Cyclo-cross bicycle build - part 1

Prologue There is a trend I noticed myself going through. First, I tend to acquire lots of equipment and accessories for a hobby or an activity. Then I realize what my true needs are. At some point I get overwhelmed with the gear I don’t use regularly and feel wasteful. Finally, I minimize possessions by trading them to fewer precious alternatives. I went through this process with PCs and servers, laptops, digital cameras, motorcycles and now I’m going through the same with bicycles. [Read More]

Coffee is not my friend

About 2 years ago I completely gave up on caffeine. I’ve stopped drinking coffee, most kinds of tea and caffeinated beverages such as diet coke. Giving up was not that difficult. I’ve never been a die hard fan of coffee though I savor a well prepared black tea and an occasional coke. A negative consequence of completely giving up on caffeine is that even the tiniest bit disrupts a good night sleep. [Read More]

Photo report - essential Seattle

Visiting Seattle for the first time has been an unexpectedly pleasant experience.

The city is walkable and has great infrastructure. I found bike lanes everywhere and public transport. It’s the first US city that I find appealing.

Photo report - intentionality

I’ve been lately practicing intentional photography - having a purpose and a general idea/plan in mind before making captures. The biggest change I’ve noticed is that the number of keepers has risen from an average of 2-6% to 15-25%!

Below I present two projects that I undertook during a recent stay in Seattle, Washington.

Trainspotting

I love trains. It turns out that I love making pictures of them too! I suspect that together with landscapes and abandoned places trains are my favorite subjects.

I have asked a colleague to provide a map with markers to local trainspotting places. On a Saturday morning I packed the gear and went walking along one of the major lines.

I did not feel safe. Everywhere I found signs saying that trespassing is illegal and that BNSF police is going to arrest me. I was careful not to cross any legal lines. I wish I could get closer.

Chronos

For the second project I took pictures of clocks I could find in our Seattle office. The building screams with interesting art objects and decorations.

Dilbert cartoonist on goals

I have just finished reading Scott Adams’ book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life. In the book the cartoonist behind Dilbert comic shares his views on success in a witty and humorous way. He talks about goals among other things. He finds goals to be inadequate for long-term personal success. Among the reasons is the perpetual feeling of failure. And what do you do after reaching a goal? [Read More]