I had to play with the new video recording capability of the Pre tonight. I trimmed the beginning of the video using the editing capability, but for some reason there was a pause in the recording, resulting in the audio not being sync'ed at the end. Hopefully that was a one-off problem.
Showing posts with label palm pre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label palm pre. Show all posts
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
The Palm Pre works a bit TOO well...
As many of you know from reading this blog, about six months ago I got the Palm Pre.
Palm really didn't have much of a choice in releasing it. They were frantically racing to get it out the door before the new iPhone 3G-S, but it wasn't 100% ready. I can't even say it was at 85%. To Palm's credit though, it's been evolving in front of our eyes, with frequent OS updates, and the Homebrew community has exploded beyond anyone's expectations.
One feature of the operating system, webOS, is a feature called Synergy. The phone connects to various services you're already a member of and aggregates the contacts, combining them with your existing phone book. If someone updates their contact information on one of these services, such as Facebook, it automatically updates the phone.
My friend Jim Vestal died a few years ago, and shortly before his death, he had signed up for Facebook. Friends of his had requested friendship on Facebook, but he died before getting the chance to accept them.
This past week, Jim's brother Brian was able to gain access to Jim's Facebook account. With the login information, I added my GMail address as a contact so I could receive emails, and made his page public so friends of his could find it. I also uploaded some pictures of him.
Last night, I was at my church's men's group a bit late, when the phone rang. It said I was getting a call from Jim Vestal, with his picture attached! Now, I'm not stupid, I know Jim died, but for a split second, I thought wow, Jim's calling... come to find out, it was my wife. I was disoriented momentarily, then thought about it.
What had happened was I had Jim in my phone as a contact already, I had never removed it. When I changed the contact email, the Pre saw this and immediately connected his Facebook account (and images) to mine, saw there was a new avatar, and put his picture in its place.
So as I said, I think the Pre worked a little too well with Synergy this time around. I just had to share the experience with everyone.
Palm really didn't have much of a choice in releasing it. They were frantically racing to get it out the door before the new iPhone 3G-S, but it wasn't 100% ready. I can't even say it was at 85%. To Palm's credit though, it's been evolving in front of our eyes, with frequent OS updates, and the Homebrew community has exploded beyond anyone's expectations.
One feature of the operating system, webOS, is a feature called Synergy. The phone connects to various services you're already a member of and aggregates the contacts, combining them with your existing phone book. If someone updates their contact information on one of these services, such as Facebook, it automatically updates the phone.
My friend Jim Vestal died a few years ago, and shortly before his death, he had signed up for Facebook. Friends of his had requested friendship on Facebook, but he died before getting the chance to accept them.
This past week, Jim's brother Brian was able to gain access to Jim's Facebook account. With the login information, I added my GMail address as a contact so I could receive emails, and made his page public so friends of his could find it. I also uploaded some pictures of him.
Last night, I was at my church's men's group a bit late, when the phone rang. It said I was getting a call from Jim Vestal, with his picture attached! Now, I'm not stupid, I know Jim died, but for a split second, I thought wow, Jim's calling... come to find out, it was my wife. I was disoriented momentarily, then thought about it.
What had happened was I had Jim in my phone as a contact already, I had never removed it. When I changed the contact email, the Pre saw this and immediately connected his Facebook account (and images) to mine, saw there was a new avatar, and put his picture in its place.
So as I said, I think the Pre worked a little too well with Synergy this time around. I just had to share the experience with everyone.
Monday, October 26, 2009
CIM Training Week 3, Day 1: REST!
That's right, rest. Technically, it was supposed to be a cross training day, but given how sore I was after the weekend I declared it a rest day. I made my plan, I can alter it, right? Pray I do not alter it any further.
Since it was a rest day with no workouts, it gives me a chance to mention a few things I've tried out recently that seem to be working pretty well.
The first is protein powder. I've used protein powder for a few years now post-workout, and had settled on GNC's products. I tried all the flavors they make, and had finally settled on either Banana Creme or Caramel. It's not that those tasted good, it's more than they didn't taste as bad as the others!
Walmart sells a brand called Body Fortress, but I've been reluctant to try it because you can only get it in big giant tubs. Why spend money on a tub when there's a chance I won't like it? Then yesterday, they had these:
They call it a Protein Shot, charging about $1.50 a vial. A vial contains 3 ounces, and what's interesting here is that a normal protein shake is 8 ounces. The vial has more protein, less sugar, and the same BCAA as the stuff from GNC, with one important difference: it tastes great! It tasted like fruit punch, the only odd thing was that it has the thickness and consistency of a protein shake. That's really the only downside I can see. No mixing, no lumps, and you can shove it into your workout bag. I think I'll be buying more.
Next is a new app I bought for the Pre. A little bit of background here, on the Treo 755p I used a program that I'd been using for years and years, going all the way back to the Palm III, called BalanceLog. Originally it was called WeightLog with a separate program called DietLog, but the company who made it, Health eTech, finally merged the two. The Palm product cost $30 and so did the PC product, but you could buy a bundle for $50 that included both.
Originally I used DietLog because it incorporated Weight Watcher points, but when they lost whatever contract the two had made, they removed the points and went strictly calories. After struggling for a long time, they finally sold their assets to another company, who promptly discontinued the product. I actually used the darn thing for about 4 years after the company went away. My logs go all the way back to 2003, so that software documents my weight loss from the very beginning. I wish I had some of the logs from the WW days, that's for sure!
At any rate, the PC version only worked with XP. They wrote it poorly and as a result, it didn't run on Vista. The Palm version was the only thing that made me consider buying the Classic app for the Pre, but it wouldn't run in the emulator! I haven't been able to log my food with anything but a web-based logger since moving to the Pre. Web-based apps, while working, can be slow, and then there's the issue of them ceasing to work when there's no internet access.
So I haven't logged my food since getting the Pre in May. Food logging is a bit more difficult without being able to use my Pre, so I ended up not doing it at all. Obviously I've slipped up in my eating. Slipped up, that is, until this weekend.
Absolute Fitness was only $4.99, and provides about 90% the functionality I had with BalanceLog. It tracks my everything: my weight, my food intake (and all the nutritional info), my workouts, calories burned... body information such as body fat, weight lost. It doesn't do RHR, but I can put that into the memo of each day.
You can enter custom food, search for food in its database, which they claim has about 100,000 entries. This includes the nutritional information, and unlike online databases, searches are fast.
It tracks exercise, how many calories are burned during that exercise, and lets you put in custom exercises as well.
When it's all done, every piece of information you've entered that changes over time can be charted in a nice visual graph.
Finally, and this is a function that I didn't have with BalanceLog (even with the PC software): data can be exported into either HTML or .CSV into an email, which can be sent to wherever you like. Once in CSV format you can open it into a spreadsheet.
All in all, this was the best $5 I've spent in a while. $5 to improve my health and continue what I started so long ago. I'm happy today!
Since it was a rest day with no workouts, it gives me a chance to mention a few things I've tried out recently that seem to be working pretty well.
The first is protein powder. I've used protein powder for a few years now post-workout, and had settled on GNC's products. I tried all the flavors they make, and had finally settled on either Banana Creme or Caramel. It's not that those tasted good, it's more than they didn't taste as bad as the others!
Walmart sells a brand called Body Fortress, but I've been reluctant to try it because you can only get it in big giant tubs. Why spend money on a tub when there's a chance I won't like it? Then yesterday, they had these:
They call it a Protein Shot, charging about $1.50 a vial. A vial contains 3 ounces, and what's interesting here is that a normal protein shake is 8 ounces. The vial has more protein, less sugar, and the same BCAA as the stuff from GNC, with one important difference: it tastes great! It tasted like fruit punch, the only odd thing was that it has the thickness and consistency of a protein shake. That's really the only downside I can see. No mixing, no lumps, and you can shove it into your workout bag. I think I'll be buying more.
Next is a new app I bought for the Pre. A little bit of background here, on the Treo 755p I used a program that I'd been using for years and years, going all the way back to the Palm III, called BalanceLog. Originally it was called WeightLog with a separate program called DietLog, but the company who made it, Health eTech, finally merged the two. The Palm product cost $30 and so did the PC product, but you could buy a bundle for $50 that included both.
Originally I used DietLog because it incorporated Weight Watcher points, but when they lost whatever contract the two had made, they removed the points and went strictly calories. After struggling for a long time, they finally sold their assets to another company, who promptly discontinued the product. I actually used the darn thing for about 4 years after the company went away. My logs go all the way back to 2003, so that software documents my weight loss from the very beginning. I wish I had some of the logs from the WW days, that's for sure!
At any rate, the PC version only worked with XP. They wrote it poorly and as a result, it didn't run on Vista. The Palm version was the only thing that made me consider buying the Classic app for the Pre, but it wouldn't run in the emulator! I haven't been able to log my food with anything but a web-based logger since moving to the Pre. Web-based apps, while working, can be slow, and then there's the issue of them ceasing to work when there's no internet access.
So I haven't logged my food since getting the Pre in May. Food logging is a bit more difficult without being able to use my Pre, so I ended up not doing it at all. Obviously I've slipped up in my eating. Slipped up, that is, until this weekend.
Absolute Fitness was only $4.99, and provides about 90% the functionality I had with BalanceLog. It tracks my everything: my weight, my food intake (and all the nutritional info), my workouts, calories burned... body information such as body fat, weight lost. It doesn't do RHR, but I can put that into the memo of each day.
You can enter custom food, search for food in its database, which they claim has about 100,000 entries. This includes the nutritional information, and unlike online databases, searches are fast.
It tracks exercise, how many calories are burned during that exercise, and lets you put in custom exercises as well.
When it's all done, every piece of information you've entered that changes over time can be charted in a nice visual graph.
Finally, and this is a function that I didn't have with BalanceLog (even with the PC software): data can be exported into either HTML or .CSV into an email, which can be sent to wherever you like. Once in CSV format you can open it into a spreadsheet.
All in all, this was the best $5 I've spent in a while. $5 to improve my health and continue what I started so long ago. I'm happy today!
Monday, July 27, 2009
I'm Back! (where have you heard that before)
That's right, I'm back. Supposedly. It's entirely possible, quite possible, perhaps and tentatively, that there's a rumor about the slight inkling I have to, maybe, write in this blog. Really.
I have this thing about not writing when I'm down. I'm not entirely sure why, I think I just hate reading blogs when they're always negative, always talking about NOT doing the something the blogger is normally talking about doing. In the process, my blog entries have consisted entirely of my Twitter activity.
That is, until about a month ago, when LoudTwitter broke unceremoniously, and without announcement. I suppose it's my fault for not noticing, which just goes to show how much I've thought about this blog for the past month. I do apologize.
Shortly after running the Avenue of the Giants Marathon, I started having pains deep within my left hip joint. My first thought, of course, was to take a short break. I took a few days off, and it happened again. So I thought ok, it's my shoes... I had about 350 miles on my shoes at that point, so I went down to buy new ones. They were out of stock.
I thought of buying elsewhere, but realized that if I had them order the shoes and not run at all until then, it would force me to take a break to heal. I did this, but when the shoes came in, I didn't have the money to pay for them. This pushed it out another week, giving me a full two weeks of rest.
When I started running, BAM, the problem occurred again. I went to the doctor, who gave me an xray. After a week and no call, I called his office only to find him saying there was nothing wrong. It's the same old story. My response to them was, "Great, so I'm on my own again?" The doctor then referred me to an orthopedist. :)
A week later at the orthopedist's office, I found out he doubled as a sports medicine doctor as well. Finally, someone who knew what they were doing! He looked at my x-ray for a while, and had a 30-minute talk with me. He wasn't a runner, but didn't have anything against it. The advice he gave me was:
* Take glucosamine (I'd already started by then)
* Take Aleve regularly in almost prescription strength (doubling OTC dose)
* Stretch religously after runs
* Use the foam roller religiously before AND after runs
So the past week I've run the same schedule as Hal Higdon's Intermediate I marathon training program, albeit with less mileage. Am I in pain? Yes, although a bit less (it was already starting to get less when I saw the orthopedist). I'm not sure doing what the doctor told me has helped yet, because I still feel the same. At the same time, recovery is quicker (I'm usually recovered enough to run the next day).
In faith, I registered for the California International Marathon.
The 18-week Hal Higdon training program starts August 3, but the first week starts with 24 miles. Leading up to August 3, I've been slowly building up my mileage to at least that point. I actually managed to run 19 miles this last week! Pain's been managable, so I really think I can do it.
Meanwhile, I picked up a wireless bluetooth headset.
Along with the Palm Pre, I honestly can't believe I managed without it. Seriously, running with a wire either hanging loose or threaded through the arm & neck of my shirt was just not cutting it. The range is great as well, I can put the Pre in my fanny pack while wearing the headset, and make all adjustments remotely! The headset also works to answer the phone, and while the quality for phone calls isn't the greatest, it does work.
So that's where I'm at. I plan on posting regular workouts starting immediately, and want to build up the habit once again. I'm looking forward to it all!
I have this thing about not writing when I'm down. I'm not entirely sure why, I think I just hate reading blogs when they're always negative, always talking about NOT doing the something the blogger is normally talking about doing. In the process, my blog entries have consisted entirely of my Twitter activity.
That is, until about a month ago, when LoudTwitter broke unceremoniously, and without announcement. I suppose it's my fault for not noticing, which just goes to show how much I've thought about this blog for the past month. I do apologize.
Shortly after running the Avenue of the Giants Marathon, I started having pains deep within my left hip joint. My first thought, of course, was to take a short break. I took a few days off, and it happened again. So I thought ok, it's my shoes... I had about 350 miles on my shoes at that point, so I went down to buy new ones. They were out of stock.
I thought of buying elsewhere, but realized that if I had them order the shoes and not run at all until then, it would force me to take a break to heal. I did this, but when the shoes came in, I didn't have the money to pay for them. This pushed it out another week, giving me a full two weeks of rest.
When I started running, BAM, the problem occurred again. I went to the doctor, who gave me an xray. After a week and no call, I called his office only to find him saying there was nothing wrong. It's the same old story. My response to them was, "Great, so I'm on my own again?" The doctor then referred me to an orthopedist. :)
A week later at the orthopedist's office, I found out he doubled as a sports medicine doctor as well. Finally, someone who knew what they were doing! He looked at my x-ray for a while, and had a 30-minute talk with me. He wasn't a runner, but didn't have anything against it. The advice he gave me was:
* Take glucosamine (I'd already started by then)
* Take Aleve regularly in almost prescription strength (doubling OTC dose)
* Stretch religously after runs
* Use the foam roller religiously before AND after runs
So the past week I've run the same schedule as Hal Higdon's Intermediate I marathon training program, albeit with less mileage. Am I in pain? Yes, although a bit less (it was already starting to get less when I saw the orthopedist). I'm not sure doing what the doctor told me has helped yet, because I still feel the same. At the same time, recovery is quicker (I'm usually recovered enough to run the next day).
In faith, I registered for the California International Marathon.
The 18-week Hal Higdon training program starts August 3, but the first week starts with 24 miles. Leading up to August 3, I've been slowly building up my mileage to at least that point. I actually managed to run 19 miles this last week! Pain's been managable, so I really think I can do it.
Meanwhile, I picked up a wireless bluetooth headset.
Along with the Palm Pre, I honestly can't believe I managed without it. Seriously, running with a wire either hanging loose or threaded through the arm & neck of my shirt was just not cutting it. The range is great as well, I can put the Pre in my fanny pack while wearing the headset, and make all adjustments remotely! The headset also works to answer the phone, and while the quality for phone calls isn't the greatest, it does work.
So that's where I'm at. I plan on posting regular workouts starting immediately, and want to build up the habit once again. I'm looking forward to it all!
Monday, June 08, 2009
PRE!!! + 5 miles
Got my Pre today, got my Pre today!
Still evaluating, of course, I'll have a full report later this week.
Meanwhile, I ran 5 miles tonight after taking 4 days off, and I gotta tell you, it was great! Felt great, enjoyable the whole way through. There was even a headwind for about half the run, but I didn't mind.
Splits
Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 10:20
Mile 4: 9:56
Mile 5: 9:56
.07 mi: 00:35
5.07 miles, 49:43, 591 calories burned
Still evaluating, of course, I'll have a full report later this week.
Meanwhile, I ran 5 miles tonight after taking 4 days off, and I gotta tell you, it was great! Felt great, enjoyable the whole way through. There was even a headwind for about half the run, but I didn't mind.
Splits
Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 10:20
Mile 4: 9:56
Mile 5: 9:56
.07 mi: 00:35
5.07 miles, 49:43, 591 calories burned
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