Wednesday, January 28, 2009

2009 Race schedule


This could change but here it is....

February 8 Cedar 12K (WILL NOT RUN....ITBS PAIN!!!)
March 22 Comox Valley Half Marathon
May 3 Vancouver Marathon (with my wife?)
June 21 New Balance Triathlon (Half Ironman)
July 5 Triathlon of Compassion
September 13 Subaru Sooke Triathlon
October 11 Royal Victoria Marathon

In August I am going to Penticton, I am registering for the 2010 Ironman! yeah!!!!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The LAST lecture....

I just watched the first 5 minutes of this video. I am going to watch the whole thing because I think my life will be enhanced by watching this guy. I also just found these websites:
http://www.thelastlecture.com/
http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/


I do not really know if this is really what it seems but I will find out...soon!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Antigravity?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Finally...some advice for future lefties!

I wish somebody showed me how to tilt the paper....but NOOOOOOO! Back in 1966...they were still trying to force people to write with their right hand.....I am one of the few that escaped!

  • Parents can help significantly by teaching them to tilt their paper toward their right
  • Lefties have a tendency to use a ‘hook’ grasp so they can see what they are writing, but they should be encouraged to hold writing instruments the "right" way.
  • Also, buy quick drying pens, as lefties tend to smear the ink as they're writing, because their hands skim over their recent work as they move on to the next section.
Via: education.com

Monday, January 19, 2009

The virtue of N=1

I always have been interested in articles where only one case has been reported...when I was in graduate school I remember listening to a presentation on the dangers of filling methanol burners. The virtues of N=1...only allowed in medical cases. Ingesting a wishbone...I guess this guys was not so lucky! Ouch....






Acute abdomen caused by ingested chicken wishbone: a case report

Introduction
An ingested foreign body often passes the gastrointestinal tract without any complications. Foreign bodies, such as dentures, fish bones, chicken bones, and toothpicks, have been known to cause perforation of the GI tract.

Case presentation
We are presenting a case of a fifty-year-old male with acute abdomen; diffuse fibro purulent peritonitis, i.e. ileum perforation, caused by accidentally ingesting a chicken wishbone. He was treated surgically with ileum resection, and temporary ileostomy. After four months, intestinal continuity was established in the second operation.

Conclusion
Intestinal perforation by a chicken bone is rare and affects the left colon or distal ileum. The lack of information of ingestion and detection of chicken bones preoperatively are of interest to be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, which in this case was treated surgically.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

top VO2 Max....

I can only wish.....my VO2 MAX is below 78.8....way, way, way below!!!! And it decreases with age....yikes! FYI my VO2 Max (predicted from my last race is 48.8)....probably more like 50 because I think I can push harder than I did...still 30 below this guy's VO2 Max......


Haile Gebrselassie (35 years old) set a new marathon world record in Berlin with a time of 2h 03m 59sec.....That's a predicted VO2 MAX of 82.8 ml/kg/min. In my next life...maybe....because I would also like to spend it as a house cat....

Whoa! 10 dimensions explained....

If you get this, and all the concepts in a single viewing...and can explain it back to me....I'll give you a cookie!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Our planet is a spaceship


túrána hott kurdís by hasta la otra méxico! from Till Credner on Vimeo.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Will not make any difference for me but nice

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Copycat

You have to see this one


Via: A Blog Around the Clock

Quite a meal!



Via: Bayblab

Intellectual Dishonesty

Once in a while I read Pharyngula, the most popular of all scientific blogs and once in a while it makes me laugh or shake my head in disagreement with PZ Myers....anyway...

This time it is different and I am happy that PZ did a good job of explaining the latest "clue" of a creationist past.

In their website THE UNCOMMON DESCENT, creationists cite an interesting article that was recently published in PNAS: Two-phase increase in the maximum size of life over 3.5 billion years reflects biological innovation and environmental opportunity.

The author(s) of the Uncommon Descent blogpost cite the authors and give their own creationist interpretation either because they do not understand the article or because they did not read it. PZ Myers explains the article with an interesting example of Australian drunks getting out to the streets. It is a useful analogy.

If you are interested in this topic, read this Pharyngula post and please remember that citing authors in a way that suits your own hypothesis with the knowledge that it might be wrong is scientific dishonesty.

Underwater Marvels Slideshow

Click on image and enjoy!!!!



Via: NY Times

Smaller classes...better retention...MIT goes the Camosun way!

M.I.T. just figured it out...

"The physics department has replaced the traditional large introductory lecture with smaller classes that emphasize hands-on, interactive, collaborative learning. Last fall, after years of experimentation and debate and resistance from students, who initially petitioned against it, the department made the change permanent. Already, attendance is up and the failure rate has dropped by more than 50 percent."


Collaborative learning is a very wise thing to do. I use Google Docs in my second year Microbiology class. I have labs that connect directly to the theory taught in my lectures and I have very good retention. MIT is going the Camosun way with smaller classes. Unfortunately, not smaller tuitions.

Source: NY Times

Human 2.0 - Eyeborg


Rob Spence - Camera Eye Videographer
Very interesting idea....scary as well.....

Visit Rob's Blog: http://eyeborg.blogspot.com/

Via; Radio-Canada

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Nature's best


Sunday, January 11, 2009

From smile to pain in 33 minutes 21 seconds

A bit about my latest running adventure at the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K, Jan 11th, 2009 in Saanichton, BC.



That's an easy picture, I knew Crys was going to be there and that's about 300m from the start line. I am fresh, rested, hydrated and in good spirits. That's about to change...the smile will fade away....



This second picture was taken exactly at the same spot as the first one BUT after a 4 km loop. I am pacing myself, knowing that there is still 4 long km to go. I want to go fast here but not too fast...I need gas in my tank to last long enough. A 8 k race is not long but just long enough to burn out if you are not careful! I try to smile (I thought I was smiling) but I cannot. My heart rate is now at 170 beats per minute (BPM, 88% from max heart rate)and my pace is just above 4 min/km. It's about to get more difficult....



There was a guy in front of me....I made him my prey and I ate him for lunch. I wanted to make sure this guy was not going to take any spot from my age group. At this point I am totally exhausted, I just want to finish and I no longer care about my time and performance. My left side of the brain is sending weird negative messages and I try to fight those nasty demons...if you run and ever pushed yourself, you know exactly what I mean...My heart rate is now 192 BPM (99% max heart rate) and my speed is 3.5 minutes/km. Not fast compared to elite runners but fast for me. I did it, I have a new PR that I improved by 38 seconds, and an average pace of 4 minutes 11 seconds/km. I am happy....time for chicken soup...

I finished 22nd of my age group (40-44 yrs). The first guy in my group finished in 25 minutes, 42 seconds...a pace of 3 minutes 13 seconds / km. The top male finished in 23 minutes 35 seconds....ahead of me...way, way ahead of me!

Monday, January 05, 2009

They almost got me...almost

That message was sent to me with HIGH IMPORTANCE...ah ah...when was the last time Revenue Canada went after you to GIVE YOU money...when???? I am not that gullible! Funny though!
______________________________

Canada Revenue Agency
Online Refund Form

After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 386.00.
Please submit the tax refund and allow us 3-9 days in order to process it.
A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.
To access the form for your tax refund, please click here>>


Copyright Canada Revenue Agency. All rights reserved. www.cra-arc.gc.ca

Friday, January 02, 2009

One day I'll get off the grid

This is my dream...getting off the grid because my house becomes energy self-sufficient. That could be the solution!


Read the story HERE

I am a polar bear!

Yes...it is me....the water was very cold and my feet froze immediately. I quick dip up to the neck and I was out....