Dangerous, But Oh So Tempting

I often look around for cool new balance challenges. These often become purchases under the guise of Christmas gifts that the children are required to share. The sharing requirement is also thinly disguised as a "share amongst yourselves" statement when it really means "share with me...please".

A waveboard was the first one. we graduated to Xsliders after that. I keep looking at the Freeline Skates but...Xsliders seemed like a better alternative. I purchased unicycles the next year. To date, the unicycle is unconquered. Mi esposa wants jumping stilts. These are boots with big springs on them that let you jump insanely high. This item is where we begin crossing over from challenging to just pure danger.

Speaking of danger - let me introduce you to the Freebord. This particular instrument of death lets you slide around like a snowboard. The carving movement is sort of like a skateboard but more fluid. They don't have full bindings but do have a little slot that your feet slip under. If you go to the website at www.freebord.com you will find videos of kids, without any protective gear, flying down streets. One of the videos shows how easy it is to stop by showing a kid just about getting creamed by a car. That is truly sickening. I need to thank them for making me break the first sweat I've had, in an Intel cube, ever.

Now I know why snow sports cost so much. It's because there is a surcharge for what I like to call "potential give". I'm not saying that snow will always be soft to land on - like a fluffy cloud. But, I'm almost certain that any kind of snow - not talking about the obvious relative, ice - is softer than a bite of asphalt, concrete, or car.

Having said that, I can't deny that I really want to try it. On the other hand, I'd like to live.

Coolest Research Engine EVER!

As I was finding out about software available for plotting math functions, I found the Mathematica website. Mathematica is the software that tortured me at school. I loved AND hated it. It helped me do my homework and it frustrated my learning experience in so many ways.

I actually owned early versions of MathCAD and Derive. Derive was my favorite. It was simple, logical and helped me get my homework done correctly and quickly. I'm over it now. Mathematica is still around and more powerful and flexible than ever. I can get it for Mac OSX, Linux and Windows platforms. MathCAD, in all its glory, is stuck with Windows. Sadly, Derive has been absorbed into a calculator maker's firmware or has died.

But, coolest of all is a very simple online research tool that will plot mathematical functions as well as tell me wild facts about my birthday. Here's where the company behind Mathematica surprised me. Go ahead and give it a whirl.

www.wolframalpha.com

See their suggested search entries on the website and, above all, don't forget to put in a little test function like f(x)=x/(x^2-1). You won't be sorry.

Gymathtics

I'm looking for open source stuff in Java or Python that solves calculus problems and plots them. It would be cool to see something show the solution by reviewing what little memorized proof or method is required. Then, showing some examples of real world uses with examples would be cool.

While I agree that solving a problem is a pleasure in and of itself, I have say that I think mathematics would be so much more interesting if I could see real world uses and practices for it in everyday living. Practice in math is equal to practice in a foreign language.

The use and application of calculus could be as addictive as a good video game. Maybe that's it. Maybe a little calculus video game could set up situations for characters to use calculus to solve problems at different levels (with and without prompted help).

Kayak Shopping

After a recent kayaking trip I began shopping around to find the perfect kayak for local paddling. This isn't a new fascination for me. I've liked kayaks ever since my Scout Troop build little kayaks when I was a kid.

The kayaking event I remember most is when we took the kayaks to the city pool to learn how to use them. We even tried turning them over and then recovering to an upright position. That was not as easy as the guys on TV made it look. I think my lack of hunger for the remainder of the day could be related to the amount of pool water I drank that day.

In early August, my family went on a little kayaking trip in Dungeness Bay, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The day was beautiful. The water was smooth. We had a little coaching, made some adjustments in the kayaks and got going. At first they felt a little tippy. We were in tandem kayaks that were roto-molded plastic. They felt heavy out of the water but in the water they glided nicely.

The most important thing I learned about the journey was that the foot pegs, along with working the rudder, were important to position correctly so that my legs could snug into the sides and top of the boat. I knew this was important before I got in but I didn't know how to get it done. I made the mistake of thinking that my legs should be able to fully stretch out.

The problem with stretching out is that my huge gut isn't used to keeping me in a sitting position. So, while paddling with all my might, I was sinking down in the seat and my paddle stroke was ghastly. I soon learned that pulling my food pegs closer would help me use my upper body in my stroke. The improvement in my paddle stroke due to being able to push my butt back in the seat and get my knees into the sides of the kayak was a huge relief.

Uh, my left leg is going numb. I had no idea that sitting on a relatively comfortable kayak seat would have the ability to make my leg go numb all the way from my butt to my toes. That can't be good. I still don't know exactly how to solve this problem but I know that the seat and my position in it are important.

So, the trip went well. I got the best upper body workout of my life. The beauty and wildlife was awesome. I was distracted by the views so much that I didn't really think about my leg problem or my fatigue. The outcome of this trip is still to be determined but my kayak research has yielded a few choice bits.

First, plastic is heavy and difficult to repair. Second, fiberglass is lighter and, allegedly, easier to repair. However, composites come at a price. Perhaps the most expensive of these are carbon fiber and Kevlar. Yes, some kayaks are made with Kevlar. The price range from plastic to Kevlar in the touring kayaks is about $900 to about $5,000. That's enough to make one think carefully before purchasing. I'm clearly more of a $900 kind of guy.

Having made my financial position clear, I can't deny that there are a couple of kayaks that make my glasses steam up. Feathercraft Kayaks make an amazing kayak that folds into a large suit case or backpack. This brand looks like an aluminum frame with a waterproof fabric shell. It's amazing. But, it has an amazing price at $3,400. This is the $2,400 price of coolness, lightness and portability.

A few of contenders for my purposes are the Dagger Alchemy 14, Perception Carolina, Perception Tribute (for smaller folks like my wife). These are all traditional touring kayaks made out of plastic or fiberglass. The new trend in kayaks appears to be the Sit On Top kayak. Of these, the Malibu Kayak X-Factor and Stealth 14 are pretty appealing (also plastic). These are all available in about 14 foot lengths.

Most of these boats range between 48 and 60 lbs. I've chosen a shorter length that should provide a good balance of maneuverability and speed. Typically, longer/narrower boats are faster but less stable. The SOT kayaks are the widest of the bunch at 33 inches. More stability will be nice for their stated purpose as a fishing and diving platform. Big guys with long legs should like being out of the confines of a traditional kayak. And, just so you don't worry about the lack of kayak to body connection, the SOT kayaks often come with knee straps.

The last bit of this long post is about kayaks you can build. Pygmy Boats (http://www.pygmyboats.com/) make a bunch of boat kits that get great reviews. These boats are plywood that is stitched together, glassed, and epoxied. They look beautiful when finished right. They are probably the lightest of the affordable boats. The combination of fiberglass and wood means less fiberglass and epoxy than a pure fiberglass boat. The relative strength is comparable with Kevlar. The price is right around $1,000 for their Arctic Tern 14. This boat weighs 32 lbs. But, it will cost me in terms of hours of labor, space in the garage and then the inevitable ballerina-shoes period where I won't want anything to scratch or touch it.

So, there you go. Of course, there is much more to talk about regarding wetsuits, Personal Floatation Devices, paddles, and stuff. These are the odd bits that drive me crazy. I hate collecting tons of stuff. But, I love researching it all. Fortunately, most of these boats can be rented.

GF

Cash for Clunkers or When Socialism Makes Everything Better

700k in new car sales result from the cash for clunkers program. You'd think that car makers might get the idea that in order to sell more cars they should consider dropping prices and controlling costs. Hmmmm, nah, dumb idea. Let's just wait until we're drowning in debt and unprofitable. Then, we'll beg the government for help and they'll hand us taxpayer money since the tax payers won't do it on their own.

Ahhh, socialism. Where have you been all these years?

Running With Knives (a follow up)

I recently purchased a few of the mid-length folding knives from Opinel. I can't wait to see them. Funny thing is that I thought I'd get a more competitive price by hunting around online rather than going straight to Opinel. Wrong. After digging around, I found the US distribution channel by looking at the Export section of the Opinel website. They have the best prices available online.

Now, I'm in that anxious limbo between having spent the money and actually seeing the product. In the meantime I'm eyeing a few items from flexcut and, more specifically, some short-bladed knives that are particularly for chip carving. I'll share more when I find what I want.

I'll also snag a few thumb guards and basswood pieces (including eggs), to start playing with.

GF

Knife Manufacturer Marketing Runs with Open Blade

Pocket knives are a strange indicator of market and manufacturer not seeing eye to eye. I recently went looking for a couple good knives for carving. It seems odd that so many modern knives are so focused on what looks cool that the poor Boy Scout or average guy can't get what they really want without pouring over info to try to self educate.

The biggest issue I can think of is metal selection. Many manufacturers and vendors will share that their blade is made of Stainless Steel (SS) but won't tell you much more. The different types of SS make for very different blades. I'm noticing that kids who buy knives are almost always sucked into an SS blade without knowing of different options. And, different types of SS make for different sharpening, edge quality, and edge retention properties. The fact is that SS is a real pain to get a good edge on. No wonder kids don't end up liking carving.

Where, oh where, are the old-school high-carbon-steel blades? They are so easy to sharpen. And, when sharp, a good knife can make carving such a pleasure. If you get agressive about searching for carbon-steel blades online you'll begin to find bits and pieces of information. CASE XX, Opinel, Gerber, Schrade and a few others still make carbon-steel blades. As with SS blades, there are many different qualities and types of carbon-steel. I can't begin to pretend to know all that stuff but I can tell you that it can make a big difference in your carving experience. Also, the metal should completely influence your decisions regarding sharpening methods and materials.

Keep in mind that I'm searching for carving knives. It is not typical to find pocket knives that are for this purpose. Usually, serious carvers are focused on a set of fixed-blade specialty tools (gouges, knives, files, etc) that have short blades and large handles. There are very few great folding-blade options for carvers.

So, what did I find? First, Opinel makes a very inexpensive line of locking, carbon-steel, knives. Second, Oar Carver makes a pocket knife that is more standard but has blades that are shorter and shaped specifically for carving. There are a couple more cool ones out there specifically for carving but they are over $100. And, CASE XX makes a bunch of pocket knives that have carbon-steel blades (even locking blades) that can be used for carving.

Here's all the must haves I considered: price, carbon steel blade, locking blade, folding blade, short enough blade to be reasonable for carving. With all the options out there, it's tough to beat the Opinel for cost/benefit. By the way, I found some cool safety gear including a glove for the non-knife hand and a thumb guard for carving blade to thumb. There are some good things out there.

I wonder when manufacturers will start thinking about practicality and most common use? If I was a knife manufacturer, I'd make a knife with 1 or 2 blades, shortened for carving, with blades that fold, lock and are made of carbon-steel. I'd include a thumb guard, an appropriate sharpening tool for the blade type, and a few chunks of bass wood. Can it be that simple? Uh, yeah.

Tiny

I've been looking around at tiny house designs for more than ten years. I'm absolutely fascinated with them. The blog link (on the right) gives me so many great ideas. I'm determined to redesign the typical home. I want something cheaper, sturdier, and easy for anyone to own and use.

I'm not a fan of using storage space for living space or the other way around. I particularly don't like bedrooms. All that room for storing a pad and clothes during the day and then storing sleeping bodies during the night. It just seems odd. The trend in the housing industry seems to be toward complexity; more corners equals more joy. I'm not a fan.

The inside needs help as well. I like to think about furniture like Alton Brown thinks about kitchen gadgets. If it doesn't serve more than one purpose it probably isn't worth owning.

So many people have bathroom, kitchen and water-heater disasters. Why not change house design to stop such unnecessary problems?

GF

Alton's Carbide Cannon

Hey, here's a neat project Alton did for Independence Day. (Not to mention that it is environmentally friendly- the only byproducts are water and lime.)

Military Disaster Proves Genius of Simplicity

Introducing COH
For those of you who don't know, Conflict of Heroes (COH) i s THE best of the new-school military strategy boardgames. It is easy to play. It has a limited number of rules. And, with all its simplicity, it can be a real brain-buster when it comes to strategic decision-making.

For Starters
COH has about five starter scenarios that help illustrate game rules, strategies and methods. A and I have worked our way through four of five starter scenarios. I think the fourth scenario took us about 4 hours to play.

NKOTB
Summer is here. We've got a tent set up in the back yard. The boys are enjoying some of their free time by playing COH in the tent. This is the first time the two younger boys have tried COH. So, they are learning the ropes. It's always a concern when the younger kids learn new games. It can be frustrating for them. And, guaranteed, it's frustrating for me. Everyone hates losing and it's obvious that someone will. And, with a complicated military game, you have good odds betting on who will suffer the disgrace of losing.

Not So Fast
The starter scenarios generally take a few hours to play. They usually require lots of unit movement, some terrain strategy and a chunk of resource management. It's easy to get very involved in thinking through all the possible issues. So, imagine my surprise, when my oldest is defeated in the first few minutes of a larger starter scenario. My youngest moved a mortar up on a hill, got line of site on one of two houses that might house the enemy general and opened fire. Once he got a dice roll that represented a hit, the General had to reveal himself. Then, J opened up and used all his resources to try for a second hit so he could get the kill. On his last resources for his mortar unit - he got the kill which won the game. He took a four-plus hour scenario and boiled it down to one squad moving about 4 clicks and using all its resources to take out the objective without any other engagement. All this took no more than a few minutes after a lengthy and painstaking setup.

Overkill
By the way, that's the third game my youngest has won against A and myself in the last three days. It got me thinking that my tendency to over-analyze is not good. Between us, A and I have played ultra-defensive, ultra-offensive, and a good mix. And, in every condition, we've been thoroughly trounced. Not bad for an 11 year old.

To the Victor go the Spoils
For a kid who takes great pleasure in teasing, gloating over small and large wins and providing play by play for anyone who misses the action, J is being relatively reserved about kicking our butts. I think he might realize for the first time that he is capable of beating absolutely anyone. And I think my oldest is just realizing, after a lifetime of easily beating his little brothers, that he's defeatable. The genius of victory isn't always in out-thinking your opponent. Somethimes it's about getting to the salient point of the scenario and getting efficient about getting it done.
It's the lot of little brothers to get beaten by older brothers because they grow up together on parallel tracks but with staggered starts. The danger of consistent winning is, perhaps, just as impactful as the danger of consistent losing. And, the sting of defeat can be healthy sometimes.
This is a good life lesson. Good job J.


GF

Twitter is on the Fritz

Hey, just a note to say that I removed my Twitter posts. Twitter could be such a cool way to post brief posts to a blog. Currently, however, it requires that the account is unlocked in order to link to the blog. I got sick of people subscribing to my twitter account. So, I blocked it. And, blocked, the blog requires a log-on to see my twitter updates----dumb.

I still like twitter for getting quick news summaries from the BBC, science news and soccer stuff. But, other than that - it's just another vehicle for marketers and porn purveyors.

GF

Lungs Suck AND Blow

It appears that the mystifying human body has mystified me once again. Just in the set of diseases that are not blatantly caused by the blatantly conspiring tobacco companies, or the ever-popular drug culture, there are more than 200 different identified diseases that result in some type of fibrosis reaction in the lungs.

Funny thing, (ha ha), is that fibrosis starts out as a normal method the body uses to repair itself. It's scar tissue. Sadly, the scarring goes into overdrive and can result in death. I'm going to try not to think too much about that result. The object of my desire is the few of these 200 diagnoses that can be treated quickly and simply, with non-lethal drugs, and result in a full recovery.

GF

Next Best Thing to Having an Expensive Hobby

Hand Launched Gliders (HLG) are so cool. Sometimes they have wings that are solid wood (balsa with a harder wood for a leading edge). Sometimes they are made with a bunch of "ribs" made of balsa glued to a leading and trailing edge and then covered with a tight tissue or mylar skin. There are HLG used for indoor events and outdoor events. The point of these events is to test your building skills and to see just how long these gliders will stay aloft. The first bit is about skill but the staying aloft has a lot to do with luck.

I found a bunch of places that sell kits. I also found places that sell tools, materials and plans. I had no idea there were so many cool little tools. One of the cool things I found is a razor plane called the David Combi Razor Plane. It's like the bigger hand planers for wood working but it's little and uses a razor to plane balsa or foam. I noticed that they are pretty popular for surfboard shapers as well. So cool.

I've built quite a few model airplanes. Most of them were plastic. however, I've done my share of balsa planes. Some were powered by rubber bands. The biggest were rope towed gliders that had wingspans over 6 feet. Both were cool for different reasons but they both lost my interest because one was too little thrill for the work and the other was too much work for the thrill. I think these HLGs might just be a good balance.

And, if I'm lucky, I can sever one of my fingers with an exacto knife like I almost did as a Cub Scout.

GF

Work Isn't So Bad

Just like the kissing scenes in The Princess Bride, I'm finding that if I can just get to the True Love part, I begin to see that work isn't so bad. I mean, I'd rather finish the story, knowing the good guys win and the Prince Humperdinks get their butts kicked with a lifetime of self-loathing. (I've been wanting to use "self-loathing" in a post.)

I just have to keep searching for Miracle Max. I'm sure he'll have the cloak and wheelbarrow I've been looking for. Besides, when work is really bad, I just have to keep in mind that I'm only mostly dead. Even a little head-jiggle should make me happy.

Test Questions

Why is the test for mononucleosis based on finding mono anti-bodies? Why isn't it based on something that will show up closer to the onset of illness?

The same question applies to Strep. Why can't we come up with test that's a bit more binary, earlier.

I guess what would really be cool is if we could predict ideal conditions for these ailments to happen and then prevent them.

Pay to Pray

Maybe if it were to cost money, we would do it more...

Pay to Play, Who Really Came up with Itunes?

I've, recently, been on a tune by tune music purchasing spree. I purchased two songs by Royksopp, a song by ms. john soda, a song by Klee, a song by Husky Rescue, a song by Lisa Loeb and a song by The Broken West.

It is always a pleasure to think about how much I relish not having to purchase entire albums and then hope my children won't turn into losers because of some offensive song in the collection.
I'm always open to the concept of using masking tape on album covers. Now, it's even possible to download a song to the Mac and edit it. But, all that work is so painful when you can just buy what you want and ignore the rest.

I want every reader to know that my wife came up with online dollar-a-song music purchasing fifteen years before it was a reality. We could have made millions if we had just done something about it. Note to self; listen to wife more often and then do something about it.

More about the individual tunes later.

Golden fleas

Running AND Thinking

Okay folks. The topic today is adventure racing. The Portland metro has a cool club called CROC. That stands for the Columbia River Orienteering Club. See http://www.croc.org/ for more details.

This is another local adventure racing site:
http://www.pdxadventureracer.com/

This event looks cool:
http://www.cascadeoc.org/Degrees/SixHome.html

Here's another site for a related club (Klubb) down south: http://www.forestrunner.com/orca/Club_Info/index.htm

Here's a group that does lots of stuff in Washington:
http://trioba.com/triobahome.html

Okay, back to CROC stuff:

The next event is in Antelope Oregon and is a long event called a mini-rogaine. I'm not sure what rogaine means but it sounds alot like the cure for baldness. So, I'll encourage you to restrict the laughter to a minimum and maybe have a moment of silence out of respect for those among us who have lost so much and have so little left.

Moving on... uhhem, here's a snippet from the CROC website that talks about the event:

6-hour mini-rogaine, Big Muddy Ranch near Antelope OR Apr 25 2009
This event will be a 6-hour mini-rogaine: Participants may visit as many control points as possible in any order they wish, but must make it back to the event center start/finish area within the 6 hour time limit. Points will be taken off for each minute over the time limit.

The control points are found using an Orienteering map and a compass. The participants are running (mostly) to track down proof they've visited as many control points as possible before the end of the allotted time. The race element of this event does not restrict old and young from participating. It's a very open event with a focus on choosing efficient routes and managing your energy and orienteering skills to get done as quickly as possible.

I'm a fan because I like orienteering but I'm also beginning to be a fan because I'm starting to like running a bit more. Especially trail running. This is definitely a thinking sport. It could be cool.

Internet Church

Today, I went to church and they had connected a projector to a laptop. It was broadcasting a concurrently occurring stake conference from another building.
It kept cutting out pieces of the talks, songs, and prayers, and only at the very end did a man decide to try to lower the quality of the video to speed up the connection.

Oh well. So much for tEchnoLoGY...

Dogs... and reporters who are too desperate to make a story.

Oh please. I went to check my email when I saw this.
I have been hearing way too much of this on the radio, but to actually see it in print was disturbing. Who cares about what kind of dog the president has? Does it really matter? Can't we let them lead a normal life?
oh, wait, they aren't normal...
Whatever. Here's the story.
The President and his Dog

So much for useful news, right?

The Amazing Shrinking URL

You may or may not have noticed the little addition to the side bar. It's a tool from TinyURL that allows you to put in a long, nasty URL and it will make it small. That may not be thrilling to you but it is pretty cool. The benefit is more obvious if you use Twitter and get your post maxed out by a long URL.

I'm not sure how well it works so I'm going to try it now. I just looked up a story about the Tongan Volcano. I found a cool video I haven't seen before and thought it would make a good trial link.

The original link was as follows.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-ml5uolY9rFI/
underwater_volcano_erupts_off_tongan_coast/

The new link is below.
http://tinyurl.com/cwc3wm

Not bad, eh?

By the way, bit.ly and tr.im are two more url shrinkers. Pretty nice stuff.

Gordonfreece

Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines Genre

Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines Genre

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deep thoughts with goldenfleece

Redondo Beach sunset with seagull, originally uploaded by kashtoreth.

Kashtoreth brought us a lovely photo to act as a muse for this post. So, I made the link from flickr to blogger and then clicked the "blog this" icon above the photo I liked. Then flickr opens a text box (which I am using now) for creating the post. Let's see how it works. :)

heaters make THE difference

Camping at the mouth of the Columbia River (Washington State side), I took note of a number of conveniences. First, we rented a cabin. It was 13' x 13' and had electricity which we used for heat and light. We cooked outside under cover of a porch which probably stuck out about 4' further than the basic cabin. Our cooking was all done on a propane stove. We also had quick access to good water.

It is perfectly acceptable to slog through delicious mud and even take a couple of dives in it if you know you can get back to your cabin and warm up. Taking a shower was also pretty nice. If I take out the access to good water, take out the lights, take out the decent shower, I really come down to some basics that I don't think I want to do without.

I like a roof and some kind of wind block. Most of all, I like a heater.

I think I can boil water in many conditions but even my stove didn't work as well until it was sheltered from the wind. Too bad you can't cook indoors with those stoves. So, at least, a wind shelter (that's got to be better than a tent), and some non-poisoning, heat source.

just thinking out loud....

Later

Schwingen and Swingin'

I am really tempted to start a new variation on the traditional swiss sport of schwingen. It would involve some style of swing dancing, so it would be a dance competition, and then shortly afterwards it would be a wrestling competition.
The rules are as follows:
• teams of two will be scored together during the dance portion of the competition.
• the winner in each team gets the points from the dancing.
• both team members must have at least one hand on the other's canvas shorts during the entire round of play.
• Tournament play continues until there is one winner. However, he does not win. The person who gets the most points wins.
• If you lose, you have to keep hold of the person who defeated you by their canvas shorts, even after the round is over. This shows who has won and who has lost. If you let go, you will get schwinged to the ground and all of your points will be taken from you and divided among the people you defeated, who are desperately trying to hold on to your canvas shorts.


Oh yeah, one more rule...
• anyone named "Alton" automatically scores 1846582934756.89467 points at the beginning of play.

Things I didn't do today

• earn buzzillions of Brazilian pesos short-selling Citigroup derivatives
• learn any Klingon genealogy
• fly a crop-duster
• trick any toddlers into fighting each other
• eat Fritos at Tranquility Base
• stump a podiatrist
• juggle geoducks whilst whistling "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On."
• bag groceries as a SuperTarget bagboy
• trample upon the freedoms of Laotian frequent fliers selling lotion
• there are actually a lot more things I didn't do today
• but I meant to do these, or at least something similar to the items on this nicely-bulleted list
• and I didn't
• and I guess that's OK
• what didn't all y'all do today?

just thought I'd try to see how to embed twitter updates on the blog and see how it works (see the sidebar)

My Other Mother

In a parallel universe I could eat whatever I wanted and not be unhealthy. However, I'm learning that my body is pretty freakish about what goes in. For some reason I didn't know this. I think I forgot to read the manual.

This part of the post is where I spout stuff I've heard or read and hope it's correct without actually knowing.

I've heard that there are two fundamental sugars that we intake; glucose and fructose. Glucose is the one diabetics don't like because it engages the pancreas and requires insulin. Fructose is allegedly better for diabetics because it engages the liver instead of the pancreas. Sucrose, which is made of 1 glucose and 1 fructose, engages both systems. As a result, many think that fructose is the only safe sugar to consume.

Given that ground-breaking science, it is interesting that diabetic dietetics (ha, got you illiteration geniuses on the ground for a ground pound!) is so focused on lowering the Glycemic Index (GI). One way to lower the GI is to intake fiber with sugars to reduce the blood-sugar spike. I've also heard (but it could be a "beef it's what's for dinner" propaganda (sp?) ploy), protein intake with sugars can also lower the GI. Now we think we know how to eat sugar without spiking the GI (if that even matters to anyone who is not diabetic).

Here's the catch. Evidently, the body, while not having a pancreas freakout session at fructose, has a mechanism for instantly recognizing fructose, assessing the body's immediate need for fructose, and then either using it or instantly turning it into triglycerides (aka fat). Now we know there is a bit of a problem with all these basic sugars.

I've heard sugar called empty calories. I buy that idea in that the sugars, particularly in the case of sucrose, don't often come with critical vitamin or mineral content. If we assume that eating glucose will spike GI and eating fructose will force office-boys into making fat, we need to look for ways to simplify and reduce our sugar intake. Or, at worst, eat more natural fiber with the glucose and fructose we eat. We also have to pump up our activity level so the body doesn't automatically assume that it needs to turn sugars into fat.

This bit is my parting shot. It is more of a footnote than a wrap-up. But it is worth some thought. I read a book some time back (maybe not even finishing it) called the Omnivore's Dilemma that convinced me I should try an experiment where I would simply stop eating anything with Corn Syrup or any kind of corn-based sweetener. I didn't do this, initially, to lose weight. I did this as a way to get off of processed foods. It was, kind of, a political protest. However, in doing so, I lost a bunch of weight and found myself feeling more satisfied (particularly with breakfast) with less food. I started losing weight quite soon after that. Another thing I read is that the body doesn't get the, "that's enough", signal from corn sweeteners as it does from real sugars. I don't know if that's true but it kind of fits with my breakfast cereal experience.

Now it's your turn to tell me what is really happening to me. In the meantime, here's to a 3/4 cup of home-aggregated, rolled, multi-grain muesli with bits of blueberry, dates, toasted almond slices, sour cherries, apples, oat bran and some other magic that mi esposa put in.

This is Your Frustrated Brain Resting in Your Hands

For a guy reading so many books (which already slows progress) (for an already slow reader) (and frustrates) (like crazy), I have to say that I'm really plodding through the Brain on Music book. It sounded so promising but it is very dry. The writing actually goes a long way toward convincing me that in order to feel compelled to write such a book, the author's work as a sound engineer must have a similar pace and mentality. For the book's sake, I'm glad I didn't get into the sound engineering work I thought I craved as a youth.

It is enough for me to proudly say I've attempted to dupe my friends into thinking they were getting phone calls from famous producers. Additionally, I've dropped names of acquaintences who have temporarily acted as promoters for such headliners as Big Head Todd and the Monsters (an almost-made-it band) (which is like saying an almost-sold-out band in some ways). By the way, the skin on my left elbow seems to be folding over on itself and pinching me more easily than it did when I was 30 pounds heavier. What is up with that?

The long-awaiteds books reviews (say it like Yosemite Sam)

Here is my current reading list of books I am reading bookishly (VERY Antisocial):


This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday (Probably the most antisocial asocial sociopath the world has produced. I mean, what a nutcase cold-blooded ruthless murderer. What kind of jerk and idiot carries out genocide on his own people? And beyond all that: he had zero class.)

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

No, seriously, I am reading them all concurrently. I'm really on a physics kick lately, trying to decode the macroverse, while a parallel exploration of the human mind is taking place as well.
How do they all weave together? Cosmically. And with very strange dreams of string theory and transcontinental voyages at speeds approaching the speed of light with pilgrims aging more slowly than Chinese warlords greedy for the secrets of the atom. And, of course, everyone is singing.

I am also reading in the Old Testament, now in the home stretch and up to The Book of Daniel (King James Bible by Various), not to be confused with The Book of David by David Steinberg, which I have read. It's an odd book, pseudoautobiographical, and an interesting look at the life of a comedian. Much more interesting was Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin. That guy has a fascinating story. His career has produced works of genius and works of pure dreck, but his memoirs were a great read. Speaking of memoirs, the best I've read come from Gordon Sumner (Broken Music by Sting). His writing is gripping, and not just because I'm a foaming at the mouth rabid Police fan. All the stories are from childhood up to the time The Police became a band. Then you have the band's Second Violinist with a pretty good efffffort. (Extra fff's for all the f-words) with his memoirs (excuse me, "Memoir"), One Train Later: A Memoir by Andy Summers. Stewart Copeland just video-documented everything with The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out ~ Terry Chambers, Ian Copeland, Miles A. Copeland III, and Stewart Copeland.

OK, I've given Amazon enough free press here, so I'll end on this note:

(I'll Be Watching You: Inside the Police, 1980-83 by Andy Summers)

Anti-social is the new Asocial

I, like many of you, embrace this new haven for the technohermit in all of us. There is nothing more refreshing than virtually rubbing shoulders at arm's length with others who don't enjoy all the Internet socializing. It just feels right. And now, if you will excuse me, I've got to pop back in my cave for some morning self-mortification. Long live antisocial security benefits!

All the best stories...

Here are some of my favorites so far:
-The Screwtape Letters (C.S.Lewis)
-The Official SAT Study Guide (the College Board) <--What is this? Some sort of plank of intelligence? Why would it write a book?
-Modern Physics (Cutnell and Johnson)
-Horseradish (Lemony Snicket)

Not all of them are available on Amazon.

More About Posts

Just so you know, posting book reviews is good evidence that you belong to this blog. There is nothing more antisocial than reviewing and commenting about a book. The only way to improve on reading one book is to read more than one, concurrently, and then confusing them when commenting about them.

I'm reading two books about food, 2 books about WWII, 2 books about business, a book about family history, a book about strange weather,and a book about a climber who helps build schools in central Asia. Just imagine the possibilities!

Posting Guidelines for the Antisocial Masses

I'm sure you are wondering what should be posted to this blog. Well, we don't want to get too formal about this but I decided to make some suggestions.

First, dont' post stuff that's really dumb. Only post things that aren't really dumb. If you have something that's partially dumb you should seriously consider how stupid you'll look when someone more arrogant decides your post is mostly, if not completely, dumb.

Second, we are encouraging the use of large words. It is important to remember that large words are the root of all worthy causes. However, it won't help anyone if you actually explain what you mean so please simply encourage the use of a dictionary as a part of your post. We'll attempt to provide a link or embedded search tool specifically for looking up big words.

Third, we like stuff that is not standard fare. We are a bit snobbish about food, science and music. So, please don't bore us with anything mundane in these topics unless you have something really insightful to say. :)

Fourth, we like lots of numbered lists and bullet points. Please include these as a core element in your posts. If you can't number or bullet-point what you are talking about it makes us question whether you've really thought about what you are trying to write.

Goldenfleece

Why I think that I can sleep in on Saturday mornings.

Typically, I promise myself extra sleep on the weekends. That doesn't usually happen, as I stay up late Friday nights while promising myself an early evening. Then I sleep until 7 the next morning, when I realize that I just increased my sleep deficit.
Then I go back to school on Monday morning and complain to my friends how tired I am, and we all come to a consensus that we'll all go to bed early and sleep in late the next chance we get. It's a vicious cycle.
Who is to blame for this horrible situation?
Who will account for this fatal error of judgement?

It's not my fault that I procrastinate my rest. It's not my problem. How could that be possible? Am I not guaranteed my rights as an American? Can I not have my freedom?
Perhaps true freedom is having to pay the consequences for whatever choices we make.

On that note, Goodnight!