Archive for April, 2014

April 2014 Exercise Results

With the conclusion of another month it’s time to look at my exercise program.

While March of 2014 had some good results, the same is not true for April.  It turns out that April of 2014 was one of my weaker months.  I was only on my exercise bike four times, and only used my strength training machine eleven times.

How did this happen?

The first few days of the month were strong and I was doing several strength and cardio sessions.  I knew that the strength part was going to be needed as my friends were undertaking an outdoor project involving a lot of concrete.  The project ended up requiring lifting and moving 80-pound bags of concrete as well as mixing it with water.  There was a slight glitch in the estimated amount of concrete that was going to be needed, and as a result the project required more manual labor and time to complete.

Using a shovel to help mix some concrete.

We spent all day outside and finished the project, but my muscles were almost dead for the next couple of days.  Throw in some sunburns and general aches from the work.  After working outside I didn’t want to touch my workout machine for several days.

Also in the month of April we had a special event to attend, there was Easter, my fiancée and her mother and I went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, and I’ve been working hard on my websites as well as teaching myself new (to me) computer languages.  It’s been a very busy month with events happening each weekend.

As it was mentioned, I found the time to use my strength training machine a total of eleven times this month, but only four times on my exercise bike.  I believe the root problem is that I simply don’t want to spend two or three hours each day doing all of the exercising.  While it’s a great workout doing both the cardio and full strength routine in a single, massive workout session, I simply don’t have the time for it on most days.

Right now I’d rather continue building my muscles than work on my cardio.  It’s more tempting to use my strength training machine for several sessions than to sit on the exercise bike and ride it for 45 minutes.  Another factor to consider is that it’s easier to lose weight by going on a lengthy bike ride rather that doing strength training exercises.

Despite my rather unimpressive exercise number, I did beat my number of sit-ups by just shy of three hundred sit-ups.  In March I had thirteen exercise sessions and did a total of 1,760 sit-ups.  In the month of April I had two fewer sessions but increased my number of sit-ups to 2,140.

April of 2014 exercise results:

Exercise bike totals (cardio):

– 4 sessions; 45 minutes each

– 180 minutes (3 hours)

– 40.4 miles

– 2,020 calories

– furthest distance during a 45-minute bike ride – 10.2 miles

Total Bodyworks 5000 totals (strength):

– 11 sessions; ~ 60 minutes each

Total number of sit-ups:

– 2,140

My plan for the month of May is to alternate the days for strength training and cardio.  One day I’ll do my full routine with the strength training machine, and the next day I’ll use my exercise bike.  The goals here are to keep workout sessions to around an hour each day, and also continue to improve my fitness with both cardio and strength training.

Now it’s just a matter of having the discipline to stick with this routine.

Clayton County’s School Bus Cameras – The WRONG Answer To The Problem of Bad Drivers

Today on the local news channel I saw a story about how Clayton County, Georgia, has become the next county in the greater metro Atlanta area to install cameras on the outside of the school buses to catch drivers who fail to stop during loading and unloading sessions.

The argument is that the cameras will catch the bad drivers, and those drivers will then receive a hefty $300 ticket in the mail.  The fee for being caught a second time rises to $750.

However, there is a SERIOUS FLAW with this method.

Since this method only uses a couple of cameras and not an actual police officer, the ticketing company can only send the ticket to the registered owner of the vehicle that was caught violating the law.  It’s a financial penalty against the vehicle’s owner regardless who was driving at the time.  The vehicle’s owner is the one who is penalized, not necessarily its driver.

This is the same exact flaw with red light cameras and speed cameras on many roads across the country.  Why there hasn’t been a massive uprising against this method of traffic enforcement, I don’t know.  But this is seriously wrong and it needs to end.

Almost two years ago there was a similar news story (and similar article here) when this system of school bus cameras was first being used on school buses in Cobb County, Georgia.  When doing further research, is it really a surprise to see that the same ticketing company, American Traffic Solutions, is now enforcing the traffic laws with the Clayton County school buses?

Nope.  Not in the least.

On the ATS website it clearly states in the F.A.Q. section that it’s only the vehicle’s registered owner who receives the traffic ticket in the mail.

“Local law enforcement authorities review potential violation data forwarded by ATS. The violation data forwarded to law enforcement include violation images and video, a close-up license plate image and vehicle owner registration information. Officers review the violation video and images via ATS’ secure Axsis™ Violation Processing System. The reviewing officer first will approve or reject the violation.  If the officer affirms the violation, he or she will then verify that the license plate matches the vehicle and confirms other vehicle and owner information before authorizing issuance of the citation.”

Did you notice in the first part about how ATS forwards the “. . . violation images and video, a close-up license plate image and vehicle owner registration information“? Read more…

Movie Review – The Princess and the Frog (2009)

In December of 2009, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released its 49th animated film, The Princess and the Frog.

Loosely based on the fairy tale The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker, and the classic Grimm fairy tale The Frog Prince, The Princess and the Frog uses traditional, hand-drawn animation to tell the tale of a spoiled prince who is turned into a frog from a magic spell, and his quest to become human again.  The Disney version adds the lead female character also being turned into a frog, and the two of them have to battle an evil voodoo magician before its too late.

The Princess and the Frog also sets a milestone for Disney princesses as Tiana is the first black princess in the Disney animated films, not that it really matters.  What’s important here is that The Princess and the Frog tells a good story while being set in a fantastic environment.  On top of that, the animation and art work in this film is simply outstanding!

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, The Princess and the Frog stars Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Tiana, the heroine of the film.  Supporting her are Bruno Campos as the voice role of Prince Naveen, Keith David as Doctor Facilier, and John Goodman as Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff.  Other voice actors in the film include Jim Cummings, Jennifer Cody, Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard.

The Princess and the Frog takes place in and around New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film begins in 1912 in the city of New Orleans.  We know that it’s 1912 as a newspaper has an article about Woodrow Wilson being elected as President of the United States.

Young Tiana and her friend Charlotte La Bouff are listening to Tiana’s mother, Eudora (voiced by Oprah Winfrey), tell the story of The Frog Prince while Eudora finishes making Charlotte’s dress.  When Eudora reaches the end of the story, Tiana finds the idea of kissing a frog to be disgusting and revolting.  While Tiana thinks of it as disgusting, Charlotte states that she would gladly kiss a frog to turn him into a prince.

Charlotte’s father Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff (voiced by John Goodman) picks up his daughter and takes her home.  Tiana and her mother then head home.  As we can see, while Charlotte and her father live in a wealthy part of town, Tiana and her parents live in a poor area. Read more…

StufZ (Stuffed Burger Maker) – A Marketing Review

Dinnertime is nearing and once again you’re out of ideas.

Last week you had some hamburgers topped with slices of Spam and head cheese.  While that combination proved to be incredibly tasty, you’re still wondering if it could somehow be enhanced.

But how can you do that?

Should you mix the Spam and head cheese into the burger patty?  That might work, but you’re just as likely to lose the individual tastes of the hamburger, the Spam, and also the head cheese.  It would be ideal to keep the toppings with the burger but not physically mixed into the burger meat.

What if the burger meat was wrapped around the toppings, like a stuffed burger?

That idea sounds so crazy that it might just work.  But how do you quickly make a stuffed burger without getting too frustrated or creating a mess?

What’s this?  The StufZ?

StufZ TV commercial

You mean to tell me that it’s both easy and fun to create stuffed hamburgers?  Awesome!

Let’s take a closer look at the StufZ’s advertisement and see how this is being sold to us, the general public.

The StufZ television commercial is hosted by celebrity chef Brian Duffy.  As some of you may know, Brian Duffy is one of several chefs featured on the reality show Bar Rescue.  For those of us who have never seen the show, this guy’s identity really doesn’t matter.  He’s an enthusiastic person who wants to liven our meals.

The television commercial begins with Brian Duffy explaining the concept of not just a hamburger, but rather a stuffed burger.

That’s right.  A stuffed burger.

It’s a hamburger patty wrapped around a bunch of toppings.

Brian claims that the concept of the stuffed burger is actually a growing trend across the country.  I’ve heard of the Jucy / Juicy Lucy (a burger stuffed with cheese) in the Minneapolis area, but that’s only after seeing it featured on food-themed television shows.  Otherwise, I haven’t heard any other talk of this alleged craze of stuffed burgers, as delicious as it sounds.

Perhaps there’s a reason for that. Read more…

Transferring Domains Out of GoDaddy and Domains By Proxy

I’ve finally reached my breaking point with Internet domain registrar company GoDaddy.

From the company’s constantly increasing prices, the high annual fee of Domains By Proxy, the endless advertisements throughout the ordering process (even loyal customers are spammed with ads), and the ridiculous television commercials for GoDaddy, I’ve had enough.

No more GoDaddy.

No more paying to help sponsor former IndyCar / current NASCAR driver Danica Patrick.

Enough is enough.

I decided to switch to NameCheap for my domain registrar.  I’ve used the company several times in the past and my experiences have been good.  Their regular prices are cheaper than GoDaddy, and the privacy company that they use, WhoisGuard, is *significantly cheaper* than Domains By Proxy with GoDaddy.

It’s a win-win situation by switching to NameCheap.

Anyway, NameCheap was offering a sale on domain transfers for this Earth Day (April 22nd).  Having never done a domain transfer, I went to the NameCheap website, looked through the FAQ pages, and found the exact information that I needed to switch from GoDaddy to NameCheap.  It’s a little bit tricky, but as long as you follow the instructions, then you should be fine.

The hardest part wasn’t dealing with GoDaddy but rather Domains By Proxy.

Once you agree to use a privacy service like Domains By Proxy, that company then “holds” the website domain for you in the name of security.  You can still log in to GoDaddy and renew the website, and you can also let it expire, but you cannot transfer the website to another registrar company without clearing the way through Domains by Proxy first.

What if it’s been so long ago that you’ve last used Domains By Proxy that you’ve lost or forgotten your login information, and the e-mail account you used no longer exists?  How are you supposed to access your information at Domains By Proxy?

That was my situation.  I created by Domains By Proxy account back in 2007 when GoDaddy was running a free promotion.  Since then I’ve switched computers twice, and the e-mail account that was registered to Domains By Proxy was long gone.  It turns out that it was connected to one of my websites that I created in 2006 and discontinued in 2009.

Fortunately, there’s a way to go through GoDaddy to find your Domains By Proxy account number.  Here’s a guide on how to do it. Read more…

Movie Review – Johnny Tremain (1957)

The 1770s was a turbulent period of history that would transition the American colonies into an independent country from England.

The colonial days are often looked back upon as one of the greatest periods of American history.  It’s a time of patriots who risked death to pursue the causes of liberty and freedom.  It’s also a time where a band of citizen soldiers and farmers managed to defeat the English army, one of the mightiest forces in the world.

The 1957 Walt Disney film Johnny Tremain is one such story that takes place in Boston, Massachusetts between 1773 and 1775.  The story follows a young silversmith apprentice named Johnny Tremain and how he handles the events that take place around him.  He befriends members of the Sons of Liberty and joins their cause at the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s ride, and eventually the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first engagements of the American Revolutionary War.

Directed by Disney veteran Robert Stevenson, Johnny Tremain stars Hal Stalmaster in the title role of Johnny Tremain.  Also in the film are Luana Patten as Priscilla Lapham, Jeff York as James Otis, Sebastian Cabot as Jonathan Lyte, and Walter Sande as Paul Revere.  The Walt Disney film is based on Johnny Tremain, a 1944 novel written by Esther Forbes.

Johnny Tremain begins in Boston, Massachusetts in July of 1773.

Young Johnny Tremain (Hal Stalmaster) is a silversmith apprentice for Ephraim Lapham (Will Wright), an elder but distinguished silversmith.  One day they’re visited by Jonathan Lyte (Sebastian Cabot), a wealthy merchant originally from England.  Lyte wants Lapham to repair a tea pot in very short time.  Lapham is reluctant to take on the work but Johnny encourages him to do so.  Johnny has been gaining experience and he feels that he can help Lapham make the repair in time.

The pressure mounts when Mr. Lapham is unable to repair the tea pot himself.  His age has apparently bested him. Read more…

Movie Review – Transformers (2007)

Back in the 1980s, the Transformers were some of the coolest toys in a market that also included He-Man: Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It was simply an awesome decade when it came to both cartoon shows and the corresponding action figures.

For me, the Transformers was in its prime back in the 1980s, during the first generation of the show and its robotic characters.  The show had a strong fan following, the toys were hot sellers, and in 1986 there was The Transformers: The Movie, an animated film that took place between seasons two and three of the television show.

It wouldn’t be until twenty-one years later when the transforming robots would return to the big screen.  And they did so in a BIG way.

Released in 2007, Transformers returned the mighty robots to the big screen in the form of a big budget, live-action blockbuster.  It’s a science-fiction film filled with action and thrills.

Directed by Michael Bay, Transformers stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who inadvertently becomes involved in the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.  Co-starring in the film are Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes; Josh Duhamel as William Lennox; Tyrese Gibson as Robert Epps; and Jon Voight as U.S. Secretary of Defense John Keller.  Hugo Weaving provides the voice for Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, and Peter Cullen reprises his voice role of Optimus Prime from the original Transformers television show.

Transformers (2007) – (c) DreamWorks Pictures

Transformers begins with Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) narrating the story and telling us about his home planet of Cybertron as well as something known as the Cube.  Nobody knows where the Cube from, but it was responsible for sparking life on Cybertron.  The Cybertronians initially lived peacefully, but eventually there was a war that would ultimately consume the whole planet.  The Cube was then lost to the furthest reaches of space.

The Cybertronians scattered themselves throughout the galaxy in search of their precious Cube.  Some of them want to use its power to end the war and rebuild Cybertron, while others want to use it to raise an army and conquer the galaxy.  We know that the Cube has crash landed on planet Earth.  It’s just a matter of which group of Cybertronians finds it first, the heroic Autobots or the evil Decepticons.

Fast forward to day.  In the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, an MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter is heading towards a U.S. military base.  The only problems are that A) The pilot of the Pave Low is not responding to radio communications, and B) The helicopter has the tail number 4500X, only 4500X was shot down several months ago.

Colonel Sharp (Glenn Morshower) scrambles two F/A-22 Raptors to intercept the helicopter.  They do so and escort it to the military base.  Upon landing, a heavily-armed security team surrounds the helicopter as Colonel Sharp orders the aircraft to power down and surrender.  Instead, the helicopter transforms into a fierce humanoid robot called Blackout. Read more…

Movie Review – The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

In the mid 1980s, the Transformers were some of the coolest toys in the market.

Here you had robots from outer space living on planet Earth and disguised as everyday vehicles, weapons, and electronic items.  One moment the Transformer is a humanoid-like fighting robot, and the next it’s “hiding” in its alternate form.  You had the Autobots on one side, the Decepticons on the other, and everybody else caught in their crossfire.

Released in 1986, The Transformers: The Movie was an animated film that took place directly between the second and third seasons of The Transformers animated television show.

Directed by Nelson Shin, The Transformers: The Movie features a number of voice actors including Peter Cullen, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Scatman Crothers and Leonard Nimoy.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986) – (c) De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

The Transformers: The Movie begins out in space in the year 2005 (about twenty years after the second season of The Transformers television show).  Unicron (voiced by Orson Wells), a roaming artificial planet, approaches and then destroys robot planet Lithone.  As the planet is destroyed, only two of its inhabitants are able to flee.

On the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron, the evil Decepticons have control of the world.  Meanwhile, the heroic Autobots are using two of Cybertron’s moons as staging areas to strike back against the Decepticons.  They just need more energon cubes before they’ll be ready to attack.  Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) orders that a shuttle be sent back to Autobot City on planet Earth, and retrieve the energon. Read more…

Movie Review – Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Opening this weekend is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the next big-budget Marvel comic book film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be released to the theaters.

Set a couple of years after the events in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier puts Captain America and the Black Widow against a powerful assassin known as the Winter Soldier.  As they battle the assassin throughout Washington, D.C., the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. learn that there’s a much greater conspiracy at play, something that dates back to World War 2 and the events in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier stars Chris Evans in the title role of Steve Rogers / Captain America.  Co-starring in the film are Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes / Winter Soldier, and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon.  Also appearing in the film are Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier begins with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) exercising one morning in Washington, D.C.  While out running he meets Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a former Air Force special forces pararescue soldier who now counsels war veterans with PTSD.  Rogers is still adjusting to living in the 21st century, and he’s been catching up on the history of the past sixty years as well as the changes in culture.

Suddenly Rogers’s cell phone alerts him to an urgent mission with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.).  Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) picks him up in a Corvette, and they race away to SHIELD’s headquarters. Read more…

Pay College Football & Basketball Players — And Remove Them From Classrooms

It seems like this push for paying football and basketball players only continues to gain momentum.

This concept is being accelerated by the recent push by the Northwestern University football players to establish their own players union.  The players are serious about taking things to the next level.  It’s just a matter of time before other schools join the bandwagon.

We also know that many of today’s college football and basketball players aren’t the best of students.  There have been many claims and allegations of the student athletes taking slack classes so simple that third-grade students could also pass them.  These classes are nothing more than a way of boosting a player’s GPA so that they remain academically eligible to continue playing their respective sport.

It’s a complete disgrace to the true student athletes.  Some of those players are literally dumber than dirt.

The time has come to finally make it official and pay the college football and basketball players a salary —- as long as they’re also removed from the classrooms.

It’s been long argued that the players have already been receiving a salary when you factor in their scholarship to play a sport while attending classes.  When you factor in the costs of tuition, books (Yeah, I know.  Like most of those guys really need books.), housing, food, plus the attention from the media, that’s a “salary” of maybe $40,000-$80,000 over a four-year period, depending on the college itself.

But apparently that’s not enough according to many people.  Those college players risk serious injury, so it’s time to pay them more.  The college itself also makes a ton of money on the players, especially during good seasons, so the players should also receive some of that money as well.  It’s not enough that they are receiving a free academic ride plus medical care plus national attention.  They need more.

So be it.

I’m tired of these arguments.

Cut the players from the classroom and just make them regular athletes.  Give them a salary with bonuses thrown in as well.  Whatever.  We all know that the college classes are a waste of time and money on most of those athletes anyway. Read more…