Husband, father, coder, photographer, traveler.
2026 brings an end to an era that finished just as poetically as it started. I just learned that MTV shut down its 24/7 music channels with the main one ending with “Video Killed the Radio Star” and other channels with genre-appropriate songs.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/mtv-channels-bid-farewell-fans-173839966.html
One of the reasons I chose to work at Doximity is to help make a positive impact on community health through my work on developing iPhone apps. This news was announced awhile back, but I’m proud to be working for a company that invests in positive change toward underserved communities both in the U.S. and abroad.
https://people.doximity.com/articles/introducing-doximity-org
Yesterday I biked what will likely be my last ride of the season. I have gear that is relatively comfortable in the 40s, but the 30s can just be brutal, especially when there’s wind.
I went on a total of 85 rides this year, more than 1500 miles, and enjoyed seeing a lot of central Michigan in the process. Perhaps surprisingly, I’ve only lost a few pounds since starting last spring, but more significantly took almost 2 belt loops off my waist. It feels great.
Can’t wait to get back in the saddle next spring!
It never ceases to amaze me how often I think I’m screwed, only to be saved by a pair of vice grips.
Case in point: removing this axel pin on an RC10T I’m building right now. I spent 10 minutes trying to remove it in a multitude of ways before taking only seconds with the vice grips.
It’s a beautiful fall day…and let’s just say that I’m thankful we closed the pool last week before the leaves started dropping en masse.
Took my 14 yo to see Tron: Ares today. She loved it, but what was even better is that she said the original movie was still her favorite.
Last weekend when I biked the century ride, I recorded a VLOG along the way. Check it out:
Yesterday I accomplished a goal I’ve had for more than 2 decades: I biked my first century ride! I started within 30 minutes of sunrise, and finished 30 minutes before sunset, booking 101.2 miles by the end of the day. The mental game of forcing myself to slow down was tough, especially when I started running out of daylight! Had a great time!
The Vintage Computer Fest is free to attend, but difficult to leave without spending anything. I bought a Mac LC III and a lampshade iMac G4. Stoked.
Chicago for the Vintage Computer Fest Midwest this weekend. Can’t wait to check it out starting tomorrow.
Tonight I’m waiting for my dinner order at an Indian restaurant across the street from my hotel. Good ethnic food is one of the biggest things I miss while living on a small town. Really looking forward to this meal…
I’m surprised OWC went for the bonded Ethernet route instead of just using a single 25GbE interface.
Oh, and my rings for today are insane. With that many calories burned, I felt no guilt going to one of the famous all-you-can-eat chicken dinners here in Frankenmuth tonight. About an hour after finishing dinner, I felt like I was ready to eat again.
Boom, 75 miles in the bag! Met some awesome people, and had a great ride. At the end, I actually felt like I could do 25 more… ?
Thanks to everyone who supported me during this ride and especially for those who donated!
Last call for donations for the Bike MS ride I’ll be participating in tomorrow, starting at 7am! I’ve biked more than 1000 miles this spring and summer to prepare for this ride. Let’s goooo!
Bike training, week 19. I rode 70.6 miles during three rides.
One week to go! Starting to wind down the training to let my legs heal before the big 75 mile next Saturday.
If you haven’t donated to my Bike MS page, there’s still time! I surpassed my initial goal, but have a stretch goal of raising $1000 for Multiple Sclerosis.
Bike training, week 17: I rode 24.4 miles during 2 rides.
Week 18: One ride today totaling 52.4 miles.
I’ve had a couple of light weeks on training while trying to avoid wildfire smoke two weeks ago and an unexpected trip this past week.
I’ve got less than 2 weeks to go before the 75 mile ride! I need to take my bike in for a tune-up this week, and then get some non-intensive training in during the run-up to the day of the event.
I’m still raising donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the Bike MS event: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/mikepj
One reason for my bike training this year is that I’m participating in a fundraising ride for Multiple Sclerosis next month. MS is a disease that affects millions, and I want to help. Please join me by donating:
Bike training, week 16. This week I had a lot going on, and spent more time doing yard projects than rides. I only found time one day for a morning ride, and then went on a 60 mile ride yesterday. Total: 71.4 miles.
The ride yesterday was a lot tougher than the ride last weekend. I’m telling myself it was due to the temperature being in the 90s by the time I finished, but I feel like I still have some training to do before going 75 miles.
Bike training, week 15. I went on 4 rides this week, and this was the first time I rode more than 100 miles in a single week (103.7).
Today I went for a 61 mile ride and it went well. I was on a paved rail trail so it was great not to have to worry about traffic.
The question I pondered for quite some time: what do they do with the RR ties and tracks before making the bike trail? The tracks could likely be recycled steel, but that’s a lot of ties. Hopefully they are repurposed.
Spent all morning trying to figure out where a network call was originating from, only to discover it’s likely in third party code.