Bloggers I Linked, Where Are They Now?

Good afternoon dear readers. I hope this blog post finds you doing well, and enjoying your day. Recently, I dug up some old pages from Azarok.com with the idea that I might incorporate them here on the new blog. I was going through an old blogger links page, and was curious to see if any sites were still around. Here are some of the entries from that 2002 list, with updated comments from your truly:

Acidman - I don’t picture Rob sitting around repeating daily affirmations to himself. Nor do I think his blog is textbook example of macheesemo. No, the Acidman is quite possibly the last of a dying breed, from a time when masculine actually meant something other than chauvinist. Today’s generation could learn something from the man whose self respect is in his values not his bionic dick.
2008 Update - It’s appropriate to kick off this list with a blogger who was such an influence that his site lives on even after he passed away in 2006. I only had a few brief exchanges with him, mainly through his site comments, and enjoyed his brash bold style.

AZCrew - This was my original online adventure. In the beginning there were a group friends hangin’ out at Michigan State. Inevitably, I was convinced to make the trek to Phoenix, AZ for a permanent hiatus from Michigan. Thank Chris for providing us an escape plan and a means to keep our sanity.
2008 Update - The homepage has boasted the same message for years. “We’re living in the real world now.” but I’m happy to report I’ve recently reconnected with some of the crew via Facebook.

Big Pink Cookie - Technically superior to anything I could do here. One of the first blogs I came across that allowed the viewer to change the layout on the fly. Christine’s site inspires me to become a well-rounded web designer. Someone who knows both the aesthetics & the backend mechanics to create a web masterpiece.
2008 Update - Still runs a better website than me, and an accomplished photographer to boot. You can follow her on Twitter now too.

Da Goddess - With Dawn Olsen in blog purgatory, I railed through her comments looking for other places to stimulate my brain. Not to disappoint there is solid content to be found on Joan’s site. She also uses on-the-fly layout changes a technique I have yet to master on this site. Be sure to add this on your list of daily reads.
2008 Update - Unlike a number of heyday bloggers I linked to, Joan is still going strong and shows no signs of blogger post droppage.

Davezilla - You want content? How about cartoons, essays, manly tips and a ton of daily blog humor. Visit this site to exercise your funny bone.
2008 Update - Talk about a site that hasn’t changed. I didn’t even have to update the links I posted the first time around.

High Acuity - What is with this young people today? A thirty-something, I don’t know how I’ll get a leg up on this generation of computer savvy designers. Aidan has been doing his thing since age 17 and he’s already been published. But wait, I’m supposed to mention his blog. There’s some good movie reviews and he throws in tech tips when he has a chance.
2008 Update - Now a successful web entrepreneur, nice to see the blog still lives.

Hose Monster - Everything my writing could be, only better. I swear he grabbed this post about reader comments straight from my brain, then filtered out all the small words, sprinkled in some vocabulary and actually made a coherent & interesting blog entry. Of course, I had already decided to link him after reading this post (about idiotic people) and this one (about receiving a sobriety test).
2008 Update - There haven’t been any posts since 2005, and I’m a sad blogger because of it. He was one of my blog heroes and perhaps he’s online around the `net somewhere.

Luvliness.net - A web-designer from Toronto, Stephanie has some of the best online layouts I have seen for a website. Each design surpasses its predecessor and it’s a refreshing touch to stop by a site and see a completely new look. She provides a fine example of how to properly and effectively use style sheets and her website has a lot of quality content for you to browse through including photos & her design portfolio. (A quick nod to Stephanie for enlightening me on how to properly put my comedian pop-ups together).
2008 Update - Stephanie’s site now points to a new blog. Her old site was up & down over the years, but it looks like she’s got the Internet itch again. Will have to checkout her Flickr page for new inspiration.

Moxie - I have to wonder why the Mox is still single. I’m beginning to think it’s all just a ruse to keep readers enthralled with her site. Her writing will entice you more than her marital status as her reviews of Reality TV are more entertaining than the shows themselves. Of course, there’s plenty of other things she has to write about so sit back and exercise your brain some. Oh and she uses Gallery for her photo albums.
2008 Update - Still around, swinging her righteous flair, taking on the liberals and probably a bigger Internet celebrity.

Mr. Helpful - This site is worth visiting simply on the merits of the “Shatner Chronicles” alone, but add to that “The Adventures of the Bionic Dick” and Mr. Helpful’s list of best entries and you could very well lose a weekend. This site gets a double-thumbs up for content originality.
2008 Update - If you read his blog then you know his son’s in a band. If you read his blog then you know why I linked him in the first place.

Paul Katcher - The first comment I have to make about this site is the design. Paul has such a content driven site that the ease of navigating all his categories & entries was HUGE. I’ll leave it to Paul to describe his blog entries which “read like a quick bar conversation”. Most of his entries are short and to the point, a perfect formula for Internet reading. Did I mention this is a content heavy site? You’ll find Interviews (hot chicks people), Reviews (books, movies, etc.), Photo Albums, hell his site definitely requires the Search feature provided by Movable Type.
2008 Update - I still have my t-shirt… uhm, which the wife wears of course.

Rabbit Blog - I find myself fiending for “Dear Rabbit” letters if I’m away from the `Net too long. Sometimes I pretend I am the rabbit… then I write myself a letter and stop short of answering it `cause that would be too weird… (Oh, and I enjoyed her published articles on Salon.com as well)
2008 Update - Can you tell I linked A LOT of blogs that I don’t get to read anymore?

Raymi the Minx - Raymi reminds me of an ex-girlfriend. Amidst the nostalgia I’m reminded that fiercely independent women should be admired from a distance.
2008 Update - Still NSFW (Not Safe For Work), still crazy.

Ryan McGee - Not since the Hose Monster have I come across a blog for the first time where I spent a good 30 minutes reading through different entries. Ryan knows how to woo his readers as each entry teases you with a hyperlink to the entire post (wait for it… wait for it… NOW). He uses big words like “juxtaposition” without sounding like he grabbed a thesaurus just to use a fancy word. The most powerful thing about Ryan’s blog is the personal frame of reference it conjures up with each entry. Insightful as it is inspiring, I’m just jealous that it’s not me. Jennifer Garner has no idea what she’s missing.
2008 Update - I still read his blog, and he’s currently linked. I would consider Ryan a blogger success, as his new site Boob Tube Dude is hot stuff.

Sean Johnson - I found Sean’s blog to be refreshing in its content because he articulates his questions, beliefs and faith in a manner that is compelling as well as though provoking. I could spend hours in conversation with him and probably learn a helluva lot.
2008 Update - I picked up quite a bit of SEO/Marketing material from Sean early on before anyone was using the terms SEO. He’s still around, and doing quite well.

TonyPierce - He’s older than you, dates more women that you and has enough content to keep the masses entertained every waking moment they’re on the Internet. A great photo blog and inescapable reading material.
2008 Update - Tony rocks, `nuf said.

Uptonia - Lauren made her presence known through my comments. It’s nice when new people pop in to say “Hey!” without bombarding you for linkage or solicitations for the latest in hair products. Lauren has some neat art you should check out (and ask her why she hasn’t posted any new stuff). Also I envy anyone who has traveled to Europe before I’ve had a chance to.
2008 Update - Website is still around, and she’s doing all the things she talked about doing in her blog.

Looking through those old links, I’m reminded that you should learn from your past not live in it. Like a highschool reunion it’s nice to reminisce about the good old days, but if you’re not moving forward, you’re not living.

Here’s hoping my life continues to move forward.

Can’t All This Technology Work Together?

I know I’ve been horrible with updates to the blog… bad blogger, bad BAD blogger. That’s an issue for another time. This evening I’m throwing out a quick rant, and maybe a little stream of consciousness for you my dear readers.

Picked up an iPhone two months back when my Windows Mobile phone finally kicked the bucket. The timing was good because my Sprint contract had finally ended, and the only thing I do on a PC anymore is Outlook. Many readers know I have been trying to cut my PC ties for a while now, and this moment seemed to press the issue. So after much debate, I took the plunge and made the complete jump to the darkside.

I’ve been limping along ever since…

Let me be clear, I am happy using a Mac. I switched because I got tired of being my own Geek Squad whenever I needed to do something on the computer. Frankly, my Mac does what I need it to do, no more, no less. When I’m finished with it, I can power it off. Yes, it does crash, but the geek in me isn’t constantly on duty, fixing stuff.

However…

Like any relationship, things are not always perfect, and my relationship with my Mac could use some improvements. Specifically, contact management, calendar & email. I asked before about a good Outlook replacement, and received a few suggestions. After looking at several items, I settled on using Contacts & iCal, and use Entourage for email. The switch to iCal has been okay, I didn’t like losing all the categories I used in Outlook, but iCal is the best fit for the iPhone (surprise).

Which brings us to my rant…

I realized this afternoon that I could subscribe to many of the Meetup calendars I support, reducing the need to manually enter events. I spent about 30 minutes loading the various calendars into iCal only to discover they don’t sync via MobileMe to the iPhone. A quick Google search led me to Jeff Croft who posted on the MobileMe Sync shortcoming. His suggested work around maybe an option, or I could use the suggestion to sync with Google calendars. Johnny Sewell was nice enough to give me a coupon for Spanning Sync.

Which brings us to the second part of my rant…

I want ONE system to track calendar info, not a collection of programs that will “collaborate” if they’re in the right mood. I shouldn’t have to take my Google calendar subscribe it to my Meetup calendars then sync that to iCal on my desktop computer so it uploads nicely to MobileMe which can then “push” it down to my iPhone. Blech… it was bad enough when I had to do a USB connection with my Window Mobile phone and wait 2 hours each day for syncing, but at least it was one app. What’s annoying is according to Jeff Croft’s post on the topic the .MAC service had proper syncing to the iPhone, which was broken with MobileMe. At least Apple knows there’s a problem (TS1213 article), so we can hope it might be addressed.

Back in September Tech Savvy Mama posted on “Paper vs Online Calendars.” At the time I didn’t think about it, but today’s events made me realize something… technology puts us on a path of continual migration. The communications technology that has stayed current throughout all our 21st century accomplishments is pencil & paper. Say what you will about saving trees, but the fact remains some of us have migrated our computer data from tape to floppy disk to bernoulli drive to jazz drive to zip disk to CDs to DVDs to Blue-Ray.

As of this moment, I haven’t found an answer to my current calendar dilema. I’ll be rooting through searches I’ve made online, but certainly welcome any suggestions.

Have You ICEd Your Cellphone?

“Always be prepared.” is an idea so easily set aside in today’s hurried society. It seems in this age of technology, the cycles of change are only coming faster. Consumers are faced with a decision to either keep up with the each new wave of gadgetry or ignore new tech altogether. I was surprised to learn roughly 20% of American households were not so tech savvy.

In terms of preparedness, if you’re reading this blog, then I assume you’re tech savvy enough to backup your computer. Whether you’re a photographer, graphic artist, music lover, or just “Joe Consumer” you probably have at least one piece of data you’ve copied someplace for safe keeping.

Today, I want to talk about another kind of disaster recovery. If Katrina (and the threat of Gustav) have taught us anything, it’s that there are more important plans to consider than just backing up your computer data. Here are some quick thoughts for building your own disaster recovery plan:

1. What do you absolutely need?
In the event you have to evacuate your home immediately (fire, tornado, etc.), you don’t have time to gather up everything. Make the decision ahead of time about the necessary items, your family, pets, clothes, money, water, food, etc. Build a disaster kit, and make sure household members know where the kit is located. I use clear plastic storage bins purchased from WalMart for our home. Easy to see stuff without opening everything.

2. Keep valuables offsite.
Items of value rarely used should be kept offsite if possible. Jewelry, art, photo albums, items that you only pull out on occasion, but would be devastating if lost. Consider public storage or safe deposit if an affordable option. How about an offsite backup of your computer data? I have external drives I physically rotate to offsite storage, and I just started using Google & MobileMe for redundancy.

3. Weather proof storage.
If there are items you choose to keep in the home, consider a weather proof safe or filing cabinet. I say weather proof because “fire proof” does not mean the unit won’t suffer water damage. We have several Sentry safes & cabinets in our home.

4. ICE your cell phone.
Disaster planning is not limited to large scale catastrophic events. What happens if you’re in a car wreck? If you have a personal accident in the home? Will the paramedics find identifiable information on your person to assist you? ICE is an initiative creating awareness by making emergency contact info readily available on your cell phone, and a free ICE website also provides laminated wallet emergency contact cards. (I keep my laminated card in my front pocket separate from my wallet) Click the image thumbnail to see an example of the ICE wallpaper I use on my iPhone. The image displays when the iPhone powers up until my passcode is entered. (That’s right I passcode protect my cell phone. Don’t you?)

5. Know your escape plan.
Having everything in place doesn’t mean anything if you panic during a catastrophe. One way to reduce panic is by practicing your escape plan. Fire drills and the like sound silly, but in a real emergency you’ll spend less time thinking (panicking), and quickly get out safe.

The items I’ve mentioned were mostly in the context of disaster planning, but they can also be applied to home/personal safety. I use something similar to the ICE card for my credit info. I have designated disaster kits in case of a home robbery. The escape plan for a fire is not the same one used for a tornado.

Bottom line, preparing for disaster is time well spent, and if you think you’re rushed now…

Everyone Can Use My Credit Except Me

If you followed me on Twitter yesterday, you know I was at the Apple store trying to purchase an iPhone. I bounced in about 1PM, and after talking to a couple of store reps decided to take the plunge. What followed next was the longest 2.5 hours of my day.

I’m going to link you to the back story, which I hope you will DIGG because that post has worthwhile information on credit fraud (more prevalent in the United States).

Continuing with this story, let’s just say I forgot that all my accounts are locked due to “credit fraud protection”. Ryan the Apple store rep had just walked me through most of the “interview” process for my purchase when he received some sort of flag on his point-of-sale unit. He had to call AT&T to port over my number from Sprint, and next thing you know my phone rang.

At the time, I ignored the call as Caller ID was “unknown”, and I was in the middle of this store purchase. Ryan proceeds to tell me that it was the AT&T rep, and she needed to speak with me. No problem I thought, until she called back AND MY PHONE DIED. Twitter followers know that I have been holding off on getting an iPhone, but my Sprint phone had been on its last leg for a few weeks. So there I was in the Apple store, trying to make my purchase, and I couldn’t because AT&T had no way to contact me.

It was then that I realized I had been possessed by the Cult of Mac. I was not leaving the store without a working phone, an iPhone specifically. I scrambled to get a USB cable from another store rep so we could get power to the phone. Got it. Asked the AT&T rep to call back, and when I picked up we got disconnected. Ryan asked the rep to call again, and she stated she had exceeded the number of courtesy calls she could make on an account. Holy crabcakes! Say it wasn’t so.

Ryan patiently spent the next 2 hours calling AT&T talking to a different account exec each time in an effort to get my service ported from Sprint. If my phone wasn’t sending the calls directly to voicemail, I was wrestling with the inordinate number of questions to prove my identity. Remember a few paragraphs back when I said I forgot about the credit hold on my accounts? Those holds are supposed to make it difficult for other people to assume my identity. Didn’t seem to matter much last week when someone attempted to buy a car in my name, but there I was making a legitimate purchase, and I couldn’t answer half the questions.

Finally, after the 6th call to yet another AT&T rep, my Sprint phone stayed connected on the call, AND I got five questions I could directly answer. Weathered & weary, I paid my dues to the Apple rep, shook his hand, and headed out the door.

I’ll be sharing my experiences with the iPhone in an upcoming post. Be sure to tune in as this adventure has only just begun.

Technology… Equalizer or Divider?

I recently stumbled upon a thread in Twitter, an apparent flame war between several patrons of Twitterland. It didn’t affect me personally, but I was drawn in by the vile language and extreme rage being thrown out on both sides. At different points in the threads I read, links were tossed out as “evidence” to backup statements, followed by more links as counter-arguments to accusations.

Then my wife walked into my office with baby girl in her arms…

My daughter will grow up in a technological age unlike anything I or my parents could have imagined. The Internet connects citizens around the world, and information exchange is so quick only telepathy would be faster. While I admire our advances, and the geek in me loves all the gadgets & technical wizardry, I worry about the challenges my daughter will face.

Cyber-bullying. Cyber-stalkers. Identity thieves. Some of these items weren’t even around when I was a teenager. People ask me why I don’t use an alias online, why I make it a point to use my real name on message boards or social networks. First, I generally won’t post something online I wouldn’t say in person, and second I’ve done what I can to establish my actual identity online in hopes it will deter others from pretending to be me. (Not that you would want to do that, I’m really not all that hip) I’ve already been the victim of identity theft.

In eight years it may be next to impossible to tell our daughter “No, you don’t need a cell phone.” I certainly didn’t think an eight year old needed one several years ago, but now “tweens” as they are called seem to be getting younger & younger. There was an article on MSNBC that talked about “Grade-school Lolitas“, how parents are facing the challenges of stemming off a constant tide of media & Internet information that is out there unfiltered. My 7 year old niece thinks she’s fat. Why in the world is a 7 year old concerned about body image?

I dealt with bullies when I was growing up, but they were tangible flesh obstacles I learned to overcome. A quick wit, weight training, Saturday night kung fu and a big dog were all I needed to tackle the bullies of my day. How do I prepare my daughter for an onslaught of cyber accusations or candid images & videos? And it’s not just “kids being kids” or harmless fun, adults are being harrassed as well. Ariel Waldman wrote a post about Twitter harrassment back in May 2008.

Today’s Twitter flame war reminded me just how easy it is for people to horribly abuse technology.

The UFC is the club to beat in MMA

Watching yesterday’s Affliction MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) event on pay-per-view it became very clear that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) remains the top brand for MMA enthusiasts. Here’s a quick list of things wrong with Affliction:

1. Fights conducted in a boxing ring. Every time the fight went to the ground-against the ropes-the referee had to reposition the fighters. This broke up the momentum of the fight on many occasions.
2. Megadeth. If I wanted to go to a hair metal show, I would have bought that on pay-per-view. Seriously, the between round entertainment just made a long event even longer and less interesting.
3. Too much talk about celebrities, too little talk about the fighters. At one point, Michael Buffer actually read the names of the celebrities in attendance. Really? Does anyone care?
4. Fight commentary. See below.
5. Wasted time. See #2 & #3. A lot of the fluff surrounding this event could have been cut out reducing the time of this broadcast to less than 3 hours.

Bottom line is right now, the UFC understands their demographic better than the competition. The other MMA brands are trying to create something to appeal to a mass audience, while the UFC simply showcases a better product.

One of the best things the UFC has going for it is Joe Rogan. Do not discount the excellent commentary Joe provides during UFC bouts. A first time MMA viewer can watch a UFC event, and not only does Joe provide information about each fighter, throughout the matches he breaks down the strategy (yes I said it) that each fighter attempts to employ. It’s not just the fact that Joe knows the names of all the different wrestling holds a fighter might use, but he can tell the viewer why a fighter might use one technique over another. No other MMA brand has commentary that provides insight to MMA bouts like the UFC.

The next thing is a UFC pay-per-view or a free Spike TV event is all about MMA and the evening’s fights. No 15 minute entertainment breaks. No WWE over-the-top explosive entrances. No sideline dancers (which never get camera time anyway). When you watch a UFC fight, you’re going to see MMA action.

It’s a shame that Randy Couture is currently wrestling with the UFC over his contract. Last night Fedor Emelianenko was declared the MMA heavy weight to beat. A match between the two would bring in some dollars, but what company will promote the bout remains undecided.

My First Father’s Day

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Nothing can prepare you for parenthood. Not great parents, or bad parents, a lifetime of experience or a generation of knowledge, every parent has to figure it out on their own. My daughter Sydney will be three months old next week. Sometimes I think if I blink her whole life will pass by me, and yet, there are responsibilities that keep me from the quality time we both deserve.

Today Pastor Hennigan challenged the men of the congregation to do more. To set an example as men. Women have had to battle for their voices to be heard; feminism born from a desire to be treated equally. Men have done little, but play defense, as global events have changed the world around them. They say nothing builds complacency like success, and perhaps men just took it for granted that the world would always be theirs. But as I have asked previously on this blog - where are the male role models these days?

Is it the professional athlete? How many pros dropped out their last year of college just for a shot at big league money? Maybe not all, but look at the ones who make the headlines? Kobe Bryant, Lebron James. Great athletes definitely. Can you blame them for using their talents to make a better life for themselves? Is the media to blame for weaving the tapestry of a rising athletes’ legend?

Are schools causing this male decline? In recent years, I have stumbled upon various articles that point out women’s increasing academic achievements and a decrease in men’s scholarly pursuits. An article on MSN discusses whether schools cater to the strengths of girls, while ignoring the needs of boys. In trying to break away from gender role assignments, are we forgetting that boys & girls are different?

Is feminism stomping out the idea of man? Male chauvinism aside, do women really want a metrosexual sap? Is it possible to look for gender equality, and still celebrate it’s diversity? I know that I love Michelle for all her fierce independence, but I also love the fact that she’s a woman who isn’t constantly trying to prove she’s better than a man. Let me clarify that statement; she can prove she’s worthwhile without a chip on her shoulder. While I’m keenly aware of the statistics that continue to point out women make less money than men, is capitalism really the point of feminism?

OK, I didn’t mean to stray off topic. I just hope that for Michelle & Sydney, I can be the husband & father, the man, that God knows I can be. The kind of man Holli described today in her dedication to Daddy’s Day.

Some related links I scouted while thinkin’ about this post. Consider them NSFW (Not Safe For Work)

Top 100 Fictional Male Role Models

Today’s male role models are pathetic.

Are Pickup Artists Bred Fatherless?

Stupid Person of the Week

This week’s award for stupid people goes to Lance Cpl. David Motari and Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion of the Marine Corps. You may remember these two from their infamous YouTube video where they threw a puppy off a cliff. (The video was immediately removed from YouTube’s website) It’s unfortunate that such cruelty is considered humorous by many folks.

I had never really witnessed animal cruelty personally until I came to Texas. I was shocked the first time I drove I-35 through Austin and saw a billboard warning motorists about frat boys throwing kittens at cars on the highway. Criminally insane, just maddening I tell you. In 2003, I was in San Antonio and saw some teenagers torturing kittens.

There are few things that really upset me, but the behavior displayed by Lance Cpl. David Motari and Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion is completely unacceptable. I don’t know if there’s a punishment fitting enough.

Wii Be Not Fit

A hectic schedule, drinking, and poor diet habits, have led to a lifestyle that is a lot less fit than in my 20’s. While I wouldn’t consider myself obese, it wasn’t until a few months ago I realized just how much larger I had become. My friend Ricardo graciously offered to take some pics of Michelle & I just before Sydney was born. When Michelle & I reviewed the proofs, I was suddenly hit with the reality that I was heavier than I imagined (or not as skinny as saw myself daily). In fact, at 5ft 6in my weight hit a peak of 220lbs in January, but when I looked in the mirror I saw the beer belly that made me appear as pregnant as Michelle this past year. I didn’t notice how round my face had become or that I was slowly losing my chin as my neck had widened a great deal. The brutal truth had been revealed, and I could see what other people had been commenting on for over a year.

I had a chance to pickup the Wii Fit game released earlier this month, but had not set it up until this past week. I chose the Wii Fit mainly because the idea intrigued me, and I have already seen the benefits of playing Wii Sports. The game comes with with Wii Fit controller pad, which is a large floor unit roughly 18×9 inches. The unit is plastic, but felt solid and was fairly heavy. It’s powered by four AA batteries, which come in the package. Setup was a breeze, I simply inserted the Wii Fit game disc, and was walked through the process of creating my fitness profile.

In creating my fitness profile, I was asked to choose a Mii. This is the first game I have played where the Mii had hands & feet. That was not the only visual adjustment made to my Mii. After choosing the Mii you are put through a Body Test. You are asked questions about your height, age, and the weight of the clothes you are wearing. The test measure BMI (Body Mass Index), weight, and balance. The results of my first body test:

• BMI 30.46 - Considered obese
• Height - 5ft 6in
• Weight - 196.5lbs
• Balance - Poor (Afterwards, I realized the measurement is based on how quickly you find your balance)
• Wii Fit Age - 42

Upon being told my Wii Fit age, my Mii character suddenly transformed into a heavier obese version. I was impressed and disgusted at the same time. Family & friends had chided me about my weight, but now the Wii Fit was piling on too. My results were certainly less impressive than when Ben Sanders jumped on his Wii Fit.

After completing the Body Test, I was asked to put a stamp on the Wii Fit calendar to mark my results. From there I had the option to go and try different workout routines. There are four main areas including Yoga, Strength Training, Balance, and Aerobic Conditioning. Keeping with the gaming theme, users are awarded Wii Fit points, which unlock various fitness games within the Wii Fit plaza. Being the first day, I simply went through a sample of each area.

I did well in the Yoga & Aerobic areas, but was weak again in Balance, which I attribute more to learning to master the floor controller, and my Strength was decent, but not great. You are led through the various routines by a virtual fitness instructor, and your overall fitness time is tracked to help create the graphs found in the Wii Fit plaza. I kept my first day pretty light, and worked out for about 45 minutes.

This morning was the second time I had used the Wii Fit, and upon entering the plaza I was told it had been 5 days since my last workout. The reminder can be encouraging or nagging depending on your mood when playing the game. I was asked to do another body test, and was surprised to see the following results:

• BMI 30 - Still considered obese
• Height - 5ft 6in
• Weight - 193lbs
• Balance - Good (Better since I understood how to take the test)
• Wii Fit Age -31 (Yeah me! I’m 11yrs younger)
• It was nice to see the progress graph after taking the body test.

Conclusion - My first impressions of the Wii Fit is that the game is well suited for anyone new to fitness. The instructions are clear, and the exercises are challenging, but not overly difficult. The gaming aspect is a nice touch to keep your workouts fresh & interesting. For someone who is active already, and in good shape, your opinion might be different. I think a fit person will initially enjoy the game, but soon become bored by the routines. However, I have not unlocked all the fitness routines, and I could be mistaken in that assumption.

I’m going to continue to use the Wii Fit to see if the routine can actually achieve some quality results. Not only am I trying to achieve good health for the sake of my family, but I was recently inspired by the CNN story on Muata Kamdibe who reduced his body fat percentage from 44% to 6.5%. His progress is documented on his blog “Mr. Low Body Fat.”

Update 6/6/2008 - Laura weighs in on the Wii Fit over at her blog.

Outlook vs Thunderbird vs Entourage

I shot a question off on Twitter last week simply asking for a decent Outlook replacement on the Mac. I received a few recommendations, mainly Entourage & Thunderbird. I thought it best to detail my needs in a blog post to solicit more detailed responses.

I have email correspondence dating back to 1988, when my messages were either on electronic bulletin boards, Prodigy, or Compuserve. My message archive has been copied into Word documents, converted to Compuserve mailboxes, and ultimately into Outlook PST files. It is my hope that at some point I can transcribe some of those messages into a memoir of some kind.

Given the GINORMOUS archive of messages, I have been slow to move away from Outlook, currently the only PC application I still use. I know I can run virtual Windows on my Mac, but I really don’t want to fire up Fusion just to check email. I also have pushed the limits of the program by including Notes & Categories in all my Contacts, while tagging messages & calendar information. Currently, I sync my Outlook calendar to my Google calendar which makes it easy to get my schedule to people who need to know. And there’s the little used Journal feature which helps me track billable time on projects (also tagged with Categories & associated to Contacts). Outlook also syncs with my phone so I have a 90 day snapshot of everything I need on the road. Chances are you could ask me what I have done on any given date in the past 20 years, and I could find it somewhere in Outlook.

Which leads us to my original question - what application (or group of apps) would best suit my information management needs?

I use Gmail which excels in terms of message searches. I do not have any folders setup for my Gmail account. I simply search for the thread I need, and it’s so much quicker than Outlook.

Thunderbird looks like a possible option, and it appears to have a calendar plugin, but what about contacts? I would want to use the Notes (& Categories if possible) from my existing Outlook contacts.

Entourage seems like a poor man’s Outlook. I’m not sure I want to exchange one single-file message system for another single-file message system. Also, I remember reading something about Spotlight searches were incapable of reading the Entourage data file. I would lose my Google calendar sync option with Entourage.

I might have to change my approach to this problem. I was hoping to move some of the current Outlook information into the new system I choose, but I may have to do a “clean slate” cutover. This would entail still using Outlook for message/calendar history, but that may be the front-runner solution.

Next Page »