Linux Mint update: Good news, bad news

First, the good news, which started with Very Bad News.

I got Jeff a Lenovo YOGA 2-in-1 laptop a few months back to replace the aging and decrepit 2017 iPad Pro I gave him when I got a new one in 2020. It has worked OK since, but there have been a few little glitches and weirdness. I was unsure how much was to blame on the hardware, Windows or moon phases.

I got my answer a few days ago when the laptop booted up to an obscure Bitlocker error. I did not realize Bitlocker was even on–it’s activated by default on the Windows 11 install. Researching the error, I was not able to find a reliable solution. Jeff gave the thumbs up to the “nuke from orbit” option. I selected the Windows reset option that blows everything away. It produced an error message with no description other than “an error occurred.” I then offered to install Linux Mint. He said go ahead.

  • I prepped a Mint USB stick.
  • I inserted the stick and booted from it.
  • I chose the Install Linux Mint option on the desktop.
  • Linux Mint installed and was ready in significantly less time than it took to get to the Windows 11 desktop after unboxing the laptop–and Windows 11 is pre-installed.
  • Mint automatically recognized the Brother printer once it connected to the Wi-Fi. The touchpad was recognized, as was the included pen when using the built-in drawing app, cleverly named Drawing.

Everything is working just fine. The laptop, to me, feels snappier and more responsive. It may actually be a better laptop now with Mint than the bloated mess that is Windows 11. This is good news.

Now, the bad news. On my PC, I dual boot between Windows 11 and Mint. Mint has generally given me no issues, but at some point recently and issue did arise. It may have been an update or something else, I’m not sure. It’s not Bitlocker, at least.

The issue seems to be related to Firefox, the built-in browser (and my browser of choice) and YouTube. At some point, while watching a YouTube video, the whole system will freeze and continue to freeze intermittently. The only way to fix it once it starts showing this behaviour is to shut down Firefox.

The issue might be Firefox. It might be YouTube. It might be something else. I have done no troubleshooting. What I have done is started testing to see if the issue replicates in Vivaldi, my backup browser of choice. So far, it has not happened with Vivaldi. This makes me sad, because I want to keep using Firefox in Mint, but I also really don’t want to spend time troubleshooting this when a) I may spend a lot of time on it when I could be doing something productive or at least entertaining and b) I may find no actual solution. So this is bad news.

But I may do a little troubleshooting, at some point. Maybe.

UI design summarized in two posts

Today is the first day of WWDC 25, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It always starts with a keynote, which highlights the new features and changes across Apple’s array of operating systems.

This year the rumour (correct, as it turned out) was that Apple would introduce a new look to its OSes called “Liquid Glass” (because “Aero” had already been used in 2006 for Windows Vista, which this is VERY reminiscent of. And no, the irony of Apple copying Microsoft–old Microsoft–is not lost on many).

Any change is always going to get a varied set of reactions. People generally oppose change, even when the change is mostly good. People are weird.

These two posts showed up in order in my Mastodon feed and perfectly sum up the zeitgeist on UI redesigns.

Take 1: I like it!
Take 2: An abomination!

And so it goes.

Run 931: Snake dodging

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run.

I had two goals today:

  • Have a little more pep than the last run
  • Get out before it got hot

Success on both counts, woo. Although my first three km were all around the six-minute mark, I finished stronger and barely slipped under, for an overall pace of 5:59/km. BPM was 152, which felt right, given it was a little warmer.

But not too warm, as I again began my run before 9 a.m. It got up to 20C during the run, which is fine.

There were no complications during the run, though there was a bizarrely high number of people with dogs in the first km or so, like everyone had decided to all go out at the same time. All the dogs were on leash and well-behaved, though.

And I got my first full-on look at a garter snake this spring, as it slithered directly across the trail in front of me, probably deciding to book it when it sensed me approaching, which was maybe not the best idea, because I had to dodge a bit to avoid stepping on it.

After the run, I saw this sign warning of bears with superior eyesight:

Overall, a good start to the week. Temperatures should be a bit more seasonal for the remainder of the week, but I’m going to keep in the habit of heading out early.

Still Creek, post-run, looking west.

Stats:

Run 931
Average pace: 5:59/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 8:56 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:06
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 19-20°C
Humidity: 77-73%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 168.4
Total distance to date: 6,490 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (85/171/256)

Music: Savage, Eurythmics

Birding, June 7, 2025: Shoot the bear, shoot the poop

Where: Rocky Point Park (Port Moody), Blakeburn Lagoons Park (Port Coquitlam), Traboulay PoCo Trail (Port Coquitlam)
Weather: Sunny, 20-27°C

Rocky Point

An unusual request at one of the viewing platforms.

Today was expected to get quite warm–and it did. We were very smart and most of our birding today took place on trails with no canopy, because we love the sun.

We started at Rocky Point, where the heron babies are growing up oh-so-fast. They seemed a bit more visible this time, due to being larger and more willing to hang out on the edges of the nests, yearning to escape from the yoke of their parents’ tyranny.

We ventured a bit down the trail, but didn’t see much else, other than a lot of people, because the place was packed. Who knew a warm, sunny Saturday in June would draw people out?

Blakeburn Lagoons Park

One of the two lagoons, with mallards and gadwalls paddling about.

We next moved onto Blakeburn Lagoons Park, which is a fairly compact pair of lagoons reclaimed from an old wastewater site. We got some good views, a bit of goose drama, and Nic felt compelled to shoot some bird poop. One must not question the muse. The muse poops for thee, not me. Or something.

The highlight, strangely, was a butterfly that stopped long enough to allow us to get some very nice shots of it. After a quick trip around the lagoons, we needed more sun, so off we went!

Traboulay PoCo Trail/DeBoville Slough

The DeBoville Slough, wending its way through the wilds of Port Coquitlam.

We’ve been in this area before, but along the southern trail. This time we took the northern, which parallels the slough and eventually leads to the Pitt river, which is where we saw a nesting osprey (neat) and then turned around and headed back. We saw a few birds along the way, too–a robin, a waxwing and a Northern flicker–but most of the views were of the slough, the verdant fields and mountains. And one shirtless jogger.

Although by this point it was getting quite warm, the breeze kept it from getting sticky and awful.

And we also saw a bear, trundling casually through the crops on a field. There was a slough between us and the bear and even though bears can swim, it was not close and seemed pretty mellow. I got a few iffy shots, but it’s definitely bear.

After that, we wrapped up early, as Nic has to help out a theatre full of gay men. As one does.

Although the birds were not out in copious numbers today, the change of scenery was pleasant, as was the weather.

The Shots

Shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18-150 mm kit lens and 100-400 mm telephoto.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American robin
  • Cedar waxwing
  • Common yellowthroat (heard)
  • Northern flicker
  • Spotted towhee
  • Song sparrow
  • Violet-green swallow

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • Canada goose
  • Gadwall
  • Great blue heron
  • Mallard

Common:

  • American crow
  • Assorted gulls

Raptors:

  • American osprey
  • Bald eagle
  • A hawk?

Non-birds:

  • Butterflies
  • Dragonflies
  • Other flies
  • A black bear

Run 930: A leisurely Rest Day run

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: early morning calm.

When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to see my Garmin watch was telling me it was a Rest Day. It will normally do this on a day after a run, but i did not run yesterday. I later realized it was likely due to my body battery being low. Two nights ago my sleep score was 57/100 (poor) and last night it was 68 (fair), meaning the ol’ body battery hadn’t recharged that much due to bad sleep.

As I started today’s run, it once again reminded me it was a rest day and only suggested making the run short and low intensity. Previously, I had decided that when my watch told me it was a Rest Day, I would obey it. OBEY THE MACHINE, and all that. Today, I really wanted to get out and run, so I compromised by running a full 5K, but doing so at a much more casual pace.

That pace ended up being 6:11/km, with every km being over the six-minute mark. And that’s fine. Somewhat amusingly, this much slower pace was achieved at the exact same BPM (151) as Wednesday’s run, which was 19 seconds faster on average. Due to this more casual gait, I did not experience any issues or complications. There was a sign early on warning of a mower ahead and when I came to the intersection between the regular trail and the Piper Mill Trail, I opted for the former, because it would be easier, and maybe I’d avoid the mower.

I did avoid the mower, in that I never saw it at all while completing a full loop around the lake. I have no idea where it went.

The trail was relatively quiet as I got off to my earliest start of the year, beginning my run at 8:46 a.m. This allowed me to beat the proverbial heat, as it stayed 17C for the entire run, and the sun was only notable along the Cottonwood Trail. On the walk back, around the 9-10 km stretch the number of people increased significantly. Maybe that’s peak walking time or something.

Anyway, it was a decent run. I don’t feel bad about adopting a slower pace and was even surprised (in a good way) when at the end the watch declared my training status as Productive and not what I was fearing (Overreaching). This afternoon, I rest!

View of the lake looking northeast, post-run. The liy pads have asserted their annual dominance.

Stats:

Run 930
Average pace: 6:11/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 8:46 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 31:03
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 17°C
Humidity: 78-76%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 167.6
Total distance to date: 6,485 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (80/158/238)

Music: Private Eyes, Daryl Hall and John Oates

Bill C-2 is bad and Mark Carney should feel bad

NOTE: This is about politics. Canadian politics! If you're not interested in politics, skip to the next post or just scroll to the end for a photo of a kitten.

I think Steve Boots was right, Mark Carney is basically a Conservative prime minister in Liberal clothing. Boots’ video (linked below) details some of the horrible changes proposed by Bill C-2, the “Strong Borders Act” that would give the government far too much power with far too little–or no–oversight. It’s not often that I am motivated to write my MP, but I did today. My riding, which has been an NDP stronghold for decades, saw the vote split between the three major parties in the April 29 federal election, and long-time NDP MP Peter Julian was out. Based on his photo, our new Liberal MP is some high school kid. I wrote this to him today:

Hello Mr. Sawatzky,

Congratulations on winning your seat in the recent federal election.

As a constituent in your riding, I must strongly object to Bill C-2, the so-called “Strong Borders Act” which is draconian piece of legislation that vastly overreaches in giving the federal government expanded powers in law enforcement and immigration with little or no oversight. I believe there are portions of the bill that are unconstitutional.

It is depressing to see a new government come in and make this its first act, which seems mainly aimed at appeasing Donald Trump. This is not leadership, it is capitulation at the expense of Canadians’ privacy and of refugees simply seeking a better, safer life in Canada. We should not be emulating the United States. Prime Minister Carney’s government will not last long if this is the sort of legislation you champion.

I realize you are a Liberal MP and will likely to toe party line, but I urge you to vote against Bill C-2. It must be scrapped. Future governments will only make worse the abuses of power it enables. This is not the Canada anyone should want.

Here’s Boots’ video:

And here’s where you can find your local MP and their email address: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/search

Finally, here is a kitten:

Run 929: Early to run

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run. Cloudy, mild.

I got off to an even earlier start today, with the run beginning at exactly 9:30 a.m. It was cloudy, which was nice for the run, and stayed relatively humid.

I didn’t see many people until post-run, likely due to the early start, which was also nice.

My start was fine, at 5:49/km, but I was mildly alarmed when I slipped to 6:00/km for the second km, and made an effort to go a bit faster after, finishing with an average of 5:52/km, a few seconds slower than Monday, but also with a lower BPM. Overall, no issues and the run went well.

I am contemplating a 7.5 km run soon™, but want to get my average pace down a bit more, since this will add roughly 15 minutes to my current run time. Still, I suppose it’s a good sign that I’m even thinking of this.

Onto Friday next.

Bridge over Still Creek, post-run.

Stats:

Run 929
Average pace: 5:52/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 9:30 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:29
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16°C
Humidity: 76-73%
Wind: light
BPM: 151
Weight: 166.0
Total distance to date: 6,480 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (75/145/220)

Music: The Cars, The Cars (debut album)

Run 928: And a bunny

View from Cartiboo Dam, pre-run.

I got an earlier start today and slapped on the ol’ sunscreen. The conditions were near ideal–mild, some high cloud, and I felt decent starting out, once again at a slightly more relaxed pace.

The good news is I was under the six-minute mark for each km and improved my post-stomach virus average to 5:50/km. By the fifth km, I was starting to feel a little bit tired, but in retrospect it’s because I was pressing so hard to keep from flagging that my pace for the final lap was 5:39/km. Nice!

Overall, no issues on the run, not as many people out, likely due to the earlier start, and generally, it went well. As my pace improves, I’ll begin planning an eventual increase to 7.5 km, which I’ll probably do twice, then make the leap to 10K, hopefully without any body parts exploding, imploding, falling off or swelling up.

Also, a little way after finishing the run, I saw a cute bunny noshing on grass on the side of the trail. I guess it was so consumed (!) by the food that it was unmoved by my presence, so I got a picture (it’s not a great picture, but it’s recognizably bunny):

Overall, a good start to the week. Here’s hoping I am not further plagued by misadventures and can just, you know, go for runs every other day like a normal, healthy human being.

Still Creek, post-run.

Stats:

Run 928
Average pace: 5:50/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:44 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:22
Weather: Sun with high cloud
Temp: 15-16°C
Humidity: 71-67%
Wind: light
BPM: 152
Weight: 168.9
Total distance to date: 6,475 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (70/132/202)

Music: Out of the Blue, ELO

Birding, June 1, 2025: Eagles in chips, blurry ships and snails between lips

(Technically, the snails were between beaks)

Where: Douglas Park (Vancouver), Iona Beach Regional Park, Terra Nova (both in Richmond), Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam)
Weather: Sunny, 13-18°C

Douglas Park

We began with a brief detour to Douglas Park in Vancouver, where a mated pair of barred owls and several large but still fluffy babbies have been seen. We did see an adult and a baby, but my shots of the latter were not much beyond “fuzzy thing in tree”. The adult is clearly an owl, though. We moved on, as there’s not really much to Douglas Park than an open field.

Iona Beach

View of the Fraser River, looking west.

It was windy as heck at Iona Beach, to the point where Nic pointed out a Savannah sparrow and I shot it, only hearing the sparrow part and thinking it was a song sparrow.

We actually saw a surprising number of birb species at Iona Beach, everything from hummingbirds to towhees, goldfinches and more. The birds were often a bit obscured by vegetation, but you take what you can get.

We also saw a bald eagle sitting atop the wood chips on one of the parked barges. It seemed quite content. I later spotted another eagle doing the same on an adjacent barge, but it left before Nic could see it and now he probably thinks I just hallucinate eagles on barges.

We also got some shots of Western tiger beetles, which are shiny and iridescent, and later spotted a couple of them doing the nasty. It’s still that time of year.

I have yet to see a live crab at Iona, and that didn’t change today, either. We did see several ex-crabs on the beach, including the shell of one that had been flipped over and looked reminiscent of an ashtray, filling with sand. An inglorious end.

Terra Nova

Buttercup field at Terra Nova.

It was still quite windy at Terra Nova. I shot planes, even while my camera was still in animal subject detection mode. It worked reasonably well on planes. We did not see too many birds here. Even the pond that reliably has one or two grebes in it was empty. The scenery is always nice, though. Nic shot many swallows. I think I shot one? It was blurry.

We saw a Cybertruck in the parking lot advertising AI slop on its side. Fitting. For some reason, we saw four Cybertrucks today, which made me wonder if the Apocalypse was nigh or something.

Before we could be raptured, we left and headed to our final destination (!), Tlahutum.

Tlahutum Regional Park

Coquitlam River, on a gorgeous late spring afternoon.

We saw more Eastern kingbirds here than I’ve ever seen before, and got plenty of snazzy shots. Cedar waxwings were in abundance, too, including a pair doing that adorable mating ritual where they hand off gifts to each other, usually berries. I guess there were no berries handy, as this pair was swapping the remains of a snail. Not quite as cute as a big berry, but still kind of cute!

We also saw a single Canada goose in the main pond, which is unusual. They don’t seem to like Tlahutum, probably due to its marshy nature.

The community gardens did not yield too much today, but there were swallows and the odd crow. Maybe by mid-afternoon it was too hot, and the birds were hiding in the shade. This is probably where my ears got burned (I put sunblock on everything but my ears, which I forgot).

At my suggestion, we opted out of Piper Spit. I was at 20,000+ steps at this point and didn’t expect to see much new at Burnaby Lake, though there is always the chance to see more babbies. Next time!

The Shots

Shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18-150 mm kit lens and 100-400 mm telephoto.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American robin
  • Anna’s hummingbird
  • Brown-headed cowbird
  • Cedar waxwing
  • Cliff swallow
  • Common yellowthroat
  • Eastern kingbird
  • Flycatcher (?)
  • Goldfinch
  • Red-winged blackbird
  • Rufous hummingbird
  • Spotted towhee
  • Savannah sparrow
  • Song sparrow
  • Tree swallow
  • Violet-green swallow
  • White-crowned sparrow
  • Yellow warbler

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • Canada goose
  • Double-crested cormorant
  • Gadwall
  • Great blue heron
  • Mallard
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • American crow
  • Assorted gulls
  • Rock pigeon (?)

Raptors:

  • Bald eagle
  • Northern harrier (?)

Non-birds:

  • Bees and beetles. So many beetles.
  • Specifically, the Western tiger beetle
  • A satin moth caterpillar
  • Dragonflies
  • Ladybug