IF you're thinking of Investing in HD

This Wired piece is the best HD primer I've read.

The High-Def FAQK


Here's the writer's signature: "Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to amass an impressive collection of remote controls."

Monty Python Dead Parrot

This Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch is legendary.

When I watched it yesterday, however, it didn't seem to have the same effect on me as it did in my younger days. I'm guessing it didn't get me laughing the same way because I usually see it in the context of a group of silly Python sketches, so my laugh engine has already warmed up, and I usually see it in the evening, so you've got that tired slap-happy thing going, too.

Or maybe it's because I was pining for the fjords.

Sarah's Igloo

Inspired by the U.S.S. Rock, Sarah and I quickly constructed an igloo with the wet, melting snow last night.

It's still up today, but it's days are numbered. If only we could create a product with the opposite effect of Summer Wheeze. Winter Breeze would make snow and ice impervious to melting.

More of the U.S.S. Rock

Reporting from Novi, my brother writes "The two tunnels are about 15 and 25 feet each and they connect in the middle, making for about a 40 foot tunnel. The meting has begun. The picture has Jacob and some neighbors in it."

My Brother's Snow Fort Tradition Continues

Christened the U.S.S. Rock, this masterpiece was created with the assistance of the kids of the Rock at Oak Pointe Church and a few neighborhood kids. The eldest laborer was Grossmutti who assisted in the early stages of the project. The interior features a home theater room with stadium-style seating and a billiard room. Local media are being notified of the project.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Apparently,"The Happiest Place on Earth" is not Disneyland but, Denmark. Dang it, I knew it began wih a D.
Of course, Switzerland is No. 2. Sorry Noel, but Finland only made No. 6.

Psychologist Produces The First-ever 'World Map Of Happiness"

The 20 happiest nations in the World are:
1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. The Bahamas
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada
11. Ireland
12. Luxembourg
13. Costa Rica
14. Malta
15. The Netherlands
16. Antigua and Barbuda
17. Malaysia
18. New Zealand
19. Norway
20. The Seychelles

via Guy Kawasaki

Quote of my life

“One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it.”

- Oswald Chambers

It's so easy to live inside your cranium. Well, actually, my cranium.

I've officially labeled myself a theoretical person. I'm trying to be less in theory, and more in reality. My theories show it should work. ; )

When your battery dies on a bike ride.

For the longer rides, when ither'es no power outlet to recharge your phone,
now you can mkae your own with a bike powered phone charger.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

A thought provoking set of images. Check out the butter and the Doritos.

Hair Care or Digital Audio?

I scored 13/14. I guess that's what happens when your "in the business", and I'm not talking hair.

Logo Quiz: Hair Care or Digital Audio?

via daringfireball.net

Asteroid's Revenge

It's payback time for all those poor asteroids who have been victimized by those naughty, naughty projectile-firing triangular spacecrafts since the 1970's.

This time it's personal.

Asteroid's Revenge

via DaringFireball

DALMAC 2006 Pictures

I snapped a few shots with my camera phone on the Four-Day West Route DALMAC 2006. See them here.

DALMAC 2006

Pedal, drink, eat, sleep, repeat

OK, OK, it was a lot more fun than that description. In fact I've been a little bummed out ever since it ended.

The weather was great. Maybe a tad cool as I had my leg warmers on most of the ride every day, but nothing to complain about. Heck, we were outside and not getting rained on, frozen, or cooked. Can't ask foir much better. Day 1 we had a strong NorthEasterly wind. That was less fun than days 2 through four where winds were neglible upon us and mostly shielded by trees.

"The Wall" was all we seemed to talk or worry about for the first 3 days and a couple hours of day 4. We tried to conserve energy on day's 2 and 3 to make sure we had legs left for "the Wall".

When we turned the corner just out of East Jordan and "The Wall" came into sight, It seemed incredibly small to me, compared to it's legend. I asked some riders passing us as we approached it if this was "The Wall", and one replied "No, it's after this one", he then turned to his buddy and said. "Im messing with thier heads" (Max was right beside me). It just seemed the lead up from East Jordan was far less steep than we were led to believe sO I had to question whether this was it. "The Wall" itself was much less awe inspiring, but with the turns following what I had memrized on the map and the STEEP HILL sign, this was it.

Now don't get me wrong, what it lacks in size it makes up for in steepness. My cyclecomputer registered grades of 19% at the top. It basically gradually increases in grade as it rises, maxing out just before the top. Speaking of maxing out, my heart rate, hit the 170's at the top. I had to stand up on the pedals to keep the weight from shifting off of my front wheel half to two-thirds of the way up. As I came to the gets your atention part of the hill, one rider zoomed past while another pulled even with me on my left and held there for a while. Referring to his faster buddy, I asked him, "Is it easier to ride it fast?", he replied "For him it is." I ask, "Why's that?". With a laugh in his voice, he says "Because he's insane". I ended up surging at the top to pass this young whipper-snapper. These are my memories of "The Wall".

Much to my surprise. I didn't pass out from exhaustion on the bus ride home that night, although I did nap briefly, probably for less than an hour. I'd heard that everyone sleep on the bus home, but I'm guessing only half the passengers did.

Max is already asking about next year. Will it be DALMAC or Ride the Rockies.

My speedy little brother

Andrew finished the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 3:09:36 a couple weekends ago. Impressive. A personal best for him, and only the 144th runner to finish. He was 14th out of 447 in his age class.

For comparison, he only gave 10 minutes to Lance Armstrong (2:59:36) who ran the New York City Marathon last weekend. From how Andrew described the marathon, it's sure a lot more fun to ride a bike 100 miles or maybe even 200.

You can see all of the results here.

Ivan Basso joins Lance's Team

Basso signs with Discovery Channel.

Looks like another Tour win for an American team, at least.

Whose forecast is most accurate?

I used to get all of my weather from TV, then I switched to Weather.com , then my brother, Andrew, told me that Accuweather was more accurate, so I had to switch. Well it was partially because their page loaded faster, too.

Next my daughter, Kimmy, told me her teacher had proclaimed Wunderground.com the most accurate. I like their easily accessible sunrise and sunset data. It comes in handy when you have to be out riding early or late. But I digress.

Everyone has an opinion about whose weather forecasting is the best. Now there's a site that can settle the dispute with real data, Forecast Advisor. Here's a brief description in their own words.

"ForecastAdvisor will also show you the accuracy of the major weather forecasters, including Accuweather, Intellicast, MyForecast, The Weather Channel, and the National Weather Service. We also provide links to your city's weather forecast at all the other weather forecasters, so you can compare for yourself."

This doesn't settle the assertion about Wunderground, they didn't make the cut. But is does demonstrate that the differences in accuracy between the top sites can be quite significant. If you try weather for cities in different parts of the US, you will see the forecasts are more or less accurate. Honolulu or San Diego weather are easier to predict than East Lansing or Cleveland.

Three new mac ads . . .

. . . that will never be created

The second is my favorite.

via daringfireball .net

There's loving your bike . . .

. . . and then there's this.

"I wouldn't try this at home." bk

via BK blog .

Holding out hope for Floyd.

I'm stil lholding out hope that Floyd Landis won the Tour de Fracne fair and square. This piece by John Eustice, a former racer, thinks something smells foul with the whole situation.

What if Floyd Landis was innocent. (International Herald Tribune 8/16/06)

Here are some quotes for the lazy among you.
---
"I''ve lived this sport for 35 years and know the European professional cycling circuit intimately, and I feel strongly that in this case something is wrong."

"Landis had an ironclad reputation in the racing world as a clean rider."

"Whenever an athlete tests positive for banned drugs, you look to see who is close to them. Landis's trainer, Dr. Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist from Colorado, is an expert in the use of power meters, devices that attach to racing bicycles and measure power output. According to Lim, the "improbable" stage 17 victory on July 20 was a triumph of strategy, science and Landis's vitality. Landis averaged 280 watts over the five hours of the ride, but he has averaged 320 for six hours in training - documented proof, according to Lim, that the performance was well within Landis's capability."

"If Lim and Landis were going to cross over to the dark side, testosterone would not be their bridge. There are many more effective means to cheat. Testosterone has limited effect, and in any case must be used in a cumulative manner; it is not a one-day wonder, like taking a shot of amphetamines. So where was it in all the other tests?"

"It is also worth noting that the validity of current testosterone testing methods is not universally accepted within the scientific community. A similar testosterone doping case brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was recently overturned."

---

Now this still doesn't address the detection of synthetic testosterone. The olny source I see for this is a "unidentified source" in the New Yotk Times piece early on in the process. No testing authorities that I have seen quted have ever mentioned that the tests found synthetic testostosterone.

Floyd's testotsterone leves tested within the normal range. His epitestosterone leves were depresssed. ( Doping is deternmined by the ration of testosterone to epitestosterone.)

If you've read some of the links from my previous post, you know that tightening of doping test values inevitably leads to some innocent athletes turining up false positives. Hopefully this is one of those situations.

Floyd doping?

I heard on WJR this morning that no testosterone doping allegation has ever held up when taken to the sports "court" that decides these matters. This could be the first one, but that's not likely.

From what I understand, the current testing for testosterone is flawed. It tends to produce falst positives and with the reduction of the tolerance is going to produce more false positives than the old standard used to.

This article was helpful:
Inferences about Testosterone
Abuse among Athletes

I found it through this post. (referenced in my previous post.)

I cannot imagine why Floyd would dope with testosterone in these circumstances. I've read that it aids recovery, that makes sense considering what happened in stage 16, but the typical application would be for strength bulding during training, not for race day. Could he have had so much recovery benefit that he could ride away from all the others by 6.5 minutes? Also, if you do take testosterone using a patch, it leaves your system within 40 minutes to an hour so it would be gone from his system after riding for four or five hours like they did in Stage 17.

In addtion to all of this, I understand Floyd's actual testosterone level tested quite low. That it was only high in proportion to the epitestosterone level. It seems that the way they are measuring testosterone doping needs some significant improvement. At least, that's what I've read.

I'll be quite interested to see how this plays out.