Zune you'll be confused

Here's an interesting article on the Zune Marketplace's crazy pricing. Another reason not to get a Zune. It's also another reason why I won't be taking part in the Xbox Live Marketplace either. I will not use any Microsoft service that forces me to buy "points".

Zune Marketplace's Absurd Pricing Scheme

Observations on Arabs

I found this post by Stephen Browne to be fascinating. It makes a person stop and think. Good stuff.

Observations on Arabs

New Mac Ads

Apple has posted some new Mac ads. Better Results is my personal favorite.

Get A Mac

Kids Need Free Playtime

I also believe that children plain old non-edutainment play time. It's a shame so many parents today miss the boat.

Give kids more free playtime, docs urge

What Women Want

Or at least what some women want, if they have an iPod. Maybe.

OhMiBod

Banned Books With Google

I ran across this page today and thought it was pretty cool. I've only read a handful of these books but it would indeed be tragic if they were unavailable.

Explore Banned Books

Windows is five times more expensive than Mac OS X

Is this at all surprising?

Windows 5x More Expensive than Mac OS X

Waking Up Without Snooze

I hate the snooze button, yet I use it every day, several times in a row. Perhaps this will help.

Surefire Way to Wake Up Without the Snooze

Email Checking Tips

Here's a good article discussing when to check your email. I have to admit I'm guilty of doing the pm email check and having it eat up way too much of my night.

Never Check Your Email First Or Last

Leopard "Preview" Gallery

Lots of leaked Leopard screen shots over at Impulsive Highlighters Unite!

Me

I'm trying to get my photo posted so here goes.

Another Bike Tour Part 2

No wrecks! No one that I'm aware of crashed on this ride. That's a relief and it was nice to roll through the finish line on the bike.

So how did it go? In a word, okay. It was windy and chilly but the strangest thing to me is that it didn't seem as though as many people were having fun as it did at the Bob LeBow tour. Maybe it was the weather or that fact that this is only the fourth time blue cross has put this on but there was something different about it.

I think I'd try it again next year but I won't be as excited for it as I will the Bob LeBow ride.

Another Bike Tour

Well it's time to try another bike tour. This one is called Blues Cruise Wheels for Wellness. Unfortunately, my wife will not be attending as she is still recovering from her bicycle accident (and will be for a least another three months or more). Hopefully this one is accident free. I'm riding the 30 mile loop.

Which Superhero are you?

Looks like I'm superman. What are you?

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 70% The Flash 70% Hulk 55% Supergirl 50% Robin 47% Green Lantern 45% Spider-Man 40% Catwoman 40% Wonder Woman 35% Iron Man 35% Batman 30%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

A bonus for having daughters

Recently I discovered another plus to having daughters: On their birthdays, they like the toys and the cloths.

Files Are Not for Sharing

A children's story for the 21st Century.

Files Are Not for Sharing

Bob LeBow Bike Tour Part 2

Well, the charity ride was a blast until the crash. My wife ran into me as we were ten miles from the end. I ended up okay but she was really banged up. In fact it's bad enough that we are going to see an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to look at her elbow (she chipped off a piece of her humerus ,ground her elbow off down to the bone, and has two deep puncture wounds in her right ankle, not to mention a lot of road rash all over her right side).

The good news is she still wants to ride her bike when she recovers and we both want to try the Bob LeBow Bike Tour again next year.

Bob LeBow Bike Tour

I'll be participating in my first charity ride this Saturday. It's the Bob LeBow Bike Tour and I'll be doing the 35 mile Simplot Marsing Tour. It should be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll do a follow up post when it's over.

Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple Part 2

Thought I would talk about the bike I received for Christmas now that I have put about 400 miles on it.

This is a really nice bike. I have had to take it in to George's Cycles & Fitness twice to have the front derailleur adjusted due to cable stretch, but other than that, it's preformed very well. The ride is nice and smooth and seems to absorb the bumps in the road with aplomb, especially chip seal.

One of the things that I enjoy is the bikes flexibility. This is a bike that you can set up to be aggressive or comfortable depending on your riding style.

I do wish it came with a little better set of wheels as the Shimano’s that came with it do an okay job but nothing to stand out.

On a side note for anyone looking to add a cyclometer with wireless cadence, take a look at how the sensor will install on the chain stay. I ran into a problem where I purchased Specialized’s Turbo Elite cyclometer and due to the pear shape of the chain stay was unable to install it and have the required amount of clearance between the sensor and cadence magnet. I switched to the CatEye Double Wireless and that worked great.

Another Case of Microsoft Crossing the Line

How internet Explorer Stifles Microsoft

This is a very good article but one of the problems is people outside of the Windows world are the only ones that really have to deal with it and we obviously know Microsoft doesn't really care about anyone outside of Windows.

Creative vs Apple - A Fable

Christopher Breen over at playlist writes a funny fable about Creative's legal mischief with Apple.

Today's Creative Fable

From Bad to Worse

First I had shingles and now I have Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. I'm falling apart at a very rapid rate.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Here's a book I would have liked to enjoy. There's a decent story here, it's just not a good enough one to warrant the time required to read it. I hope the movie ends up being better than the book since I'm sure for that endeavor they will hire an editor.

Shingles

I've been suffering from shingles for over a little over a week now and can honestly say it's the most painful thing I've ever experienced in recent memory.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on Bicycling

I ran across this quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle recently and it sums up cycling for me.

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."

It doesn't get much better than that.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

I can't believe I didn't see this one in the theatre! For me this has been the funniest movie I've seen since Meet the Parents. I highly recommend this one; however, it does lean a little more towards being a guy flick, but there's stuff here that women will enjoy as well. The only thing I'd knock is how it ends but a part of that is because I really hate the song they sing.

Bikejournal.com

www.bikejournal.com is just as their mast head states: Ride, Log, and Repeat. I've been using the free membership for over a month now and I'm very pleased with it. There's a ton of different categories that you can track in your log so there's something for everyone. If you're wanting a place to track your bike rides this is the place.

How to Become an Early Riser

I'm going to give this a shot.

Part 1

Part 2

FitDay.com An Online Diet & Fitness Journal

I ran across a neat web site a couple of days ago. It's called www.fitday.com It ties in nicely to the fitness challenge that we have here at work since it allows you to track both the food you eat and the activities that you do. It's only downside is it's rather ugly, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in cost: free.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

One of my favorite books of all times. I've read this story in the past. I believe this was my fifth time through it. If you've never read anything my Hemingway this is an excellent place to start.

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Not a lot to say about this one. If you've seen the movie you've read the book, and vice versa. The movie stays very true to the book. This isn't to say this is a bad book. My only problem is I've seen the movie at least four times and I was disappointed that the book added very little outside of the movie. Worth checking out at your local library if you’re interested.

Specialized Roubaix Comp Triple

I finally got a bike. I actually received this as a Christmas present from my wife. A very nice present indeed. So how does it ride? Well, in a stationary trainer really well. Outside of that I've only had the opportunity to ride it about five miles before my feet and hands turned purple and started to freeze. Once the weather warms up and I can let her fly I'll post my thoughts again. One thing to note is the wheels are Shimano rather than the Alex wheels mentioned on Specialized's web site.

Ice Station by Matt Reilly

This is a pretty good read as long as you hang your brain on the shelf for it's duration. Matt (or Matthew as he's going by now) does an excellent job of keeping the action and suspense moving forward. I found the story requires more than the normal effort required to suspend your belief, but not to the point of distraction. There is always so much going on you don't have time to really stop and think about it.

Since it's an action story most if not all the characters are wooden and the main character is a cross of an Energizer Bunny and a Timex watch.

Recommended reading on a rainy day or when you have the flu.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Wow, what a story! I have seen the movie five or six times so I went into this thinking that it would be the same story with just more details. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There is an amazing amount of things that are in here that the movie omits. In fact while reading the book I never really felt like the movie spoiled any of the plot. I'm still amazed at how fresh it was to read. I enjoyed this book enough that I can honestly say it is one of my favorites of all time and I'm sure I will be reading it again.

If you've thought about reading this but decided not to because you've seen the movie, think again. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Where have I been?

It's been awhile but this winter my body decided to become the center for every strain of flu/cold out there. I'm on the mend finally, or until I catch the next dose of junk that's floating around. Anyway on the agenda is a review of John Irving's "Cider House Rules", and another book or two.