Here are my takeaways:

Timing chain wear is a problem with direct injection engines. This is caused by soot that is formed due to the direct injection setup. When soot gets into the oil, there is the possibility that it can get into the tiny clearances on your engine's timing chain. That will cause wear. One way to mitigate this problem is to make sure the engine oil you are using has the API-SP and ILSAC GF-6 certifications.

Repeated short trips, less than 15 minutes or so, can lead to fuel dilution issues in direct injection engines. To avoid these issues, you want the engine to get up to operating temp (180F) during your drives. This means that if most of your drives are short trips, you need to incorporate a longer drive (30 minutes or more). The longer drives help vaporize the fuel that has mixed into your engine oil.

LSPI (Low-speed pre-ignition) is prevalent on small engines that run high boost. It's because running high boost on a small engine, will naturally lead to increased cylinder pressure, which can make LSPI more prevalent. Similar to the timing chain wear problem, one way to mitigate this problem is to make sure the engine oil you are using has the API-SP and ILSAC GF-6 certifications.

^ It might sound like this recommendation doesn't make sense, but you need to watch the video to get the full context. It has to do with studies done on oils that have the API-SP and ILSAC GF-6 certifications. They were found to be better able to resist LSPI.

Side-note: From what I recall during my days of hanging out on car forums, LSPI was prevalent on the 1st-gen Mazdaspeed3 and some early Hyundai turbocharged engines. For the 2nd-gen Mazdaspeed3, Mazda used a different piston design to mitigate LSPI. I don't know what Hyundai did to address the issue. So I guess this is more of a heads up to people driving older cars with turbocharged direct injection engines.

Another side-note: One thing we were sternly warned about as new Mazdapseed3 owners back then, was to never get into WOT or boost below 3000 RPM. This was to avoid blowing up the engine due to LSPI. I've kept this practice to this day and so far have not blown up my engine yet. Knock on wood. I have over 128K miles now on my Speed3.

Tags: #Bookmarks #Cars #CarMaintenance #Mazda #Mazdaspeed3

Got back my Mazdaspeed3 last Saturday. I'm glad to have it back. But I also have to say that I was so spoiled by that CX-5 turbo loaner car. It was a really good car!

Anyway, cost to repair the leak in the Mazdaspeed3 transmission was $1,071. It was actually the transmission shifting mechanism that was leaking, not the transmission itself. Thankfully it was an affordable repair bill. And that's thanks to an emergency fund set up for times like this.

So, no need to trade in my car then. Though that CX-5 turbo did make me think twice about trading in... Is still making me think twice LOL!

Started reading the Lord Of The Rings 50th Anniversary Edition book. This was a much appreciated Christmas gift from my brother.

There's apparently a way to forward/send emails into OneNote. Got this idea after reading Tiago Forte's One-Touch to Inbox Zero: How I Spend 17 Minutes Per Day on Email, which is a great read by the way.

Here's some good parenting advice from an Instagram post on how to handle your kids when they lie to you.

Up to Episode 6 now of Vincenzo and man, what a good show! There were a couple of interesting things in Episode 6 that caught my eye, most notably the interaction between a Buddhist and Catholic character.

There's this scene where a Buddhist monk was carrying a huge wooden cross, like Jesus was on his way to crucifixion. The monk was carrying the abandoned cross to donate to a nearby church. It struck me as a beautiful scene, where people can cast aside their differences and just be kind to one another.

That scene then led to a conversation between Vincenzo and a Buddhist monk regarding enlightenment.

Vincenzo: “If I go live somewhere far away, like in the middle of the ocean, will the anger inside me disappear?”

Buddhist monk: “It doesn’t matter where you live. What matters is whether you still have the anger inside you or not.”

Vincenzo: “Does that mean that I need to achieve enlightenment?”

Buddhist monk: “The only way to get rid of your anger is by fighting it. Stand your ground and fight back. Enlightenment is what you get when you win that battle.”

Tags: #Weeknotes #Cars #Mazda #CX5 #Mazdaspeed3 #LordOfTheRings #Productivity #Parenting #TVShow #Vincenzo

• One reason was that after I took a hiatus from social media, I didn't know what to do with all my free time. So, I kept myself busy by blogging.
• The other reason was that I wanted to create a way for my friends to stay updated on what's been going on with my life, without using social media. Basically, I wanted to see if I could replace social media with blogs and personal websites.

On my previous weeknotes I said that there's no feedback loop for my photo-blog. That was part of the reason I created an Instagram account for it. Well, I was wrong. At the very least, there are stats for it. So, I guess that's something.

Turns out, I was serious about no longer wanting to publish overly personal posts on this journal. I created a new blog on Write.as and set it to Private. Then I moved over all my journal entries into it, plus a couple more posts with personal content.

... you’ll answer for it because when you claim Christ you choose exile, and therefore will be held to a different standard, entirely, than the world’s.

~ Throwing Away Our Holy Things by Elizabeth Scalia

Choosing to follow Christ means going against what is expected of people in this world. Sometimes I forget that it is a totally different way of life. And if you follow that way of life, chances are, you will be ridiculed for doing so. It is as Elizabeth says, to choose exile.

Every time I think of taking a break from posting on my music blog, I go through the posts, listen to the song previews and think to myself, this is really good. I don't want to stop posting.

This week I remembered one of the main reasons that made me want to start a music blog — it was the beautiful lyrics in songs like Close the Distance by Go Radio.

I remember starting an Instagram account a year or two ago, to share lyrics from a song. It didn't pan out because it was too hard to do on Instagram. That's why I ended up writing music logs on this journal instead. That eventually led to the creation of my music blog.

There's so many good songs out there, from the past and the present, with some wonderful lyrics that are just begging to be heard. Surely, I'm not the only one who feels this way about music, right?

The new Field Notes Winter Limited Edition “Snowy Evening” memo books are beautiful!

And no this is not an affiliate link. I'm just a notebook fan sharing something I think is truly beautiful.

So, an interesting thing this week was running into the beautiful Field Notes memo books I mentioned above, and wanting to share it with other people. This is where I would have posted it to a microblog, if I had one. I don't have one now. I let my micro.blog subscription expire a month or two ago. I didn't want to write a short post about it on this journal either. So then the next logical choice would be to share it on social media. But I didn't want to get on Facebook just to share a link to something that is not a post from one of my sites. Which is why I think having a dedicated microblog can be one way to avoid having to use social media.

Anyway, what I ended up doing was to write it down on my journal. Then as you can see in this post, I'm sharing it as part of a weeknotes post. I think this scratches the itch of wanting to share something, while still being able to do it without resorting to social media. I call that a win for notebooks and blogs.

I'm getting new suspension parts installed on the Speed3. Since my tires are almost worn out, I'm also getting new tires to go along with the new suspension parts.

This time I'm going with Yokohama Advan Sport A/S+ in 225/40/18 for the Speed3. I've never tried Yokohama tires before, so this will be interesting.

The current tires on my Speed3 are Cooper Zeon RS3-G1s. And they were not bad at all. I actually like them a lot. Great bang for the buck ultra high-performance all season tires. The only reason I didn't go with the same tires is because the shop where I'm getting my suspension and tires installed, doesn't sell Cooper Tires.

Music knows neither area, time nor language.

~ From the description of Gregorian Voices

Which is why music is considered a universal language.

Also, those Gregorian Voices work surprisingly well as ambient sounds when writing code.

Just realized that my Hyvor Talk free plan allows comments to be added to multiple websites. So, I added one to this journal and to my other sites as well.

I previously was okay with not having comments on a journal. And I still think that as the owner of the website, you are free to choose whether you want to add a comments system or not.

As for me and this journal, my mindset has changed after a year of posting on here. I realized that without giving readers an easy way to comment on my posts, I'm not giving myself the opportunity to be corrected, to be challenged, to find a new perspective, to learn. Without comments, it is almost like I'm posting into an echo chamber.

So, a comments system has been added. Whether or not I get comments, that's up to the readers.

This week I've been getting the urge to play Fallout 4 once again. So, I was on YouTube trying to find some tips on how to enjoy Fallout 4 on a second play-through. I ran into this video talking about how to make Fallout 4 endless re-playable. It was informative and hilarious at the same time. If you've already finished the main story line, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Tags: #Weeknotes #Blogging #Comments #Mazdaspeed3 #Spirituality

I ran into an issue while working on the previous weeknotes post. My weeknotes post show up on this journal, but it has software dev related posts. That makes me think that those should be on my dev blog. And now I wonder, maybe I should have just one website in the first place.

Now the problem with having one website that houses all kinds of content, is that my personal posts would start showing up alongside my dev related posts. I remember Scott Hanselman said that you should keep overtly personal information out of your tech blog. That's pretty much why I have a dev blog and a separate personal blog/journal. I also think that the advice on separating them still makes sense. But I also feel, based on experience, that having to maintain multiple websites can be exhausting.

After pouring out my heart and soul, my personal life into this online journal, I now have this urge to move on and leave it all behind. I no longer want to post something overly personal.

Had I decided to remain with an anonymous journal like Inquiry suggested in the past, I probably wouldn't have a problem with all the personal posts I wrote. But I really wanted to “own my words”, so this is what I get for doing so LOL.

On a related note... I wish I could start over with my domain and websites. Or, just leave everything behind and start fresh on a new blog/site.

Spent an hour dumping my thoughts into Obsidian. They were about the four websites (dev blog, this journal, music blog, photo-blog) that I'm currently maintaining. The question I have for myself is, can I combine all four websites into just one? And if so, can I do it on Write.as, Micro.blog, WordPress or some other platform?

I am in the process of trying to figure out, how to narrow down the number of my sites from 4, to at most 2. One thing I've started to notice from other .NET developers, is that most of them don't have personal blogs. They blog about software development and that's pretty much it.

And now that I think about it, if my intent with blogs and personal websites is to remind people that I'm still alive, then putting out posts on my dev blog is good enough. I don't have to get all personal in a personal blog/journal like this one. I don't need to share all the personal details. If the point is really just to tell other people I'm still alive, then posting about something, and it doesn't have to be a personal topic, is good enough.

In the interest of trying to decrease the load of maintaining multiple websites at once, I think I need to stop writing a post for each song I add to the playlist for my music blog. I should instead write a post for when I have a new playlist out. I think this will lessen the load on my part, and will keep me less distracted during the day.

Fast forward a few days...

Instead of sharing music that I’m listening to right at that moment, I should just curate songs instead. Sharing music while I’m listening to them, can be distracting. And it doesn’t serve any purpose other than to share something I’m listening to at the moment. Building and curating a playlist though, is intentionally creating something that could be valuable to someone else other than myself.

I'm not sure what to do with my Above the Earth and Seas blog. It started out as a place to share photos of the sky. This was mainly to make use of my 3rd free write.as blog and to make use of the snap.as image hosting feature. But as you can tell, it doesn't really have a specific purpose, other than a place for me to share photos of the sky.

I'm not sure what benefit I'm getting from it. I'm not sure if it provides any value whatsoever. I'm not even sure if it is reaching people who are interested in photos of the sky. Currently, there's 1 email subscriber. Unlike this journal or my music blog, I haven't received any messages from a reader regarding any of the content in it. So the question I'm asking myself is, is there any value in continuing to post if no one is even benefiting from or appreciating the photos?

What I'm quickly realizing with regards to blogs, is that without a feedback loop, I don't know if my efforts are just being wasted. I don't know who is benefiting from it or even if I'm benefiting from it. Which is why...

Sometime this week, I ended up creating an Instagram account for my Above the Earth and Seas blog. As far as ease of use goes, it is so much easier to post to Instagram. While yes, I have to use a phone, I spend less time looking at a screen when trying to post something. There's also a feedback loop and the comfort of knowing that I'm not posting to a void. I know people on Instagram can find the photos through the hashtags. And there is a huge community of people posting photos of the sky in it.

That said, I now remember another reason why I was trying to post photos on a blog versus on Instagram. It's the way social media primes your mind to expect likes/hearts. It gives me the urge to want to check the app over and over again.

Anyway, like I did in the past, I plan on only having the Instagram app installed on my phone during weekends. That should limit the amount of time I have the app installed on my phone. And if that doesn't work out, I'll just call it a day on my photo-blog and move on.

While I'm on the subject of Instagram, I thought Sunlit was going to replace Instagram for me. It did not, or more specifically, it couldn't. While it is a great place to post photos (because there's no likes/hearts feature in it), I also have no way of curating a feed like I can with Instagram.

To be fair, I don't think the creators of Sunlit intended it to be a replacement for everything that Instagram does. I'm just saying, that to get my car photos fix, I still have to login to Instagram every now and then. Because that's where you can find the best Mazdaspeed3 photos on the internet.

On the subject of Mazdaspeeds, I installed a Chicco Myfit car seat, alongside a Chicco Nextfit convertible car seat in the Speed3. There's just enough space for me or my wife to sit beside the Nextfit, which is set up as rear facing in the middle. So, it turns out you can install car seats two across in a Gen2 Mazdaspeed3.

And lastly, finally bought lowering springs and shocks for the Speed3. I decided to go for the Eibach Pro-kit/Koni STR.T Struts combo. I'm refreshing the suspension because for the first time since I've owned the Speed3, some of the tires are showing signs of cupping. And well the ride can sometimes feel choppy. Not surprising since my Speed3 has now over 105,000 miles.

If a literature note contains thoughts and ideas from another author, then my own blog posts and journal entries cannot be thought of as literature notes. The ideas contained therein would be considered permanent notes, because they were my own thoughts and ideas.

This is me attempting to understand how to use the Zettelkasten method to build my personal knowledge base.

Wouldn’t digital be easier? Yes. But I don’t want this to be easy. Writing them down by hand forces me to take my time and to go over everything again (taking notes on a Kindle is too easy and that’s the problem).

~ The Notecard System: The Key For Remembering, Organizing And Using Everything You Read by Ryan Holiday

So, with the Zettelkasten method, you create “literature notes” when taking down notes while reading a book. Ryan Holiday uses something called a Notecard System. It's another way of taking notes while reading a book.

If you're looking for more ways to take down notes while reading a book, there's also the Idea Index method that Cal Newport mentioned in his blog.

We are all experts in something. Teach everything you know. Knowledge is squandered unless it is shared. Don't die with your greatest lessons still inside of you.

~ “Email is Where Keystrokes Go to Die.” by James Clear

No matter what you think of yourself, you are an expert in something. So, don't keep all your knowledge to yourself. What's the point of acquiring all that knowledge, of building a digital garden, of building a personal knowledge base, if you let it go to waste by not sharing it with others? Pass it off to your kids, to your peers, to anyone willing to listen and learn.

Going meta here, but the above is what I believe to be an example of a “Literature Note” in the Zettelkasten method. You find a good quote or idea from something that you're reading, you then write it in your own words and file it in a literature note.

I previously mentioned that migrating notes from my bullet journal into Obsidian seemed redundant. Well today's brilliant idea, is to not migrate them at all. If I need to look up info for writing my weeknotes post, then I'll look on both my bullet journal and Obsidian vault.

Spent some time watching Sword Art Online this week and it has its hooks on me once again. The ending to the first half of Season 1 was a great cliffhanger. Then the plot twist in the second half of the season caught me off-guard. If you love MMOs, or have played MMOs, you'll find plenty to like in this anime. If you love MMOs and anime, then you'll love Sword Art Online.

I have also noticed that this is the first anime that Davin has shown an interest in. It could be very well be that he is old enough to be interested in anime. But I also think it's the story and the characters. To an extent, Sword Art Online draws some parallels to Minecraft Dungeons. And I think that's what draws him in.

As far as blood and gore, there's not much in Sword Art Online. So, I'm not worried about Davin watching it. My only concern is that in the second part of Season 1, there's noticeably more sexy scenes and some nudity implied in the episodes. It's not enough to stop me from watching it around him, but it makes me a little wary of it.

Just realized that I'm publishing posts from my music blog, which has music exclusively shared via Spotify, into the read.write.as feed, where a lot of people seem to not be a fan of Spotify. I kinda feel like I'm putting a target on my back for doing so. Maybe this is not where I should be publishing my music blog posts to.

It's been awhile since we've had a Tornado warning issued where we live. Was trying to rock baby Caleb to sleep, when I kept hearing what sounded like a motorcycle going back and forth. It took me awhile to realize that it was the tornado sirens making the sound. Grabbed the wife and Davin and lead them into a closet, where we hid until the threat passed. Thank God that nothing serious happened around our home. Though I heard other people were not as fortunate.

New idea is to listen to “ambient” music while coding. It is an interesting idea, because it means I can stop getting interrupted by running into really good rock songs when working. Got this idea from Vincent's about page.

Tags: #Weeknotes #Bookmarks #Blogging #Mazdaspeed3 #Meta #SocialMedia #Zettelkasten

From RockAuto:

• LUK 10064 (10-064) Clutch Kit
• LUK DMF118 Flywheel

From EdgeAutoSport:

• 6 × Mazda OEM Flywheel Bolt Mazdaspeed 3 2007-2013 | Mazdaspeed 6 2006-2007
• 1 × Mazda OEM Clutch Release Fork Mazdaspeed 3 2007-2013 | Mazdaspeed 6 2006-2007
• 6 × Mazda OEM Clutch Pressure Plate Bolt Mazdaspeed 3 2007-2013 | Mazdaspeed 6 2006-2007

Couple of notes on the choices of parts.

• EdgeAutoSport does sell a Mazda OEM Clutch kit, however as I mentioned in a previous journal entry, I have learned that LUK is an OEM parts manufacturer from Germany. So their parts should be as good as OEM parts, if not better.
• EdgeAutoSport only sells the Mazda OEM Dual Mass Flywheel, which is very expensive. I decided to go with the cheaper LUK Dual Mass Flywheel from RockAuto.
• The LUK Clutch Kit, unlike the Mazda OEM Clutch Kit, doesn't come with the flywheel bolts and pressure plate bolts, so I had to get those separately from EdgeAutoSport.
• The LUK Clutch Kit and Dual Mass Flywheel combo is actually a very good combo. I would even say it is an upgrade over the OEM setup. The clutch pedal was noticeably lighter which makes for a more comfortable daily driving setup.
• The clutch release fork was something that the service tech recommended I get, since I was getting the clutch replaced anyway. People on forums don't seem to be getting this one though, so you might be able to get by without having to buy this one.

Tags: #Cars #CarMaintenance #Mazda #Mazdaspeed3