Running with the Pack Podcast

A few days ago, I ran a Twitter Insta-Poll and asked people to complete the phrase “Twitter makes me _____“. One of the comments has been echoing in my head. Brad said “Twitter makes me feel like a cyborg”. Aren’t we cyborgs already?

I don’t mean in the Jean-Luc Picard way, where we’re all whirring gears and hive minded (although this is debatable). Rather, two of the defining characteristics of humanity is our ability to communicate complex thoughts and use tools to enhance our physical and mental abilities. Our cars, iPods, cell-phones, computers, and other devices are integrated seamlessly into our movement and consciousness. In fact, the more seamlessly, the better, hence Apple’s success. When I go for a run, most of the runners are wired — connected to the sounds of people they will never meet. We have gone so far as to begin internalizing several of these tools through implants that replace limbs and lost senses, regulate heartbeats, deliver medicine, and control symptoms. We have dental implants, metal plates, plastic hips, transplanted kidneys (and eyes, livers, skin, lungs, etc…), vaccinations, thousands of drugs and vitamins, laser-shaped eyes, tattoos, and piercings. The list goes on an on. We modify our culture. Culture modifies our bodies.

How are we not cyborgs already? Wikipedia and the blogosphere are the hive mind. Cell phones and Twitter are our opt-in telepathy. And those who opt-out are being pushed to the fringe. In Pennsylvania, the Amish are supposed to reject the use of technology, but even they are using cell phones these days.

The point that I’m trying to make is that humans are cyborgs by nature. We will continue to develop tools and integrate them into our culture, thereby advancing the human/machine species at a rate that out-paces any biological advancements that occur through the evolutionary process.

For some other people who expressed interest in replicating my Nike+iPod setup, here are some useful links to the three purchases that you’d need to make. The total comes in around $140 with this combination.

1. Refurbished 1GB iPod Nano (I got a 2GB one instead), $79: Apple store, then select “Refurbished iPod” on the left for the listing. Any 1st generation or 2nd generation Nano will do.
2. Nike+iPod Kit for about $29. The sensor fits into a Nike+ shoe, but if you don’t have Nike+ shoes, buy the sensor pouch/armband combination in #3
3. Marware Armband and Sensor Pouch (they come together) for about $22. This armband is MUCH BETTER than the Nike one since it lets you see the screen on the Nano and comes with the sensor pouch so you don’t have to use the Nike+ shoes.

The thing that I like the most about more recent developments in video games is the incorporation of more authentic motions and input devices. Guitar Hero is essentially the same game as Frequency and Amplitude (also for PS2), except that you play with the guitar controller instead of a standard PS2 controller. With Donkey Konga, you play the drums. In Dance Dance Revolution, you move your feet on a dance pad. These games are more fun because of their authentic interactions. Or to put this another way, I hate when I can’t figure out how to play a game because I can’t remember the right combinations of arbitrary button combinations.

Today I got my Wii. The controller itself is the same device for many of the games, but what you do with the controller is authentic. I understood how to bowl and swing a bat right away. I forgot that I was using a controller at all and felt like part of the game. It was pretty amazing how quickly I was immersed in the experience and that made it all the more fun. I have a PS3 as well and the graphics are amazing, but I just don’t get the same feeling of interacting directly with the game. The controller is still a barrier between me and the gaming experience. Anyway, I need new games on both systems and I think each will have its strengths — but right now, the Wii appears to have the upper hand.

Since I need to exercise a lot to keep the weight off (and hopefully have an improvement in my BP and cholesterol), I’ve been running about four times per week. Last weekend, I ran 8 miles and I’m thinking of running 10 this weekend. It’s only February and I could see myself easily getting up to a half-marathon in another month or so. I talked with Stevie yesterday and the idea of running a marathon came up. I think I can do it. The longest distance I’ve run before was 16 miles and I stopped because I was having some joint pain. At the time, I didn’t know how much of an impact that my shoes could have on getting injured. I thought that I just wasn’t built for long distances. Boredom was another problem. When you’re running for more than two hours alone and on the same route, it can be rather dull.

In any case, I have a good pair of shoes now and the Nike+iPod system has been a great motivator. I’m going to build up slowly, using a program from “Galloway’s Book of Running”. Basically, short runs during the week and a long run on the weekends. I’m supposed to slow down for the long runs (1.5 to 2 minutes more per mile), but I like my normal pace. Still, I want the distance without injury, so I’ll give it a try.

When I’ve heard about problems with using online text resources (PDFs and electronic textbooks), the focus seems to be on issues like contrast, resolution, and eyestrain. I just spent a couple of hours looking up some articles online and I think the problem has nothing to do with these technical issues (at least for me) since I spend a LOT of time reading and writing online. For me, the issue is how these resources feed into my activity.

When I write and need to use a lot of reference material. I don’t read the sources and then write all at once. I’m constantly moving back and forth between what I’m writing and what I’m reading, especially if I want to quote something correctly. If these are all on a computer screen, I don’t want to flip back and forth between applications — that breaks the flow of my writing activity.

This has been on my mind lately (and now parked in the blog) because I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend looking up reference articles on my laptop. I feel more constrained than usual because in my office, I have a dual-screen setup (laptop and external monitor). There, I can have all of my reading materials visible on one screen while I have the writing application open on another. I don’t feel the need to print out everything. On the other hand, this weekend, with only one screen, I feel cramped. At one point, I was actually using two computers: one to display reference material and the other to write.

In any case, I’ll have to look into this further. Ultimately, I prefer electronic reference materials, to save paper and ink, but also because they are searchable and easy to file away for future reference.

A little over a week ago (January 27th), I joined Twitter along with a bunch of people from work. Basically, it lets you answer the question “What are you doing now?” throughout the day. People post about breakfast, the weather, server problems, and such, but I find that the most interesting posts are about thoughts or recent discoveries. In that sense, it’s more like a 10-second blog or nanoblog than simply a stream of what a bunch of people are doing. It’s a stream of human activity in its more broad sense.

Anyway, it’s coming up on two weeks and I have found that Twitter helps to organize my thoughts, I have a better sense of the people at the office, my boss and the CIO know what I’m doing with my time, and I have a hundred opportunities a day to talk to one of my colleagues based on something they find interesting and post as a tweet. I have a feeling that the same people who blog will be the ones that Twitter the most, which is a shame really, because I have no idea what the other people in my office are thinking on a daily basis. Overall, good stuff.

Yesterday, I was planning to do a 10k run, just to get the distance in when I have the time. I started my workout and the nice lady in my head said that the workout was stopping because of inactivity (or something like that). I started it again and the same thing happened after two minutes. So I checked the distance and it said 0KM run. I figured that there was a communication problem with the sensor, so I took the sensor out of its pouch and put it back in, tried to get the receiver to re-sync with the sensor, unplugged the receiver and rebooted the iPod. Finally, I was getting a signal again, so I started running. After two miles, I didn’t hear any of the markers that I expected “You have completed 1 kilometer, etc…” Apparently, I put the sensor in the pouch upside down. I fixed that and started a new workout – just 5K this time because I had already run about 3 miles with a bad sensor. I’ve become dependent on the Nike+ graphs as a motivator, so it’s a bit disappointing to have done a long run without being able to show it on the site or as part of my goals for the month.

To make a long story short, if you have a problem like this, check your receiver (the thing that plugs into the Nano) first to make sure that it’s plugged in correctly. Don’t mess around with the sensor.

Okay, I’m no expert, but I took one recipe and did a lot of substitutions to replace things like egg yolks and butter with more heart-friendly ingredients. The sun butter and walnuts still have fat, but supposedly a more healthy kind. if you make a batch, let me know what you think:

3 cups Oatmeal
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups applesauce
4 egg whites
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 cups golden raisins
2 tbsp sun butter (like peanut butter, except made from sunflower seeds – use peanut butter if you like)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Don’t measure precisely — I never do. Mix it all up and use a tablespoon to scoop the mix onto a cookie sheet (I use parchment paper to prevent sticking). Cook for about 12 minutes at 350F. You know they’re done when they’re a little toasted on the surface and they should hold their shape after begin cooled for about 5 minutes.

edit: I reduced the cups of oatmeal from 4 to 3. The last batch came out a little too oaty.

I went to the doctor this week and my cholesterol is not too great. I don’t get how that happens. I exercise and I’m a vegetarian. Andrew, who eats the same stuff as I do, has a cholesterol level around 150 and I’m above 200. Bad genes? You bet. Both of my parents are on cholesterol-lowering drugs. Maybe Lipitor is on the horizon, but I’m still going to try to manage it with diet and exercise. My doctor suggested flax oil and niacin-rich foods or a supplement, so I’ve started taking both niacin and flax daily to see if it helps. Andrew started taking them too. With my luck, my cholesterol will keep getting worse while Andrew will be able to bend space and time.