A lot has happened since I last updated this blog. In January 2020, Helen and I decided to move back to Sydney. Over a year later, we finally managed to fly back to Australia.
Vaccine - first dose received!
This morning I received the first dose of the Astra Zenica Covid vaccine. The process was super efficient. It was at the Business Design Centre in Angel, which is a lovely building.
Recent articles I've been reading
Over the last week or so, I’ve enjoyed the following blog posts / twitter threads.
Seeing Phil Perform
Today we saw Phil (a friend) perform at the Hard Rock Cafe at Surfers Paradise. He was singing and playing guitar with another guy. They were playing Sound Garden (and related music). It was lovely.
Internet Fast
For the last few days I have been on an Internet fast. That means no news, no Twitter, no surfing, no games, no Netflix. I still check my email, and I send and receive the occasional WhatsApp message, but that's about it.
I feel so much more productive! When I would normally reach for my phone to check twitter, or read the news, I have been studying, or doing something active. When I go back to accessing the Internet again, I will probably try and limit myself to certain times of the day.
Assignments
I've had a lot of sequential maths assignments due lately, and I haven't been doing much other than to study maths! Most of my other work has fallen by the wayside, unfortunately. My exams are starting in a month, and then my study will be over for the year!
I've been loving devoting so much time to just doing maths, but I feel a bit guilty about letting all my other stuff go. Oh well. I'll get back to doing lots of coding soon!
Sounds of Sky
Last night we went to the British Library to see an event called "Sounds of the Sky". It was fun being in the British Library and seeing some of the rooms, but the event wasn't that great. The first part involved lying on our backs in a big room while various audio recordings played through some speakers overhead. The audio tracks - mainly interviews - were good, but the sound itself was a bit muddy and neither Helen nor I could make out some of the dialog.
End to Veganism?
Helen and I have stopped being mainly vegan - primarily because of milk and cheese. Non-dairy milks are OK for coffee and tea, and work quite well in muesli, but cow milk is so much better! Also, after trying a lot of vegan cheeses, there just is no substitute for dairy cheeses. We are still primarily vegetarian though.
London Mithraeum Temple
Helen and I just went to see the old Temple to Mithras underneath Bloomberg here in London. It was really cool! The temple is down two floors from what is ground-level in London now - so it is apparently at the same height as what was ground level nearly two thousand years ago. The place is very atmospheric.
Using Mathematical Models to Reward Behaviours
Today I was thinking about creating a mathematical model to represent my own personal "Klout" score. Instead of providing a measure of social influence, it would actually be a day-to-day score of how social I had been. Lately I have been quite reclusive. Other than Helen, I haven't had much contact with people. I have also been a lurker on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. In order to encourage more social interaction, my score would keep track of how many interactions I have. Whether the people I interact with are new people to me, or whether they are friends. If I construct the model properly and use it on a daily basis with an aim to improving my score, it should get me out of this reclusive rut I am currently in.