I had a bit of a holiday last weekend, and so didn’t prepare a recap last week like I envisioned. So, to make up for that, here’s what I got up to over the last couple of weeks, and what I plan to write about in the near future.
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Three Things
1. I took a mini-vacation to Kelowna, BC.
I loaded up Orange Julius (my bike) on June 4-8 and attended an off-road motorcycle course through Pacific Riding School. This is the second time I’ve attended this school for their instruction, and they are fantastic. Their school is mobile, so check that link to see where they are putting these courses on over the next while; I know they are going to Nanaimo in September.
2. I returned to the office this week.
As part of my firm’s reopening, I returned to the office on Tuesday, after my mini-vacation to Kelowna. I’m the one that gets to plant the flag and say “Claims is here for those that need us”. It’s been good – kind of like Christmas-week traffic on the roads, and only a dozen or so in our office of 200+ people.
3. I went for a run, breaking up a lull.
I was feeling quite guilty about it, but with my mini-vacation and other complicated things – like just being run down – I hadn’t run in a while. On Saturday I had a great run to get back into the cadence of things (runners will see what I did there). Oh, and as an aside, I subscribed to Runner’s World (as a $5 add-on to my new Road and Track and Car and Driver subscriptions).
Random Links I Found Interesting
I’m not a fan of vehicle makers doing alpha-testing of autonomous operation on our roads, in real time, with people and cars and motorbikes and bicycles out there as test subjects (I’m still looking at you, Tesla). Recent news confirms that Tesla is now facing their first lawsuit over an autonomous vehicle fatality. (From @Visordown)
Electric vehicles of all kinds are going to take off over the next 10 years. The issue, of course, is charging. Most Vancouverites have to be rich (meaning owning a detached or semi-detached home) in order to have an electric car, just due to charging infrastructure. A new start-up – one of a few – is looking at ways to electrify the road and provide juice through inductive charging. That’s like the wireless charging that’s been around for mobile phones forever, and would be like a slot car, in a way. I think this is the game-changing electricity roll-out we need for real electrification of the private domestic fleet. In case you think it’s too complex, inductive loop sensors are precisely what is used to detect vehicles at traffic lights to control the changing of the signal. (From @_diginsurance)
A fun motorcycling article that got a lot of attention when I posted it to LinkedIn: The Top 10 Most Common Motorcycling Myths. (From @Rideapart)
Two great articles from one great source: Insurance Thought Leadership. (Seriously, if you don’t follow them, you should, and subscribe to their newsletter. And follow me and subscribe to the site, while you’re at it!) The first, an article on whether insurers (or brokers and intermediaries) should consider the Amazon model for distribution. The second, a thought-provoking piece on the future (extinction) of automobile insurance. (Via @itlupdates)
And finally, a bit of Friday frivolity. Michelin is looking for some new employees. From the article:
Michelin’s travel division is now working on a new motorcycle touring guide that will map great riding roads with, of course, a few good addresses to check out. The first location on the list of Michelin Moto guides is France and the manufacturer turned to social media to recruit two-wheel travelers to help contribute to the book.
So what the heck, right? I will need to perhaps retire from insurance a bit early, and will need a job. Canada’s a big place. I could do this as my retirement posting – it would sure beat working in Wal-Mart (would you like a cart or a sticker today?).
I posted it to my normal channels, and actually got a response from Michelin Canada:
Good on Michelin for doing a guide specifically tailored to motorcyclists, with great roads as part of the routes. Now I’m sure they’ll tap me when they come to North America.
Things You Might Have Missed
There are a couple of interesting articles that I’ve posted over the last few weeks that might be of interest. First, Motorcycling During the Pandemic outlines my thoughts on riding to other places, going beyond your bubble into other neighbourhoods, during the lockdown. An interesting read as we are starting to reopen. Second, I had a long piece about Privacy and Social Media, where I outline that we should actually give much more thought to social media and our use of technology in general. Question: when is the last time you read a EULA, or used a complex password (hint: use a password manager that syncs on all devices, like @Lastpass)?
Upcoming articles
Of note, I have aggregated all of my future post ideas into one spot, and I think that this will help keep me organized, and writing, going forward. You will see the following pieces come out in the next little while.
Insuriosity – A long form piece about the sad state of strata (condominium) insurance in British Columbia. (Hopefully this week)
Fitness – A long form piece on my own history with exercise technology and data logging – what has worked, and what has been “meh”. This article has been gestating a while, and I think is really worth the read.
Motorcycling – A long form piece on the off-road course I did last weekend, with photos.
Photography – A collection of the photos from the off-road school, taken by me and the school’s resident photographer.
Have a fantastic week!
