@HodgesC@mas.to

Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · May 18, 2026

Replying to @nerdbear@masto.ai

@nerdbear@masto.ai @mclare@recurse.social The (Android-only) bike computer app I use was a one-off payment costing around 1-2 coffees, to a real human. I was happy to pay that, but don't do subscriptions, and especially not for apps (I mean at all - my only recurring payments are taxes and necessary bills)

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · May 18, 2026

Replying to @nerdbear@masto.ai

@nerdbear@masto.ai @mclare@recurse.social When I've looked at Garmin watches (modern ones I mean, not just the 2006 model that's somehow ended up in my house) I haven't found the mapping to be good enough for my exploring runs, let alone cycling, but it's a nice idea.

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · May 18, 2026

Replying to @nerdbear@masto.ai

@nerdbear@masto.ai @mclare@recurse.social My only experience of Polar was with analogue chest strap HR monitors that you could only read on the watch that came with them, and I've resisted any form of smartwatch. With Garmin I suspect you could download a .FIT and pass it through GPSbabel, but only after setting up the device via an account. But I've been using my phone to navigate long-distance cycling for years now; OSMand looks like it would do the job if my current choice stops

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · May 18, 2026

Replying to @nerdbear@masto.ai

@nerdbear@masto.ai @mclare@recurse.social @pluralistic@mamot.fr Yes, I wasted far too long trying to extract data from an old fitbit. When I gave up I bought a cheap bluetooth heart rate sensor and use that with an Android bike computer app that doesn't want to invade your privacy. It was developed by one guy, an engineer, who built the sort of thing he wanted to use, and runs totally offline if you want. Sadly I think he might have retired from updating it; it might be a reason to keep my old phone un-updated and offline

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Apr 22, 2026

Replying to @HodgesC@mas.to

@marcel@waldvogel.family @tris@namtao.com @dinandmentink@mastodon.online @pluralistic@mamot.fr @TechConnectify@mas.to Meanwhile my rooftop panels should reach their 10th MWh in a few weeks (25 months after installation)

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Apr 22, 2026

Replying to @marcel@waldvogel.family

@marcel@waldvogel.family @tris@namtao.com @dinandmentink@mastodon.online @pluralistic@mamot.fr @TechConnectify@mas.to crappy encapsulants now mainly found on mini panels for things like garden lighting. But this post has made me think about second-lifing even some of those mini panels to charge stuff by connecting them all in series and hooking up a cheap buck converter circuit

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Apr 21, 2026

Replying to @ildiavolorosso@sfba.social

@ildiavolorosso@sfba.social @pluralistic@mamot.fr We had something similar here in the UK with Karrimor. I've still got two (an expedition backpack and a large daysack) from the 90s/early 2000s going strong, and all their stuff was that solid then. A more recent one is far less well made, and a bit cheaper. Basically useless for hiking from new - I've had really cheap no-name stuff from eBay that's better - and even just used for trips to the shops it's suffered. Being bought by Sports Direct was a big factor

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Mar 16, 2026

Replying to @rndeon@cosocial.ca

@rndeon @pluralistic Now I wonder if anyone has ever assessed the emissions savings from script- and ad-blocking

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Mar 13, 2026

Replying to @ruari@velocipederider.com

@ruari My sole public-facing website is a GPX file visualiser. When I made it public I added a privacy statement: "Privacy: I don't set any cookies, or store any data. All processing is done in your browser so I have no access to your routes " It's easy, unless you come from the position that screwing fractional cents out of every page load is a business model

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Mar 03, 2026

Replying to @itsfoss@mastodon.social

@itsfoss I thought it was bad last year. Then they found something worse than Teams.

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Jan 12, 2026

Replying to @qbe@chaos.social

@qbe @csepp @beecycling @TheBreadmonkey Have you seen the typical "professional" taxi or delivery van driver in most places? The ones round here are bringing the average standard down.

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Jan 08, 2026

@controlc@mstdn.ca You're probably right, but my kid has more empathy than that and a better eye for usability

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Chris Hodges @HodgesC@mas.to · Jan 08, 2026

@controlc@mstdn.ca @pluralistic@mamot.fr It's the sort of avoidable error that's particularly annoying (even though I'm very lucky with my vision). Someone has chosen to prioritise adherence to a colour scheme over functionality - in something that's meant to be a basic, functional, tool

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