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Showing posts from 2023

Chinese Food

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December 14, 2023. This is a selection from the Chinese Food Market next to the Mandarin Restaurant on Ogilvie Road, where I had lunch. It was decidedly mediocre - the spring rolls especially looked like they had been in the freezer for a few years. I need to rework my eating routine for days I work from the office. I can't keep eating at restaurants - I need to bring food (there's utterly none available at NRC) and to still get out of the office for an hour or so. https://flic.kr/p/2pnHDJk

D750

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December 12, 2023. This is my tried and true Nikon D750 camera. I've been using this for, I don't know, almost ten years now. It's showing its wear and it has trouble focusing but I've been reluctant to spend money on a replacement because it's hard to believe my next camera will be as durable and reliable. https://flic.kr/p/2pnHLqY

The Pole

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December 11, 2023. Against all odds, this pole has survive over the seven years we've been here. It's a testament to the strength of wood. Another grey day with snow on the ground, working from home. https://flic.kr/p/2pnFb1A

New York Central Trail

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December 10, 2023. This is the ice-covered New York Central Trail through Russell. We wanted to finish relatively early today because I had to be up at 1:30 Monday morning, so we just went to Russell and did the trail and a look through the Tweed forest. I was asleep by 5. https://flic.kr/p/2pmijGz

Pink

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December 9, 2023. This is the back yard in late afternoon. This was the actual colour; it was so startling I had to take a photo (even though yesterday's photo was the same location). The light was quite remarkable; the photo doesn't actually do it justice. Today was an indoor day, spent working on exploring Cloudron and other Platform as a Service applications, for my European project. https://flic.kr/p/2pma7ex

Blue Sky

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December 8, 2023. This is my back yard. I really liked the light of the blue sky and the clouds. A quiet day today working from home, mostly on the 'context recognition' research. https://flic.kr/p/2pm9icW

Canada Goose

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December 7, 2023. Canada goose as seen in the Hudson's Bay store downtown. I was in the office today working on 'context recognition' and over lunch went downtown to get some of my favourite Hungarian paprika spice paste (cutting through the Bay because it was cold). https://flic.kr/p/2pm1SjL

Snow-Lined

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December 6, 2023. I've been enjoying the way the snow has been stuck to the trees all week. We had a wet snow, and then it stayed cold, so the snow never melted, and there hasn't been enough wind to knock it down. I was going to go into the office today but messed up my meds last night, so I got too little sleep to drive, so today was a work at home day dedicated to getting the last of the funding proposals off my desk and resolved. Yay! https://flic.kr/p/2pm44wf

Tree and CSIS

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December 5, 2023. This is the view outside the second floor window in the stairwell where I work; you can see my building, a tree, a parking lot, and the CSIS building in the background. The building fascinates me because I have never been in it and probably never will (same goes for CSEC next door) even though I presumably have enough of a security clearance to do so. https://flic.kr/p/2pm2GPy

Snowfall

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December 4, 2023. Woke up this morning to this. The skies opened up overnight. Worked from home, doing some funding reviews and some writing. https://flic.kr/p/2pjT3h9

Warwick Forest, Ontario

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December 3, 2023. A walk through the forest just before the snow. We went out earlier in the morning than usual. https://flic.kr/p/2pjTSXn

The Goalie

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December 2, 2023. This goalie posed for me while participating in the 4-on-4 road hockey tournament at the Casselman Christmas Fair today. We walked down, I had some focaccia, and we visited the Swiss Bakery seasonal store as well as a number of booths. It was tiny compared to the Christmas markets I've seen in Europe, but I like that we have one. https://flic.kr/p/2pjGaef

Bathroom

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December 1, 2023. This is a wall hanging in the downstairs bathroom. It was part of a lot of random framed pictures I bought at an auction several years ago. I put it in the bathroom because it was least likely to be damaged by humidity (and it has survived quite well). I was up at 3:30 a.m. today for a European project meeting, worked through the rest of the morning on context awareness and recognition, and then had another meeting at 11. No I didn't sleep after, but I wasn't very productive either, and was in bed by 7 or so. https://flic.kr/p/2pjFeXR

Ambulance

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November 30, 2023. No, nothing bad happened, but I found myself stopped behind this ambulance and in need of a daily photo. It was another day in the office today, working on literature related to context awareness and context recognition (yes, there's a literature devoted to that). Lunch at Firehouse subs. https://flic.kr/p/2pjC8tA

Little Brown Ball

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November 29, 2023. This is the elevator in my office building. I couldn't help but notice this solitary brown ball in the corner. I was in it later, after lunch, and the ball was gone. https://flic.kr/p/2pjs1X8

A Splash of Red

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November 28, 2023. Looking out my back window to the houses along Principale, normally covered by green, but in winter visible, framing a Canadian flag in one of the back yards. Today was Covid shot day today so this afternoon we went into the city, waiting at the Shoppers, got the shots, and did the Costco on the way home. https://flic.kr/p/2pjjNms

Warning Clouds

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November 27, 2023. The view from my office window. The clouds caught my eye. As well they should have, as there was a dense snowfall shortly after. It was over quickly and the snow didn't last. Started the day getting Andrea to have a flu shot (we had to argue with the pharmacist because they lost our appointment). https://flic.kr/p/2pjgGP5

Gatineau Park, Quebec

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November 26, 2023. Short walk in Gatineau Park. The trail was iced over, which made the 4 km walk seem a lot further. The forest is nice, of course, and there were a few birds. On the way in we tried (and failed) to get Andrea a flu shot. Someone should tell the Ontario government that privatizing flu shots is a bad idea. https://flic.kr/p/2pjg75z

Bright Blue

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November 25, 2023. It's nice to get up and see birds in the morning. This bright blue jay acted like he owned the place. https://flic.kr/p/2pjdvA4

Reflected Light

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November 24, 2023. Heading home from the office in the evening, I reflected on how I always seemed to end up working in industrial-like settings. No ivy-covered stone for me! The light on the plant is reflected from the windows from the building opposite from the setting sun to the west. It's not dark because I left a little early. https://flic.kr/p/2pj7swS

Starbucks

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November 23, 2023. This is the Starbucks near my office. I stopped in for a quick coffee after lunch. I've been slowly restoring my ability to make coffee in the office (as it turns out, three years old coffee and whitener tasted awful). https://flic.kr/p/2piztwQ

Finished/Famished

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November 23, 2023. This is the bird feeder, with a happy sparrow on it. You may recall that just a few days ago this feeder was filled full for the winter season. The birds, I guess, were famished. That's OK though - we have a lot more birdseed. https://flic.kr/p/2piG6mw

Creating a Cloud Server and Acessing with SSH Keys Using Windows Powershell on Hetzner

Make sure you have Powershell version 5.1 or better  Open Powershell, type: $PSVersionTable.PSVersion Install update if you don't have it: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-on-windows  Make sure you have the SSH service installed Type: ssh If you get an error, install ssh: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/openssh/openssh_install_firstuse?tabs=powershell Create an SSH key (from: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/openssh/openssh_keymanagement ) Type: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 ('ed25519 is the type of key you're generating) This will produce output: Generating public/private ed25519 key pair. Enter file in which to save the key (C:\Users\username/.ssh/id_ed25519): Type enter to accept the default name or type a different filename and type enter You will be asked to type a passphrase. Enter a passphrase if you wish, or just type Enter for no passphrase This will generate

First

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November 20, 2023. This is the first photo from my new phone, a Google Pixel 8 Pro. The subject is a houseplant in my office (this plant has survived for some ten years, coming with us from Moncton when we moved here in 2015. The day was dedicated to setting up the phone and working on my newsletter; I then spent the evening working on my European project. Long day. https://flic.kr/p/2phgU2h

Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary

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November 19, 2023. This is a scene from the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We followed the newly restored Heron Train, itself still under construction, but with the boardwalks and one of the loops finished. I also did some work on my European project. https://flic.kr/p/2phik3A

Game Worn

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November 18, 2023. This is my game-worn CFL helmet that I got at the RedBlacks locker room sale last Sunday. It now occupies a place of honour in my home office. I spent the day working on the European project, first exploring a federated social bookmarking service, and then later getting blog JSON syndication working properly, https://flic.kr/p/2pgDc2Q

New Furnace

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November 17, 2023. So I ended up spending another full day at home as we had a new furnace installed. The old one had quit back on Remembrance Day and after learning the previous 18-year-old model would continue to have problems, we bit the bullet and bought a new one. It's a high efficiency gas furnace - not ideal, but it contributes the minimum CO2 emissions, and is half what it would cost for an electric furnace (not to mention the fuel is still much cheaper). Governments need to stop subsidizing carbon-based fuels, and start subsidizing electricity, if they want people like me to make the right choice. https://flic.kr/p/2pgFvcF

Sunset

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Link to image on flickr.com Sunset November 16, 2023. This is the sunset outside my office after a busy day. I had planned to drive into the office first thing but I was too tired yesterday to prepare my talk at 11 so I stayed home and traded commuting time for preparation time. Then I drove into the city for my appointment to have my stitches removed, after which I went to my office and ordered a new hub for my black laptop.

Ready for Winter

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Link on Flickr Ready for Winter November 15, 2023. We went to Canadian Tire today and restocked on birdseed to carry our little friends through the winter. There was no waiting like in previous years; they found it right away. Another day working from home because I had an early morning meeting, another meeting at 9, and then a longer ethics board meeting in the afternoon. ​ Add a caption, if you like

Dawn Trees

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Link to Photo on Flickr Dawn Trees November 14, 2023. Another early morning, and the sun shining through the clouds behind these trees caught my eye. It was as though the sky was glowing. We've been having furnace issues and so we've been a bit cool recently; Andrea is banking the pipes to get it to drain properly. Worked at home again. ​

Fresh Snow

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November 13, 2023. I was up bright and early this morning in time to see the lightly falling snow. I'm not a fan of snow but this snowfall was really pretty. Today was a holiday but for me what that meant was a full day to work on my European project. https://flic.kr/p/2pgEkvC

Mer Bleue Blue Jay

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November 12, 2023. We finally got out for a walk today; this is a blue jay we spotted in Mer Bleue. Lots of birds today. It was a clear blue day, not too cool, a perfect day for a walk. In the morning we went to the RedBlacks locker room sale and while Andrea got some shirts I got a game-worn CFL helmet, which I'll feature in a future post. https://flic.kr/p/2pgzSZB

Football

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Link November 11, 2023. I had big plans for today, but in the end, I did nothing but watch football all day. I don't regret it; I really needed the rest. It was the CFL playoffs - a surprising win by Montreal, an expected win by Winnipeg. Sorry about the quality of the photo, it's off my computer screen.

Just Another Parking Lot

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November 10, 2023. Parked at the Couteau in town. You can see the highway McDonalds to the right (never been in there, probably never will). Snow is still falling and almost melting. Good day to be away from the highways. My back is doing better. https://flic.kr/p/2pgzKS5

More Snow

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November 9, 2023. Woke up to a fresh snowfall. Again, this snow will be shortlived. But that doesn't mean it's welcome. I've been working on my longer term project to move my media files to cloud storage; today was another step forward in that. https://flic.kr/p/2pgzDXV

Former Flowers

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November 8, 2023. These are what remains of the flowers outside the Tim's. It was another day working at the office, which means going out for lunch. Still struggling to keep up with the daily photos. https://flic.kr/p/2pgxesH

Posh Pumpkin

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November 5, 2023. This is a designer pumpkin at the Tim Hortons in Gloucester. We went into the Costco today instead of taking our usual Sunday walk because of the stitches in my back. Otherwise, I spent the day working on my European project. It's slow going (as working with code and applications always is) but I've been making good progress. The real challenge is finding the time to work on it. https://flic.kr/p/2pfNpFd

Waiting for the Train

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November 4, 2023. Waiting in my car as the train crosses the road here in Casselman. Nice cool day but it's the season of long shadows. Aside from this trip to the store I spent the day coding PHP for my European project (I'm not really a PHP programmer, but there's really nothing to it). Also kept an eye on the CFL playoff games. https://flic.kr/p/2pfKLic

Part of Me

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November 2, 2023. I went into the clinic today and they extracted this golf-ball-sized cyst from my back, right near my spine. It didn't look like much from the outside but it was bothering me. It took more than an hour for two doctors to remove it. Very little pain, even after. Applause to the doctors. I will be sore for a while though. https://flic.kr/p/2pfzQ9V

CSIS

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October 31, 2023. Car is in the shop today getting winter tires and some servicing. I was at the office and had to walk for lunch (they don't provide any sources of food at NRC so it's about a 2 km walk). On the way, I took this photo of the CSIS building behind some weeds. Seemed like a good Halloween image. https://flic.kr/p/2pfFJvW

Snow

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October 30, 2023. Getting ready for Halloween - the decorations have been up for several weeks now - and we got our first snowfall of the year. I'm still recovering from my trip - I caught a nasty cold on the way home and haven't been good for anything. https://flic.kr/p/2pfFG7Y

Crowd

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October 28, 2023. It was the last game of the year and the RedBlacks were not going to make the playoffs, but we still put a good crowd into the stands for what would be an inevitable loss to the Argos. Yes, we'll be back for next season. https://flic.kr/p/2pfzn28

Montreal

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October 27, 2023. I spent the day on the plane from Madeira yesterday, arriving in Montreal too late to drive home. So I stayed at a very unpleasant hotel near the airport, took the shuttle back and then caught my Park'n'Fly to drive home. https://flic.kr/p/2pfzg5i

Curral das Freiras

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October 25, 2023. My last full day on Madeira. I encountered this village late in the day, after turning the wrong way (it's tricky when the roads cross over each other in tunnels). I started the day going to the east coast, intending to hike out to the point, but it was too crowded. I went to a less popular lookout, then back down to the hip town of Machico. Then I crossed through the centre of the island to PR1, the trail connecting the highest peaks on Madeira, and spent some time on that. Then I continued westward through the central plateau, after which I found Curral das Freiras. https://flic.kr/p/2pfz7wb

Caminho do Pinaculo e Folhadal

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October 24, 2023. This is the view from a little restaurant I ate at after hiking along a 'Levada' trail in Madeirs. The trail winds along the ends of a steep mountain slop along a water irrigation channel. I had the whole day to explore today so I was several hours on the trail. I also explored some old-growth forest a bit further north, the famous Madeira 'laurel forest'. Then I went down to the black sand beach of Seixal on the north coast just as the day was waning. Can't express how much I've been enjoying Madeira. (Many many more photos in the Madeira photo set) https://flic.kr/p/2peKxc8

Baía de Câmara de Lobos

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October 23, 2023. This is the small fishing village I visited after the conference today. I also went to a lookout atop a 600 meter cliff (this was a better photo though). Took the taxi there and a combination of buses back. Enjoying Madeira so much. (I know this photo is really late, more are coming, I promise). https://flic.kr/p/2peviy3

Funchal

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October 21, 2023. This is the scene from the conference hotel in Madeira. Today was the first day of the conference and presentation day for me. It's hard to tell from the photo but there was a strong wind and sheets of rain. Good day to be at a conference. https://flic.kr/p/2paStWd

Madeira

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October 20, 2023. This is the fort at the centre of Funchal, Madeira, a Portuguese island in the middle of the Atlantic. Today was jet lag day - I slept in way too late and spent the other half of the day wandering around. So far, I really like Madeira. https://flic.kr/p/2paSg1p

Lisbon

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October 19, 2023. Lisbon in the rain. Arrived in the morning planning to spend a day walking in Lisbon. But it was pouring rain, and there was no place to stash my luggage, so it wasn't ideal (on the bright side, my new raincoat performed beautifully). I spent a little time in the city, mostly at a little cafe. Flight to Funchal was 3 hours late which made for a long day with lots of airport time. https://flic.kr/p/2paSay7

Montreal

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October 18, 2023. Scene from Trudeau Airport. I spent the day stressing out about flight arrangements, then in the evening went to Montreal to catch my flight to Lisbon. https://flic.kr/p/2paKgmH

Seagull

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October 17, 2023. This seagull decided to get up close and personal while I was waiting for Andrea in the Costco parking lot. https://flic.kr/p/2paCCuB