SumQuodSum

Cool NASA picture.

Night Sky

An interesting article from the guys at NASA

This is an interesting video.

On the heels of Halloween and with Thanksgiving in our sites, I thought I’d post this video from the guys (and gals) at Periodic Table of Videos. This group does a great job of making chemistry accessible for the layman. What’s more, they seem to have lots of fun doing it!

In this video Martyn, Samantha, and Pete compete to see who can best destroy their pumpkins via chemistry. Certainly some interesting ways in which to think about cooking the pumpkin(s).

Had a hard time finding time to work out lately.  Guess it’s not quantity that matters more than it’s quality.  At least that’s what I’d like to believe.  Anyway, put in about 25 minutes today.  Here’s the workout:

Tabata Intervals (Rope Skips) X 2 Sets

300 Workout
10 Pullups X 5 sets
10 Deadlifts X 5 sets
10 Pushups X 5 sets
10 Box Jumps X 5 sets
10 Floor Swipers X 5 sets
10 Clean and Press X 5 sets

Completed 300 workout in 16 minutes 9 seconds.

I’m too tired to really write much,  but I want to keep on top of my workout journal.  Got up at about 4:30 this morning.  This change away from daylight savings time is really kicking my but right now.  It’s probably better that I’m too tired to write too much anyway.  Got a poker game in about 45 minutes — need to get a little nap beforehand.  Anyway, here it is:

Rope Skips 5 X 1 Minute
1 Minute Rest in Between
Pull-ups 6 reps, 5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps, 2 reps, 1 rep
Rope Skips 5 X 30 Seconds
30 Second Rest in Between
50 Bodyweight Squats

About half an hour to complete.  Not too difficult, but enough to stay honest and keep the juices flowing.

I’ve waited a long, long time in order to make this upgrade; and an expensive one it was! Whew! After dropping $600 on two black iPhone 3GS and assorted accessories (got one for my wife, too), I’ve spent nothing but time playing with the variety of apps I’ve added — playing with what Connor and Megan call “Dad’s new toy.”

As I stated in an earlier post, however, it’s the compactness and the flexibility of this device — the device that will essentially contain my life — that is so appealing to me. The fact that it’s also a phone is consequential. It’s my radio, my iPod, my e-mailbox, my workout journal, my to-do list, my GPS, my Internet, my camera, and more. It will fundamentally change the way I do things. It will fundamentally change the way I live my life.

While I’ve used no app more than Pandora, I have to say the Geocaching app has provided the most fun. I have never Geocached before, but today, the wife, kids, dog and myself headed to Watershed Park, here in Olympia, to find a couple of caches. It was a great time.

I don’t know if I’ll write any more posts about my iPhone. I’m sure at some point something else about the iPhone will fascinate me enough to write about it. Until that time presents itself, I will continue to find new and varied ways in which to use my iPhone — to get the most bang for the buck.

If you’d asked me long ago what it was I looked most forward to in life, I would have said, “Being a father.” I still rate being a father as one of the best all-time experiences. It’s also, however, one of the most challenging responsibilities I’ve faced. I find parenting to be a continual tug-o-war between protecting my children and giving them enough slack to make their own choices and experience the resulting consequences. Sometimes those consequences can be more than I want to see my children experience; as a result I sometimes find myself stepping into save them. (more…)

Simple workout today. Walked the dog for 35 minutes. Nice for me, good for him.

There are three things you’ve gotta love about working out: feeling like you worked your ass off, sweating profusely, and finishing strong to The Scorpions’ Rock You Like a Hurricane! I accomplished all three today!

I decided to focus on shoulders today, as I tend to neglect them. You’ll notice that I did box jumps in between each set of resistance exercise. I tend to dislike the rest period between sets of exercise. I overcome this dead space with some sort of cardio — it really intensifies the workout.

Here it is:

Tabata Intervals (Rope Skips) X 1 set

Power Press X 12
Box Jumps X 10
Lateral Raises X 10
Box Jumps X 10
Front Raises X 10
Box Jumps X 10
Dumbbell Curls X 12

Repeat power press through dumbell curls three times.

Finished all of that with three additional sets of tabata intervals (rope skips) with 30 seconds rest between each 4-minute set.  Total time: ~ 30 minutes.