This is the second weeknotes without my beloved editor, Amy Hupe. She wrote about her health incident, a rare condition named Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Her writing is amazing and heart-warming.
Good things permalink
Enjoying my break permalink
At the beginning of my break, I decided to block all work-related content. Slack and Outlook deleted from all devices. Some twitter filters. Locking my computer in a cabinet. Living with less information is hard.
Learned things permalink
Decompressing takes time permalink
I thought that I could switch off from work fast. While I am not waking up everyday 4-5 am, I am still thinking a lot about it. Lesson learned: from now on, at least two weeks.
Things that bring me joy permalink
Spring Staycation in silent London permalink
As everyone, I follow the government guidance strictly, and I am staying at home all the time. And with the break, my only plan was to enjoy this time doing nothing. Listening audio-books, taking pictures, eating Tiramisu. Appreciating small moments with Leili and being present. Staycations are good.
VR is better than ever imagined permalink
I have significant reservations about some Facebook products. I have been trying to shut down my Facebook account for years without success. A lot of my friends and family only use Facebook as a social media channel, and I don’t want to lose contact. When I was looking for a VR headset, this was a big concern: getting stuck in a platform. After a lot of research, I decided to try the Oculus Quest VR headset. I am impressed.
Oculus Quest interaction design is a masterpiece. Two highlights for me: The guardian and the sound design. Guardian is how you set up boundaries in your virtual environment. It helps you to protect yourself from hitting things in the real world. The interface metaphor is brilliant and effective. Getting in and out of the immersive experience is so smooth that you feel in complete control. The sound equipment is also a great surprise. I don’t think it is binaural, but it feels like it. The ambient sound quality is incredible. When the game joins up haptic feedback with sound is impossible, your full attention is captured in a very interesting way.
I have tried many apps. The two I enjoyed most are Tripp (meditation experience) and the Tai Chi virtual class. Highly recommended. I am sure therapeutic uses of VR will be really important in the near future.
Leili is also enjoying a lot, which is rare - she doesn’t jump with happiness with a new gadget. The only video game she liked until now was the Nintendo Wii. She spent a few hours beating a giant boxer on Creed, dancing and even shooting some spaceships.
Health check permalink
I am having trouble with my GP practice when getting prescriptions for a while. Due to the COVID crisis, the practice finally allowed me to choose an online pharmacy. Still required me two calls and two emails. Let’s see.
Weight: 98.0 kg Food: We considered this a vacation week, so I ate all the things unhealthy and delicious. Drinks: 2 Gin and Tonic, a Caipirinha and a beer Smoking: 12 Juul pods