Bob's Blog

Fdip213: Sports Medical Quackery
Fdip214: Email to my Droid
Fdip215: Inspiring Off the Couch
Fdip216: Running Through a New England Town
Fdip217: Running Legend: Browning Ross

Episode 193: Windows 7 Opens to Ads, YouTube's HD Video, Piracy at Work, Dell's Android Phone in China, and more...
Episode 194: Google Talks Up Chrome OS, Verizon Tackles Texting, Droid vs. iPhone, Hulu To Charge For Content, and more...
Episode 195: TVs and Computers Converge?, Rupert Murdoch vs. Google, PC Makers Will Crown Android King, and more...
Episode 196: Does Google Get News?, 2010 Predictions, AT&T Losing iPhone Exclusivity?, and more...
Adam Curry really is a crackpot. He has good insight into technology and stuff, but the conspiracy theory like interpretations of everything is so distracting and annoying.

Audience and Owen

Fitness Rocks
Has Monte gone commercial? iTunes did not load show 150 from my collection at mevio.com. The site, Fitness Rocks, now shows a Subscribe button seems to want to set me up for a monthly charge. Now, I have to decide if I want to pay I reckon. I emailed Dr. Monte and he indicated that iTunes should work and that 1 show a month will continue to be free. iTunes did work. This is one of my favorite podcasts and I know production is not free or cheap. I may subscribe just to offer support.

Will Exercise Make You Live Longer?
Evolutionary Biology and Health – Part One: an Interview with Neil Shubin, Ph.D.
Love the "I know 1/2 of you don't accept the science of evolution and this is not an invitation for debate. For the rest of you...."
Evolutionary Biology and Health - Part Two: an Interview With James Evans, M.D., Ph.D.
Is the FDA Protecting Our Food and Drugs?

233: Starting from Scratch
369: Poultry Slam 2008 (pretty sure I heard this before, but it is good)
395: Middle of the Night (how do you recognize a poor salesman? He can't sell life insurance to a Kennedy)
286: Mind Games

Exercise Data

December 17, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	10 Miles
Time:	1:35:24
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Clear Temperature-49° Humidity-48%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	700 Yards
Time:	17:55

December 15, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.23 Miles
Time:	59:25
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-59° Humidity-94%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

December 13, 2009: Birmingham, AL Mercedes Course (well almost) Running
Distance:	13.39 Miles
Time:	2:06:10
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:25
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-53° Humidity-93%
Route

December 12, 2009: Birmingham, AL Jingle Bell Run at Greystone Elementary Running (ran with John, school event)
Distance:	1 Miles
Time:	9:00 (estimated)
Pace:	9:00 (estimated)
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-40° Humidity-40%

December 11, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.15 Miles
Time:	1:26:06
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:24
Weather:	Clear Temperature-29° Humidity-56%

December 9, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.1 Miles
Time:	1:26:07
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:27
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-60° Humidity-88%
A truck passed me going the same direction (on the other side of the road) and crashed! It fishtailed and left the road right in front of me. I ran as fast as I could to where it left the road and found it upside down with in a raveen with water in it. I yelled, "are you OK?" The response was a resounding, "yes." And, a teenage boy climbed out unharmed. I was so afraid I was going to find a bloody mess in the car. I waved down a car and asked the driver to let the boy use her cell phone. I wasn't carrying one and his was not working after getting soaked in the water. He called his house. You could tell that his mother answered. He said: Let me talk to Dad. Yeah, I'm fine, but I need to talk to Dad please. Dad, I have had an accident..... His Dad arrived and showed compassion and concern. His first action was to simply hug his son. I hope all ends well for the boy, Lou.

December 8, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.13 Miles
Time:	1:28:21
Heart Rate:	Forgot monitor
Pace:	9:40
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-50° Humidity-87%

December 6, 2009: Demopolis, AL Running
Distance:	2.89 Miles
Time:	27:33
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:31
Weather:	Clear Temperature-29° Humidity-82%
Route iPod died. iPhone was loaded with old stuff. Got distracted and never finished the run.

December 5, 2009: Demopolis, AL Jingle Bell Run 5K Finished 11th overall, 1st in Age Group
	Distance	3.1 Miles
	Time	48:56
	Heart Rate	164
	Pace	7:41
	Weather:	Clear Temperature-60° Humidity-47%
	Route Results

December 4, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.19 Miles
Time:	58:39
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:28
Weather:	Clear Temperature-44° Humidity-55%

December 3, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.13 Miles
Time:	1:30:00 (estimated watch was dead)
Heart Rate:	Watch was dead
Pace:	9:51
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-43° Humidity-76%

December 1, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	5.01 Miles
Time:	50:14
Heart Rate:	132
Pace:	10:01
Weather:	Clear Temperature-33° Humidity-92%

November 29, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Shades Creek Greenway - Montclair Running
Distance:	17.01 Miles
Time:	2:47:19
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	9:50
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-47° Humidity-83%
Route

November 27, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	4 Miles
Time:	38:57
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:44
Weather:	Clear Temperature-37° Humidity-79%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

November 26, 2009: Birmingham, AL 33rd Annual Montclair Run, Sam Lapidus Run
	Distance:	3.1 Miles
	Time:	48:56
	Heart Rate:	164
	Pace:	7:41
	Weather:	Clear Temperature-60° Humidity-47%
	Route Results

November 25, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.17 Miles
Time:	1:26:04
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:23
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-52° Humidity-86%

November 24, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	4.01 Miles
Time:	38:09
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-52° Humidity-88%

November 23, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

November 22, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Shades Creek Greenway - Crestline Running
Distance:	13 Miles
Time:	2:05:29
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:39
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-52° Humidity-82%
Route

November 20, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	8.09 Miles
Time:	1:13:24
Heart Rate:	148
Pace:	9:04
Weather:	Clear Temperature-68° Humidity-35%

November 19, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.14 Miles
Time:	1:26:27
Heart Rate:	148
Pace:	9:27
Weather:	Clear Temperature-48° Humidity-71%

November 17, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.21 Miles
Time:	1:00:25
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:43
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-53° Humidity-89%

November 16, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

Nov 10-15: Running, Swimming, Reading, Scouting, And Shoe Goo

2009-11-15T17:24:00.002-06:00

I spent most of the week in San Francisco. I was worried about the 5-6 pounds I have lost over the last 5-6 months, but I found them in California. It is a sign that I have a harder time eating right on the road. I also had fewer workouts. You can tell that conferences are not organized by people that believe that daily exercise is a significant part of EVERY day. Well, at least not enough exercise to help me work up to my 70.3 Triathlon. I am planning on doing Augusta's 70.3 on September 26, 2010. It looks like Team in Training here in Birmingham may be taking a team to this event. If so, I expect I will sign up with them. I have met the coach and know several of the other people that will likely be going. And, it will help get money to help with finding cures for Leukemia and Lymphoma. A good deal all the way around.

I did, however, learn a lot about the Blackberry especially from a development perspective. There is a lot more to the Blackberry than I thought. I saw examples (e.g., 7Digital) of applications that really rock. I am excited about the opportunities for learning and doing more in this regard. I also finished a very simple, but finished an application for the iPhone while I was there. So, flexing my technical muscle and enjoying it. I love learning.

I have started reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougal. I keep hearing that others in the running community are reading and commenting accordingly. So, my curiosity got piqued. I like the start of the book. Now, to see if I find enough time to make a dent. Should be an easy read.

My Brook's Beast running shoes have started wearing down on the left heel. In fact, they have been wearing through the first rubber layer in less than 200 miles! I wear an ankle brace on that foot. I have been wearing the Brook Beast for years. But, I know this shoe has more miles of service remaining. So, I am using shoe goo to extend the life. I just can't fathom changing shoes every 175 miles. I think it is going to work. I have had 1 run on the shoe shown here (after applying the goo).

John's Tiger Cub troop visit Hoover Fire Station # 8. They had a great time and John got to put on a firemen's suit:

Podcast Listening

Fitness Rocks

Corn and Your Health: an Interview with Filmmaker Ian Cheney

Fdip212: Four Hour Marathon Part 1: Why?

Episode 192: Bloggers vs. Journalists, Skype Founders Are Back, T-Mobile Users Reeled After Outage, and more...

394: Bait and Switch

Exercise Data

November 15, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Shades Creek Greenway - Crestline Running
Distance:	15 Miles
Time:	2:23:17
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:33
Weather:	Clear Temperature-42° Humidity-92%
Route

November 13, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:38
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Clear Temperature-61° Humidity-56%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

November 12, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	6 Miles
Time:	52:01
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	8:40
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-52° Humidity-74%
Route

November 11, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	10 Miles
Time:	1:29:25
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	8:55
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-54° Humidity-86%
Route

November 10, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	6.11 Miles
Time:	54:32
Heart Rate:	149
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-54° Humidity-80%
Route

November 2-8: Racing, Running, and Trick-a-Treating

2009-11-08T11:32:00.001-06:00

I am extremely busy, so I am just going to update the data and drop in some pictures. My Brook's Beast shows seem to be wearing down at less than 200 miles which is a new development. So, I bought some shoe goo and patched up the heal so I can get more like my usual 400 miles.John had a blast during Halloween as you can see from these pictures. Our neighborhood celebrates Halloween wonderfully too.

Podcast Listening

Team Mofries

Fdip211: Gifts, Gadgets and Gizmos for Runners

Episode 191: Google Talks Up Chrome OS, Droid vs. iPhone War Begins, Hulu To Charge?, U.S. Regulators Target Intel, and more...

IT Conversations

Exercise Data

November 8, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell Running
Distance:	13.04 Miles
Time:	2:04:28
Heart Rate:	139
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Clear Temperature-50° Humidity-89%
Route

November 7, 2009: Birmingham, AL Vulcan Run 10K
http://www.vulcanrun.com/	Distance:	6.2 Miles My watch said 6.36
	Time:	48:56
	Heart Rate:	164
	Pace:	7:41
	Weather:	Clear Temperature-60° Humidity-47%
	Route

November 6, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:22
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:03
Weather:	Clear Temperature-37° Humidity-93%

November 5, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.21 Miles
Time:	59:08
Heart Rate:	138
Pace:	9:31
Weather:	Clear Temperature-44° Humidity-93%

November 4, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	7.01 Miles
Time:	1:06:05
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:25
Weather:	Clear Temperature-43° Humidity-89%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1800 Yards
Workout:	100 yards freestyle 100 yards kick 200 yards freestyle 200 yards kick 300 yards freestyle 300 yards kick 200 yards freestyle 200 yards kick 100 yards freestyle 100 yards kick

November 3, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:11
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:20
Weather:	Clear Temperature-43° Humidity-93%

Oct 11- Nov 1: Exercise, Camping, and Other Excusions

2009-11-01T18:31:00.002-06:00

Another few busy weeks. I have acquired a MacBook Pro and have managed to migrate from Windows and my Toshiba Portege. I will setting up the Portege for John, my 6 year old son. He has been sharing my wife's laptop as they play fishworld or something like that. He said to here, "I want a laptop." So, I know he will enjoy it. Work has been nuts and I have not been able to work out as much as I like, but I have done alright. I have kept up my running, but the other activities (swimming, cycling, and strength training) have waned a little. But, I can't just do it all.

My son and I went on our first Tiger Cub Scout camping adventure at Camp Comer near Fort Payne, AL, home of the band Alabama. It was call Camp Haunted. We shot BB guns, rode on a haunted hayride, did crafts, roasted marshmellows, and camped in the cold. About 10 minutes after climbing in out sleeping bags, I heard something hit the ground near us. I said, "John, you alright?" No answer. "John!". Then, my son said, "I'm outside the tent!" He had fallen off the cot (see the pictures from Flickr below) to the outside of the tent and right out onto the ground. He was unharmed and climbed under the tied flaps of the entrance to the tent and back up onto the cot. The rest of the night was uneventful. I woke up at 5:00 am and proceeded to make coffee using my backpacker stove and percolator. John, also got up. It was below freezing and he got cold. I tried to get him to walk around and warm up. Unfortunately, by time breakfast rolled around, he wanted to eat and leave because he was so cold. But, we had a good time regardless. Here are the pictures:

We enjoyed Halloween. John had a grand time of course. Betsy, I, and some friends of ours went to B&A Warehouse for Boo Halloween. We had a great time. Last night, Halloween, we had our usual neighborhood cook out. The children ran around and played until dark. Then, the trick or treating began. Betsy took John around and I maned our door and met the trick or treaters that came by. It was a good time. Here are the pictures from Boo Halloween as stored on flickr:

Podcast Listening Update

Gordon Bell, Jim Gemmell - Total Recall
Eric Lawrence - Fiddler
Silona Bonewald - Data Ownership
Episode 65 - StackOverflow
Simon Perkins - HTTPWatch (I hope to check this one out)
Scott Lemon - Technometria: Scratch and Squeak
Alice Tepper Marlin - Setting the Standard for the Global Economy
(Would this address Team Sweat's concern about Nike, if Nike participated?)

Software Engineering Radio

Fitness Rocks

Knowledge Is Not Always Power: An Interview with David Katz, M.D.

Rainy Cold Mornings

Exercise Data

November 1, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell Running
Distance:	13.04 Miles
Time:	2:05:00
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:35
Weather:	Clear Temperature-43° Humidity-93%
Route

October 31, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1200 Yards
Workout	100 yards freestyle 100 yards kick 200 yards freestyle 200 yards kick 300 yards freestyle 300 yards kick

October 30, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:45
Heart Rate:	152
Pace:	9:15
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-73° Humidity-84%

October 19, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.19 Miles
Time:	1:01:25 Time is estimated as I forget to hit start on after bio stop. Left ankle a little stiff and tender, but not bad.
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:55
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-58° Humidity-90%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	800 Yards
Time:	17:34

October 28, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	8.02 Miles
Time:	1:17:15
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:37
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-55° Humidity-83%
Fell. Left ankle held up OK thanks to brace. Skinned right knee. Let's hope the prob is not back

October 27, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.3 Miles
Time:	1:01:50
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:48
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-57° Humidity-93%

October 26, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

October 24, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:48
Heart Rate:	151
Pace:	9:16
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-51° Humidity-80%
October 26, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

October 23, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.19 Miles
Time:	1:01:25
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:55
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-70° Humidity-81%

October 22, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	8.05 Miles
Time:	1:16:43
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:31
Weather:	Clear Temperature-61° Humidity-62%

October 21, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	14:34

October 20, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:47
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:55
Weather:	Clear Temperature-40° Humidity-93%

October 18, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	9.17 Miles
Time:	1:29:19
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:44
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-57° Humidity-37%
Left big toe nail is ok, but is black now. So, is right one, by the way

October 17, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Irondale Cycling
Distance:	45.09 Miles
Time:	2:45:11
Heart Rate:	129
Speed:	16.38 mph
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-46° Humidity-76%
Route

October 12, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	11.19 Miles
Time:	1:42:55
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	9:11
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-66° Humidity-93%
Just got back from Fripp. Left big toe nail seems to have rubbed against shoe to the point of sensitivity and looks like it wants to come off.

October 11, 2009: Fripp Island, SC Fripp Island to Beaufort Cycling
Distance:	21 Miles
Time:	1:29:56
Heart Rate:	Not measured
Speed:	14.01 mph
Weather:	Clear Temperature-82° Humidity-62%
Route

October 6 -10: Fripp Fest 5K & World Wide Festival of Races 1/2 Marathon

2009-10-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

Today, I ran 2 races at once: The Fripp Island 5K and the World Wide Festival of Races, 1/2 Marathon. Here are some pictures from Flickr and a race report follows:

I won this 5K last time I ran it, but I saw several runners at the beginning of the race that I knew were very likely going to run faster than I can. I ran on this wonderful nearly tropical island with palmetto trees and aligators (a 78 year old male golfer lost an arm to one this week). I ran the 5K in 24:57. After finishing the 5K, I immediately headed out to add 10 more. I ran to Hunting Island and returned. The weather was in the mid 70's with clear skies. I saw dolphins in the water between the islands as I crossed the bridge. The rest of the run was uneventful, but I did fear that the the 5K start could have helped me start the 1/2 marathon much too strong. But, I finished; tired but I did it.

Podcast Listening

Old Friends Rocking Out

Fdip207: Chi-Running

Fitness Rocks

Poverty and Your Health

Episode 187: Windows 7 is Imminent, Verizon Hooks Up With Android, AT&T to Lose iPhone Exclusivity?, and more...

137: The Book That Changed Your Life

[–] 137: The Book That Changed Your Life
Stories of people who believe a book changed their life. It's a romantic notion, and one reason we believe it is because we want to believe our lives can be changed by something so simple as an idea — or a set of ideas contained in a book.

Michael Lopp - A Brief History of Software
Matt Drance - Cocoa Programming
Christopher Allen - iPhone in Action: Web Development or SDK?
Need to check out PhoneGap (Open source cross platform mobile development)
Jonathan Littman, Marc Hershon - I Hate People
David Kessler - The End of Overeating

Exercise Data

October 10, 2009: Fripp Island, SC Fripp Fest 5K/World Wide Festival of Races 13.1
`	Distance:	13.1 Miles
	Time:	2:05:53 5K in 24:57
	Heart Rate:	160
	Pace:	9:36
	Weather:	Clear Temperature-79° Humidity-83%
	Route

October 9, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.31 Miles
Time:	1:00:59
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:39
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-78° Humidity-84%

October 8, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	8:05 Miles
Time:	1:14:26
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:14
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-64° Humidity-78%

October 6, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:01
Heart Rate:	135
Pace:	9:35
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-63° Humidity-94%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	15:08

Sep 8-Oct 4: Running, Cycling, Swimming, Traveling and Wagging More and Barking Less

2009-10-05T03:39:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I tried to catch up with this blog. Meanwhile, a lot has happened and it has been mostly good. I have been traveling a bit and completed the USMC Ultimate Challenge Mud Run on September 19, 2009. My team consisted of Perry Chapman and his son Devin, and Ian Yates. Susan Yates had her own team of 4 women. We had a blast, as usual. Check out these pictures from Flickr:

John has taken up Karate and tested for his yellow belt last Thursday (September 1, 2009). We are pretty sure he passed, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow. Checkout the pictures that I put on Flickr:

I saw a great bumper sticker this week:

Wag More, Bark Less

John is in the Tiger Cub Scouts now. He is loving it and we recently with the a Tiger Cub Safari at the local zoo where we had a great time. He is selling popcorn to help fund his troop. If you wish to help, you can buy online and he will get credit for the sale. Checkout the pictures from the Safari as posted on Flick:

Podcast Listening

468: Glenn Howes Sets Us Straight on iPhone Dev!
Includes a reference to an iTunes video series from Stanford University.

Software Engineering Radio

Exercise Data

October 4, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell-Jemison Running
Distance:	7.02 Miles
Time:	1:03:07
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Clear Temperature-59° Humidity-75%
Route

October 3, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell-Leeds-Mountain Brook Cycling
Distance:	49.11 Miles
Time:	2:55:49
Heart Rate:	125
Speed:	16.89 mph
Weather:	Clear Temperature-50° Humidity-89%
Route

October 2, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.33 Miles
Time:	59:17
Heart Rate:	139
Pace:	9:21
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-70° Humidity-78%

October 1, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.32 Miles
Time:	59:39
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:26
Weather:	Clear Temperature-74° Humidity-50%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

September 30, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	8.07 Miles
Time:	1:20:10
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	9:56
Weather:	Clear Temperature-50° (Wore gloves for 1st this fall) Humidity-93%

September 29, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:31
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Clear Temperature-51° Humidity-89%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

September 27, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell-Jemison Running
Distance:	9.24 Miles
Time:	1:31:08
Heart Rate:	137
Pace:	9:51
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-67° Humidity-93%
Route

September 26, 2009: Birmingham, AL CR 41 to 25 to 78 Cycling
Distance:	40.23 Miles
Time:	2:22:57
Heart Rate:	131
Speed:	17.18 mph
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-77° Humidity-84%
Route

September 25, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.19 Miles
Time:	1:03:13
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	10:12
Weather:	Clear Temperature-71° Humidity-93%

September 24, 2009: Palisades, NY IBM Executive Meeting Center Running
Distance:	6.05 Miles
Time:	1:00:57
Heart Rate:	146
Pace:	10:04
Weather:	Clear Temperature-70° Humidity-87%
Route

September 23, 2009: Palisades, NY IBM Executive Meeting Center Running
Distance:	8.16 Miles
Time:	1:16:52
Heart Rate:	149
Pace:	9:25
Weather:	Clear Temperature-64° Humidity-90%
Route
IBM Executive Meeting Center, Palisades, NY Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

September 22, 2009: Palisades, NY IBM Executive Meeting Center Running
Distance:	3.04 Miles
Time:	30:05 (Dark and I was a bit sore)
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	9:53
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-62° Humidity-90%
Route

September 21, 2009: Palisades, NY IBM Executive Meeting Center Running
Distance:	9.08 Miles
Time:	1:26:41
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-72° Humidity-49%
Route

September 17, 2009: Orlando, FL Walt Disney World Dolphin Running
Distance:	6.07 Miles Ran with Doug Johnston (good running partner)
Time:	56:48
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:21
Weather:	Clear Temperature-75° Humidity-87%
Route

September 16, 2009: Orlando, FL Wat Disney World Dolphin Running
Distance:	6.11 Miles Ran with Doug Johnston (good running partner)
Time:	56:16
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:12
Weather:	Clear Temperature-76° Humidity-82%
Route
Walt Disney World Dolphin, Orlando, FL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	16:54

September 15, 2009: Orlando, FL Walt Disney World Dolphin Running
Distance:	5.14 Miles Ran with Doug Johnston (good running partner)
Time:	46:55
Heart Rate:	154
Pace:	9:07
Weather:	Clear Temperature-75° Humidity-90%
Route
Walt Disney World Dolphin, Orlando, FL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	16:59

September 13, 2009: Orlando, FL Walt Disney World Dolphin Running
Distance:	11.27 Miles Intended to do 13 miles, but I miscalculated my turn around point.
Time:	1:47:12
Heart Rate:	151
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Rain Temperature-81° Humidity-84%
Route

September 12, 2009: Birmingham, AL CR-41 to 280 to 25 to 78 Cycling
Distance:	42.84 Miles
Time:	2:29:36
Heart Rate:	133
Speed:	16.30 mph
Weather:	Haze Temperature-71° Humidity-84%
Route

September 11, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:53
Heart Rate:	139
Pace:	9:37
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-72° Humidity-91%

September 10, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:42
Heart Rate:	149
Pace:	9:13
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-72° Humidity-84%

September 9, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.18 Miles
Time:	1:02:31
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	10:06
Weather:	Clear Temperature-68° Humidity-93%

September 8, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:15
Heart Rate:	151
Pace:	9:05
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-67° Humidity-60%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1800 Yards
Endurance Workout:	100 Free Style 100 Kick 200 Free Style 200 Kick 300 Free Style 300 Kick 200 Free Style 200 Kick 100 Free Style 100 Kick

Sep 1-6: Running, Cycling, Swimming, Eating Right, and Socialism

2009-09-06T11:00:00.002-05:00

I cycled with a much smaller group this week. It was raining. This made for a few interesting moments including several times with my back tire fish-tailed several times while approaching stops: it was a little scary. Then , at one point a car decided to pass another car on a bend going up hill. A truck was coming the other way. The truck veered off the road, into a culvert, and over some sizable boulders. But, we were all OK. It is amazing to see what some drivers will attempt to do to save 20 seconds. Stay safe people! I am not having any trouble with the 40-50 mile distances.

The swimming is coming along good. The all kick workout (1/2 mile long) was a real challenge. My hamstrings are still a bit tight. But, I do think I am making progress.

Political Rant: Mr. Obama, you are welcome to talk to my child. I can not believe the ferocity by which some people are paranoid that 15 minutes of speech and what amounts to a little homework assignment is going to turn our children into little socialists. And, the comparisons to Hitler and such are simply ridiculous and way out of hand. Give me a break! Glenn Beck's zealous preaching seems to be ruling the wisdom of some. I hope I am able to demonstrate to my son as he ages that it is OK to listen to all sides and come to your own conclusion. I am not worried about my ability to influence his political views, despite any politicians activities, while my son is 6. I have a bit more influence. Oh, I do trust Mr. Obama to talk to my child anyway. Now, if it was Dick Cheney, I want my son removed from the room and all subsequent discussion stricken from the halls of education. Dick is who we should fear.

Podcast Listening

27: The Cruelty of Children

.Net Rocks

James Kovacs on Convention over Configuration

Episode 182: Internet Turns 40, Skype Sold, iPhone Headed to China, Employee Sacked Over All-Capitalized E-Mail, and more...

Fitness Rocks (I was glad to see a show pop up in iTunes! Dr. Ladner has not recorded one in months)

140: Is Exercise Making us Fat? a rebuttal to TIME magazine
[Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin by John Cloud] Dr. Monte Ladner, M.D. and his guest, Dr. Church who was an author of one of the papers John Cloud references, describe how John cherry picked lines from the study while ignoring its major conclusions. They go on to point out how John ignored much of the evidence in the field and reached erroneous conclusions as a result. I found it to be an interesting debate. No surprises in the grand scheme. If you want to live a healthy life, eat right and exercise. It is not an either-or dichotomy. It ain't rocket science.

Exercise Data

September 6, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell Running
Distance:	12.89 Miles
Time:	2:06:53
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	9:50
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-71° Humidity-87%
Route

September 5, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Lakeshore - Ross Bridge - Shades Crest - Homewood Cycling
Distance:	45.16 Miles
Time:	2:46:16
Heart Rate:	136
Speed:	16.30 mph
Weather:	Rain Temperature-70° Humidity-94%
Route

September 4, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

September 2, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running I saw a copperhead snake in the road near Mt Laurel Elementary.
Distance:	6.22 Miles
Time:	56:30
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:05
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-68° Humidity-87%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Kick Workout: With a board, no arms	100 yards free kick 4 X 50 yards increase speed with each lap 200 yards easy kick 100 yards sprint kick 4 X 50 yards decrease speed with each lap 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy free

September 1, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:52
Heart Rate:	137
Pace:	9:37
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-72° Humidity-78%

August 24-30: John Starts Karate and the Usual Stuff

2009-08-28T05:32:00.009-05:00

Yet another week gone by. The folks that evaluated me for life insurance say my heart rate is too low and my EKG abnormal. The price more than doubled and I am off to the doctor. I am not the least worried about the low heart rate, but I have to admit "abnormal EKG" is concerning. I am hoping the doctor says "typical pattern for a runner" just not normal for someone who sits on the butt eating a hamburger while the watch TV. But, alas, maybe I have a problem. If so, better to know I reckon. I visit the doctor tomorrow with EKG in hand. I may get a stress test out of this which is something I have long wanted just to see how I stack up.

A good week for exercise. I swam 600 yards at 14:55 which is fastest yet. I also rode 40 miles with a bunch of folks that I met as a result of John Gregg of Keep Moving Kate (& J.). It was fun and I got to meet a few folks. I backed off a few miles on the Sunday run given this longer ride.

John has started Karate. Here's a few pictures I posted on Flickr from his first official lesson. I say "official" because he has attended a few guest lessons.

These guys rock. I found this on Fixed Gear Blog while checking out one of twitter follower's posts.

Podcast Listening

Episode 181: Outed Blogger Suing Google, iPhone Legally Unlocked, Facebook's Hiring Spree, WiMax Unchained, and more...

Exercise Data

August 30, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	10.05 Miles
Time:	1:37:52
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	9:09
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-72° Humidity-91%

August 29, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Highway 78 - Return Cycling
Distance:	40.48 Miles
Time:	2:24:08
Heart Rate:	128
Speed:	19.9 mph
Weather:	Clear (dense fog at 1 point) Temperature-68° Humidity-93%
Route Rode with what seemed to be about 30-40 riders. I was lucky enough to befriend one named, Laura, that helped make sure I knew the way. I had a flat on the front tire near the 1/2 way point. It was a good ride and it was nice to meet some people too.

August 28, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.2 Miles
Time:	1:01:03
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	9:50
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-71° Humidity-90%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

August 27, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.2 Miles
Time:	1:01:42
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:57
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-74° Humidity-76%

August 25, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:24
Heart Rate:	130
Pace:	9:47
Weather:	Clear Temperature-66° Humidity-93%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	14:55 (fastest ever)

August 24, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

August 17-23: More Exercise and Listening

2009-08-18T07:26:00.008-05:00

Another hectic week. You know, the usual. Too much work, too little time, and not enough just pure play and fun. I reckon that is the story of modern life. Drive for maximum efficiency and when that doesn't work, just work harder. I do so wish I could win the lottery, lol. But, in the midst of the hecticness, I do get to play with technical things that I love and learn a lot. So, things certainly could be worse.

I have completed my initial set of swimming lessons. My teacher was patient and I have learned a lot. Now, I just need to practice, apply, and get the techniques I have learned into a smooth, continuous execution. Yeah, I have my work cut out for me. I figure I have all winter. I will work on it and try some tri's (pun intended) next sprint or summer. In fact, I think I will shoot for a couple sprints and 1 70.3 (that 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile ride, 13.1 mile run). I haven't selected where yet, but I suspect the sprints will be Buster Britton Memorial and Mountain Lakes.

Podcast Listening

Fdip200: A Goofy Little PodCast

Episode 180:
Apple vs. Psystar, Secret Rockmelt Browser, 10 Stupid iPhone Apps, Phones vs. the Kindle, and more...

Mark Roettgering - The Economics of Mobility: The Communications Value-System at the Dawn of a New Era

.Net Rocks

Vishwas Lele on Real-World Azure

Accident Hash (these just don't come out often enough! More C. C., more!)

Bleu Bleu Bleu

Exercise Data

August 23, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell Running
Distance:	13.08 Miles
Time:	2:05:16
Heart Rate:	138
Pace:	9:34
Weather:	Clear Temperature-61° Humidity-87%
Route

August 22, 2009: Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain State Park Cycling
Distance:	24 Miles
Time:	1:18:03
Heart Rate:	138
Speed:	18.45 mph
Weather:	Clear Temperature-78° Humidity-64%
Route

August 21, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:54
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:17
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-47° Humidity-91%

August 20, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:19
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:26
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-77° Humidity-89%

August 19, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.19 Miles
Time:	59:35
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:37
Weather:	Clear Temperature-74° Humidity-91%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim Workout
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

August 18, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	31:54
Heart Rate:	132
Pace:	10:37
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-74° Humidity-82%
I completed 3 workouts in the last 12 hours, so not surprised I was slow today.

August 17, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim Workout
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

August 11-16: More Exercise, Listening, + Windows 7

2009-08-14T17:43:00.006-05:00

I have had another busy week. I have managed to rebuild a computer based on the KM400-M2 motherboard. This is a Frankenstein machine. It is an ancient Gateway case, the KM400-M2 motherboard, a CD- RW, and DVD-RW from other long since retired boxes. I put in a 500GB SATA drive, booted it up with a Windows 7 installation 7 DVD and now it is running. Oh, it is my 6 year old's computer. So, my 6 year old has the most recent operating system in the house. LOL. I will be using it via RDP to check it out and play. There is nothing like putting your hands and arms in the bowels of a wrangling mess of electronics and coming out the other side with a working machine. Yeah, I still got my metal thumb.

My first impressions of Windows 7 are good. The first being that while it offers a sleeker look on the desktop and offers very readable help along the way, it did not shock me with such large differences I got distracted. Too early for me to say much as I have not yet completed a detailed analysis or a reading of someone else's detailed analysis of the changes from XP or Vista. This particular machine was running XP. I, however, use XP at work and Vista on my main personal machine. I have major hankering for a MacBook Pro. The wife has given me permission and I trying to determine if I really want to take the leap. My Toshiba Portege M200 has been cranky along quite well on Vista since I increased the RAM to 2GB. My XP boxes has to be rebooted several times a week. Meanwhile, the Vista machine could just go on and on and on and on.

Two of my team members for the upcoming USMC Ultimate Mud Run Challenge, Steve and Robin, had to withdraw because she is injured. But, I was able to secure a friend of mine, Perry Chapman and his son to be their replacements. Perry and I have done this before together and I haven't seen him in person in years. So, I am very much looking forward to it. We will still have a solid team. I am sorry that Steve and Robin can not make it. They are great team mates.

I am convinced after last week's Tri that triathletes differ from runners in that most are seriously fit. It seems to me that the spread from first to last is a lot tighter than in a run. But, it could just be my imagination. Regardless, I will continue training in all 3 sports all winter. I am not expecting big changes in my running and cycling. For swimming, however, I do have some significant work to do. I will not be logging distance and time for the most part. My swimming teacher with whom I have 1 more lesson is going to provide some workouts for me to do. This involve concentrating on various components of swimming for subsets of the total laps I will swim. So, I will be tracking distance, but not time. I have got to get my kick and breathing in shape. At least, I know where I need work.

Podcast Listening Update

Fdip199: Producing Phedippidations

385: Pro Se

Harald Prokop - How to Accelerate Non-cacheable, Dynamic Sites Leveraging a Globally Distributed Platform

Exercise Data

August 16, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell Running
Distance:	13 Miles
Time:	2:05:49
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:40
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-73° Humidity-87%
Route

August 15, 2009: Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain State Park Cycling
Distance:	24 Miles
Time:	1:19:15
Heart Rate:	140
Speed:	18.17 mph
Weather:	Clear Temperature-80° Humidity-71%
Route

August 14, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:00
Heart Rate:	133
Pace:	9:39
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-86° Humidity-55%
Route

August 13, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:18
Heart Rate:	139
Pace:	9:46
Weather:	Haze Temperature-74° Humidity-82%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards (lesson)

August 12, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	6.24 Miles
Time:	1:02:35
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	10:01
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-72° Humidity-93%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Workout:	Andy Workout 1 4 X 50 evens-sprint, odds-smooth, work on stroke 200 kick, with or without board 200 free, easy! 4 X 50 evens-work on arms, odds-work on legs 100 sprint 100 easy

August 11, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:09
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	9:43
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-76° Humidity-87%

Updated Cholesterol Readings

2009-08-09T11:47:00.002-05:00

Date	Total	HDL
August 9, 2009	141	50.2
June 16, 2009	172
April 2, 2009	147
January 6, 2009	171
November 11, 2008	182
July 27, 2008	198
May 8, 2008	231
April 23, 2008	206

Looking Good, but HDL could stand to be a little higher.

July 28-August 8: Listening, Running, Cycling, Swimming, Triathlon, and Some Trips

2009-07-29T05:17:00.013-05:00

How do you spell "busy"? Let me count the ways:

Too much work
Upcoming triathlon
Family obligations
Too much fun (really?)

OK. That's a silly list. But, I am am finding myself extremely busy and having a very hard time shuffling to ensure the right priorities get attention. I find myself feeling like an important ball that I am juggling alongside others is going to fall, break, and I will be heavily chastised by somebody.

Is this the way "modern" life is?
Is this just what happens when you have lived 50 years and you know each moment is precious and at least half of yours are behind you?
Are these just stupid questions and like Candide, I should just conclude that questioning is fruitless and I should just work my garden?

Well, I went to my brother's funeral. I saw members of the family I have not seen in a while. Most interestingly, I saw my niece, his daughter, whom I had not seen in about 24 years. She said things that I say as it relates to one's relationship with their family. It reminded me so much of the core family issues I have seemingly successfully left behind. The bothersome bit was the realization that they were present in the next generation, hers. One of my goals, as I am sure it is for many, is to end those things I wished I had never experienced before they were experienced by the generation I directly help create (my children). I think I have done well. It hurt me to know they were still visiting my niece. Leave's me still struggling with "Am I my brother's keeper?" But, my conversations with her did remind me that despite all, I have made really good choices in my life. My brother and I started in very similar circumstances, but made very different choices. The sadness I felt at his funeral were both for his life and his death. I was sad that he had not been a better pilot of his life and that it had ended so early. These 2 things were related. I'm not sure I or others helped him enough when he needed it, but many did try. My thoughts go to his daughter and her children. After years of not knowing where they were, I am glad we are in contact now and I plan to ensure that remains so.

Alright, got the stress and the sad off my chest. Let's move on to happier topics.

Last weekend the family and I spent the weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. We went to Six Flags and the Aquarium. We had a blast as you can see in these pictures I posted on Flickr (the first group are from my camera and the second group is from Betsy's):

I also completed the Mountain Lakes Triathlon in Guntersville, AL. I met J. and Kate in the registration line; that was awesome. This was our first face-to-face greeting. I never saw them again, but the place was packed and there was lots of hustle/bustle getting ready, doing the event, and such. I'm sure we will see each other at other events and J. is sharing his training groups training meet ups with me via email. Since I typically ride on Saturday, run on Sunday, and can't get far from the house and work Monday-Friday and his group meets up on Thursday to run, and Sunday to ride, I'm not sure our schedules will line up. But, I would like to participate in group rides more than I do, so I am contemplating how to change. Maybe, I will start running with my friend's, Prince, group on Saturday. Any way, the triathlon was an absolute blast and a reminder that I need to work on my swimming! I was 35 of 35 in my age group for the swim, 9 of 35 for bike, and 13 of 35 for run. I will be working on my swimming for the next 6-9 months before I do another triathlon. But, I am hooked now. Here's some pictures from the event from my Flickr page (I almost regret the last picture!):

Podcast Listening

Software Engineering Radio

Episode 61 - StackOverflow
Rich Wolski - EUCALYPTUS - Elastic Utility Computing Architecture for Linking Your Programs To Useful Systems
Monty Widenius, Brian Aker - Open source cultures, the Sun/MySQL acquisition
Sheeri K. Cabral - How to be a MySQL Community Superhero
Dave Winer - Tweeting the News
Scott Ruthfield - Jiffy: Open Source Performance Measurement and Instrumentation
Sachin Agarwal, Garry Tan - Posting With Posterous
This sounds very interesting and I hope I find some time to check it out. I especially like the notion of uploading stuff and it just figures out what to do. For example, if you upload a group of pictures, it sets up a gallery. That's awesome.
Larry Lessig - Current Laws and the Internet
Dion Almaer, Ben Galbraith, Scott Lemon - Browser Wars Revisited
Cathy Marshall - Personal Digital Management
Mark Carges - Accessible Business
A reminder that the API is the secret sauce to the modern app.
Ed Fontana - Interval of Interest and the Mobile Experience

.Net Rocks

367 Udi Dahan Scales Web Applications!

Episode 57: Compile-Time Metaprogramming

Episode 177:
Microsoft & Yahoo Hook Up, New Carriers for the iPhone?, EA Sorry for Booth Babe Scheme, and more...

Fdip198: Walking – by Henry David Thoreau

Exercise Data

August 8, 2009: Guntersville, AL Mountain Lakes Triathlon Time: 1:36:25
	Swim	Distance: 600 Yards Time: 19:08
	Transition	Time: 3:05
	Cycle	Distance: 16.2 Time: 47:04 Rate: 20.65
	Transition	Time: 1:55
	Run	Distance: 3.1 Miles Time: 25:16 Pace: 8:09
	Weather	Clear Temperature-79° Humidity-84%
	Route

August 7, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:18
Heart Rate:	144
Pace:	9:22
Weather:	Clear Temperature-83° Humidity-58%

August 6, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	16:06 minutes

August 5, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running I found $20 along the way :)
Distance:	6.21 Miles
Time:	59:50
Heart Rate:	139
Pace:	9:38
Weather:	Clear Temperature-77° Humidity-76%

August 4, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	29:04
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	9:41
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-76° Humidity-85%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	17:20

August 3, 2009: Birmingham, AL YMCA Swim
Distance:	600 Yards
Time:	17:18 minutes

August 2, 2009: Atlanta, GA CNN Omni Center Running
Distance:	13 Miles
Time:	2:11:39
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	10:07
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-72° Humidity-97%
Route I think I ran through a drug selling operation. There were about 20 people hanging out on both sides of the street at 5:40 am. One guy ran to another guy on a bike and I swear they did that little hand exchange money for little plastic bag. They ignored me and I was pleased.

August 1, 2009: Atlanta, GA CNN Omni Center Running
Distance:	3.08 Miles
Time:	27:00
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	8:45
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-72° Humidity-97%
Route

July 30, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:38
Heart Rate:	152
Pace:	9:12
Weather:	Haze Temperature-82° Humidity-74%

July 29, 2009: San Antonio, TX Holiday Inn Express near my cousin Sherry's place Running I think I stepped on a dead skunk, but I didn't get any stink. I did slide a litte. Gross!
Distance:	6.1 Miles
Time:	57:04
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:21
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-81° Humidity-77%
Route

July 28, 2009: San Antonio, TX Holiday Inn Express near my cousin Sherry's place Running
Distance:	3.09 Miles
Time:	27:52
Heart Rate:	Forgot to put on the monitor
Pace:	9:01
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-78° Humidity-81%
Route

July 20-26: Listening, Running, Cycling, and Swimming

2009-07-21T16:33:00.012-05:00

Another week of lots of work and exercise. But, the whole family went to Shark Tooth Creek which we learned about from Fresh Air Family (a great idea from Verna Gates). We went with our friends David, Jenny, and Emma Grace. We hunted for shark teeth. There was a time in geological history where the area around Tuscaloosa and such was a barrier reef and shark teeth collected there. The teeth are now in the various strata of the land and gradually get washed out in the creek via erosion. Ken Owens who manages the adventure trip and owns the land we were on, also had a play area and a place to swim. We did both of those too. We had a great time as you can see in these pictures from Flickr.

Podcast Listening