Speculative, Technical

2016 On the Radar and Integrating Social Presence

Back on the net again, thanks to free hosting at x10hosting.com. Looking back at previous posts, I realized I remained inactive on this blog for all of 2014 and 2015. In 2015, I retired from dedicated server support and backed up all my blogs for storage. The backups lingered on in cloud and offline storage while I toyed with the notion of self-hosting my own server (which I came close to settling on via Webmin/Virtualmin).

Unfortunately, I moved to a semi-rural  ‘burb of Denton where the ISP options were DSL and a ‘roided version of DSL that AT&T claims to be fiber (the much hyped Uverse Internet, except it’s underwhelmingly slow). How I miss the days of fiber-to-the-curb with Verizon FIOS. I’ll save my Uverse rant for another post when the service goes offline again.

I was not too scarce when it came to my internet presence. Along with Yelp and fitness tracking apps, I launched into the Instagram and Tumblr spaces (sorry, no Facebook or Twitter for me). I also managed to hack a Google+ profile of sorts using my YouTube identity, wrangled a Flickr account into usefulness, and rarely added to my network on LinkedIn.

Okay, maybe I confess I (re)started up Tumblr, G+ and Flickr only very recently after puzzling out how to rope together all my social identities into a cohesive narrative.

The secret is in the nascent field of integrative and automation apps bursting onto the scene. Some call it ETL, some refer to it as IaaS or PaaS. For my personal use, I wanted to yoke all my personal data streams under ideally one dashboard, push or repost my data without having to touch multiple platforms.

Web services such as IFTTT and Buffer offer free push/pull automation useful in the personal space. Obviously the potential for business is greater and more profitable, such that services like Zapier, bip.io, itDuzzit and CloudWork are in big demand. The possibilities of what these integrative services can do are limitless. StackStorm for example is an open-source project to watch. For more reading, check out this post.

One particular arena in which integration and automation is rapidly evolving is the fitness and health app industry, where many hardware and software data are connected via multiple APIs, collected and digested onto just as many platforms. The notion of fleshing out your online identity with data pumped from these sources is staggering! GPS enabled devices made it possible to track your physical whereabouts; health/fitness data aggregates and publicizes your current vitals. Again, the future is an open book with regards to the direction these services and applications can take us.

WordPress itself has grown into a mature platform that I haven’t fully explored all its recent capabilities. I plan on addressing this when I determinethe new look and direction of this blog/personal portal.

Fitness

Tragic start to 2016

My January goals were confounded by some unfortunate happenstances:

 

 

Needless to say, I didn’t make my January goals, and February is off to a rocky, late start.

I’m scaling back my goals for the month of February. Here are the objectives:

 

  • lose 5# in February
  • stay within calorie budget for 1 week (7 days straight)
  • ramp up to 10k steps daily 
  • ramp up to 4×5 assisted pullups daily
  • ramp up to 4×5 squats/pushups daily 

 

February is also a great time to plan gardening projects. The man and I are working on some ideas on small scale landscape work for 2016.

 

Drogo, Furkids

2/1 Monday

I had a very rough night and I am convinced that we are prolonging Drogo’s life artificially. I dread waking up in the AM because I fear to see him pass in the night. The man and I had some half-sleep conversations of bringing this to the end; we just don’t see any more progress and we don’t his last days to be full of suffering and misery.

Dropped him in his crate, he went #1 in litter. Spent most of the day on the bed.

10a 10mL Hills a/d, 1mL prednisolone

Let him outside in the backyard, he explored the patio between rest breaks. He was definitely alert to the new environment but his energy didn’t allow him to explore his surrounds fully..

Made a few calls, Dr Cowser concurred that PTS was the humane option. We scheduled an appointment at Eldorado Animal Hospital due to distance and affordability.

Drogo was put to the final sleep on Monday afternoon. The procedure was quick and painless, perhaps too abrupt. Many tears were shed as even at the last minutes of his life, Drogo displayed vestiges of his old self, meowing incessantly for reassurance and rolling on his back to allow his tummy to be rubbed.

This was one of the most heartbreaking days of my/our lives.

Drogo, Furkids

1/31 Sunday

Drogo exhibited some interest in going outside in the backyard in AM, but was still lethargic and walked with effort. Took a swat at the scratching post early AM but mostly crouched under cat tree or on dog bed.

He favored the Hills Prescription Diet Urgent Care a/d canned food so we have proceeded to feed him all day with it. The thick pate texture is also a plus since there’s little risk of aspirating. To get it into the syringe, we add a few drops of water. With the exception of the corn flour and guar gum, I am pleased with the ingredients of this canned food. It seems that Drogo also has no problems with it as he is receptive to being fed. On one occasion he nibbled it out of the dish, but we still have to syringe feed him since he is not eating enough.

Had a concern that for the afternoon feeding he wet the bed.

2a 10mL formula #2
9:30a 10mL Hills with prednisolone
3p 10mL Hills with orbax
6:30p 10mL Hills
9:30p 10mL Hills with mirtazapine

Observed another incontinence incident on bed. Must call vet ASAP.

Energy: low energy AM/PM, slept most of the day, very low energy PM
Movement: Mobile, requires effort, will move toward bed or cat tree
Tracking: Slow tracking, did not engage in play. Tracked cat teaser wand.
Appetite: Hills a/d diet, formula #2
Attitude: Passive, will lay down next to dogs, tail swishing when petted
Hygiene: Has exhibited some self-grooming, fur matted around ruff, urinary incontinence
Hydration: Derived from syringe feeding

While appetite and nasal problems improved, overall he seems to have deteriorated; his energy seems to have crashed, and his loss of bowel control is disheartening.
I fear he is near the end.

Drogo, Furkids

1/30 Saturday – Vet visit

AM feeding #1 10mL with prednisolone dosage.
Took Drogo for fluid drain ~70mL
Prescribed broad spectrum antibiotics Orbax, appetite stimulant Mirtazapine, and Hills Prescription Urgent Care a/d diet canned food. Dr indicated jaundice had progressed.
Drogo was vocal during car rides.
Came home, showed no interest in backyard, sat on chair to sun bathe, drank from big dog bowl.

2nd feeding #2 10 mL @ 3pm, administered with 1ml antibiotic.
Slept on dog bed till 8:30pm feeding 10mL #2, added appetite stimulant .5mL.
10:30p feeding 10mL #2, followed by 1mL prednisolone.
Slow, unsteady at times, hesitated when jumping down. Very tired, lethargic, let him sleep for most of day.