My Time life line October 30, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : Art Piece, Exercise , add a commentI’m getting ready to start an art piece if you will to document my attempts at exercise and weight loss. I will take a picture of myself every single morning and upload this to my photo gallery. I will then make a movie/slide show that will show my progression over time. I think it might be rather interesting to see myself change over time.
Do It yourself GPS tracking October 29, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : Computer Science Theory, GPS, Programming , 1 comment so farI’m starting a series of articles on a recent application I’ve built to create an application I’ve created called “Where’s Vinnyt.” The name of the application clearly is a sign of my vanity. However, it is one of the more interesting spare time pieces I’ve created, and think it could be very interesting to anyone that has any interest in the fields of GPS, near to realtime tracking, and System integration. My interest in GPS arose some years ago when I borrowed a GPS navigation system from a friend of mine. I quickly discovered that not only did this system provide a fun and interesting means of getting around the city it exposed an interface that I as a programmer could access and leverage for my own fun. I will breakdown my aritcles as follows. First accessing the GPS, what data do you see, how do you get to it, and how then do you use it. Second data transmission and storage, how do I take data from where I am in the real world and store it and move it for use later. Finally, integration with Google Maps ( although this is tracking the data is not anywhere near real time, and so I think that let’s me off the hook.) Please check back I’ll be creating my first post in the days to come.
Two Long Walks October 29, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : Exercise, fitness , add a commentSo, I’ve stuck with my exercise, and as a result I’m really sore today. I initially believed that I should just go out and force myself to go as long as I possibly could and over time my stamina would increase. I’ve done some research and spoke to a few people who are near experts on the subject and I believe that my initial approach would work, but it’s not going to help me with my first goal which is weight loss. Based on what I’ve read I need to work out about about 65% of my max heartrate, which based on my age is 119 bpm. At the moment if I run for any distance my heart rate goes way past the 119bpm so I have to slow down to maintain that level. So before where I had planned on pushing myself by trying to runner faster daily I’ve decided to walk for a longer period of time. Essentially I’m giving 1 hour and some change each day to my workout. Thus far after really only about 4 good exercise days I do feel like I have more energy but like I said I’m quite sore. I’m going to give it more time and see what somes to pass.
My First Run 8/22/2006 October 22, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : Exercise, fitness , 1 comment so farMy First run. I took my first run today. The weather was some what cold slightly above freezing and overcast, but not raining. I set my workout goal to 1.5 miles in my iPod, and started out of the house. I got about halfway down the block, and pressed the center button on the iPod in hopes of hearing a status update. Instead I discovered that I had locked the iPod, and it was not tracking my information. I quickly unlocked it, and pressed the play button launching my workout. I then proceeded to run probably about 1/10th of a mile before I ran out of steam. I have to say I???m in pretty bad shape so I suspect that for the next few runs any progress is going to be slow. However, I???ve talked to several people regarding the subject of exercise and once I get over this initial hump I should progress pretty quickly. My goal by next summer is to be averaging about 7:00 minute miles if not less, and running about 5-10 miles on a daily basis. So we???ll have to see what happens.
Starting the Getting in shape routine October 21, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : Exercise, fitness , add a commentI’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve let myself go somewhat as a result of my dedication to work. This being said I’ve grown tired of reminiscing about the recent past when I was in shape I’ve decided to take the bull by the horns so to speak and get to myself back to previous levels of physical fitness and at some point exceed those previous marks. I started this somewhat at the beginning of the summer when I acquired a new bicycle. I was able to ride on a daily basis. At the time my rides ranged from 10-20 miles per day. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control at work I was not able to ride the bike as much as I had anticipated. So now that I continue to travel, and with the onset of winter in this area I have to find an activity that will allow me to reach my desired fitness goals and still fit in with the weather and travel scenarios that I am currently faced with. This being the case I???ve decided to start running. I ran for the duration of my time in high school, and then briefly on and off since then. I find the activity to be very closely related to my bike riding with the exception that I can more easily maintain consistency regardless of weather or state of travel. I???ve also taken some steps to ensure my success in this new endeavor. First off I???ve purchased the Nike+ system. This system integrates with your iPod acting as a very sophisticated pedometer. In addition to tracking your progress in real time the device is integrated with a sophisticated website that tracks your runs over time, and allows you to chart your progress, and see that you are truly succeeding at your goals. I feel this will be the most helpful thing to be as I pursue this goal because I will be able to see that it is truly working for me. That being the case I plan on a daily tracking of my run, and hopefully once I get back to shape I???m going to integrate my ???where???s vinnyt application??? to show the paths that I run over time.
Old School October 15, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : movies , add a comment 
Old School is a great comedy that reminds of us of classics such as Animal House and Porky’s. The movie features an all start cast including Will Ferral, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson. The movies story is pretty cookie cutter a man discovers the love of his life is a sex fiend and after his breakup with her his friends try to help him get his life back together. The movie features literally hundreds of comical one liners and can be quoted in nearly every situation in your real life. I relish watching this movie because I feel I actually know the gentlemen in this film. I grew up and went to college with a very colorful collection of individuals and each one can be witnessed in the characters in this film.
Rushmore October 2, 2006
Posted by vinnyt in : movies , add a comment 
I was first shown this movie slightly after I moved to California. I had seen one of Wes Anderson’s movies prior to viewing this film, but I wasn’t as aware of movies at the time, and I was slightly distracted because I saw it on a date. In any event, when I was shown this film, I have to say I was blown away by it. When I saw this movie I really grew fond of Wes Anderson’s style. I’ve been a fan of it ever since. I think what appealed to me most about this film was the stylized world that Anderson creates. Although it is far fetched it is a wonderful stage for this story. The movie is the story of a young man who has visions of self granduer, but in reality he is a failure. He falls in love with a teacher, and befriends a parent of a fellow student, this love leads to his complete downfall, and the remainder of the movie shows his recovery from his failure. I suppose what I like most is the story that develops. I highly recommend this film to any and every Wes Anderson fan.
