(Photo by Palmgoon)

Aah, video games–the life force of our children and maybe even our husbands? The driving force behind our mom’s high-pitched voice when trying to overpower the sound of our roaring car in the racing game.   But did you ever think what good can it do to you, excluding  the extreme pleasure you feel when you tease those people-that-cannot-beat-you-but-shout-at-them-furiously-when-they-do?

The greatest enemy that a gamer has would be the “Mom” — yes i’m talking about your mother.  She would always tell us to stop playing and go study instead; that it would fry our brains and make us dumb; that it would turn us into couch potatoes; do something productive like mow the lawn; throw the trash out; and that it is not good for our health –Any excuse that she can think of just to separate the game console from us.  I know that mother knows best but I do not think “mom” knows anything about video games.  Sorry mom, but you are so wrong.

Well here are some things that you should know in case this kind of thing happens to you.

Did you know that playing video games that are created these past few years can actually be beneficial to us? The best video game console for me would be Wii. This does not only enhances your flexibility, it can actually let you lose weight and stay fit while enjoying beating those nasty aliens! They have designed this game in a way that it lets you be on the game and lets you experience everything the character in the game is having. In fact, they even designed a console that would let you get out of the couch and do some *yawns* , yes… exercise! Wiifit allows you to do yoga stretching and aerobic workouts while having fun! Now that is the kind of game that I’m sure “mom” would love to have and spend time with. 

Show this video to your mom:

Wii also have sports games that would entertain Dad! A great family bonding without really spending much, like you do when you actually do it outside. Although, going outside and playing sports is the best thing, this is the second best thing! 

If your mom tells you to do something productive, tell her that you can earn money from playing video games.  The pay differs depending on your skill as a gamer.  You can have jobs as “game testers” or be a champion gamer and get the prize. Who says you can’t earn by playing games?  If you are into online gaming, there are a lot of competitions that are being held all over the world as well and Korea is one of the most active host.  You would even get to tour around the world for free, imagine that!

Now, if you want to be fit and rich…GO PLAY VIDEO GAMES!

Some time ago, Magneto came across this post from Uncoached of the sexiest hula hoop girl videos. Sure, that’s rather specific. But I’m sure you’ll agree it’s an important category.

For example, here’s one of the best arguments I’ve ever seen for getting a Wii: Wii Fit Hula Hoop.

I think I broke a sweat just watching!

See more at Uncoached.

UPDATE: Before you go searching Youtube for more videos like these, Magneto has picked out some of the best:

Definitely a winner!
She’s a winner too!

A little chunky but has mad skillz . . .

But here’s the best of the best of the best, with a real hula hoop:

Old East High School

A quick 19 hours or so back in Memphis and I’ll be on the road one more time, this time heading for the old home town. I was in Columbus last spring, spending some time with the family on Mother’s Day. This the East High School Class of 1974 is holding its 35th reunion. Not only did both my parents go to that high school, it’s also where Philip Michael Thomas (of Miami Vice fame) went to school (James Thurber too, if you’re more of a literary fan).

Anyway, I was at the 20th reunion, and was seeing all of my one-time classmates for the first time in 20 years (didn’t stay in the neighborhood, then started criss-crossing the country in the news business). It’s been 15 more years, and I haven’t seen any of these folks since then. There’s an informal get-together on Friday, but it’s also my birthday, so I think I’ll spend the day with the family. Saturday will be the day to see how old we’ve all become.

After a long drive back, I’m going to have a rocking Monday at work. I’ve got a pair of interviews at the Health Department. Should be an interesting visit. My former wife is the public information officer there. And we’re pretty much not speaking right now. So it’d probably be a good idea for any of you to stay away from the medical center area that morning.

Season's Over!

Then Tuesday, I’m back on a plane and heading to Atlanta for a quick two-day project. So quick that I probably won’t have much of a chance to catch up with my old CNN friends, which is too bad. This is the first time since I’ve been back in Memphis that I haven’t gotten back for a trip to Turner Field for a Braves game and a beer.

One Last Step Up

Tomorrow will also be my final weigh in for the Fitness Contest at work. I slipped into first place a couple of weeks ago, and according to what I’m hearing, that’s put a little pressure on the guy who had been in the lead. It’s gotten back to me that he’s dropped an inordinate amount of weight since last week in a last-ditch effort to avoid 2nd place (or “first loser,” as he calls it). I tried to keep up my exercise while on assignment the last few days, and have to thank another co-worker for insisting we see everything in the Mall of America on Sunday. It took a while to cover the second biggest mall on the planet, and was probably worth an hour of treadmill time.

I’ll get the final raw numbers while I’m on the road, and will have to compile the final standings after getting to my sister’s house. I’ve reached 3 weight-loss goals I set on my WiiFit during the 12 weeks of this contest, and am under 200 pounds for the first time in a couple of years. That’s win enough for me. Stay tuned for the results anyway.

This weekend I FINALLY talked my husband into letting me buy the Wii Fit. He had told me that after we moved I could get it. A month after moving and a week after moving into our house I finally got my WiiFit. We’ve had it for three days and already I’ve logged over THREE HOURS of exercise. My body is sore in that delicious I’ve worked out sort of way. I’ve muscles that are getting worked out and screaming THANK YOU!

To be honest I was a little weary of getting WiiFit because I’ve heard mixed reviews about it. I know people that started it and then just fizzled and said that it wasn’t worth the money. But, I still wanted to own the WiiFit. And I am SO GLAD that we bought it. The exercises can be challenging if you put in a good deal of effort. Exercise is funny that way you only get results if you put in a good amount of effort. Even my husband, who is in wonderful shape thanks to the military, finds portions of the game challenging. Just this morning I heard him using the Wii and doing the strength exercises.

My routine looks roughly like this….get on start waking the muscles up with some balance games, lighter aerobics (step and hula hoop), bump up the aerobics (boxing and running), strength training (1 day upper body the next day lower body), then I max out my aerobics (longer run, harder step, harder hula hoop, and advanced boxing), I then spent whatever time I have left in the 60 minutes playing balance games (6 minutes today), and I round it out doing all the Yoga. It makes me feel really good and takes about 1.5 hours to complete.

Today I started back completely on plan with WW. This morning we had WW muffins (apple cinnamon *nom*), egg/eggwhite, and bacon. After my workout I had a banana and cheese, lunch was pizza (Lean Cuisine) and ice cream (WW Chocolate Fudge Brownie which is AMAZING!), and dinner tonight will be baked chicken and artichoke hearts. Tomorrow night we are having homemade Chinese, Wednesday is baked Ziti, Thursday is burgers and fries, and Friday is mac and cheese! And all of it WW recipes. This is why WW works (when you apply yourself again what you put in is what you get out) you get to eat foods that you love WW just helps you adjust them to be healthier. For example the Egg Rolls tomorrow night are BAKED not fried.

Alright this is all I have time for today I have to clean the bathrooms and mow the lawn.

近來很懶已停了個幾星期沒有跑步，之前連續跑了個幾星期，好似有少許成效，雖然沒有真的輕了，但感覺個臉好像瘦了少許，但停了個幾星期後，現在看起來又好像肥番。

所以昨晚便打算再去跑步，本來8:15已想去會所跑步，但睇下睇下電視，玩下玩下電腦就巳8:45，便拿拿林換衫去跑，點知去到會所跑步機已爆滿，等了一會，玩了一下單車機，但仍然沒有人走，便為有死死地氣回家，其實花師奶在我出門前已叫我不如在家玩WiiFit，說跑步對我這些血壓高的人可能大劇烈。那麼跑步不成便為有回家玩WiiFit啦。

回家後，開啟WiiFit後，原來我已有成年沒有玩，馬上先來做過測試，嘩，成績是55歲，勁差！再看看記錄，嘩，原來對比上次重了2.2kg，已到了BMI—超標的邊緣。

測試完後，便問下花教練玩什麼先好，花教練話，玩下喻咖先，然後再玩踏步舞，一路玩，一路發現，所有記錄的頭10名都是花師奶的，想上榜都幾難。做完喻咖便玩踏步舞，花教練的記錄是六百幾分，一至十名都是一樣的六百幾分，我做喻咖已做了25分鐘，花教練話，玩踏步舞玩到一個鐘為止，咁我咪不停的做踏步舞，第一鋪只得三百幾分，第二鋪四百幾，第三鋪開始花教練就睇住我做，我的節拍錯晒，花教練睇到眼火爆，話我無心機做就唔好做，還說我以前都不是玩成咁，但其實我不是無心機，但就是反應遲鈍，花教練睇了一鋪便無眼睇，其實我是做乜都好認真的人，打機都唔會讓細路的，再來一鋪，唯有再認真D，不過結果都是得四百七十幾分，真的太耐無玩WiiFit了，唯有下次再努力過啦！

While Wii revolutionized the gaming industry, Wii Fit has taken the fitness industry by storm. While everyone wants to have a fit and trim body, not everyone is up to sticking to a boring daily routine or spending a hefty sum of money on a monthly membership at a gym. Considering that there are no short cuts to fitness and that results only show after you have been following a fitness regime regularly over time, most people get disheartened by the lack of quick results and give up on their fitness routine altogether. What most people lack is the motivation to carry on with their fitness regime despite little or no immediate improvement in their fitness level.

Wii Fit provides exactly that. It motivates people to follow a fitness regime by making it fun. And, even though Wii Fit does not come with a multiplayer mode, Wii Fit is capable of becoming a community game. Wii Fit makes personal profiles of each player and keeps track of every player’s progress. This allows friends and family to compete with each other and this competition offers not only fun, but a higher fitness levels for every family member.

Some critics claim that Wii Fit can hardly be classified as a game. But, If not a game, what else can it be classified as? Like every other home video game, it too has goals and challenges that a player needs to meet to progress further into the game. Like every other game, more and more levels get unlocked as the player makes progress in the game. Finally, like every other game, where players make money, gold or orbs, for every successful mission, players of Wii Fit make Fit Points that get accumulated in a Fit Bank. The fact that playing this game has health benefits is very simply a bonus provided by the game, other wise it is just like every other home video game in the market.

The Balance Board of the Wii Fit game is worth a mention. Not only is it sturdy and portable, it is also sleekly designed to be eye pleasing. It has pressure points at multiple locations and it tracks your movements as you perform all your activities with at least one foot on the board. It is connected to the game console through WiFi and the game is able to keep track of your movements through the Balance Board.

Wii Fit has four broad categories of activities: Strength training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. Each category has between 9 and 15 games, which are not all available at the beginning, but keep getting unlocked as the player makes progress. Between these four categories, all basic requirements of a great fitness regime get covered. But that’s not all, the Wii Fit Review also allows players to log their off-board activities like swimming, cycling, walking, etc. into the game and the time spent on each of these activities is also included in calculating the general fitness level of the player.

Wii, the innovative gaming device, takes the gamer into the game.The 7th generation gaming console breaks free from the shackles of redundant key-pressing-type-controllers by making use of motion sensors.Gamers employ the wireless remotesWiiMotes that cater them in toying with the wii! Gamers tend to familiarize themselves to the gaming device, by playing it for a prolong period of time, thereby having fun to a greater extent with it. To put it in simpler termsConsole freaks literally get to make the same movements as they would in a real tennis game while playing tennis in wii.Game lovers are never constrained with playing using wii, for they can connect themselves with others and have fun together, share pictures and messages. Also Gamers are allowed to create customized characters called Mii to represent them in games and Channels . The thought that video games would stall one and keep one in one’s couch and make one ‘increase in size’!about horizontal axis! then wiis had change it. It makes one ‘PLAY’ the game.

Down a wee bit

It was sort of an up and down week.  I still can’t fathom why I didn’t lose more weight last week.  Two weeks ago I was hardly eating; last week I ate more, but worked out more too.  There doesn’t seem to be a single technique I can use to drop about the same amount of weight each week.  Will power is fine and all, but man!  I find myself right about where I was last Sunday, and I already know I’m going to be annoyed if the scale at work does the same thing as last week and doesn’t reflect the same weight loss as the scale at home.

I gave some of my “small” clothes a tryout Friday.  Felt fine, but they might still be a bit tight… It’ll probably be another 5 pounds before I can make the switch from XL shirts to L’s.  Once I get off this plateau, that might actually happen.  As far as it goes, most people wind up plateauing at some point while they’re losing weight. The key there is to not let that become the new normal. Not yet, anyway.  It’s so easy to decide ‘oh, this is where my body wants to be, so why fight it?’

Jogging had been going without a hitch until last Tuesday… Literally, just before I stopped running, I felt a little twinge in my knee. Since I’m alternating days I jog with biking, it hasn’t gotten any worse.  I double-wrapped the knee Sunday and iced it after I was done.  I’m the same age as a friend who got a partial knee replacement last year. Another person I know got an entire knee replacement. Neither of them has seen a return to completely pain-free walking — so I’m hoping I’m still a few years away from anything like that.

I’m also trying to rotate through some of the WiiFit exercises I don’t do regularly. It’s pretty easy to slip into a rut with any kind of fitness. I think I read somewhere that it’s not a good idea to do the same exact exercises in every workout… the body gets used to those moves and they stop providing as much benefit.

If anything, I’m still marveling over the temperature drop over the last week or so. It hardly feels like a Memphis August at all. No complaints — also no excuses about getting outside.

Move, Darn Ya, Move!!!!

Thursday: unless I hit the lottery or have a good idea in the next few hours, there won’t be a new blog on Thursday.

Not that I’m complaining, but geez! I think my scale is conspiring against me. I hopped on the WiiFit after running this morning and it showed that I had lost a couple of pounds… which is good.

I get to work and hop on my own scale, which we’re using for our company fitness contest… and I’m only down 0.6 of a pound!  Tried a couple more times to see if the thing was just messing with me, but no… it wasn’t going to give me a better result.  So, depending on which scale I want to trust, I’ve either lost 13 pounds or 15 pounds. Either way, I shouldn’t complain.

The upside of running and doing some WiiFit this morning is that I don’t have to worry about getting exercise after work tonight.  Especially since a shoot I was on ran long… and I had a touch of paperwork to catch up on at the office.  Right about the time I was ready to head home, the skies opened up. I mean hard. Dry as a bone for 40 minutes, then a gullywasher hits.  I check the radar on the Weather Channel’s site and see that it’s going to be raining for a while.  Great.

Just after that, we started having power interruptions at the office, so I figured that I’d better save this post while I could, knowing I could always add more later.  I headed home, but had to take a couple of detours when I saw that parts of Poplar and Poplar Pike were so far underwater that cars were stalling. I barely got to my neighborhood store in time to buy a Powerball ticket.  C’mon, the jackpot is a quarter of a billion… I had to play…

So I bought a WiiFit the other day.  And I hate it.

Ok, that’s not really fair – it’s a neat little device with lots of really fun mini games which help tone muscle, burn fat and tighten posture. It’s also an exercise-based Nazi bastard that’s begun to haunt my dreams and sits in the corner staring at me like a flat plastic rapist, desperate for me to stand on it and give it the sadistic pleasure it so craves.

The fact is though that I am overweight hence – shockingly – I need to lose weight. It’s a fairly simple equation which shouldn’t really require that much mental flossing and yet, I’m slowly beginning to let it dictate my life.

I have had it for three days.

In that time, I have lost 2 pounds and dropped my WiiFit age from 48 to 36 (I am 28) – all things that should spur me on to more and greater etc etc yeah. But all I can think about is how long I’m going to have to put myself though this, how little fun it’ll become and how much I’d really rather be dead.

Talking to an extremely fit-minded exercising friend of mine last night really didn’t help as my vague plea for support turned into an hours session of being told I should make long term plans, set goals, award gold stars and generally a lot of things which seemed less like fun and more like being punished and ever so slightly patronised by the big knockered woman with no kids of her own from TV’s “The Supernanny” and “Supernanny 4: The Quest For Peace”.

Said person who burst my fitness bubble is a lovely person I should add, completely bonkers and a cutie to boot but what she said made me scared and when I get scared, I…well, I get scared basically. She’s right of course. I need to push myself more than I have and I’ve no doubt I will, but having it in black and white like that? Well…see above re: scared. Luckily, other less sportily inclined pals manage to allay some of these fears with their own tales of trying to lose weight as well as being concerned for me and my already snapped-in-two mental health issues.

Today I did an hours walking, followed by 40 minutes of WiiFit. Now I feel like shit. Apparently, that’s normal. Fuck that, I’m going to do 15 minutes tomorrow. Or maybe ten….five and a rub down with a wet loofah? Does blogging count?

Truly, I am a golden god. Pass the butter.

I don’t usually post these videos here, but I figured why not?! I can hulahoop now bitch!! Bow down!!! Shout out to Tyler Perry!! Now show me some love on Twitter fools!! 

Jag har pillipopmpat med det här spelet(LocoRoco)  rätt länge innan Agnes tog över det. På tre kvällar så… har hon spelat det hela vägen till slut och ansåg det vara superlätt… Vad detta gjort med mitt spelarhjärta tänker jag INTE skriva i bloggen var så säker… Det räcker liksom med att hon ligger etta på var enda grej på WiiFit vilket får mej att känna mej som en obalanserad, extremt stel och otränad… PENSIONÄR!

//mamma

Wii, the innovative gaming device, elevates the gaming experience.The 7th generation gaming console liberates itself from the shackles of conventional key-pressing-type-controllers by using gesture recognition controllers.These gesture sensors are nothing but wireless remotes(WiiMote) that facilitates in the interaction of users with wii. Gamers tend to acclimate themselves to the console, by playing it for a continuous period of time, thereby having more fun with it. In shortGame lovers virtually get to make the same movements as they would in a real tennis game while playing tennis in wii.Game lovers are never restrained with playing using wii, for they can connect with each other and have fun together, share digital pictures and messages. Also Video game enthusiast are allowed to model their own characters called Mii to represent them in games and wii channels .{If one had impressions that video games would make one lazy and keep one in one’s couch and make one fat then wiis had change it. It makes one ‘PLAY’ the game.| People who see gamers generally have thought that video games make them sluggish and stall them up in their couch but wiis had change it. Using wii wii gamers ‘PLAY’ their game.

I am now a gen-Y with a wii. Drew would be proud of me. I just had to read a tutorial about finding out what my wii number is. Dad is currently using the TV so I can’t go and get my number at the moment. It’ll be a while before I get any real friends who have wii numbers to talk to. *ok that isn’t exactly true* It’ll be a while before I share my wii number with my friends who have wiis. Plus there are a few guys from work with wiis. I know how insanely nerdy this sounds but I’ll add my number to the wiki page for wii numbers @ work.

I don’t think I can handle typing wii any more but it will be hard to stop considering everything is bloody wiimote or wiifit or wiiwii. I got a sweet deal at DSE for a bundled wii with wiifit and the game was sold out so I managed to haggle a second wiimote + nunchuck instead of motoGP. In reality it was my little brother who did the haggling as I am pretty fail and thought the deal was good itself.  wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Just had to get it out there.

It has got to be the biggest scam ever, even so much as a ‘licence to print money’ with all the crap you need to buy to even play it 2 player.  Let alone all the games you would need to buy if it was your primary gaming machine. I can only thank god that I love my computer and don’t need to game primarily on a console. </console bashing> I must admit I don’t play as many games as I used to, but I couldn’t imagine playing them on anything but a mouse and keyboard. I hear you all saying “oh mark, why did you get a wii?” and the magical answer is wiifit.

I suck @ wiifit. Let me tell you. I am only losing weight due to my cold. I have spent about 25 minutes over the last week on it and I have unlocked a few things. I think I just need to get into a routine and then take away some time from eating + blogging. I wish that I could be bothered to take before and after photos, but that is pretty lame and I can only assume I’ll look the same after not using it. That’ll teach me to buy stuff with hopes and dreams.

Everyone knows what a wii looks like so I am not going to post pictures. Plus I apparently look quite ridiculous doing the hoola-hoops so pictures are also out there too.  I also have a piece on why I don’t think I could ever love music, but that will have to wait until another day.  Short story so I don’t actually have to write about why I don’t like music is “I cannot remember lyrics, tunes or anything even slightly musically related”. People hum tunes to stuff and it quite literally goes in 1 ear and out the other. I can’t sing at all, although I was in a choir when I was younger. I guess it just doesn’t agree with me. Metallica rock though.

Lot of <3s to everyone. Yes, ascii bum cones for all.

The WiiFit told me I’m a fatty and now I’m self-conscious.

Even before the incident with the Wii, I felt like I wasn’t paying great attention to my own health which is, of course, ironic as I am a health care practitioner.  As such, I spent a fair amount of time searching through resources, new and familiar, to figure out how to get myself back on track and I am now one week into my overhaul.

First of all, I’m back on the omega-3 supplementation train.  As it is, I eat almost exclusively whole grains and therefore a lot of omega-3s–however, it turns out that the only omega-3 in things like flax and pumpkin seed is Alphalinoleic acid (ALA.)  What is alphalinoleic acid you ask? Well I’ll tell you:  It’s an essential fatty acid (meaning we can’t make it, we need to consume it) that is a precursor to other important omega-3s like eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) as well as the not-so-good-for-you omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA–which it’s quite important to avoid, actually.)  Turns out that it’s equally important to make sure we have a solid source of EPA and DHA, not just ALA.  So where in turn do we get EPA and DHA? Phytoplankton, mackerel, sardine, and fatty salmon.  I don’t know about you but I tend not to eat that much sardine.  Enter omega-3 supplement.

The omega-3 supplement I picked up is from Planet Organic and contains 700mg EPA, 1400mg DHA, and 200mg of other omega-3s in each teaspoon.  Perhaps you’re scratching your head at these figures when you should be saying “THAT’S INCREDIBLE!” Because it is.  And not only will it help prevent things like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and inflammatory disease, it also helps ensure proper brain tissue development and (since I’m kind of vain) nice skin.

Hold up Ryan, I hear you say, omega-3 supplementation isn’t the only key to being healthy.  Well you’re right.  Thanks to my coworker Kristi, I’ve been tracking my food intake and nutritional profile through the website FitDay.  She and I have a little competition going to see who can maintain it for a full week.  I’m not that far in but so far so good.  It’s quite helpful to have a little pie-chart showing the balance of fat, carbohydrate, and protein that I consume.  It also let me set a target weight and shows what I need to consume for calories per day to reach my target weight at a specific time.  I should be alright as my only real vice is alcohol… which I need to cut back on.

Aside from the omega-3, the food tracker (and the as-of-yet unmentioned b-vitamin supplement), I’ve been on my bike a lot making sure I get adequate exercise.  Two days ago Vanessa and I spent almost three hours riding from my place in Oliver to Goldbar park and back via the River Valley.

I’ll keep you posted as to my progress in the next little while since, perhaps as a side-effect of this reacquaintance with self-care, I’ve been getting up earlier and earlier everyday.  There’s not much to do at 6:30am other than converse with the digital world.  As much as I like her, one can only handle so much Bridget on CityTV.

There’s a new development in the lives of the frirish couple: we now go jogging together – yes, picture it – very cheesy – baseball caps and all.

Alain has been jogging for the last few years, but I had a fantastic excuse not to ever since my infamous skiing accident (in summary: it left my lower legs more or less dangling on a string from my knees; fabulous).

But it’s been two years since the accident. I’d had a year’s worth of physiotherapy, taken up a new hobby with some (very gentle) cycling and since Christmas (thank you les Damonds), have been making a ridicule of myself by exercising on the Wiifit (the Hula Hoop game is not advisable if you think your neighbours might be able to see you).

So feeling a little stronger, and last Friday being ready for some exercise but unable to find the CD for the Wiifit, I went for a run solo in the sun and it felt great.

Alain was pretty excited. His running buddy is Noel-Charles who unfortunately only visits Paris occasionally from Mausanne (or is it Amsterdam?) and it’s difficult to build up the motivation to face jogging alone.

When Noel-Charles and Alain used to tell me about running around Place des Vosges, I smugly found it very amusing, akin to a Hamster running in a little wheel. Paris is not known for its great running routes, so I guess we take what we get. But after 4 outings, I now respect Place des Vosges: seven rounds and the aller-retour to Boulevard du Temple are sufficient to make me very red in the face and get my heart-rate up.

So you can imagine I’ve been feeling very proud of myself. Until Alain told me that I run like an Ostrich. This apparently is a complement about the fact that I run “elegantly”.

If you’re at Place des Vosges, keep an eye out for the Hamster and the Ostrich….

(First published 7 June 2009 on Blogspot)

I’ve been  developing workshops around the Arduino and various clones over the last year and a half. I have some documents as word processing files using Open Office. Other material is in a Yahoo Group with limited access to keep it kid friendly. Some material is in blogs and more is yet to be written.

I’m publishing new material to the DIY Robotics Lab blog for a new workshop series called “Topics in Robotics, Electronics, and Communications”. Currently the blog is working more as a repository for articles as I write them instead of a sequential series of topics. I have a new Internet domain registered where I’m planning to assemble these articles into on-line tutorials.

Publishing Source Code

Recently it seems I’ve been pushing the limits of blogging technology when displaying an Arduino sketch’s source code. The spaces, tabs, and mono-spaced fonts are important but spaces get removed leaving the source code hard to read. WordPress has a

 tag implemented in a plugin that does a great job maintaining the spacing while adding color coding that many program editors include. It also provides a way of easily copying the source code so you can paste it into your own program editor.
[sourcecode language="cpp"]
/*--- Minimum Arduino programming functions, setup and loop  ---*/

void setup()
{
}

void loop()
{
}

In my word processing documents I’ve been using bold text as a way of differentiating between existing source code and new code being added to a program. The tag does not let me include bold text so I need to explore more and see if another option is available.

Electronics Prototyping

Working with Arduino’s and creating a breadboard prototype go hand-in-hand. You can take photographs of your breadboard and the wires connecting to the Arduino but sometimes an illustration provides a nice presentation.

Fritzing Illustration

This illustration is generated from the Fritzing program. Fritzing is a virtual prototyping tool designed to support Arduino. You can select electronic components and interactively place them onto a virtual breadboard. The bonus from this effort is to push a button and an Eagle schematic and board file are created to manufacture a custom printed circuit board called a shield that attaches to the top of an Arduino.

Cross Platform Development

Among the Arduino’s popular virtues are its open-source hardware and software support. When working in your favorite operating system it’s easy to forget the virtue of its cross platform support too.

As I’m preparing for a workshop based on our Robotic Labyrinth Game, the cross platform issue becomes important. The workshop is part of an introduction to robotics where we’re building a kit to convert the wooden labyrinth into an Arduino controlled device using servo motors. The original WiiFit control was written in a Linux only version of the Wii remote library @digitalJestin wrote while the XBox controller version I wrote runs in Microsoft only. For this workshop I’m not expecting participants to go out and buy expensive WiiFit or XBox controllers anyway.

Processing Language

Inspired by Jestin’s Virtual Labyrinth, the way I chose to solve the controller issue is to create a joystick simulator using the cross platform Processing Language. Processing is a superset of the programming language used for the Arduino and is implemented on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. Processing is a graphics based display system.

This video was captured for the DIY Robotics Lab article “Joystick Simulation with Processing” where this virtual joystick will be operating the robotic labyrinth through an Arduino.

This Mpeg video was created by the open source XVidCap Screen Capture program running on Linux.

Bringing Robotics Home

My focus had been to build a set of resources that keep costs low for students as they learn about robotics and electronics. I’ve helped as a mentor with FIRST robotics teams for several years. It has troubled me that the teams seem limited to major metropolitan areas. Also, the robot kits they use are too expensive for individual students to own one of their own. The Arduino makes a good controller for robots and I believe they are a great supplement to the existing robotics curriculum, particularly when they are affordable enough for home use.

Part of the LabyWiinth Project’s appeal was to create an introduction to robotics.

Other Tips and Tricks?

I’m interested in learning more ways to present educational material. So, what kinds of tips and tricks do you use when creating online material?

– About SomeoneKnows –

Everybody is wondering what Nintendo has up their collective white sleeves these next 12 months.  A lot of people take issue with what Nintendo has turned out to be: a casual gaming company that has abandoned their core fanbase (this is what the message boards are saying, dood).  Although you will have a silent minority or majority who still hold faith in Nintendo, this doesn’t stop them from selling a trillion systems per week.  What surprises lie in the world of the N?

• Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo’s Executive Vice-President of Sales and Marketing enters the stage in a tasteful pristine white pant ensemble.   Nobody asked what she was wearing so I’ll assume it’s Dolce?  No Gabbana.  Gabbana’s very vocal about being a Sony fanboy.  I always enjoy watching her talk and I don’t think this would be any different.  She’s adorable: she just said hi to the people watching online.  HI!!
• She starts off with NPD numbers (audible groan) to illustrate how big video games have become.  Apparently they’re larger than movies, music, the airline industry and dinosaurs combined.  I don’t nesscessarily listen to this part that much because it’s an intro.  I’m spending this time to play Contact on my DS.
• There’s a bunch of Mario Bros characters and villains flashing on the screen.  She introduces New Super Mario Bros 2, which is a four player Super Mario game.  Three other Nintendo staffers join Cammie on stage, dressed to the nines in pastel colored shirts to demo NSMB2.  It reminds me of Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, where you have to collect more and perform better than your three co-players.  You can carry other players and also throw them as well.  It looks like this game will depend on teamwork but also start many fights between my friends and I.  I see much potential for assholery during gameplay.  There’s a new suit called the propeller suit in which will let you float over traps and pits as well as fly.  I can’t wait.
• My mother would probably like this part:  WiiFit.  WiiFit sales numbers, blah blah blah.  What’s new: there’s a locker room available where you can customize your excersize regiment with a circuit of workouts to target specific parts of your body.  It looks pretty fun and intuitive.  Also, there’s some new games such as Perfect 10, in which you use your hips to hit specific parts of the screen.  She describes it as “Brain Age for your backside”, which is better than what I woulda called it: It’s like Simon for your Ass.
• Big Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage.  Literally takes the stage.  This guy is built like the Colossus of Rhodes.  He talks about the history of thier controller and shows a video about the WiiMotionPlus and WiiSportsResort.  The coolest part is that it starts during a skydive (like an Army of Two mission without the inate homoeroticism) in which you control your Mii with the controller.  You can also make formations with other people.  Next is the archery demo which looks pretty nice and easy to use, although Bill Trennon has a hard time trying to get a bullseye.  Reggie and Bill then have a basketball three point contest which is punctuated by a short joke by Reggie (groan).  They really get into it and Reggie “threw up some bricks”, which is probably not biologically possible.  Bill almost wins the shootout but Reggie eats his lunch when he hits the money ball at the last minute.  Another game in which my assholishness can hit it’s full potential.  Before the WiiMotionPlus presentation is over, he mentions the Red Steel franchise and how it’s ONLY compatible for the add-on.
• Square-Enix shows up on one of the monitors and presents two titles: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers and a DS version of Kingdom Hearts, which looks fucking fantastic, btw.  Oh, and Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story as well.  This seems pretty RPG heavy but I’m happy.  I’d buy all three of these titles.  But wait, he mentions some “important news”.  A franchise that’s been gone for quite awhile but it’ll be back.  Golden Sun for the DS will be released and you don’t know how fucking happy I am to type this.  Call me a Nintendo fanboy all you want, I WANT THIS GAME.  The visuals look pretty good for all four titles.
• Cammie returns back to the stage to introduces James Patterson’s Womens Murder Club for the DSi.  Hm.  Not interested but hey.  Nintendo is trying to get that “stay at home mom” money.  I’m totally not mad at them.
• It’s evident that this part is very DS/DSi heavy and they introduce a new IP from Ubisoft camed COP: The Recruit.  It looks like GTA4 with fully 3d environments and an open game world.  I’m very interested in what this turns out to be.
• Uh.  Style Savvy is a game that girls can use to dress themselves and buy clothes and get dey hurr did on the Nintendo DS.  This is first on my list, yo.  YOU CAN PERFORM IN FASHION SHOWS. OH SHIT.
• After this they show a tired montage of people on the street talking about their DS’s.  Fast forward.  Nintendo flashing those awesome console sales numbers.  Flip Note Studio will be available this summer as well.  It’s a small movie making game which I’m sure will be a hit with the perverts out there.
• Mario vs Donkey Kong is coming out for the DS as a DSiWare download.  It lets you create and upload your own levels.  Looks pretty cool.  I hope the DSiWare store will be full of titles like this.
• Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is availble on the show floor, apparently.  I’ve seen a couple fo videos and I can’t wait for it.
• Satoru Iwata, President and Grand Overlord of Nintendo approaches the stage to discuss corporate strategies to keep people buying Nintendo Wii’s and DS’s like they’re made of heroin.  He brings out the Vitality Sensor which makes sure you’re not dead while you’re playing the Wii, I guess?  Oh.  It’s for stress.  Wat.
• Cammie comes out to talk about Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii.  The video looks really good and the music is very addictive, as always.  Yoshi is in it and you can ride him.  That’s a good thing, by the way.  It looks the same as the previous SMG, so you know the visuals are beautiful and colorful and the level design is interesting, to say the least.  If it seems like I’m not interested, it’s because it’s the same game but it’s a sequel.  Almost like an expansion pack.  But I can’t wait for it.  No release date is mentioned, however.
• Big Reggie comes back out to talk about three high profile third party titles: The Conduit, due out later this month, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and Dead Space: Extraction.  Apparently Nintendo spinoff games are fans of subtitles.  These games are already well known but it’s good to see them flash them in front of the hardcore audience’s face to shut them up.  I’m saying this for the lulz, btw.  Note: Reggie’s on the messageboards.
• It seems as if the wrap up is coming but Reggie announces a “new edgier game” and brings out the new Metroid trailer DEVELOPED BY TEAM NINJA.  Basically it looks like Ninja Gaiden with arm cannons.  It moves very fast and there seems to be a lot of acrobatic moves at Samus’ sweet ass disposal.  Wait…did I just see Samus do a bulldog wrestling move?  I’m impressed and I can’t wait.

My thoughts

Nintendo really doesn’t have to do much this year to stay on top, as they have a healthy bit between them and the 360 with more peripherals being released in the future.  I’d enjoy some talk about their online support or some mention of more games released on WiiWare.  It’s good to see Nintendo directly addressing their detractors by showing more “hardcore” games, the first coming out in a few weeks from now.  It doesn’t look like they’re doing a lot of new things with the platform, which isn’t bad if they want to stay on top but it’s bad when a lot of your audience is looking for some newer gaming experiences.  Metroid looks kick ass. SMG2 looks kick ass.  My mom will probably buy the new WiiFit game.  I wish they showed some of Red Steel 2 for the WiiMotionPlus.  Bottom Line: Nintendo played it safe.

$422.91!!!  And I couldn’t be happier!

I finally bought the whole Wii she-bang, so to speak.

You guys know that I’ve been thinking of buying this system for quite some time, but never really had the extra money.  Well, I just got my May check, which includes the stipends I get for doing yearbook, journalism, and the school website, and it was more than I expected.  I’ve already paid all of my bills, including completely paying off two of my credit cards and paying a huge chunk down on another one.  I also went to a credit union down the street from my house and opened a savings account.  (The theory being that since this account isn’t tied to the account I use every day, I’ll be much less likely to transfer money from it, thus depleting the savings).  Since I’m going to be buying a car in August I wanted to establish an account at a credit union because they usually have the best rates on auto loans.  And if nothing else, it will be a good barganing tool for me when I do go to the dealership.  So, I have been feeling really responsible and “money savvy” for once, but I’ve also been feeling like I deserve a little treat.

So I went ahead and did it.  The fact that it’s 4:50am as I write this has nothing to do with it.  I swear.  No really.  (I’ve been sleeping weird hours again lately, and I woke up at 2am, wide awake, so I’ve been catching up on a few things before I start getting ready for my day).

I even paid for the 2-day shipping on Amazon, so the stuff will be here by Friday!!!  I’m so excited.

On a side note, let me say that I’m not normally a comparison shopper.  If I know I want something, I go to a trusted store and buy it.  It’s usually not worth the time and effort it takes to “shop around” only to save a few dollars.  This time, though, I checked out a few online merchants (see what I mean about getting money savvy?!), and it seems that Amazon had the best deal, when you include the shipping.  Other merchants had slightly cheaper prices on the console or one of the games, but the cost of the shipping was higher, and would have taken longer, so this was worth it to me.

From what I’ve been hearing, the EA sports game gives a much better workout than anything on the Wii Fit, but I went ahead and bought the Wii Fit because I do like the idea of it recording my weight, my BMI, and the daily check-in is just one more way for me to be active every single day, no excuses.  This will be fun to try this summer, but I think the time it’s really going to come in handy is next winter, when it’s too dark and grey and rainy and cold to go out and do anything.  This completely excuse-proofs my workouts!

The one thing I’m worried about is whether the leg band on the EA Sports game will fit around my thigh.  My thighs are HUGE, and I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I guess we’ll see.  Do any of you have any feedback in that area?

“In this age of high tech, we need high TTouch.” Those prophetic words were uttered by Jim Garrision during a trip to Russia when he was the Director of the Esalen Soviet/American Exchange Program many years ago. At the time I was a citizen diplomat opening doors behind the iron curtain working with the Russian equestrian team.

I was reminded of this concept this past week during the 5th annual Virginia Tellington TTouch Training for Horses, organized by Pam Woolley. Pam is a Tellington Practitioner 2 who has frequently escaped the Virginia winters to co-teach with me in Hawaii in the TTouch for You and Your Horse trainings. Pam also collaborates and studies with Wendy Murdock, a brilliant, cutting-edge riding instructor and author whose background includes Tellington TTouch, Feldenkrais and Centered Riding. Wendy specializes in the bio-mechanical interaction of horse and rider.

Pam is combining Tellington TTouch Training with some of Wendy’s High Tech ideas for her riding students, using the EmWave from the Institute of Heart Math, the WiiFit Video Game and an iPhone application called EquiTempo.

Sunny the Appaloosa gets accustomed to the EquiTempo

The TTouch/high tech combo has priceless benefits for developing trust between horse and rider and reducing stress in the rider. We have been incorporating the FreezeFramer, a form of the EmWave in our TTouch for You Trainings in Germany for several years. The EmWave is a small pocket-size device that is simple and effective and helps the rider to focus, slow down, breath calmly and transition from the daily rat race or a high profile job. It attaches to your ear and emits a clearly audible tone indicating when you’re in heart coherence. It’s silent when the rider is in a state of stress or anxiety.

I suggest you visit the ITunes store online and order the EquiTempo for only $1.99. It’s brilliant! You can set it for any tempo at the walk, trot and canter to accommodate a slow or speedy horse. Both horse and rider respond to the rhythmic beat and horses appear to enjoy the tempo and adjust their stride to the steady tick, tick, tick.

Gin rides using the EmWave

I asked Pam if I could watch her give a lesson using the combination of the EmWave and EquiTempo. It was fascinating to observe the attractive Appaloosa gelding of Kim Ginn adjust his stride to the tick, tock of the EquiTempo on her Iphone. I asked Kim to write me an email about her experience with these high tech aids.

Kim’s email:

Being in professional services, I am very busy person who is often pulled in many different directions at work depending on the needs of my clients. I love this aspect of my job, however, it brings along stress and distraction which does not carry over well into my equine world.

One of the most amazing talents of a riding instructor is to recognize when his/her students are not breathing….it is so funny to me that so many riders need a reminder from their instructors to breathe…. breathing is such a natural thing for most of us! It is more amazing me to how much this affects the horses….who is to blame them? When riders don’t breathe their bodies get clenched and what horse wants a super clenched human pinching their backs at a trot? I, for one, was not doing a good job of leaving work at work and carry a lot of stress into my riding….and for some reason I could not ask for a trot and breathe all at the same time! Pam has been working with me on breathing and heart coherence (doing heart hugs which I really enjoy) and recently started using the EmWave in our lessons. The EmWave allows me to work on my breathing and get into heart coherence before I ride and monitor my coherence during lessons. My horse, Sunny, really appreciates it too — It is so amazing that once I breathe and my body relaxes that Sunny does as well. How about that? We have been especially successful in using the ear piece and riding with the EmWave in my pocket. I can hear the dings and dongs and know that I am breathing well…..if I don’t hear them then it is a reminder to work on my breathing. Also, this allows me to see how Sunny reacts when we are in and out of coherence. This is a great lesson for all riders to experience.

Pam Wooley playing the WiiFit for Equestrians

Visit Pam’s website at FlyAway Stables at Brookhill Farm, a Tellington TTouch Training Certified Equine Center Virginia, to see the exceptionally beautiful, peaceful, historic, Middleburg, Virginia. This is truly horse heaven with many acres of rolling green pastures, one of the prettiest, most elegant, horse-friendly courtyards I have seen anywhere in the world. The lovely wood-lined stalls are 16 by 10 feet, a comfortable size unheard of in this day and age, and, weather permitting, the horses are turned out all day into 5 acre gently rolling grass pastures.

If you happen to live near Middleburg, Virginia check out the facilities for lessons or boarding. Pam has two stalls open for new boarders at this time. And mark your calendar for the 6th annual five-day Virginia Tellington TTouch Training for horses, June 9 to 13, 2010. We are planning a special pre-workshop day June 8th for for a small group of people who have attended three or more week-long trainings. Sign up early at TTouch.com to be sure to reserve a space since the training was full this year.

© 2009 Linda Tellington-Jones