Apple

Sunday, February 9, 2025 →

First bloom of our nectarine #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a budding nectarine tree branch with clusters of pink blossoms against a blurred background of a metal shed.

Sunday, February 9, 2025 →

Welcome to Superb Owl Sunday. Though I’ll throw an Eagle in too. #SuperbOwl #SuperbEagle #BirdPhotography two juvenile great horned owls in a nest high upon branches, with an adult owl sandwiched between. They’re watching the photographer closely. In the distance, two well-camouflaged great horned owls sit on a branch deep in a winter dormant tree, staring toward the photographer The white head of a Bald Eagle peers down, perhaps curiously, at the photographer through out of focus willow leaves. You can just make out its brown shoulders.

Friday, February 7, 2025 →

Backyard nectarine is at first pink #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a tree branch with a single pink flower bud about to bloom. The background features more branches, a wooden fence, a metal shed, and a partly cloudy sky.

Sunday, January 26, 2025 →

. #SilentSunday #Fujifilm #SOoCA far off coyote trots across a sloping coastal meadow with many white flowers, framed by a calm Pacific Ocean and few scattered clouds.

Monday, January 20, 2025 →

Lewis’s Woodpecker (spotted Saturday) #LewissWoodpecker #BlackButteReservoir #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoCA Lewis’s Woodpecker, with a red eye liner, a black head, and a chest fading from gray to pink, is peaking out, half-way exposed, on the branch of a tree with bare, tangled branches against a clear blue sky.

Sunday, January 12, 2025 →

It’s been years but managed to boot up an old QNAP TS-251. Last firmware was from 2023. If I decide to use this I better firewall it off from the ‘net or find an alternative OSS firmware for it. But it’s likely I’ll just wipe it clean with zeros multiple times and be done with it.

Central Ducted Fujitsu Heat Pump: Use the Wall Thermostat Sensor instead of the Air Handler's Sensor

Sunday, January 12, 2025

If you have a central ducted Fujitsu Heat Pump with a wired remote control unit (wall thermostat), you may know that the central air handler’s temperature sensor is used by default instead of the wall thermostat’s temperature sensor. If your wall thermostat doesn’t have the thermometer icon at the display’s bottom center, then your Fujitsu is probably using the air handler for temperature. You may have noticed that the wall thermostat’s scheduled temperature almost never matches the home’s actual air temperature. In my case, temperature readings at the air handler were very unreliable at ~±5ºF. So if you want to use the wall thermostat for a (very likely) more representative sampling of your home’s air temperature to better control the heat pump, here are the instructions from a post on Reddit:

Here are a few other settings you should make sure you have set as well:

Use indoor controller to measure indoor temperature instead of air handler sensor:

Room temperature sensor switching (function 42) set to "01" (both).

Room temperature sensor switching (function 48) set to "01" (wired remote controller).

After setting 42 and 48. Turn off heat pump and switch the breaker off for air handler and heat pump for 5 minutes. Then turn back on and wait 5 minutes until controller turned on fully. In the settings of the remote controller, in "Initial Settings", hit next page, click "R.C. Sensor" (temperature sensore of controller), click "used". Then in default view of controller you should see a temperature symbol pop up at bottom of screen. Using the air handler temperature sensore will cause short cycling of your heat pump and this lowers efficency.

Before I set my Fujitsu heat pump to use the wall thermostat's temperature sensor, I could not keep my home’s climate precisely where I wanted it. There was too much variation in what the air handler’s temperature sensor would measure. That makes sense as the sensor is very near or even in an unconditioned space (though the air handler intake is insulated, the sensor is somewhere at the margin). After switching to the wall thermostat’s temperature sensor, the inconsistently measured temperatures went away. Now my home is always within a degree of where I want it to be.

It’s strange that Fujitsu’s air handler’s temperature sensor is the default even with a wired RCU (with sensor) connected. It’s even stranger that you must power cycle the entire system to use the wall thermostat’s sensor. I had actually tried the above settings long ago but without the power cycle. 

Other than the wrong sensor being used, this heat pump has been amazing and it’s even better now. It’s so much more efficient & safer than nature gas and it is ridiculously quiet.

Monday, January 6, 2025 →

Today I finally photographed one of several Orange-crowned Warblers that use our backyard as a hunting ground #OrangeCrownedWarbler #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoCA small yellow-green bird, with a short but sharp beak, perched on a wooden fence cross beam near some green Ceanothus leaves.

Saturday, January 4, 2025 →

I’m stoked that our asparagus bed, now in its third home over the last ten years, is beginning to produce enough to harvest. It’s been a long road with many years of our not caring but they persisted anyway and thus eventually regained our affection #Yarden #Gardening Young asparagus spears growing in a garden bed amidst scattered rocks, next to a wooden fence. Small green sprouts and a drip hose are visible in the background. Five stalks of fresh cut asparagus on a paper towel in a metal baking tray. They fade dark green to light purple at the bottom.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025 →

My top 2024 albums per the Albums app. This is not a full dataset though as I used Tidal until they ended Plex integration & then I switched back to Apple Music but it’s reasonable! #2024TopAlbums @albumstheapp@indieapps.space A collage of album covers titled “Most Listened: 2024 Stats” showcases various albums. Featured artists include Daft Punk, The Black Keys, Coldplay, The Decemberists, Kasabian, Billie Eilish, Death Cab for Cut

Wednesday, December 25, 2024 →

Snow sculptures from a very wintery Berlin in early December 2023 A snowman with three snowballs is displayed on a pedestal in front of a store. It has a stick for arms and a simple face. There’s a small signpost behind it, and a card rack is visible to the side. A store front is behind the snowman. A small snowman stands in the snow with stick arms, closed eyes made from twigs, and a leaf for a mouth. In the background, there is a large out of place rock formation. The surrounding area is snowy with trees in the distance.

Sunday, December 15, 2024 →

The Snow Geese cannot be missed right now at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Also not to be missed: widebodies on approach to SFO. In this case, a KLM 787-10 #SnowGeese #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC #Aviation #SFOA large flock of Snow Geese flying in the sky with some foliage blurred in the foreground. A distant KLM 787-10 flying across a clear blue sky, leaving a contrail behind.

Saturday, December 14, 2024 →

Only 9am and already there’s an inch of rain for the day! Gotta pump the closed basin in our backyard again (it’s a couple meters from the house) #CaWx

A pump foot is attached to a garden hose. It’s submerged in a 1” deep puddle overlaying gravel. There seems to be rain drop waves in the puddle.

Sunday, December 8, 2024 →

A nice, if breezy, day at Black Butte Reservoir. It was not great for bird watching… unless you prefer seagulls and vultures View of a dam with a concrete structure in the water, surrounded by hills and greenery under a clear blue sky. An orange floating boom extends across the water around the dam workings, with rocky terrain in the foreground.

Thursday, December 5, 2024 →

well that was an earthquake that I felt. Thought I was losing it for a moment #CAWx #Earthquake

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 →

Berlin, December 2023. Looking across the Spree toward the Berlin Cathedral #Berlin #Travel #Fujifilm #SOoCA silhouette of a person stands under an archway with graffiti. In the background, a snowy scene features a river, a large historic building, and a domed church. Birds fly in the sky.

Sunday, December 1, 2024 →

A very grim story - it doesn’t candy coat the great human tragedy of airplane crashes: “Chaos in the Clouds: The Crash of TWA Flight 514 and Its Lasting Impact on NoVA”

Saturday, November 30, 2024 →

Our first frost! And so the birds are having a lousy morning (re)discovering frozen water #Birds 🪶 A pair of small birds, one with a red head, perched on the edge of a birdbath against a wooden fence background.

Friday, November 15, 2024 →

Tankless Water Heater citric acid flush day! About 1.5lb citric acid to 3.5 gallons of water. Long ago I did the math to get the right pH and now I just trust it 😆⚖️A tankless water heater maintenance setup is shown. Two hoses are connected to the heater, with their ends immersed in a bucket filled with almost 4 gallons of water and 1.5lbs of citric acid crystals. An electric sump pump is in the bucket, connected to a power cord. The setup is on a concrete floor.

Friday, November 1, 2024 →

As previously mentioned, there was a circus behind us from last Friday through Monday. And its final act (for us, twice a day) was a loud explosion from the “The huuuuuman caaaanonbaaaall”. Here’s that canon…. Me thinks there’s nothing actually explosive happening 😹A large cannon painted with an American flag design is mounted on a trailer. It has a trashcan cover strapped to its opening. There is a bicycle strapped to the trailer, and the scene includes dry grass and some Michelobe Ultra beer bottles and litter on the ground. It’s an overcast day.

Saturday, October 26, 2024 →

I just donated to Rose Yee to #KickLaMalfaOut

Saturday, October 19, 2024 →

We voted! I voted the Not a Loser or a Sucker Veteran slate. Oh, and for democracy and actual freedom. A short haired white male is inserting sealed ballots into a locked white ballot drop box. It’s on a porch outside a public building.

Monday, October 14, 2024 →

Bidwell Park has goats! Under the watchful eye of a Great Pyrenees, they’re chowing down on the poison oak & vinca choked understory just southwest of the Chico Nature Center. #BidwellPark #Goats #Fujifilm #SOoC One white goat is very close, looking blankly towards the camera. Beyond, many goats graze in a wooded area, surrounded by a wire fence. Leaves cover the ground, and tall trees fill the background. A peaceful wooded area with tall trees and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. A large white dog, probably a Great Pyrenees, protector of the goats, sleeps on the ground in front of a wooden fence.

Monday, October 14, 2024 →

But for the cost, this new lens is tempting. PetaPixel: The Familiar Fujifilm XF 500mm f/5.6 Brings Portable Super-Tele Photography to the X Series

Sunday, October 13, 2024 →

Today we made a quick visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no missing the White Fronted Geese now and there’s still plenty of dragonflies but there’s no significant population of migratory songbirds yet #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #Dragonfly #Fujifilm #SOoC A dragonfly with transparent wings featuring dark patterns rests on a vertical reed, set against a background of dry, intertwined reeds. A large flock of White Fronted geese rests im a wetland area surrounded by water and tall grasses. The landscape includes trees and distant rice hulling silos under a clear blue sky.

Saturday, September 28, 2024 →

At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed a Black Phoebe that just pooped and a rather brave squirrel. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #BlackPhoebe #Squirrel 🪶A small, Black Phoebe is perched on a barren, leafless branch against a clear blue sky. The branch extends across the photo and ends at the center where the bird is. A falling drop of bright white bird poop is barely visible below the bird. A ground squirrel standing on its hind legs next to a fallen Willow tree with branches, in a dry grassy environment.

Saturday, September 21, 2024 →

Geese & White Crowns are back. Soon as the weather stays cooler, I hope to be out at the refuges on weekends. And that should mean photos to share! 🤞

Sunday, September 15, 2024 →

Yikes. Dresden’s Carola Bridge collapsed in their early morning hours. Apparently a tram had just crossed it and no one was on the bridge. And soon floods may begin. Here’s the bridge back in 2009 with a tram passing over. #Carolabrücke A busy riverside promenade with numerous people walking and socializing. Several street lamps, a parking sign, and a no-stopping sign are visible along the cobblestone walkway. There is a river with the concrete pier Carola Bridge. A church is visible beyond the far shore.

Saturday, September 14, 2024 →

I got the latest iOS 18 developer beta and its Home app can download PG&E energy use data & make it nicely accessible along with comparisons. The interface showing comparisons needs work but it is better than PG&E’s web charts though the iOS charts do not show cost (yet?) The image shows a smartphone screen with Home app displaying electricity usage. The app section titled “Electricity Usage” shows a bar chart of electricity consumption over the past year. A call-out over the current month shows a daily average of 23kWh. Below the chart are verbose definitions about energy use and how electricity is measured.

Monday, September 9, 2024 →

Today, our roofers repaired a set of joined eaves that had been a leaky but exterior only problem for years. It finally got bad enough with the sheathing sagging that I committed to getting it fixed this dry season. That sheathing was pretty rotted Looking up through a partially deconstructed eave at a L shaped exterior wall join with exposed beams and a red door beneath it. The sky is visible through the gaps in the beams. The support beams are casting shadows. A metal ladder is leaning against the building because of repair work.