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from Ride Write Geek

It's possible to install open source maps to many Garmin GNSS1 devices. There are several projects that make the compatible file available. Each project offers unique advantages that will suit different use cases.

  1. BBBike

    2. If you find yourself in a region where you can't read the local characters, the BBBike service provides maps with Romanized place names. Furthermore, a useful map-extraction tool allows you to select the map style and area of interest before downloading the file. A script and download link is sent to your e-mail. You can re-use the script whenever you want to download an updated map. BBBike deserves and needs our support, so please chip in when you can. You can also download a separate map, showing just the contour lines, from the BBBike site.

  2. Opentopomap

    3. Opentopomap is supported by the Friedrich-Alexander-University Of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. The project doesn't accept donations, but one can register and offer whatever assistance one can. The Opentopomap site provides, IMO, the most up-to-date map images. The download process is simple. I find that having the topographical contour map from this site, and the BBBike Cycle or Openfiets map style on my Garmin device is a good solution. Downloading only the latest BBBike map and enabling both or just one of the files as I need them.

  3. Velomap

    4. Velomap and Openmtbmap have been around for a very long time. This project provides users with an installer for initial setup and for map updates. The map can then be used in Garmin's route planning software, Basecamp, on Windows or Mac computers. You can also install the map to QMapshack on Windows, Mac or Linux systems. The software suite allows one to select from a few map styles, create a separate map image for contours, a separate image for buildings, or select an area of interest before transferring the image to your device. This way, your device memory and processor needn't be burdened by a large map file. You can also see a clean map or add detail as and when you need it, on the go. Velomap's premium offering includes 20m or 10m contour lines and Romanized maps (for 'non-Latin' regions). Subscribers can also post queries in the forum.

  4. Sundry tools

    • GMapTool apply edits to any Garmin map file.
    • Transfer a map in sections with Garmin MapInstall
    • Use installed maps, plan routes, create waypoints, courses, and send these to your Garmin from the Garmin Basecamp software. Basecamp relies on MapInstall to send the map to the device.
    • Keep your Garmin updated with Garmin Express
    • Review your activities and interact with connections on Garmin Connect
#Garmin #Map

 
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from Ride Write Geek

Screenshot at 2023-03-19 18-01-46.png

I own two Garmin Edge cycling computers, and multiple Huawei fitness tracking devices. The Huawei Health ecosystem is always improving, and their devices are excellent and affordable. Garmin devices and the Connect platform have unique benefits too. For example, there are badges and challenges which serve to motivate me. One can accumulate points to elevate one's account to higher levels. The Health Sync can sync all activities tracked with a Huawei watch, to Runalyze, Strava and other platforms. Syncing from here to Garmin is fairly easy.

The problem is that Garmin's connect platform will register your activities, but these efforts will not count in the challenges and subsequently, you will not achieve the badges unless you use a Garmin device. Here's one solution.

  1. From the originating platform (Runalyze, etc), export the fit file.
  2. Upload the fit file to Garmin Connect
  3. Download the same target activity from Garmin Connect. This time, select the TCX format file. Now, you can delete the activity from Garmin Connect.
  4. Download an Edge-generated dummy TCX from any earlier activity
  5. At the bottom of this dummy TCX file, find the section header <Creator>...</Creator> Select all the text from that section including the opening and closing section header codes, copy with CTRL+C
  6. In the target TCX file, after </Lap> and before </Activity> insert the selected and copied content and paste it with CTRL+V
  7. When you download the TCX file from Garmin Connect, the calories will be shown as zero. Find this line in the TCX file <Calories>0</Calories> and enter the calories as shown in Huawei Health app or Runalyze.
  8. Save the TCX
  9. Upload the new TCX file to Garmin Connect.
  10. The Walk activity from the Huawei Health app will show as “Other”. It is important alter this category to earn any badges for walking in Connect. Do this from Garmin's mobile app. Find the activity and edit it by switching the Activity Type from “Other” to “Walking”. Save the activity in the app, and your activity will now be reflected correctly.

You win!

Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to do the same for steps from my Huawei watch, but you may have better luck with your Fitbit or other tracking devices.

Screenshot at 2023-03-19 18-04-17.png

Collecting virtual badges from reaching milestones or completing challenges and aiming to achieve a higher level is a fun way to stay motivated, maintain your fitness, healthy mind and body. Stay up to date with the monthly challenges available in Garmin Connect because Garmin points will often only accumulate to your account if you have joined a challenge.

PS: click on the image above to find my garmin profile; you can follow me there.

#fitness #cycling #hack #garmin #strava

 
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from Ride Write Geek

  1. Background

    2. I consider Ride With GPS to be the best site for creating routes, planning cycling group activities, and analysing rides. I first signed up for a year's subscription to RWGPS in 2016 and have been doing so nearly every year since. The RWGPS segments feature can be used in a very special sort of way, as I will demonstrate in this article. The Garmin Edge 810 bike computer is capable of alerting you when you approach a Garmin Connect marked segment. Unfortunately, many segments that I created and sent to my device, do not work as expected. The alternative, Strava Live Segments, requires a premium Strava subscription. For one, you'll be financially supporting a company that profits from holding historical user data in ransom. Technical problems arise too, and, unlike the good people at RWGPS, the Strava and Garmin corporations are less invested in replying to questions when things do not work as expected. As I already invested in the Garmin device, I make the most of the poorly-maintained segment feature while it still exists. For those Garmin Connect Segments that will not show on my device, I use a course file. This method worked for me when my primary device was the Edge 800. This bike computer does not have the segment feature, but it does allow the loading of a course. If a selected course contains the necessary race data, a virtual partner screen will provide the same feedback as a Live Segment does. The only difference being the course will need to be loaded just before reaching the start point of the segment. I will now explain how to prepare a course file that will function similar to a Live Segment race.


  2. Identify and Mark The Segment on Ride With GPS

    3. You will need at least a free account on RWGPS. Create a Bike category. From the top left of the Dashboard, Jump To, More. Then from the bottom right corner, Add Bike. You could name it 'Segments'. When you upload your final file, you will select Segments. This will prevent mileage being wrongly added to your actual bike. Identify a segment from any ride on the platform. It can be your own ride effort, or someone else's.

    1. Mark the Segment

      2. To mark the segment, follow the instructions1 at RWGPS. I name these in a way that informs at-a-glance, even on the bike computer screen. I begin with a 4-letter code in uppercase characters, which identifies a district. Then a 5-digit code that identifies the hilltop or another landmark. The bearing and distance in km, elevation gain in km, average gradient and category of climb complete the name. You may want to take a look at a segment, by way of example2.

    2. Identify a PR (yours or another rider's)

      3. Now that you have the segment marked, you want to identify your target performance on the segment. This may be your personal record (PR), or the best effort by the rider appearing at the top of the leaderboard (KOM). The choice is yours. A few minutes after creating the segment, a leaderboard is generated by RWGPS. From your 'Dashboard' go to the 'More' link. Open the tab that says 'Created segments', and find the segment there. You will see the Leaderboard page. Find the target effort in the list.

    3. Download TCX

    You'll want to click on the "Go to ride" link, related to that target effort. When the page opens, you will see the complete ride by the person. I usually save the link to this ride for my own reference. From the "More" link at the top-left of the page, choose "Export as file", then select "Download .tcx file". The file would be named according to the date. I suggest adding the rider's name beside the date. At this point, scroll down the left and select the segment area (not the actual link to the segment name). The map on the right side will now display the segment region, in relation to the entire ride. Select the same type of map in RWGPS as the one shown in your map software. OSM map is usually the one you need. You will use this as reference when manipulating the course data in QMS.

  3. Trim The Ride

    • QMapShack

    I recommend installing QMS from your Linux software manager. If you must use another OS, you can find a link in the sources list below3. You may wish to plug your Garmin in to the computer and have the device show in the workspace of QMS. It makes sense to add a waypoint a few meters before the start point of the segment, save it to locations and transfer this to the device. As you are riding, this waypoint will remind you to load the course.
    1. File menu, Load GIS Data and point to the tcx file. The track name appears in the workspace.
    2. Trim the beginning and tail sections of the track/ride. Point to the position on the track, left-click, then click the scissor icon.
    3. Uncheck "Create a new track" and choose the first "Cut mode".
    4. Choose "Delete first part of the track and keep second one".
    5. Find the end of the segment, repeat the steps, but this time choose "Keep first part of the track and delete the second one"
    6. In the workspace, select the TCX track and Edit. Unlock the padlock icon and provide the name that will show in the Edge Device. Also add a description, eg. KOM by rider's name or PR
    7. In the workspace, select the TCX track and right click, Save as (only allowed characters for the file name). Now also save as GPX.

    Screenshot at 2023-03-12 20-31-45.png

    • GPSTrackEditor

    Use this software4 as an alternative to QMS. I have tested this procedure, but I can't vouch for it always working, as the software doesn't appear to be maintained.
    1. Open the TCX then set to display, in columns, the elapsed time.
    2. Set the start and end point to 'break' for all segments in the ride. In the lap view, save as name of segment (without special characters).
    3. Open the newly saved 'lap' and alter the date field to also reflect the segment name.
    4. Save the newly-named lap as gpx.
    5. In the lap view, save as name of segment (without special characters). Open the newly saved 'lap' and alter the date field to also reflect the segment name.
    6. Save the newly-named lap as gpx again.


  4. Neaten Up

    5. I am testing the use of Garmin's now discontinued Training Center software (final version and the update)5, to ensure the file is suitable and doesn't disturb the functioning of the bike computer during a ride. You can also upload the TCX or GPX file to RWGPS as if you are uploading an activity. Check that cadence, speed and other data is correct, then download to the Edge device. To do all of this, go to Jump to, Upload the TCX or GPX file. Name the ride. Add a description, a link to the KOM ride and add hashtags #KOM or #PR tags. The GTC approach means you will add your device to the software, then import the output file/s from step III above, into the Garmin Training Centre. Finally, send a single or multiple courses to your device. GTC provides a convenient and effective way to keep a track of your courses, IMO. The big downside being the need for a special virtual machine or dual boot running windows crapware.


  5. Download to Edge Device

    6. You are ready to Export the ride as a file. Once again, open the 'ride', from the More link, Export as a file, and this time select .fit file. Save this fit file to the 'GARMIN/NewFiles' folder. Allow your device to reboot.

    You can either delete the file from RWGPS or keep it there as a backup as well as for easy reference.


  6. Ride The Course

When you are riding, observing road safety, as you approach the segment start point, open the course. Do not select “ride to start” when you load the course on the bike computer, as this sometimes causes an error on the Garmin. The Virtual Partner will update. Now, all you have to do is give it your best shot!

Sources:

  1. Help documentation, Ride With GPS Create segment
  2. Example of Segment bushgrad@RWGPS
  3. QMapShack Download Software
  4. GPS Track Editor Software Download Software
  5. Garmin Training Centre Download Software Initial installer, optional Web update

#cycling #sport #hack #garmin #rwgps

 
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from Ride Write Geek

Soon after arriving in Korea, I bought myself a bicycle to commute in to work. At that time, we lived in a suburb of Hwaseong, in Gyeonggi Province. The town wasn't cycle friendly. In fact, it was hazardous to use the bike. My safe commute took me along agricultural service roads, beside rice paddies and under freeways. In 2010, we moved to Geochang, a town nestled in Daekyu mountain, and Jiri mountain just 25 kms to the south. In contrast to Hwaseong, this location has over 15 kilometers of dedicated biking lanes that run along a pristine river, and are all within walking distance from the residential areas. There are also more trekking routes into the nearby mountains. Furthermore, the nearby motor routes are safer for cycling, than the roads in Hwaseong.

I had given away my first bike when I left Hwaseong, so after living here for a year, I hit on the idea of biking beyond the bus routes in order to explore these beautiful surroundings. I soon found a few mates who were eager to join me on rides of around 30 or more kilometers. For myself, it was like a bug that didn't let go of me. I wanted to go farther and reach greater elevations. The longer rides grew even longer and more frequent, and while I did many memorable rides with friends, I did most of them alone. One of the first really long rides I completed with an Englishman who was teaching here. We rode out here one afternoon and ended up at Hapcheon in the evening. After having supper, we started on our way back again. On our way back, a wild animal (perhaps a small deer or pig) rammed into my companion, injuring him quite severely. He nevertheless insisted on pushing on and we made it back here early the next morning. It was during this ride, we also ran out of celphone battery power. As we relied on our phones to route us back, we were really following our noses and the Korean road signs, in total darkness. I resolved soon after that night to invest in a Garmin Edge 800. A reliable and rugged beast of a navigational tool. Unlike newer models, it has a capacitive touch screen and very long battery staying power.

Here's the route I took on a ride to Jinju in 2014. I did the ride alone, slept the night in Jinju, and made my way back the next morning. A great adventure, some of it, in single digit temperatures! A lot has changed since then. My motivaton for cold, long rides has diminished, and my weight has increased.

#cycling #explore #korea

 
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from The Perpetual Learner

Article by Sophia Boddenberg Santiago, Chile / ibr / 11 May 2018 (DW)1 Lithium extraction putting pressure on Atacama Desert's scarce water resources (image: imago)

Salar de Atacama is rich in lithium, essential to electric cars and other low-carbon tech. But indigenous people are fighting its extraction, saying private interests are cashing in at the expense of their environment.

The Salar de Atacama's geysers, volcanoes and flamingos attract tourists from around the world. But beneath its dramatic vistas, the Chilean salt flats hide something of far greater economic potential that's drawing a different kind of interest – from the world's chemical companies.

Lithium batteries2 are essential to all kinds of gadgets from laptops and mobile phones to the electric cars3 and power storage facilities that are to help wean the world of fossil fuels. As the world shifts to renewables, more and more sectors are to be electrified4, and demand for lithium is expected to double by 2025.

Salar de Atacama contains some of the world's richest lithium deposits. Which means Chile is sitting on a goldmine. But exploiting it could come at a terrible environmental cost, protestors say.

The Chilean government wants to boost lithium production and potentially manufacture batteries in the country, breaking the classic supply model where Latin American countries provide materials for products produced elsewhere.

To this end, it signed over lithium concessions to Chilean mining company SQM in January – a deal that's to see extraction triple by 2030.

But environmentalists and mining unions are outraged. “For us, the contract is illegal,” said Miguel Soto, chairman of the Lithium for Chile movement that organized demonstrations against it on the streets of Santiago de Chile.

A private company mired in controversy

Protestors carried placards that read “Lithium for Chile, not for Soquimich” – referring to SQM by the name of its previous incarnation as a state-owned company.

Soquimich was privatized during Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship in the 1980s. The family of the deceased dictator still owns many shares in the company, which has been accused of corruption, underpaying royalties and violating environmental regulations.

“We think that SQM should be re-nationalized and the state should take on responsibility for lithium extraction,” Soto told DW, pointing to lithium’s potential application in nuclear weapons and objections from indigenous people in the Atacama Desert.

“Over-exploitation of the Salar de Atacama could cause an environmental catastrophe,” he added.

In recent years, SQM has been repeatedly investigated for money laundering, tax evasion and illegal campaign financing. Politicians are said to have received large sums in exchange for incorporating industrial demands into legislative proposals and voting accordingly in parliament.

A lawsuit is currently in process against former Economics Minister Pablo Longueira, who is accused of taking illegal payments from SQM to modify water regulations in favour of the lithium industry.

Sucking the Atacama dry

Chile is the only country in the world where water resources and water management are completely privatized. SQM currently owns the water rights for the region around the Salar de Atacama, and environmentalists say it has exploited the precious resource to cash in on lithium.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth and lithium extraction has a direct impact on the water reserves in the region. The groundwater table sinks, drying out and rivers, streams and wetlands that are home to vulnerable wildlife.

And the mining process can contaminate drinking water, too. “The company steals our water,” said Ana Ramos, president of the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Atacameños.

The Chilean state is bound by an agreement with the International Labour Organization to involve indigenous people impacted in large-scale projects that interfere with their environment. That hasn’t happened in the case of lithium mining, Ramos said. “The contract violates our territorial and environmental rights enshrined in international agreements,” she told DW.

The full extent of environmental damage mining operations could have is still unclear. Domingo Ruiz, a chemist at the University of Santiago who works on lithium-ion technology, says the government should make an environmental impact study and adopt regulations.

More research and regulation needed

“There are no regulations up to now. That is why a lot of people are worried about how the rising production quotas will impact the fragile ecosystem of the Salar de Atacama,” he told DW.

Ruiz is also sceptical of government promises to develop a high-tech industry around lithium with benefits for the local economy. He says the state just isn't investing enough in research and technological development.

“We export the raw material, but we have no industry related to processing it, building up expertise or developing technology to produce lithium batteries,” Ruiz said. “In this respect we are still a Third World country.”

Under its deal with the government, SQM must supply 25 percent of its lithium output at a favourable price to international and national companies producing batteries in Chile.

Domingo Ruiz produces lithium-ion batteries in his lab Domingo Ruiz in his lab (Image:DWS Boddenberg) “These companies, while continuing to process the material, are not contributing to the development of our country,” Ruiz said. “We need a state that intervenes, universities that produce knowledge, and private companies that invest. These three actors have to work together, and that's not happening right now.”


Lithium – new gold rush in the Andes | DW Documentary – YouTube, DW, 21 June '21
#science #society #social #politics

  1. Sophia Boddenberg, 11 May '18 Source, Deutsche Welle Article
  2. Nils Zimmermann, 10 Apr '18 EV Batteries: Where From?
  3. Hilke Fischer & Dave Keating, 4 Aug '17 How Eco-friendly Are Electric Cars?
  4. Jess Smee, 11 Oct '17 Smart Green Living
 
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from opus

The Cobalt Hell documentary unveils the dangers of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This mineral is essential for making gadgets like smartphones and laptops, and necessary in transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The sad part is people who supply this mineral are not likely to benefit from cobalt's unique properties any time soon. Miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the bulk of the world's cobalt is found, are forced to extract and process the ore by hand, which causes serious health problems and environmental pollution. The minerals are cleaned in river water, which pollutes it. Though there is no specific research, there's a direct correlation between some widespread illnesses among mineral mine workers and the overall health level of the population.

Also, a lot of children work in quarries and pregnant women. Children exposed to cobalt ore often have a problem with delayed growth. They either grow slower or, at some point, stop growing at all. As for pregnant women, there are occasional deformities in newborns. So if a pregnant woman is working in a quarry, her baby might have fetal abnormalities or be stillborn.

Watch the film to get more perspective on the situation. 2

The content above may be inaccessible due to censorship or other issues.
1. Video source: RTD 2. Alternative: RTD Official channel on Odysee

 
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from speex

Long before the Third Reich appeared, Nazism had been common in the west.

There is only one sane and illogical thing to be done with a really inferior race, and that is to exterminate it. H.G. Wells

I like the British people, their colonial policy was unthinkable. Adolf Hitler

The content above may be inaccessible due to censorship or other issues.

Video source: RTD Alternative: RTD Official channel on Odysee

 
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from opus

Translated from Russian post on Yandex Zen, History of Cinema
Directed by Stanley Kramer. Written by William and Tanya Rose. Actors: Spencer Tracy, Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Buster Keaton, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Terry-Thomas, Peter Falk, and others. In the USSR - from March 9, 1966. Re-release in the USSR-1985. 24.2 million viewers in the first year of the screening.
Director Stanley Kramer (1913-2001) was a true favourite of the Soviet film distribution: "Bound by one chain", "Reap the Storm", "The Nuremberg Trials", "It's a Crazy, Crazy, crazy, crazy world", "Bless the animals and children", "Oklahoma as it is", "The Domino Principle"... What other American directors could boast so many of their films on the screens of the USSR?
And all this is because S. Kramer was officially considered a progressive foreign cinematographer, denouncing the vices of bourgeois society and a friend of Soviet cinematographers…
In the adventure comedy "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world", the main characters are determined to find a large sum of money buried somewhere in Rosita Beach…
Released to the All-Union film distribution rather quickly, the film "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world" was a resounding success among teenagers and young people who reached the "American way of life" at least with the help of the screen. However, the adult audience was not averse to laughing and relaxing on this masterfully made tape, without delving into the "revealing" and "social" motives of this picture by S. Kramer.
Already at the turn of the 21st century, film critic Tatyana Zarapkina wrote that the comedy "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", made with a large production scale, occupies a special place in Kramer's work, "the director looked for the seed of comedy not so much in the plot of the comedic character of the performers, but in comparing his picture with the classic American comedy of the silent period.- x years. The film, replete with tricks, farcical and Guignol episodes, ridiculed human weaknesses and, most importantly, the passion for getting rich, which deprives people of reason" (Zarapkina, 2000: 71)

My Two Cents

This film occupies a special place in my own memory. I must have been around 6 years old, when my dad, excited by the re-screening of one of his own favourites from his teen years, drove us to a Drive-In theatre in Durban, South Africa. Due to segregation laws at the time, we were not permitted to enter the grounds, so we watched parts of it from a distance. The iconic scenes from this film still spark memories of that night. I hope you enjoy this film as much as I always do. (Thomas)
References 1. ИСТОРИЯ КИНО HISTORY OF CINEMA (RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN) channel on YandexZen 2. Zarapkina T. Stanley Kramer Director's Encyclopedia Movies in the USA Moscow: Mainland, 2000 3. Filmography, cast list, description & purchase

#movie

 
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from speex

Vladimir Putin delivered an annual address to the Federal Assembly on February 21, underscoring that his speech came at a “borderline time of drastic changes in the world, defining the future of the entire country.”1

  1. Svetlana Ekimenko, reporting for Sputnik 21 Feb 2023
  2. Presidential Address to Federal Assembly, Kremlin Website
  3. Video, RT

#russia #ontology #philosophy #politics

 
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from The Perpetual Learner

Chef James Makinson started cooking professionally when he was 15. He has worked with the best chefs in the UK, France, and Spain. He teaches cooking and produces fine content on Odysee and other platforms.

Watch him making delicious Crêpes ...

Delicate crêpes with savoury or sweet filling!

Crêpe Ingredients: Servings 4 – 5

-250g / 8.8oz flour -4 eggs -500ml / 17 oz milk -50g / 4 tbsp butter -2 tbsp sugar

-Pinch of salt

James' Method for making the Crêpes

Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle and pour in the eggs. Start mixing gently. When the mixture becomes thick, add the cold milk little by little. When all the milk is mixed, the batter should be fairly fluid. If it seems too thick, add a little milk. Then add the cooled melted butter, and mix well.
Cook the crêpes in a hot pan. Lightly butter if your pan is not non-stick. Pour a small ladle of batter into the pan, and swirl to distribute the batter over the entire surface. Place on the heat and when the edge of the crêpe turns light brown, it's time to turn it over. Let it cook for about a minute on this side and the pancake is ready.
To fold, spread the Chocolate on one side of the crêpe and fold it in half and again in half from the top down to make a triangle. Pour more chocolate on top and dust with some powdered sugar

Chef James Makinson's Contacts: Cooking Course Pinterest Patreon (Junior chef $2/month)

Here, Yuliya Small makes stuffed crêpes. Chicken is my favourite stuffing for crêpes. How about you? What will you have with your crêpes? How about trying these recipes and showing us some photographs of your finished project? Students did this last year with their delicious French Toast. Take a look! The Teacher may even offer a small prize for everyone who brings a photograph to share with classmates.

Yuliya's Recipe:

Stuffed pancakes with TWO fillings!

Custard dough on kefir: 2 eggs 2 tbsp sugar 0.5 tsp salt 500 g kefir 300 g flour 1 tsp baking soda 380-400 g boiling water 3 tbsp vegetable oil odorless

Filling chicken-mushrooms: onion 350 g aromatic mushrooms (champignons) 350 g chicken breast salt / spices / herbs

Curd filling: Cottage cheese of any fat content Sugar, sour cream to taste

Yuliya Small's Contacts: Yandex Zen VK Collaboration and advertising

#cooking #assignment

 
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from The Perpetual Learner

        

W

hy write by hand, if we can use a keyboard? Computers make many tasks easier, but it seems that we are naturally more creative when we use our hands freely. Have you noticed that when you brainstorm, i.e. when you think freely and jot your rough ideas down, using your hands is far more efficient than typing on a keyboard? We can quickly shift from letters to represent ideas in symbols, shapes, lines or arrows, when we use a pencil and paper. Many writers consider their handwritten first drafts to contain formulations that are more creative, interesting or appealing.

        

A

fter the first draft, why not allow our word processing software to present the ideas in a beautiful font? Do we really need to be able to write beautiful cursive handwriting? Handwriting is a unique representation of our character. Would it be the same if you obtained the electronic signature of your pop idol? Of course, you seek their handwritten signature. There is, really, no substitute for this. Learning calligraphy, in particular, can improve one's handwriting, so the direct benefit of learning calligraphy is fairly obvious. In addition to this, practising calligraphy is meditative and relaxing. Furthermore, it develops our hand muscles. We need our hands to manipulate delicate objects, create beautiful works of art or play a musical instrument. Cursive writing styles are very different from writing letters as unconnected characters (block writing). Apart from the appearance, the cursive writing styles compel the writer to bear the letters and words that follow those which are presently being written, in mind. One has to be more aware of the next idea, even as one is placing the present words onto the page.

        

I

have observed many hard-working students grow tired from grasping their pens too tightly and incorrectly. This is sometimes the unfortunate result of writing before fine motor skills are sufficiently developed. A pen that's designed to work with less downward pressure, helps, fountain pens being one example. Writing should not be a tiring process. It should be something that flows and remains enjoyable, regardless of the topic.         

T

hese are some of the reasons I encourage students to practice their handwriting and to learn a style of cursive writing. Those who are more artistically inclined may progress to taking a calligraphy class. I'm pleased to be able to share these practice pages and links to interesting computer fonts to pique your interest. One or more of these fonts may serve as a template to imitate by hand, or to add artistic flare to your next project,
  1. Here's a simple, neat cursive writing style. This sheet was generated using the free LA EI2 font. Download the font, install it to your computer, and use it to create your own worksheets or other projects. Click the image to download the practice pdf. Cursive-writing-practice-modern-font-01
  2. The Janda Romantic Font is attractive and easy enough to imitate. The style can be used in formal or informal situations. Click the image to download the font file. Calligraphic-Fonts-07
  3. Holla Santa is a good font to use for an art themed text document or presentation. It is not an easy style to imitate by hand, but there are surely some people who will find the challenge rewarding. Click the image to download the font file. Calligraphic-Fonts-06
  4. Athafia Font would be incredibly hard to imitate by hand. Like all the other fonts in this post, it is available on the internet as a free download. Click the image to download the font file. Calligraphic-Fonts-01
  5. The Jacklyn Font is a modern cursive font which you might want to try imitate by hand or use in an electronic document. All these fonts can be installed to Linux, Apple Mac or Windows computers. Click the image to download The Jacklyn. Calligraphic-Fonts-10
  6. Berlin Signature is one last font I want to show you. It is my favourite. Which one do you like the most? Tell me which font you think is a good style to imitate by hand, and which one you might use in a greeting card or other artistic project. Click the image to download the font file. Calligraphic-Fonts-02
  7. This link contains multiple fonts in a tarball for installation to Mac or Linux. There is a script inside and a text file with instructions for installing. You can also unpack the tarball with Alzip or winrar, navigate to the folder containing the font files, and install the fonts individually to a Windows system. Download the file here.
 
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from The Perpetual Learner

Following a rabbit hole on Yandex Zen, I discovered Yuliya Small's delicious blog.

Delicate cookies with cheesecake filling!

RECIPE (9-12 pcs)

Filling: 400 g cream cheese 60 g powdered sugar vanilla

Cookie base: 200 g butter 150 g powdered sugar 100 g eggs a pinch of salt

Chocolate cookies: 150 g base 100 g flour 15 g cocoa ½ tsp baking powder

Gingerbread cookies: 150 gr base 115 gr flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp cinnamon 1/3 tsp ginger

Matcha cookies: 150 g base 100 g flour 15 g matcha ½ tsp baking powder

Decoration/filling as desired

Yuliya Small's Contacts: Yandex Zen VK Collaboration and advertising

#cooking

 
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from speex

if you can't help someone?

        What good is life, if we can't help others get to where they want to be?


Человек с рюкзаком пролазит через забор из колючей проволоки

        It is a blessing when we are able to lend someone a helping hand. Some may say they are always the ones who need help. They may begin to consider themselves victims, poor and of less value to the world. Though they may have less, if such is their way of thinking, their poverty is in failing to spot the opportunity to help someone else. Opportunities come our way every day. When we are focussed on our own need to the detriment of the need of others, we are at risk of missing the golden opportunities that can change not only the lives of others, but also our own.

You are special too.

Trumanity

Image: A man with a backpack, climbs through a barbed wire fence, by Stock Photo Man - RuPixel CC0
 
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from Ride Write Geek

I thought that sharing this template might save someone, some time, some day. I know too little about CSS code to solve some of the issues I encountered applying the other solutions. By comparison, this is a simple method, easily learned for later application.

Read the source document (link below) to understand the logic behind the code. Briefly, to move to a lower class of ordered list class <ol>, leave the list <li> 'hanging' when opening another <ol> and close each list using </li> only when that ordered list numbering is complete. Only display size is determined by the heading markers here: <h2> </h2>. In Write Freely environment, the post title is still defined by placing a hash character, followed by a space, before the very first line of the post: # Post Title.

Here is the code template:

<h2>Benefits of Dancing</h2>
<p>Paragraph text here.</p>
<br>
<ol><h2><li>Physical</h2><ol type="a"><!-- 'hanging' </li> tag, closing tag not here! -->
  <h3><li>Major Detail</h3><ol type="i"><!-- 'hanging' </li> tag, closing tag not here! -->
        <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li>
       <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li></ol>
    <h3><li>Major Detail</h3></li><ul><!-- Here's the closing </li> tag -->
          <h4><li>Minor bullet</h4></li></ul></ol>
<br>

<h2><li>Psychological</h2><ol type="a"><!-- 'hanging' </li> tag, closing tag not here! -->
   <h3><li>Major Detail</h3><ol type="i"><!-- 'hanging' </li> tag, closing tag not here! -->
        <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li>
        <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li></ol>
   <h3><li>Major Detail</h3></li><ol type="i"><!-- Here's the closing </li> tag -->
           <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li></ol></ol>
<br>

<h2><li>Social</h2></li><ol type="a"><!-- Here's the closing </li> tag -->
    <h3><li>Major Detail</h3><ol type="I"><!-- 'hanging' </li> tag, closing tag not here! -->
        <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li>
        <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li></ol>
    <h3><li>Major Detail</h3></li><ol type="i"><!-- Here's the closing </li> tag -->
            <h4><li>Minor Detail</h4></li></ol></ol>

In the example, mixed unordered (bullets) with ordered (numbered) lists. The upper case Roman and lower case Roman types are also useful.

Bullet markers will default in order: disc (1st order), circle (2nd order), square (3rd order), or none (4th order). The order can be overridden by expressly defining the bullet marker: <ul style="list-style-type:disc;">

The code above renders like this,

Benefits of Dancing

Paragraph text here.


  1. Physical

    1. Major Detail

      1. Minor Detail

      2. Minor Detail

    2. Major Detail

      • Minor bullet


  2. Psychological

    1. Major Detail

      1. Minor Detail

      2. Minor Detail

    2. Major Detail

      1. Minor Detail


  3. Social

    1. Major Detail

      1. Minor Detail

      2. Minor Detail

    2. Major Detail

      1. Minor Detail

    Find me on my Rebased server @bushgrad@zov.oti.st to let me know about omissions, errors, different solutions.

    #writefreely #code #blog #website #write

    Source:

    1. MDN Web Docs, Mozilla Foundation The Ordered List Element
    2. w3schools, Refsnes Data Unordered List element (type)

     
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from speex

At Terror Street and Agony Way

Recordings from an open reel tape of Charles Bukowski reading his poetry. I was able to source the digital audio records, compiled and entered into a database and presented at the official site – bukowski.net.

The audio on the SoundCloud playlist, along with the 'missing files', will form part of our class study. If you are registered for the appreciation and writing courses, you are eligible for the elevated access.

Open reel tape Black Sparrow Released, 1968 CDs King Mob, 1998; Black Sparrow, 2004 Recording notes: Home recording for At Terror Street and Agony Way reel-to-reel tape, December 1967

VHS Black Sparrow, 1988 Bukowski at Bellevue

The poetry read by Bukowski is published in written form, variously, in these titles. 1968 Black Sparrow Press, At Terror Street and Agony Way 1974 Black Sparrow Press, Burning in Water Drowning in Flame 1993 Harper Collins, Run With the Hunted 2007 Ecco, The Pleasures of the Damned

  1. Shot Of Red Eye – 1968:41, 1974:123, 2007:486 Audio
  2. K.O. – 1968:10, 1974:101 Audio
  3. 7th Race When The Angels Swung Low And Burned – 1968:13, 1974:104 Audio
  4. On Going Out To Get The Mail written circa 1965 – 1968:15, 1974:160 2007 (509) Audio
  5. I Wanted To Overthrow The Government But All I Brought Down Was Somebody's Wife – 1968:17, 1974:108 – Audio, 1988, 1998
  6. The Girls -
  7. The Clothing -
  8. 35 Seconds – Audio
  9. The Mexican Girls -
  10. True Story written circa 1966 – Audio
  11. The Weather Is Hot On The Back Of My Watch – Audio
  12. X-Pug -
  13. The Intellectual -
  14. Red And Gold Paint -
  15. Brewed And Filled By -
  16. He Even Looked Like A Nice Guy -
  17. Now -
  18. I Don't Need A Bedsheet With Slits For Eyes To Kill You In -

Search Bukowski works database

bushgrad · At Terror Street and Agony Way

 
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from The Perpetual Learner

The Importance of Sleep

        Sleep is very important. Do you know why sleep is important to teenagers? The reason sleep is important for adolescents in the growing age is the recovery of body rhythms due to the vigorous activity of hormones. Growth hormones are mostly secreted during  the night, as regular and sufficient sleep plays a role in helping secretion of growth hormones by normalizing unstable or unbalanced biorhythm. This prevents the growth of adolescents from deteriorating and nurturing the growth of children growing up. 


Once she stopped rushing through life she was amazed how much more life she had time for.

        Also, insufficient sleep and unstable sleep conditions in adolescents impedes the secretion of growth hormone and eventually ceases growth. This leads to a smaller physique that is below average, and having a taller or body smaller than your peers leads to a lack of confidence. The person may suffer feelings of inferiority, which can develop into a more serious complex when they reach adulthood.



        Another problem is that due to lack of sleep, fatigue accumulates and causes grades to fall,  or it can also reduce brain activity in the midst of studying. In addition, patience is also lacking, making it emotionally easily intensifying, reducing the ability to curb impulses.



        Finally, sleep deprivation interferes with the creation and maintenance of new memories, and studies have shown that when this situation is old, memory drops and interferes with learning ability. Lack of sleep can also affect thinking and judgment by decreasing the function of the  frontal lobe.



        So when and how much should I sleep? It is recommended to be asleep deeply between 12p.m. and 5a.m. when hormonal secretion is vigorous. A teenager needs to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep.  It is important to get enough sleep to prevent these problems from happening.  Also, enough sleep is necessary for the mental and physical health of adolescents.

Article by Lyw56
Image: Once she stopped rushing through life she was amazed how much more life she had time for, by Kinga Cichewicz - Unsplash licence

#writing #weavit

 
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