9/24/06: 12 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Greenway

The weather was extremely rainy at the beginning of this 6:30 am run on a Sunday without Judy. I caught up on all of my regular podcasts (Daily Source Code, Accident Hash, and Phedippidations). The main topic left in my mind after the run was the conversation between Patricia and Adam on the Daily Source about their daughter's intent to spend the night at her boyfriend's house. Yes, this is their 16 year old daughter and her 21 year old boyfriend. Adam and Patricia comment about how mature their daughter behaves and thinks. But, I would remind them that 16 year old brains are not mature. And, the parts left to mature are the ones associated with inhibiting bad ideas.
I ran with the Timex "Time and Distance" to ensure I got the mileage right on www.gmap-pedometer.com.

Spotted this bumper sticker which I thought was cool:

Bush Bin-Lyin

Data

Distance:	12 Miles
Time:	2:01:39
Heart Rate:	Not measured
Pace:	10:08
Weather:	Raining Temperature-73°
Route:	The usual 10.5 Miler + 1.5 Miler

Rant: Humanity, Not Polarity

I am just sick of all of the polarizing movements in the world right now. Bush's labeling Islamic Fascists. Self-proclaiming Islamists claiming the holy right to kill anyone who disagree with them (and I am not saying that is all Islamists). And others, that take world events and put an interpretation with them that help to motivate themselves and others to do evil (like kill humans) need to feel the shame they rightly deserve. The rest of us that can appreciate the truth and know that no good comes from evil need to passionately share this truth with those that choose evil as their means to good (which is a false path).
For me this came to fruition this week, my heart pained as I listened to my fellow citizens argue for torturous treatment of those they consider an enemy. I think we have to hold a higher standard. We will and should not take on the evil of our enemy in our passion to defend ourselves from him. Those that have the will and the way to kill us should be stopped. They should be treated as wayward children that have lost their way. Yes, they are dangerous and it may be necessary to kill them. But, only if they refuse to submit to justice. And, justice should be administered in a parental manner. Even the most motivated and evilly motivated terrorist is worthy of respect as a human. Albeit, a human who has allowed himself to become horribly misled. We, the good, should not intentionally torture such an already tortured soul. We may need to kill or permantently hold such an individual in prison to protect others, but to be cruel is not our nature. We are the good!
Many Americans (and likely many other people of Earth) feel this way. With any luck it is the majority of us. Let the good stand up to the evil and make a difference. Don't support evil regardless of its label.

9/22/06: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I ran this morning while listening to Shelby Lynne at the suggestion of a friend. The music is good, but not great for running. Nice bluesy sound with a touch of country. I am glad he recommended it. Sunday is a 12 miler which will be my longest run since the Mercedes Half-Marathon in February.

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	30:17
Heart Rate:	149
Pace:	10:06
Weather:	Mostly Cloudy 71° Humidity-68%

9/20/2006: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code, and the conclusion of Pod Save the Queen. I have started reading Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror, by Mary Habeck. I think this book is going to help me understand more about the Islamists that wish to attack and kill Americans.

How about all of this U.N. banter eh? George bashing Iran, Syria and others. Chavez and Ahmadinejad bash Bush and America. These powerful men are not after our best interest! All should stop name calling. "Devil", "Evil", "Islamic Fascists", etc. are not helping anyone.

Data

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	49:14
Heart Rate:	151
Pace:	9:51
Weather:	Clear skies 50° Humidity-90%

9/19/06: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I ran this morning. I am all caught up with my usual podcasts except for the latest Pod Save the Queen by Adam Curry's daughter. I had started it and it opened with a "screamo" number and I just couldn't go with it. So, I will listen to the show later. Christina start cranking them out more often please. Here's what I listened to:

As you know, I love these guys and this album.

How about the pope reading some text from the 14th century claiming that Islam is violent and in reaction some Islamists get violent protesting the statement. How ludicrous! Everyone, every where...seek truth and drop the violence, please.

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:49
Heart Rate:	152
Pace:	9:36
Weather:	Cloudy 70° Humidity-87%

9/17/06: 8.5 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Greenway

Met Judy at 6:30 am as usual. I neglected to restart the watch after a waterstop, so I messed up the heart rate monitoring. I have the time thanks to Judy's watch. It felt like a good run and the cool temperature was nice. The Team-in-Training crew that comes out today was peppered with the new Mercedes Marathon trainees. Thus, there were a huge number of runners out today. I will be running 12 miles next week in preparation for the Phedippidations World Wide Half-Marathon. So far, I am the only registrant from Alabama. Judy will be running, but has not registered yet.

Data

Distance:	8.5 Miles
Time:	1:18:30
Heart Rate:	Not measured
Pace:	9:14
Weather:	Partly cloudy 69°
Route

9/15/06: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code and the Accident Hash. I could actually feel a chill in the air. It felt nice. I know I will be bitching soon of the cold air. I ordered a couple of books to help me gain a better understanding of why America is so unfavored in the Arab/Muslim world. I understand why in regards to Iraq, but I know the impression of us is shaped by a longer thread that I just don't understand. When I hear that it is due to our policies, I wonder which policies. Is it as simple as "we are a friend of Israel" or is there more. If more, what? Anyway, I hope to learn. Here's what I ordered:

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:28
Heart Rate:	148
Pace:	9:49
Weather:	Clear 61° Humidity-81%

9/13/06: 6 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code and the Accident Hash. I also checked out Adam's Perversion for Profit video cast (or whatever these might be called). The lastest one (#4) includes a video of Jesus Camp that as Adam said is scary. I have also been checking out Laura Mansfield's site. I spotted this on the news. I haven't decided what I think of it yet. Seems to be an advertisment for her books. There's nothing wrong with that. I can not yet tell how biased and objective the content is.

Data

Distance:	6 Miles
Time:	1:01:16
Heart Rate:	154
Pace:	10:13
Weather:	Cloudy 70° Humidity-90%

9/12/06: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. This one was a MTV remembrance Skype conversation between Adam and a guy he has worked with at MTV and after. These show interest some, but not me. But, hey can't like everything. All of this 9/11 stuff and the ABC mini-series about the Path to 9/11 have left an imprint on my mind. It is just so hard to believe that we seem to have these 2 basic camps building up and fighting. And, I am one side whether I like it or not. It is just plain horrible to realize how futile and stupid we humans can make things. Seems like in all things there has to be those that seek good and those that seek bad; those that build and those that destroy; those that love and those that hate and such.

But, on this global battle, it is really hard to discern who is who. My heart says that Americans in general prefer to see all enjoy their liberty including seeking God in as each individual sees appropriate. The stuff that existed under the Taliban sure seemed way over the top if that is a sign of the lifestyle that would emerge if the extremists won. So, I am compelled to believe I have to hang in there for my country. But, I'm not sure it is that simple either. The war on Iraq sure demonstrated we have made some bad decisions that have led to bad results. So, some of the anger towards us is understandable. Sure seems like the long history leading to today isn't as simple as "the horrible Americans". But, it isn't as simple as "those horrible extremists" either. I sure hope enough humans can apply reason and calm to this problem and get past this crap.

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	30:24
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	10:08
Weather:	Cloudy 74° Humidity-64%

9/11: A Time to Remember

The date, the ABC mini-series, the news, and it's memories all around. Let's make sure we remember all those that have lost their lives as a result of this conflict between powerful men and their cultures. Many of those that have died whether from acts Americans consider terrorism or from acts of war were innocent. We need to find a better way than dividing ourselves into camps and using our best tools to kill. And, I say we. This is a human problem and we humans need to remember those that have died and stop the killing. Everybody, every where... question what you believe especially if your belief enables the killing of another.

9/10/06: 10.5 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Greenway

This was another Sunday run with Judy. This was her first 10.5 since her recovery for a medical procedure. She did great. I caught up on Adam Curry's Daily Source Code podcast (show 458) during the drive to and from Brownell. Check out the comments to hear a very cool song "Clinton Got a Blowjob" by Eric Schwartz. It is a real hoot and guaranteed to irritate republicans!

Data

Distance:	10.5 Miles
Time:	1:42:30
Heart Rate:	157
Pace:	9:46
Weather:	Clear Temperature-73°
Route

9/8/06: 3 Mile Run: Demopolis, AL

This was a morning run from the in-laws' place where I have been visiting with my daughter from North Carolina and my young son. The siblings don't get much time together so it was good to see them together. I listened to the episode 456 of Adam Curry's Daily Sourcecode. I gotta tell ya, it doesn't take much for Adam to go to the aggressive angry side. But, judging from some of his comments that suggest that podcasters open up and not fear being offensive in order to create some sense of conflict and honesty, may reveal why. Otherwise, I worry that Adam may need some anger management. Adam was irritated because of an interview he did with someone who subsequently divided the interview into 2 parts and indicated on the opportunity to play the second part that he would not as Adam had not "shown him any love" via shout outs and such. Yes, that is annoying, but Adam suggested that this guy bend over and get the love. And, it went on from there. Personally, I think people can disagree without being offensive. If it is just for the show, OK. But, man if that is real, it may need treatment. Adam if you read this, don't get too angry at me.

;)

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:40
Heart Rate:	Not measured
Pace:	9:14
Weather:	Clear Skies 69° 90% Humidity
Route

9/6/06: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code (DSC 455). One of the topics they discussed was Iran's recent invitation to George Bush to debate. Adam believes that talking in something we should do. While on the surface this seems reasonable, I think we have to question Iran's motivation and the likely results. I don't believe Iran's motivation is a geniune examination of facts and placement of those facts within logical argument forms taht will lead to rational and defensible positions. To the contrary, their motivation is simply to prevail over George Bush amongst some specific interest groups. I bet these groups do NOT include Americans. Further, I suspect the **C News' analysts are correct in asserting that to position the US President in such a debate immediately provides credibility and power to the Iran political engine and position. I also suspect that despite George Bush's and America's failure to be totally transparent and authentic, we are FAR MORE so. To debate Iran would ludicrous and pointless, IMHO. The most important part be the pointlessness of it all. Everyone would become more entrenched in their current position regardless of what it is. This would not be a real debate. It would simply be a hashing and rehashing of the positions already made very public. But, this What If story is good fodder for thought.

Data

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	50:31
Heart Rate:	151
Pace:	10:06
Weather:	Clear 64° Humidity-87%

9/5/06: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. A good deal of today's banter was about flying after manually setting the fuel system to feed from one wing....sounded scary to me especially that part where the engine died!

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	30:14
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	10:05
Weather:	Clear skies 70° Humidity-87%

Transparent and Authentic Rant

My job includes remaining abreast of the best practices in community-oriented development especially those used by the open source community. The intent is to leverage the best of these for the benefit of my company. We fully believe in paying back the community via participation so this isn't a purely selfish thing. We are take our obligation to participate seriously. None the less, my work in this regard has exposed me to much of the culture in the open source community, blogging, podcasting, and other Web 2.0 (world 3.0) entities.

So, when I encounter something in my daily life that touches on the cultural and societal flavors of this general flow, I sometimes notice. I had one of those moments today. I asked a runner in our local area if he was signing up for the First Annual Phedippidations World-Wide Half Marathon Challenge. He was not sure, but thought that he would. That was cool. Then, I asked him if he was going to start a podcast as a recent survey indicated that he might. And, here's the part that got me! He said that the local charity that supports and benefits by a lot of the organized running stuff he is involved in got a new sponsor and as such they may frown on the podcasting idea. I am paraphrasing since he actually  mentioned the name of the sponsor and the charity. Both are big. Both are probably bureaucratic. Both are great, upstanding organizations that do a lot of good. But, how world 2.0 is it for one of them to think that what this guy says in his podcast, if he podcasts at all, is something they should poke their nose into! Yuk! This guy has a following of people that follow his enthusiasm for running and helping to the betterment of Birmingham, running, and both organizations.

This leads me to the Transparent and Authentic rant. The type of control network implied by the notion that this guy may not be able to podcast because of the new sponsor just implies that they want to control their image to this level of detail. I read that as some sort of synthetic transparency. And, frankly it turns my stomach. It is more a function of degree than a dichotomous "real or not real". Hey, I don't tell all here. Nor will I ever. But, I am 100% authentic on the subjects I choose to rant and rave about. And,I will do my damndest to be transparent. At the level of talking about running, I will not hold back. I think it is a shame that this guy potentially needs "permission" to podcast. It is clear what he says will be something he will feel obligated to moderate based on the expectations of some organization. I would prefer his authentic and transparent encouragements and thoughts for runners. I have no doubt that any reasonable person will see the genuineness of this person. The corporate cloud he is under may not make such true. In fact, it now makes me wonder about information spread by representatives of these organizations. Are the motivational things I see from the coaches written by the coach or pulled from the "prayer" book. They are good things and I quote some of them because I find them so good. But, I have to say were I to discover they were recipe based, I would find them less inspirational than less quotables directly from the mind of the individual.

That leads to the last bit. Another comment I heard today was that while Phedippidations was good, that some how The Competitors Radio Show offered something more useful to the person making this comment. Again, I am not going to get personal as to who said this and I am not asserting that this show isn't good or great. This is my rant and this is my reaction which may change as I learn more. For me, I am growing more cynical about statements from the modern so-greats like Lance Armstrong. Don't get me wrong; his achievements are monstrous and very noteworthy. But, did he do them without drugs! The monstrous amounts of money in competitive sports at his level of competition is running the risk of spoiling things if you ask me. And, maybe my perception is wrong and Lance never did any performance enhancing drugs, but I'm suspicious. The payoff is too high and temptation too enticing, if you ask me. For me, the long tail, niche, transparent, and authentic shows like Phedippidations take the day. Somehow I don't think Steve Runner (ok in the name of transparency Steve Walker) is anything but authentic and transparent and I love his show. And, there is a real good chance that the The Competitors Radio Show is transparent and authentic with interviews of equally transparent and authentic athletes. So, don't interpret this rant to legalistically. For me, authenticity, transparency, and passion for the niche rules the day. And, I don't think Lance Armstrong's ramblings will interest me more than Steve's.

 

By the way, I registered www.TransparentAndAuthentic.com and pointed it to this blog ;)

9/3/06:8.5 Mile Run: Brownnell-Shades Creek Greenway

Met Judy at 6:30 am as usual. This is our first run together since her recent medical procedure. She ran well and it was good to see her back at it. Way to go Judy. She turned around at the 3.5 mile mark, so I ran the last bit by myself. I continued listening to recent Accident Hash shows. Munk and Black Lab are just awesome. I listened to my queue of Phedippidations yesterday. Steve, thanks for the shoutout! And, the Falmouth race podcast was great drama. Very cool! I encountered a situation during this run that motivated me to rant. I will come back and link to it as soon as I publish it.

Data

Distance:	8.5 Miles
Time:	1:18:30
Heart Rate:	157
Pace:	9:14
Weather:	Clear Skies 71° 73% Humidity
Route

9/1/2006: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another morning run during which I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. It is so hard to believe that is already September. Adam hears advice from listeners for how to deal with a 21 year old's interest in his 16 year hold daughter. Adam and Patricia, his wife, seem to have an open channel with their daughter and talk about how mature she is. But, I would remind Adam that a 16 year old brain is still developing and one of the immature features is the self-controlling portions of the prefrontal cortex. Translation: 16 year olds are not wired to self-moderate like an older person. Yes, they can be very smart and exercise good judgement. But, parents should be deeply involved and assume that they, the parents, may need to apply the good judgement.

As to the run, I got passed my a guy my age. He passed me like I was a turtle and he was a hare, whaaaaa. Oh, I picked up the pace as I neared a group of teens waiting for their school bus. I didn't want to look like middle-aged has been. How ridiculous is that! Gees

Data

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:59
Heart Rate:	153
Pace:	9:40
Weather:	Clear skies 68° Humidity-84%