Left click. Nothing happens. Left click. Nothing. Time for a new mouse? No. Instead, I repaired my Logitech MX Vertical mouse after many hours spent on troubleshooting, desoldering, soldering, and tinkering. But it was as educational as successful. Left click. Bliss! The mouse works again.
How to build a controller that automatically lands an airplane after approaching a runway via the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the flight simulator?
How to build a controller that automatically puts an airplane on the glide slope from the beam of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the flight simulator?
How to construct a controller that automatically aligns an airplane with the runway using the deviation from the localizer beam of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator?
Can’t spot the runway in GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator? I fixed it by extending GeoFS with Google Maps, showing thousands of airports, as well as the extended centerline of the runway at the destination on the map.
A little quest to get every single button on my throttle quadrant to work with GeoFS, the browser-based flight simulator. A quest that not only taught me a little bit about evdev in Linux, but also led to many more quests later on.
Discovering all kind of difficulties of controlling the aircraft in the GeoFS flight simulator. As well as some remedies, whether in adjustments to software, hardware, or simply through deliberate practice.
A session with the flight simulator turned into a both entertaining and educational quest into control theory. Topics that I haven’t dabbled with for one, two, or even more decades. From a self-imposed lockdown to my first attempts to use PID controllers and fuzzy logic for steering the aircraft in GeoFS.
Rain arrived, plenty of it. Then some thunder. The inflatable portal set up outside of the life base in Lourtier is rocking back and forth in the wind. Clouds appeared. Mountains disappeared.
Long races in the mountains require gear. Such is the case with Swiss Peaks 170 as well. Worth thinking about how to arrange things so I can stay focused before and during the race, and take care of myself after the race.
Less than two weeks to go to Swiss Peaks 170. Time to reinforce the idea that the training is done except for the taper. Time to reinforce the idea that I am prepared, no more, but also importantly, no less.
One year break from racing Swiss Peaks taught me nothing except that I need to do it again. This year, to mix things up, it will be the Swiss Peaks 170 all the way from Grande Dixence to Le Bouveret. A big adventure in th e mountains à la valaisanne. What will I learn this time?
The fog was relatively thick. You were able to see where you were going, sure. But milestones, such as summits, settlements remained shrouded, panoramas denied to the crowd of runners who set out to tackle the Scenic Trail K54 in Ticino, Switzerland.
How much energy do you spend on a multi-day foot race? I tried to estimate the expenditure first, using a back-of-the-envelope calculation before stumbling over a study researching exactly that. Fun with bananas.
The Swiss Peaks 360 foot race is done. Finished after 5.5 days of madness, covering a distance of over 360 km, 25900 m elevation gain, 26900 m elevation loss. Deprived of sleep, but enriched with an intense experience; body fatigued, but mind inspired. Time to look back on this unique adventure in the spectacular scenery of Valais in Switzerland.
The specific period of training for this year’s edition of the Swiss Peaks 360 foot race is complete. Time to look back, taper, and fine-tune the preparation for the big adventure in the gorgeous mountains of Valais in Switzerland: over valleys and passes from Oberwald to Fiesch, Eisten, Grimentz, Grande Dixence, Finhaut, Morgins to Le Bouveret.
How to find out whether my training is effective? A casual investigation into whether I can use frequent Strava segment efforts in order to see whether the ratio of heart rate versus speed shifted between two training seasons. The results look promising.
What I called the support period in my preparation for this year’s edition of the Swiss Peaks 360 foot race is complete. Time to look back, assess progress, shape the last training period before the big adventure, which will bring me to the vast mountaineous landscape of Valais in Switzerland.
How to plan the training sessions for the weeks ahead? I hacked together a web app which allows me to do just that. The app helps me to plan the training progression according to established training principles, supporting modes such as running, hiking, cycling. Apps for the purpose exist commercially, but it was fun and instructional to roll out my own.
How to find out whether the effort put into training actually increased performance? I asked myself whether there is a shortcut to testing benchmark protocols, whether in the lab or in the outdoors. As you may already have guessed, shortcuts are rare in training. But sometimes, it’s fun looking for one.
Two weeks left in what I called the base period in my preparation for this year’s edition of the Swiss Peaks 360 foot race. Time to look back, subjectively and objectively, assess progress (or the lack thereof), and thus set the foundation for creating a more detailed plan for the upcoming training period.
In 2023, I intend to contribute more to the running community, again. The opportunity to do so presents itself through leading one of the crews in the trail running club I joined last year, the trail-maniacs, ever so aptly named.
Poised to experience the Swiss Peaks 360 foot race again in 2023! An epic journey through Valais, covering 360 km and an excess of 26,000 m of vert in less than a week. One thing is certain: preparation is necessary. As a self-coached hobby-athlete, sketching the training remains up to me.
The “pomodoro technique” is a simple time management method, which requires a robust, simple-to-use timer, which doesn’t distract from the task at hand. For the third version, I constructed a plywood case to house the microcontroller, the 4-digit display, and the two buttons to control the timer.
Learning is often a process of rediscovering things. I enjoyed this process recently when trying to solve a combinatorial puzzle, in the pub, in the bus, and at home. A tale of allowing myself to explore, to tinker, and to be awed by the great thinkers of long gone times.