Julio Ojeda-Zapata's Blog, page 2

Recapping a bicycling season for the ages

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I set a bicycling goal of 3,000 miles last year, but I pulled off only 2,535.6 — which is pretty good considering I had major medical problems in September and October that ended my 2019 cycling season prematurely.

By comparison, I biked 2,287.8 miles in 2018, and 1448.9 in 2017.

Long-distance bicycling is exhilarating, with moments of transcendence. Here are the year’s high points:

30 Days of Biking

This worldwide group activity, headed up by Twin Cities resident Patrick Stephenson,...

My 10 best reads (and 2 re-reads) of 2019

I set a reading goal of 100 books last year, but only managed 88 — which isn’t bad!

Here are my 10 favorite new reads of 2019, in no particular order, and I threw in two re-reads. Click the covers to see the corresponding Goodreads pages.

(I’ve again set a 100-book goal for the year and here’s what I’ve read so far in 2020.)

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I’m a sucker for time-twist-y sci-fi novels and this one didn’t disappoint. It has a somewhat predictable plot but I fell in love with its characters — its...

My friend Steve makes me a Mandalorian

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My deepest thanks to my artistic pal Steve Borsch for yet again unleashing his digital skillz to insert me into a geeky scenario — the hit Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” in this case — as the best kind of birthday gift.

This means a lot, my friend. I appreciate it.

The post My friend Steve makes me a Mandalorian appeared first on Julio Ojeda-Zapata.

30 years later, still lost in those green eyes

As my petite date walked towards me, and I lost myself in her green eyes, I suspected I was in serious trouble.

We talked for hours, that first day at Cafe Latte, and I knew I was done for.

She was the fourth and last girl I would ever date, and the only one I’d ever kiss. Perfect.

We’d be married within nine months — and today is our 30th anniversary.

I still love nothing more than swimming in those emerald pools, even as Jeaneth and I snarl affectionately at each other like Klingons.

I...

Them green eyes

As my petite date walked towards me, and I lost myself in her green eyes, I suspected I was in serious trouble.

We talked for hours, that first day at Cafe Latte, and I knew I was done for.

She was the fourth and last girl I would ever date, and the only one I’d ever kiss. Perfect.

We’d be married within nine months — and today is our 30th anniversary.

I still love nothing more than swimming in those emerald pools, even as Jeaneth and I snarl affectionately at each other like Klingons.

I love...

WCCO-TV picks my brain about traffic apps

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What’s the best traffic app for your phone? WCCO-TV’s Liz Collin posed that question to me.

Quick answer: Google Maps.

Longer answer: It’s complicated, but there are good options for various usage scenarios and device types. If you use an Apple Watch with your iPhone, for instance, Apple Maps is a no-brainer.

Liz interviewed me in my home office, with an Apple Macintosh 128K just over my right shoulder, and Speed Racer over my left shoulder.

Two personal takeaways from this experience: A lu...

Milestone: I wrote my 100th TidBITS story

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I recently marked a minor but memorable professional milestone: I wrote my 100th article for TidBITS, the venerable email newsletter and website focused on all things Apple.

I kind of stumbled into becoming a sometime TidBITS contributor in 2009. The role became formalized in 2015, when the editors added me to the masthead.

This is a big deal: A journalist with a passion for tech and especially Apple tech getting paid to write about it on a regular basis. I’m very, very lucky.

I am grateful...

A milestone: I did my 100th TidBITS article

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I recently marked a minor but memorable professional milestone: I wrote my 100th article for TidBITS, the venerable email newsletter and website focused on all things Apple.

I kind of stumbled into becoming a sometime TidBITS contributor in 2009. The role became formalized in 2015, when the editors added me to the masthead.

This is a big deal: A journalist with a passion for tech and especially Apple tech getting paid to write about it on a regular basis. I’m very, very lucky.

I am grateful...

Facebook friends brighten up my birthday

Friends of mine once again seized on the occasion of my birthday to get creative on Facebook.

Their handiwork (typically of a nerdy nature, since they know me so well) was among dozens and dozens of Facebook greetings from friends, acquaintances and professional colleagues, which made mi cumpleaños all the more awesome.

The ever–inventive Steve Borsch did it again:

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My Apple-adoring pal Mark Fawcett remixed Steve Jobs in my honor:

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Chuck Olsen immortalized me thusly:

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Thanks, guys!

The post...

Finally falling in love with the Apple Watch

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Warming up to the Apple Watch took me a while.

When the first version of the smartwatch came out in 2015, I delighted in having an Apple-branded product on my wrist. When the novelty wore off, though, I realized the gizmo wasn’t useful to me in any life-changing way, and ended up leaving it on its desktop charger most of the time.

Apple’s initial, largely ineffectual stabs at a smartwatch operating system were part of the problem, but it kept iterating to make its watchOS better and better....