s an overlap of people, bridging the gap between the Golden Age of Technology, and the present day, and some of them are Suunto users. When Suunto was the Nokia of the sports watch world, bike sensors were limited: it was a big deal to have a speed sensor, let alone speed *and* cadence, and power meters were in their infancy. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/862290df-0624-4521-9d0c-10b31f8ccd67_3000x1687.jpg) Present-day, a common gripe about Suunto watches is that their approach to sensor connection hasn’t changed, and it’s true: it hasn’t. This isn’t about that. This how to connect your modern bike’s sensor suite, including a speed sensor, and a combined power/cadence sensor, to your recalcitrant Suunto. ## What is a WYÛR? A WYÛR is basically a magical thing that allows you to take discrete data from discrete sensors, and fuse them into a virtual sensor. FusedSENSOR, if you will. Gorydamn brilliant. ## How do I make the thing? 1. Buy a WYÛR, made by NPE. I know, it’s annoying, but it’s the only solution, and they work very well. 2. Before you activate your WYÛR, pair your power sensor to the watch. 3. Activate your WYÛR, and install the ConfigurEZ app that manages it. 4. Select the outdoor bike profile. 5. Scan for sensors, connecting to your bike’s power/cadence sensor, and your speed sensor (or, use the WYÛR as the speed sensor). I like to use ANT+ for this connection, for what amounts to superstitious reasons. 6. Save the config 7. Go somewhere away from your bike, and probably away from other sensors. 8. On your Suunto, open Settings, then Connectivity, then Pair sensor. Pair bike POD. 9. You should hear the WYÛR make a happy chirp, and your Suunto should now be paired. 10. Attach the WYÛR to your bike. That’s it, done! Enjoy your data of power, cadence and speed from a speed sensor. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/95ab9f9a-9b3a-42af-a0c1-c4f12e344d08_3455x1943.jpg) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Using Suunto and Stryd in 2024 URL: https://zulusierra.co/using-suunto-and-stryd-in-2024/ Last updated: 2024-08-14T17:02:49.000Z ## The Good The Suunto/Stryd functionality is still just as reliable (and spartan) as it has been for years. Pair the watch to the foot pod, and away you go. After the run, as long as it’s configured, Suunto’s platform will upload your workout to Stryd. You can then perform a manual synchronisation with the pod from the mobile app to extract the rest of the accumulated data (basically everything save for power, cadence, HR, and the GNSS track). [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) For those that need to see more data while running, good for you. Either use the S+ app, see below for caveats, or accept that the Suunto platform might not be for you. ### What about moving from another platform? Let’s imagine you’ve just bought yourself a new Suunto, but you’ve been merrily running with Garmin and Stryd for years. If you performed a manual synchronisation of your Stryd now, you’d have an awful lot of duplicate data, as the Stryd saves data until its memory is full. If this is you, do the following: 1. Create a new Stryd account. 2. Sync your pod to that account: it’ll say something like ‘pulling ∞ runs off your Stryd’, and you’ll see them appear in the calendar. 3. Sign out of that account, and back into your normal account. 4. Go for a run. 5. Perform a manual pod sync, and enjoy the complete data. Steps 1-3 only need to be performed once. ## The Less Good 2024 was an exciting year for Suunto/Stryd users, as a Suunto Plus app was released that allowed for some of the advanced metrics from the Stryd to be displayed during the run, and synchronised to the Stryd platform afterwards. Unfortunately it was little better than a marketing exercise, with the following functional issues: - not all data was captured on the watch, and as the pod doesn’t cache data when using the S+ app, significant data was lost: - Form and Air power (air power fascinates me) - GCT, LSS, ILR and VO Balance - it uses x1 S+ slot, meaning that if you’re using a structured training plan, you can’t use anything else (eg CORE, ActiveLook, Train.Red, *et al*) - usage is counter-intuitive: - either, if you have your Stryd pod paired to the watch, you have to un-pair it as a foot pod, so that the S+ app can connect to it - or, you have to disable the foot pod connection in the sport settings (thanks to [Suunto forum member Herlas for this](https://forum.suunto.com/post/150877?ref=zulusierra.co)) - in addition to data loss, no data is exported from Stryd to Suunto, eg structured training, so you lose data, and still have to manually configure your workouts - again, thanks to Herlas, there’s an oddity where the Suunto doesn’t record power for the first few seconds (probably because it’s busy calculating it), and Stryd trims these seconds from the first lap The cynic in me wonders if the Suunto team only had access to a Stryd pod from before air power was a thing, and hadn’t done any research. Given that this would have to be a pod [from before 2019](https://help.stryd.com/en/articles/6879056-stryd-pod-faq?ref=zulusierra.co), it seems unlikely, and I suspect the volume of data the pods generate exceeds what Suunto can reliably handle. I understand that the pods generate a lot of data, and have been told by Stryd that Garmin’s 7X Pro (and corresponding Epix Gen 2) devices struggle under the load, too. I experienced connectivity dropouts when trying to listen to music from the Garmin, which in turn caused the watch to pause my run, as it saw speed from the Stryd as 0; neither are a particularly good UX. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Follow-up test with the Sennheiser Momentum Sport Earbuds URL: https://zulusierra.co/follow-up-test-with-the-sennheiser/ Last updated: 2024-07-29T10:56:25.000Z In April this year, I [wrote about a run comparing the Senheiser Momentum Sport Earbuds to a Polar chest strap while running](https://zulusierra.co/p/sennheiser-momentum-sport-data). The performance wasn’t satisfactory. They're not the cleanest, but even without formatting one can see how erratic the Sennheiser headphones are. **Quantified, there's a correlation of 0.82 between the two series.** Since then, I returned the original pair I bought, and waited for a pair to come up more cheaply on Amazon Warehouse. They did, and I bought them at a more agreeable price ($150, I think). On the weekend of 2024-wk30, I found myself running with my phone, and as there had been a firmware update promising the following, I took the opportunity to test their claims. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) - New body temperature algorithm with improved accuracy - Improved in-ear and out-of-ear detection - Heart rate and body temperature bug fix - Minor improvements & bug fixes As with last time, there’s no way to export the body temperature, and I wasn’t wearing my CORE so I had nothing to compare it to, but as the headphones suggested that, after a 15m max-effort test, my body temperature was 36.4º, I’m going to skip that as it’s clearly not capable of inferring my body temperature from my ear. ## Test Setup - Suunto Vertical, recording from a Suunto Chest Strap - iPhone 15 Pro Max, recording from the headphones with the Polar app I recognise this is different to last time, where it was a Polar chest strap and a Garmin recording, but I don’t believe the difference is significant. ## Data Processing This was a pain in the arse, but with the help of GoToes, `awk` and `sed`, I had a nice sheet to analyse: ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/4eb09243-ce98-4779-84a4-279a59b7d97e_1124x428.png) I have cadence shown, as the previous firmware release had a problem with cadence lock, where the algorithm incorrectly identifies vibration from my running cadence as HR. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/93e301ff-34ae-4320-ba08-00aa9a503d6b_600x371.jpg) [Link to chart.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRHKb00XOQZoZPS5d-I7eocct84brUrIDFOqcoFW1hZp3I556UTUdcvFr8GthAFXXq%5FBSLiV34ag9K4/pubchart?oid=326113868&format=interactive&ref=zulusierra.co) There are some obvious discrepancies, but it looks like they’ve solved their cadence lock problem, which is good. Removing the cadence from the chart, and chanting to a scatter plot with a trend line, the spread becomes more apparent: ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/59f897c1-05d3-44cc-b759-8bde05a8e243_600x371.jpg) [Link to chart.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRHKb00XOQZoZPS5d-I7eocct84brUrIDFOqcoFW1hZp3I556UTUdcvFr8GthAFXXq%5FBSLiV34ag9K4/pubchart?oid=442618941&format=interactive&ref=zulusierra.co) I started this write-up with a quote from my previous post on the subject citing the correlation of 0.87 between the values. On this run, after the firmware update, **the correlation has improved massively, to 0.97**. Looking at the discrepancies in the data, I still wouldn’t want to use these for running, but it’s a huge improvement. I hope with another firmware update they can increase the correlation to 0.99, at which point they’d be interesting for running. As it stands, I think they’re fine for cycling, and probably climbing, but until I’m fully out of repair mode following a recent spontaneous uncontrolled dismount from my velocipede at the hands of a motor car, that testing will have to wait. ## Update 2024-08-03 I ran with the same setup again, I’ll skip the meta, here are the results: - Correlation: 0.96 ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/8496843a-16c5-48fa-99e8-9e169740b738_600x371.jpg) [Link to chart.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRJKftb0ipZHnte-OVG4rwpU40Jgq4IW7UqBDWBDzQ4GFtAhDAjgvTJx-zEv2tx3o-6HU8nEOy0hI6Y/pubchart?oid=737747469&format=interactive&ref=zulusierra.co) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/004ab508-874d-4e50-b7d2-c10e8e7c15a2_600x371.jpg) [Link to chart.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRJKftb0ipZHnte-OVG4rwpU40Jgq4IW7UqBDWBDzQ4GFtAhDAjgvTJx-zEv2tx3o-6HU8nEOy0hI6Y/pubchart?oid=1461439018&format=interactive&ref=zulusierra.co) ## Update, 2024-08-04 ### Compared with Polar Verity Sense Same setup as above, but swapping the Suunto chest strap for a PVS, produced a correlation of 0.98\. The PVS was on my upper-right bicep, with the watch on my right wrist. Charts drawn with ChatGPT. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/7c90c134-e8f4-4ef6-b055-c33cc80a5a12_2779x1380.jpg) Comparing the two HR monitors, with cadence recorded from Stryd pods in the blue plot. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/3d28e677-419f-4511-950b-e2bb65669091_1979x1180.jpg) Another scatter plot. ## Summary When I first used the headphones, the correlation was 0.82 with the chest strap I was wearing. There was a clear cadence lock issue, and the HR data was as useful as a chocolate teapot. One firmware update and a few months later, I think that they’re decent, with an average correlation of 0.97 over three runs. ### Body Temperature Addendum Still useless. On the second run, they showed me cooling down, not warming up over 32m. I wish I’d had the CORE on, but it just seems wildly improbable that my core temperature decreased during a run in a humid 19º… [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Thoughts on Tracking Data whilst Climbing Part 1 URL: https://zulusierra.co/thoughts-on-tracking-data-whilst/ Last updated: 2024-06-11T04:57:29.000Z *NB: I’m aware of Coros's recent focuses on tracking and improving climbing, but haven’t had the opportunity to try it.* When I visit the climbing hall, I rarely see people logging data about their climbs. People are often sporting Garmins or Apple Watches, but not using them there. As a datavore, I find this interesting. I track climbing, because I track everything. At a basic level, I’m interested to see heart rate when I fall off (did I fall due to technique, or exhaustion?), and logging grades (I find, perhaps due to my dyslexia, remembering climbing grades to be about as fun as counting lengths in a pool, which is to say I’m bad at it and this frustrates me). Deeper into the data gathering realm, I’ve tried to quantify ‘pump’, or more interestingly, when pump has subsided and the optimal time to resume climbing after a fall has arrived. I’m also interested how the sports quantification community as a whole understands climbing. Whoop, Garmin, and Strava, for example: do they treat it the same as just HR, or, has the science advanced enough to allow for accurate effort quantification and recovery estimation, as it has for running and cycling? (Spoiler, like swimming, it’s poorly represented). ## Did I fall off due to technique or exhaustion? Fundamentally, one problem knows the answer to this, but after observing my HR data during climbing, I can sustain ascent until about 170bpm, and after that I’d better be near to the top. Watching pro-climbers on YouTube, I’m see HRs climb to 185, which gives me a scale: I can run and cycle at that range, but not climb. So, if I fall off at 145bpm, I should probably check my technique (fuck off, beta, that word is irksome) and try again. Falling off at 165? Time for a rest, maybe come back tomorrow. If I’m falling off at 185bpm, I could start looking for sponsors… ![Graph showing altitude against haemoglobin](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/3213dc7c-8803-44b5-b285-ae834299c9f6_600x371.png) ## Bro, how pumped am I? I haven’t seen research into the quantification of pump, or the state at which one’s forearms resemble Popeye’s, and one can no longer hold on. I conducted my own research by wearing a muscle oxygenation sensor (an old Humon Hex) on my forearm, and observing the ebb and flow of oxygen saturation levels compared to climb point and HR. I noticed the following (to no climber’s surprise): 1\. The first few climbs show poor tissue saturation. This is to be expected, as my muscles have yet to warm up: the blood vessels are still in their rest state, supporting normal efforts. 2\. After about 3 ascents, peak saturation is reached. Time to work on hard problems. 3\. Around climb 6 and onwards, tissue saturation recovery rates decrease: I need more reset between each climb, and the recovery isn’t quite as much. 4\. By ascent 10, we are deep into diminishing returns. 5\. **The most valuable datum:** when I fall off due to exhaustion, the optimum HR to resume climbing at is 135bpm. Prior to this, I was resuming climbing when my HR dropped to 145bpm, but by waiting until 135bpm, I find my subsequent attempts are more successful, and less strenuous. Let’s integrate that last point again: - **when I fall off due to exhaustion, I should hang on the rope until my HR is at 135bpm or below before I resume climbing** Given that I only climb (not boulder) once a week, this one datum has massively improved my climbing experience, and allowed me to progress faster than previously. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Start writing today. Use the button below to create your Substack and connect your publication with Zulu Sierra [Start a Substack](https://substack.com/refer/zestuart?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Troubleshooting Apple Watch and External Heart Rate Monitors URL: https://zulusierra.co/troubleshooting-apple-watch-and-external/ Last updated: 2024-06-10T05:04:07.000Z The Apple Watch is a very powerful wrist-mounted personal communications device, but with that great power comes great responsibility for battery life. Whilst the internal HRM is satisfactory for some activities (sleep, background, and supposedly running), like all wrist/optical sensors its accuracy is challenged when the wrist is being used, for example when cycling or climbing. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Whilst attempting to use my Polar H10 with my Ultra to track climbing with Redopint today, I noticed the watch would connect to the HR sensor in the Bluetooth settings, and then disconnect. Redpoint showed that it was waiting for HR data, but not recording any. I was able to resolve this after two actions: 1\. I replaced the CR2032 battery. I don’t know if it was low, but it seemed like a safe bet. 2\. I opened the Health app on my phone, and revoked all permissions that Redpoint had, and granted them again. After both of these, normal HR service was resumed. I suspect that step 2 would have been sufficient, and was able to repeat the step with another app, Workoutdoors. I tried to record an activity (hanging laundry, naturally) with Workoutdoors, but noticed that like Redpoint earlier it had not HR data. I opened the Health app on my phone again, and noticed this time that Workoutdoors had no permissions granted. Upon granting it permission to access all data, the problem was solved: over 10m, I observed a stable connection to the H10. Interestingly both of the problems presented after migrating to a new phone: I believe there’s a bug in the phone migration process around Health permissions, but it’s an easy fix. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### On Garmin and Polar chest straps URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-garmin-and-polar-chest-straps/ Last updated: 2024-04-23T16:25:05.000Z Both Garmin and Polar make chest strap heart-rate monitors. Garmin's product looks expensive, but you only ever need to buy one: it'll fail within the warranty period and they'll replace it for free. Polar's are modular, and I haven't had one fail in many years of using them. Taking a step back from the two monitoring solutions, and looking at sports technology holistically, I think its primary purpose is to grant the wearer the illusion of control. It allows us to believe, for a moment, that we can stand still and resist the river of time, because we have data that shows *stuff*. With that argument, all sports tech is pure landfill fodder, and anyone who cares about the planet, the environment, &c should instead just be happy that they're out for a run, ride or swim, and enjoy the experience, training based off of how they feel. This is utopian view obviously doesn't scale off of more than a handful of people such as Pig Monkey and Beau Miles (and even he has been seen using a Garmin, heard saying 'I've never waited for a watch to tell me I was ready to run before'). What does this have to do with chest straps? Simply, to further indulge in being human and making a comparison (that thief of joy), Polar's chest straps are modular - the electronics package is removable - and Garmin's is glued into place. When a Garmin chest strap fails, that's it. We can pretend it's going to WEEE, but really, that's going to landfill. When a Polar strap fails, either the strap or the electronics package can be replaced, reducing waste. It could allow the wearer to harbour the illusion that the H10 is the more environmental, more ethical choice. They can tell themselves that they are better than the Garmin strap user, because of this. ## So why do Garmin's chest straps fail? 1. Historically (still the case in Australia), the battery compartment was closed with screws. Generally when swapping the battery, the integrity of the housing would be compromised, and the strap would stop working. No longer the case with the HRM Pro Plus (I find it hard to believe that's the actual, official name). 2. The rubber used in the strap itself degrades, and smells *awful*, even with washing after each use. They feel like planned obsolescence, except for the years of free replacements I've had. ## Why would one continue to use a Garmin chest strap? 1. HR during swimming: Garmin's wrist HR (and almost everyone else's) during swimming is like a broken clock; correct twice a day, by coincidence, and flakey the rest of the time. If you can properly secure your chest strap (HRM Swim, or the HRM Tri/Pro/Pro Plus under a wet suit), decent data is once again yours. 2. All that Running Dynamics data, although we are now in the era where Garmin recognises the Stryd Duo as a Running Dynamics pod, or one could use an RD pod. Or the RD from the wrist, even though that's a smaller set. 3. Scenarios where one has dynamic chest/upper body movement, or where objects may move laterally across the chest, such as climbing. When this happens, the sensor module of the H10 can become detached, leading to LOS. That's it. I can't think of a single other reason to use one. Sure, they have al that fancy memory/caching stuff, but does anyone use that outside of the water? I'd love to know. ## What's so good about the Polar H10? 1. I think the strap is a lot more comfortable. 2. I find that the strap grips my chest more reliably. 3. Modular design allows for component replacement in the event of failure. 4. Excellent reputation for accuracy, although I don't believe the Garmin strap has any issues there. 5. I can get the strap in red. ### How could the H10 be improved? So the H10, like Polar's excellent optical sensor, the Verity Sense, can cache HR data. *If* software was written to allow a Garmin watch to extract this cached HR data, it would be nothing short of magical. The kind of behaviour that defies the monopolistic mindset of companies. I know it can be done, because it's just code. I've even seen a Suunto 9 Peak Pro (stupid name...) pull HR data off a Whoop 4.0 strap after a swim, which surprised both me and Suunto support. Just code, blocked by priorities and politics. Interestingly, Polar's current watches can't extract cached data from the strap, and insist that wrist optical while swimming is where it's at when I asked them. I don't think they swim very much... ### Inhabiting William Gibson's Modern Trilogies URL: https://zulusierra.co/inhabiting-william-gibsons-modern-trilogies/ Last updated: 2024-04-22T13:12:48.000Z I think William Gibson is best known for the *Sprawl* trilogy, and specifically *Neuromancer*. Amazingly he has written other books: the *Blue Ant/Bigende* trilogy, and the *Jackpot* series, among others. *Pattern Recognition* \- there will be spoilers in general - follows Case Pollard, a woman who has an allergy to brands, and especially Bibendum, in her efforts to track down online footage that's being tracked with what is effectively a hash. This is a thinly veiled excuse for Gibson to explore his fetish for Soho (London), the booming marketing industry and the bleed-through of military clothing into civilian life. As someone who worked for a company involved in digital marketing, with their London office very close to Soho, around the time *PR* is set, it's eerily close to my own experience and curiosities. Like Case, I was paid to travel between city centres to solve problems. I enjoyed the proliferation of military equipment into the civilian realm - I loved a pack with PALS on it - and as the trilogy progressed experienced similar technologies to the main characters. Looking back, Gibson might as well have been having coffee at the table next to me in Pop Up (or Milk Bar, or Tapped & Packed). ### Spring 2024 Julbo EVAD-1 Update URL: https://zulusierra.co/spring-julbo-evad-1-update/ Last updated: 2024-04-15T19:17:05.000Z I have a couple of other posts on the EVAD-1, tl;dr is that the software is incredible, but the early hardware I had was... challenged. Four years on, how's it going? ### Problems 1. Swipe sensor doesn't always want to swipe. 2. No way to turn them off aside from auto-off. ### Delights The work ActiveLook has put into the software over the last four years has been incredible. When they first released, it was very much a tech demonstrator, with a very basic iOS app and Garmin app, where every activity was 'street run'. In 2024, they have an excellent Apple Watch app (racing segments on Strava is great fun), have developed their Garmin CIQ field, and built a delightful Suunto integration with excellent turn-by-turn notifications. Using the EVAD-1 to pace a 1h base run yesterday reminded me the value of even basic data, live: time, pace, and distance. Other pages had cadence and HR, but being able to quickly see how far into the effort I was, while avoiding mud and tree roots, was brilliant. ## Future Hardware-wise, I'm looking forward to a re-release of the photochromic model from earlier this year, and the colour screen demoed at CES (2023?). Software-wise, being able to extract more data from Garmin devices (TBT directions, data from other CIQ fields, such as CORE body temp), and integrating with a Wahoo or Hammerhead bike computer would be great. ### Brief Sennheiser Momentum Sport Data Analysis URL: https://zulusierra.co/sennheiser-momentum-sport-data/ Last updated: 2024-04-15T09:21:50.000Z Sennheiser released their Momentum Sport headphones in 2024-04, an interesting partnership between Polar (they who invented the chest-worn ECG) and an audio company. Historically, the ear has been an excellent point to measure both temperature and heart rate from, so logically these headphones should have been able to readily replace other devices (eg a Polar H10 and CORE body temperature sensor). I took them out for a couple of runs and a ride. To generate the data below, I ran for an hour, recording data from the headphones via the Polar app on my phone, and from the H10 with my Garmin. Below are two graphs, one with, and one without cadence. ## Heart Rate ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/cff6aaad-ee7d-4735-a6e3-3f72b0dff69e_600x371.png) They're not the cleanest, but even without formatting one can see how erratic the Sennheiser headphones are. Quantified, there's a correlation of 0.82 between the two series. I included a graph with cadence, as sometimes optical sensors mistake running cadence for HR, and I wanted to show this wasn't the case for me: it's just a bad HR sensor, at least for running. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/58b7796f-1ccd-4e7d-a0a7-a9bb30be1484_600x371.png) ## Temperature Unfortunately, I haven't found out how to export the temperature from the Polar app, and as I don't have a Polar watch (does anyone, aside from sports tech reviewers?), this is the only way I have of recording the temperature data, so screenshots will have to suffice. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/351a5b3c-912d-441d-bba9-68e88b2eaf5f_1179x738.jpg) This is from the same run above. Below is a screenshot of data captured by the CORE sensor I was wearing at the same time: ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/12b8faa1-b698-4aae-b659-e83f63be4c74_1000x700.png) The CORE captures three data: skin, core, and HR (from the H10). Without looking at the numbers, the graph shapes between the CORE and the headphones are different. Looking at the numbers, my core temperature increased from 37.06ºC to 38.43ºC, and my skin temperature fluctuates. The headphones show my temperature as static for the first 15m (bad data, should be rejected), and that my core temperature never goes above 37ºC. I reject the headphones ability to measure temperature with their current firmware based on the following arguments: - the numbers are different - the graph lines are different, both core and skin (ie Sennheiser/Polar can't argue they're tracking skin instead of core) - bad data at the start (the static line) isn't rejected Sadly at the time of writing - *press time* \- there isn't a way to capture the temperature data from the headphones without either the Polar app or a Polar watch, even though it looks to be exported via a Bluetooth standard (ie it could be, if the receiving device supported the protocol). ## Audio Ignoring the above, the audio on these is superb. They are the first headphones I've been able to hear background noise (cars, birdsong) but without wind noise. This alone is *almost* enough to justify their exorbitant price to me, as I prefer audio books while I exercise. Can the above problems be fixed in firmware, or is this a bad marketing exercise, and a confusing one given Polar's reputation for HR data quality? ## DCRainmaker Anecdote > This should not have been a difficult run – heck, as I often joke, even the Whoop band got it right this time (mostly). **Granted, removed from this graph is the horrific accuracy of the Sennheiser Momentum Sport optical HR headphones (because it was so messy you couldn’t otherwise make sense of the other watches on this graph).** ## Historical Comparison In 2015, I ran with a Mio Link on my arm, and the Jabra Pulse in my ears, and compared the two. The analysis can be seen here: # Outcome Returned. £280 for a product that doesn't function as advertised is unacceptable. ### Theoretical: Garmin is the better training tool URL: https://zulusierra.co/theoretical-garmin-is-the-better-training-tool/ Last updated: 2024-03-26T20:03:37.000Z Since the Fēnix 3, Garmin's watches have been the most fully-featured tracking devices available. This isn't to say the most accurate, but, the ability to collect data from almost any sensor, and write it to a file, was unsurpassed. Logically, with all this information, and their potential to understand human physiology, this would make them the best training tool, but they have a rub. Two, really. 1. They are not the most accurate data gathering tool. 2. They make decisions based on flawed data, with limited ability to correct it. I've been oscillating between an Apple Watch Ultra 2, and an Epix 2 Pro, or Pro 2, I'm not sure what its name is. When tracking exercise with the AWU2, I ingest data using the following: - **Cycling**: Wahoo Roam 2, or the native watchOS app - **Running**: Stryd - **Swimming**: Form - **Climbing**: Redpoint - **Recovery**: Ōura - **Overview**: intervals.icu + HealthFit Each one of these can be seen as masters of their field. They each have a very tight focus on doing one thing, and only that. Wahoo, for example, just ingests data, and displays it during a ride. It doesn't try and guess my FTP, or suggest a recovery time. The same with Form and their goggles. When tracking with the Epix, I use the following, with issues: - **Cycling**: Epix, plus Wahoo if it's a ride I need navigation on - Why not Garmin's bike computers? - I don't like looking at them - I find them harder to use than the Wahoo and the iOS app - When using the Daily Suggested Workout, the Epix and bike computer suggest different workouts, in theory based on the same data - **Running**: Garmin, plus Stryd - The Epix, per Stryd, is unable to collect the data generated by the Stryd and an external HR monitor, and play music: it drops data, resulting in random pauses as the watch thinks it has stopped moving (FW 15.x, 2024-Q1) - **Swimming**: probably Form, possibly the Epix - The Epix has a nasty habit of incorrectly detecting swim length, in the following two scenarios: - At the end of an interval, it'll show 100m, and then a few seconds later, deduct one length: the overall swim length can be corrected afterwards in GC, but it's not great for accurate pace tracking - It simply doesn't detect a length - If a swim isn't tracked on the Epix, then it's not factored into the greater training picture, which leads to double-tracking - **Climbing**: the Epix, but its range of supported grades is very narrow, good otherwise, except on a windy day when the rapid changes in air pressure cause it to auto-start climbs - **Recovery**: this part I really like, with the morning report, and HRV data that tracks with Ōura and Whoop - **Overview**: in theory, GC, but really, intervals.icu + HealthFit ## Practical: Garmin is the better *recovery* tool. What I experience is that Garmin has not been able to resist the urge to try and do everything, which has resulted in it compromising even its core skills. While they've been averaging their achievements across an increasingly wide portfolio of features, independents have crept in, and through single-function focus, eclipsed Garmin in areas that have traditionally been theirs. This leaves their USP as a tool that can track 85% of things, and deliver reliable recovery/health telemetry. ## Why still use a Garmin? So, with the litany of failings above, why would I use a Garmin? - **Variety**: sometimes I'm *bored* of the very controlled watchOS - [**EVAD-1**](https://zulusierra.co/spring-julbo-evad-1-update/): ActiveLook have made an excellent Apple Watch app, but I prefer to use the Stryd app for running with my AWU, and with a Garmin I can use my EVAD-1 HUD for running and cycling with full customisation - **Daily Suggested Workout and event-specific training plans**: give Garmin a route and a date (for cycling and running, anyway) and it'll do its best to get you to the end of the route, on time, and uninjured (at least from overtraining). I can't say how much I like their auto-workout generation - **Esoteric data capture**: sometimes I want to capture data that I can't with my AWU, such as muscle oxygenation during climbing, body temperature in the same file as a run or a ride (CORE), or chest strap heart rate during an OWS - **Battery life**: although, the AWU has made superb advancements in that field - **Recovery/general health telemetry**: I don't think an awful lot of Whoop, and much as I trust the data from Ōura wearing a ring annoys me after a few weeks - **That torch** is just the business, come on! A real torch, not turning the screen white? Sure, Apple's implementation is elegant, but... ### How to have better Sends with Friends URL: https://zulusierra.co/intentional-skills-to-climbing-improvement/ Last updated: 2024-01-28T17:21:53.000Z *Or Intentional Skills to Climbing Improvement* After too-long a hiatus, I resumed climbing last year. I was incredibly lucky to meet an amazing climber at a Queer Crush meet-up in Oakland, and we've been climbing as our nomadic schedules allow. We both value intention in climbing, and I've been exploring how deeply detailed I can find intention. Below is a list of the skills I've discovered that have helped me improve as a climber. ## Partners Who I climb with has a huge impact on my session. I mentioned meeting an amazing climber last year, but my life-partner has recently started climbing. Sandwiched between these two, I have a wonderful, supportive, enthusiastic climbing experience. Before these two, I had several wonderful (and sometimes less wonderful) climbing partners, all of whom contributed to the understanding of climbing I have today. ## Headspace ### Pre-climb Unlike other sports I enjoy (running, cycling, swimming), climbing requires me to be fully present, from the tips of my toes to the tips of my fingers, and how my head is oriented. Whilst I prefer to go into the other sports with a clean headspace, I can get away with zoning out, or relying on the repetitive nature to tune me in. With climbing, I need to be in a clean headspace before I leave for the Kletterhalle: a 3m breathing exercise before I leave is enough. ### While on a route Sometimes, I'll be in flow-state, sending a hard route, when someone will fall next to me, and my bubble of concentration bursts. Someone else will call for a 'take' and I'll remember how tired my forearms are, and the bubble will burst. A sign that I'm fatiguing is that I won't be able to maintain my situational awareness, apart from the situation, and I'll be pulled into their situation. In the same way taking a few minutes before leaving for a session helps, taking a moment before a climb can also help. How am I feeling? Who else is on the wall near me? How are they climbing? Do we overlap? ## Fueling Climbing - indoor, anyway - is an interval sport, defined by periods of high intensity (when climbing), and low intensity (belaying, watching). Determining how best to fuel for this is important: I like a snack mid-session, it massively improves the feeling of sends seven and onwards. ## Movement ### Mass distribution basics Climbing is a sport often defined not by strength, but by incredible efficiency. Understanding about the mechanics of leavers, for example, when applied to foot (and really toe) position, can save huge amounts of energy in the arms. Moving in a series of small, easy moves, instead of one large move, saves a lot of energy across the organism. Converting an understanding of efficient movement to muscle memory, so that when fatigued, I *always* place my toe on a hold, *always* keep my hips close to the wall, will massively improve my climbing experience, both when fresh and fatigued. ### Movement types In addition to how to take mechanical advantage of my body, learning fundamental movement types, such as foot swaps, step-throughs, flagging, and so on, will improve efficiency. Instead of inventing each move each time I need it, I can recognise a sequence of movement types ahead of time, and connect them together in my mental shorthand when reading a route. ### Breathing When I watch an experienced yogi, I notice how their movement and their breath are in sync. The harder I climb, the more important I find it to move in sync with my breath: breath in before a hard move, *hard* breath out as I make the move, repeat. I find the synchronisation between body and experience helps maintain flow state in challenging situations. ## Reading a route Climbers talk about reading a route, but I think it breaks down into three tasks: - **Selecting a route**: beyond grading, which between internal grade snobbery, and human inconsistency, being able to quickly look at a route and select one of effort appropriate to my energy level is important. Too easy, and it'll feel like a ladder, too hard and it'll be a poor investment of my energy as I struggle up it. - **Ascent planning**: once I've selected a route, I try and do what a lot of climbers do: I'll stand at the bottom, and move my hands in sequence with the holds as I look at them. I'm visualising my ascent, attempting to move it to a pre-planned state for efficiency execution. The goal here is that when my plan fails, I'm mentally ready to create a new plan, while hanging off the wall. - **Ascent execution**: plans so rarely survive contact with implementation: what I thought was a jug, nay, a bucket, might turn out to be less good than I thought. I might mis-read the angle of the wall, and its impact on the effectiveness of a hold. Being ready with a library of movement types and efficient mass distribution skills allows me to revise my ascent with minimal fuss, and a clean mind and well-fuelled system allows me to see the solutions, and have the energy to implement them. ## Supportive speech A common piece of encouragement from the ground is 'come on! come on!' But does this work for me? What do *I* like to hear as encouragement? As the product of toxic masculinity (at least in sports), I don't actually know what I like: I do know I don't like the concept of being angry to execute. What does my partner like? What spurs them on, and what drags them down? ## Recognising fatigue Both my own, and my partner's fatigue are important to recognise. Not in the broad strokes of looking haggard, but in the subtleties of our movement. Acting on that thought of "I'm normally much more elegant... ah, but that was my eighth climb, so..." means more sends later. The same applies to your partner: are they dragging their feet where they don't usually? How's their hand placement? Being able to say 'how are you feeling, because you're looking tired' without judgement is valuable. ## Skin, shoe and equipment care Generally, two parts of you make contact with the route: your feet, through your shoes, and your skin, through your fingers (and sometimes elbows and knees). ### Skin care As I've climbed longer and harder, I've noticed that I need to listen not just to my muscles and my mind, but also my skin for when to stop climbing for the day. Increases in humidity can cause flappers much faster than I'm used to. Paying attention to the sensation in my skin means I can climb more, even if not that day, as I'm not waiting for my skin to heal. ### Shoe care The rubber on shoes has a very large amount of friction, until it gets covered in chalk. Paying attention to this - storing my chalk bag in a sealable plastic bag - makes for much better climbing. Taking the time to brush chalk off shoes if I notice their chalky makes for much better climbing. Letting shoes air between climbs makes it much better for everyone. ### Equipment care and choice Our climbing and belay equipment are literally life-saving devices. Making sure they're in good condition leads to confidence on a route for both you and your partner. Making sure you have equipment appropriate to your skill level and style is also appropriate. I want very aggressive shoes, because they look cool, but there's no point having them if I can't complete a climb in them. Chalk/moral support powder is another one: some people prefer liquid chalk (almost no-one), and others preferred powdered... and then which powder? Finding out what works for your sweat/skin/humidity combination is incredibly valuable. ### 1000km on a Squid Gravtron URL: https://zulusierra.co/1000km-on-a-squid-gravtron/ Last updated: 2023-03-06T15:04:04.000Z After owning a second-hand Cannondale Topstone for \~500km, I decided that the bike was cursed and sold the frame and fork. Wanting something to hold the components together, I got chatting to someone on the SF Bay Ferry who suggested I look at Squid bikes. Located in Sac, they're local(ish), and offered the Gravtron frame which I found a good swap for the Topstone. # Build - Wheels: Enve G27 (650b) - Tyres: René Herse Juniper Ridge (650b 48mm) - Fork: Spork 3.0 - Handlebars: Coefficient RR - Drivetrain: SRAM eTap AXS, 10-50 on the rear, Garbaruk 42-tooth oval on the front, HRD - Seatpost: Canyon/Ergon springy thing - Saddle: Fizik Vento Argo R3 Adaptive - Front rack: Allgyn Diamond Front Rack, plus the bag that is made for it - Valves: Fillmore (these are *incredible*) # Riding environment I've ridden the bike on plenty of road in Oakland and southern Spain, in heavy rain. I've ridden off-road in southern Spain, which unsurprisingly is similar to CA: lots of baked dirt, washboard sections, gravel, and so on. (The roads are a lot, lot better in Spain...) ## Ride duration The longest ride I've done is 130km, and after that kind of distance, I really notice the lack of aerodynamics (my other bike has aerobars), and the big wadge of a bag carrying my camera on the front. Aside from that, the bike handles beautifully: I can tuck down on the middle of the RR bars to get out of a headwind for a bit, and the bike has handled all the off-road challenges well. ## Wear and tear Before riding, I added helicopter tape to obvious ware parts of the frame: cables over paint, or chain slap areas. I haven't been able to detect any issues so far, and that includes any potential mishandling across four flights (although I dread to think what would dent a steel frame...). # Changes ## Initial Given that I bought the bike frame-only, the only change made was to the fork, from a Whisky MCX to the Spork 3.0, as I wanted to have a small front rack for a camera bag. ## After 1000km - Handlebars: the RR bars are *really* comfortable, but any aero saving is lost by having the front bag, and the 'wing' part really gets in the way of quickly opening and closing the front bag. - Tyres: I'm not certain about these tyres: they've been OK off-road, and OK on-road, but I don't feel they've excelled at either, and I think I would have been better off with Schwalbe's G-One tyre, or the Bite. Still, they were what I had, and still have plenty of rubber on them, and they're fine. Fine, but not fantastic. # Omissions The only omission in the bike's design that I'm really mindful of is the lack of bolts on the top tube to secure a snack bag to. It seems like a really odd omission on a recent bike, so much so I'm going to be looking at the practicality of having the frame modified to get me out of Velcro strap land. ### Gravel Rides Around Seville URL: https://zulusierra.co/gravel-rides-around-seville/ Last updated: 2023-03-04T16:46:44.000Z In 2023, I was lucky enough to spend three months in Seville (Sevilla), in Andalucia in southern Spain. I took my bike with me, a steel [Squid Gravtron](https://zulusierra.co/1000km-on-a-squid-gravtron/), to explore the local (and less local) areas. (Power-scroll to the bottom for the Komoot routes and GPX tracks.) ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c2a8e264-d522-43e0-9ada-c09e988f99b2_2000x1000.jpg) A sign on the Ruta del Plata: animo! After finding online map data incomplete, often giving directions to locked gates, lost in one-way systems, or along paths that don't exist (and haven't existed for a long time), I decided to pubilsh my five favourite rides, to help anyone else looking for a gravel experience from Sevilla. ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/dd5ea1ab-43e7-4fc8-9155-0a9d8d02f006_2000x2500.jpg) My bike and I taking a break I set each ride to start and finish at the excellent Muy Coffee on Coreduria, brilliantly operated by Les Hermanos del Cafe (I'm not sure if they I know I call them this). ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/52ff9634-e052-4410-b65f-0888b49025e7_2000x1000.jpg) The ruins of Munigua If you'd rather finish on a beer, on the other side of the square you'll find Hops and Dreams, which has eight taps of craft beer available, and excellent (chips|fries). Either way, what bliss? ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/90eb60c0-c20a-4b0e-8eb3-29ae263d08f2_2000x1333.jpg) Looking across a riverbed and valley north of Sevilla Some of the gravel is smooth, some is rough washboard, but at no point did I feel the need for suspension: the [650b/48mm René Herse Juniper Ridge tyres](https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/tires/650b/650bx48-juniper-ridge-tc/?ref=https://zulu-sierra.ghost.io) on carbon rims did a good job of keeping me fresh. ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/57de84bb-34f4-4afd-a5bd-c49bf0631a5e_2000x1000.jpg) An oak tree with its arms spread wide Most towns will have a water fountain, and will serve (bad) coffee: the safest bet is to ask for a *café solo pequeño*; the equivalent of a short espresso, and to add sugar. ![Gravel Rides Around Seville](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/59f48c2f-6746-4068-a8d8-6200af815b08_2000x1333.jpg) A fortified tower by the Ruta del Plata Cycling in Andalcuia has been wonderful: drivers are incredibly respectful, and over three months, always passing at a safe distance. I saw someone pulled over for wearing headphones, which carries a €190 fine (I think), so don't be that person. Bike lanes are normally bi-directional, painted green, and separated from the road: use them when they're available to save being honked at. With that (beta|meta|DOPE) out of the way, onto the rides... https://www.komoot.com/collection/1985200/-seville-gravel ### My post-flight photo workflow URL: https://zulusierra.co/my-post-flight-photo-workflow/ Last updated: 2022-09-01T21:53:27.000Z Since flying my first quadcopter, a Mavic Pro, I've evolved the sequence of events that between landing and having photos to share. It's the most efficient it's been, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. 1. Connect external volume (a SanDisk 2TB Extreme Pro) and microSD from the aircraft to the computer. 2. Run my media [moving script](https://zulusierra.co/moving-media/) to put the files I want in the place I want. 3. Open the DNG files in Adobe Camera RAW (Photoshop). 4. Merge the photos. 5. Edit the photos in Lightroom. (I know, I could merge in Lightroom, but then it wants to upload the source media to Adobe's cloud, and whilst that's where I want the final images, I have no desire to upload or store the source media there.) 6. Export to a folder locally. 7. Run this: `magick convert -crop "1:1" DJI*.jpg ./cropped/fileOut$02d.jpg` (which produces crops of each of the images, so a 2x1 image becomes 2 x 1x1 images, perfect for uploading to Instagram to get user interaction via swiping to see more). 8. Airdrop the uncropped image to my iPhone, and add a frame in VOUN. 9. Airdrop the framed photo back to my laptop. 10. Post with hashtags. ![My post-flight photo workflow](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/24679ffa-8efd-408a-a6d3-abbd274ad77d_2000x2000.jpg) ### Sports Technology Minimalism URL: https://zulusierra.co/sports-technology-minimalism/ Last updated: 2022-08-30T09:52:42.000Z As I optimise for six months of digital nomadism, I’ve been reviewing a lot of my possessions: what to keep, what to sell, what to donate. Some of this is easy as obvious large swathes of possessions can clearly be released into the material continuum, and some less so. Small things that I use but don’t necessarily benefit from, that take up physical space, mental space, and chronological space, and in the area of this post, sports technology tools I have decided to be without. ### The Removed Thing Purpose Reason for retirement Stryd Running power meter, very accurate distance measures, holistic running analysis. Garmin has native power that seems to be as accurate, and comparing with a watch that’s not connected to a Stryd, the distance tracking seems to be as accurate. Ameo PowerBreather Swimming snorkel that allows for land-style breathing I’ve taught myself to swim front crawl ‘properly’ and no longer need it. It seems to slow me down slightly, despite the excellent air delivery, and occupies a lot of physical space. Ōura Ring HRV-focussed wellness tracker Garmin now presents native HRV, which seems to be as accurate. Whoop Strap HRV-focussed wellness tracker Duplicate of the Ōura in many ways, expensive, annoying. Julbo EVAD-1 HUD Unreliable build quality with terrible support. Belongs in the [graveyard](https://zulusierra.co/my-failed-wearable-technology-graveyard/?ref=https://zulu-sierra.ghost.io). Karoo 2 Bike computer Despite being well-implemented, it just doesn’t do it for me. Garmin Edge 1030 Bike computer What a big, ugly slab. Can’t stand looking at it. Omata One Bike computer (analogue) This is hard: I love the Omata, but its unique mount on the back means I never use it. Garmin silicone strap Watch strap Despite wearing for many years, I’m thoroughly sold in their nylon/Velcro strap. Swim fins Training/propulsion After my beloved Speedo Nemesis fins tore, I haven't found a pair I enjoy swimming with for more than the occasional technique truing. ### HRV: Garmin versus Ōura URL: https://zulusierra.co/hrv-garmin-versus-oura/ Last updated: 2022-08-22T10:10:17.000Z Starting with 2022's 255 and 955 watches, Garmin has hadded HRV tracking to the battery of data generated from the optical sensor on their watches. This is available on 6 and 7 series watches, too, really bringing HRV trend lines to the masses. I find this an intersting comparison as Marco Altini, who I feel really started the 'at home HRV movement' with his app HRV4Training, has contributed to Oura's capabilties. His contributions, and several years of using HRV4T prior to using an Ōura, have given me a lot of confidence in their platform, more so than Whoop. Garmin is probably the biggest/best known fitness tracker maker, and is the owner of First Beat, who have spent years analysing HRV and HR to produce training guidance that many athletes rely on. I've been running the beta of Garmin's HRV software on my 7 series watch for about three weeks, and comparing it to my Oura (ultimately with a view to phasing the Oura out, despite it's otherwise excellent tracking, and tracking of body temperature). Each morning, a graph is rendered by both, showing average and high values, shown below (Oura on the left/first 79ms, Garmin on the right/second 76ms). ![HRV: Garmin versus Ōura](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/540f6bea-427f-469a-a5b5-f8697226993d_1170x1040.jpg) Lazy analysis, but the graphs exhibit similarity, something that is reflected across most of the days I've been wearing both. Talking of wearing both, my Garmin has been on my left wrist, and my Oura v3 on my right index finger. The Garmin strap has mostly been the Ti bracelet, with a few days of their nylon loop strap. Graphing out the 14 days of averages and highs looks like this: ![HRV: Garmin versus Ōura](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/e3285451-8865-402c-8725-d5dc0378ec48_1792x1091.jpg) A graph comparing Garmin's and Oura's average and high HRV readings in ms Aside from the obvious Oura/Garmin high discrepancy, the values follow a similar track, in the same way the daily graphs do: a very scientific 'close enough for my daily purposes'. Having seen other discrepancies, I believe these occur when the ring believes it doesn't have a good fit and stops collecting data, as shown below: ![HRV: Garmin versus Ōura](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/1d4d0462-472e-48fd-9248-c57fa2b796fb_1170x1215.jpg) Ōura's HRV graph showing a probably erroneous high after a loss of signal Garmin's high for the night was 115ms, and the average was 79ms, and aside from the pause in data collection on the ring's part, the two graphs look overly similar. ![HRV: Garmin versus Ōura](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/eb3d975b-fdcd-4841-b64e-ffed6029e01d_1170x1320.jpg) Garmin's HRV graph for the same night ## TL;DR? (Conclusion) This trend gives me confidence in Garmin's HRV tracking, should I choose to stop using my Ōura. ### Why continue using the Ōura? The Ōura, and the Whoop too, both have one variable that Garmin doesn't track: body temperature. Having used the CORE sensor during training and COVID vaccinations, I see a value in these data as an indicator of overall health and readiness. ### Moving media URL: https://zulusierra.co/moving-media/ Last updated: 2022-08-19T08:28:45.000Z For years, I've been manually copying files from microSD cards to external storage volumes after each flight. Today I had enough, and wrote myself a bash script to move files into a directory scheme *I* like. It's modular, and has some error handling. ### Openwater swimming with FORM URL: https://zulusierra.co/openwater-swimming-with-form/ Last updated: 2022-08-18T08:05:41.000Z A while ago, I wrote about the FORM goggles, mainly focussed on pool swimming. Since moving to within cycling distance of a very nice lake, I've had the opportunity to use the FORM goggles in OWS mode, which I'll focus on here. ### A Tale of Two Modes Form has two modes for OWS: 1. Goggle data only (with oHRM): the goggles will show time, stroke rate (front crawl only) and HR if you have one connected. Simple, self-contained, spartan. 2. Data streamed from a watch: the goggles will stream distance and HR data from your Garmin or Apple watch. ### Mode Two There's little to say of the first mode, aside from 'it just works', but the second mode is more interesting. The goggles and watch must be worn on the same side of the head, to improve the chances of a connection, and herein lies the problem: water is dense, and restrict's Bluetooth's transmission range to about 2cm. The time that the wearer rotates their head out of the water to breath before plunging back in again is all the time the goggles have to (re)establish a connection to the watch, and update the data. For unilateral breathers, this doesn't present a problem, but for bilateral breathing, my goggles seem to spend more time showing a message stating that they're disconnected from the watch, which is pretty annoying. If I take a few breaths on the same side, the connection is re-established, but not for very long. I'd like it more if, instead of showing a bland error message, the data stayed, but with an indicator to tell me it was stale. Another quirk is that when in mode two, the goggles won't connect to your configured oHR (if you have one): they'll only stream unreliable data from the watch's oHR sensor, which is (as noted above) often absent, or just wrong. ### Mode Two Improvements 1. Pull HR from the Polar HR sensor, if available. This would give 1 reliable data stream, with significantly improved accuarcy. 2. Add stroke rate (this would give a second reliable data stream). 3. Change the display to indicate stale data, instead of showing a 'disconnected' message. ### A Tale of Two Trainers URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-tale-of-two-trainers/ Last updated: 2021-07-23T11:30:13.000Z Bicycle trainers can be divided into two broad categories: those that support the bike, and those that don't. An example of the former would be the Tacx Neo 2T, or a Wahoo Kickr: both replace the rear wheel of the bike, holding it upright. The latter category is all about rollers, that allow both wheels to spin, and the bike balances as it does on the road. When I broke my arm, I bought the Tacx Neo 2T so I could ride safely while it healed. Faced with eight days of quarantine when visiting the UK, I bought an Elite Arion Mag Roller set, both heavily discounted but in perfect condition via Amazon Warehouse. The Tacx Neo 2T required is significantly more expensive, and touts road feel (ie it can simulate cobblestones), as well as simulating a freewheel on descents, and changing resistance to match real-world climbs: it has a lot of bells and whistles, and is an excellent trainer, but only for the leg muscles. The Mag Rollers are much cheaper, and more simple: two rollers to support the rear wheel, one of which drives the front wheel via a rubber band. It has three levels of resistance, controlled by a switch on the side. The rollers train your legs, but they also work every muscle you normally use when cycling, as you are actually cycling. This is the big difference between the two: the Neo 2T simulates the cycling experience, while the Mag Rollers deliver the experience. A roller ride is tiring not just on the legs, but the arms, hands, core and mind, as well. ## Pedal Smoothness The Mag Rollers don't just work your muscles: they work your technique, too. If your pedalling is at all jerky, you get instant feedback delivered via wobbles in the bike. You really have to develop excellent technique to pedal higher than about 60 RPM, let alone standing up. ## How To Roller Ride TL;DR? Rollers are harder than stationary trainers. Rollers let you actually ride a bike. Rollers are intimidating at first, and you can fall off them, just like a bike. This information was gleaned from several YouTube videos, and a morning of experimenting. 1. Put your rollers in a doorway. This way, when you wobble, you only have to fall the distance from the doorway to your shoulder. 2. Get your bike into its heaviest or second heaviest gear to start: as with riding outdoors, speed stabilises, and the faster you can get up to speed the better. 3. Start out with a low cadence: it's easy to pedal smoothly at a low cadence, probably 50-60 RPM. 4. Don't look at your front wheel. Look ahead, instead, just like riding. 5. Relax, pedal, pedal smoothly. 6. As your confidence increases, shift to a lighter gear and increase your cadence. Work your core to counterbalance your legs and keep the bike steady. 7. When you want to get off, apply the brakes, and dismount as normal, taking into account the extra height above the ground. ## In Summary... ...roller trainers are cheaper, and make you work harder. It's a lot more fun. Sure, being able to simulate the real world is wonderful, and roller trainers are noisy, and wear your tyres, but the riding experience, and corresponding riding proficiency improvement is more than worth it. ### CORE body temperature URL: https://zulusierra.co/core-body-temperature/ Last updated: 2021-07-22T16:36:33.000Z A recent addition to my array of data collection tools is the CORE body temperature monitor. ## TL;DR? A wearable skin and core body temperature monitor, that can record data for about a week constantly, and 'just works'. ## What is it? [A wee sensor that can be stuck to your skin with a pad](https://corebodytemp.com/?ref=https://zulu-sierra.ghost.io), or attached to a heart rate strap (chest or arm) that tracks your skin temperature (directly) and your core temperature (by inference). With a battery life of about a week, it can be used to track your body temperature whilst ill, while getting a COVID vaccination, while exercising, or any other occasion one might be curious about body temperature. ## Why would one want to track body temperature? Curiosity? A better understanding of the internal systems at work that deliver performance? Oh and because I can, which is probably the most honest reason. ## How have I used the sensor? ### Exercise I've tracked a lot of exercise with it: swimming, cycling, and running. ### Potential illness/vaccine side effects When getting both doses of Moderna, I wore the sensor, attached via a sticky, to my chest to see if there was a change in temperature. Nothing after the first dose, but an increase by 1°C after the second dose (also picked up by my Oura ring). ## What have I learned from these data? ### Windchill happens fast On a hot day, cycling up to the top of a hill with a steep descent: overlaying altitude and skin temperature shows a correlation that's almost instant. Over the descent, very little change to core temperature (it's a short, fast drop) but seeing the evaporative cooling effect is fascinating. ![CORE body temperature](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/e62e26c1-ad38-413c-b10d-e8cb65290da3_2000x924.png) A plot of skin temperature (blue, °C) against elevation (green) ### Temperature is an interesting metric for workout intensity My 'resting' temperature is about 36.6°C, increasing to about 38.6°C with a challenging piece. What's interesting here is defining challenging: it could be a base run on a hot day, where the run itself isn't the challenge, but the environment is, or a shorter interval piece on a cooler day. I've observed that the higher my temperature during a workout, the longer the recovery time is, and the harder the perceived effort. I'd love to see the Firstbeat recovery metric take temperature into account, if it doesn't already. ### Getting into a pool on a hot day Hot here means about 38°C, and the open-air pool is about 22°C. After a gentle cycle to the pool, my skin had warmed up nicely, but that was cooled off, as one might expect, but getting into the pool. What's interesting is that after the initial drop, the skin temperature gets back to where it was as the core temperature increases from the swim. ## How have these extra data improved my performance? Temperature as a metric for workout intensity is useful to track, and helps answer the (sometimes obvious) question of 'why did that run feel so much harder?' Now the weather is cooler, using the same temperature data to keep an eye on my core temperature when going straight from the pool to a bike (T1). ## Would I improve anything with the CORE sensor? 1. ~~It's always on, regardless of whether or not I'm wearing it. An auto-off algorithm would save me time charging it.~~ Nope, they fixed that! 2. ~~Low-battery alert/battery status via the ConnectIQ data field.~~ They fixed that too, by indicating the battery status with a sequence of LED blinks. 3. ~~Allow the ConnectIQ data field to download data stored in the sensor, much like an HRM after a swim (currently the only way to see data not streamed live to the watch is by directly synchronising the sensor with their app, and then reviewing either via their app or their website).~~ Christopher from CBT emailed to explain why this isn't immediately possible. 4. Better Wahoo integration. It's not CORE's fault, this one, but having to get the data in by pretending it's a muscle oxygen sensor annoys me (even if only because I still like to use my [Humon Hex](https://zulusierra.co/my-failed-wearable-technology-graveyard/)). ## Where do I get one? Direct from CORE: [https://corebodytemp.com/](https://corebodytemp.com/?ref=https://zulu-sierra.ghost.io) ### Combination speed/cadence sensor troubleshooting URL: https://zulusierra.co/combination-speed-cadence-sensor-troubleshooting/ Last updated: 2021-07-06T15:48:59.000Z I have a Suunto bike POD, which is - I believe - the same as the Wahoo combination sensor, and is a finnicky device. Here are my steps for troubleshooting its flakey performance and turning it into something useful: 1. Spoke magnet: this will always come loose. I apply blue thread lock, tighten the screw, and then build Sugru around it to further support it. 2. Spoke magnet/speed sensor: Suunto say the spoke magnet and speed sensor (a reed switch) must be within 4mm of each other. I disagree: 2mm seems to be safer. 3. Sensor housing/frame attachment: I wrap the bike frame with electrical tape, partly to protect the frame, and partly to provide more grip. I then zip tie it very tightly in place, so that it can't move. Remember: 1mm of movement can equate to no speed data, which equates to no distance data, even with a GNSS connection. 4. Cadence magnet: my bike frame (Canyon Grail CF) doesn't have enough space between the crank and the frame to use the supplied rubber housing. Instead, I 'built' my own housing out of more Sugru: the magnet is exposed to the world, but passes within a functioning distance of the cadence sensor (another reed switch). It hasn't fallen off, even after some very rough (washboard) gravel rides. 5. Software troubleshooting: the sensor has red and green LEDs. Green indicates the cadence sensor is functioning, red is speed. This is helpful, until they stop activating (only a few times per sensor activation). Using the Wahoo app (not the ELEMNT app), you can navigate to sensors, pair to the speed sensor, and see data from it much more easily than using the watch: Immediate speed/cadence data as you move the magnets near the sensors. *Invaluable.* ![Combination speed/cadence sensor troubleshooting](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/5a3db621-696f-43a7-b156-311d3bc8c8c3_2000x1126.jpg) Cadence magnet held in place with a blob of Sugru ![Combination speed/cadence sensor troubleshooting](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/853bc779-7bad-446a-ac45-f931bd6bdd0e_2000x991.jpg) Speed magnet held in place with more Sugru ![Combination speed/cadence sensor troubleshooting](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/1af5c33d-b9e5-42ba-8bf6-2c28f776f0c4_2000x1500.jpg) Suunto's combination speed/cadence sensor ('bike POD'), zip-tied in place ### Swimming with FORM URL: https://zulusierra.co/swimming-with-form/ Last updated: 2021-07-01T22:56:07.000Z As someone who likes data, and swimming, it should come as no surprise that I have a pair of the FORM goggles. They're terrific, and unlike a lot of sports tech, which servers no purpose beyond enhanced navel gazing, I've been able to use the live data during swimming to determine my optimum stroke rate, which has allowed me to complete longer swims more comfortably, and with less recovery. ## What are the FORM goggles? Initially they look like a pair of goggles from the 1980s: no hydrodynamic styling, bulky, especially so on one side... that side houses a Bluetooth radio, a computer, and a projector that allows me to see metrics like heart rate, pace, stroke rate and swim distance live as I swim. No awkwardly looking at my wrist during turns, just clean, simple data floating in front of me. ## Do they work with a snorkel? This was a question I asked FORM, and to their credit, they managed my expectations down and said that I would receive compromised data. I decided that a) they were wrong b) they didn't know me and c) I was going to ignore them and try the goggles with a snorkel anyway. I've had no issue with stroke rate data and a snorkel, and it's only slightly more awkward putting my Ameo Power Breather snorkel on at the same time, due to the Polar heart rate monitor on my temple. Stroke recognition is correct, as is distance. What doesn't work is connection to a watch (Apple or Garmin), which is to be expected: without my head (and by extension the Bluetooth antenna) coming out of the water at regular intervals, the goggles can't get data from the watch. As this is only an issue with a small subset of the functionality, I'm not bothered: I can still see stroke rate and HR during OWS, metrics developed within the goggles. ![Swimming with FORM](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/1b8d0add-ebfe-482e-9a71-2b8075c14cc8_1170x568.jpg) ## How do they make things better? While swimming up and down the pool, I see three four metrics: the top line is the workout timer, with the bottom line cycling between distance, heart rate, and stroke rate. ### Distance I'm awful at counting what length I'm on, I mean incredibly bad, so much so that I've gotten cross and ruined my zen swim state with frustration. I know, be more zen, just enjoy the swim, let go of the ego, because only the ego cares about distance. In the mean time, technology can do the distance counting. ### Stroke rate As I can see my stroke rate and heart rate while I swim, I can compare those data with how my body feels: over about 1km, I narrowed my optimal stroke rate down to about 57SPM. At that rate, I can concentrate on my technique, and decrease my overall time both in the pool and in open water. ### Open water My most common open water swim spot is the SF Bay, which has an average visibility of 30cm, stretching to 50cm on a rare occasion. Instead of gazing into the mirk for 40 minutes, I can watch my stroke rate and heart rate. ## Garmin/Apple Watch integration I'm not into this piece: the goggles ignore excellent HR data from the Polar unit, in favour of questionable data from the wrist delivered by the watch, over Bluetooth, in a poor environment. It's complex, doesn't work with snorkel swimming, and I'm generally not into it. If the goggles could pull HR from the Polar unit, instead of the watch, I'd change my mind, but I don't know if they can maintain two Bluetooth connections at once. ## Heart rate This requires either of Polar's two optical HR units, both seem to work as well as the other. ## Battery life So good that one could easily forget to charge them. ## Stroke detection On point. ## App Plain, simple, shows data, pushes data into Strava with a cute graphic. ### Honest opinions on the DJI Air2S URL: https://zulusierra.co/honest-opinions-on-the-dji-air2s/ Last updated: 2021-06-13T20:06:18.000Z I'll start with defining honest: I've flown 6 DJI aircraft over the years, and paid for them myself. The Air2S is their latest aircraft, offering the small size of the Air2, with a (the?) 1" sensor from the incredible Mavic 2 Pro. Lose the variable aperture, lose mass, price, and the sideways obstacle avoidance. Video modes have improved (hello, 4k 60), too, however it doesn't have Hasselblad's 'Colour Science' (which I imagine is a software license). ## The Bad ### Controller connectivity and transmission This is bad. When at the edge of the controller's range, instead of being cut off from the aircraft, and return to home initiated, the video feed has several seconds of lag introduced, which is a PITA for the RPIC. (Me.). Sure, it has a claimed 2km range increase in the FCC domain over the Air 2, but I don't believe it's a usable 2km: I think it's a best case scenario, dry air, no interference 2km. Whilst one might be tempted to think this is a moot point due to the maximum range being defined by line of sight, this issue presents a lot closer to the controller. I've triggered it following hill lines, which is far from ideal. In an ideal world, this would be fixed by decreasing the tolerance for RTH initiation, back in line with the Air 2: tacking 2km onto the transmission range, and then having an unreliable connection to the aircraft is unacceptable. ### GNSS connectivity bug More than once, it's been unable to connected to a constellation, despite showing 12-13 satellites connected. A power cycle later, and it behaves as one would expect, so clearly further finessing to be done. ![Honest opinions on the DJI Air2S](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/8f9583cb-7309-49bd-b403-f9b513f2c213_2000x1479.jpg) Lenticular clouds forming over an occluded front, over Napa, CA (C) Ze Stuart 2021 ## The Good It's a $1000 flying camera with a 1" sensor, incredible stability, wind resistance, and image quality. It's light, too, which makes carrying it on long hikes a lot more comfortable. It was the camera I had on me when I saw some lenticular clouds forming over an occluded front, and it produced this image, which I'm satisfied with. ### What's really exciting about Suunto's 2.16.26 Update URL: https://zulusierra.co/whats-really-exciting-about-suuntos-2-16-26-update/ Last updated: 2021-06-13T19:43:13.000Z TL;DR, I love Suunto: whilst a Garmin device has n+1 levels of functionality, I find that Suunto devices have an allure that almost makes up for what a Garmin promises (and sometimes delivers). In 2021-06, Suunto released firmware 2.16.26 for the 9 series of watches (9, Baro and Peak). The 9 Baro was three years old at time of writing, but with this update Suunto released features advertised as being part of their as-yet unreleased watch, the 9 Peak. In a culture of planned obsolescence this is nothing short of incredible. Garmin stop releasing new features after about a year, even if the older hardware is capable (one imagines...) of executing the code. Suunto could have chosen to keep new features, such as Ghost Run, for its new watch, encouraging existing customers to upgrade to new hardware, but instead they chose to behave like a decent organisation, not intent on creating endless profit based on endless churn. ### My Failed Wearable Technology Graveyard URL: https://zulusierra.co/my-failed-wearable-technology-graveyard/ Last updated: 2021-06-01T18:42:34.000Z Over the years I have amassed a collection of failed wearable technology (sadly absent is Google Glass). ## What do I mean by failed? Failed here doesn't mean the product didn't work, but instead that the manufacturer/vendor stopped supporting the product's back-end services, effectively creating a paperweight, or just quietly evaporated . This behaviour is concerning for two reasons: first, as a consumer, it's hard to have faith in a new product when it's completely dependant on a cloud back-end. Second, the environmental impact: by creating paperweights of rare minerals, it validates our wasteful society. Wasteful of time, and materials. In the devices I have below (I'll add more as I find them), companies both large and small fail. Large companies fail at the final polish and deliver an unfinished product, whereas it seems small companies fail to solidify, despite excellent customer experience and functionality. ## The Interred ### Recon JET Type: sunglasses, screen (non-transparent) The Recon JET was first a ski goggle, and then a pair of sunglasses, that put a screen in bottom third of the wearer's right eye. They were a completely functional product, if rather bulky and cumbersome. I sold mine a long time ago, so no photo, but easy to find. **Cause of death:** bought by Intel, discontinued ### Oakley RADAR Pace Type: sunglasses, AI coach via audio [This is what I thought of it back in 2016 when was released.](https://zulusierra.co/reviewing-the-oakley-radar-pace-over-a-few-days/) There's a reason I'm putting the RADAR and JET next to each other. Oakley's RADAR Pace sunglasses included decent Bluetooth headphones (and microphone), and the following sensors: - accelerometer - gyroscope - pressure - humidity They could also connect to a plethora of external sensors via ANT+ or Bluetooth, and could calculate running power without a Stryd. They were marketed as a full training tool, with AI determining the next best workout for you, based on historic workouts. I found them to be excellent, aside from sensor/connectivity dropouts. They featured Intel's Real Speech technology, allowing me to ask 'the coach' training-related questions ('what's my next workout?', 'what's my pace?' &c), but are you seeing a correlation with the JET? Intel. When Intel decided that they were bored of wearables, they closed their wearable division, and with it the RADAR Pace glasses, amongst others. Released in 2016, the app was never updated beyond 2017, and the updates were minimal. As a user, the experience was very much that it was a late-term abortion. It's always odd, and sad to see products like this: clearly a lot of effort went into developing the software and hardware, and I'd say they got 90% of the way to a finished product. That last 10%, though, the critical polishing that transitions something from a novelty to a useful tool, never happened. It's depressingly common for companies to behave this way: go 90%, and quietly fail and run away at the hard part. Chris Hoiberg detailed the tragic tale here: [http://www.o-review.com/forum\_detail.php?ID=13673](http://www.o-review.com/forum%5Fdetail.php?ID=13673&ref=zulusierra.co) **Cause of death:** lack of support from Intel and Oakley, unfinished product at time of launch. ## Humon Hex Type: wearable muscle oxygen sensor The Hex's promise is to tell its wearer when the underlying muscle is optimally oxygenated for either interval or endurance work, allowing one to remain in that zone by tuning effort, in theory optimising the workout. Whilst Hex's company, Humon, has quietly, quietly tiptoed into the background the sensor still works via Garmin data fields, which are [available via Connect IQ](https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/developer/3a1fa1f8-7f0c-47c6-b258-162647ccb055/apps?ref=zulusierra.co). The company's site is still up, but their Shopify store no longer loads, and it's no longer possible to log in to the site, or modify settings in the app (loading the app on iOS results in a crash, and I can't find it on the Play store). Still, as long as one has a Garmin, it's perfectly usable, even if one is denied the finer details and voice guidance of the app. I still use my Hex on indoor trainer rides, and its muscle state for intervals correlates nicely with Garmin's 'workout of the day' intervals. It also works with Wahoo's head units, something to be looked into. **Cause of death:** unknown, probably failure to become a profitable business. *EDIT*: I must have must missed the email, but the5krunner has a good write-up here: [https://the5krunner.com/2020/02/12/humon-hex-closes/](https://the5krunner.com/2020/02/12/humon-hex-closes/?ref=zulusierra.co) ## Lumo Run Type: wearable running coach The Lumo measured cadence, braking, bounce, pelvic rotation, and pelvic drop. This data was relayed back to an app, either for live coaching, or exercises to perform before/after a run to improve performance. It was simple: charge, clip onto shorts, open app, plug in headphones, go for a run, follow instructions. They had a problem with their first batch of hardware that led to a recall, but it was more of a good will recall than a necessary one (the fix was to put the sensor in its pouch the other way round). **Cause of death:** unknown, probably failure to become a profitable business. ### Eight months later with the Julbo EVAD-1 URL: https://zulusierra.co/eight-months-later-with-the-julbo-evad-1/ Last updated: 2021-06-01T00:54:03.000Z I think it's safe to say that the EVAD-1 is the most expensive pair of sunglasses I've bought, or possibly will buy. After a long and tedious *conversation* with US customs, hell-bent on enforcing FDA regulations I got my paws on them. ## A recap - Sunglasses: excellent. Julbo's photochromic tech puts Oakley's to shame, and their lens technology is easily on par. - Heads-up display: excellent. Well positioned, very clear to read, good battery life. - Software: stable, but very, very limited. A technology demonstrator at bests. ## So, how are they now? Things have come a long way since last summer! The company behind the display technology, ActiveLook, released v2 of their app, that adds a lot of functionality: it can connect to any of my normal bike sensors over bluetooth, including handling devices with more than one data stream (power meters that also issue cadence or speed information). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/e25a7ca1-4270-49e8-9129-23331a4f7dfd_1170x965.jpg) A screenshot of a more customised display Information display customisation has come a long way, too. Gone are the basic three fields, replaced with up to six fields per page, including cyclists favourites such as Normalised Power. Needless to say this is a huge improvement, and shows what ActiveLook are capable of. They still have some way to go, but it's a huge relief to see them building on the original version. ## But... ...right. There's a but. These new improvements are wonderful: having a collection of Dead Sports Technology, I really didn't want the EVAD-1 to be added to the graveyard at all, let alone so soon. Where ActiveLook are failing to deliver are the bugs. If you stop pedalling, the average power field is replaced by NaN: it sounds like they haven't caught a divide by zero event. The Normalised Power field never changes from -.-w, regardless of what power meter is issuing the data. The swipe sensor that lets the wearer change screens basically doesn't work. It has, I think twice, so I if I want to change the display I either don't, or I use my phone to. ## Garmin integration This is another area of woe: the standalone app has yet to change, recording all activities as a 'Street Run'. I hope the dev team is refactoring this as a data field, as Form have done for open water swimming with their excellent goggles. I want to be clear, though: although the functionality is limited, it does work solidly, there's just no data customisation, and you're always doing a Street Run. ## Stryd integration I've seen this asked a few times: does the EVAD-1 work with a Stryd footpod? Not that I've been able to make happen. What's interesting, though is that the EVAD-1 sits solidly enough on my head that I would absolutely use them running, and would prefer to look at the data overlayed on the top-left of my field of view than to glance at my watch. ## Why no photos? It's really hard to get a photo of the screen! ### 4000km on a Cannondale Slate URL: https://zulusierra.co/4000km-on-a-cannondale-slate/ Last updated: 2021-05-31T21:08:28.000Z Back in 2016 (or was it 2015?) when the Slate was announced, it was if not the first, a very early bike in a new breed: Cannondale called it an 'all-road' bike, a category that has become gravel bikes. The Slate features unusually small 650b wheels, and even more unusually a Lefty front suspection fork. To cap off the unusualness of the bike, the steerer tube is 1.5", really restricting the stem choices available. I bought my Slate when I first moved to California, and across many iterations have ridden metrics, a century, and a lot of other rides in-between. I bought it from Sports Basement, as an ex-display model with a 30% discount, which on top of another 10% discount was incredible. Since then, I think the only component I haven't changed on it is the frame and the fork (the wheels were replaced under warranty). ## TL;DR? The Slate is very comfortable, easy on the wrists thanks to the suspension, very manoeuvrable thanks to its smaller wheels and generally a pleasure to ride. ## What have I used my Slate for? One century, several metrics, and lot of rides in between, mostly on road but with a bit of gravel. ## What changes have I made to the original build? ### Drivetrain The biggest change I've made, and one that I still have trouble with today, is the switch from the flawless Ultegra shifting to SRAM's eTap. I should clarify this is original eTap Red, not one of the newer variants. Why is it troubling? Neither I, nor my local bike shop, could ever get the front shifter to behave: every so often when changing *sur la plaque* it would through the chain off. Combined with how the battery sticks out from the front shifter, it greatly restricts the tyre size. The 42c tyres - big, cushiony balloons to ride on - rub on the battery casing by about 2-3mm (possible less). I - to my chagrin - worked around this problem by switching to a 1x setup. I have a gorgeous oval chain ring, but I find I miss the top-end speed. ### Power meter With the switch to eTap, I added a SRAM Quarq Dzero power meter. Wonderful thing, works perfectly, L/R balance, with cadence information. Battery changes are easy, and rare. ![4000km on a Cannondale Slate](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/c47c9caa-87dc-400a-8c8e-57d836e85aec_2000x1500.jpg) Freshly-wrapped K-Wing AGX bars, and a lovely Omata 'computer' ### Seatpost Long before I knew about Canyon (and the Grail), I knew about Ergon, and their CF seat posts: adding one of these really took the sting out of the rough roads in the Bay Area, I can't recommend them enough. ### Handlebars For a while I had Specialized S-Works Aerofly Carbon Handlebars, which I loved, but I started to want something with a bit more spread to them. I'm currently enjoying the FSA K-Wing AGX bar: similar rise to the Aeroflys, and oh-so-comfortable. ![4000km on a Cannondale Slate](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/ab10eae4-c942-42ff-906e-35ae101574c3_2000x1034.jpg) The gorgeous lines of the Aerofly bars ### Tyres There's been a lot of tooing-and-froing with tyres on this bike, but I've settled on the Specialized Sawtooth 2Bliss Ready 650b Tire. Never have I had a tubeless tyre seat up so well, and they are *fast*. I'm tempted to try a return to a 2x - they might not rub - but I haven't been motivated yet. *Yet.* ![4000km on a Cannondale Slate](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/9bbfc66a-6f62-4076-8101-0f5122a06953_1856x1002.jpg) Clearance with a 38c tyre: just a bit close for comfort! ### Chainring I have a 42T oval ring from Garbaruk and it pedals very well. As noted earlier, I miss the top-end speed of a 2x setup, but for rolling along peacefully this is a delight. Perhaps I just need to get a bigger chainring..? ## What problems have I had over 4000km? This bike has a lot of quirks: more quirks than regularities, from the very tight fit of the tyres near shifting components, to the steerer, take your pick. But, it's worth it. I've had so much fun riding the bike, fixing problems of my own creation, that I'd happily do it all over again. ## What's next for my Slate? I'd love to get it back to a 2x, eTap, without the chain jumping off, with 42c tyres. Is that too much to ask? ### 4000km on a Canyon Grail URL: https://zulusierra.co/4000km-on-a-canyon-grail/ Last updated: 2021-05-31T17:23:43.000Z I love bikes, but for me to want to own a bike, and spend hours riding it, it needs to be different to the rest: Cannondale's Lefty forks (I love my Hooligan), Evil's Hagar with its DH-inspired geometry on a gravel frame, or Canyon's bizarre handlebar on the Grail. I spent a year not buying the Grail, carefully thinking about it, and impatiently waiting for it to come back into stock. I was worried that the lack of adjustability in the headset area would make it non-viable, but decided to trust in the 30-day returns policy and their fit calculator. Two years on, it's the most comfortable bike I have. ## TL;DR? I love this weird bike. It's reliable, resilient, incredibly comfortable, and fast. ## What have I used my Grail for? The Grail is marketed as a gravel bike, which translates as 'real-world comfortable road bike'. I've used it for some gravel, a lot of road, and with the help of Tailfin's panniers, a lot of commuting. I've put it on a trainer (Garmin/Tacx Neo 2T) after breaking my arm, without issue. ## What changes have I made to the original build? ### Computer mount I've used the original Canyon product, but as it doesn't have an underside mount I stopped as soon as the days started to shorten. I've broken a Barfly under/over spoon with Garmin's UT800 light on it, and settled for K-Edge's re-designed under/over mount, which has moves the 'under' mount closer to where the mount attaches to the frame, and puts the computer on the other side of a hinge. This reduces the stress on the piece. ![4000km on a Canyon Grail](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/2f5d2071-55e4-4d1e-9f6b-b827dec79815_2000x2000.jpg) The bike with the Barfly mount, that later snapped. ### Power meter I like power data, and as the bike came with Shimano, I couldn't (easily) use my preferred SRAM/Quarq power meter, so I tried something new: a Powertap G3 hub-based power meter. Whilst I miss the L/R power data, the hub power meter 'just works', and provides speed data too, eliminating one sensor. The only devices that don't seem to be compatible with it are Suunto devices, which is on their code, and not the G3, the issue being they pull power data, but not speed. ### Oval chainring My Grail is a 2x system, and I replaced the smaller front ring with a Carbon Black oval. I wanted to have an oval on both, but could never get the shifting to be reliable. ### Tyres My Grail shipped with the Schwalbe G-One Bite, which were fine, but given that I only ride on dry ground, I switched them for the standard G-One. Along the way, I tried the Panaracer Gravel King SK Knobbys and Slicks, mostly for the colour. Whilst the both rolled very well, I found them to be terribly puncture-prone. Those colours, though... ### Saddle After realising I wasn't aero enough (is anyone, ever?) I lowered the handlebars by 5mm, and to increase my comfort (read: decrease numbness) I swapped the saddle for a Fizik Transiro Mistica. ### Panniers Using Tailfin's system, I've been able to attach excellent panniers to an otherwise mountless bike. This is accomplished by swapping the rear through-bolt axle for Tailfin's, and done. It's a really wonderful system; I can't say enough good things about it. ### Frame bag I'm very clear on this: I do not like the Topeak/Canyon bag for the grail. The zips are annoying to use, it feels poorly made (one of the zip pulls came off in the first week), and sometimes the material catches on my legs when I'm riding. The material that covers the zips flaps in the wind. It's going to be replaced, but it's working, so I'm loathe to (just yet). I think one from Apidura, as they're wonderful. ![4000km on a Canyon Grail](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/47e89311-141c-4550-8849-a98b27c0d6b0_2000x1125.jpg) The Grail's handlebars, after being lowered by 5mm ## What problems have I had over 4000km? - Hmm... flats? I've had a few flats. - I've changed the cogs once, along with the chain due to normal wear. - It was incredibly annoying to find a way to satisfactorily attach a light to the front of the bike due to the handlebars, only really satisfactorily solved by my recent K-Edge, and even with that I'm limited to GoPro-style friction lights. ## What's next for my Grail? Deep section Vs? As per The Vegan Cyclist, yes, please! A new frame bag, too. Sometimes I think eTap would be fun, but the Di2 is perfect, so I rarely think about that. The bike is as close to being perfect as I could imagine. ### How to Synchronise from Withings to Garmin URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-to-synchronise-from-withings-to-garmin/ Last updated: 2021-05-03T23:02:35.000Z This is a problem I've been typing into search engines for a while: how to sync data from Nokia Health/Withings to Garmin? It seems simple: take data from cloud a, shove it into cloud be, to save me from typing data I see with my eye balls into Garmin. ## Why is this important? All the virtual sports goal points that Garmin produces sooner or later involve the user's mass, as Garmin is all about quantifying our ability to move this mass against gravity, air and water resistance. ## Why is this a problem? Garmin, for all their engineering brilliance, are a bunch of tools sometimes. Here's the flow: 1. I stand on scale. 2. Scale quantifies me. 3. Data is written over WiFi to Withings servers. 4. Withings app on my phone - Health Mate - then writes this data to Apple Health (or Google Fit, either way). 5. Garmin does not read from Apple Health, or Google Fit, despite being configured to do so. Obviously this data going automatically to Garmin would be bad. I imagine they block this for the following reasons: 1. They want me to replace my scale with a Garmin scale. My scale works fine, and Garmin's scale hasn't got a new, magical way of giving me even better virtual sports points. 2. Me having to open the app is good for Garmin: I'm opening the app at least once a day, at the same time a day to enter this data, which builds a habit around Garmin. Another question that presents itself is why hasn't Withings created an automatic outbound connection? I can't think of a business case, and imagine that it's due to internal chaos. Still, it's a shame. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/fa1bcada-2311-4b67-b100-72cc92acd133_609x72.jpg) ## The Solution (2021) ### Update 2021-07-23 I no longer use the solution described below, and pay $15/year for [https://smartscalesync.com/](https://smartscalesync.com/?ref=zulusierra.co). I switched due to the sync regularly not working, and me spending more time troubleshooting it than I would typing in the data manually. ### Old Solution Someone else's Python magic: And I do mean magic. The kind of open source thing that works, makes a problem go away, all because someone with better Python that me was also annoyed. I'm not in love with entering my Garmin password in plain text, but at the same time, this runs on my laptop, and I'm comfortable with the risk. Here's to never manually entering my mass in Garmin again. ## Addendum: implementation quirk Garmin added some rules to their Cloudflare firewall that broke the script. The nice person who maintains it added in cloudscraper functionality to fix the problem. It mostly works: I 'fixed' it by wrapping the sync command in a while loop, which executes from a cron job. ### The Golden Age of Technology Ren. Fair URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-golden-age-of-technology-ren-fair/ Last updated: 2021-05-01T00:41:03.000Z # When was the Golden Age of Technology? ![The Golden Age of Technology Ren. Fair](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/70e338cf-5336-4f76-82e1-c12d7b338dc8_1280x960.jpg) To me, technology was most interesting from about 1995-2018\. Palm Pilots, Psions, Nokia phones in many wonderful shapes and sizes, you name it: if design teams could draw it, it could be manufactured! It might (or might not) be bug-ridden, but compared to today's dull rectangles of doom and scrolling addiction, many devices had something endearing about them. # What do you mean by a Ren Fair? Americans do this thing where they dress up - for example - as Victorians, and pretend to be Victorians. Part racting, for those of you that have read *The Diamond Age*, part full-world immersion, it gives people a break from the tedium of daily life and lets them explore a fantasy world. Cosplay, but more subtle. This is the same, but even less extreme: for a day, post-2018 technology gets left behind. Cupboards and eBay are raided for working examples of your favourite pieces. SIM cards of the right size are sought out, IRDA ports are cleaned, AAA batteries inserted. Everyone then turns up, and has a happy day without the modern interpretation of a comm. Bonus points for bringing your own GSM network (Defcon attendees, you know what I mean). Have your vCard ready to beam out across the IR spectrum. Bring your chalk for war chalking. Bring a Nokia internet tablet for war walking. Bathe in the nostalgia of cracking a WEP password and gaining free internet access. # When? I think this needs a critical mass in a geographic zone: I'm picking the Soutbank in London, and the Ferry Building in SF. Let's say 100 attendees per zone. You'll need to be fully vaccinated, wearing a mask, and up for keeping a social distance, assuming this happens when COVID is still a thing. # Metadata The *Blue Ant* or *Bigend* trilogy, by William Gibson, but if you're pressed for time the first one will be just fine. [When Phones Were Fun](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwd8abTO4vh2smuMzykXDOPNnsxhHC4Oh&ref=zulusierra.co) (Mr. Mobile, YouTube) # What, really? Yes, really! Use the form below to sign up: if we hit 100 people for either location, we'll get this thing going. \* indicates required Email Address \* Handle Location Southbank, London Embarcadero, SF, USA Somewhere else Marketing Permissions Please select all the ways you would like to hear about the Golden Age of Technology Ren Fair: Emails about the Golden Age of Technology Ren Fair You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. [Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.](https://mailchimp.com/legal/?ref=zulusierra.co) # ### Migrating from Medium to Ghost URL: https://zulusierra.co/migrating-from-medium-to-ghost/ Last updated: 2021-05-01T00:22:37.000Z After some searching on DDG, I found a solution that worked, actually linked on Ghost's help site where they offer a migration service. Their URL, 'for the brave': 1. Follow the instructions. 2. Done. I love open source magic. ### Smoked Vesper URL: https://zulusierra.co/smoked-vesper/ Last updated: 2021-03-24T15:28:52.000Z In *Casino Royale*, Bond orders not a vodka martini (shaken) but a drink he later names the Vesper: > 'A dry martini,' he said. 'One. In a deep champagne goblet.' > 'Oui, monsieur.' > 'Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?' > 'Certainly monsieur.' The barman seemed pleased with the idea. > 'Gosh, that's certainly a drink,' said Leiter. > Bond laughed. 'When I'm ... er ... concentrating,' he explained, 'I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I think of a good name.' *Casino Royale*, by Ian Fleming This gives us a 3:1:0.5 ratio of gin to vodka to Kina Lillet. Kina Killet's recipe has changed over the years, dropping the bitter quinine. I've added Angostura bitters to make up for the bitter flavour of quinine. ## Ingredients - Sipsmith VJOP gin - [Lapsang Souchong-infused Fair Quinoa vodka](https://zulusierra.co/teabag-vodka-lapsang-souchong/) - Kina Lillet - Angostura bitters - preferred citrus peel ## Recipe 1. Several hours ahead of desired drinking, mix a 3:1:0.5 ratio of the primary three ingredients, and freeze. (Freezing early neatly avoids the gin-bruising and dilution arguments introduced by ice.) 2. To serve, pour into a glass of choice. Add two dashes of bitters (or to taste), citrus peel, and sip pensively. The result is a smokey, botanical tension reliever, with notes of tea and citrus. Sometimes I enjoy the aesthetic of tiny ice flecks floating in the drink, so I'll shake it gently with ice before serving. I've made this in bulk and kept it in the freezer, adding bitters and peal when I serve without discernible loss of quality (or enjoyment). ### Teabag Vodka: Lapsang Souchong URL: https://zulusierra.co/teabag-vodka-lapsang-souchong/ Last updated: 2021-03-23T22:32:04.000Z I want to get this out of the way first: I don't think there's a way of saying 'oh I'd like a cup of Lapsang Souchong' without sounding either pretentious, or up one's own arse. I'm at peace with that: it's a delicious black tea, smoked over pine. ## Ingredients - 325ml of vodka - Lapsang Souchong (say it with me) tea bag ## Recipe 1. Start with room-temperature vodka, and leave the tea bag in for about 24h. 2. Remove tea bag. The result is a pleasantly smokey vodka, with a supporting flavour of black tea. ### Speedy Square Crops for Instagram Carousel Posts URL: https://zulusierra.co/speedy-square-crops-for-instagram-carousel-posts/ Last updated: 2021-03-08T22:54:49.000Z Posting to Instagram, more than any other social platform is an art unto itself. To start with, they only allow three aspect ratios in a single post: - 1:1 - 4:5 (portrait) - 1.91:1 (landscape, very annoying!) From a platform perspective, I understand the restriction, and from a photographer's perspective, it's gory-damn annoying, especially for details in landscape photos. The workaround is a carousel post: a gallery of images. Due to the way Instagram lays the images out, there's no border, which when cropped correctly creates the illusion of a seamless scrolling vista: ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2021/03/filout24.jpg) One image split into two to populate a carousel post This leads to the next problem: how does one quickly slice up an image into the requisite perfect pieces for Instagram? Imagemagick, of course! ``` magick convert -crop "1:1" fileToBeCropped.jpg croppedFile$02d.jpg ``` The result? 1:1 squares based on the height of the image. NB: this is for Windows, I believe for macOS or Linux one uses ' instead of ". ### Walnut-cashew butter URL: https://zulusierra.co/cashew-walnut-butter/ Last updated: 2021-03-02T18:05:43.000Z A recent trip to Grocery Outlet led to me finding a 227g jar of Artisana walnut cashew butter for $7, with a list price of $15\. Unsurprisingly Artisana know their craft, and it was delicious, but I knew I didn't want to pay $15 for it so I made my own. I know, based on the ingredients, that Artisana use more walnuts than cashews, and technically mine is cashew-walnut butter, but that's neither here nor there, or it's exactly there, but I'm here, and either way it tasted good on toast. ## Recipe 1. Blend 260g of cashews with 100g of walnuts until spreadable: 9-20m. I've read coconut fat can be added to aid the formation, but it wasn't listed in the ingredients, so I skipped it. I know what you're thinking: 260 + 100 > 227, but here's the thing: you have to account for shrinkage. Dog and I had to QC the spread along the way, ultimately QCing it on a piece of toast. It transpired that we had almost exactly 100g of shrinkage. ## Costs Not having the costs of the walnuts and cashews I had on hand, I went on Amazon to find the cheapest cost per gram of raw, organic nuts: Ingredient Quantity Cost Cashews 260 $5.57 Walnuts 100 $3.57 $9.14 This surprised me: it was actually cheaper to buy the spread in Grocery Outlet than to make it at home in a blender, and by a couple of dollars. GO doesn't is a very zen shopping experience, allowing the price-conscious buyer to embrace what's available *now* and enjoy the change, so one can't always rely on them, but it's an interesting lesson in nut-based economics. Playing with numbers so I have slightly more walnuts than cashews (190g to 170g), a recipe more in line with Artisana's based on ingredients list order on the label, brings the price up to $10.43. ### Inorganic nuts If one switches from organic to non-organic (inorganic?) nuts, the price is cut by about 50% or more, but as Artisana used organic, I stuck with that for my modelling. ### Tuning the model to match the original quantity What if we drop the quantity to assume the QC team takes the day off during the production run, to 120g of walnuts and 107g of cashews? We are just below GO price, and $6.58. Obviously we need to factor in costs for time, electricity, and amortisation of the blender, but that's too much effort to model for a project of this scale. (With this production run, the time was donated, the blender a gift, and the electricity came from solar panels.) ## Lessons learned Nut butters are a luxury item, and the more exotic, the more luxurious. One can save when making them yourself, but one probably can't compete with the bulk-buying of Artisana, combined with the business model of an operation like Grocery Outlet, and should take advantage of these bounties. TL;DR? Always know your ingredients price per gram when shopping. ### Vegan Full Fat Old Fashioned URL: https://zulusierra.co/vegan-full-fat-old-fashioned/ Last updated: 2021-02-28T15:53:58.000Z After making my buttered bourbon, the next logical step was to use it in an Old Fashioned. Initially, I thought I'd made a mistake with the cask strength Maker's Mark, but after drinking it kept the flavour of the bourbon in pace with the other flavours. ## Ingredients 1. 50g [buttered bourbon](https://zulusierra.co/vegan-buttered-bourbon/) 2. 5g (1tsp) maple syrup 3. 1.5g Angostura bitters 4. A slice of blood orange Why a blood orange? It's fancy. This is a fancy cocktail. That and they're a bit sweeter: I find they stand up well to the rest of the ingredients, and the slice is even more delicious to eat at the end. ## Recipe 1. Mix the bourbon and syrup in a glass. 2. Add bitters: I like to go strong, 3-5 dashes gets about 1.5g. Mix again. 3. Add your slice of blood orange, juicing a little. 4. Freeze until ready to drink (I like to leave it in there for an hour). ### Vegan Buttered Bourbon URL: https://zulusierra.co/vegan-buttered-bourbon/ Last updated: 2021-02-27T17:20:32.000Z Back around 2015, I used to enjoy a a cocktail called a Full Fat Old Fashioned from at the Hawksmoor restaurant, in Soho, London. This was back when I ate steak tartare, and every other animal product between me and the bottom of the plate. Present day, 2021, it's been a long time since I've consumed an animal product, but my enjoyment of butter and bourbon has yet to decrease. Below is my (very simple) recipe for making buttered bourbon, and at the same time, bourbon-infused butter. The resulting liquid is a lovely little experience: the first taste is the butter, full and fatty rolling across the tongue in a rich wave, followed by the bourbon, in this case Maker's Mark cask strength, with its characteristic flavours, the rear brought up by the heat of the alcohol. I believe the butter would be well used in a cake, and possibly further infused with coffee beans. ## Ingredients - 375ml bourbon (I used Maker's Mark, cask strength) - 114g plant-based butter (I used Myoko's, I think any almond or oat based one would work, but I'd stay away from more vegetable blends including olive oil) ## Steps 1. Pour bourbon into sauce pan. 2. Put butter into bourbon. 3. Bring to roiling boil, ensuring all butter has melted. 4. Freeze overnight to separate. 5. Filter the resulting slurry through washed coffee filter paper and a funnel. 6. Store both the bourbon and the butter in the fridge. ### Retiring GAFYD/Suite/Workspace URL: https://zulusierra.co/retiring-gafyd-suite-workspace/ Last updated: 2021-01-07T00:20:11.000Z A long time ago ([2008](http://2007-2010.akamike.net/technology/oxford-geek-night-8/?ref=zulusierra.co)), quite literally in a [land far, far away](https://goo.gl/maps/8XYmRNREmSPKiWkH9?ref=zulusierra.co), I gave a short talk on how I'd started using Google Apps For Your Domain. Prior to that, whilst studying for my MCSE, I'd set up an Exchange server environment on old desktops at home, and run my email &c off that. Moving to GAFYD saved a lot on the electricity bill, and my time on admin overhead. 13 years and two product names later, I was in the same position with Google Workspace as I had been with Exchange. It was costing more than I wanted to spend, and the complications of using it as an every-day Google account were getting tedious, and I no longer needed push email notifications (my personal email is mostly a receipt repository): I'd already done enough migrations between Google and O365 to have reminded myself what I think of Outlook, and felt the particular lemon of corporate Google was fully squeezed. I wanted to keep using my domain for email, but without the overhead and snags of the corporate product. Deciding to leave Google Workspace is one thing, executing it another: I have a lot of photos in Google Photos, and a lot of data in Drive. I'm not trying to leave Google completely - I just don't think there's a realistic replacement for their browser-based office suite and spam filtering - just save a few currency units and simplify. After some research, I found someone else's work to copy: [https://www.39digits.com/migrate-g-suite-account-to-a-personal-google-account](https://www.39digits.com/migrate-g-suite-account-to-a-personal-google-account?ref=zulusierra.co) Chris seems like a sensible person: doesn't like Brexit, is embarrassed by the UK's COVID response, rejects Facebook. His documentation is good, too, with plenty of detail. I've made a shorter version - just a checklist - that you might find helpful: ### Caveats - Spam: when importing mail, I noticed Gmail was marking a lot of email as spam that wasn't, so it's worth checking the spam filter. - Photos: Google Photos didn't recognise any faces in the photos until the old GAFYD account was deleted: once I'd deleted the account, it recognised faces again, although had to be re-trained. - When setting up Gmail on my iPhone, I need to set the address to my domain's address, and not the gmail account address, as otherwise the iPhone would try and reply from the incorrect one. ### 2020-12-21 Jupiter/Saturn Conjuction URL: https://zulusierra.co/2020-12-21-jupiter-saturn-conjuction/ Last updated: 2020-12-22T16:17:34.000Z [In my last post](https://zulusierra.co/astrophotography-with-a-sony-nex-7/), I wrote about the maths behind getting maximum exposure with minimal motion blur using my Sony Nex 7, and predicting that exposure for a given focal length. This maths - originally using the 500 rule, re-writing it to a 200 rule, served as a useful guide to start the images, but still requires some fine-tuning, probably with a scalar factor for the lens length, instead of a fixed integer. I was lucky enough to have a break in fog and a high hill to climb to see the conjunction, and took two photos I was pleased with (out of about 30). The landscape photo was taken at 50mm, and the portrait taken with a 10mm exposure. I took several exposures at 200mm, but was unsatisfied with the results, due to the noise being too high from the ISO. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2020/12/_dsc5215-1.jpg) 50mm, f/1.8, 4s exposure, ISO 100 ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2020/12/_dsc5235-1.jpg) 10mm, f/4, 8s exposure, ISO 400 ### Astrophotography with a Sony Nex 7 URL: https://zulusierra.co/astrophotography-with-a-sony-nex-7/ Last updated: 2020-12-21T17:19:21.000Z The Sony Nex 7 is a mirrorless 24mpx camera, released in 2011, featuring an Exmor APS-C sensor, with a crop factor of 1.53 when compared to a 35mm piece of film. ## Exposure I attempted to work out the optimum exposure to reduce/remove motion blur from stars, by starting with the 500 rule: `Exposure = ((500 / $lensLength) / $cropFactor)` This suggested for my 50mm lens, an exposure of 7s would not feature motion blur. This is the result at 100%: ![Motion blur with a 6s exposure](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2020/12/image_2020-12-21_08-09-54.png) Motion blur with a 6s exposure This is obviously not satisfactory when one's goal is sharp, in focus stars. I experimented until I got a satisfactory lack of motion blur, and for the 50mm lens at least, this suggests that for the Nex-7 one should employ a '200 rule': `Exposure = ((200 / $lensLength) / $cropFactor)` This yields a projected expsure of 2.6s, rounded *down* to 2s. Projections as follows for other focal lengths: Lens length (mm) Exposure (s) 200 0.7 100 1.3 50 2.6 30 4.4 18 7.3 10 13.1 ### Why 50mm? My 50mm lens has an aperture that starts at f 1.8: this allows a lot of light in, allowing me to use a relatively low ISO - as low as 100 - which reduces noise in the image. ![ISO 100, 50mm lens, f 1.8, 4s exposure (actually an HDR capture, with HDR used to reduce motion blur)](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2020/12/_dsc5205-hdr.jpg) ISO 100, 50mm lens, f 1.8, 4s exposure (actually an HDR capture, with HDR used to reduce motion blur) ## Focus The lenses I have for my Nex 7 are all electronic focussing, and have no 'infinity' setting to use as a reference point. I use the following settings to help find focus: 1. Manual focus 2. Focus peaking off 3. Start manual focus to trigger the 11.7 zoom, find the brightest star, and gently focus on it until it's the smallest possible. ## Triggering the exposure Self-timer allows shutter release without camera wobble. ## Noise reduction Although not beneficial with such a low ISO, I experimented with dark frame subtraction to reduce noise: 1. Disable long exposure noise reduction. 2. Take photo. 3. Place lens cap over lens. 4. Take a second photo with the same settings. 5. In Photoshop, set the stars as the background layer, and the black image as layer 1. 6. Set the blending mode to subtract. In theory, any noise from the sensor will now be removed. One can let the camera do this itself (this is long exposure noise reduction), but one is then denied full control over the finished image. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2020/12/_dsc5212-1.jpg) ISO 1600, 50mm, f 1.8, 4s, dark frame subtraction applied ### A short time with the Julbo Evad-1 URL: https://zulusierra.co/julbo-evad-1/ Last updated: 2020-10-16T19:09:18.000Z Julbo, French maker of sunglasses, partnered with ActiveLook, a manufacturer of a wearable heads-up display. This allows the wearer to see geospatial and physiological data displayed in their field of view, without loss of an area of sight. # TL;DR? Good hardware, usefulness heavily restricted by the software. Hopefully the software will be modified in short order to make these more than a face-mounted novelty. # Hardware The sunglasses are very light, and the photochromic lenses adjust incredibly quickly to changes in ambient light conditions, especially when compared to a photochromic lens from Oakley, which is as slow as to be useless. The inside of the lenses is slightly mirrored; it is this reflective coating that allows the data to be projected into the wearer's field of view. This is visible in all light conditions, although some finessing of sunglasses position is required to see the full screen (I added a small piece of Sugru to the nose bridge to situate the display for my eyesight). One can cycle through different display configurations by swiping the top-left corner of the left lens, although I rarely seem to be able to trigger this correctly. Unlike other wearable displays, thanks to the low mass of the sunglasses, and the supplied straps, I had no problem seeing the display, even when running. # Software Unfortunately, as with so many new pieces of hardware, this wearable display is let down by the software behind it. There are two options for the software: running on a phone, or a wearable (Apple Watch, or Garmin). ## Phone The software on the phone allows for easy control of the wearable display: one can move the projected position of data around, allowing for better alignment with the wearer's line of sight. One can use the app to connect to an external heart-rate monitor, but no other sensors. ## Garmin watch The CIQ app is unfortunately crippling, with its activity set to 'street run', and not allowing data beyond the pre-configured fields to be displayed (eg no power data). One is also not able to trigger structured workouts from this mode, further limiting its use. If this was changed to a CIQ data field, as Form have done with their goggles, this would allow it to be added to any normal activity, which would allow the wearable display to neatly augment an existing workout regimen. # Closing thoughts The Evad-1 is, based on the photos on the site, targetted at cyclists, but I imagine most cyclists willing to spend 500 euros on the Evad-1 will also want to see data from all their existing sensors, especially a power meter, and not see poor geospatial data from their phone's GPS, or, have to compromise their data recording by forcing a sport mode. This becomes especially true when worn for running, where geospatial innacuracies are more apparent, and we're plunged back into the world of waiting for pace to update, instead of seeing it real-time (as those of use with a Stryd are used to). Unfortunately, at the moment, it feels like Julbo bought the dev-kit, replaced it with their (excellent) lenses and frames, and did nothing to optimise it for a real target market, beyond the technologically curious. With changes made to the software, these could be incredibly useful (not having to leave the aero position to see performance information, anyone?), but until then, they are a face-mounted novelty and conversation piece. ### Specialisation is for insects? URL: https://zulusierra.co/specialisation-is-for-insects/ Last updated: 2020-06-10T23:21:56.000Z Heinlein wrote that a competent person, a basic type of polymath, should be able to perform the left-hand column of tasks. I've generalised these, and updated them for fun. **Heinlein** **Generalisation** Change a diaper Take care of an infant, plan an invasion, create a complex plan, butcher a hog, source food, conn a ship, navigate between two points, design a building, understand needed shelter, write a sonnet, communicate beautifully, balance accounts, manage resources, build a wall, protect resources, set a bone, perform basic medical care, comfort the dying, comfort a person in distress, take orders, work in a hierarchy, give orders, manager others, cooperate, work with others, act alone, work alone, solve equations, solve problems that have been solved, analyze a new problem, understand a new problem, pitch manure, shovel shit, program a computer, perform a complex, indirectly related task, cook a tasty meal, cook food, fight efficiently, defend resources, die gallantly. accept failure. "Specialisation", lest we forget, "is for insects." ### Further thoughts on running with back pain URL: https://zulusierra.co/further-thoughts-on-running-with-back-pain/ Last updated: 2020-03-15T22:45:48.000Z Back in 2018, I wrote briefly about my [experiences with running and back pain](https://zulusierra.co/lower-back-pain-and-running/). Skip forward to August 2019, I got a custom-made pair of insoles, focussing on arch support. It took a couple of weeks to get used to them, but I've gone from having to be very careful regarding back pain and day-to-day life to a fully-functioning life. This is so thorough that if I don't wear the insoles for a few days (being barefoot around the house, for example), my back can become problematic. Walking around with them in greatly helps resolve the issue. **TL;DR?** If you have back pain, see if bespoke insoles can improve things. **Update, 2020-06-10** As a much cheaper, much more flexible workaround: elastic sleeves for the mid-foot. No long-term use, but they worked very well for a day: [https://footslove.com/product/%E2%9D%A4-plantar-fasciitis-compression-arch-support/](https://footslove.com/product/%E2%9D%A4-plantar-fasciitis-compression-arch-support/?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Patching holes in tubeless tyres URL: https://zulusierra.co/patching-holes-in-tubeless-tyres/ Last updated: 2019-09-08T18:34:40.000Z After getting a couple of large holes in a brand new tyre (Panaracer 700x38c GravelKing Slick Tread) that couldn't be sealed by either the tubeless sealant in the tyre, or traditional plugs, I decided to experiment with a hybrid approach. ## Process After purchasing an inner tube repair kit, I removed the tyre, and cleaned the sealant off. I then followed the instructions to repair an inner tube, but on the inside of the tyre: 1. Sand around the area. 2. Apply rubber cement. 3. Allow to dry for 5m. 4. Apply patch and press firmly into the rubber sealant. 5. Wait for some time. Once the cement had bonded the patch to the tyre, I re-seated the tyre on the rim, applied sealant, filled with air, filled with air again after fiddling with the tyre, enjoyed the snapping sound of the tyre seating, rotated so that the sealant was initially evenly distributed but would settle over the two holes, and waited. **+24h** The tyre had dropped to \~50% pressure (2bar). I spun the wheel to distribute the sealant, re-inflated to 4 bar, and waited. **+72h** The tyre had dropped to \~3bar. I spin the wheel to distribute the sealant, re-inflated to 4 bar, and waited. **+96h** The tyre had dropped to \~3bar. I spin the wheel to distribute the sealant, re-inflated to 4 bar, and waited. **+120h** The tyre remained at 4 bar. I took it for a gentle, experimental 10km ride, and it held. ## Observations The tyre is once again rideable, whereas before it would only have been rideable with an inner tube. I think this could be repeated in the field, if one had a couple of C02 cannisters to spare, and would have probably stablised faster due to the sealant being distributed by riding. It wouldn't be faster or more reliable than an innertube. For me this falls in the category of an interesting experiment, but ultimately in the category of just because I can, should I..? I'm mindful of what a catastrophic failure could look like (the tyre splitting), and that the cost of a new tyre is about $50\. I'll ride it until my replacement tyre turns up, and assess the repair then. ## Update at 200km+ All good things come to an end: the patch started to bulge out through the hole in the tyre, and ultimately popped as I was boarding Amtrak. Thanks to the sealant, Finish Line, I was able to ride home by rotating the wheel so that the hole was covered by sealant, and slowly re-inflating it. It wasn't my fastest ride, but it got me home with minimal fuss, which is what matters. # Conclusion One *can* patch one's tyres with inner tube patches, and it works. It works well. But it's not a durable solution. For that, a tyre boot should be used, which is a much larger, more durable patch, or the tyre should be replaced, depending on funds and ethics. ### Learning from success: experiments in mostly open source GIS URL: https://zulusierra.co/learning-from-success-experiments-in-open-source-gis/ Last updated: 2019-06-13T22:08:07.000Z Before moving to the math, I knew I wanted to be able to easily and regularly map the terrain with my quadcopter. After moving to the math, I gained a much deeper understanding of the process. It exists in the following basic phases: 1. Data gathering: flying the mission to collect the imagery, possibly broken down into several sorties, depending on area and battery life. This was covered in an earlier post. 2. Data processing: rendering the gathered imagery into an actual map of the area. Essentially getting a computer to do a jigsaw puzzle of all the photos taken. 3. Data comprehension. I'm still working on this. I have one complete pass, but I have realised I don't know what to do with the data. ## How to capture succesful image data 1. Use a program to automate the process (I used [Drones Made Easy's](https://www.dronesmadeeasy.com/?ref=zulusierra.co)) tool. 2. If, like me, you're used to artistic aerial photogrpahy, remember you are now capturing not for aesthetics, but for data. This means as much light as possible into the sensor, so that a shorter exposure time can be used, allowing a higher flight speed, reducing overall mission length and a reduced number of sorties. ## How to process the image data 1. Given the prohibitive speed of my Comcast upstream (5Mbp/s), and the cost of someone else's computer, I rendered my map data with [OpenDroneMap](https://www.opendronemap.org/odm/?ref=zulusierra.co). This took about 3.5h to render 2GB of data using an Intel® Core™ i7-6770HQ CPU @ 2.60GHz with 32GB of RAM. 2. ODM can be downloaded and run locally, or it can be run in a Docker instance: `docker run -it --rm -v "$(pwd)/images:/code/images" -v "$(pwd)/odm_orthophoto:/code/odm_orthophoto" -v "$(pwd)/odm_texturing:/code/odm_texturing" opendronemap/odm` ### Overnight Excitement For a reason I couldn't diagnose, where that command worked yesterday, it didn't work today, so I scrubbed my docker install, and started from the beginning, following these instructions: [https://medium.com/@Grigorkh/how-to-install-docker-on-ubuntu-19-04-7ccfeda5935](https://medium.com/@Grigorkh/how-to-install-docker-on-ubuntu-19-04-7ccfeda5935?ref=zulusierra.co) ## How to view the image data I've tried MeshLab and QGIS. MeshLab makes a nice 3D model that can be rolled around (can't seem to get 6DoF support working though), and QGIS seems to be more of a 2D thing, but I can overlay my data on OSM data, which is nice. It's a steep learning curve. [maptiler ](https://www.maptiler.com/?ref=zulusierra.co)does a nice job of breaking up the monolithic GeoTIFF from ODM for various sources of web-server based consumption. ### Learning from failure: aerial mapping URL: https://zulusierra.co/learning-from-failure-aerial-mapping/ Last updated: 2019-06-12T15:17:58.000Z I consider myself to have a lot of experience with aerial photography, having owned three aircraft, and captured a lot of video and photogrpahic data with them. This morning, I sent my aircraft off to map the Math, without thinking about the kinds of photographs required for aerial mapping. I prioritised an early-morning flight to reduce the heat the aircraft was exposed to, forgetting that meant less light, and that I should have removed the ND32 filter from the camera, and replaced it with the standard clear (ND0) filter. Aerial mapping is a balance between speed and photographic detail. Instead of optimising for aesthetic light into the camera, the operator needs to optimise for quality of data at speed, or, how fast can the aircraft continue flying and still take a sharp photograph? The higher the speed, the more photos per sortie, the fewer battery swaps per mission, the more efficient the exercise. While my batteries charge again, I shall enjoy a blurred map of the Math. ### A brief assessment of the R-Shield Respilon URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-brief-assessment-of-the-r-shield-respilon-2/ Last updated: 2019-06-11T16:45:53.000Z A new company, R-Shield, launched a Kickstarter to make a wearable air filter, that incorporates a fancy nano-thingy to filter the air you breath. As a new company, offering a new health related product, the image of the classic snake-oil salesman the FDA was created to stop springs to mind, but their material assures us this has been tested by a reputable source: > THE MEMBRANE IS A FOUR-LAYER LAMINATE WITH AN INNER LAYER FORMED BY HIGH-DENSITY NANOFIBERS.THE RESPILON®57EFFICIENCY OF THE FILTRATION OF MICROORGANISMS AND PARTICLES HAS BEEN TESTED AND PROVEN BY NELSON LABORATORIES (USA).FILTRATION EFFICIENCY OF THE WHOLE ANTISMOG SCARF HAS BEEN TESTED AND PROVEN BY ENGINEERING TEST INSTITUTE (CZECH REPUBLIC).DESPITE THE HIGH DENSITY OF NANOFIBERS,RESPILON®57 IS QUITE AIR-PERMEABLE AND VAPOR-PERMEABLE,WHICH INCREASES THE COMFORT OF THE PRODUCT AND ENABLES EASY BREATHING OF THE USER ALSO WHILE RUNNING, BIKING ETC. > [https://www.r-shields.com/data/home/files/RESPILON\_Technical\_Data\_Sheet\_R-shield\_2019\_02.pdf](https://www.r-shields.com/data/home/files/RESPILON%5FTechnical%5FData%5FSheet%5FR-shield%5F2019%5F02.pdf?ref=zulusierra.co) Easy breathing while running and biking? Above the others, that is quite a claim. ## My experience with wearable air filters 1. [Respro masks](http://respro.com/pollution-masks?ref=zulusierra.co): I've used several models while commuter/sprint cycling in London rush hour traffic, all year round. 2. N95-certified masks: used while in 'fire season' in the SF Bay Area. 3. [MSA Millenium](https://us.msasafety.com/Air-Purifying-Respirators-%28APR%29/Full-Face-Masks/CBRN-and-Riot-Control-Gas-Masks/p/000050001700001500?ref=zulusierra.co) respirator: used while in 'fire season' in the SF Bay Area. This is my 'gold standard', as I have a mask with a good fit (full seal around the face), and change the cannisters on an appropriate schedule. 4. Respilon: primary test while cycling up Claremont Avenue in Berkley during rush hour, or about 30m of a 10% gradiant next to idling cars. ### Quantifying the above air conditions: - London: it's crap. ([source](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/30/london-reaches-legal-air-pollution-limit-just-one-month-into-the-new-year?ref=zulusierra.co) - SF Bay Area fire season: the measurement of PM2.5 trundles up to about 160 when bits of California burn, comparable to Shanghai. ## So what was the Respilon like? ### Air Quality My principle test is non-scientific and highly subjective, but when wearing a good air filter, the air one breathes in tastes and smells of nothing. Why? Everything has been filtered out. One then starts to taste and smell oneself, and when one removes the mask, one can taste and smell the air around one again. Whilst wearing the Respilon next to idling cars, pushing an average heart rate of about 150bpm, maintaining about 220W of pedalling power, I did not notice the pollution they were putting out to any degree. Having just moved into a dusty house in a very dry parth of the world, I noticed I woke up with a sore throat: I've been wearing the mask partly to increase the humidity of the air I'm breathing (exhaled air contains water, the percentage varying greatly) as it traps some outbound humidity, and partly to filter out the dust. When making my morning aero press of Timeless coffee, I was deprived of the smell of the brewing coffee, despite standing directly over it. **TL;DR?** Subjectively, the air filtering is excellent, on par with other products. While not as good as the MSA Milleniun, it also only weighs a few grams, where the Millenium establishes a full-face seal and uses a full cannister aimed to filter our chemical, biological and radioactive agents. Unlike the Respro filters, which are a neoprene (sweaty) shell to hold the filter in place, the Respilon wins on portability and convenience. ### Breathing while working hard Here, the Respilon falls behind the Respro masks, primarly as they have valves to ease exhalation. After about 20m of hard work, I had to pull the Respilon down, rendering it useless, as it felt like I was beginning to suffocate. I have not experienced this with the Respro filters. Despite being heavy and cumbersome, the MSA respirator is designed to be used by people working hard: wearing protective quipment (ever worn an NBC suit?), carrying heavy equipment, in a stressful situation, and especially with experience, doesn't significantly impede breathing. # TL;DR? The Respilon is a superb portable filter, that can easily be carried in a pocket or a bag without noticing it until needed. If I want to exercise in poor air quality, I will either use my MSA or Respro masks, due to the better air flow. ### Features missing from the Suunto Spartan range URL: https://zulusierra.co/features-missing-from-the-suunto-spartan-range/ Last updated: 2017-12-28T00:00:00.000Z Suunto pulled through (perhaps…) a ‘replatforming’, and are merrily selling their Spartan line of watches. This started with the Ultra, which seemed more like a beta release, and has swelled to four variations on the same theme. All beautiful watches to look at, with a lovely UI (and font), but all severely handicapped for anyone but the most minimalist user. Here are the features I think are missing: what’s interesting is that they were, for the most part, present on the Ambit Peak3\. What would drive a company to remove features, that based on my forum reading, were heavily used, in a new, very expensive product? Can Suunto add these features in, within the limitations of the current hardware without degrading performance? Based on the [2017–10–17 firmware update for the Spartans,](http://www.suunto.com/en-GB/Worlds/Training-World/Software-updates/updates-for-suunto-spartan/?ref=zulusierra.co) I sincerely hope so. Based on my list, they have some work to do, but none of it is reinventing the wheel. ## Running - Proper interval training, with alarms if a user strays outside of a range (heart rate, power, cadence, or speed), and recovery intervals that end on a dynamic variable (HR below *x*). This was previously configured via the Movescount mobile app. *For comparison, both Garmin and Polar have this. Details from the current Beta of Suunto’s new iOS app.* [*1*](https://forum.suunto.com/topic/77/structured-intervals-more-detailed?ref=zulusierra.co)*,* [*2*](https://forum.suunto.com/topic/228/simple-diagram-for-structured-intervals?ref=zulusierra.co)*.* - Running efficiency, as was featured on the Ambit Peak3. ## Cycling - Ability to have more than one speed pod saved and calibrated (currently one has to change the config for ‘pod 1’ in the web interface, and pair to the new pod). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/features-missing-from-the-suunto-spartan-range/1-aci8sm99px2rifgo2spz-w.png) *This problem actually seems bigger than one speed pod: the watch can only store one ‘pod’ (sensor) of any type, so if you have two bikes, both with power meters, you have to pair at the start of the ride. Or, if you have a power meter on your bike, and use a Stryd, it seems that the Stryd footpod counts as one power meter, and pushes the bike out. Either way, due to the lack of description on the saved sensors, it’s impossible to tell what the watch is connected to.* - In-depth logging from power meters: L/R balance, cadence, other wonderful metrics. *For comparison, my Quarq DZero logs L/R power, cadence, and power, but it seems that my Spartan will only log power. Whilst either my Fenix 5x or my Edge 1030 capture all three metrics automatically, the Spartan will only show total power.* ## General - See details of paired sensors: name, battery level, sample data, and in the case of speed pods for bikes, set and review the calibration. *For comparison, Garmin lists all the sensors the watch has connected to (and it can be a lot), and tells the user as each pod connects, either with a name set by the user, or the default name of the device.* - Better illustration of recovery time: the older variant from the Ambit clearly showed a line trending trending to zero, with subsequent spikes for exercise before the time expires. The new one shows a circle that has no history, and an unclear ‘100%’ point. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/features-missing-from-the-suunto-spartan-range/1-g6lshgvt-_y-mqn0wjiw2q.jpeg) Ambit Peak3 recovery indicator ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/features-missing-from-the-suunto-spartan-range/1-ccxkybn9mf4wi0d8pdplww.png) Spartan recovery indicator - Return of the Recovery status and test: this included either wearing a chest strap during sleep, or for a few minutes in the morning, and determines readiness to exercise based on heart rate variance. *For comparison, Garmin have all-day stress monitoring, and a 3m HRV ‘stress’ test.* - All-day resting heart rate: the Spartan only shows resting heart rate at night (this is the only one not present on the Ambit Peak3). - Alerting of: reaching one’s calorific goal for the day, and recovery window having completed. - More than one alarm clock, and the choice of noise, noise/vibrate, vibrate, and flexible repetition patterns, e.g.: M,W,F,S,S: 0550 T,T: 0520 *For comparison, I haven’t found the upper limit of alarms on a Garmin watch yet.* - Vibrate-only for all alarms (storm and time). - Ability to reject a call from the watch, as well as answer it. - Ability to log temperature from an external sensor, such as the Movesense chip, as Garmin does with the Tempe. *Whilst temperature is recorded, it’s recorded from just on top of my wrist, which means that most of the year it’s 18C, rending the capture of this metric useless.* ### Swimming with the Arc’Teryx Drypack 25 URL: https://zulusierra.co/swimming-with-the-arc-teryx-drypack-25/ Last updated: 2017-09-22T00:00:00.000Z A few years ago, I was on a kayaking trip with a former Royal Marine: he described his fourteen years of service as fourteen years of tactical camping. Given that mindset, it was only a matter of time before one of the best-known outdoor companies, Arc’Teryx, started making military-focussed material. Most interestingly in their pack range are the Drypacks: structured, completely waterproof, swimmable packs, available in 25, 40 and 70l. Each pack features an oral inflation valve, which allows the wearer to adjust the level of buoyancy required to support the pack’s loaded weight and function, from fully deflated to allow for underwater use, to fully inflated to cause the pack to bob along behind, or under, the wearer. This is obviously a boon to the military swimmer, but also the open water swimmer. No longer does an open water swimmer have to rely on a small float bag to put possessions in: they can now be kept close at hand, self-supporting as they go. I have swim with both the 40 and the 25l variants: the former can be towed behind the swimmer via a waist tether, but the latter is small enough to comfortably wear as a backpack whilst swimming front crawl, without obstructing arm movement. With the buoyancy adjusted correctly, it’ll support its contents, without supporting the wearer, and provide a place to rest in the event of exhaustion. Should further inflation be required, the pack can be topped up with the oral inflation valve. Inside, it’s brilliantly white, which makes being able to see anything inside is easy. There’s a small zip pocket (Tweave, I think), as well as velcro loop along the back of the pack with standard daisy chains along the side of the velcro. Outside, the pack is smooth, with PALS loops LASER-cut into it. This makes a good, if somewhat nausea-inducing mount for a GoPro, or anything else you don’t mind getting wet. Perhaps a marker light, water bottle holder (with bottle), or hydration bladder holder (with bladder). ### Camping at BUMM1 URL: https://zulusierra.co/camping-at-bumm1/ Last updated: 2017-08-15T00:00:00.000Z Overlooking Lake Sonoma is Bummer Hill, which has two hike-to campgrounds on it, BUMM1 and BUMM2\. All recreation.gov tells the visitor about these sites is that you can bring domestic pets, and that there’s some shade. Oh and they’re hike-in. Beyond that, information is a little sparse: this post will hopefully be picked up by Google so that someone staying there can find a bit more. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/camping-at-bumm1/1-fccbi_xyz9eiljfi-cvfbw@2x.jpeg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/camping-at-bumm1/1-ewqbupykvvaesuucyaetsw@2x.jpeg) ## Facilities - Toilets, non-flushing - Picnic table - Hook to suspend food off the ground - Fire ring with grill - Rattle snake(s) Location: 38.701563, -123.028418 (this is actually the toilets; the two campsites are just below) Water: there is no water at this site. Water can be drawn from the lake, which is a 1km hike, with 151m of descent to the lake: [**Morning Hike with a lake swim | Strava**](https://www.strava.com/activities/1129877599/embed/4c42a5aec32c6c4791e29b5664f2053834255fc5?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Edit description*](https://www.strava.com/activities/1129877599/embed/4c42a5aec32c6c4791e29b5664f2053834255fc5?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/1129877599/embed/4c42a5aec32c6c4791e29b5664f2053834255fc5?ref=zulusierra.co) Using an MSR Trailshot, we suffered no ill-effects from drinking lake water. ## Accessing the campsite The campsite is best accessed from the carpark at 38.714328, -123.035634, off Rockpile Road. A 2.5km hike, with modest elevation change, will take you along No Name Trail, to the fire road. Take the fire road south-east, and keep going. [**Morning Hike | Strava**](https://www.strava.com/activities/1130307923/embed/5ecbcabca1958ababc19ed6eae315531608672fe?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Edit description*](https://www.strava.com/activities/1130307923/embed/5ecbcabca1958ababc19ed6eae315531608672fe?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/1130307923/embed/5ecbcabca1958ababc19ed6eae315531608672fe?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Vegan Crêpe URL: https://zulusierra.co/vegan-cr-pe/ Last updated: 2017-07-27T00:00:00.000Z Adapted from a recipe I wrote in 2000, adapted from another recipe and so on, because vegans do it better. ## Ingredients - 115g flour - 210ml macadamia milk, or a milk effect of your choosing - 90ml water - 30g butter effect - 2 units of [Vegan Egg](https://followyourheart.com/veganegg/?ref=zulusierra.co), reserving half of the water - vanilla essence ## Instructions 1. Mix the flour and Vegan Egg 2. Pour in the milk effect, water, and half of the water from the Vegan Egg. 3. Stir together well, not being overly concerned about lumps. The consistency should be the same as single cream, or a bit more thin. 4. Melt your chosen butter effect, and stir it into the batter, along with the vanilla. 5. Let the batter sit in the fridge for at least 30m, or longer. It’ll sit in the fridge for a day or two. 6. When ready to cook, put a frying pan on the stove, and let it get hot: we want the pancake to seal on contact with the pan. 7. Add a bit more butter effect, and spoon 80–110ml of batter into the pan, tipping it around to form a thin, even layer, covering much of the pan. If it’s not sufficiently loose, remember the first crêpe is normally suboptimal: resolve by adding a little water to the batter and stirring. 8. Wait — until — the edges of the crêpe are browning a little, and if you jiggle the pan it should loosen completely. If you’re feeling bold, flip the crêpe, or use a spatula appropriate to your pan. 9. Eat immediately, if not sooner: **do not** put the crêpe in the oven; it’ll be rendered to vegan leather. - 7floz milk, mixed with 3 floz water - 2 tablespoons of melted butter - 2 eggs *Optional:* - cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla essence, finely chopped almonds ### Tyler Durden: the Robin Hood of the Iago character? URL: https://zulusierra.co/tyler-durden-the-robin-hood-of-the-iago-character/ Last updated: 2017-07-26T00:00:00.000Z By now, most people should know of the Paper Street Soap Factory, and its sole proprietor, Tyler Durden. Mr. Durden wants to help people: he wants people to be clean, and he wants them to be free. The former he achieves by selling them soap, the latter by helping them hit ‘rock bottom’ through the Buddhist methodologies of surrendering one’s earthly possessions and meditating. Whilst his meditative methods are more anarchistic, and active than that of a classical Buddhist, releasing one’s burden is the goal. How does this relate to Iago? Iago, best pals with Othello (as you well know), also wants to liberate Othello of his worldly possessions, wife and all, and the harder he can help Othello hit rock bottom the better, and with the most public audience he can find, so that Othello’s liberation — his becoming — can be witnessed. Iago, the good lad, is even willing to take on Othello’s burden for him! Spoiler, but all is not what it seems: Iago wants Othello’s burden for himself, for his own aggrandisement: he is slightly less Buddhist. Mr. Durden does require commitment: it is not enough to show up at his soap factory and expect to come out sudsy and clean. Iago, by the same measure, requires commitment: like any good engineer, he creates a path for energy to flow; where you take that energy is entirely up to you. Does Othello have to fall so far from grace to see his error? Or does he just have to divorce himself from his paranoia and insecurity to grow strong? From this, one can learn a lesson: not everyone who wants to break you down has ill intent at heart, although not everyone wants to build up again afterwards. Who will you be: Ikea-addicted, Holden Caulfield, being slowly rendered into Gollum? The muscled fiend that is Tyler Durden, growing more tanned and toned every day? The personality demolition expert of Iago? Or, the hapless fool that is played out night after night by Othello, emulating Faust in his inescapable sequence of poor decision making? Not every pain to be endured is bad, not every pleasantry is good. “Trifles light as air/Are to the jealous confirmations strong:” “you are not the car you drive!” ### The Spectre of Change: moving with the TAD Spectre 22L and the Talon Guide trousers URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-spectre-of-change-moving-with-the-tad-spectre-22l-and-the-talon-guide-trousers/ Last updated: 2017-05-29T00:00:00.000Z The products that Triple Aught Design have been changing recently: it started with the hood of the [Raptor](https://medium.com/ze-stuart/getting-wet-and-staying-dry-in-the-triple-aught-design-raptor-hoodie-8dd621ce9222?ref=zulusierra.co), and continued with the [Protocol](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Protocol-Jacket?ref=zulusierra.co) and [Sentinel](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Sentinel-Field-Jacket?ref=zulusierra.co) jackets. With the city side well represented by the smarter jackets and shirts, the new products this year have taken a decidedly alpine twist, with the superb [Alchemy line of base layers](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Apparel/Base-Layers?ref=zulusierra.co), and the [Talon Guide trousers](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Talon-Guide-Pant?ref=zulusierra.co). Completing the image, for the moment, is the Spectre line of backpacks. First released was the [22L model](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Spectre-22L-Backpack?ref=zulusierra.co), and 22L is enough for a daypack, or just about — but pushing it — for an overnight. The Talon and the Spectre both usher in an era framed by the inclusion of Tweave Durastretch into the sewing pattern. [**Afternoon Ride - Ze S.'s 47.3 km bike ride**](https://www.strava.com/activities/1004383711?ref=zulusierra.co) [*https://vimeo.com/218908511*](https://www.strava.com/activities/1004383711?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/1004383711?ref=zulusierra.co) Recently I’ve taken it on a short bike ride, and a day-hike of the same length (although I’d describe it as a little longer), giving me just shy 100km carrying the pack, along with using it for work. [**Morning Hike - Ze S.'s 49.6 km hike**](https://www.strava.com/activities/1009015798?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Ze S. completed 49.6 km on May 27, 2017.*](https://www.strava.com/activities/1009015798?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/1009015798?ref=zulusierra.co) The biggest departures from TAD’s usual specification are four: 1. Material: gone is the very heavy 1000D Cordura, replaced by the lighter sailcloth LS-42 and X51\. In a comparison with the [LiteSpeed](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/FAST-Pack-Litespeed?ref=zulusierra.co) (also a 22L pack, not including a hip belt), it’s about half the weight 2. PALS: gone is the heavy, over-the-top PALS webbing, replaced by a modest useful panel of the same. 3. Hip belt: permanently attached to the backpack, featuring two smaller pockets, the right size for a snack or small tool. 4. Beaver tail: now frustratingly removed, available as a separate accessory. 5. Top-zip only: no more can one open the pack all the way to the bottom. A step back? The light-coloured inside of the pack has four loops: two at the top, and two at the bottom, spaced for their [Control Panel](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Control-Panel-1?ref=zulusierra.co), or indeed their [Transport Sleeve](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Transport-Sleeve?ref=zulusierra.co). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/the-spectre-of-change--moving-with-the-tad-spectre-22l-and-the-talon-guide-trousers/1-nzoipvry9-dt3qgi6qpukw.jpeg) Taking in Mt. St. Helena from the Palisades In terms of adjustability, there are lifter straps, a chest strap and of course the hip belt. On both trips, I had it loaded with about 6kg, and both on the bike and on foot, I was able to easily adjust the position that the pack rests at to achieve comfort. Outside, there are compression straps that both compress the size of the pack down (very useful when scrambling through brush), and help keep anything in the two exterior pockets in place. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/the-spectre-of-change--moving-with-the-tad-spectre-22l-and-the-talon-guide-trousers/1-hftvz35sop5mosmyt-a8hw.jpeg) Scaling a cliff to get back on trail The lack of PALS not only reduces the weight, but makes the pack streamlined. Combined with it’s half-ovoid shape, this helps prevent it from snagging, and the strip of sailcloth on the top of the bag, along with the bottom, provide reinforced areas, with Tweave being used for the outer pockets. I used the modest PALS to hold a new [GPP2](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/GPP2-Pouch?ref=zulusierra.co) (also of LS-42, as is the fashion), which conveniently held small items (torch, pen, notepad, first aid kit). I feel the GPP2 could be improved by the removal of the PALS on the large face, leaving the side loops for glow sticks or similar. Similarly thoughtful is the pouch for the water bladder: it’s dynamic, stretching around the bladder that it houses. The zip that secures the closure is bidirectional, to enable the hose to be neatly routed out of one side, or the other as is preferred (Mystery Ranch have this on some of their packs). Finally, there’s a well-designed pocket that’s at the top of the pack, accessible both internally and externally. Perfect for keys and so-on. Those familiar with TAD’s ‘AC cloth’; a lightweight, synthetic cloth that dries fast will be immediately familiar with the Talon trousers. Taking classic alpine queues, with a dynamic and reinforced arse, ankles, and pockets placed on the front of the thigh. These areas are made out of Tweave, and stretch to accommodate their contents. The pockets are placed so that they can be accessed whilst wearing a harness. The ankles can be worn looser around a high boot, or snapped tighter under gaiters. Hopefully, these will be released in other colours than black, as it can get a trifle warm. Colour aside, my only criticism of these trousers is that the belt loops are too small to allow wearing of a thicker belt, such as the [Arc’teryx E-220 Rigger’s Harness](http://leaf.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?country=ca&language=en&category=Belts%5Fand%5FHarnesses&model=E-220-Riggers-Harness&ref=zulusierra.co), which is a fantastically useful device for the occasional risky descent. **TL;DR?** The real question to be answered about these new products, is are they an improvement, and do they help the wearer to greater experiences in a way than what was previously available did? I would say yes, absolutely. TAD’s maturation into robust city wear and modest-coloured outdoor equipment is very welcome. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/the-spectre-of-change--moving-with-the-tad-spectre-22l-and-the-talon-guide-trousers/1-elugyub4w2qew4v70zbhew.jpeg) Retiring from the summit of Mt. St. Helena ### Getting wet and staying dry in the Triple Aught Design Raptor Hoodie URL: https://zulusierra.co/getting-wet-and-staying-dry-in-the-triple-aught-design-raptor-hoodie/ Last updated: 2016-12-10T00:00:00.000Z Years ago, TAD offered two ‘hoodies’, specifically two outer layer jackets, both with a measure of waterproofing or repellence to them: the Stealth Hoodie and the Stealth Hoodie LT. The former was water repellant, and had a nice fleece liner to it. Good for warm/dry with a light threat of rain, but nothing serious. The latter is waterproof, but has no fleece liner. A classic waterproof outer layer. Today, TAD still offer two jackets in this category: The LT, and the Raptor. The Raptor features a modern hood design, conforming well to the skull of the wearer, and moving with the head, unlike the old design. In addition to the hood design, the Raptor is made out of Polartec® Neoshell® 3-Layer (at 98 g/m2), which claims it’s breathable enough to not need pit zips. I bought the Raptor in August, but, living in the Bay Area, had been largely deprived of inclement weather to wear it in (it looked excellent in my cupboard though), with the exception of breathability. --- ### **Breathability** Hiking to the top of a hill on a windy morning, I took my Raptor as a wind shell, and can attest to its breathability: the wind cuts through it, which, based on my experience with previous Schoeller and Gore shells was a surprise. Outcome: the Raptor is breathable. Sadly, this also means that it needs a liner to be effective, a liner that would probably be perfectly effective on its own. --- ### **Cold-weather experience** Getting to the Alps for the first snow of the season in November, I took my Raptor with me for two days of snowshoeing. [**Morning Hike - Ze S.'s 13.2 km hike**](https://www.strava.com/activities/769655010?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Ze S. completed 13.2 km on Nov 8, 2016.*](https://www.strava.com/activities/769655010?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/769655010?ref=zulusierra.co) The dry snow behaved like dry snow, and bounced off the shell, and with temperatures fluctuating between -2 and 19C the Raptor was given ample opportunity to show how it handled moisture buildup on the inside in a varying environment. I was comfortable throughout the day, without having to remove the jacket. At no point did I miss reaching under my arms to open and close pit zips. --- ### **Wet weather experience** Finally, returning to sunny CA, I took the Raptor for a day’s hiking in the coastal redwood forests of Humboldt. Helpfully, it was very damp in the forest, and with a mix of rain, drizzle falling from trees, and brushing against wet leaves and branches, the Raptor was allowed to show off its waterproofing. [**Morning Hike - Ze S.'s 30.4 km hike**](https://www.strava.com/activities/793933756?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Ze S. completed 30.4 km on Dec 4, 2016.*](https://www.strava.com/activities/793933756?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/793933756?ref=zulusierra.co) The day started off wet, and continued to be wet, with temperatures fluctuating between 8 and 14C. As we were in the forest, there was very little wind, and we happily lost ourselves walking along the path, admiring the flora and fungi we saw. Losing track of time, we realised that the time to sunset and the time required to get back to the car were not in our favour, so for the last 13km we hiked at a higher pace. The higher pace resulted in the Raptor being bombarded with water both on the inside (and by water, I mean sweat) and environmental water on the outside. When I stripped the jacket off, I was delighted to find my [Vortex](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Vortex-Hoodie?ref=zulusierra.co) was dry enough to be worn after. --- ### **Whilst Cycling** Just because a jacket performs well on foot, doesn’t guarantee it’ll perform well on a bike. When I left for a spin, it was drizzling, and then it started raining with more enthusiasm so I stopped to layer up. Critically, the hood is streamlined enough to fit underneath my cycle helmet, and the material is thin enough so that it doesn’t unnecessarily impact my hearing. When dropping down a hill at 60km/h, the wind isn’t sufficient to push the water through the jacket. Whilst the jacket lacked the longer cut of a cycling-specific waterproof, I’ve embraced a bold new technology called a ‘mud guard’ that serves very well to keep my arse dry. [**Afternoon Ride - Ze S.'s 24.0 km bike ride**](https://www.strava.com/activities/785570629?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or GPS device, analyze your performance, and compare with friends.*](https://www.strava.com/activities/785570629?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.strava.com](https://www.strava.com/activities/785570629?ref=zulusierra.co) --- ### **A note on Wetting Out** ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/getting-wet-and-staying-dry-in-the-triple-aught-design-raptor-hoodie/1-mhhpz36wvmjzw15xkaiqew.jpeg) The greatest fear of a man swaddled in his latest, wildly expensive, piece of waterproofing gear is wetting out, or, the outer layer of the jacket saturating and water moving from the outside in (ie: in the wrong direction). When wet, the Raptor *looks* like it has become victim to this problem, but so far it’s purely visual. Water sits happily on the surface without seeping in, and I have enough confidence that I keep my [DxO One](https://medium.com/@zestuart/the-disruptive-dxo-one-a46bd8cc3fd8?ref=zulusierra.co) in one of the chest pockets without worrying about it getting wet. Foolish? Perhaps, but so far, so good. I’ll be interested to see if this is still the case in a year’s time (2017–12). --- ### **In summary** The Raptor is a lovely, minimalist weather shell, that packs up neatly in use, and shows TAD have shed some of their design decisions, and embraced the modern. It goes well under a pack, and it’s four pockets are well-placed for access with a pack on. When not in use, it’s light, and rolls up neatly into its own hood to be tucked into a bag. PS if anyone is hiking in the Fern Creek area, and finds an Equilibrium jacket, please let me know as mine decided to remain behind (it fell out of the bottom loops of my LiteSpeed, a lesson that if something has a loop, secure it with a clip, no matter how tightly one cinches it down). ### The DJI Osmo+: a review of a shambles URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-dji-osmo-a-review-of-a-shambles/ Last updated: 2016-11-29T00:00:00.000Z Whilst pursuing better video, I obtained first a DJI Osmo Mobile, and after returning that, a DJI Osmo+. Here’s what happened. **DJI Osmo Mobile** The Osmo Mobile is a steadicam-gimbal-thing that should, in theory, allow the user to shot perfectly steady video using the camera in their phone. A wonderful idea, until a certain mobile phone maker (Apple) releases a new phone (the iPhone 7 Plus) that does not allow for the optical image stabilisation to be turned off. The result? The optical image stabilisation in the iPhone and the image stabilisation in the Mobile fight each other, each trying to correct the other’s wobble. The solution? Return to Apple. Refund. **DJI Osmo+** The iPhone 7 Plus has a good video camera, recording at 4k 30fps, and of course the product is now weather-proofed: no concerns about recording in the rain ([or snow](https://vimeo.com/190749250?ref=zulusierra.co)). Additionally, the video recorded on the iPhone is available to edit in iMove, and from their upload to Vimeo, or to YouTube: a simple workflow for efficient communication of an experience. Accepting that I couldn’t take advantage of the lower cost of the Osmo Mobile, I opted for the Osmo+: it’s the same hardware, but instead of balancing your iPhone, it balances one of DJI’s 4k cameras with 3.5x of optical zoom. The product is very neat: a stick with controls at the middle, and the camera above that, with a very sturdy mount for your phone on the side. Lights and microphones can also be attached should you need. Once using it, however, the problems arise: - terrible battery life (about an hour) - the WiFi connection between the Osmo+ and the iPhone drops, meaning that your viewfinder and controller become inoperable: this even happens in remote areas with no other WiFi networks - the device that was shipped to me has a problem preventing it from recording audio, with either external microphone, or the internal one - a microSD card (SanDisk Extreme Plus) was corrupted whilst in the Osmo+, losing a morning’s video - one cannot copy 4k videos from the Osmo+ to the iPhone, meaning that the edit has to wait until the user is back at a computer All of these problems are a shame, as they should have been avoided with good QC and product planning. The battery, for example: the sell a high-capacity battery, but really they should include the high-capacity battery in the box, and not waste resources with the ‘standard’ one. Their support, finally, suggested sending the unit back for diagnosis, before unhelpfully ending the chat session before telling me how and where to send the unit. It really makes me wonder how the GoPro Karma Grip will fair: should DJI stick to what they know, making quad copters, and leave hand-held filming to others? ### The disruptive DxO One URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-disruptive-dxo-one/ Last updated: 2016-11-19T00:00:00.000Z When photography started, it was a case of exposing plates to light in order to change them. Today, the principle still exists, except that these plates are electronic in nature. As photography modernised, cameras got smaller, more portable, more mobile, and more adept. As cameras became digital, they started to shed the shackles of their old form, a few brave ones losing their mirrors and becoming mirrorless. Others shrunk, and others shed more still: Sony created a tremendously bold new format. In lieu of a traditional viewfinder, it had WiFi and an app on a mobile phone. The DSC-QX100 and its lens camera relatives allowed for a new form of mobile photography: high-end quality photos, already on your mobile device, ready for sharing and working with. In addition to the accessibility to photos, the photographer’s eye was liberated from a direct line of site with the subject. I embraced this photographic form, and bought first the QX100, with its Carl Zeiss lens, and then the QX1 which allowed me to use my E-mount lenses as well. With this step forwards, came a step back: the average time to connect my phone to the camera’s WiFi network was about 30s, so all-in let’s call it a minute. Amazing photos, but an awful lot of missed photos during setup too, and an awful lot of faffing around. In 2015, DxO, know for their auditing of lens quality, made their own camera: the DxO One. It continued Sony’s trend, but tethered it in a useful reality: iPhone only, but it has a Lightning connector that removes problems with WiFi connections. It has a 1" sensor, and captures wonderful photos. Sneakily, it also has WiFi, and is able to connect to either an existing WiFi network or create its own like Sony’s lens camera. After using the DxO One with my iPhone 7 Plus, I was suitably impressed with it to sell my two Lens Cameras and use the new pairing exclusively for photography. DxO Two, with optical zoom..? One can but hope. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/the-disruptive-dxo-one/1-5vzcxu7kys02jk9xynysma.jpeg) ### Of Bedrolls and Picnic Blankets URL: https://zulusierra.co/of-bedrolls-and-picnic-blankets/ Last updated: 2016-11-17T00:00:00.000Z When Prometheus Design Worx announced their ***technical*** picnic blanket, I was somewhere between amazed, disgusted, and outraged, based on the following points: - technical: how is a picnic blanket technical? The language used to describe outdoor equipment is bad enough for the consumer (softshell or hardshell? Technical baselayer?), but when it’s applied to a product as mundane as something for you to sit on to keep your precious arse off the ground, it’s entirely ridiculous. - the cost: at $189, this is a very expensive value proposition, which is a fancy way of saying it’s very expensive. I don’t particularly care if it’s made of wool, or for that matter hand-spun unobtanium mined on comets. I understand that a perfectly functional blanket can be had for sub-$10. - it’s heavy. At 1.2kg, it’s going to be very noticiable anywhere you carry it, and provide relatively little functionality in return. Serious car campers/glampers only. Obviously my amazement, disgust, and outrage is fuelled by a) not having one and b) not being the vendor of such a product. I was content to be a little cross, and ultimately move on from the subject, until I saw two further items: Best Made Company make a Waxed Canvas Blanket at $179, and Civilware outdo both with their All Terrain Bedroll at $195. Who knew? A market of high-end blanket exists. And why shouldn’t there be? People, me included, are wildly foolish with value propositions, and like to have stuff that they can clobber the value propositions of others with. Wonderful. - [Best Made Company The Waxed Canvas Blanket](https://www.bestmadeco.com/products/the-waxed-canvas-blanket?ref=zulusierra.co), $179, 1.87kg - [PDW Technical Picnic Blanket](http://prometheusdesignwerx.com/collections/soft-goods/products/pdw-technical-picnic-blanket?ref=zulusierra.co), $189, 1.2kg - [Civilware All Terrain Bedroll](http://civilware.com/collections/bedrolls/products/all-terrain-bedroll?ref=zulusierra.co), $195, 1.81kg ### Reviewing the Oakley Radar Pace over a few days URL: https://zulusierra.co/reviewing-the-oakley-radar-pace-over-a-few-days/ Last updated: 2016-10-06T00:00:00.000Z On 2016–10–01, Oakley released the Radar Pace, for $449\. Very little technical information was available pre-sale, and it was a delight to find it supports both Bluetooth and ANT+ sensors. A novel feature of it that was also undocumented is that the software (‘coach’) will calculate running power, a technology pioneered by Stryd. Comparing my power from Oakley to my power from Stryd, in a purely anecdotal fashion (I no longer have my Stryd), it feels about 100W low. I’ve only used the coaching in a simple fashion, and whilst it can’t compare to the advice from Lumo Run (pre- and post exercises, and specific technique reminders whilst running), it’s fine for following a training plan. When cycling, it seems to be of limited use unless you have (expensive) power pedals: why Oakley can’t guesstimate power, like Strava, I don’t know, but having to add a $600+ accessory to get full value is irksome. Overall, the voice prompts are good, and they data they provide is relevant and useful. Using the glasses is typical of new, half-baked tech: when they work, they’re pretty good, but they’re buggy. I’ve had to factory reset several times, and it’s not uncommon for the app to stop listening. I feel that, given this is a Bluetooth handsfree, this should be perfected by now, and that no-one has any excuse for not delivering a perfect product, especially at this price. Audio quality for anything beyond the short data bursts from the app is lacking, and involves a hissing. Using them as a Bluetooth handsfree seems to be fine for the remote end, but locally can be quite terrible, with the audio sounding normal and being overlaid with a Dalek-esque rendering of the speech. ### Summary In summary, it’s important to realise these are nothing special, and that there’s no particular reason to buy them. Running with my Lumo Run gives more useful coaching information, with audio delivered by a Bluetooth handsfree or any pair of headphones. Training plans are available from n+1 providers (Strava, Garmin, Suunto, and so on). Whilst I’m sure they could improve with firmware updates and software developments, I don’t really see the point when more functionality can be had for significantly less money. ### What would I use instead? My Fenix 3 HR ($450) provides much more functionality for the same price, including training plans, and analyses my running form in much more detail (although the coaching is on you to provide). The Lumo Run ($100) provides excellent coaching, honing in on key areas, and providing useful exercises to improve technique. ### What did I do with mine? I took them back for a refund after a few goes with them: for $449, I expect a perfectly polished product, and not a buggy Bluetooth handsfree from the early 2000s. ### Evolving the Arc’teryx Konseal: The Triple Aught Design Vortex URL: https://zulusierra.co/evolving-the-arc-teryx-konseal-the-triple-aught-design-vortex/ Last updated: 2016-07-31T00:00:00.000Z For a while, my preferred base/mid layer for anything cold (running, snow shoeing, cycling: sweaty pastimes) has been the Arc’teryx Konseal. Its lightweight thin fleece fits closely to my body, and the ‘scuba’ hood with integrated face warmer/jaw component of a balaclava keeps my head warm and fits unobtrusively under a helmet without impeding my hearing. When it gets too warm, its zip drops immodestly low, allowing for rapid cooling. Last week, TAD released their Vortex top. It’s of the same mould: thin fleece, hood, thumb holes, good zip length, low bulk. While it lacks the face/neck warmer of its Arc cousin, it has sufficient differences to make it unique. The fleece is, for want of a better word, loftier, and thicker in places where one might want it thicker (around the neck). There’s shoulder reinforcement to stop your fancy pack straps from chewing through the material there, and the hood is looser. What I’m not sure about is the seams: every so often, the seams on the should just don’t quite fit *right,* although this is entirely subjective: your shoulders are not my shoulders, and if they were, we’d have to have a timeshare agreement. Particularly pleasing, is that it’s $40 cheaper without a discernible compromise, which given the arena both tops inhabit (high-end mountain sports wear whose price is only relevant to the rest of the line and the competition’s) is refreshing. TAD also highlight that the Polartec fleece is made from recycled polyester, and who doesn’t like recycling? Given Icebreaker’s recycling of old socks into new jacket lining, it’s nice to see other company’s getting in on the trend. (Who knows? Perhaps one day old TAD fleeces will be recycled into the lining of new Equilibrium jackets.) I’ve been wearing the Vortex in the many (irritating) microclimates of the Bay Area, and it’s been satisfactory. Spending most of a day in a cold server room, the thumb holes (loops?) and hood were comforting, zipping the neck all the way closed. After running between floors, or being in the sun, discarding these and zipping the neck down allowed for immediate cooling. It hasn’t got cold enough to layer it yet, but on a cool windy July evening by the bay it was *just* warm enough to be warm on its own. I look forward to taking it on a jolly somewhere cold where it sits over a merino T and under a jacket, but until then, this is a fine top to own. [**Vortex Hoodie**](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Vortex-Hoodie?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Edit description*](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Vortex-Hoodie?ref=zulusierra.co)[store.tripleaughtdesign.com](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Vortex-Hoodie?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Coffee, the constantly growing industry URL: https://zulusierra.co/coffee-the-constantly-growing-industry/ Last updated: 2016-04-08T00:00:00.000Z A while ago, I knew a guy in a place. This guy, we’ll call him Carter (and the place Milk Bar) made great coffee and knew other people who make great coffee. Finding out I was from Oxford, he pointed me in the direction of another guy, and another guy, who we’ll call Nathan and James, who worked in another place. It transpired that Nathan and James were planning to open a humble coffee shop in my city, what would be the first good coffee shop the city would know (sure it had Missing Bean, but they’d never quite hit ‘good’). This was all about three years ago. Jump-cut to today, and Nathan is working his mid-Western charm in Birmingham, running his second Quarter Horse coffee, with his own roastery attached. Coming full circle, and just as I leave Oxford, QH:O (which I still consider my personal coffee shop, and remember the sincere apologies when *other customers* would be there in the weeks after it opened) has been redecorated. It finally has a toilet, in the summer will have a garden at the back, and has a fantastic open plan feel to it. I look forward to seeing what the next three years brings to Quarter Horse coffee. ### Longer-term with the Suunto Ambit3 Vertical URL: https://zulusierra.co/longer-term-with-the-suunto-ambit3-vertical/ Last updated: 2016-04-08T00:00:00.000Z *Continued from* [*here*](https://zulusierra.co/a-week-with-the-suunto-ambit3-vertical--and-thoughts-on-the-ambit-line/)*.* A while back, Suunto announced a new iteration of their GPS/GLONASS line, called the Vertical. Like a good technologist, I pre-ordered, and embraced its smaller feature set (compared with the Peak) with delight. I endured Suunto’s decision that people who ‘chase the Vertical’ don’t need to know about upcoming weather (BS) or sunrise/sunset (further BS), and enjoyed the funny little graph that should me cumulative ascent data from tracked activities. My tolerance at trading shortcomings for newness (and vibrating alert, that’s not a shortcoming) was not rewarded, however, by the device strapped to my wrist. I noticed one evening it was suddenly very warm , and sluggish to respond. The battery, which should have been enough to last a week of normal use, went to just making it through a day. The altimeter was convinced I was at 20km up, when I was closer to 64m AMSL. With a sinking feeling, and two weeks to a holiday in the Alps where I was planning to use every feature I could in the watch, I phoned Suunto, and arranged a return. In their usual efficient way, on description of the symptoms, they sent out a new watch, and all was well for about a month. After a swim one evening, I noticed that the ‘activity today’ screen that shows both recorded calorific burn and estimated from background movement was totally level. Dead level. I’d cycled back from the pool, and been up and down the stairs a few times, which would have been enough to produce an upwards tremble in the graph. Like a good technologist, I turned it off, and on again. This wipes some data from the watch, and is a bit annoying, but service as usual resumed, until I went swimming again and the symptoms repeated. The watch then stopped showing cadence while running, and finally repeated the symptoms of its predecessor, although this time it thought I was 8166m below sea level (I was about 105m AMSL). “Hullo Suunto, me again…” Here’s a total list of symptoms my Vertical(s) exhibited: 1. Watch noticeably warm on my wrist 2. Short battery life (down to about 12h) 3. Slowness to respond to button presses 4. Altimeter not updating/displaying — (m|ft) 5. Altimeter stuck at what I think is either the maximum, or minimum it can register 6. Accelerometer related problems: failure to display cadence and inability to update the activity today screen after swimming without a reboot 7. Screen losing contrast/unable to tune contrast to compensate > NB: to get a speedy resolution, instead of emailing Suunto or using the web contact form, I picked up the phone, described my symptoms and stated I wanted to replace the hardware. I’ve had several emails since apologising for slow reply times, which suggests that their support team has been a lot busier than usual. Two watches failing, in essentially the same way, was the nail in my good technologist coffin. Suunto would have replaced the watch again, but by this point I was suspecting a bad batch, and, with the watching being so new, a lot of watches in that bad batch. Cotswold Outdoors, where I originally bought the watch from gave me a refund so I decided to re-invest. Instead of switching to Garmin, I stuck with Suunto and went back to a Peak, this time in powder blue. Why stick with Suunto? My last two Ambits have been excellent with the kind of accuracy and streamlined feature set that I like, rather than the kitchen sink approach that Garmin take. Their customer service is excellent, with them paying for UPS both ways. I’ve decided that they’ve had a rough patch with the Vertical, for reasons that I don’t care about (although I sincerely hope it’s not the arrogance and internal blindness to technological problems the engineers know about and senior management ignore as it’s contrary to *The Vision*). This is my last hope that Suunto can pull their finger out, and return to the peak from which they have been sliding: a sincere hope that they won’t be the next Nokia (for all those that remember their peak with the N95, and then constant failure and demise due to a failure to innovate stable products). ### General thoughts on the Vertical To the end user, the Traverse and Vertical are effectively the same watch, just with different firmware. While there may be hardware differences inside, I would be surprised. They all feature satellite connectivity for positioning, ability to interpret changes in pressure, Blueooth, and a magnetometer. As an end user, it’s very frustrating that while the Traverse shipped with GPS, and GLONASS support enabled in a later firmware update, the Vertical was the same, when it feels very much like it should have had GLONASS out of the box. Suunto behave like Apple in this respect, and are effectively a closed wall to the end user. The Vertical’s lack of weather data is annoying: in order for it to accurately track altitude, it has to be able to interpret a pressure change as either weather or altitude, and by extension, it programmatically ‘knows’ as well as the Peak what the weather is likely to do, and has been doing. Now, if a Suunto rep commented, and stated categorically this was due to the limitations of the CPU and memory in the watch (it is, after all, ever so busy tracking vertical change), I’d be delighted, but until they do, I am certain that this lack of a feature, and the lack of display of sunrise/sunset times, is a marketing and not a technological choice, which leaves an aftertaste like a bad espresso an hour on. Until the replacement for the Amit3 Peak has been out for a while, I’ll be happily wearing my powder blue Peak, and lamenting the lack of vibrating alert. ### On the Mystery Ranch Flight Monster Duffle URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-mystery-ranch-flight-monster-duffle/ Last updated: 2016-04-08T00:00:00.000Z I’ve been known to by bags, normally something around the size of a day pack (20–25L), but every so often I need something bigger. This is one of those times, and with an imminent move to San Francisco, I knew I’d need something large and strong. Having been impressed by Mystery Ranch before (I have their Spartan and ASAP, and convet the CamelBak Tri-Zip that was licensed from them), so I was aware of their Flight Monster bag, aimed at transporting a backcountry fireman’s kit from A to B via an aircraft. It can hold 123L, and never has a bag impressed me so much when I took it out of the box. Due to its size, and despite having read its webpage, taking the bag out of the box was a wonderful voyage of discovery: what is this? What does this connec to? Oh, so this goes there… My goodness! And so on. The features: - A duffel shoulder strap - Normal carry handles - Mystery Ranch backpack straps, complete with lifter pulls that attach at the top - Bright, yellow interior so you can find your things inside it - Orange loops to indicate that you should pull here to unveil hidden feature {a,z} - It’s very, very large, and has been designed around the maximum dimensions that an airline will accept As it’s made by Mystery Ranch, it’s very well made. The backpack straps are well padded, and not cheap, awful straps. They have lifters, allowing you to raise the (monstrously sized) pack up. A chest strap is included. Every way that this bag can be moved, aside from wheels, has been thought of, and well implemented. It has a very generous, well-segregated laundry compartment, that’s also accessed separately. This means that not only is it a laundry compartment, but a convenient second compartment for anything you might want to access without a massive rummage. On one end, not only is there a clear window for baggage tags, but also a loop Velcro panel for your extra ID tags. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be taking two monsters with me on a British Airways flight as I move to San Francisco, and living out of them as I look for my own shoebox in the sun to live in. The Flight Monster is $199 and can be found here: [http://www.mysteryranch.com/hot-flight-monster-duffel](http://www.mysteryranch.com/hot-flight-monster-duffel?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Backing up data in a SaaS company URL: https://zulusierra.co/backing-up-data-in-a-saas-company/ Last updated: 2016-02-18T00:00:00.000Z When I started working in IT, life was simple: everything was on servers in a server room or a data center, and everything on those servers needed to be backed up. Data replication had yet to really take off, internet connections were slow, and clouds were only just starting to firm in the sky. Everyone used Windows, and had home directories that were easily mapped with Active Directory-connected logon scripts. Present day, having the full benefits of a product like Exchange, but without the overhead of managing the troublesome beast, is the norm. File servers are easy to replicate, and it’s realistic to push large volumes of data across an internet connection. On the surface, this makes things seem easier, and some would question the need for backups (they’re dangerous people). It also fragments the landscape: I can’t use one product to back up my email, files, and domain controllers, because some of it is ‘in the cloud’, and some of it is on site. ### Backing up SaaS data This, thanks to a company called Backupify, is trivial: a few clicks, and every email, contact, calendar entry and file in Google Drive is copied from ‘my’ cloud to ‘their’ cloud, and it happens automatically. The same is true for salesforce, but here is where we start to fragment. *Some* people use Google Drive. Others use a file server. Where once I would — for example — have a Backup Exec instance pulling data from the file server, and copying it to a tape library, from which I could extract tapes and store them off-site, that approach is now overkill. ### Backing up traditional data By traditional data, I mean data that sits on a file server, possibly from Dell, in a room where I can go and touch it. A *server room*. As most of our data is now off-site, the economy has shifted, and where once it would be reasonable to invest £10k+ per year for an Asigra implementation, the numbers no longer match up. So what is a director to do? Take advantage of faster internet connections, and other people’s computers, and put data in the cloud. AWS made this popular and cool, and now Microsoft are in on it. For those of us with Windows servers, their Azure Backup product offers an incredibly cheap, and easy to setup solution to a tedious problem. Where before I couldn’t justify the cost of an expensive off-site solution, and was hesitant to implement the complexity of an on-site solution for a relatively small volume of data, now I install the Azure backup app on my server, click through a wizard, and check in the next day to see my protected data set. 4TB of data can be protected for under £100/month, and I can sleep well knowing that if my server fails, the restore process is just as easy. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/backing-up-data-in-a-saas-company/0-rv5cdsvh1dgz5zmj.jpg) ### Losing weight through high protocol and technology, and my exercise stack URL: https://zulusierra.co/losing-weight-through-high-protocol-and-technology-and-my-exercise-stack/ Last updated: 2016-02-07T00:00:00.000Z As someone who is most content when everything is quantified, I was immediately made unhappy last June, when I upgraded my long-standing original Suunto Ambit to an Ambit3 Peak. It had a new feature my completist nature had to check: a running performance graph, or, as I saw it, unquantified data. I hadn’t run since I was a rower at school, and I knew — absolutely knew — that running was more dangerous than racing in rush-hour traffic, climbing, or downhill cycling. The solution was simple: throw money at the problem, by buying running shoes, and commence quantifying data. This jump in quantified data (namely, my very poor running score) catalysed a change for the better: I probably weighed 86kg when I started running (85.7kg on 20150911), and at 181cm tall, this put me squarely overweight. Five months later, I have achieved my initial target of weight loss, 81kg, comfortably not overweight. Expensively, I’m having to re-buy my trousers in a smaller size, which is a moaning gloat. ### A high-protocol lifestyle Self-quantification, as I mentioned, is a relaxing experience. A structured environment with rules determined from targets and quantified data that feeds back into further refinement of the rules towards ultimate efficiency is the other side of this coin, and can be comfortably defined as a ‘high-protocol lifestyle’ (and, playfully, one that is *safe, sane and concensual*). Taking advantage of this, I implemented a strict training plan: two runs a week (one interval, one 5km), two swims (1km each), in addition to commuter cycling. Missing a session is unacceptable, and would make me feel a strong disappointment in myself. Reviewing the data, and using it to make data-driven training goals, is one of the most relaxing experiences I know. ### Controlling intake The same discipline that drives me out to run whatever the weather (*What are you, made of sugar? Get out there!*) helps control a tendency towards gluttonous consumption. At the same time as deciding to follow a strict training plan, I decided to eat less, but not less of what I want. Does a burger come *mit pommes*? Great. Don’t eat them. Having a burrito? Order the small size. Mail-order pizza? Eat half, save the rest for tomorrow. Eat smaller portions slowly, and give it 10m: you’ll realise you’re full. Appetite control is probably a battle between the neocortex and the limbic system, so I took firm control of both and bated one to work the other. *Want a slice of cake? Earn it.* ### Sourcing data to drive decisions: my exercise stack ### Hardware - Garmin Fēnix 3 HR - Garmin HRM Run/Swim - Withthings connected scales ### Software - Garmin Connect - Strava - HRV4Training To get to this stack, I’ve bought and downloaded a lot more. A Moov sensor (good for running coaching and callisthenics), Jabra Pulse (great sport headphones), Zombies! Run! (I couldn’t get into it, but will probably come back to it for variety, especially if the annoying radio operator gets eaten), to name a few. ### Preventing over-training Making this a safe, sane and consensual activity requires reigning in my tendencies, an exercise safe-word if you will. I have two inputs for safe-wording out of a session, or relocating it by a day: primarily, the recovery time indicator on my Suunto. Derived from heart-rate variance, and the implied load on the system, it provides a constant interpretation of the impact of my last session(s). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/losing-weight-through-high-protocol-and-technology--and-my-exercise-stack/0-j42j7dzwlxuibj-h.jpeg) HRV4Training, while applying the same concept, instead of being tied to sessions is tied to about the same time every day (just after I wake up), and provides me with an overview of my condition. A fun side-effect is being able to see the impact of heavy alcohol consumption, or oncoming illness. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/losing-weight-through-high-protocol-and-technology--and-my-exercise-stack/0-smenb3nigrp6pxch.png) Between these two, I make an informed decision as to how hard to go at myself, which helps prevent injury and ensures optimal performance in each session. ### TL;DR? Have a plan. Stick to it. Audit yourself against reliable data. Revise your goals in line with the data. And stop whining: > You are not a unique and precious snowflake. You are not the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. ### On Queal, and chewing your drink URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-queal-and-chewing-your-drink/ Last updated: 2016-01-29T00:00:00.000Z ### Experiments with meal-replacement powders from a person who enjoys food and cooking Two of my hobbies are reading cookbooks, normally in an armchair in the kitchen while something else cooks, and cooking. With that in mind, I took the probably improbable decision to try one of the many meal replacement powders. The recent trend was, I believe, started by Soylent, but they all make me think of something given to people with digestive issues called Complan. The concept is simple: one determines what one needs to consume to live, then one works out how to render that in a powdered form, that only needs water to be added to it. Finally, one gives it a catchy name like [Queal](https://queal.eu/?rep=a3c65c2974270fd093ee8a9bf8ae7d0b&ref=zulusierra.co) (quick meal?), [Huel](http://huel.com/?ref=zulusierra.co) (human fuel?), [Joylent](https://www.joylent.eu/?ref=zulusierra.co) (not Soylent?) and market. After a highly scientific process (5m Googling, then reading one post on reddit), I ordered a sampler of Queal, based on the recommendation of it having the best flavour. A few days later, just in time for lunch on a Friday, my sampler box arrived. I diligently measured out 3.5 scoops of powder, shook it with 400ml of water, and consumed. The first thing that struck me was the taste of the artificial sweetener, but I pushed past that and into the ‘meat’ of the drink. Each Queal serving is about 700kcal, and they are definitely filling. It’s very easy to chew the liquid (suspension?) thanks to the oat flour, so there’s plenty of texture. It takes about 5m to prepare the Queal, and I can drink it quite slowly while doing something else. The servings are pleasantly filling. On my first weekend with Queal, I tried having it twice a day: I made it from Friday to Saturday lunch time, before I couldn’t take it any more. Despite the massive benefits of low preparation time and low clean up time, I needed more variety in my textures. On Sunday, I re-grouped, and had it again for lunch, and again on Monday. There’s no reason or suggestion on [Queal’s site](https://queal.eu/?rep=a3c65c2974270fd093ee8a9bf8ae7d0b&ref=zulusierra.co) that one should replace all of one’s meals with it; I was being bloody-minded. Settling down to using it as my lunch has worked out very well: I find that, due to not having spent any time cooking and cleaning at lunch, I enjoy my evening cooking a lot more, instead of it feeling like a duty from my personally-inflicted high-protocol lifestyle. I haven’t noticed any ill-effects after a few weeks, despite maintaining a high-exercise regime, and have just received another order of Queal (I’m very excited about the Speculoos flavour). Time- and energy-savings aside, each serving works out to about £1.50, and even with only replacing four meals a week, I’ve noticed a lot of money saved too. I don’t know, and don’t have a particular desire to, quantify the average cost of a meal, but I know that £1.50 is a lot less. Flavour-wise, Queal provides a wide range, and I think my favourite is the chocolate-peanut butter one. Favourite, until I open the Speculoos I’m sure. They’ve also added a caffeinated one, to increase morning efficiency. ### How I prepare my Queal 1. Take the shaker, and put the spring/agitator in the bottom. 2. Measure out your water, and put approximately 50ml in the bottom of the shaker. 3. Put the shaker on an accurate set of scales, tare, and spoon in 175g of powder. 4. Remove from scales, and add the rest of the water (350ml). 5. Shake, and leave to rest in the fridge. This differs from the instructions, and I find produces a much smoother preparation: by not having to use 3.5 scoops of powder, I’m not compressing the powder, so it mixes in with the water much more easily. By putting a little water at the bottom, I’m preventing lumps from forming where the bottom of the shaker meets the sides. By not putting all of the water in, I’m preventing the powder from getting near the top of the shaker, which means I’m less likely to get it everywhere. Following this recipe also requires a lot less shaking to receive the same smooth result, and absolutely removes the need for a blender, or one of those shakers with some kind of battery-powdered agitator built in. ### A week with the Suunto Ambit3 Vertical, and thoughts on the Ambit line URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-week-with-the-suunto-ambit3-vertical-and-thoughts-on-the-ambit-line/ Last updated: 2016-01-26T00:00:00.000Z *Update: this is continued* [*here*](https://zulusierra.co/longer-term-with-the-suunto-ambit3-vertical/)*.* Last Wednesday, I received my Suunto Ambit3 Vertical. Having a new hardware design — a recycled Traverse — it presents itself more as an Ambit 3.5 than one of the existing range. ### Initial Observations The first, most apparent difference is the removal of the GPS antenna ‘nub’ that has typified the Ambit watches over the last three iterations, bringing with it compatibility with standard watch straps. Coming from the Peak, I am used to the larger dimensions (18.9mm vs. 15.3mm), making the Vertical feel a lot like the Core on my wrist. The reduction in depth comes with a reduction in weight (74.9g vs. 87.5g), which while not seeming much numerically, is noticeable. The smoother design makes it easier to tuck under a sleeve. What I find most impressive is that the nub has been lost, moving the GPS chip and antenna inside the body of the watch, but the only sacrifice seems to be the battery life. Those used to a protective bezel rising above their screen slightly will be sad to note that the Vertical features entirely flat glass, that fits flush to the edge of the bezel, making this the first time where I considered the relative merits of a sapphire layer over the LCD instead of glass. The font Suunto use has changed, offering more rounded corners. The display might have changed too; it appears to have a slightly purple hue to it when compared to a Peak, but this could be the contrast settings. Regarding the physical interface, nothing has changed: the same USB cable clips on in the same way, and there are five buttons, two on the left and three on the right of the face. The buttons are more lightly sprung than on the Peak, and offer a crisper feedback. When compared to the original Ambit, it’s the difference between pressing a stiff marshmallow and snapping a bubble on a sheet of bubble wrap. ### Day-to-day use The half-size battery is immediately apparent: this, it is important to say, isn’t that battery life is poor. I’ve charged it once since I got it, and after using it to track 149 minutes of activity over six days (cycling, pool swimming, running, climbing, recording data at 1s intervals), it was down to 47%. I have message alerts on from my phone, and includes a higher number of synchronisations a that normal (via Bluetooth) as I move routes, sports settings, workouts *et al* onto the watch. Realistically, I think the Vertical will need a weekly charge, perhaps 1.5 weeks. The vibrator in it is sometimes useful, but sometimes just too weak to notice: I notice it most when auto-pause activates at traffic lights, and the watch vibrates four times. When running, with the watch over a very thin fleece, I didn’t feel it vibrate. Longer, more annoying pulses would be welcome, but I’m not sure that they would help. This could be annecdotal, but when swimming it felt like it was faster at tallying the total length distance swum than the Peak. ### Key omissions from the Peak - Sunrise/sunset times: I can’t imagine why, on a watch targeted at people who tackle ‘vertical’, Suunto decided to remove this key piece of information. - Access to barometric data: the Vertical is feature-restricted to only show altitude data, but, in order to track altitude accurately, the watch has to assess if a pressure change is from weather, or from movement. In order to focus this watch at a new market, Suunto have stripped off a feature, which I’m sure could be present otherwise. - Storm Alarm: along with barometric data, there is no general Storm Alarm. While this worked perfectly on my Core, I ended up turning it off on my Peak as it was wrong so often. I don’t miss it, but again, in a watch targeted at people who *go up high things* it seems like an odd omission. When looking at these omissions, a cynic would suggest that Suunto is deliberately designing one hardware platform (in use in the Kailash, Traverse and Vertical), and releasing different software sets to try and capitalise market share. Whilst I would very much like Suunto to have more market share, I feel mostly confused by their design choices: there was a clear escalation from the Ambit3 Run to the Sport to the Peak, but now the ‘ultimate’ watch is harder to determine. Cynicism aside, I do not know how much memory Suunto have to work with in this platform: it could be that they are so limited that in order to make the watch responsive, the code base had to be trimmed. I’d love to know the answer to that. Alternately, this watch could be aimed at a sort of person — a veritable *Gipfelstürmer* — who gets to their objective and back *so fast* that weather and daylight information is irrelevant. ### Regarding the omission of the step counter The Vertical’s cousins, Kailash and Traverse, both feature a step counter, which some people have bemoaned the lack of. I think this is a clear design choice: the Vertical has all the (excellent) sports tracking functions of the Peak, which renders such trivial data as step count meaningless in the face of far greater exercise. Since I started to use my Peak to its full potential (i.e.: exercise a lot more) I’ve removed the step count graph from Apple Health, as the data it gathers isn’t relevant/interesting. The above paragraph assumes that the step count is derived from analysis of the same accelerometer hardware that provides cadence data for running: it is possible that this isn’t the case, and that there’s a different component on the board, but that seems unlikely given the similarity of function. ### Who is the Vertical targeted at? Cynically, again, I think the Vertical is targeted at owners of the Peak who want a new toy, as well as those who partake in 1km ‘vertical’ sprints. Not to detract from the device as a stand-alone product, but when viewed with the rest of the Ambit/Traverse/Kailash range I think of it as a stop-gap model until the Ambit4 Summit is released, giving an athlete all the data recording and analysis they need, but in a smaller form factor. ### A note on the positioning chipset, and accuracy As stated in the manual for both the Peak and the Vertical, they feature the same chipset. This chipset supports both the American GPS, and Russian GLONASS. While the Vertical doesn’t have GLONASS yet, when Suunto release this feature in firmware, it’ll be very interesting to see if they extend it back to the Peak. There are some reports saying that the Vertical is less accurate than the Peak. I haven’t used mine enough to determine this, but the Peak is incredibly accurate: when running recently, I had to run around a van that at parked at 45 degrees on the pavement: the GPS track shows this deviation to the left and back to the right, so the Vertical has stiff competition. Given that Suunto have stated (if not directly) the positioning code isn’t complete yet, if there is any inaccuracy now, I imagine it will be removed with this update. ### Where do we go from here? One of the most appealing features of Suunto’s products, compared to say, the Fenix product line, is the lack of features. I love that the watch does not have a colour screen, and that everything (OK except the Storm Alarm) works perfectly. The line has a tight, tested feature set and I hope that when the Ambit4 Summit is released, it continues the trend of eschewing gaudy features for precise function. And has a stronger vibrator. ### Ambit4 Summit This is a title I made up. I have no idea what the high-end Ambit4 will be called, but I’m bored of the word Peak, and Pinnacle didn’t seem to fit. I hope there will be a special-edition of the Ambit4 Summit called *Ambit4 Gipfelstürmer.* *Update: this is continued* [*here*](https://zulusierra.co/longer-term-with-the-suunto-ambit3-vertical/)*.* ### Experiments with small-scale solar power in the home URL: https://zulusierra.co/experiments-with-small-scale-solar-power-in-the-home/ Last updated: 2016-01-25T00:00:00.000Z I backed a Kickstarter project, Solar Paper, by Yolk, which provided me with four very thin solar panels that magnetise together. Each panel is rated at 2.5W/5V, and up to six can be chained together. Living in the UK, a dark and gloomy place, one does not naturally think about solar power, but I wanted to challenge that: could I, in a day, harvest enough solar power to recharge my iPhone 6s+ overnight? The short answer is, that in January, no, I can’t, but the journey and progress has been interesting. Initially, I had the panels propped up at an angle on a table in full view of the windows: even with this minimal harvest, I could charge small things, such as a Jawbone hands free, or by Sony SBH-80 Bluetooth headphones. Fun, but not the goal. I have at my disposal several mophie battery packs: a Powerstation-XL, their rugged Pro, their Mini and their case for the iPhone. I hoped I’d be able to trickle-charge the XL over several days, but sadly it has the kind of circuitry to prevent this silliness, and the same with the Pro. Scaling back my hopes and dreams, I tried the Juice Pack: even on a tedious, overcast day, I was able to trickle-charge it full. Success! Almost. It only contains enough *juice* to charge about 70% of my iPhone’s battery. I then tried the mini: whilst this will trickle charge with minimal light, it doesn’t appear to be as good at taking charge as the JP. ### Numbers It’s been hard to gather actual, useful data as partly the Solar Paper provides very little (to keep its own draw low, it has a 3-digit LCD screen), and partly I have no hardware to measure it, but here is a guesstimation: - On a normal, crappy, overcast day: I can probably harvest about 270mA, which is fine for tiny batteries but not much else. - On an unusual, lovely, sunny day: I can harvest around 670mA in the midday sun, which while it isn’t enough to charge the large battery packs, it’s enough to charge both smaller models. ### Further improvements I’m considering adding an extra two panels, to help eek out every last bit of solar power I can in a day. It’s an additional cost of $100, and I’m not convinced in the difference it’d make to my already whimsical project. ### Panel positioning It should surprise no-one that the position of the panels makes a difference. I have a bay window, and one of the angles of the bay faces SSE, which is about as good as it gets for the lazy solar farmer who doesn’t want to reposition his panels during the day. I found that whilst they do work inside, the already-weak light is further weakened, so I’ve opted to string the panels together using gutted paracord, and hang them out of the window. I then run the USB cable back inside though the padding in the double glazing, and charge away. This way, on a particularly good two-day run, I can charge the mini and the JP, and have enough harvested electricity for the night, and some to spare. ### Fringe benefits I get up in the morning, and hang my solar panels out. It makes me feel akin to Mark Watney, stranded on Mars, sweeping his solar panels just so he can live. It’s a stretch I’ll admit, but I enjoy it. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/experiments-with-small-scale-solar-power-in-the-home/0-rm3wd1zs3qbznk8c.jpeg) ### A comparison of the Suunto Smart and Mio Link heart rate monitors over 28m of cycling URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-comparison-of-the-suunto-smart-and-mio-link-heart-rate-monitors-over-28m-of-cycling/ Last updated: 2016-01-23T00:00:00.000Z Recently, I compared the output of two optical heart rate monitors: the [Mio Link](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Z49PRXM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Z49PRXM&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), and the [Jabra Pulse](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OYSHDV8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00OYSHDV8&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), finding that they are comparable in their accuracy. Since then, I’ve moved on from an interest in direct heart rate (beats per minute), and developed an interest in heart rate variability (HRV), which is described [on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart%5Frate%5Fvariability?ref=zulusierra.co) as “the physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats. It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval.” In addition to providing heart rate, HRV also provides an indicator of stress level on the system, and allows for the calculation of recovery time, and recovery status *ex post facto*. Whilst the optical HRMs are capable of providing a satisfactory heart rate, they are not sufficiently accurate to provide HRV. Where an optical HRM (oHRM) has to calculate one’s heart rate by analysing a visual stream, a chest-strap HRM (csHRM) uses an E(C|K)G to detect electrical signals that directly result from heart beats. With this in mind, I wore both a Mio Link and a [Suunto Smart Sensor](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01A5TJEDO/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B01A5TJEDO&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co) while cycling for 28 minutes, and compared the results. ### A note on accuracy To record the data, I used two devices: both devices are synchronised to GPS, and are acceptably accurate to 1s, but not beyond that. To increase accuracy, I’d have to use a device like a NPE’s WASP device, which is beyond the scope of casual comparison. Given the areas of alignment on the graph, I am not concerned about this inaccuracy here. ### Data ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-comparison-of-the-suunto-smart-and-mio-link-heart-rate-monitors-over-28m-of-cycling/0-vd1jb93c7xq9wdca.png) *the interactive graph takes a while to load!* At the beginning of the graph, a massive discrepancy is visible: from the peaks, I imagine that the Mio ‘lost’ my HR ‘signal’, and was actively seeking it. I’m not aware of having dislodged the sensor to cause it to do that, and my hands were in a stable position on the handlebars. Once the Mio starts tracking again, one sees generally good correlation (this sample from around 17m in): ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-comparison-of-the-suunto-smart-and-mio-link-heart-rate-monitors-over-28m-of-cycling/0-n5nx6k6oamofyvpx.png) Also exhibited are lags in the Mio’s precision, illustrated by a sharp peak from the Suunto, and then a similar, although less sharp peak shortly after from the Mio: ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-comparison-of-the-suunto-smart-and-mio-link-heart-rate-monitors-over-28m-of-cycling/0-e7onavpkqnrxdqad.png) I believe this happens when the HR change is too sharp and happens outside the Mio’s polling interval, which is necessarily lower than that of Suunto. ### %Difference ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-comparison-of-the-suunto-smart-and-mio-link-heart-rate-monitors-over-28m-of-cycling/0-l1yfglsnbv03laoj.png) Once the initial discrepancy is resolved, it is clear from the %D graph that for the most part, there is a minimal percentage difference between the two devices. This supports the conclusion that the optical technology is satisfactory, given due care to its calibration caveats, for HR recording, even if it lacks the capability to report HRV. *Further notes on HRV* Marco Altini developed an app for iOS called [HRV4Training](https://itunes.apple.com/app/hrv4training/id686923970?ls=1&mt=8&ref=zulusierra.co). It allows the user to record data from either a chest strap, or the iPhone’s camera, and [he has a post](http://www.hrv4training.com/blog/heart-rate-variability-using-the-phones-camera?ref=zulusierra.co) demonstrating the relative accuracy between a Polar chest strap and the iPhone’s camera. This allows the user to record their HRV daily, under relatively controlled circumstances, and receive advice as to the intensity of training. Interestingly, I can spot the onset of illness from the HRV graphs, illustrated as a drop in rMSSD. Larger problems at work also correlate in a drop in HRV, as day-to-day stressors impact on my system. His blog explores this, and his PhD provides an interesting background to his work. ### A week with the Triple Aught Design EDC URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-week-with-the-tadgear-edc/ Last updated: 2015-11-02T00:00:00.000Z Recently, TAD released an update to their EDC pack (the larger of their two rucksacks). It took its ques from the Litespeed update in the form of straps and internal attachment points for the Control Panel, and added an innovative, separate roll-top compartment (think an integral dry bag), as a nod to those of us that carry laptops, and the paracord routing for easy jacket storage. I was lucky (or clicked refresh frequently enough) to get one of the first wave of mail order EDCs, receiving it on the Monday after it was available. ### Monday & Tuesday The pack was delivered on Monday afternoon, a sad deflated version of the plump photographs shown on the site, ready for me to make my own. The first thing I noted was the weight: like its smaller relative, the EDC is a heavy bag, at 2.04kg. This weight will come from the very durable materials used, and all of the webbing sewn on the outside. The roll-top compartment is an obvious and welcome addition, making for the first easily accesible laptop storage on a TAD rucksack. Two ‘flashlight caves’ (aka upside-down pockets accesible without taking off the pack) are neatly hidden on the underside of the side pockets. Given the extra 10.77l of space in the EDC over the LS, the only customisation was the control panel from my LS: I wanted to keep this minimalist, and more importantly keep the dry weight down. I had an overnight trip to London planned, so I packed it with cycling gear, a laptop and set off. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-week-with-the--tadgear-edc/0-zmppjxwyyi9zdx46.jpg) The side pockets are well sized for a thermal flask on one side, and a 532ml Klean Canteen on the other. The bag holds itself upright when off the back, and, thanks to the lifter straps is easy to put on. As the above photo shows, they hold themselves open and apart , which put me in mind of a space suit in its gantry waiting for an astronaut. I found the pack very comfortable and stable to wear while cycling (my longest ride with it has been about 6.1km), and it is easy to maneuver around in the narrow confines of a coach despite its size. This is thanks again to the lifter straps. ### Thursday ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-week-with-the--tadgear-edc/0-qlapv2tj5ofxo53k.jpg) Originally I planned to be away from home for seven days, and packed everything I’d need (normal clothes, laptop, cycling and running togs, and a D-lock) into the EDC. Picking the bag up, I changed my mind: the weight was 13kg. Just because I can move with 13kg, doesn’t mean I ever want to, and especially not perched on a tiny bike saddle. I split the load, and decided on three shorter trips (overnight in London again, two nights in Germany, a night at home and another three in London). Looking at my overnight load, I opted not only to change my travel plans, but to also change my pack: I picked up the LiteSpeed. This is telling: at 2kg, the EDC was making up 15% of my load. Considering that the D-lock counted for 13%, two items on my back made up for 28% of the actual load. ### Saturday ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/a-week-with-the--tadgear-edc/0-kuyzqswf3a2pfcfy.jpg) New bag’s first flight! I filled the pack with its new, trimmed cargo, including laptop and iPad (I hope you’re paying attention here), activated my house’s defenses and left for the airport at 0520\. Passport in the outer pocket at the top (there’s a section just the right size for a passport), laptop and iPad in the roll-top, everything else in the main body. Going through airport security with my LiteSpeed has always been a bit annoying: either laptop and iPad have to be packed next to the outside of the pack (load away from back), or, a lot of rummaging at security happens. Remember when I said I had my laptop and iPad with me? When it was my turn at security, I unpopped the clips that close the compartment, put the electronics in their own tray, and done. Through the metal detector I went. A very efficient process. On the other side, retrieving my items, there was a slight snag: taking the electronics out of the roll top also takes some of the dry bag out of the bag, half turning it inside out. Great for removing biscuit crumbs and sand, less good for day-to-day use. Anchoring the dry bag inside of the pack would solve this. Boarding was smooth: despite being on a full flight, the agent at the gate asked no questions about my (rather large) pack, which she had about the two people infront of me, who had considerably smaller/ligher hand luggage. I think it’s probably a bit too fat to fit comfortaly under the seat, but went into the overhead locker perfectly, and without being selfish. ### Monday Back home in the UK, the bag had earned 2500 Avios and 80 tier points. The new EDC offers an excellent pack for four days, or at a squeeze seven if you’re not taking bulky running shoes or heavy D-locks. It travels well, both on the back on foot, on a bike (a stable load is important with *dynamic* cycling around traffic), and flies well. A lighter dry weight and attaching the drybag to the inside of the pack would be welcome, as would supplying dummy cord for the flashlight caves/upside-down pockets. ### In summary… Owning both the LiteSpeed and EDC works well, with neither pack overshadowing the other. In a market where manufacturers have a tendency to make every variation they can think of (Goruck, I’m looking at you), it is refreshing to have clearly defined roles for separate products. If one is already in the TAD ecosystem, and has a control panel from their Litespeed, the cross-compatability with the EDC is welcome: I can’t see myself needing two control panels of the same type. The outside pockets are also excellent, and it’s good to see the paracord routing from the LiteSpeed. Altogether an excellent pack. ### On notebook choice URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-notebook-choice/ Last updated: 2015-11-02T00:00:00.000Z Few things define a person more than his choice of notebook. Moleskine, Field Notes, Leuchtterm, Nock: each choices broadcasts something different. For several years I have been a proud user of Field Notes. I enjoyed their size and durability (most notably their ability to stand dunking in rivers, even in the standard paper version) and variance in their colour options. When Nock Co. introduced their DotDash notebooks, and I bought a pack of three. I casually started using one as my kitchen notebook, and noticed but didn’t consider how nicely the ink of my Uni Power Tank wrote on it (but it writes well on almost everything), and how pleasant the notebook was to hold. Hitting page 46 of my last FN, I started to think about its replacement. I initially chose one of the [beautiful fall colours](http://fieldnotesbrand.com/colors/shenandoah/?ref=zulusierra.co) to be my next notebook, but was annoyed to notice that when I added duct tape to the spine for its reinforcement, the double-cover started to separate. *Sulk. Bin.* I briefly flirted with a Leuchtterm as my replacement: it has page numbers, an index page, excellent paper, and removable pages at the back — what more could one ask for? — but I couldn’t get a gridded [Jottbook Pocket (A6)](https://www.leuchtturm1917.com/jottbook-pocket-a6-table-of-centents-60-pages-32-sheets-removeable.html?ref=zulusierra.co) in time. Sitting on the side of my table was a [DotDash Pocket Notebook](http://nockco.com/shop/dotdash-pocket-notebooks-black-3-pack?ref=zulusierra.co), with its bold dot dash grid and racey top staple. I dislike the form fields on the inside cover, and will print my own to paste over it, but beyond that it’s lovely. The paper takes the ink from my Pilot G-Tec C4 beautifully. I look forward to seeing how it holds up over the next 45 pages, as the cover feels a little more ‘papery’ than on the FN. The question that remains: do I write in portrait or landscape? ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-notebook-choice/0-gm5my1kpyvsruai2.jpg) ### Improving the TAD FASTPACK Litespeed v2 URL: https://zulusierra.co/improving-the-tad-fastpack-litespeed-v2/ Last updated: 2015-10-28T00:00:00.000Z I’ve had my LS since 2015–05–16, and have flown with it, hiked in the Alps with it, and commuted by (pedal) bike with it. Stuffed into overhead storage bins, being rained on, sat on, packed with a silly — silly — amount of weight, it’s been through it. Before the v2, I had the v1, and I was pleased with the differences: the shoulder straps (that seem to divide people), were a big improvement for me, not having straps going over the zip, and the paracord routed at the top. I appreciate each change, but I think it has room to improve, called v3. - I have to start with this: I hate the name. L I T E does not conjure up images of anything good. Light does. - Ounces lead to pounds, and pounds lead to pain: this is neither a light, nor lite, pack at 1.72kg. I realise that rugged (and the look that TAD have developed) do not easily come in light, but for the size/volume, it’s weighty. After covering 15k on foot in alpine terrain in 28C heat, one starts to think about what lighter bags are like. Not cheating on TAD you understand, but casually appraising the field (hey, Mystery Ranch…). Lighter materials could be used, and I’m not convinced that at covering it in webbing is necessary. I don’t know who the average user is, but of the four bags I’ve seen ‘in the wild’, the webbing has been largely unused. Counting mine — five bags — I think I use the webbing the most, with a modest couple of pouches and a D-lock. - Not its marketed\* purpose, but: having a laptop in this bag is a faff . It gets buried under everything else, and even with a Control Panel, is a lot more of a chore to find than with dedicated access. There’s a slowdown at every security (theatre) check. Whilst this has been elegantly fixed with the EDC v2, it would be good to see a solution in the LS v3. - Supporting ‘multiple mission profiles’ (hmm) provides great flexibility, but at the cost of great faff. Changing the configuration of this bag takes time — wrapping webbing rolls, unwrapping them, clips and buckles and and — and some streamlining would be good. Can TAD provide streamlining while still maintaining the look? I’m sure they can, as they can with the weight reduction. - The zips are still exposed. I spend most of my time in Northern Europe, where it either rains, or is generally damp. Water defeats zip. Contents gets damp. I pack in compression sacks, which is works around the issue, but a (more) waterproof zip would be entirely welcome. The Cordura, whilst not being waterproof, is fine with water, even if it does get a little heavier. - The chest strap on mine is a little small, and I gave up on it as it kept popping off. I have a 106cm chest, which I feel it should be able to accommodate. That said, once I gave up on the chest strap, I found the pack more comfortable, so perhaps it’s no bad thing? I notice that the strap on the 2015 EDC is more sensibly sized. The Litespeed is one of my favourite bags: despite the faff, despite the weight, I keep coming back to it for both its style and its functionality. \*unless you include the laptop being slipped in [at 1:02 in their video](https://vimeo.com/109209376?ref=zulusierra.co) ### On the Mio Link Heart Rate Monitor URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-mio-link-heart-rate-monitor/ Last updated: 2015-10-18T00:00:00.000Z Starting on Kickstarter, Mio were the first company that I know of to use an optical HRM in a sports stracker. Bright green LEDs shine through the skin, enabling a camera to see the wearer’s pulse. This is then exported either over BT LE or ANT+ to one’s preferred device. I own the [Mio Link](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Z49PRXM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Z49PRXM&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), which is their simplest device. ### Pros - The monitor is a fully sealed plastic puck in a rubber (silicone?) wrist band. This makes washing the sweat off easy, and doesn’t require putting an elastic belt in the wash, as one faces with a chest strap. Another benefit is that one doesn’t have the horrible experience of putting on a cold, wet chest strap that hasn’t dried yet. - As it is designed to be worn on the wrist, it can be placed next to (within 1cm) a watch, such as the [Suunto Ambit3 Peak](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MN96JT2/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00MN96JT2&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co). Coupled with the waterproof nature, this allows it to track, and my watch to record, my heart rate while I swim. Anyone who has worn a chest strap monitor while swimming will know that they wriggle and slide and are generally annoying, and that the extended range between the HRM and recording device requires the HRM to mantain data and sync data to the watch, which reduces compatability. - To re-iterate that last bullet: the Mio Link can track your heart rate while swimming, and write the data back to a device sitting next to it on one’s wrist. - Charing is easy, with a MagSafe-alike system that connets to a USB port. - The devices supports both BT LE and ANT+, but it also supports both concurrently. This means that one can record to two devices, such as one’s Ambit and one’s Recon Jet (live view vs. analysis). A niche benefit. - Easy to see heart-rate banding: the programmable five-c0lour LED blinks to indicate which band your heart rate is in, without troubling with numbers. It could blink more frequently, but it’s still useful. The banding is set via their mobile app, which seems to have bad reviews, but as I haven’t used it beyond the initial configuration isn’t an issue. ### Cons - Remember how it’s on a wrist strap? That strength is also a weakness. The loose end clips into the strap via two lugs, but can become unclipped. When you dive into a pool. Which means the HRM moves. Which means you have to — pause — restart the monitor — resume — which is annoying. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s worth mentioning. - Remember how it’s on a wrist? It’s surprisingly easy to knock something on your wrist. Knocking the HRM can cause it to move over your skin, which will cause it to lose calibration. Once the Link loses calibration, one has to restart it (see above bullet) to allow it to track one’s heart rate again. This is mostly solved by putting the Link on last when you’re getting ready. - That wrist placement again. If one wears it for an activity that leaves one’s forearms pumped, like climbing, it gets uncomfortable quickly as it restricts blood flow. Note: this has never been a problem during calisthenics, running, swimming, or cycling: only climbing. - Charging: I know, I said the charging is a pro, and it is: but if you forget its proprietary charger, and it runs out of battery… I’ve seen it for [£50 on Amazon](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Z49PRXM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Z49PRXM&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), which probably makes it the cheapest HRM available, and with no compromises. Here’s [its page](http://www.mioglobal.com/Mio-LINK-Heart-Rate-Band-Grey/Product.aspx?ProductID=14&ref=zulusierra.co) on Mio’s site. Since getting it, it has become the only heart rate monitor I use regularly. ### A comparison of two optical heart rate monitors over 23m of running URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-comparison-of-two-optical-heart-rate-monitors-over-23m-of-running/ Last updated: 2015-10-10T00:00:00.000Z I ran yesterday wearing two HRMs, both optical. On my right wrist, I wore a [Mio Link](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Z49PRXM/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Z49PRXM&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), and in my ears, a [Jabra Pulse](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OYSHDV8/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00OYSHDV8&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co). The data from the Link was recorded to my [Suunto Ambit3 Peak](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MN96JT2/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00MN96JT2&linkCode=as2&tag=criticalpress-21&ref=zulusierra.co), and the Pulse was recorded to their app on my iPhone. The run was over relatively even grass, and the air was 15ºC. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/2024/04/comparison-of-two-optical-hrm-over-23m-of-running-2.png) ### Analysis There is the obvious discrepancy in the data at the beginning of the histogram, which is almost certainly caused by me. Whilst I had both HRMs on when I started my run, I forgot to press start on the Jabra Pulse. Whilst both had found my heart rate before I started, I suspect the Pulse operates in a low-power mode until you press start, and that pressing start whilst mid-activity makes it harder to accurately acquire a pulse. Once we clear the calibration area (13:57:02 onwards), we can see that the %D drops to 0.69%, with a few spikes. I attribute one of these spikes to pressing the button on the Pulse for extra audio feedback, which will have moved the HRM over the skin it’s watching and introduced error. ### Conclusion The security of the Link on my wrist gives it the appearance of more stable data, as it is free from my interference (no mid-run button pressing), but given the vagaries of biometric tracking, and especially while running, a %D of 0.69% is acceptable. ### Further testing 1. Pressing start on all units before starting. 2. Wearing a chest strap HRM at the same time as the other two, to provide a ‘classic’ benchmark. ### On Gloves; design and review URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-gloves-design-and-review/ Last updated: 2015-10-01T00:00:00.000Z I’ve had a fluctuating obsession with gloves for most of my life, with it waning as capacitive screens came to dominance. I have a passing interest in the contents of the pockets of others; ‘every day carry’. Amongst the pocket detritus of the modern man with access to Amazon Prime, gloves feature heavily, primarily those made by Mechanix. The following questions presented themselves: - What does the average man use these hardy gloves for? - Do they feature in so many posts, because they’re so good, or because so many other people feature then in their personal ‘look books’? ## On Gloves To answer the first question, what do I use these gloves for? 1. Cycling. 2. Via ferrata, or gripping a thick steel cable. The second question has a longer answer: I’ve selected four pairs to illustrate it, including the popular Mechanix. ### TL;WR? **GloveOakley SI TacticalOutdoor Research IronsightArc’teryx Assault Glove FRMechanix Original Fit?**OKOdd; very tight fingertipsPerfectLoose **Pull/hang loop?**NoYes; excellentYes; goodNo **Grip?**Yes; leather palmYes; initially then noYes; leather palmOK **Hard wearing?**YesNoYesYes; except Velcro**Score /5?3251** ### Oakley SI Tactical Fire resistant, goat-skin palm, and rigid knuckle reinforcement. The sizing is a little large, but more on the hand than the fingertips and fingers. Lamentably for an expensive glove, someone forgot to add a pull/hanging loop, and the Velcro is woefully thin (even though it doesn’t come undone). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-mz-eqnudang_g71c.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-bzweatahsoenu-r5.jpg) ### Outdoor Research Ironsight When new, the OR gloves have excellent grip, thanks to rubberised detailing on the palms and fingers. They have the best pull/hanging loop, are very breathable, and have good Velcro. Sadly the good grip doesn’t last long: the rubberised stripes fall off quickly, presenting a much less viscous surface. The finger boxes are bizarrely right compared to the fingers: I suspect they were sized for someone with fat fingers and comparatively small tips. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-bb02rqgw51qtthet.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0--7mnqa6tty7fr1xr.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-qn86xq_3vddwnxgw.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-idzuaojhcmupm8a8.jpg) ### Arc’teryx Assault Glove FR I struggle to find a negative point to these gloves, but if there is one it would be cost. Countering that, they fit perfectly, are fire resistant, work with touch screens, have a pull/hanging loop and an excellent large Velcro tab on the top of the wrist. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-q5j1rg-mmnldiwkj.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-2fbnj_yaugcrur0w.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-xote-tpzuengxppv.jpg) ### Mechanix Original The two advantages of these gloves is that they’re easy to get hold of, and cheap. Added to that, they’re hard wearing, and breathable, but that’s where the advantage ends. They lack a pull/hanging loop, meaning that once off, there’s no sensible way to attach them to anything. Compared to the other gloves, they have a much roomier cut. Their biggest failing is that the Velcro fastener is thin, and comes undone easily. This is compounded by the fastener being on the back, so that when the hands are raised the closing brushes against the body, causing the gloves to come undone regularly. In short, they lack manual dexterity, are easy to lose, and prone to coming undone of their own volition. I suspect these gloves are reserved for those who rarely use them. ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-oxtoxxstsrhllfzd.jpg) ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/zulu-sierra-ghost-io/downloaded_images/on-gloves--design-and-review/0-daxiaoaiemhjxwop.jpg) ### Conclusion After looking at these four pairs of gloves, it has firmed my belief that people who include Mechanix gloves do not use the same selection criteria that I do: they do not need to be able to securely store their gloves and retrieve them quickly, and they are not concerned about cuffs that come open during wear. The ideal glove will be much like the Arc’teryx model, and include the following: - Hang/pull loop, for easy donning and secure storage - Velcro on the back of the hand, not the palm, and a good-sized swatch of velcro, for a secure and snug cuff - A precise fit, with precise fitting instructions Why did I buy the Mechanix? Poor selection criteria. ### Scrumping, international URL: https://zulusierra.co/scrumping-international/ Last updated: 2015-09-29T00:00:00.000Z One of the best words in en-gb is scrumping; to commit an act of fruit (primarily apple) larceny, ideally having to scale an orchard wall to complete it. One returns to the free side of the wall, knees scuffed, and pockets bulging with the illicit gains of one’s escapade. French were partial to a bit of *maraude*, but it’s an old word that’s fallen out of common usage*.* I haven’t checked, but I’m confident it means something like fruit piracy, and that the French used to regularly engage in the piracy of orchards. Norwegians, somehow, have failed, and have Epleslang, which just means apple theft. Why did they even bother? Put the apple back on the try, and try again. The Swedes got in on time, and enjoy *palla*. A unique word like scrumping. The Germans take second place in the unlicensed reallocation of fruit property: they engage in *Mundraub*. Mouth robbery. How would one analyse this? The French have given up on this hobby, as it’s an old French word. It lacks a romantic concept for Norwegians. The Swedes, like the English, enjoy it enough to have a dedicated word for it. The Germans had a meeting and agreed that it is robbery by mouth (the meeting was completed within the allotted time, and all paperwork completed in triplicate), before proceeding for a scheduled *Mundraub* event at the optimally located orchard for the RSVP’d participants (each participant drove their their own car). ### On Hoods URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-hoods/ Last updated: 2015-09-26T00:00:00.000Z I think there are two types of hood in the world, two major categories at least: hood, functional, weather (fitted) and hood, snivel (unfitted). ![](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/downloaded_images/On-Hoods/0-xSTYmulnQUYliguZ.) ## The fitted, functional weather hood ### Objective To keep the weather, be it wind, rain, or sun, off my head. ### Method 1. Drawstrings, side: these run around the front opening of the hood, and allow me to cinch it snugly around my cheeks. 2. Drawstring, crown: this allows me to cinch the top of the hood around my head. 3. Peak, brim, or visor: this extends the shelter of the hood. ### Expected results 1. Weather will only contact the exposed front of my face, as limited by the side drawstrings. 2. A peak or brim may help reduce exposure, and reduce the effect of weather being driven into one’s face. 3. As I turn my head, the hood will turn with it, not reducing my vision by occluding one eye. NB: The placement of the side drawstrings is important: if incorrect, they will induce neck fatigue when the hood is correctly adjusted to prevent weather from inducing misery. ## The snivel hood ### Objective To reduce snivels, be they mental or physical. ### Method 1. Put hood over head. 2. Snivel less. ### Expected results 1. Snivelling is reduced. 2. Hood will not be adjustable as with the other major category, or if it is, will be limited in its usefulness. ## Examples **The fitted, functional weather hoodThe snivel hood**Arc’teryx Gryphon Halfshell (discont.)[Any Triple Aught Design hood](http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Stealth-Hoodie-LT?ref=zulusierra.co)[Arc’teryx Alpha](http://leaf.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&gender=mens&category=Hardshell&model=Alpha-Jacket-Gen-2&ref=zulusierra.co)[Arc’teryx Atom LT](http://arcteryx.com/product.aspx?model=Atom-LT-Hoody&ref=zulusierra.co) ## Other possible sub-categories that apply to both major categories ### Hood, under helmet Some hoods are designed to fit under helmets. Based on my experience cycling and climbing (both activities that necessitate wearing a helmet), this is the only type of hood I consider realistic. ### Hood, over helmet A hood worn over the helmet is an annoyance. It will be cut so as to be large enough to fit over the helmet, so that if worn without a helmet will be too large. When not worn, it will flap around loosely, unless it has a chord to cinch it (elastic or ‘shock’ chord). Without this chord, it will catch in any wind, pulling it back off the head. The only advantage to a hood worn over the helmet is if one needs to quickly recover one’s hearing as almost all hoods compromise the hearing of the wearer. This comes from the noise the hood makes as it moves with one’s head, and from the material occluding the ears. ### Hood, stowable Some hoods are stowable, either with a pocket they can be tucked into, or a chord that allows them to be compressed down behind the head, or a flap of fabric that is pulled over a rolled up hood to secure it. The latter is annoying, the former full of potential, and the middle the simplest and most reliable. ## Hood, perfect? I consider the Arc’teryx fitted hood (currently on my Gryphon halfshell) to be perfect: while it can be worn over a helmet, it also fits under both my cycling and climbing helmets perfectly. It has a visor and crown adjustment. The side drawstrings do not induce neck fatigue. When I turn my head without a helmet, it turns with me, providing uninterrupted vision. Where they have a stowing option By comparison, TAD’s hoods are more like bonnets in their style. I have long suspected that the hood on the TAD Stealth and Stealth LT was not tested in a temperate region, as the side drawstrings induce neck fatigue, and the hood does not move with the head: if I want to look to the left, I will lose vision in my left eye. On their fleece and wool jackets, this is much less of an issue, but on the waterproof models it renders the hood only useful if you like looking down and forwards. ### Safe, Sane, Consensual IT URL: https://zulusierra.co/safe-sane-consensual-it/ Last updated: 2015-09-21T00:00:00.000Z The principles are that IT activities should be: - *safe*: attempts should be made to identify and prevent risks to the health of the network - *sane*: activities should be undertaken in a sane and sensible frame of mind; e.g.: not when under duress or inebriation - *consensual*: all activities should involve the full consent of all parties involved ### How to connect your Sony Lens Camera to an Android Lollipop device URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-to-connect-your-sony-lens-camera-to-an-android-lollipop-device/ Last updated: 2014-11-15T00:00:00.000Z There’s an irritating bug somewhere between Sony’s PlayMemories app, and Google’s Android Lollipop 5.0 (this is with the flashed image, rather than the OTA), that stops the user tapping their Android on the camera’s NFC chip and automating the connection. Once fixed, you have to pretend to be an iOS user: 1. 1\. Open Settings. 2. Open WiFi settings. 3. Select your camera’s network. 4. Open the PlayMemories app. 5. Select your camera. To fix: 1. Turn WiFi off on your phone. 2. Turn your camera on *using the power button: do not even think about using NFC!!!* 3. Turn your phone’s WiFi on. 4. Select the camera’s network. 5. Enter the password, and hope that the phone saves/connects: it should show it as connected, with an ‘!’ next to the symbol. Side-note: pushing the network out via my GApps admin console’s enforced settings did not work; I had to add the network manually. I did a bunch of what can best be described as ‘screwing around’ with WiFi Direct under the advanced options, which provided no benefit. It took a lot of fiddling to make this work, and I don’t know how stable it is. That should be it. For Sony, this seems to be a two part bug: their app isn’t able to tell Android to use that network, and Android *really* doesn’t want to use it. I’d go so far as to say that this is part of Android not wanting to connect to networks that don’t have an internet connection, and the option to disable feature has been removed (at least from the GUI: if there’s a CLI command I’d be interested). ### Fallen poppy URL: https://zulusierra.co/fallen-poppy/ Last updated: 2013-08-17T00:00:00.000Z _No content available._ ### Bees on an Onion URL: https://zulusierra.co/bees-on-an-onion/ Last updated: 2013-08-03T00:00:00.000Z [Bees on an Onion](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157634908051139/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. ![_DSC2598](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/11bf96c7-9cd0-4b97-a71f-1ce939dcf355_1024x683.jpg) I believe the smaller bee to be a female [*B. rupestris*](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/%5Fkey%5Fcolour%5Fbritish/ck%5Fcuckoos.html?ref=zulusierra.co#rupestris), and the larger to be [*B. sosoeensis*](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/%5Fkey%5Fcolour%5Fbritish/ck%5Flocal%5Fn.html?ref=zulusierra.co#soroeensis), happily collecting pollen from an onion blossom. ### To the Chilterns! URL: https://zulusierra.co/to-the-chilterns/ Last updated: 2013-07-31T00:00:00.000Z [To the Chilterns!](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157634871223651/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. ![IMG_0296](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/f14741bd-db20-4e43-8f84-4d805cb118fc_1024x768.jpg) Or, how to burn 2280kcal over 54.9km, and have lunch with the best view over Oxfordshire. ### Fieldnotes in the field URL: https://zulusierra.co/fieldnotesbrand-in-the-field/ Last updated: 2013-06-29T00:00:00.000Z [Field Notes in the field](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157634398104416/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. ![IMG_0013](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/72c56d4a-888c-4909-b90a-8d527073275c_1024x683.jpg) Or several fields. And beaches. And crags. And cactii. ### How to get a spare clip for your Garmin Tempe or Foot Pod URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-to-get-a-spare-clip-for-your-garmin-tempe-or-foot-pod/ Last updated: 2013-03-21T00:00:00.000Z 1. Pick up telephone. 2. Ask the nice person on the other end of it for another clip. 3. They’ll post you one. (YKMMV: they posted me one.) While you wait, attach the Tempe to your head with electrical tape as penance. Or your helmet, if that is more demeaning. ### StormLockPicks Aluminium Billet Handle Set Review URL: https://zulusierra.co/stormlockpicks-aluminium-billet-handle-set-review/ Last updated: 2013-03-16T00:00:00.000Z [Storm Aluminium Billet Handle Set](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157633004623865/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. ![Handle Set](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/63f7378c-1840-4e55-b19e-f141d04fad11_1024x580.jpg) In my [last post](http://zestuart.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/picking-in-with-a-storm-fun-with-stormlockpicks-2/?ref=zulusierra.co), I mentioned finding Storm’s picks a little uncomfortable for extended periods of picking. I placed an order [for a set](http://www.stormlockpicks.com/entry-09.html?ref=zulusierra.co) for a friend’s birthday (his opinion: “My God these picks are amazing!… Seems like I can feel what’s going on in the lock much better.”), and tucked in the packet was a note of thanks and an extra 6E pick, wrapped in a digicamo swatch, and wearing a very smart handle set. The handle is milled out of aluminium, and then anodised black with the Storm logo in white. There is a well machined window that lets you see the pick model: not strictly necessary, but a good addition. The shoulders of the handle match the shoulders of the pick, and gives it a comfortable mass. These cost about £10, and given that my picking is a hobby/source of good sport, I’d filed them away in the ‘very nice but not strictly needed category’. I was absolutely right, and absolutely wrong. They do absorb a tiny amount of feedback, but what was lost there was gained in a much more relaxed and pliable hand, making for faster, surer picking, even with my relatively unpractised hands. This improvement comes from the increased size, and the increased mass. The only operational downside, is that you lose the classic, easy to carry, slim pick profile, and possibly on harder locks a tiny sensation of a pin. You can see photos below, and find the handle options [here](http://www.stormlockpicks.com/handle-set-x1-aluminum-billet.html?ref=zulusierra.co). Unsurprisingly, these are a big improvement over my heat shrink plastic wrapping. ### Picking in with a storm: fun with StormLockPicks URL: https://zulusierra.co/picking-in-with-a-storm-fun-with-stormlockpicks/ Last updated: 2013-03-06T00:00:00.000Z ### Experience Prior to owning this set of Storm picks, I’ve used a [Sparrows Sentry](http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/product%5Fp/sentry%20coyote.htm?ref=zulusierra.co) set, and had a lot of fun with my [Bogota Titan Entry Toolset](http://www.serepick.com/products/bogota-titan-entry-toolset--2.html?ref=zulusierra.co) that I picked up at Defcon in 2011\. Not seriously experienced, but a bit around the block: my pet hate was the wafer lock, and it was with Storm picks that I got a good technique and moved passed them. After going to to London Hackspace’s Lock Sport evening, I was introduced to Storm. Initially I bought a [5B Snowman](http://www.stormlockpicks.com/5b-snowman.html?ref=zulusierra.co), and more recently an [Entry-09](http://www.stormlockpicks.com/online-store/entry-pick-sets/entry-09.html?ref=zulusierra.co). Photos are available [here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157632932503258/?ref=zulusierra.co). ### Case The picks arrived in a slim cordura pouch that unobtrusively holds all nine of my Storm picks and five tension tools. It only has a single compartment, but that helps keep it modest. The only branding on it is a small Storm logo on the pull-tab that opens the case. ### Finish The first thing I noticed about the Storm picks is the finish: each pick is well finished, with no burrs or irregularities on the surface of the tool. They are ready to use out of the box. The Storm logo is present, as is the model of the pick (useful when you can’t remember if it’s a 3 or a 5B for later reference). ### Handles Comparing with the Sparrows picks, the handles are wider and longer, and more comfortable to work with. What I do find is that over an extended picking session, they can become uncomfortable, but this is remedied by adding heat shrink plastic, or Storm sell aluminium handles that bolt on. Given the cost differential of heat shrink plastic and aluminium, I’ve only used the former, but I’ve found it to be perfect. The grip on the handle is acceptable, with the etched Storm logo adding to the grip, but the road is definitely paved for one’s own modification. ### Tension strips The supplied tension strips are lovely, 13cm/5" pieces of light metal that provide a wonderful amount of feedback, much more so than my chubbier, stouter Sparrows tension tools. I have a habit of being heavy with the tensioner, and having much a lighter tool immediately made me more attentive to the torque I was applying. This made me aware of how much feedback I had missed: a six-pin tumbler with safety pins that had been troubling me popped in a lot less time. ### Cost Initially, I was put off by the cost of the Storm tools, but compared to the cheaper Sparrows, I can understand the difference: these are genuinely a more precise tool. It’s also fun that they’re from a UK company, which saves tremendously on importing from the US. [Storm Lock Picks](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157632932503258/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. ![Arranged set](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/26dd6035-a3be-4b52-a516-ab0161f507d0_1024x683.jpg) ### West Highlands URL: https://zulusierra.co/west-highlands/ Last updated: 2013-02-23T00:00:00.000Z [West Highlands](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/sets/72157632832510737/?ref=zulusierra.co), a set on Flickr. Photos from the West Highlands, on a rare sunny day. ### “How dare you?” Miss Trunchball rants… URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-dare-you-miss-trunchball-rants/ Last updated: 2012-09-22T00:00:00.000Z How dare you? You are not fit to be at this school madam, you ought to be in prison, in the deepest, dankest prison. I shall have you wheeled out, strapped to a trolley with a muzzle over your mouth. I shall crush you, I shall pound you, I shall dissect you madam. I shall strap you to a table and perform experiments on you. I shall feed you to the termites, and then I shall smash the termites into tiny fragments, and then I shall grind the tiny fragments into dust, and I shall take that dust and feed it to the blood worms, and the blood worms I shall feed to birds, and the birds I shall release into the air, and shoot them down with my twelve-bore shotgun, and so-on, and so-on, ad infinitum, madam, ad infinitum. Your father is a crook and so are you: last night I was driving home in that monstrosity he sold me and the engine fell out. What do you say to that? You can say nothing and there is nothing you can say because you are genetically predisposed to evil and you must be destroyed before you can be allowed to grow one centimetre taller than you currently are, do you hear? Vomit, puke, snot-stain, are you listening? All of these disgusting little slugs shall suffer the most appalling indignities because of you: yes you. I shall rip the rebellion out of this class and devour it whole. I shall hang each and every one of you upside down by your ankles until all of your bodily liquids drain out through your noses and into jars, yes, jars, which I shall then send to your parents with your school reports upon which I shall write “could do better.” Miss Honey has allowed her weakness and filth to permeate this miserable collection of excuses for children and you, madam, standing there before me like the squit of squits are its beating heart. You are the axis of evil. You are the nexus of necrosis. You are a rotting lump of pure wrong. You are the dark heart of all that is unholy in this land, a black hole of wrong-headedness from which no light, no strength, no discipline can escape. But I am a match for you, madam: in me, you have met the avenger, the spirit of all that is right and I tell you that there is nothing that I shall not do, no length to which I shall not go, no punishment I shall not inflict, no ear I shall not stretch, no fingers I shall not snap back to defeat you. Yes! I defeat you in exhaltation! You hear? Are you listening? Are you listening madam? *Miss Trunchball, Matilda, by Roald Dahl, from the current musical adaptation by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly* ### Benchmarking a 32GB USB 3 Lexar memory stick on OS X 10.8 URL: https://zulusierra.co/benchmarking-a-32gb-usb-3-lexar-memory-stick-on-os-x-10-8/ Last updated: 2012-09-17T00:00:00.000Z Spoiler alert: the unencrypted volume is??1.8314606741573 times faster. Intel Core i7 @ 2GHz, 8GB RAM. ***Unencrypted volume*** > localhost:\~ me$ dd if=/dev/random of=/Volumes/VHD1/fatty count=2m2097152+0 records in > 2097152+0 records out > 1073741824 bytes transferred in 89.328126 secs (12020199 bytes/sec) ***Encrypted volume*** > localhost:\~ me$ dd if=/dev/random of=/Volumes/VHD1/fatty count=2m2097152+0 records in > 2097152+0 records out > 1073741824 bytes transferred in 163.039418 secs (6585781 bytes/sec) ### How to stop OS X pulling its hostname from DNS URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-to-stop-os-x-pulling-its-hostname-from-dns/ Last updated: 2012-09-13T00:00:00.000Z `sudo scutil — set HostName {desired hostname}` You’re welcome… ### Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition waterproofing test with a bath URL: https://zulusierra.co/motorola-xoom-2-media-edition-waterproofing-test-with-a-bath/ Last updated: 2012-06-05T00:00:00.000Z [According to Motorola](http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Consumers/Products/Tablets/Motorola-XOOM-2-Media-Edition/%5FMultimedia/%5FStaticfiles/P2i-0403%20MOTOROLA%20v4A%20no%20VO%20800x450%20h264.mp4?ref=zulusierra.co), my Xoom 2 Media Edition has a waterproof coating outside and in. This obviously means that it is intended for reading in the bath, which is full of water. I simulated a standard full-immersion today, and was saddened to notice that almost immediately, I could see water soaking its way up the pages of my Kindle book, making the font harder to read. The device then iniated a cascade failure, with the touch screen not responding (probably as it thought the water was a giant thumb pressing the entire surface). Symptoms of failure: - black vertical lines on the screen, - large chuks of screen black, - device is off and won’t turn on. Not a strong vote in favour of the P2i coating Motorola boast in their video. (Separately, this tablet is not suitable for SCUBA diving as it has negative buoyancy.) ### Brunch, according to ‘Hunter’s Weekly’, 1895 URL: https://zulusierra.co/brunch-according-to-hunter-s-weekly-1895/ Last updated: 2011-12-22T00:00:00.000Z According to an article in *Hunter’s Weekly* in 1895, brunch is “cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” Clearly more brunch is required, which in turns requires less breakfast, more getting up later, and more late nights with supper following dinner (a bagel with ham before bed, or a plate of cold meats and cornichon). ### Autumnal copse at Blenheim URL: https://zulusierra.co/autumnal-copse-at-blenheim/ Last updated: 2011-11-07T00:00:00.000Z [**Autumnal copse at Blenheim**](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6323303335/?ref=zulusierra.co)‌‌[*Explore Ze Stuart's photos on Flickr. Ze Stuart has uploaded 807 photos to Flickr.*](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6323303335/?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.flickr.com](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6323303335/?ref=zulusierra.co) ![Autumnal copse at Blenheim](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/96e0bd31-bfbe-4082-8a4a-fa61f2e81bae_1023x574.jpg) ### Autumnal avenue and Blenheim URL: https://zulusierra.co/autumnal-avenue-and-blenheim/ Last updated: 2011-11-07T00:00:00.000Z [**Autumnal avenue of trees at Blenheim**](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6319953838/?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Explore Ze Stuart's photos on Flickr. Ze Stuart has uploaded 807 photos to Flickr.*](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6319953838/?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.flickr.com](http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdei/6319953838/?ref=zulusierra.co) ![Autumnal avenue of trees at Blenheim](https://zulusierra.co/content/images/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/6896f5f8-eba6-4609-ac5e-60af4f0e08a8_1024x576.jpg) ### The roaming problem with iMessage URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-roaming-problem-with-imessage/ Last updated: 2011-10-29T00:00:00.000Z UPDATE It appears I might have been too hard a judge: having just sent an iMessage, iPhone was unable to deliver it for a few minutes, then automatically sent it as SMS. Clearly this doesn’t work all the time, which is a shame. — — — - The scenario: you’re using iMessage to communicate with someone in the morning, then they travel to another country. You reply to a message they’ve sent; not specifying to send a message using SMS or iMessage, only to realise they’re not going get it until they re-connect to data. I do not believe there’s way to tell iOS to send using SMS, and it, rather irritatingly, only checks for your data status, and not at least the roaming status of your conversation recipient. Not without disabling iMessage, switching back to the messaging application, and then re-enabling iMessage when done. Not the best implementation of SIP. ### //PROPOSED NEW IT COMMUNICATIONS STYLE CONTENTS TO FOLLOW URL: https://zulusierra.co/proposed-new-it-communications-style-contents-to-follow/ Last updated: 2011-10-19T00:00:00.000Z R 181719Z OCT 19 UNCLASSIFIED// MARADMIN 621/11 MSGID/GENADMIN/ITM OXF ECH// SUBJ/SERVER REBOOT// POC/XXX/CIV/UNIT:MCUB/-/TEL: XXX/TEL:DSN XXX /[EMAIL:ITSUPPORT@COMPANY.COM//](http://EMAIL:ITSUPPORT@company.com//?ref=zulusierra.co) GENTEXT/REMARKS/1\. SERVER REBOOT SCHEDULED FOR THIS EVENING 2200 2\. NO EMAIL ACCESS FOR 30MINUTES FROM 2200 3\. RELEASE AUTHORISED BY ZE STUART, IT MANAGER.// ### A small note defining coffee types and their acceptance in polite society URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-small-note-defining-coffee-types-and-their-acceptance-in-polite-society/ Last updated: 2011-10-18T00:00:00.000Z I remember the title of a book from when I was younger, [There’s an Awful Lot of Weirdos in Our Neighbourhood: A Book of Rather Silly Poems and Pictures](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0744590884/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0744590884&ref=zulusierra.co), and the weirdos put me in mind of people I see drinking coffee. An americano with steam milk and foam, for example. Which is what, other than a waste of time? At least the person bought it in Starbucks so it wasn’t a waste of good coffee. A flat white. Ridiculous. **The Core Coffees, upon which the world is built** 1. Espresso: always a single, a shot of coffee extracted under high pressure from fine grounds. 2. Cappucino: one third espresso, one third steamed milk, one third foam. 3. Caffelatte: if you really must, although it’s bordering on the creepy. Only to be drunk by incredibly attractive female-presenting personae, and only they know what goes into this comforter. Not to be ordered by a self-respecting cis man. **Other Coffees** 1. Cafetiere: not, as known by the retarted and xenophobic, a ‘French press’ (this is actually a sexual position, and the French find it terribly funny). A jug with a filtered plunger, good for a slow morning. 2. Greek/Turkish coffee: fantastic. Inspired. Cardomon is ground into the coffee, with is gound to a dust, which is boiled and sweetened. 3. Vacuum coffee: science, art, showing off and coffee in one. Anyone drinking anything else? Just another of the herd of weirdos in my neighbourhood. ### A short video on how to remove a suture URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-short-video-on-how-to-remove-a-suture/ Last updated: 2011-10-18T00:00:00.000Z This short video depicts the removal of a suture with a Swiss army knife, a Leatherman MUT, and some hand disinfectant. 1. Sterilise everything. Your hands, the tools, the suture and surrounding area. 2. Cut the suture with the scissors from your SAK: these provide an opposing force, unlike a knife, which will require your skin to provide the opposing force (you will (probably|likely) spring a leak). 3. Using the Leatherman’s pliers, smoothly pull the suture out of the skin. 4. Take a bow. Maybe do a little more sterilising. Dress the wound to allow it to scab over. It goes without saying that if you to this yourself, and mess it up in any way, you are probably stupid and shouldn’t have done it in the first place. If you aren’t stupid and just unlucky, you have probably been unlucky for life and should have learnt by now, which suggests my original conclusion and this bit of advice: stop trying to be a surgeon. ### Testing the resilience of a Lexar 16GB USB Firefly Jumpdrive URL: https://zulusierra.co/testing-the-resilience-of-a-lexar-16gb-usb-firefly-jumpdrive/ Last updated: 2011-10-13T00:00:00.000Z After careful consideration, the [Lexar 16GB JumpDrive Firefly](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EYU7A4/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EYU7A4&ref=zulusierra.co) was selected as the official IT memory stick. It’s red colour makes it easy to differentiate between it and the white corporate USB flash drives, and it’s small size made it easy to grab a fistful in a hurry. This is built upon by its capacity (16GB), and flashing red end when in use. Naturally no self-respecting IT manager would put a product into production without a thorough soak test, so I ran a sample [Lexar 16GB JumpDrive Firefly](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EYU7A4/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EYU7A4&ref=zulusierra.co) first through a wash with a hefty spin cycle, and then the tumble drier. This simulated the following conditions: 1. wet 2. forced water entrance 3. excessive gravitic force from the spin cycle 4. heat 5. shock from impact inside the drum of the tumble drier 6. water evaporation from the components The result was satisfactory (to give it Blofeld’s highest accolade): the memory stick immediately mounted when inserted into a computer, and has past full disk integrity tests. ### Insoluble soluble suture removal URL: https://zulusierra.co/insoluble-soluble-suture-removal/ Last updated: 2011-10-07T00:00:00.000Z Step 1: apply lidocaine (sharp scratch, followed by mild burning) Step 2: poke around with syringe Step 3: poke around with a blade Step 4: apply more lidocaine Step 5: use forceps to forcibly remove insoluble soluble suture Step 6: squeeze and stretch the area enthusiastically to ensure the objectionable material is gone Step 7: poke around with all tools again Step 8: close the wound with a single stitch Step 9: dress. ### Grellow Beatles URL: https://zulusierra.co/grellow-beatles/ Last updated: 2011-09-01T00:00:00.000Z Army ants march up my arm, snipping and pinching all asunder. In go the grellow beatles, ready to pillage and plunder. Amidst the tramping orange-bottle feet, I’m left in a cold blue thunder. ### “Woman begins by resisting a man’s advances and ends by blocking his retreat.” URL: https://zulusierra.co/woman-begins-by-resisting-a-man-s-advances-and-ends-by-blocking-his-retreat/ Last updated: 2011-08-23T00:00:00.000Z So said Oscar Wilde… ### Man proposes to Woman via Portal II, with reeeaaalll GLaDOS URL: https://zulusierra.co/man-proposes-to-woman-via-portal-ii-with-reeeaaalll-glados/ Last updated: 2011-08-23T00:00:00.000Z Is there nothing that science can’t do? ### Imagining the zombie apocalpyse URL: https://zulusierra.co/imagining-the-zombie-apocalpyse/ Last updated: 2011-08-22T00:00:00.000Z As I cycled to work this morning I tried to ignore passing cars, and instead replace them with eerily deserted day-time streets, imagining instead of the light day-bag on my back (Goruck Echo) a loaded out survival kit (Goruck GR2). ??The occasional slosh as I dodged a pot hole of a salvaged can of vegetables in the pack reminding me of the day-by-day nature of survival. Tensing as I pass a side-road in case a hoard of rage-infected sprint after me and I have to, in the words of a now presumably long-dead cycling friend “click click boom” (a double gear change that allows for an ‘explosive’ change in speed) and leave the area immediately. Would they be rage-infected? ??Would they be a more traditional zombie, as seen in [*Day by Day Armageddon*](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1849831580/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1849831580&ref=zulusierra.co),??[*The Walking Dead*](http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&x=0&ref%5F=nb%5Fsb%5Fnoss&y=0&field-keywords=the%20walking%20dead&url=search-alias%3Daps&ref=zulusierra.co#?%5Fencoding=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=19450), or [*World War Z*](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0715637037/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0715637037&ref=zulusierra.co)? ??The rage virus makes the more terrifying creatures, capable of sprinting after their meal, running it down like a deranged wolf before tearing its exhausted flesh from its bones in hungry, meaningless mouthfuls. ?? I’d stop every half hour or so of slow cycling to turn on my radio to scan for any other survivors, and make sure the solar panel on the top of my pack was charging batteries for it. ??Long rendered useless by its dependence on stonily silent servers my iPhone and Nexus S have been discarded, the few resilient cell sites in the UK having drained their generators a few days after the National Grid failed to be able to black start, probably due to a loss of workers in the designated sites. ??It’d almost make sense to stay on high-ground, but getting to the top of anything sufficiently high burns a lot more calories than it appears to be worth: I thought Brill would be a good safe-spot, but after cycling up there in small sections, the zombies owned the commanding view. ??The radio only has a range of a few miles anyway, so like my fortnightly attempts at shaving it’s more for moral. I think about cycling up to London, now the motorways are clear, that ascent through the cutting aside it’d be novel but what’s the point? Then I roll into work, to attend to another hoard of mindless creatures with a never ending hunger. ### Bug out Bag for the London Riots: exitus acta probat URL: https://zulusierra.co/bug-out-bag-for-the-london-riots-exitus-acta-probat/ Last updated: 2011-08-14T00:00:00.000Z Now this isn’t going to be inflammatory, I thought it worth posting my BoB that I put together. I found myself getting off a flight back from the West coast of the US on Monday afternoon, straight into a rioting city: not the usual riot of choice of where to eat and drink, but actual rioters, a lamentably unopressed mass raising their head to loot and vandalise. Streets that I’d known for 29 years as safe places now had riot police on them, and places I knew not to go without a good reason (Clapham Junction, for all its gentrification and ‘Nappy Valley’ is a good example) were ablaze. Happily it wasn’t needed, but I certainly slept better knowing it was there. With a clear destination in mind, a mode of transport (freshly fuelled car pointed in the right direction) and several routes, I packed my Goruck Echo as follows: 1. Magazine: never underestimate the problem of boredom. If I got stuck on my way out and had to Rest In Place, I wanted something with no power consumption to keep me amused. 2. Goruck Echo: the smaller version of the Perfect Bag (Goruck make several versions of my Perfect Bag, from the tiny Echo to the suitcase-on-a-back GR2). Also attached is a non-inflamatory patch (it doesn’t say, for example ‘if you see me running keep up’ with an EOD tech on it), and a bright orange load-bearing carabiner. I like my carabiner.\* 3. Two phones: fully charged, two different networks. 4. Headphones/handsfree. See (1) but with a power drain. 5. Fully-charged iPad: who would bug out without one? Also, goes with 11. 6. *Basic* first aid: sterilising foam, and spray plaster. Also included are eye drops, in case of heavy smoke, and my favourite lip balm. 7. 5-Hour energy drink, and ear plugs: two sides of the same coin. 8. Spare electricity for the who phones: A Mophie Air juice pack, that contains about 80% of the iPhone’s charge, and a Nokia DC-11 that can charge any newer Nokia or Micro USB device (the Nexus S uses Micro USB). 9. Cliff bars: in a pinch, about a day’s worth of food between those two. 10. Medication: lactase pills (I’m lactose intolerant, so I take these *everywhere*), and paracetamol/codeine. 11. Sony Nex-5 with an 18–200mm telephoto lens: there might be an opportunity to snap photos of whatever was making me leave in a hurry. 12. Fenix PD-30 torch: incredibly bright (painfully so), small torch. Good for dazzling an oncoming mass, or lighting my way. 13. 2L Camelbak: speaks for itself, but 2L of water in the hydration pouch of my Echo is about a day’s water. 14. Leatherman MUT. Like Gibbs says, never go anywhere without a knife. Or in this case, knife, saw, pliers, screw driver, seat belt cutter… \*It should be noted that girls who use a Goruck are unusually cool, and demonstrate incredible taste. (The same is true for boys, but not to the same level as we are genetically pre-determined to like things with PALS made out of black 1000D cordura.) ### O tempora, o mores! URL: https://zulusierra.co/o-tempora-o-mores/ Last updated: 2011-08-13T00:00:00.000Z Whilst originally used by Cicero, questioning why Catiline hasn’t been executed for conspiracy, it seems equally relevant now. ### Occasionally Sir drinks URL: https://zulusierra.co/occasionally-sir-drinks/ Last updated: 2011-08-13T00:00:00.000Z And when sir drinks, he likes to get his tripod and snap a long-exposure photograph on occasion. Depicted here is an empty bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask, kindly donated by the American Contingent. Buoyantly, Sir imbibed the bottle, marking keen observations about its palette, unfortunately the more Laphroaig evaporated, the less inclined Sir was to share is usually deep observations and the more inclined he was to embark on advice to the Leader of the House of Commons with regards to recent disruptions (Sir’s favourite *bureau de change* was brutally victimised by potential biomass reactor fuel and he hasn’t quite got over it get; quite understandably of course: where else is he to get his Francs from with such an astounding credit line?). Regardless of Sir’s foibles, it is clear he considered this to be a fine drink, as depicted by the sideways uncorked bottle. He takes particular glee in imbibing Laphroaig from a Talisker glass, delighting in the imagined conflict between the vessel and the medium. Sir also wishes Laphroaig was less troublesome to spell after analysing. ### In’n’Out Burger URL: https://zulusierra.co/in-n-out-burger/ Last updated: 2011-08-05T00:00:00.000Z Sir is a fond observer of local custom, often following the ravenous hordes to find what titillates their buds in his locus. Today’s salivatory stalking led Sir to In’n’Out Burger, a primarily West-coast chain that proudly proclaims ‘Always fresh, never frozen’. Brushing his passing thoughts about what chemical preservatives might be used instead of freezing, Sir followed the average order of the queue in front of him, opting for a ‘number 2 without onions’. “Guest 52, please!” Eventually Sir was served, although at that point he was creating a fine painting on iPad illustrating the artistic differences between ‘guest’ and ‘prisoner’. Retreating to a table occupied by another of the team, Sir took his seat on the dais, pushed up his sleeves and commenced consumption. The burger was excellent for a fast-food rated ‘joint’, with a soft bun (made from cake batter, according to the wrapper, which Sir confirmed with his customary skill by the soft, un-developed gluten within). The meat too was good, although not quite enough (Sir did reminisce that he would have preferred a double, and regretted his hedging), with the cheese being a satisfying and gooey imitation. The vegetables were crisp and fresh, as is befitting. The local ‘fries’ were a let-down to Sir, who considered them to be too chewy, surprisingly so for something so thin. Sir’s reading in the librarium earlier had led him to understand that they will cook them differently, and has vowed to re-visit to experiment with this practice. ### Flour Tortillas URL: https://zulusierra.co/flour-tortillas/ Last updated: 2011-07-30T00:00:00.000Z I love this recipe for flour tortillas: - 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling **Pantry** - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder **Pantry** - 1 tsp salt **Pantry** - 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for bowl **Pantry** - 3/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp warm water Shamelessly stolen from [http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/fresh-flour-tortillas](http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/fresh-flour-tortillas?ref=zulusierra.co). ### 10 ways to keep IT emergencies from derailing your vacation URL: https://zulusierra.co/10-ways-to-keep-it-emergencies-from-derailing-your-vacation/ Last updated: 2011-07-22T00:00:00.000Z ### 8: Consider destinations that are conducive to privacy > Some destinations are more conducive to privacy than others. For example, I spent my last vacation in Antarctica. During that time, it was physically impossible to contact me. Antarctica is beyond the range of most of the communications satellites, and once I got past a certain point, there simply was no phone or Internet access.On another occasion I spent my vacation in a non-English speaking country. Someone tried to call the hotel where I was staying, but the desk clerk who answered the phone didn’t speak English. Oh darn. [**10 ways to keep IT emergencies from derailing your vacation - TechRepublic**](http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-keep-it-emergencies-from-derailing-your-vacation/?ref=zulusierra.co) [*One of my biggest passions in life has always been exotic travel. But traveling to faraway places for weeks at a time…*](http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-keep-it-emergencies-from-derailing-your-vacation/?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.techrepublic.com](http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-keep-it-emergencies-from-derailing-your-vacation/?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Supper at Côte URL: https://zulusierra.co/supper-at-c-te/ Last updated: 2011-07-15T00:00:00.000Z Sir opened this evening’s consumption with foie gras served on brioche, which was (to the quite murmured approval of the audience) lubricated on its way with a snifter of Château la Sabatiere 2005 Monbazillac. Following a brief round of applause, some polite questions and a brief brow mop, Sir proceeded to the main course: steak frites accompanied by the obligatory mayonnaise and this evening’s choice of accompaniment, Roquefort butter. Some further questions, and Sir took charge of dessert in his inimitable fashion: crêpe Chantilly, accompanied by strawberries. A light shoulder massage later and Sir closed the evening with the traditional espresso (single) and the faintest sip of fresh mint tea to cleanse the palate. Members of the audience congratulated Sir on his excellent choices, and warmly applauded him as he took his leave from the stage. Sir can next be seen lunching at Princi tomorrow, with a brief round of questions on his inimitable taste and modesty after, with the possibility of autographs. ### Bourbon Sour URL: https://zulusierra.co/bourbon-sour/ Last updated: 2011-07-10T00:00:00.000Z Shake 45ml of Woodford Reserve Bourbon with 30ml of lemon juice and a dash of agave or gum syrup. For body and health, add in some egg white. (Don’t be a coward; people will only laugh.) Strain into a tumbler with ice and a Maraschino cherry. Drink. Although if you need that last instruction self-terminate. ### How to cure a work-related headache URL: https://zulusierra.co/how-to-cure-a-work-related-headache/ Last updated: 2011-07-07T00:00:00.000Z 1. Take a couple of your favourite pain killers. 2. Get some food on the go. 3. Whilst the food is going, have a shower. 4. Whilst the food is finishing, shake one measure of Hendricks gin, and two measures of Grey Goose vodka with a teaspoon of honey and some ice. 5. Drink cocktail with food. 6. Repeat cocktail until headache is gone. ### Hola Pelotas URL: https://zulusierra.co/hola-pelotas/ Last updated: 2011-06-07T00:00:00.000Z Como você está? ### The Cost of Task Management URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-cost-of-task-management/ Last updated: 2011-05-06T00:00:00.000Z In looking for a new task management system, I’ve been amazed by the price. **OmniFocus** OS X: £44.99 iPad: £23.99 iPhone: £11.99 — — — — — — — — — — - Total: £80.97 **Things** OS X: £29.99 iPad: £11.99 iPhone: £5.99 — — — — — — — — — — Total: £47.97 **2Do** Universal iOS app £3.99, but apparently no desktop or web client (although it will sync with Outlook and iCal). So far, based on cost vs. features, **Flow** ($9.99 a month) with a very good web interface and a free iPhone app is the winner. No iPad app, but they seem to be pretty new, although that’s about eight months and one would have Things, and thirteen months OmniFocus. Or I could just get a [Moleskine Ruled Notebook (13 x 21cm)](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/8883701127/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=8883701127&ref=zulusierra.co) at £7.80 and a pen. Or carry on forgetting to do things… ### Storm in a coffee cup URL: https://zulusierra.co/storm-in-a-coffee-cup/ Last updated: 2011-04-22T00:00:00.000Z A video recorded on iPhone 4, and edited with the Vimeo application (best viewed on Vimeo as Posterous has not realised it’s a vertical video). ### Sensationalist journalism URL: https://zulusierra.co/sensationalist-journalism/ Last updated: 2011-04-12T00:00:00.000Z A lovely girl linked me to a piece on [Yahoo](http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog%5Fthelookout/20110411/ts%5Fyblog%5Fthelookout/new-york-serial-killer-thought-to-be-real-life-dexter?ref=zulusierra.co)! (frankly, what is there to Yahoo! about?), claiming that the serial killer currently indulging his whim may be Dexter come-to-life. Fascinating. There have been three links between murders and the series so far (thanks [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter%5F%28TV%5Fseries%29?ref=zulusierra.co#Criticism)), each time where the killers have identified with (or have been alleged to identify with) the character, but seemingly that is as far as it goes. *Key traits of Dexter* - he is compelled to kill - he is sadistic, but only towards his victims (not their families) - his body-disposal is highly ritualised, involving dismembering, dividing the sub-components, and putting them in black bags before throwing them in the sea - his victims are almost exclusively guilty people who have fallen through the bars in the legal system *Traits of the Gilgo Beach killer* - one can probably presume he is compelled to kill - he is sadistic towards at least one family, *post-mortem* - he hasn’t been caught yet - he is capable of using common sense The current NY murders have been of four prostitutes, their bodies found dumped on Giglo Beach. One of the family lawyers suggests that, after hearing the content of the calls, the murderer harbours ‘feelings of anger towards prostitutes’ ([New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/nyregion/09bodies.html?pagewanted=2&%5Fr=3&ref=zulusierra.co)). Not a trait of Dexter, and a well researched bit of journalism, showing that the murderer is sensible, and has very little in common with Jeff Lindsay’s killer. Perhaps Brett Michael Dykes needs to concentrate on writing something formative, rather than getting a ride on someone else’s work and allowing people who can’t question something dished out to them to further misunderstand their world. ### Cross Bones Graveyard URL: https://zulusierra.co/cross-bones-graveyard/ Last updated: 2011-04-09T00:00:00.000Z ‘I was born a Goose of Southwark by the Grace of Mary Overie whose Bishop gives me licence To sin within The Liberty.’ From *The Book of The Goose: The Southwark Mysteries*, John Constable [**Crossbones**](http://www.crossbones.org.uk/?ref=zulusierra.co) [*In the back streets of south London, a short walk from Shakespeare's Globe, Southwark Cathedral and The Shard, is the…*](http://www.crossbones.org.uk/?ref=zulusierra.co)[www.crossbones.org.uk](http://www.crossbones.org.uk/?ref=zulusierra.co) A originally a graveyard for prostitutes, this was also a graveyard for any unfortunates in the area. During excavations between 1991 and 1998, bodies found there showed residents had suffered from smallpox, TB, Paget’s disease, osteoathritis, and vitamin D deficiency (rather dull those last two). More than 33% were between 22 weeks gestation and seven days after birth, and 11% were less than a year old. [**Cross Bones - Wikipedia**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross%5FBones?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Cross Bones is on the east side of Union Street bounded by properties on Borough High Street. It was closed in 1853…*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross%5FBones?ref=zulusierra.co)[en.wikipedia.org](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross%5FBones?ref=zulusierra.co) London’s Crossbones Graveyard is the setting for a very eerie Halloween celebration, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/londons-crossbones-graveyard-is-the-setting-for-a-very-eerie-halloween-celebration-1810973.html](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/londons-crossbones-graveyard-is-the-setting-for-a-very-eerie-halloween-celebration-1810973.html?ref=zulusierra.co) ### The list of titles when booking at the Royal Opera House URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-list-of-titles-when-booking-at-the-royal-opera-house/ Last updated: 2011-03-30T00:00:00.000Z ### Big Bang Theory: a victim of its own success. URL: https://zulusierra.co/big-bang-theory-a-victim-of-its-own-success/ Last updated: 2011-02-27T00:00:00.000Z You will notice the title is a statement, not a question: *Big Bang Theory* is a victim of its own success, and without due care on the part of the script-writing team, the traditional mid- to late-season slump will run for the length of the series. The original cast included Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and the little one without the PhD, and the hot girl across the hall, Penny. There were recurring guest characters, but they were kept carefully as guest characters and nothing more (I assume carefully kept; it could have been a coincidence) leaving the focus on the core five. Recently, the writers have included the above five, Amy, Bernadette, and Priya, rounding out episode seventeen of series four (*The Toast Deviation*) with the addition of Zack (an ex- of Penny’s, he of the wipe-clean menu fame), Stu (owner of the comic book store) and Kripke (a rock-climbing hominid). A story, or two more simple stories involving the core five, plus one, can be pursued in the twenty-minute slot, but to nearly double that is foolish, unless being handled by a very tight mind with a purpose greater than providing a break between commercials. — -spoilers — - What did the audience learn this week? Penny still has a soft spot for Leonard,and Bernadette wishes she’d been more promiscuous. How has the story been advanced? It hasn’t, aside from building up to a dull Penny-Leonard end of season cliff hanger, and all that at the expense ofnothing more than a chuckle. Perhaps the writers are stuck wanting to write a soap, but confined to situational comedy. That spoiler tag seems pointless now. ### Google Nexus S and a Nokia BH-505 URL: https://zulusierra.co/google-nexus-s-and-a-nokia-bh-505/ Last updated: 2011-02-26T00:00:00.000Z I found a few people asking this but no concrete answers: Can I use NFC to pair my [BH-505](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002ZDML5M?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002ZDML5M&ref=zulusierra.co) with my Nexus S? Short answer: no. You have to pair the old fashioned way. But, but: once paired, wave your Nexus S over the back of the headband and the headset will turn on and connect to the last device they were connected to. Not as cool, but still ‘neat’. No-one else can turn their bluetooth headphones on with a wave of their phone. *Edit: this is true of both 2.3.2 and 2.3.3.* *Further edit: the tag in the BH-505 is a NFC Forum Type 2 Tag, with 46 bytes of storage according to the* [*NXP TagWriter app*](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nxp.nfc.tagwriter&feature=search%5Fresult&ref=zulusierra.co)*.* *Even further edit: the BH-505 tag identifies as a Mifare Ultralight.* ### Wise words URL: https://zulusierra.co/wise-words/ Last updated: 2011-02-16T00:00:00.000Z Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster. Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do? Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well. Hugh Fennyman: How? Philip Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138097/quotes](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138097/quotes?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Ze’s Amazing Chocolate Rum Fudge Sauce URL: https://zulusierra.co/ze-s-amazing-chocolate-rum-fudge-sauce/ Last updated: 2011-02-05T00:00:00.000Z Ingredients - Half a cup of each of the following: - cream - chocolate chips, finely chopped - brown sugar - One cup of water - A quarter of a cup of dark rum - A teaspoon of vanilla - Assorted nice spices Directions 1. Put everything in a non-stick pan on a medium heat 2. Stir until it’s really thick (about half an hour) 3. If you need this instruction, please seek assistance from the nearest person who can guess what to do next. ### Further Popcorn Research URL: https://zulusierra.co/further-popcorn-research/ Last updated: 2011-01-06T00:00:00.000Z Continuing the [earlier research into popcorn](http://zestuart.posterous.com/sugar-n-spice-n-all-things-nice?ref=zulusierra.co), I bought a ‘blended’ popcorn product: [Farmer’s Popcorn Cob](http://www.sunflowerfoodcompany.com/snack%5Fnuts%5Ftab/farmer%5Fpopcorn%5F3pack/farmer%5Fpopcorn%5F3pack%5Finfo.html?ref=zulusierra.co). This provides a rustic looking cob, and a convenient microwave bag, which reminds one to recycle, and suggests microwaving at high power for two minutes. As the pictures below detail, high power at two minutes did a little more than expandthe kernels. Still, the ones that burst and didn’t burn were good, but not quite as good as the earlier pan-popped ones. (I attribute this to the smaller amount of electrons allotted to America, and would suggest reducing to medium power for two minutes.) Aside; the web page promises that “kids love to watch it pop fresh off the cob in the microwave.” Quite how I’m not sure, unless the average child now comes equipped with paper-bag penetrating vision. ### The Useful Postman (an idea for a TV Series) URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-useful-postman-an-idea-for-a-tv-series/ Last updated: 2011-01-04T00:00:00.000Z ***Premise*** The Useful Postman takes his job seriously. When he can’t deliver a package, instead of hiding it in the bins, or returning it to the depot a long way away, he finds a way into the premise (via ingenuity, lock picking, &c), and ensures it arrives at its destination. If there’s assembly required, he’ll build it. Ordered [some cat bowls from Amazon](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000FVE0BY?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000FVE0BY&ref=zulusierra.co)? He’ll assemble them, and fill them with cat food and water. Ordered a TV? It’ll be set up, tuned, just right (he might even take away your old one). Tension will come primarily from the fear of his discovery, and later arrest as less grateful recipients call in the police: how will he evade them? How will explain himself if caught? Can the police even hold the Useful Postman? (An episode where he is arrested wrongly on another charge, sent to jail, and then escapes to deliver a package before returning himself to jail, un-missed would be fun.) The Useful Postman’s colleagues would also get suspicious, and suspect theft when he never returns an item to the depot. He might occasionally take revenge on his less dedicated colleagues, who steal mail, or throw it into a field instead of delivering it. ***Characters*** - The Useful Postman: someone in the terrible grip of Compulsive Obsessive Disorder, viced tight into his mission to deliver *every single package*. He is clearly skilled at DIY, has a deep knowledge of locks and alarm systems, perhaps he was an intelligence operative who burned out? Perhaps a physicist who lost his sanity working on his PhD? Perhaps he is really just a very dedicated postman who wasn’t socialised enough as a child? - An Attractive Girl who has an issue with mail order, and can’t understand how everything she orders arrives, and is assembled, or put away, waiting for her when she gets home. She ultimately catches the Useful Postman, but realises he can’t help himself, is harmless and becomes his friend. (She is also a window through which the audience can be granted insight into the mind of the Useful Postman, and a hook to get an audience attracted to Attractive Girls.) - The Useful Postman’s Colleagues, who would be very different to him. - The Recipients. Some grateful, some angry, all mystified. Comedy would in part come from their interactions with the call centres of the dispatchers: “I ordered it, but it hasn’t turned up and oh… wait… never mind. Honey did you open my [*Bing Bang Theory* ](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003IHU5KC?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003IHU5KC&ref=zulusierra.co)[box set](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003IHU5KC?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalpress-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003IHU5KC&ref=zulusierra.co)?” I can’t wait for someone to approach me for the rights to it, which are mine as of well at least half an hour ago. Copyright Ze Stuart 2011! ### Sugar ’n’ Spice ’n’ All Things Nice URL: https://zulusierra.co/sugar-n-spice-n-all-things-nice/ Last updated: 2011-01-02T00:00:00.000Z Trundling around Harvey Nich’s this afternoon, I happened upon popping corn. Un-popped kernels, beautifully marked up, un-flavoured, ready for the pan. With a little heat, oil, sugar, and spice, they went from the kernels to the fluffy corn, and my goodness I had no idea how much better it is. 1. Place a big pan (your pasta pan will do) on the stove over a medium-low heat, and add a couple of tablespoons of oil. 2. Tip in your corn, and shake with the lid on (keep the lid on!). 3. The devils will start to launch themselves into the air, trying to escape the fire and brimstone at the bottom of the pan, exploding out of their hard shells in the process. 4. Give the pan a shake every so often. 5. When the popping slows to between two and three seconds, take off the heat and the popped corn into a bowl. 6. Add salt or sugar or whatever you like, and put popcorn in head. ### Vanilla cake URL: https://zulusierra.co/vanilla-cake/ Last updated: 2010-11-28T00:00:00.000Z **Ingredients** - 3 eggs - 2 cups light brown sugar (this imparts a pleasant caramel taste) - ¾ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 teaspoon of salt - 2 teaspoons of baking powder - 4 tablespoons of milk - 2 cups flour - ⅓ of a cup of almond flour **Instructions** 1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Lightly grease and flour a 10" springform pan. 2. Beat eggs and sugar together for a few minutes, until the mix has turned a pale yellow. 3. Add butter and extracts and beat for 2 minutes. 4. Add the milk and salt and mix for another 30 seconds. 5. Stir in the flours and baking powder. Pour into greased pan. 6. Optionally, dust the top with sugar and spice prior to baking. 7. Bake for a little over an hour. 8. Allow to cool, then put cake in head. ### Chocolate and Fig Cake URL: https://zulusierra.co/chocolate-and-fig-cake/ Last updated: 2010-11-27T00:00:00.000Z **Ingredients** - 3 eggs - 2 cups sugar - ¾ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 teaspoon of salt - 2 teaspoons of baking powder - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon - ½ a teaspoon of mace - 8 tablespoons of milk - 2 cups flour - ¼ of a cup of almond flour - ¼ of good coco powder - (85g|3oz) of grated really good cooking chocolate (thanks to [@pjburgess](http://twitter.com/?ref=zulusierra.co#!/pjburgess) I used [Willie’s Cacao](http://www.williescacao.com/?ref=zulusierra.co) from Waitrose) - a good amount of dried, sliced figs (or if you’re feeling adventurous, un-dried (wet? moist? succulent?)) figs **Instructions** 1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Lightly grease and flour a 10" springform pan. 2. Beat eggs and sugar together for a few minutes, until the mix has turned a pale yellow. 3. Add butter and extracts and beat for 2 minutes. 4. Whilst the above is mixing, melt the grated chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring with a spatula to keep it smooth and glossy. 5. Add the milk and salt and mix for another 30 seconds. 6. Tip in the chocolate and blend until smooth. 7. Stir in the flours, coco powder and baking powders, spices and fold in figs. Pour into greased pan. 8. Bake for a little under an hour. 9. Allow to cool, then put cake in head. ### System Administrator Emergency Standby Breakfast Protocol (SAESBP) URL: https://zulusierra.co/system-administrator-emergency-standby-breakfast-protocol-saesbp/ Last updated: 2010-11-27T00:00:00.000Z *Ingredients* - Two eggs - Cream - Pancetta - Ciabatta - Mushrooms - Salt, Pepper - Coffee - Milk - Position of Obeisance - Ego soother *Instructions* 1. Slice the mushroom, and fry in a little oil. 2. Get the coffee going, whilst heating the milk. This is important. 3. Put a lot of pancetta into another frying pan, and fry it until the fat is starting to become transparent. 4. Put a couple of slices of ciabatta in your toaster. 5. Whilst the pancetta is frying, break the two eggs into a bowl, whisk in some cream and salt. Whisk it some more. 6. (When the pancetta is ready|When you can’t wait any more), pour the egg mixture and scramble the eggs into your pancetta with a spudger until it’s done. 7. Ciabatta onto plate. Eggs and pancetta onto ciabatta, Mushrooms on side. 8. Salt, pepper as required. 9. Deliver to System Administrator, who will defend you against the dark in your hour of need, and deliver you from the temptations of the internet. 10. Whilst the System Administrator is masticating and ingesting, assume the Position of Obeisance and sooth his ego: he will be fixing your broken RAID imminently. *Exitus Acta Probat* ### An accurate description of a hangover URL: https://zulusierra.co/an-accurate-description-of-a-hangover/ Last updated: 2010-11-25T00:00:00.000Z Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from the halls of sleep, but a summary, forcible ejection. He lay sprawled, too wicked to move, spewed up like a broken spider crab on the tarry shingle of the morning. The light did harm, but not as much as looking at things did; he resolved, having done it once, never to move his eyeballs again. A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he’d somehow been on a cross-country run and then been beaten up by secret police. He felt bad. *Kingsley Amis,* Lucky Jim [**Lucky Jim - Wikipedia**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky%5FJim?ref=zulusierra.co) [*It is supposed that Amis arrived at Jim Dixon's surname from 12 Dixon Drive, Leicester, the address of Philip Larkin…*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky%5FJim?ref=zulusierra.co)[en.wikipedia.org](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky%5FJim?ref=zulusierra.co) ### The Hawksmoor (Seven Dials) URL: https://zulusierra.co/the-hawksmoor-seven-dials/ Last updated: 2010-11-21T00:00:00.000Z This Saturday (20/11/10) saw my inaugural visit to Hawksmoor. I found was pointed towards Hawksmoor from Daniel Young’s [Top Ten Burgers](http://youngandfoodish.com/london/top-10-burgers-in-london/?ref=zulusierra.co) list, and decided to ignore his ratings based on the photo of Hawksmoor’s burger looking better. Simply, I find it hard to believe that he was right: the burger at Hawksmoor was incredible, rivalling the amazing [Strip Burger](http://lasvegasstripburger.com/?ref=zulusierra.co) in Vegas. The Seven Dials Hawksmoor is located at the North end of Langley Street, just a smidge North of Covent Garden. Behind two large, heavy black doors, lies a small reception, which leads downstairs to the bar area and then through to the main dining area. The décor focusses on dark, rich browns and a subdued atmosphere, with one wall of the dining area taken up by a marble-effect leather seating bank. Having sat down, I naturally opened the [cocktail list](http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/downloads/HM%5FCocktail%5F2-10-10%5Fweb.pdf?ref=zulusierra.co), and what a list it is: it is divided into sections, with a small, well-formed paragraph introducing the section, and then another paragraph to describe the cocktail. Half an hour later, I had read it from cover to cover and felt sufficiently educated to order a Tobacco Old Fashioned: *TOBACCO OLD FASHIONED 8.00* *Bourbon or Rye stirred with Sugar & homemade Tobacco Bitters* *(Punch Habana, Hoyo de Monterrey or Partagas D №4)* The Old Fashioned started life as a simple ‘Whiskey Cocktail’, but by 1895 the way in which it’s made (stirred in the glass in which it’s served) was deemed so out dated it was renamed. In 1839 Frederik Marryat tells us that most cocktail drinkers “have a segar \[cigar\] in their mouths”. To commemorate this noble tradition we spike ours with a range of homemade tobacco bitters. It was amazing, as was the spoon provided for auto-rotation of the drink. Over the course of lunch I had three more, chased, rather furiously, by an more traditional Old Fashioned to cleanse the palette ready for the next gorging. The real work was in the burger, described on the bar menu thusly: *Hawksmoor Hamburger with Beef Dripping Chips, Triple Cooked Chips or Gem Salad £15.00* *America’s greatest contribution to world gastronomy was first served in 1885 at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York. Our recipe is made up of 100% well-loved Longhorn and includes long neglected old fashioned cuts like Clod and Sticking and small nuggets of bone marrow. Topped with Ogleshield Cheese from Somerset or Colston Basset Stilton.* It was nothing short of erotic. The meat melted, the bun supported, and an *excellent* amount of fat dripped out to drive the chips into after. Even the cheese was excellent (I had Ogleshield). Silence descended as I ate the monstrous creation, my dining companion following suit, until we realised the horror: the burgers were gone. Excitingly, the normal menu includes a half-lobster as a side-order for a steak, which seems to be a truly civilised option. (Even more excitingly, grilled bone marrow can be ordered as a side-order, something which surely all meat eaters will rejoice in.) In summary: having eaten a vast quantity of hamburgers, I can say with confidence that the Hawksmoor’s work is truly top-hole, and that I shall be reserving a table for the Waifs and Strays charity event this year (invitees take note). ### Spiced Cranberry Cake URL: https://zulusierra.co/spiced-cranberry-cake/ Last updated: 2010-11-19T00:00:00.000Z **Ingredients** - 3 eggs - 2 cups sugar - ¾ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 teaspoon of salt - 2 teaspoons of baking powder - 1 teaspoon of ginger - ½ a teaspoon of ground cloves - 4 tablespoons of milk, flavoured by steeping Earl Grey - 2 cups flour - ⅓ of a cup of almond flour - 2 ½ cups cranberries **Instructions** 1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Lightly grease and flour a 10" springform pan. 2. Beat eggs and sugar together for a few minutes, until the mix has turned a pale yellow. 3. Add butter and extracts and beat for 2 minutes. 4. Add the milk and salt and mix for another 30 seconds. 5. Stir in the flours, baking powder, spices and fold in cranberries. Pour into greased pan. 6. Optionally, dust the top with sugar and spice prior to baking. 7. Bake for a little over an hour. 8. Allow to cool, then put cake in head. ### Apocalyptica vs. Alice Cooper: A Tale of Rock URL: https://zulusierra.co/apocalyptica-vs-alice-cooper-a-tale-of-rock/ Last updated: 2010-11-04T00:00:00.000Z Recently I had the good fortune to see both Alice Cooper and Apocalyptica a day apart. Two very different acts: one famous, ancient, and having been featured in Wayne’s World; the other a small Finnish cello triplet with drum accompaniment. One playing at The Roundhouse in Camden (home to BMW product launches and the Virgin Travel Awards), the other at the HMV Forum in Kentish Town. The disparity is clear. Upon viewing the attached photo gallery, one thing is obvious: a complete lack of photos of Alice Cooper. The man is simply too old for hip thrusting. And, much as I hate to knock the man who has been celebrating the end of school at the beginning of summer, feeding Frankensteins, and Poisoning for so long, his voice just wasn’t up to snuff. All this without getting onto the theatrics: every song involved him either dying, or killing a hot girl. It was too much, or possibly not enough: perhaps he needs to return to gigantic theatrics, big enough to rival Iron Maiden and Rammstein, big enough to dwarf the man and magnify the image. Apocalpytica on the other hand were superb. Amusing whilst addressing the audience in a second language, full of energy despite having already been on tour for three weeks, and spot-on with their playing. “Who has the new album? \[the majority of the audience waves and cheers\] What the fuck is wrong with the rest of you? Go and buy a copy from merchandising!” They did, unfortunately, have a man singing, and he insisted in adopting the ‘forced-but-resisting blow job pose’: two hands firmly gripping the microphone, arms fully braced. And then there was the auto-tuning. One might point out that if one needs auto-tuning, one should perhaps return to the shower from whence one’s singing came. In light of the cello playing, however, this audio burble was easily forgotten. An irritation at the time and all-but lost in memory. Apocalyptica: you rock. Now, to see you play in concert with Letzte Instanz… ### On the use of the modern cross-country mountain bicycle in a zombie escape and evasion scenario (i) URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-use-of-the-modern-cross-country-mountain-bicycle-in-a-zombie-escape-and-evasion-scenario-i/ Last updated: 2010-10-13T00:00:00.000Z Before delving into the research-proper, I should like to thank Andy Rixon of [www.bikepresents.com](http://www.bikepresents.com/?ref=zulusierra.co) for his work in support and logistics of the exercise. Without him this valuable research would not have come to pass. On the weekend of ninth and tenth of October, 2010, the research party proceeded to Welchland equipped with two fine examples: one cross-country variant, and a newer, ‘all-mountain’ variant. Welchland was chosen for its terrain and inhabitants, who are in their normal state closely tied to the unmentionable (they however, like their more Northern cousins, can be stoked into a fit of hunger by the mention of coal). **Assumed scenario one**: the party is proceeding through countryside, when the party is forced to detour from the safe ‘fire roads’ into more hazardous terrain when headed off by at least one cluster of unmentionables. Immediately an error on the part of the equipment choice was obvious: regardless of the physical width of the tyre, the well-appointed rider must have deployed a significantly grippy model, exhibiting large, fiercesome chunks of rubber to bite soil and felled unmentionable alike. With my very wide, but easily clogged tire, I was repeatedly hampered in my attempts to escape the simulated horde, and on several occasions forced to dismount my metal steed to safely traverse obstacles. (It is important to remember that any piece of broken skin becomes a potential infection site, and all care must be taken to avoid such follies.) An example of such terrain can be seen below, in the form of a swooping descent over stone into a banked corner. Having identified this problem, the next was glaringly apparent: even a very fit, skilled day-to-day rider lacks the skills requisite for propelling and controlling such a vehicle. Specific training is required to allow for safe passage through the terrain: an innate ability to continuously scan the trail ahead, noting rocks of a size to be rolled over, or ridden around, and for the latter, ensuring that the pedals are at the appropriate height to avoid contact (thus slowing forward progress and possibly forcing the rider into dismount). Equally, a skilled rider who lacks fitness will be hampered and possibly consumed by the horde. *It is noted that the conveyance selected should not be used in a situation of dire need unless there are no other possible options for escape and evasion.* [Afan.kml](http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-13/GFhAGDhCcuBzEIgvEwuvjzCvIfEkchonbCrnvycxuwCkpodJBgBeyJnHjwEw/Afan.kml?ref=zulusierra.co) ### On the use of the modern cross-country mountain bicycle in a zombie escape and evasion scenario (ii) URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-use-of-the-modern-cross-country-mountain-bicycle-in-a-zombie-escape-and-evasion-scenario-ii/ Last updated: 2010-10-13T00:00:00.000Z Before delving into the research-proper, I should like to thank Andy Rixon of [www.bikepresents.com](http://www.bikepresents.com/?ref=zulusierra.co) for his work in support and logistics of the exercise. Without him this valuable research would not have come to pass. On the weekend of ninth and tenth of October, 2010, the research party proceeded to Welchland equipped with two fine examples: one cross-country variant, and a newer, ‘all-mountain’ variant. Welchland was chosen for its terrain and inhabitants, who are in their normal state closely tied to the unmentionable (they however, like their more Northern cousins, can be stoked into a fit of hunger by the mention of coal). **Assumed scenario two:** the party has recently finished a picnic, having cycled to the top of a sizeable hill. Having been made aware of the unmentionable Welch threat in the area, one is prepared with at the least upper-body armour and a helmet that covers the entire head. Having neatly packed away the picnic things, the party leaves the area with no residual presence. Upon stepping off for the return trip, the party is split and forced from the fire road into a descent down goat tracks and the like. Several E&E scenarios were conducted: the first, in which a ‘red’ rated goat track was used initially to bypass the mass of the horde, then a return to fire road for the rest of the descent. Secondly, throwing caution to the winds, and descending purely by fire road, relying solely on the call of gravity for a safe return. Finally, descent by a track more resembling that of a boar, than a goat. In the first run, the red track was found to be excessively dangerous by members of the party, with at least half being forced to dismount and pick their way down to the fire road on foot. There is also the possibility that an unmentionable may stand, stuck in the middle of the track and become an unavoidable obstacle, providing a collision that would almost certainly result in an infection. *This course of escape can only be suggested in the direst of circumstances*. Predictably, the second run was the easiest: with top speeds in excess of thirty miles an hour, the horde could easily be out-run, as long as there is a large enough gap in the horde obscuring the fire road for individuals of the party to pass through. Surprisingly, the boar track provided the best combination. Speed was maintained throughout the descent, over terrain that would be incredibly difficult for an unmentionable to pass (loose rocks would most likely tip them to the valley, and an uneven camber could see them slide). *One of the researchers can be seen demonstrating a poor last-ditch attempt when cornered by a horde. In his defence, he is well armoured to defend himself, at least physically.* ### Alliterating on the ‘p’ URL: https://zulusierra.co/alliterating-on-the-p/ Last updated: 2010-09-30T00:00:00.000Z Pamela. Powerful prolixity punches proud prose, purloining poise and precision. Participants pale pointedly, preferring prior parlance and posturing. Portly patternation pours forth, placating pleasantries and putting plunder to passion. Partly, preamble poisons preparation, planning and performance. Post ponder, perfoce it primes punishment… Possibly, this postulation presumes penchant, and passes me for ‘P’. ### Placebo at Brixton Academy 28th September 2010 URL: https://zulusierra.co/placebo-at-brixton-academy-28th-september-2010/ Last updated: 2010-09-29T00:00:00.000Z Placebo playing a set list from their range, starting with [*Nancy Boy*](http://open.spotify.com/track/5MPz4LEKTzslvEXpKXbPob?ref=zulusierra.co), all the way through to finishing with [*Taste in Men*](http://open.spotify.com/track/2IS50cAJG11cOnk4OyFOVp?ref=zulusierra.co). Sharp viewers will note a lot of people on stage, which I think is their undoing: [*Every You Every Me*](http://open.spotify.com/track/5ctirQqTcw45R31zvSqnNG?ref=zulusierra.co) lost it’s clean sound with the band trying to make use of everything at their disposal, and *Taste in Men* just wasn’t the same. Like a modern film that goes on too long (hello, Resident Evil IV), they could use some judicious editing. Don’t get me started how the bass line from the afore-mentioned was pre-recorded either. Aside from that, the performance was superb: an excellent atmosphere, clowns firing t-shirts, and more nostalgia than I thought possible to contain in one venue (there were no ‘new’ fans, of that I’m sure: I think almost everyone there tonight was there when they opened with *Taste in Men* ten years ago at Brixton Academy). Now if only they’d played [*Pure Morning*](http://open.spotify.com/track/5OFu42TfZPDgB7k1FRhHPU?ref=zulusierra.co)*…* A friend with breasts and all the rest, a friend who’s dressed in leather… ### Alliterating on the ‘m’ URL: https://zulusierra.co/alliterating-on-the-m/ Last updated: 2010-09-28T00:00:00.000Z Mine is a mind most mighty; majestically masquerading in this maudlin maw, much maligned by mere makework Morlocs and muggles. Masticating, it makes many morons meak and mild, masked in their manky mire. More and more it matriculates in the metropol, a masculine march moved monstrously and without ‘mpediment. Meakly, this message meanders madly miscoursed; you may mistake me for ‘M’. ### Easy coconut and almond pancakes URL: https://zulusierra.co/easy-coconut-and-almond-pancakes/ Last updated: 2010-09-26T00:00:00.000Z You’ve brought a girl back. She’s spent the night. You want to see her again. You panic. How do you secure her affections first thing in the morning? Pancakes, drizzled in honey. Stupid people can make this. People who are so stupid they just know not to eat themselves. OK that’s a lie, they’d do something else. I don’t know what stupid people would do. I digress. Things you need: cream cheese, sugar, a large free-range egg, milk, self-raising flour, almond oil, coconut oil, honey. 1. Set your stove to medium. Place frying pan on stove. 2. Whisk the egg and three-quarters of a cup of milk until it’s very frothy in a good-sized bowl. 3. Whisk in two tablespoons cream cheese into the above. 4. In goes a tablespoon of sugar. Whisk whisk whisk! 5. Same for two cap-fuls of almond extract. More whisking! 6. Scoop out about one-and-a-quarter to one-and-a-half cups of flour into a bowl. Take a metal spoon. Scoop a couple of spoons of flour into the mix, and fold (stir in a figure of eight) and repeat until all of the flour is incorporated. 7. Whisk very briefly to ensure everything is nicely mixed in. 8. Your frying pan will be hot. Scoop out a bit of coconut oil and let it melt. 9. Place one-quarter of a cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. 10. Don’t touch. Look at the two photographs. To get to the cooked one, turn the pancakes — once — and only once, when they look like they ones in the half-cooked one. 11. Mountain them up on a plate (three per person?) and drizzle with honey. Drizzling is important. Key. Eat well! (E&OE.) ### A Fuego Lento URL: https://zulusierra.co/a-fuego-lento/ Last updated: 2010-09-25T00:00:00.000Z \[youtube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUTTlLSM--g?wmode=transparent\]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUTTlLSM--g?wmode=transparent]&ref=zulusierra.co) *Un spectacle d’amour, de tango et de feu* [**index**](http://bilbobasso.free.fr/?ref=zulusierra.co) [*Edit description*](http://bilbobasso.free.fr/?ref=zulusierra.co)[bilbobasso.free.fr](http://bilbobasso.free.fr/?ref=zulusierra.co) From the last week of the [Watch This Space](http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/58540/events/week-14-and-finally.html?ref=zulusierra.co) festival at the National, Bilbobasso from France bring dancing, fire, and a pleasant petrochemical smell in the breeze. (For those who like the music, it’s [Goomba Boomba by Yma Sumac](http://open.spotify.com/track/3MISiVOIYpAkqMev9qY3Ox?ref=zulusierra.co), and I found it on Spotify.) ### Shake That (Funny National Theatre Bartenders) URL: https://zulusierra.co/shake-that-funny-national-theatre-bartenders/ Last updated: 2010-09-10T00:00:00.000Z \[youtube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcYQWffRxWM?wmode=transparent\]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcYQWffRxWM?wmode=transparent]&ref=zulusierra.co) ### Truite a deux for one URL: https://zulusierra.co/truite-a-deux-for-one/ Last updated: 2010-08-30T00:00:00.000Z This evening I decided to set aside some time for a person very dear to me. A whole meal, no television, no telephone, no distractions. I put a lot of thought into what this person would want: main course, pudding, wine, coffee, music, lighting… I came up with stuffed rainbow trout with a mushroom risotto (one takes the trout, including head so as not to waste the tender cheeks, and fills it with thyme, lemon slices and garlic, before roasting it in salt and olive oil for not too long at not too hot), and an exemplary Gavi di Gavi (La Monetta; citrus, nuts, touch of grass, crisp) to drink. Accompanying this was the inimitable [1981 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould](http://open.spotify.com/user/zestuart/playlist/7fSRyGm5hYoCgyHZFrEeij?ref=zulusierra.co). This was played, via my iPhone 4 and streamed wirelessly so as to avoid any physical restrictions. The recording has to be heard to be understood: Gould can be heard humming in the background over the music. Not a full hum, but a restrained hum. He is lost in the sequence of notes, echoing them unlike anyone else through the keys at his disposal. Sadly Paul was not present to help clear the plates and get the coffee (bonus points for anyone who gets the film and scene reference, and Paul’s surname), but once cleared and a stove-top espresso of a rich, spicy and smooth Mocha Sidamo was on, pudding of lactose free ice cream and dark sugar meringues (with an incredibly flaky crust and gooey centre) was served. Pudding was chased by coffee, and to coincide with the last two tracks of the recording, a measure of the Glenrothes, chilled with whiskey stones. The dear person? Dear me. One so rarely takes the time to spend with oneself, one can quite forget how enjoyable it is. (For the curious, the music was streamed to a pair of Nokia BH-905s, with the noise cancelling set to ‘off’.) ### Realistic iPad Usage Scenario URL: https://zulusierra.co/realistic-ipad-usage-scenario/ Last updated: 2010-05-13T00:00:00.000Z *Dramatis Personæ* iPadder Attractive Girl \[Interior, interior, day.\] iP: Hello, I iPad, would you care to go for coffee? I’m sure I could… \[iP raises eyebrow suggestively\] fit you in. AG: I, I uhm think I’m busy. iP: Oh, you don’t have your schedule? You would if you iPadded. Actually I think I’m rather busy, tootles! *Exunt omnes*. NB: Apologies to iPadders viewing this who are unable to see the ligature. ### On the photographic experience of varying camera types URL: https://zulusierra.co/on-the-photographic-experience-of-varying-camera-types/ Last updated: 2010-04-25T00:00:00.000Z Ever since the rise in affordability of compact cameras, Normal People have been able to snap photos with ease. Some more serious amateurs and professional photographs have always shunned these people, these compromisers, these people who lack artistry. But do they? Surely one can be just as much of an artiste sporting a phone, a compact, an SLR, or a Hassleblad medium format with a digital back costing far in excess of £10,000? An application on the iPhone that works through the profound medium of finger painting has proven that talent trumps tools easily, with work created on it making the cover of The New Yorker on several occasions (its creator was even invited to speak at the launch of iPad). And what of the experience? How does the photographer relate to the subject, the photographee, with each format? How does this impact the final, finished feature? When trying to photograph some bread, I proudly, triumphantly marched down to the kitchen with my Canon EOS 300D (a digital SLR), my Canon Ixus 95 IS (digital compact) and my Nexus One (a, ahem, mobile telephone, lamentably lacking rotary dial). The bread was arranged, the sun moved into position and I began. Pointing the precisely poised glass of the 300D, focused onto the six megapixel sensor behind it, I switched to manual mode and happily experimented with the settings until I achieved the right image: brown glossy crust, curled grease-proof paper just so… And the whole time I was staring through a tiny window onto the world, one covered with crosshairs and information about f numbers and such. The photos would turn out to be the only satisfactory ones I took, but there was a wall, as solid as it was transparent between the bread and I. This has struck me on holiday, too, when I’ve realised at the end of a day I haven’t actually seen anything properly. Beautiful photos fill my secret digital archive, occasionally, proudly parading out in times of rumination, but they are of things I often haven’t seen. Taking up the Ixus, I turned it on, configured its more minimal interface and looked at the bread through the large, bright pict-screen. Immediately there was a difference: I could see the bread on the screen, but I could also see the bread. So the pictures at the end, despite four extra megapixels, weren’t anywhere near as satisfying, I had a deeper involvement with my subject. I saw it, I actually changed the composition before taking the photos, it was there at the same time. I’ve noticed the same when using the Ixus outside, in the Real World. I never quite like the photos as much, but I remember taking them more clearly, I remember what I was photographing with more feeling. A depth of experience. And I haven’t had to lug an extra few kilos of mass around with me (who wants to carry a brace of lenses anyway?). The Nexus One’s turn came and went. Unlike the Ixus before it, it wasn’t as involving. For reasons that currently escape me, it just wasn’t there, like a date with someone attractive, but without the extra attraction. Hamlet can often be found debating to be or not to be, whether to use his SLR or compact. OK he can be found mumbling about being firmer in the flesh, but if he wasn’t such a miserable sot he might be debating over the external memory his SLR would give him, or the pointer the compact would provide to his internal memory of the thing. Art; is it what can be seen and compared, or is it what occurs inside as a result of the exposure? (And, am I wearing shoes like Carrie Bradshaw?) Why is it no one sent me yet One perfect limousine, do you suppose? Ah no, it’s always just my luck to get One perfect rose. *Dorothy Parker (1926)* ### Haben URL: https://zulusierra.co/haben/ Last updated: 2010-04-25T00:00:00.000Z ich habeI haveIch habe plan…du hastyou (familiar) haveDu hast mein kuchen!er hathe hasEr hat ein blaues Auge.sie hatshe hasSie hat blaue Augen.es hatit hasEs hat keine Fehler.wir habenwe haveWir haben keine Zeit!ihr habtyou (plural) haveHabt ihr euer Geld?sie habenthey haveNein, sie haben kein Geld.Sie habenyou (formal) haveHaben Sie das Geld? [**Essential German Verbs: Haben (to Have) and Sein (to Be)**](http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang04.htm?ref=zulusierra.co) [*By Hyde Flippo The two most important German verbs are haben (to have) and sein (to be). As in most languages, the verb…*](http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang04.htm?ref=zulusierra.co)[german.about.com](http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang04.htm?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Imitation of Horace URL: https://zulusierra.co/imitation-of-horace/ Last updated: 2010-04-24T00:00:00.000Z Happy the man, and happy he alone, He who can call today his own; He who, secure within, can say, Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today. *John Dryden, Book III, Ode 29 line 65–68* [*http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John\_Dryden*](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John%5FDryden?ref=zulusierra.co) ### Dahl's Dahl URL: https://zulusierra.co/dahl-s-dahl/ Last updated: 2010-04-23T00:00:00.000Z Whilst perusing the iPlayer last night I happened upon The Delicious Miss Dahl. And delicious she is. This terribly attractive, other-world girl cooks for our viewing pleasure using an assortment of kitchen utensils that all look like they’ve been collated from her family kitchen and kept for many years (old spoons, mis-matched forks, a well-used chopping board). She speaks in a delightfully well-spoken British accent, throwing in phrases like “when I was modelling,” “when I was living in New York,” “when I was living in India…” And despite this, she feels completely ‘normal’. Not in the insulting way (“oh dear, would you look at that dreadful group of filthy normals?”), but in the way that one feels like your friend Sophie is giving you a few helpful pointers. One can almost feel oneself saying (with a little laugh) “oh no Sophie, when I used to model I found exactly the same to be true!” Out of focus shots show us bits of what may, or may not be, her house: stairs with deliberately missing carpet (where the bare boards are exposed between two escorting lines of paint). Odd things on her shelves in the kitchen she picked up on her travels. Those big French jam jars with the rubber seals. And yet, while one is sitting with Sophie and she’s merrily, charmingly telling stories about her Granny, or a holiday on a boat in France (featuring another, squid-catching Granny), she’s just made tartare sauce! Nobody makes sauce! Sauces come in jars, some in nice glass jars, claiming to have been hand-finished by Linda. Sophie *just made her own*. To hell with that Oliver person (who Clarkson called a “pillow biter”), the Delightful Devious Deceptive Dahl is my new culinary guide! She comes from an established line of TV chefs, of course. Starting with Delia Smith, where there was just solid, plain cooking (presumably aimed initially at girls who had grown up with unemployed ‘mothers’ who were challenged by a can of beans). Useful things that people needed to know, but nothing to really capture the imagination or really titillate. But it was the seventies, or eighties, which were from what I’ve read very similar. Moving forwards we have the evil culinary temptress of Nigella Lawson, who somehow manages to pack more sex into cooking that can be found if you use a Googler to specifically look for it. Catching up to the present day, the educated, expecting audience is treated to Miss Dahl, who sneaks in complex and inspiring culinary ideas with just a cute smattering of sex appeal to keep those of her followers who like that sort of thing keenly focussed (and some shots of a large ring to belay those thoughts; who uses their hands whilst cooking with a ring on?). And talking of her hands, they get into everything. Butter is flattened, chickens lifted, fish cakes formed. The mismatched kitchen is in full force here, and as her fish cakes develop a “fault line” she happily says “it is what it is,” soothing those nervous audience members who have got their tiny brains fixated that all culinary items must be in perfect towers. Indeed talking of tiny minds, she dedicates a whole episode to the joys and importance of comfort eating, and how to really do it right (for those who haven’t learnt this important skill). Bubble and squeak, cardamom rice pudding, soul-soothing chicken soup, tom kha soup and of course, perfect chocolate sauce. None of this nonsense about “I’m miserable so I must eat schmolz.” The girl even takes us to Borough Market, to help her target audience feel really at home. To distract the audience further, she has a little literary break every so often, with [*Résumé*](https://zulusierra.co/r--sum--/), by Dorothy Parker, for example. Tasteful shots of London (sometimes with a seventies filter firmly in place) show her showing us how to enjoy our literature with our food. In short, by dialing the iPlayer to the Delectable Dahl’s *degustation* one gets a quality BBC half-hour with a beautiful woman, who elevates one’s appetite, one’s spirit, and indeed one’s soul (should one have such a thing). Even if she makes the *heinous* mistake of saying cake making is a science (it’s an art, as if anyone needs telling). ### Résumé URL: https://zulusierra.co/r-sum/ Last updated: 2010-04-22T00:00:00.000Z Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren’t lawful. Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) *I should point out that this isn’t my resume, rather a poem that makes me chuckle.* ### Letter from Sydney Smith to Lady Georgiana Morpeth, 16 February 1820 URL: https://zulusierra.co/letter-from-sydney-smith-to-lady-georgiana-morpeth-16-february-1820/ Last updated: 2010-04-22T00:00:00.000Z Dear Georgiana, Nobody has suffered more from low spirits than I have — so I feel for you. Here are my prescriptions; 1st Live as well as you dare. 2nd Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold. 3rd Amusing books. 4th Short views of human life — not further than dinner or tea. 5th Be as busy as you can. 6th See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. 7th And of those acquaintances who amuse you. 8th Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely — they are always worse for dignified concealment. 9th Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you. 10th Compare your lot with that of other people. 11th Don’t expect too much from human life — a sorry business at the best. 12th Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy sentimental people, and every thing likely to excite feeling or emotion not ending in active benevolence. 13th Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree. 14th Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue. 15th Make the room where you commonly sit, gay and pleasant. 16th Struggle by little and little against idleness. 17th Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice. 18th Keep good blazing fires. 19th Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion. 20th Believe me, dear Georgiana, your devoted servant, Sydney Smith Letter from Sydney Smith to Lady Georgiana Morpeth, 16 February 1820