Aerobic exercise in the heat is difficult. What I’ve found that works for me is “salt sticks.” They’re capsules of electrolytes that help rebalance during times of high water intake.

I take one after approximately consuming 1.5 liters of water, depending on temperature and water consumption rate. I also take one if my fingers start swelling; a certain sign of dehydration. It works for me and maybe it’ll work for you.

This is the video that convinced me to give electrolytes a try is GearSkeptic’s Performance Nutrition for Backpacking, Part 4: Electrolyte Balance. The whole playlist is good, as long as you’re prepared for many hours of talking hands and reading up his sources.

-20 isn’t so bad. Neither is the winter gear, assuming you go outside at all during winter, as it’s the same gear as going out for a walk.

Studded tires are nice, but also not necessary if there’s proper bike infrastructure. Plowing bike lanes goes a long way.

A friend of mine explained why it’s important to his kids: they can’t chat with a group of their friends.

Why? Because parents don’t want to install WhatsApp or other group chats due to legitimate concerns about scammers, pedophiles, and other child predators. SMS chat fills that gap, but it breaks horribly for groups bigger than 10 people. Hence if some kid is on Android, they break their chat. Given the penetration of Apple devices, it’s the kids with Android who are considered at-fault. “Just get an iPhone!”

Welcome to anticompetitive practices targeted at your children.

Camping in the shoulder season is great! A little cool but often far fewer bugs.

I’ve only bikepacked once in an area more hike-a-bike than bikepacking, but I still enjoyed it. This photo is a great reminder to just get out and do it. :)

Edit: I just noticed you strapped on a Stanley cook set. That’s easily my favorite camping set. I’ve gone much lighter these days, but I still haul that one out occasionally. It’s so cheap yet so well designed. What a nice idea to strap it onto a bottle cage/holder.

Highways are a great way to install new regional transit. Brightline West is going to link Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the median of interstate 15. That highway is a total mess on weekends and this new line is expected to drastically reduce traffic with big convenience wins given its average speed of 101mph/165kph. And the project is funding wildlife overpasses and other habitat improvements.

As is typical, this science reporting isn’t great. It’s not only that AI can do it effectively, but that it can do it at scale. To quote the paper:

“Despite these models achieving near-expert human performance, they come at a fraction of the cost, requiring 100× less financial and 240× lower time investment than human labelers—making such privacy violations at scale possible for the first time.”

They also demonstrate how interacting with an AI model can quickly extract more private info without looking like it is. A game of 20 questions, except you don’t realize you’re playing.

What an unfortunate outcome. I hope his family and friends remember their good times together.

Hopefully John’s death helps push for even safer cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure in Tucson. They’re one of the best, perhaps the best, cycling city in Arizona. Residents there will provide political backing behind building safer streets.

Tech has been in aggressive growth mode since 2008 because the Fed was handing out free money (interest rate lower than inflation). That allowed investors to dump money into tech businesses in hope of rapid business expansion, which in turn makes the business more valuable.

The free money dried up. Now these tech businesses are going to find out if they’re sustainable.

I’m not familiar with that YouTube channel, but the story absolutely repeats itself. A business will eventually die if it cannot turn around its finances and cannot raise money.

They may have cut themselves. Usually high level cuts are announced as “leaving for an amazing opportunity” or to “focus on family” or similar. That happens a month or two later after a deep layoff round and reorganizing. We’ll see if these recent layoffs included executives by Q1 next year. Watch LinkedIn if you’re that curious.

Still, it’s unfair to the lower levels, including line management, because they don’t get that option. It’s a “thank you for your service” and a boot out the door.

Note: not all tech companies are like this. Gumroad is an excellent example of a very open and ran-differently business.

Q3 just ended. These layoffs are because the books are not looking good. Everyone is hurting with inflation and higher interest, tech being particularly vulnerable to high interest rates.

I can only hope the execs cut correctly. A second round of layoffs at a company can destroy morale enough to sink the company. Who wants to continue working at a place that fired your close peers, wondering if you’re next?

One option I haven’t seen suggested is a wag bag. They’re a bag you do your business into that solidifies everything and makes it safe to dispose into the nearest garbage can. You’ll see them used by no-trace backpackers, climbers, and dispersed campers. Carry one in your bike’s bag and rest assured you have a fast and traceless method.

Don’t forget to bring sanitizer or dry leaf soap for hand cleaning.

I use Cleanwaste brand, but there are plenty of choices out there. Find a local manufacturer of them.

Additionally, carry extra TP or bring a bottle-top bidet. The kits tend to not have much TP included.