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by JamesHoney I shrunk the car. Picked up my Sakura today. It's back home getting its first charge. Used auto-parking like 3-times today (including before this photo).
Charging my little EV -
The Week #165
by James- I finally got a call that my car will be ready next week. Initially it was going to be ready on Sunday, because that's when the coatings will be finished, but due to scheduling conflicts with my sales guy, we'll pick it up Saturday, and I'll bring it in for a couple of hours for them to do the coating.
The final thing I've been researching are the "charge cards", which are cards that allow you to use rapid chargers.The thing is, they all require a monthly fee to maintain as well as charge for the time using the charger. This means the pricing is set around what larger vehicles will consume in 30 minutes (the standard charging time), so people with smaller batteries that will consume a theoretical maximum of 15kWh, end up paying around ¥200 kWh...which is very expensive. Thankfully all chargers also allow you to charge as a visitor and the rates are more reasonable. I wish Octopus Energy had a charge card that just put it on my bill like I consumed it at home (I'm speaking purely as a customer. I am not aware of any plans or details to do anything EV in Japan, other than our EV tariff, which is public...and I'll likely be changing to). - Planning to live a charge card free EV life, I've also started installing the various "e-money" cards for the big shopping centers like waon (for Aeon malls) and Nanaco (for anything 7-11). Why? These large malls often have EV charger points that let you charge for much cheaper rates. Aeon in particular has 30 minutes for ¥300, but you've got to use their waon card for payment. For large EVs with big batteries, they're pretty much selling wholesale or using it as a loss-leader...for smaller EVs like mine, it's roughly what I'd pay per kWh during "EV time".
- I don't talk about work too much on this blog, but we're hiring for a Senior Product Manager at work. I've been doing this along with leading the tech team for the part of Kraken that I work on... and while it worked when the team was smaller, the team and product have grown to the point where it can't be a part-time job.
- We've gotten a break from the summer heat. Most days are still above 30, but it's not reaching the highs that it was and it's not 30+ degrees 7am any longer. I think this reprieve from the heat has made it easier to get out and start running again.
- Speaking of running, I've started a free trial for paid Strava. Clicking about, I really like the route planner / suggestion feature. As I start going for longer more regular runs, I think letting the computer suggest routes for me will take out some of the rut and help me explore even more.
- I finally got a call that my car will be ready next week. Initially it was going to be ready on Sunday, because that's when the coatings will be finished, but due to scheduling conflicts with my sales guy, we'll pick it up Saturday, and I'll bring it in for a couple of hours for them to do the coating.
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by JamesMorning Run
40 minutes and over 5km. Trying to start the week right. Love this little park area in front of the station. -
by JamesAfternoon Run
Ran to Marsh today. Good electronica to just keep on moving. No deep Yokohama photos today. -
by JamesAfternoon Run
Made a balloon to celebrate Derek Wessman ‘s recent birthday. Also it’s my usual course. Happy birthday, bother! -
by JamesIt's threatening to rain and sometimes raining...so I skipped running today and fixed some outstanding bugs with Tanzawa instead. RSS feeds no longer have that weird spacing at the top and checkin photos are no longer blurry. Much relieved.
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by JamesMorning Run
Still humid enough to count as swimming, but at least the clouds are keeping the sun at bay. -
The Week #164
by James- Immediately after building the Strava to Blog feature into Tanzawa, I promptly stopped running. This week, after a conversation with a co-worker about not putting work before your health, I went running 3 times in the last 7 days. It's been great and I hope I can continue, despite it being hot and humid.
- I biked with Leo to and from the co-op twice. He's getting stronger and made it further up the hill. Another week or two and he should have it down. Riding bikes together like this reminds me of riding bikes with my dad along the beach growing up in California. I'd love to do this with Leo, too. But our new car (heck, even our old car) wouldn't fit either of my bikes and his bike. Maybe this is the excuse I need to buy a Brompton folding bike..and start training for the world championships.
- Immediately after writing that last sentence I went down the YouTube rabbit hole of Bromptons and wow. Before I was also thinking "A Dahon would probably be fine, too", but they're large enough (because of the larger wheels) that I feel like it would decrease me actually taking it places via the train. But again, not buying a Brompton, just want to enjoy riding bikes with my kid where we won't get hit by cars and we're not climbing hills in every direction. ( Which really makes it sound like I'm buying a Brompton because *gestures everywhere* hills ( I'm not...this year. Really.))
- Over the past...at least since I moved to Japan, it's been difficult to keep in contact with my Dad. I have a US Skype number, but I don't keep Skype open nor does it make my phone ring..so I don't notice someone calls me until months after the fact. We've tried using LINE, but again, it doesn't make my phone ring and then my dad has to remember to check it. Email works for sending photos, but it doesn't really work for video, plus it feels a bit formal, what with needing a subject and all.
Last week I got an iPad for my dad and this week I helped him a router with WiFi over the phone so he could use said iPad on it. Now we can use iMessage to send photos, videos, and texts to keep in contact easier. We did a test FaceTime call with it and the camera is so good...I can actually see my dad. Hopefully this will make it easier to keep in touch and for me to share photos and videos of his grandson.
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Keeping positive in the face of climate disaster
by JamesAn internet buddy of mine posted in a private Slack group we're part of about how the weight of climate change is affecting his mental health. With the wildfires, heatwaves, and hurricanes coming for California(!), it's easy to feel despair. This post is my (slightly edited) reply.
Having a child was a kind of catalyst for me and climate change. Action is how you fight the weight of climate change. None of our individual actions will solve the climate crisis alone (as it’s largely a systems problem), but action breads action from those around us.
In Saving Us (great book, highly recommend), one of the things the author talks about is how one person’s actions influence their neighbors. For example, let’s say a neighbor sees you doing X that’s positive for the climate (composting, getting solar installed, switching to electric transport / cycling).
This in turn influences your neighbors- Directly, as it creates an opportunity for discussion about this topic with your neighbors. They might be on the fence about doing any of these and they can chat with you about it and your motivations. This plants and water seeds in their mind about the issues, as well as creates deeper community bonds, and we’re going to need them.
- Indirectly - neighbors that pass by your house notice X…so it plants a seed…and a few house down they see X again. After a period, X is now an acceptable and something that this neighborhood does. You can see solar panels spread through neighborhoods like this - one person got them, then a few houses down, and a few houses down, then a few house down…and pretty soon the neighborhood is powered by the sun (either by panels directly, or by the excess the neighbors are pushing into the grid).
It does feel like we’ve passed a tipping point. Be part of voices that demand the system changes and encourage those around you to do the same.
This said, the energy transition is also happening at an incredible pace. We’re deploying more solar, wind, and batteries at a faster pace than ever before and it’s not slowing down. For me personally, joining a group of companies that’s fighting climate full stack was how I deal/dealt with the weight of climate change and the future I want for my kid. I am but a cog in the machine, but everyone around me has the same sense of urgency. And when it feels hopeless, I can see / hear about new wind farms/solar farms we’re deploying or see the number of people actively working on it, and I feel like…we (humanity) got this (energy transition). -
by JamesToo hot run 🥵
Departing just after 6am is too late. Having a mental map of the vending machines that accept contactless payments is a life saver.
