Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

January 31, 2020. There's a bit of brush between the road and the tracks a couple blocks down, and that's where I took this photo. It's the remnants of a mountain ash berry cluster. Good day today; I wrote a post saying Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips should resign, and then he did a few hours later; I made a No Man's Sky video, I created a nice newsletter, and I updated some gRSShopper code. See you in 2021. https://flic.kr/p/2knFhwj

December 30, 2020. The back yard bird feeder attracted a downey woodpecker in the middle of a snowstorm this afternoon. I made a couple of bad videos and worked on the newsletter a bit. https://flic.kr/p/2knhKV9

 

December 29, 2020. I was downtown on Rideau Street for a (socially distanced) meeting and captured this bit of topical artwork. It was cold and breezy and I didn't want to linger, and in any case, Costco (my time actually inside the new store) awaited. What else did I do? Newsletter. No Man's Sky. That's it. https://flic.kr/p/2knbRWe

December 28, 2020. Andrea and I went out for another 10 km hike today along the Eastern Greenbelt Trail. This time we were able to traverse the 'winter trail' portion through the marsh - the ice creaked a lot but held firm the entire way. https://flic.kr/p/2kmDFiS

December 27, 2020. This is a sparrow coming in for a landing from below. I spent a little time working on the newsletter and most of the day playing No Man's Sky. https://flic.kr/p/2kmxTuD

December 24, 2020. It's feeding time again at the bird feeder; this sparrow is waiting its turn. Another quiet day that I spent rehearsing the process and making a small edit to gRSShopper, in preparation for more major work later. https://flic.kr/p/2kmxjx1

December 25, 2020. OK, it was actually taken December 26, but (as Imgur knows) Christmas Day is selfie day. I'm not one for big toothy grins, but if you look closely you can see the hint of a smile and a twinkle in my eye. https://flic.kr/p/2kkW3We

December 26, 2020. This is my mother, whom we visited today for a (sort of) Christmas. She's opening the (delicious) cookies Andrea baked (soft moist ginger snaps with chocolate fillings). We had St. Hubert barbeque take-out -- the first time in quite a while I've had St. Hubert (it's good though!). Everyone is doing well, and it was a very pleasant day. https://flic.kr/p/2kkVZDs

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December 22, 2020. We had to make a trip into the city today to replace some medications that had run out, so we made it a Costco run as well, which means I was out walking looking for something to photograph. This is what I found. other than that, it was another quiet day with more newsletter work, some reading on data ethics, and preparing to do gRSShopper coding over the holidays. https://flic.kr/p/2kjsWne

December 21, 2020. I tried getting a close-up photo of the sparrows by standing near the bird feeder, but this is as close as they would come. Quiet day today spend mostly doing newsletter posts and catching up on email. https://flic.kr/p/2kjaN4t

December 20, 2020. I got some extra cables today and set up the KVM switch, so this is what my workspace looks like now, Alienware on the right and NRC computer on the left. It's a nice cozy place for working or for playing video games. I also cleaned out my electronics drawers today, sorting between the gear I won't use again (which heads to electronic recycling in town) and stuff I will. https://flic.kr/p/2kiUAKr

December 19, 2020. This is just a weed along the railway tracks near the house. But it also has the honour of being the first photo loaded, edited and uploaded using my new Alienware computer. I had to tear myself away from my videogames in order to do it. https://flic.kr/p/2kiw1yJ

December 16, 2020. This is the back of my Alienware, looking at the display ports (and HDMI) on my graphics card. It was too small for me to see easily so I just took the photo. I ordered a KVM switch (keyboard-video-mouse) so I can seamlessly work with this and with the corproate computer using the same keyboard, mouse and video monitors. I expected I would have an outdoor photo today but it was cold, oh so cold, and I had only one really bad photo. https://flic.kr/p/2khBP3o

December 15, 2020. My new computer arrived today! This is the box it arrived in, which was of great interest to the cats. They were all lined up, all three looking at me, but when I went to take a photo Julia bailed. Morning was all meetings; afternoon was all setting up the new computer. https://flic.kr/p/2khG2c4

December 14, 2020. This is a scene from my home office. We've installed a cat couch in it so they can sit in comfort and watch me work. They like it when I'm in meetings (as I was today) so they can hear me talk. I uploaded my 7th and final installment of 'Supporting Personal Learning' today. https://flic.kr/p/2khFYEv

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December 13, 2020. We went out for a Sunday afternoon hike again today, this time back to Mer Bleue and familiar terrain. It was colder today, and the trail was mostly frozen, but there was like snow (though a lot of ice). Still beautiful. The best bit was spotting a mouse creeping under the layer of dead leaves (there's a photo with the mouse but good luck spotting it!). https://flic.kr/p/2kgEunL

December 12, 2020. Scene from inside the car while waiting for Andrea to get milk. The big news today is that my new computer, ordered back in November, is finally in transit. Should be here by next Friday. I did some work for a project, typed up the transcript for my talk on MOOCs last week, and got the presentation page finished. Oh, and my UNESCO OER paper was published. https://flic.kr/p/2kggep5

December 11, 2020. This is a thermostatic mixing valve, the last bit of plumbing from this week, It began with cooler hot water, then was a leaky hot water tank, and finally this repair. I had honestly never heard of a thermostatic mixing valve before. But now I know all about them. I also did a Lightning Talk for a Creative Commons series, along with a couple of meetings. https://flic.kr/p/2kggANt

December 10, 2020. We took a quick trip in to the Costco and I indulged my new habit of taking a photo walk, and this time found these cones. We received a very large surprise in our mail today, one that left me speechless, and will make a big difference in our lives. Our thanks go out to Evie, whose kindness will not be forgotten. https://flic.kr/p/2kgcmoq

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December 9, 2020. We had a good snowfall today creating a nice scene from the basement window into the background. Today I gave another online class, did some data literacy reading, and worked on converting presentations a bit more. https://flic.kr/p/2kfS1pZ

December 8, 2020. I actually thought there were two black cats when I took this photo (just by reaching up with my camera - it was late) but it was only one. This week has been busy with multiple presentations - today, for example was my appearance at the Online Learning conference by Contact North. https://flic.kr/p/2kfN7bJ

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December 7, 2020. Started the day offering an online course, then jumped immediately into an online meeting, then spent the rest of the day working on my newsletter and fixing presentations. This was the scene outside my office window, another cold and windy winter day. https://flic.kr/p/2kfuAmh

December 6, 2020. I found what looked like a good walking route for a cold day and, as a bonus, found a place to plug in our car at the Fallowfield train station, where we would start. It was a new company, Electric Circuit (previously I've only charged the car using Flo, which has always worked great). It was a much longer drive than I thought. When got there is was freezing cold with a brutal wind. Then the gate to remove the charging pistol wouldn't work properly. Eventually we decided to give up everything, ordered a pizza from Gabriel's Pizza (which we knew would be good because we've seen them at Champions baseball games) and headed home. The pizza was delicious, and Electric Circuit's response to my complaint was that I should pull on the cover harder. This was the QR code (which wouldn't read). The website was also broken. https://flic.kr/p/2kfutUj

December 6, 2020. This mural is on the side of the Ottawa Public Library in Gloucester. I think it's quite good. It's an outcome of a small life change - when we go to the Costco, instead of going to the pharmacy and getting a bag of chips and a KitKat, I've taken to going for a walk around the neighbourhood looking for photos. https://flic.kr/p/2kfpTKd

December 4, 2020. Lexi has her serious face on. While she used to ignore the kittens while they were young, now she has to interact with them more and more. https://flic.kr/p/2kfm1rK

December 4, 2020. This is Charlemagne. Look how innocent he looks sitting on the counter. Look more closely at his left paw. Isn't that cat fur? From some other cat? Yes it is. Innocent indeed. https://flic.kr/p/2kfdKS6

December 3, 2020. I went for a walk while waiting for Andrea in the Costco and encountered these training buses en formation. Today I learned a bit more about quantum algorithms, added conditional formatting to gRSShopper, and did a little writing. https://flic.kr/p/2kdctUd

December 2, 2020. This is Julia, diligently protecting her string even though she's so sleepy she can hardly keep her eyes open. https://flic.kr/p/2kdcqgS

December 1, 2020. I got out for a very brief walk today to photograph these wooden reindeer on the neighbour's front lawn. The rest of the day, it rained. I did a short talk on data repositories and equity during a meeting this morning and attended an anti-surveillance teach-in this afternoon. https://flic.kr/p/2kcy3N1

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November 30, 2020. Now that there's snow on the ground and the grackles have left, the backyard bird feeder is back in business and is attracting a steady trade of sparrows and chickadees. On today's mainly rainy day I spent the build on my time working on data equity, as well as on my newsletter and the presentation pages. https://flic.kr/p/2kcfBRS

November 29, 2020. Most of our 14 km walk today was en route to and from the Conroy pits. When we got there we discovered that it's a very large off-leash dog park (which was no problem at all). The trail was snow-packed so it was a bit harder to walk than usual. This is a chickadee we spotted along the way; we also saw squirrels and downy woodpeckers. https://flic.kr/p/2kbTSSf

November 28, 2020. These may be more common that I expect, but it's the first pair of conjoined mushrooms I've seen (and I used to work as a mushroom picker). Today was a work day, despite it being Saturday, first to give a talk online, then to check every slide presentation on Slideshare to make sure I had it before deleting my account. This evening played Among Us for the first time with a group of students in Barcelona, and had quite the enjoyable time (I'll have to do that again). https://flic.kr/p/2kbssTu

November 27, 2020. I'm not exactly sure what this plant is but I like the contrast of the green and brown colouring on the snow. I've been preparing presentations recently; this afternoon I recorded one that will be presented next week. https://flic.kr/p/2kbsq58

November 26, 2020. While waiting at the Costco I took a walk around the parking lot to stretch my legs. I found this, a very well tended back of the kiosk at the Costco gas station. https://flic.kr/p/2kbw8rU

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November 25, 2020. This is what greeted me out the front window this morning. It continued for several hours. No matter - I spent the day indoors attending several meetings, worked my way though a bit of a dispute, and outlined my slides for a presentation I'm recording Friday (followed by another one Saturday). https://flic.kr/p/2kaDWmZ

November 24, 2020. This is what I had for breakfast today and have every day - oatmeal plus fruit and (not pictured) maple syrup. Spoon is on the left had side for lighting, not because I'm left handed (I'm not). I spent the better part of the day today writing a post on a UNESCO 'Futures of Education' document. https://flic.kr/p/2kab4Jq

November 23, 2020. We woke up to snow on the ground - and in our case, a single set of cat prints on the deck underneath the bird feeder (now full of seeds again now that the grackles have departed). I did some work on data literacy, continued to transform presentations, and did some background reading on quantum algorithms. https://flic.kr/p/2kaayB6

November 21, 2020. This is a view of a cat on a bag, looking straight down. It is, of course, Charlemagne. The bag contained a pair of shoes I bought Saturday. Sunday, with snow in the offing and having already been out, we played it safe and stayed inside. https://flic.kr/p/2ka6CdV

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November 21, 2020. We went to the National Gallery today to visit the first floor - that's the exhibit of Canadian Art (there was no special collection this visit). It has changed a bit since the last time I was there, and most notably, now allowed me to take photos of the collection. This work by Eleanor Bond was new to me - it's called Elevated Living in a Community-built Neighbourhood (1998). It's quite large and definitely appeals to me. https://flic.kr/p/2k94ULy

November 20, 2020. This is a bonus photo of Andrea and I at the Diefenbunker. https://flic.kr/p/2k8LLUV

November 20, 2020. This is my brother Bill and family. We went to what may be the world's largest escape room, a full level of the Diefenbunker, a bomb shelter created for the Canadian government during the cold war. It was quite well set up, my first escape room experience, and a lot of fun. On the job, I found myself quite unexpectedly attached to a new project today, in addition to my other work - so the variety continues. https://flic.kr/p/2k8Mc6r

November 19, 2020. Yes I know, it's another cat photo, but there's no way I could really resist taking and sharing this one. Dig his huge polydactyl paws. Did some reading on quantum algorithms today, as well as a couple of meetings on projects. Also converting presentation pages as I continue to move from Slideshare (I have more than 500 presentations to convert *sigh*). https://flic.kr/p/2k8GHGx

November 17, 2020. Another cool motorcycle picture (it's not a trend, I promise), this of a Zero motorcycle we happened to see on the back of a truck. I had my first meeting of NRC's Research Ethics Board today, which was interesting on a number of levels. My work has become quite varied recently, which keeps me interested. https://flic.kr/p/2k8GEwV

November 17, 2020. This is a regular stop for distilled water (for my CPAP) and Ricoloas. I tried to capture it as a promo-style shot (couldn't do much else with cars in the parking lot). Just one meeting today, and I completed a page-turner online course on security (same course I took two years ago, because of course). https://flic.kr/p/2k7J3Ea

November 16, 2020. Today started out with a meeting first thing in the morning, then a presentation, then did some work to move my presentations off SlideShare and onto Microsoft. Also cashed an insurance cheque from the dental appointment of last week. https://flic.kr/p/2k7HVx4

November 15, 2020. Cloudy, six degrees, and rain, but we went for a 14.7 hike around the top of Mont Rigaud, which is about an hour east of here, just over the Quebec border on the way to Montreal. The trail was everything I hoped it would be - varied despite the November weather, well-marked, rugged, but still quite walkable. https://flic.kr/p/2k716MR

November 14, 2020. We still have the cat-guards on the stair railings, though they're almost too big now to fall through by accident. Now every time I go downstairs at least one cat has to play with me between the balusters. Quiet day, mostly a do-nothing day, though I did update all my work passwords, no small feat. https://flic.kr/p/2k6V2Go

November 13, 2020. This is what the three kittens look like when they're gathered by my chair in my home office. Today was flue shot day (yay!) and spent reviewing award nominations, reading up on Research Ethics Board stuff, and wiping out almost all my email backlog. https://flic.kr/p/2k6fHbF

November 12, 2020. If you look closely, you can see my reflection in these Christmas decorations at the Shopper's Drug Mart. I think any time before December is too early. Today was a mix of writing, a meeting, and several sessions at the Open Education conference. https://flic.kr/p/2k5WWRr