Tralfaz

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  • Getting there – Weight loss in progress

    Getting there – Weight loss in progress

    The diet is continuing well, and apart from two visitors this week, with a couple truly egregious cheater meals, I made some progress.

    The statistics so far:

    • 3 weeks (started July 3)
    • down 11.6 #’s (that is a 4.54% loss)
    • Exercise is trending up – both walks at lunch during the week (2.4 ish miles), and cycling on weekends, is feeling better.

    So far, I have adjusted to smaller portions, eating less, and feeling satisfied. I have worked on eating better, more fruits and vegetables, and less meats.

    If you care, you can track me at Strava to see my workouts.

    It isn’t as easy as it was before I turned 40, but the basics work. Exercise more, eat less, eat better balanced, drink less alcohol.

    My goal?  To get to less than 200#’s. If I get there, I will build a new road bike.

  • Got Called a Hipster

    In a discussion on slashdot about the Apple Watch, where the consensus was that it was a product looking for a solution, and that there weren’t any compelling applications for it.

    The comment that I offered as a valid use case was as a remote display of the exercise statistics while cycling. When I ride, I wear a heart rate monitor, have a speed and cadence sensor, and use my iPhone to track my statistics. I mentioned that I leave my phone in the jersey back pocket, where I have to stop and fish it out to see my progress. While there is a remote that mounts to the bar, many cyclists report that it sucks. So a watch is a good option.

    I mentioned that I was considering buying an Apple watch for this purpose. (note to Babs: I am not buying one, just considering it.)

    The attacks were swift, and brutal. I was called a hipster. People couldn’t understand that a cycling jersey has pouch like pockets in the back for things like tubes, powerbars, spares, etc.

    The fact that I have two bikes was another point of attack. Apparently, neck-beards living in their mother’s basement can’t understand why a good road bike and mountain bike would be desirable to have.

    I clearly am concerned about my image, as that is the only reason why I have an iPhone (over a vastly superior Android phone), and would consider spending $350 for a watch.

    Yeah, that describes me to a T.  NOT.

    For the record, I have two good bikes. Not great bikes. I ride semi seriously (60+ miles a week), but being a heart attack survivor, it is important to monitor my heart rate, and power output.

    I am not a hipster, I mean, I can’t stand to listen to Arcade Fire, I don’t eat macrobiotic burritos, and I don’t have a goatee.

  • Spotify – It’s Over

    Apple Music has won my latest battle for my ears. As is often the case, Apple isn’t first to market (or even second), but when they do get to market, they have the best service, most polished interface, and it “just works“. After only 3 weeks of my 3 month trial, it is time to dump Spotify.

    Dear Spotify,

    I know this may be hard to take, but it is time to move on from your service. It isn’t you, it’s me. Wait, who am I kidding, it is you and the shortcomings you have. I can’t blame you, as I am sure that some of it is due to your agreements with the rights’ holders. But regardless, it is time to say “goodbye“.

    I remember when Spotify came to the US, and I eagerly got in the early access list. The thought of access to a huge library of music, with the ability to sample as much as I wanted whenever I wanted. At the time, the only other option were the Internet Radio stations, and while I liked Pandora, I found that it took endless grooming of their stations to match my tastes.

    With your service, I could create as many playlists with just the music I wanted. No limit on how often I could listen to the same songs. It was like having my library wherever I went.

    I jumped at the chance to pay for the service, never once questioning the $10 a month. The Spotify app for my iPhone was a great way to take my tunes with me.

    There were some second guesses along the way. Google’s Play music service when they launched the “All Access” subscription was briefly a contender. They had good coverage of genre’s in my taste in their library. Plus they had the benefit of having my entire music library uploaded. But alas, their streaming performance, uh, what is the term? Yes, “it sucked donkey balls“. Skips, pauses, and general shitty-ness. Even when they released a Chrome extension to better integrate it, it sucked.

    So I returned to Spotify after flirting with the $2 a month cheaper Google All Access service.

    I was satisfied, but there were still some issues. Your curated playlists for classic rock, and hard rock were stale. Worse yet, had some odd selections (note: in no universe does the Foo Fighters qualify as “Classic Rock”) Listening for hours each day, you quickly hear your “radio” stations repeat tracks. Yeah, I get that they are just a play list with some randomness tossed in, but I buy my music and listen to my library to not have the top 40 bullshit crammed down my throat.

    The final nail in the coffin was the launch of Apple’s new streaming service. I am about 3 weeks into my 3 months free trial, but I already know that it will be the one that I keep. There are lots of reasons, but off the top of my head I have noticed:

    • The curated playlists are great. It is like they can read my mind, when I am trying to put together a mix CD. Doesn’t matter the genre, Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, Guitar Heros, Jazz, Blues, they nail it.
    • The “For You” Suggested listenings. Like when I was a Pandora user, if you painstakingly groom your stations, their algorithms pick some awesome tunes. The “For You” selections are a few suggested playlists rolled out and refreshed daily. Each day, there are some great things to listen to, playlists that are 70 – 90 minutes long. Last Wednesday, it offered up Deep Tracks of Yes. 90 minutes of outstanding music.
    • I have access to my entire library. Minor point, (or maybe it is major) but my entire collection of music is in the Apple cloud, so if I feel like digging up an ancient Yngwie Malmsteen track from his first album, it is there. So even where Spotify had holes (like for the longest time with AC/DC, or still with Paul Gilbert) I can just call it up.
    • User experience. A lot of people bag on iTunes. Hell, on Windows, I will concede that it blows chunks. However, the last two major revisions Apple has done a lot to improve the usability, and reduce the clutter. As a product manager, I know that iterative releases, and the tendency to glom shit into the main application is hard to battle, so clearly iTunes had become a multi-headed hydra. But it is getting a lot better.

    While I could afford to keep two streaming services going, I am not going to lie, I haven’t fired up Spotify in over 2 weeks. It has already lost the battle.

    From the outside looking in, I am not even sure that I could offer advice as to how to improve the service to beat Apple’s Music. I suspect that you will have a valid market position for the people who loathe Apple and all things it releases. But will that be enough to keep you close enough to profitable? Time will tell, but my bet is that Spotify will try mightily, but fail to grow to be consistently profitable.

  • Back on the Diet Train

    Two weeks in, back on the Perfect Diet Tracker, counting calories, and making sure I track everything. Down 9 pounds – I am sure at least half is water, I am beginning to feel better.

    The old adage rings true. Calories in less than calories burned = weight loss. Yes, it was easier before I turned 40, but it still works. The secret is to count everything that passes the lips.

    Already I am fitting into jeans I couldn’t wear 2 weeks ago. I have plenty of clothes that will fit as I shed the pounds. Looking forward to that.

    It does take a lot of discipline. Portion control is key. Not indulging on the sweets in the office. Doing as much exercising as I can (walking the campus at lunch is good for 2.4 miles.) Bicycling on the weekend.

    I am lucky that I have enough will power to not give in to the sweet tooth.

    It isn’t easy.

  • Bad Luck – Guitar

    Bad Luck – Guitar

    Sometimes you just can’t catch a break. This one involves music.

    Over the weekend, I fired up the guitar and did some warm ups. Then I tried what I had tried 1000 times before. Alternate picking. The 999 times before it sucked. I couldn’t get my right hand and left hand synchronized, and I was over-thinking the right hand motions, screwing it all up.

    Last weekend? It clicked. It flowed, the licks rolled off fluid, and smoothly. Not Paul Gilbert smooth, but definitely a breakthrough.

    Of course, now my arthritis has acted up, and I can’t play at all.

    Why the hell couldn’t I have had this breakthrough 20 years ago?

    What’s next, a breakthrough in sweep picking?

  • Product Review – Wahoo Fitness Cycling sensors

    I grew up bicycling, and returned to it semi seriously many times. Gear is important, and the changes in gear have been stunning. I remember my first good road bike, splurging for clipless shoes and pedals. My first cycling computer. A tiny Cateye thing. Worked great, put several thousand miles on it.

    Fast forward to today. Cycling computers are so 1990's. There are still dedicated cycling computers, with Garmin making some strong contenders.

    However, the competition from a good smartphone is fierce. Built in GPS, accelerometers, mapping, and an always on internet connection combine to make it formidable. However, the smartphone's achilles heel is not having sensors for wheel speed, cadence, and heart rate.

    No more is that an issue. Wahoo Fitness makes a line of cadence, speed sensors, heart rate sensors, and even a really cool device that mounts on the handlebars and mirrors what their app is displaying, so you don't have to keep the phone on your handlebars.

    I currently have the Heart Rate sensor and the Speed and Cadence sensor. They both connect via Bluetooth, and are compatible with several tracker applications on your phone.

    Connecting the sensors is easy, they pair painlessly, and are recognized in both the Wahoo Fitness tracker application, as well as in the Strava application. Several others are listed, but these are the two I use.

    It is a huge advantage to track these signals. As a heart attack survivor, it is doubly helpful to track my heart rate. It is good to monitor ramp rates, peak effort, and other statistics that are important to track.

    There is a downside though. The heart rate monitor sensor is a battery hog. I have yet to get more than 2 months out of a fresh CR2032 battery. My old Polar heart rate monitor went at least 9 months of nearly daily jogging.

    Still, it is a good time to be a cyclist.

  • The Long Slog of Getting back into Shape

    Every so often I get tired of be a fat slob, and need to get back into shape. This time, months of moving, living in a crappy apartment, and high stress at work has lead to me, uh, putting on a few pounds. When the 40″ waist jeans stopped fitting, and the 42″ pants were getting snug, it was time to do something.

    So, I fired up the diet tracker, started counting calories, and exercising regularly.

    It is amazing how difficult it can be to get in the groove. About 3 weeks ago, I started cycling again, I got the mountain bike out and started humping it. First getting out on the drainage canals in the Santa Teresa foothills, it was a good mellow, and very flat ride. After 3 or 4 of these, I was getting bored.

    I tossed in a few longer rides, mostly road. Better, but still not satisfying. I mean, why ride a mountain bike if you are just doing flat stuff, right?

    So I have started grinding it out in Santa Teresa Park. A kick ass climb to get there (up Bernal road) a real grueling ride. Then some trails including some climbs and downhills. Good single-track, enough to challenge, but not killer.

    Today was my 3rd trip up, and I made it to the stop sign before I needed to pause. I am looking forward to finally being able to clear it to the top without stopping. Maybe another week.

    If you are interested, you can follow me on Strava.

    And now I am down almost 6 pounds in a week. Sadly, I am sure that is mostly water weight.

    A long way to go, but it feels good to start

  • Nextdoor – NIMBY to the max

    When we moved to the new neighborhood, one of our new neighbors invited us to this neighborhood social media thing called “NextDoor“. Like Facebook, but instead of friends, it is your neighbors, and broken into logical groupings like small neighborhoods.

    We are in Santa Teresa-Oak Grove, and it has a hundred or so houses in it. It is surrounded by 8 near neighbors. Seems good so far.

    You can post classifieds, reviews of trades people, and discuss crimes or security issues. Still all good.

    However, it seems to lead to a bunch of “us vs. them” parochialism, and some downright NIMBY bullshit.

    Two examples:

    • 4th of July – This last 4th of July it was like a war zone. Since all the county is a “no fireworks” zone, all are illegal. So, if you are going to break the law, do it with the really good shit. Mortars, Roman Candles, M80’s and a lot more.

      It was a fucking war zone. The jackasses down the street had firecrackers that were so powerful that it set off all the car alarms on the block. The people behind us had almost professional grade mortars and sky bursters. Insane.

      At a local park, it was apparent that two groups of revelers were firing these serious fireworks at each other.

      On NextDoor? Two factions, the dudes who thought it was awesome how people were celebrating their freedom buy blowing off thousands of dollars of fireworks, and the people who thought that the poor child who was severely burned in an accident, and the house that burned down while the neighbors kept lighting the night sky up.

      I expect this sort of callousness in Arizona, but not in the Bay Area.

       

    • Homeless in the underpass – the unfortunate situation in the bay area is that in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the number of displaced families who are reduced to urban camping is pretty high. One poster on the NextDoor commented that it was disgraceful, and that we should all call our supervisor to have them rousted.

      This encampment you really had to know where to look, and to crane your neck to see them. Yes, an eyesore, but alas, there isn’t a lot you can do.

      The postings were about 5-1 in favor of having the police roust them, and remove their makeshift camp. I was stunned that it took almost 20 replies before someone said that the last time the rousted them, it just moved them to the sidewalks in the neighborhood, and made them more visible.

      I am more sanguine. These are people who by and large are victims of their circumstances. The posters who were certain that there were plenty of beds in shelters for these people are living in a fantasy world. That the county and city had plenty of funds to help all these people.

      I wonder what fucking world they are living in. When there are never more than three police officers patrolling our 8 square mile district due to funding limitations, clearly there isn’t excess funds for the homeless.

      I suspect many of these negative commenters are good church going Christians who are not living the word. (judging by the number of NOTW decals I see on cars). Where is the compassion for the fellow man?

       

    In short, while I like the idea of NextDoor, I am not sure I want to see that much of the ugliness of my neighbors.

    Don’t even get me started on the venting about the apartment complexes being built off of Cottle road. The hyperventilating there is off the fucking hook.

    Like everywhere, NIMBY rules, and they are happy to have change as long as it is invisible and doesn’t affect them.

  • Mail Theft

    A few months ago, we moved into a new (for us at least) house in South San Jose. After a bit (ok, a LOT) of work it was very home-y. One of the charms was that instead of a central mailbox shared by a block of residents, the mail delivery is personalized here. The carrier walks it up to your door.

    How quaint.

    Last Friday, late afternoon, I hear the doorbell ring. I opened the door to see a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy on my stoop.

    After madly thinking what the hell I did to draw his attention, he proceeded to tell me that they apprehended an individual who had stolen our mail, in particular, those “convenience” checks sent by your credit card company.

    One of the checks had been torn off. This dirtbag had either passed it off, or tried to pass it off.

    Motherfucker. So now I have to cancel that card, and have a fraud alert on my account (fortunately, it hadn’t cleared).

    Apparently this guy had some other lady’s checkbook, and had written a check to himself for cash, as well as meth and heroin in his possession.

  • 9 months of the Specialized Crave

    specialized-crave-comp-29I have been living with a 2015 Specialized Crave Expert since last fall. As the move is complete, and other zaniness of life is gone, I am spending more time in the saddle.

    My prior reviews have covered the hardware and the first few months of riding. With a couple hundred more miles in the saddle I can offer some more comments.

    Brakes

    While I love the juice disc brakes, they are definitely not top shelf. They work, but after a long descent, they heat up and make a lot of dragging noise. Annoying, but not tragic. I have not had to bleed them. The pads are still in good shape.

    One day I will upgrade the brakes. Magura or Deore XT will get the nod, but not today.

    Wheels

    The Specialized Stout wheels have held up well. Since I am in that 235# – 250# class (chubby buddy) they take plenty of abuse. Still true, no issues at all.

    Tires

    Still on the stock tires, and I can say with authority that they suck for this hardpack clay/scree covered trails. They just don’t work here.

    I will be replacing them shortly.

    Chain

    An unsung component, the chain, can make a huge difference. Specialized uses a KMC chain stock, and it leads to a smooth shifting, smooth riding drivetrain. I have cleaned and re-lubed it a few times now, and it is still crisp, and clean shifting.

    For lube, I use Purple Extreme, frankly a departure for me. So far it is long lived, and not too dirty, so I will keep using it. I used to be a White Lightning aficionado, but that can be a bit messy, and it needs very frequent application.

    Saddle

    Some people love the standard Specialized saddle. I am not one of them. That thing tore up my crotch something wicked.

    I replaced it with a Terry Fly Ti, and have been very satisfied. Terry is best known for their women’s saddles, but they also make saddles for men, and I now have the Fly Titanium on both my mountain and road bike.

    Totally worth the $119 upgrade.

    Summary

    The Crave is a solid performer, living up to its reputation as a solid hardtail mountain bike. It is not perfect, but the components Specialized pulled out of their parts bins make for a solid performing, reliable, and well performing bike.

    I am looking to future upgrades for it, probably things like replacing the bars with carbon fiber, upgrading the brakes (at least the front brake), and ditching the sad tires that it came with. Until then, I will continue to ride the wheels off of it.