bodybugg

Two of my friends have begun to use a fitness device called a bodybugg. The bodybugg armband is used to track calories consumed and also tracks calories expended using four types of sensors. It measures motion, body temp, skin conductivity, and heat flux. (Not sure how all the science works, but their web site provides some details.) Then you upload the info to your personalized web site and can view your results and progress. The concept is simple: balancing calories consumed against calories burned in order to manage weight. Cost is $399. It's a nice concept, but the armband is a bit bulky. And I don't know that I'd be consistent about entering my calories consumed into the armband. I prefer going to my Weight Watchers online web site and using their tools, although I'm less consistent with that than I should be.

The bodybugg reminds me a bit of my Sportbrain, but the Sportbrain only counts and uploads my steps. And of course the Sportbrain only costs $29.99. But again--less functionality.

All things TiVo

For those of you who enjoy TiVo, how are you liking the new Amazon Unbox service? I've used it to download a few movies and TV shows, but wish they offered more selection.

And, as many predicted, the price is coming down on the Series 3 TiVo. Actually its a new "lite" model that features HD, and at a significantly reduced price from the Series 3.

I moved houses recently, and have felt a little frustration at dealing with multiple TiVos or not having TiVo available in the room I want to be in. This stems from the walking program that I began in January (yes, I do get well over 10,000 steps a day and I've lost over 50 pounds since January!). I now have my treadmill in a room without a TiVo. And I really don't want to purchase another Tivo--I already have 2. So I began to investigate networking options for my TiVo and came up with two solutions:

1. X10 offers what they call a Wireless Video Sender. I could hook the transmitting unit up to one of my TiVos and then hook the receiving unit to the TV next to my treadmill. $49.99 for this solution.
2. Here is the solution I like the most. CrossBar Media sells a kit that allows you to network all your A/V devices over your existing coax cables. So I could send programming from my TiVo to any TV in the house, as well as pop a DVD into the drive in my living room and watch it on the TV in my bedroom. (I don't know about you, but I'm tired of buying multiple devices for each room.) Their AVCast Media Kit runs $99.95 and provides a CableCaster, MediaCaster, IRCaster, IR Detector and the associated cables and power supplies. You replace the splitter where all your cable runs connect with the CableCaster, then install the MediaCaster on the device that you want to transmit throughout the home. The IRCaster allows you to remote control the device from other rooms. Note that you'll need a MediaCaster and IRCaster for each device that you want to transmit programming from. So in my case I'd need a MediaCaster for both the TiVo and the DVD player.

I'm actually planning to try out both devices and see how they perform.

Another gadget--Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor

So apparently, to get the most out of my exercise time, I am supposed to exercise within my target heart rate zone. I was kind of concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, but I guess I can work my way up to a target zone. LOL! My treadmill has a heart rate monitor--you have to place your thumbs over the sensors while you walk--but its not very easy to use. My friend Sherri told me about the Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor, which costs $59, and I've decided to try it out.

The FS1 is very simple--a chest strap and a corresponding wrist monitor so you can easily view your heart rate. The wrist unit has 1 button and provides two basic functions: displays your heart rate and also functions as a simple digital watch. Once I read the manual and got the chest strap adjusted, it was very easy to use. But I do recommend reading the manual, as it isn't easy to figure out the wrist unit with it's one button functionality.

So...between my 10,000 steps/day goal, and eventually exercising within a target heart rate zone, perhaps I'll work my way to excellent health! My overall goal is to lose 50 pounds by next January...

Step counter is helping

Well I must say that wearing a step counter every day (see my January 23 post regarding SportBrain) is making me more active. In my quest to walk at least 10,000 steps per day I have begun looking for ways to incorporate more steps into my daily routine. This is especially important now that I'm working from home.

I've walked to the post office twice this week--I hadn't realized it was so close! Only 10 minutes of walking and just 1200 steps. I was disappointed! I can pick up another 2500 steps at the grocery store if I walk up and down every aisle twice. Then there are my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, for those days that I can't face the treadmill and the weather is too nasty to get out. My friend Sherri and I have been mall walking too...which is getting a little expensive. ;-)

And we've signed up for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica on April 21. We'll get our steps and raise funds to help premature babies through the March of Dimes! I'm looking for sponsors, so if you'd like to donate to the March of Dimes please follow the link above.

Prosper - microlending in the US

Some of you may already have heard about Prosper, a microlending web site that has been around for about a year now. The idea behind Prosper is individuals loaning money to other individuals. You can be both a borrower and a lender. You can lend in small amounts across a number of loans, and its highly likely that if you borrow through Prosper your loan will be funded by a number of lenders. Depending on your credit history and your debt/earnings ratio, you are assigned a credit grade (A, B, C, etc.) that determines your interest rate. You can also specify the interest rate you're willing to pay, but be aware that you're not likely to get funding if you have a high risk grade and you only want to pay 5% interest.

I am both a borrower and lender on Prosper. Both have been good experiences for me (so far), although I will say that repayments, prepayments, and funded loans can be a bit confusing if you're a lender. My advice is to read through the forums (you'll find them on the Help tab) before borrowing or lending. There's a lot of good advice there from those who've gone before you.

Prosper is useful when you don't want to pay the high rates of a credit card, or you can't get funding through a traditional bank. In my case, I wanted $3,000 for some home improvements and the amount was much smaller than a bank wanted to loan. After reading about Prosper I opted to give it a try. My loan funded in minutes. A few months later I decided to loan a little money through Propsper. Loaning is a little more complicated--you can loan money automatically or you can choose your borrowers. You can also tie up funds toward loans that ultimately don't fund, which is frustrating. And there's always the chance that a borrower might default on the loan. You reduce the risk by spreading your loaned money across a number of borrowers and by choosing your borrowers carefully. I have a small amount of money spread across three "C grade" loans with an average return of just over 15%.

SportBrain

Have I posted before about my digital step counter? It's called a SportBrain, and I've been using it for several years now. I pop it on my waistband every morning and it counts my steps throughout the day. Then I attach the "brain" to a USB cable and my steps are automatically uploaded to my SportBrain homepage, where I can view my stats, compare my daily activity level to others in my age group, compare to all other SportBrain users, or post my results so that my friends who are also SportBrain users can view them. (This is to help me stay motivated.)

My doctor told me several years ago that you should walk at least 10,000 steps per day to maintain a healthy heart. While I will admit that there have been long stretches when I've not met my daily step goal, wearing the SportBrain certainly motivates me to walk more. When I began wearing my SportBrain I started parking at the far end of the parking lot. I also became aware that on the days that I work from home I get about 1/10 the number of steps that I get when I go to the office.

So...just thought I'd share the SportBrain idea for any other gadget junkies out there.

Hoping to be in Cabo tomorrow

It is still wet and cold here in Dallas, and they are cancelling flights like crazy out at DFW airport. Since we are scheduled to have more freezing drizzle overnight, I am worried about my flight to Cabo tomorrow morning. I really, really need to be on the beach in front of Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos by tomorrow afternoon. It is essential to my mental health. I bought a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito a few years ago, and I absolutely love it there. I love it so much I bought a second week, in a 2 bedroom unit, when it came available. I go the second week of January every year, and have a unit that opens onto the beach.

If you've never been to Cabo, it is worth the trip--particularly if you like deep sea fishing or golf. I do neither of those, but I do love the beach. There is just something about Baja California Sur that calls to me. (Again, its probably the beach.) And I like to visit Todos Santos on each trip to have drinks at the Hotel California and to see what the local artisans have created.

So wish me luck in getting there this year--looks like I'll need it with the way the weather is progressing.

TiVo Forum drama!

We're having nasty weather here in Dallas this weekend, so I've been stuck indoors doing homework. I took a break today and moseyed over to the Tivo Community Forum to see if anybody had posted any new TiVo tricks. I can't believe the thread I found over there! You've got to check it out--I couldn't stop reading it! Theft, duplicity, and justice...better than a soap opera.

TiVo + Slingbox = Gadget Geek

Have I confessed yet to being a gadget geek? If not, consider it done...

I was one of the first to buy a TiVo when they came on the market. Ordered it directly from TiVo at a time when I could barely afford it, but thankfully that gave me lifetime service. I still have that Series 1 box, but added a Series 2 box late last year. I've not yet discovered HD, so opted not to spend the $$ for a Series 3 unit. Bought my Series 2 from WeaKnees, by the way, and once again experienced excellent service. I've bought various parts and drive upgrades from them in the past, always with good results.

Today I finally succumbed to my desire for a Slingbox Pro, so that I have access to my own viewing preferences while on the road. I've got really odd TV viewing habits, and this will be so much nicer than watching whatever happens to be available when I'm living in a hotel (which I believe will happen a LOT with my new job). I probably won't get it installed until tomorrow, but I'm really looking forward to it. There aren't that many shows that I can't live without, but TiVo makes it nice to be able to view them when its convenient for me as opposed to when the show is scheduled to air. So now with the Slingbox I'll have access to my TiVo'd programs (and more) from wherever I have a broadband connection. I'll supposedly be able to view from my cell phone, a Samsung BlackJack, as well...but I have trouble visualizing my wanting to do so.

OK, since I brought it up, here are the shows I can't live without

• CSI
• ER
• The Girls Next Door (Yes! I think its a scream!)
• Desperate Housewives
• Two and a Half Men

I also like to keep up with the ABC soaps, but I find that watching once or twice a week is plenty. And--blissfully--with TiVo you can speed through an hour of soap in about 15 minutes. I also enjoy Dr. Phil ("How's that workin' for ya?"), depending on the topic.

I'll keep you posted on my Slingbox experience.

Getting caught up

Happy New Year!

I'm certainly not much of a consistent blogger, but will make it a resolution to do more blogging this year. 2007 is off to a big start for me. New job that I think will be very fulfilling and will put me on the road a great deal once again. And I went back to college last fall, so I've been very busy with my courses these last few months.

As an interesting elective for my Info Security degree, I signed up for a course called International Terrorism. No, I am not learning to be a terrorist! I am studying the history of terrorism, along with the structure of terrorist organizations, and the typical profile of a terrorist and a terrorist organization. It is very scary stuff. But fascinating, and certainly relevant in today's world. The discussion topic this week (and so timely) is: Do you think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth the price we've paid? So far only one class participant has said "yes".

The course is offered as part of a Homeland Security certification at Excelsior College. It's been a lot of work this semester, but oh so interesting! I must say I've enjoyed it more than the Java programming course I'm taking, which will be much more useful in my career.