since I did not write a blog post the other day because I kept myself pretty busy I though I would do a quick re-cap of my day.
plasma center: rode the scooter to the center so I was super cold when I got there and ended up having to wait a few minutes to warm up before I was able to 'donate'. Once I got in I decided to 'donate' with my right arm again, and the needle went it great and was much more comfortable than my left arm. However what sucked was I ended up having to go the the restroom REALLY bad mid 'donation' and ended up having to stop to take a pee break. For some reason I felt like I was being a quiter for not trying to stick it out and finsish up...
hike: afterwards I ran over to Out'n Back to redeem some store credit and picked up a sweet new headlamp and a new water bottle and headed up rock canyon to chill our for a bit. Weather is really great this time of year so it wasn't too hot and the foliage was happy with all this extra moisture we have been having this season.
Provo Bicycle Committee meeting: had to cut my hike short to make it over to the committee meeting in time. We had great meeting and discussed some great new developments for provo including a study conducted by a BYU student who did a connectivity analysis for provo which will help in determining the best location for a new infrastructure such as bicycle lanes. Also we discussed about organizing volunteers for the upcoming Tour of Utah which will be a great opportunity to see some professional riders up close and personal
Friday, June 10
work out log 1
dumb-bell bench: 4 sets
30-35-35-20
incline press: 3 sets
65-65-65-bar
upright rows: 2 sets
55-55
bench flys:3 sets
10-10-10
incline flys: 3 sets
10-10-10
decline flys:
15-15-10
feels pretty good to get back in the gym, but it is also discouraging working out with people who are a lot stronger than I am. I will focus I being consistent with going to the gym, form, and nutrition (lots more protein, try to keep it from varied sources ex. not just whey protein but eggs, meat, nuts, and other things)
Gut Bacteria Know Secrets About Your Future
Did you know that on the day of your birth you go from being almost completely clean to covered in bacteria as you made your way oh so long ago down mothers birth canal? And that the bacteria you become infected with can significantly alter your health?
"But they aren't all bad guys. In fact, without them, we wouldn't survive very long. We need them to digest food, to produce vitamins. We use them to fight off the bad bacteria. In spite of what you're reading in the papers this week, they are more helpers than hurters."Yet scientists once speculated that the variety of microbial communities present on individuals was determined by environmental factors. Yet new research challenges this view and holds that the bacterial make up of humankind is much more homogenous than previously thought, with possibly three types of bacterial suites.
Wednesday, June 8
Tuesday, June 7
Skeuomorph
A skeuomorph, pronounced /ˈskjuːəmɔɹf/ skew-ə-morf, or skeuomorphism (Greek: skeuos—vessel or tool, morphe—shape)[1] is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues to a structure that was necessary in the original.[2] Skeuomorphs may be deliberately employed to make the new look comfortably old and familiar,[3] such as copper cladding on zinc pennies or computer printed postage with circular town name and cancellation lines. An alternative definition is "an element of design or structure that serves little or no purpose in the artifact fashioned from the new material but was essential to the object made from the original material"[4]. This definition is narrower in scope and ties skeumorphs to changes in materials.
One of the reasons I like blogger is the fact that it is a google service. Google to me seems like a very stable company that will be around for the long run. And I like the idea that this blog may well be around for a while. I often wonder what people in 100 years will think of todays internet technology, but nothing is permanent and technology is always changing
But this makes me think about the idea that permanence plays in our lives. We often want things to stay the way they are and we often fight to keep them that way. Yet despite our best efforts entropy and decay are the ruling masters of our lives.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to let go of the order that we strive so much for and embrace the transient, ever changing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi_sabi
After reading this I realize I sound like a freakin hipster...
But this makes me think about the idea that permanence plays in our lives. We often want things to stay the way they are and we often fight to keep them that way. Yet despite our best efforts entropy and decay are the ruling masters of our lives.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to let go of the order that we strive so much for and embrace the transient, ever changing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi_sabi
After reading this I realize I sound like a freakin hipster...
Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults
- Political liberalism and conservatism were correlated with brain structure
- Liberalism was associated with the gray matter volume of anterior cingulate cortex
- Conservatism was associated with increased right amygdala size
- Results offer possible accounts for cognitive styles of liberals and conservatives
amygdala - A primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions.
Anterior cingulate cortex - rational cognitive functions, such as reward anticipation, decision-making, empathy and emotion.
fashion trends and social media
what do fashion trends and social media have in common? Too much as they both uphold the ideals of new capitalism—flexibility, globalization, technology-enabled logistical micromanaging, consumer co-creation. Why are these bad? because,
We have more capability to share ourselves, our thoughts and interests and discoveries and memories, than ever before, yet sharing is in danger of becoming nothing more than an alibi that hides how voracious our appetite for novelty has become. It becomes harder for our friends and ourselves to figure out what really matters to us and what stems merely from the need to keep broadcasting the self.as noted by the author fashion trends and social media both encapsulate emerging business models of commoditization of the self, or the need to find identity in consuming and promoting our day to day to the world
And so we vacillate between anxious self-branding and the self-negating practice of seeking some higher authenticity: we have to watch ourselves become ourselves in order to be ourselves, over and over again.
road trip ideas
many people say Utah is "such a boring place" but if you know where to look Utah has great natural wonders and unbeknownst to me home to some interesting oddities inlcuding
- Pando, the Trembling Giant: World's oldest and most massive living organism
- Modern day Egyptians who actually practice mummification
- 5,000 square foot home carved directly into rock that even sports a petting zoo
- largest deposit of trilobites found in the world
stories and life
because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! So people pretend there is drama where there is none.” -Kurt Vonnegutwe live our lives surrounded by stories of all types. But what happens when we begin to see our lives through the lens of the stories that we have heard?
cybersecurity
these days we rely upon web services yet more and more the vulnerabilities of the web are coming to light
Sunday, June 5
Party advertised on Facebook brings over a thousand
the true power of social networking gone awry.
also it shows that when 15,000 people RSVP to an event only 1,400 people will show up
Saturday, June 4
How unique and trackable is your web browser?
When you visit a website, you are allowing that site to access a lot of information about your computer. Combined, this information can create a kind of fingerprint — a signature that could be used to identify you and your computer. But how effective would this kind of online tracking be? EFF is running an experiment to find out. Visit http://panopticlick.eff.org to learn how unique your browser is and if you can be tracked.
Friday, June 3
Wednesday, June 1
Tuesday, May 31
Donated plasma
Donated plasma for the first time today and it was pretty cool. It took forever to get all of the first time stuff out of the way which was a hassle so we will see if things are any faster next time I go.
Sunday, May 29
Wikipedia is forcing us to confront the paradox inherent in the idea of learners as "doers, not recipients." If learners are indeed doers and not recipients, from whom are they learning? From one another, it appears; same as it ever was.
"Alchemists kept their practices shrouded in secrecy. The shift from alchemy to chemistry wasn't in the practitioners, nor in the instruments they used. The difference was that chemists had become willing to expose their methods and conclusions to the withering scrutiny of their peers," he said. "The chemists said, 'We don't want to believe what isn't true,' and then: 'It's not true until someone else checks your work.' This doubting impulse led to things like peer review, the duplication of experiments, the foundation of modern science."
By empowering readers and observers with transparent access to the means by which conclusions are reached, rather than assembling them in an audience to hear the Authorities deliver the catechism from on high, we are all of us becoming scientists in this way, entering into a democracy of the intellect that is already bearing spectacular fruit, not just at Wikipedia but through any number of collaborative projects, from the Gutenberg Project to Tor to Linux.
"Learning" no longer means sitting passively in a lecture hall or on in front of a television or in a library and waiting to receive the "authoritative" version of what the experts think is up as if it were a Communion wafer. For nearly 20 years we have had the Internet, now grown into a medium of almost infinite paths, where "learning" means that you can Twitter directly to people in Egypt to ask them what they really think about ElBaradei (and get answers), ask an author or critic to address a point you feel he may have missed (ditto), or share your own insights in countless forums where they will be read and admired (and/or savaged.) Knowledge is growing more broadly and immediately participatory and collaborative by the moment.
Saturday, May 28
bicycle tire myths
Wider tires roll faster than narrower ones: Riders have argued for years that narrower tires – especially on the road – roll faster and are more efficient than wider ones when in fact, the opposite is true. According to Wheel Energy, the key to reducing rolling resistance is minimizing the energy lost to casing deformation, not minimizing how much tread is in contact with the ground. All other factors being equal, wider casings exhibit less 'bulge' as a percentage of their cross-section and also have a shorter section of deflected sidewall.
To test rolling resistance, tires are mounted on control wheels and applied to the rotating drum with hydraulically controlled pressure
How big a difference are we talking about here? For an equivalent make and model of tire, Wheel Energy claim the 25mm-wide size will have five percent lower rolling resistance on average – the supposed average limit of human detection – than the more common 23mm one. However, 23mm and narrower tires do still have the advantage when it comes to aerodynamics, and to a lesser extent weight. If you're selecting a tire for drag strip time trials, narrow is the way to go, but if you want a better handling tire for road racing and crits, go wider – particularly for rough road surfaces
To test rolling resistance, tires are mounted on control wheels and applied to the rotating drum with hydraulically controlled pressure
How big a difference are we talking about here? For an equivalent make and model of tire, Wheel Energy claim the 25mm-wide size will have five percent lower rolling resistance on average – the supposed average limit of human detection – than the more common 23mm one. However, 23mm and narrower tires do still have the advantage when it comes to aerodynamics, and to a lesser extent weight. If you're selecting a tire for drag strip time trials, narrow is the way to go, but if you want a better handling tire for road racing and crits, go wider – particularly for rough road surfaces
Why you are paying so much for gas
you think its supply and demand? Think again. This article discusses the impact speculators have had on gas prices
Behold Freesyle Canoe
Behold! Freestyle Canoe! Freestyle canoe apparently does not consist of throwing a canoe at the biggest white water rapids you can find, but to my disappointment merely consists of old men in canoes carefully maneuvering a canoe on smooth water.
design is not my thing
design just isnt my thing. Anytime I attempt to change something on my blog I just get bogged down with too many choices. All I really want is just something clean and minimal, nothing bold or loud.
I think I will just stick with what I have...
I think I will just stick with what I have...
blog ethics
blogs have become more legitimate sources of news and media corporations are taking note. as blogs have become more legitimate sources of news what example does it set for media corporations? blogs are unfiltered rambling thoughts of the writer and more often than not they are not fact checked. this in my mind leads to the media corporations adopting these same practices, thus the need for some sense of "blogging ethics" are needed. here Rebecca Blood outlines in her blog some ideas for ethically blogging news and information
Jaron Lanier: On one level, the Internet has become anti-intellectual because Web 2.0 collectivism has killed the individual voice. It is increasingly disheartening to write about any topic in depth these days, because people will only read what the first link from a search engine directs them to, and that will typically be the collective expression of the Wikipedia. Or, if the issue is contentious, people will congregate into partisan online bubbles in which their views are reinforced. I don’t think a collective voice can be effective for many topics, such as history--and neither can a partisan mob. Collectives have a power to distort history in a way that damages minority viewpoints and calcifies the art of interpretation. Only the quirkiness of considered individual expression can cut through the nonsense of mob--and that is the reason intellectual activity is important.
On another level, when someone does try to be expressive in a collective, Web 2.0 context, she must prioritize standing out from the crowd. To do anything else is to be invisible. Therefore, people become artificially caustic, flattering, or otherwise manipulative. (from interview on Amazon)
Friday, May 27
William Gibson on the web
recently I read William Gibsons "Neuromancer" and I thoroughly enjoyed his hyper connected dystopian universe that was startling prescient of today's technology. I found this interview on him on his thoughts on the internet to be an interesting insight into his ideas of the web way back in 1996. here are some quotes I liked.
Gibson on the nature of HTML coding
Gibson noting the democratic nature of the web
Gibson on the nature of HTML coding
he's got to spend however many hours in the HTML sweatshop to produce this stuff...and it turns out to be like knitting -- it's a bunch of guys manipulating little bits.his analogy of HTML coding reminds me of my experience of learning HTML, tedious, slow, and time consuming. Oh how the web has changed these days with blogs and facebook, now anybody can become a part of this shared experience.
You can just sit there forever. Looking. Looking. And maybe not finding anything. Seeing a lot of goofy stuff.funny how the web has changed so much since 1996 yet still remains an infinite time-suck.
Gibson noting the democratic nature of the web
this accidental global post-national post-geographical thing that we've created -- which is growing constantly and exponentially in an unplanned way -- is very scary for nation-states in the traditional sense. Because where's the border? It's a violation of what they do.this quote really speaks to me the power that the web holds to democratize information and knowledge. And this democratization has not only impacted the individual with powerful technologies such as email, social networking, wikipedia, youtube, and blogging, but also as Gibson notes nations themselves which can be most recently seen in the meteoric rise of wikileaks in national issues. Further more Gibson notes that this powerful democratization of the web has the ability (if we choose to use it) to direct us to become better, more informed citizens.
I'm also inclined to think, in the very long view, that a lot of what nation-states do, and have done traditionally, is responsible for a lot of the problems in the world. So if we're going to get to something a little better, this is maybe the only thing in the world that's pointing in that direction. This is taking us somewhere.
Thursday, May 26
Isaac Asimov on Bill Moyers World of Ideas
part one:
wow if only I had the same knowledge and optimism of Asimov! Asimov shows just how far ones passion for learning can take you if you apply yourself. It is really interesting to note that Asimov was trained as a biochemist yet is known as a writer. I admire that he not only had spread his wings to learn as much as he could, but also produced a prodigious amount of written work with nearly 500 written or edited books in his name! I would like to follow Asimov and start writing more of my ideas down, yet how can I develop the same kind of pleasure and enjoyment that Asimov had for writing and learning? How can I learn to appreciate my own creativity?
part two: (if you can only watch one section, this would be the one to watch)
if only Asimov could see the world today with the internet and near ubiquitous computer access for all! Yet we still have a "digital divide" which will be so important in creating more educated society. but I also might have to disagree with Asimov in that having computer access is not equal to having the same quality of experience as being in a classroom due to all the distractions such as facebook and lol cats online. What comes to mind is that the web is what we make it to be, if each of us had the "technological literacy" to create more meaningful content we could be in a much better situation.
do computers and technology "dehumanize" learning? yes and no in my opinion. I think that technology such as the internet has such potential to really connect people with ideas but I think it is also important for students to be able to interact with one another and "bounce ideas off of each other" to explore new possibilities and avenues.
education as we know have it seen as a passage to a coming of age. This is a terrible way to conceptualize learning! One should never claim to be "done with school"or done with learning. May I always have the desire to continually improve and develop my intellect, one can always be interested and find enjoyment in learning (but I realize my naivete in this matter)
part three:
Asimov makes an interesting note when he observes that the leading scientists on the Manhattan project were predominately European immigrants. Our continued success in my opinion relies upon America being a place of continued improvement in science and technology. Why is it that if an immigrant comes here to learn in our upper education institutions they are not invited to stay and granted citizenship?
Wednesday, May 25
Chinese villagers 'descended from Roman soldiers'
Genetic testing of villagers in a remote part of China has shown that nearly two thirds of their DNA is of Caucasian origin, lending support to the theory that they may be descended from a 'lost legion' of Roman soldiers.
Blogger or worpress?
I have been thinking about moving to a wordpress blog, but I think I will stick with blogger because I really don't need to get bogged down with anymore features that wordpress may have. Blogger has all the things I need
to blog (or not to blog?)
at the moment I feel the need to try and justify why I am blogging (I realize it is stupid to do so but please indulge me for a moment). really I dont know exactly why I am doing it or what I am going to post here so things will be kind of different till I get the hang of things.
so why blog?
one of the things that appeal to me about having a blog would be to have a place to just spew out whatever is on my mind. I like the idea of just having a "web log" to just record and place some things or ideas that I think are cool whether that means some link that catches my eye, the latest musings, or travel experiences I have had.
web links: I tend to spend a lot of time (too much) time on the internet so invariably I come across cool or interesting links that I would like to save. So if I am going to go through the trouble of saving links why dont I just get two birds with one stone and share the things that catch my eye with my friends?
thoughts and travel experiences: I think it is important to create and share experiences with those around me and having a blog will help me share and develop.
Furthermore I would like to try and develop my writing skills. Having a blog will allow me to hopefully practice and develop writing skills that I think will be important to me. Writing has been a difficult thing for me to do, and I wish to make the attempt to improve my skills. While I expect most of my posts to be pretty informal, I would still like to try improve my skills.
so why blog?
one of the things that appeal to me about having a blog would be to have a place to just spew out whatever is on my mind. I like the idea of just having a "web log" to just record and place some things or ideas that I think are cool whether that means some link that catches my eye, the latest musings, or travel experiences I have had.
web links: I tend to spend a lot of time (too much) time on the internet so invariably I come across cool or interesting links that I would like to save. So if I am going to go through the trouble of saving links why dont I just get two birds with one stone and share the things that catch my eye with my friends?
thoughts and travel experiences: I think it is important to create and share experiences with those around me and having a blog will help me share and develop.
Furthermore I would like to try and develop my writing skills. Having a blog will allow me to hopefully practice and develop writing skills that I think will be important to me. Writing has been a difficult thing for me to do, and I wish to make the attempt to improve my skills. While I expect most of my posts to be pretty informal, I would still like to try improve my skills.
Monday, May 23
Sunday, May 22
The Real Reason Why Bicycles are the Key to Better Cities | Sustainable Cities Collective
after reading this article I really identified with what it said. I can think of a million reason why I should ride my bike. I can ride my bike to reduce my footprint, I can ride my bike to save money, I can ride my bike for the convenience of avoiding parking hassles, or I can ride my bike for fitness, or just about a million other reasons. And these are all valid reasons for why someone would ride a bike and they vary between the rider but in the end the simple experience of being outside and really connecting with the world around me, really knowing the changes of the season or weather, really seeing my neighborhood, and really feeling my body move is really what cycling needs to be about when promoting bicycle use.
Friday, May 20
You know what's awesome?
You know what's awesome?
Trains.
Trains are so cool. They are quiet, fast,and efficient. I am really glad utah is implementing a light rail system in utah. Now we just have to wait for it
Day one
Mystery spot, beach, albino redwood. All in all day one being 22 was great looking forward to what the rest of the year brings
Mystery spot
This place is supposed to be filled with strange unexplaned anomalies but just ended up being a tourist trap with a bunch of optical illusions which actually turned out to be pretty fun
Beach
Too windy and cold to actually get in the water so sam and I just ended up hanging out on the beach watchinh the waves come in. Saw some cool animals in some tide pools. Afterwards we grabbed some really great asian fusion food that was all vegetarian and really yummy
Albino redwood
So there are pretty much like less then a hundred (probably less) of these things in the world so it was really neat to have the chance to be able to see such a rarity of nature in real life
Wednesday, May 18
22 years around the sun
Well as my friends and family know 22 years ago I was born. I would like to take a moment to give my thanks for the many blessings and opportunities I have had. I am so thankful to have been given a strong, healthy body with a sound mind. I am so very thankful for the family and friends that have shared their time with me.
Mom + Dad I am so grateful and lucky to have parents so loving and supportive as you. I look at all that you have accomplished and done for me and I stand in awe. I truly am amazed at what you have given me and I wish so much that I could give you more thank you.
Mom + Dad I am so grateful and lucky to have parents so loving and supportive as you. I look at all that you have accomplished and done for me and I stand in awe. I truly am amazed at what you have given me and I wish so much that I could give you more thank you.
Test post 2!
This is a test post sent via email from my palm pre. I would like to post more here and hopefully being able to post directly from email to blog will help make things easier.
Here is the quote of the day
"tomorrow is the day that idlers work, and fools reform"
-edward young
I like this quote because it really shows that when we plan for things 'tomorrow' we never really accoplish the things we wish to unless we make a definite and concrete resolution to change or do things now