Heather, On Tech

Feel the Burn with Daily Burn

I have a confession to make: I'm over 40.  Yes, it's true, although I don't often like to admit it.  I'm over 40 and turning gray and wrinkly.  But, I've decided that I'm NOT going to get fat!

Back in December I started getting back into shape.  I have never been "fat" by anyone's standards (except perhaps my own) - I'm 5'8" and with the exception of being pregnant, the most I've weighed is 135.  That's not "skinny", but it's far from "fat."  Anyway, I decided I wanted to rock a bikini this year when taking the boys to the pool, so I started getting back into shape.

I had heard of Daily Burn (aka Gyminee) via Techstars, and so that was the first place I looked to find a good workout.  I didn't need to join Weight Watchers or any other diet community; I'm not so much "dieting" as "getting fit," after all.  I got on the site and found the perfect workout: the bikini workout!  So I made a note of it, but had to join the site (which was free) in order to keep up with the exercises I needed to do.

Then, after a few weeks of exercising, I started entering the food that I eat, because I was curious as to whether I ate as poorly as I thought I did (meaning "unhealthy").  As it turns out, I'm actually a relatively healthy eater, but like most people I'm a bit heavy on the carbs most of the time.  I'm one of those people who never seems to eat enough fat (even the good kind) - but that's partially because my body does NOT process fat and if I eat anything with a lot of fat in it, I'm running to find a bathroom in very short order.  I can't decide whether this is good or bad, since I can pretty much eat whatever I want to and not gain weight - I just have to suffer the consequences of a nasty public restroom to allow for all the food to - ahem - pass through me.  Quickly, and without warning.

Anyway, now I'm completely addicted to this whole Daily Burn thing.  I enter my workouts and runs.  I enter every bite of food I eat.  I update my weight daily.  The last part is the most frustrating because it's not coming down as much as I'd like, but you know, when you're only trying to lose five pounds, you really can't complain. :)  I. Love. Daily Burn!

So, if you're looking for a workout routine, need some diet advice, or wonder whether you just eat garbage, check out Daily Burn. They have free accounts or Pro level accounts (which add many other awesome features), and it really just takes a few minutes a day.  You can sign up with a friend and motivate each other as well - which is always a nice way to challenge yourself and them.

Office Shenanigans: Paintball Land Mines

I have to admit, this sounds like fun.  Wouldn't you just love-love-LOVE to get your coworker with a paintball land mine that's filled up with Liquid Paper or Cool Whip?  Oh yeah, I can see this in my future.

The RAP4 land mine is only $65 and it's rechargable so you can re-use it time and again.  It makes a loud noise (as you would expect) and of course blows whatever liquid you fill it with all over the place.

The best part is, it works for good friends as well as foes.  And, I know just the person to try this on...oh yes, I am evil!

Note: these "land mines" are filled with CO2 cartridges and used in paintball wars.  In theory, nobody gets hurt with them, so quityerbitchin.

hat tip: Wired magazine

iHat MP3 Beanie

So, now it's cold.  I live in Florida, and the high today is supposed to be 46 degrees F.  That may not be so cold to people "up north", but that is usually the low this time of year, not the high.

On days like today, when you want to listen to your mp3 player, but you know, you don't want your ears to get cold, you could try the iHat MP3 Headphone Hat.  It's essentially a beanie with built-in speakers!  Just plug it into your mp3 player and go.

The hat costs about as much as a regular set of headphones, at $25 and can be bought at Gadget4all.com.  Too bad it doesn't have bluetooth/phone capabilities, then it would be perfect!

Hat tip: GeekAlerts

SCUBA with Your iPod

Are you an avid SCUBA diver?  Love your iPod?  According to Ubergizmo, now you can take your iPod diving with  you, even if you do crazy stuff like dive deeper than 60 feet!  It seems as though iDive has come out with a waterproof housing (complete with over-the-ear speakers) that will keep your iPod dry up to 300 feet deep.  Whodathunkit?

The speakers will strap onto your mask or fit tucked inside your hood (which would be my case).  It looks like it has push-button controls for the click wheel so you can even control your iPod in the usual way.  Wow!

This baby will set you back almost $350, but if you love your tunes while you dive, it will be well worth it.  My dad never would have thought that one day people could watch movies while they decompressed!

The iDive 300 is brought to you by H20 Audio.

How to Wear Bose Headphones

OK, so I've talked about the Bose in-ear headphones plenty on this blog.  A few of you have contacted me trying to find out just how to wear the damn things.

So, without further ado, here's the skinny:

1. they are not ear buds; don't treat them as such.  Don't try to push them all the way in your ears.
2. If you just stick just the little piece in the "hole" in your ear, that's just how they are supposed to fit.  They might feel like they're going to fall out for a few minutes but you will get used to them.  If they DO fall out, try the next bigger size silicone tips.   The blue pen in this image is pointing to the part of the headphone that should go in the bowl of your ear.
4. 3.  Some people require different size tips in their ears.  Don't be surprised if this is you.  Try it if you have a problem with one ear or the other.
5. 4.  Here is what it should look like in your ear.  You can't tell much from it.  This is what happens when you have to take the picture yourself. 

OK, so there you have it.  Hopefully this will help you get the earphones right in your ears.  Trust me, once you get the fit right, you'll wonder how you ever survived without them!

Bose In Ear Headphones Revisited

I've talked about my Bose headphones that I got for Christmas before, but I wanted to give you an update.  Just for the record, I absolutely LOVE these things!

In addition to all the stuff I said before about them, I wanted to let you know that the lanyard provided with them really does come in handy.  When I first got them, I wondered why anyone would need the lanyard, but now I know.

After wearing them for several weeks, I kept getting frustrated because the wire is coated in some rubbery material, as opposed to slick plastic.  This may not sound like a big deal, but when you wear your cord inside your shirt, it is.  The rubber "catches" on your t-shirt and pulls down on the cord, causing the phones to become uncomfortable or eventually fall out of your ears altogether.  Obviously Bose does their market research.  The lanyard manages to prevent this from happening.

Here's how it works.  When you see the lanyard (neckstrap), it looks a lot like the straps you put on your sunglasses so you can hang them around your neck when you take them off.  Simple enough.  However, the directions provided with the headphone describe putting them on upside-down to what you would think is the logical way for them to attach.  Picture this: when you are wearing your sunglasses, the lanyard is up around your ears/temples somewhere, right?  Not so with the headphones.  When you wear the headphones, you want the neck strap to be down, around your neck, flat on your chest/shirt area.  This keeps the cord form pulling down, because the pulling is negated by the neck strap. 

I'm sure that doesn't make any sense if you're reading this.  Just trust me in following the directions provided.  It made a world of difference in my comfort level with these awesome headphones.  If I can manage it, I'll upload a picture of it around my neck so you can get the idea.

Happy running!

Legless Runner has Unfair Advantage, Banned from Olympics

I read on Wired today that South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied entry into the Olympics due to his prosthetic legs giving him an "unfair advantage".  Wow.  The guy is phenomenal, has overcome all kinds of obstacles to be great, and then he's denied into the premier event.

The Olympics forbid the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device."  I'm fine with that.  However, studies were done in a lab in Germany proving that the artificial legs Pistorius is using give him a 25% advantage over an able-bodied athlete.  Or rather, his prosthetic ankles are 25% more efficient than an able-bodied athlete.  While I'm impressed that they actually did the study, just having one lab research this doesn't convince me.

Also, just because his ankles are superior does not take into account the fact that at some point, these artificial legs are attached to his own flesh.  Presumably, as he runs and begins to sweat, the seal that allows his legs to stay on could become less efficient.  From the photos, it appears that Pistorius has a fair bit of his lower leg remaining, but I would suspect that once you start running, no matter how good your prosthesis is, things potentially begin to lose their grip.  I'm no expert, and I don't have any prosthetic limbs, but I know enough about them to know that they can slip and slide, and even the best-fitting ones are far from perfect.

I'm sure Pistorius will contest the findings, or demand further testing, as he should.  Personally, I would love to see a "disabled" athlete compete in the "regular" Olympics.  Whether they win or not is irrelevant; it would prove a point and boy, if they won, wouldn't that just be something?  And I'm not talking cyborg stuff here; I'm talking the ability to overcome what everyone perceives as an obstacle.

This story will be interesting to watch no matter how it plays out.

Bose In-Ear Headphones Great for Tiny Ears

I got a great gift for Christmas - some Bose In-Ear Stereo Headphones.  I've talked before about having little ears (I do; they're tiny), and how ear bud-type headphones don't work well for me because of it.  The problem is that both the holes that go into my inner ears and the bowls of my ears are small.  Usually the problem is with the bowls though; the buds are just too huge.

I've been running for about three years with on-ear headsets.  And, while they're pretty comfortable, when I run they get sweaty.  Really sweaty.  And then the foam starts to deteriorate.  Oh, yeah, and they start to smell pretty funky too.

So, I asked for a pair of the Bose thingies to try them out.  I figured that if they didn't work well for me, I could always give them to Dave and let him have them.  They're too expensive to just throw away.

Let me tell you, if you have little ears, you need to invest in a pair of these puppies.  As you would expect from Bose, the sound quality is superb.  I'm half-deaf, but even I can hear the difference in the sound quality between these and other headphones.

The phones come with three different sized silicone fittings so you can get the fit just right - even wear different sizes on each ear if you need to.  And, they color-coded the pieces so you can tell the sizes apart (I was concerned about mixing them up).  This silicone is super-soft and easy to wear.

The weird thing about these headphones is that at first glance (and even when you read the directions), they appear to be huge.  As in, the part that goes in the bowl of your ears looked rather large to me.  I thought, "How the hell am I going to wear these in my ears?  What's the point in having sized inner-ear pieces if the outer portion is still just as huge?"  I even tried sticking them in there all kinds of ways before I actually figured it out.

Instead of putting that big, gigantic piece in your ear, there is a little bulb (the silicone fits around it) that rests in the bowl of your ear.  And, it's tiny.  As in, if you have large ears, you'd sure better use the large adapters because they are going to fall out.  Once I figured out this little tidbit, the phones fit quite nicely and comfortably. 

So far I've worn them around the house, at work, and of course running.  They are great for all three.  The longest I've worn them is about two hours, but my ears didn't hurt afterward, and usually they do (a lot) within about 20 minutes of wearing buds.  The instructions suggest that for exercising one might need to change out the size (all that jumping around) but I've not had any problems with them falling out.

All in all, I would say that these headphones are a must-have for people with little ears.  Maybe even for teens or tweens, who are still growing (but love their music).  They go for about $100, but they are well worth it, trust me.

If Only This had Been Around a few Years Ago...

Cave diving is a sport I grew up with; my father was a founding member of the National Association for Cave Diving.  When I met David, I convinced him that it would be fun, and in 1999 I followed in my father's footsteps and became a cave diver - although to a much lesser degree (I've never been in one that didn't have permanent line in it, and I'm quite happy with that).  While the sport is fun and exciting, it takes its toll on you physically.  My gear, quite literally, weighed as much as I did (roughly 120 pounds).  Once you add double tanks, double regulators, a big light, two backup lights...well, you get the idea.  Oh, and we mustn't forget the camera!

We had a really cheap camera.  It was just a regular cheapo (don't even know the brand) that came with a housing.  Maybe it was a Sea-Shot?  At any rate, we paid a fair amount for it, mostly because of the housing.  The camera would work with or without, so it was great for diving and pre/post diving as well.  While I enjoyed taking the pictures, I never felt like spending a ton of money on a housing for a nice camera; I don't make my living with it and I couldn't see adding another 1000  - 5000 dollars worth of equipment to my already expensive hobby (gear: roughly $5,000 per person all told).

Today on Coolest Gadgets I read about the coolest invention, one I wish they'd had "back then" (3 - 7 years ago).  It's a simple thing, really - a camera as part of a dive mask.  While the camera aspect of this puppy may be no better than what we already have, it's worth it just for the novelty and ease of use.  And, for me, the depth limitation of roughly 30 meters wouldn't even cause a problem.  Wow.  Everything is integrated, and the shutter is right on the top of the mask.  It looks to be pretty much point and shoot, and boasts USB connection as well as added LED lighting (man, how cool is THAT?).  It comes in two sizes for children (3.1 mega-pixel) and adults (5 mega-pixel).

The absolute best part?  It's only going to cost around $100.  Wow.  Too bad we've only been cave diving once in the last five plus years (since I found out I was pregnant with Little E).  Of course, it would be great for any other kind of diving/snorkeling as well.  It's supposed to be available this spring.

Update: on second glance, it appears that the Liquid Image Digital Camera Mask is only waterproof to THREE meters, not 30 - that's only 15 feet, making it less usable for my purposes.  Bummer.  But, it would still be great for snorkeling!

Back to Running and Using My ForeRunner

I've talked before about my Garmin Forerunner.  I really do love it.  The terrible thing was that within a few weeks of getting it, I couldn't use it due to a stress fracture.  After months and months of whining about (and getting) fat, I'm back to running again.  So nice!

I've just worked up to 3.5 miles, but hey, I haven't been sore and my times are getting better and better.  I tend to take it pretty slow until I hit the 3 mile level, then I tend to pile the distance on a little too quickly.  Oh well.  I started running around October 1 with 1.6 miles, if that gives you any indication of my progress.  I don't add distance every week, but add every month until I hit 3 miles (and I add a half-mile distance instead of 10%).  I want to get up to about 5 miles 4-5 times a week.  I don't really do races except for the River Run in Jacksonville, as it's family tradition, but I ran a 5k fun run here at work a few weeks ago and did OK (it was right after I bumped up to 3 miles so it was slow going at just under 28 minutes but I wasn't the last runner by far!).

Anyway, back to the Forerunner.  I really do love this thing.  I've never been a person to watch my heart rate, speed, etc.  I know how far I want to go and about how fast I want to do it (one second faster than the last run is my average requirement).  But since using this thing, man, I've become a junkie!  I've started using the HR monitor.  I don't even pretend to know which zone you're "supposed" to be in when you're working (I do know the 80% rule for HR's though, and go by that).  I tend to run right at 80% most of the time but by the end of the runs I'm usually closer to 90%.  Am I the only person who gets faster as the miles click by?

Every once in awhile I use the virtual running buddy on it, but I always set it way too fast and get left behind by someone who isn't even there.  Not very good for the ego, especially when I'm setting it for what I believe to be reasonable when I start out (catching up is not easy when you start out slow).  But I use it about once a month just to see if I can keep up with the ghost.

So, I just wanted to write about the fact that despite this gadget is approaching a year old, I'm still in love with it.  Thanks David, again, for the Forerunner!