Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: General Cogitation Page 36 of 40

No Gimmicks, Just Discipline

By

On August 13, 2011

In General Cogitation

No Jenny Craig. No Weight Watchers. I didn’t count calories, I didn’t count carbs and I didn’t use any kind of diet pills or elixirs. So far I have nearly lost 15 pounds and all I have been doing is exercising regularly, making sure to push my body when it was necessary and managing my meal portions. I even still go to a pizza buffet once a week with co-workers.

I’m not going to say that all of those other gimmicks don’t work, everyone’s body chemistry is different; however if they don’t seem to be working for you then try plain old self discipline and routine.

Everyday, when I get home from work, I ride the recumbent bike using a preset program. The intensity of the program will depend on what I have eaten during the day and the pain scale of my knees. After the bike I will do some sit-ups, up to 70 now, with a 10 lb medicine ball. Every other day I will add some free weights into the routine. I have been doing it regularly long enough now that it has become a full routine for me.

My ultimate goal is to lose 40 pounds but I have set milestones for myself. I have already reached my first milestone. Two months ago I bought a new belt that was smaller then my normal belt. I have been wearing it now for two weeks. My new milestone is to fit into a new pair of shorts I bought while on vacation. I probably won’t be able to wear them this summer, but I should definitely fit in them by next summer.

Once I have lost the 40 pounds I will most likely push for another 10.

Biggs On: Google+

By

On August 5, 2011

In General Cogitation

Google has thrown their hat into the social networking competition with their latest program Google+. I know several people that are trying it out, some really love it, some really hate it; so today I’m here to share my thoughts on it as I have been using it for about 2-3 weeks now.

It is definitely not as feature rich as Facebook, and when I say “feature rich” I really mean it doesn’t have any apps. There aren’t any games, there aren’t any surveys, its just a social dashboard. I really like the concept of “circles” where you can group your good friends, blah friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, etc. You can post status messages to just a particular group that way your boss didn’t see that you were playing X-Box when you were “home sick” that day or that your parents won’t see that you went out drinking Friday night and woke up next to someone you never met before.

I’m not sure what the big deal has been with this whole “real name” issue I have seen scattered across the tech articles. I think the responsibility falls to the user, not to Google, to manage who will see your real name. Anyone who accuses Google of violating privacy because you don’t think _your friends_ should see your real name, well you are clearly a tool.

I would recommend giving Google+ a try, especially if you are tired of the overzealous presentation of Facebook. The one caveat I would keep in mind is that Google+ is still in beta so it will have bugs, it will misbehave, things may work differently from iteration to iteration.

Getting Caught Up

By

On July 26, 2011

In General Cogitation

I am a little behind with posting regularly to my blog, primarily because I have been quite busy. I was on vacation for a week in Delaware; my in-laws rented a pretty incredible beach house near Dewey Beach for the 4th of July and the whole family made the trip. It was a fantastic vacation and I wish them both a very happy 60th birthday and hope for many more.

Work is busy, of course, but I’m doing well to keep my wits about myself. I have been learning how to develop iOS apps which is turning out to be pretty fun now that I have adapted to the convoluted syntax and semantics. I do have an app idea that I hope to prototype out by the end of the summer so stay tuned for that.

I have been doing very well to exercise regularly. While the scale doesn’t necessarily collaborate with me but it has been paying off. My clothes are starting to fit differently though the areas where I prefer to see results are taking a very long time to do so.

I’m still playing World of Warcraft and I have been actively beta testing Star Wars: The Old Republic which you may already know if you have been reading some of my other blogs. I wish I could share more about that beta with you but I am obligated under the NDA not to discuss details outside the game unless the information has already been released by Bioware.

I don’t have much else to say at this time but I will have one of my regular posts (ex: The MMO Times, Biggs On, etc) coming very soon.

Cheers.

**This post written and published from my iPad**

My Bewilderment Leaves Me Speechless

By

On June 16, 2011

In Gaming, General Cogitation

I’m a gamer, most of you already know that. I get just as excited hearing about games that I don’t or won’t play as I do about the games that I have been playing for years. As much as I can’t wait to read the latest headline about the next MMO, there does come a point where I want so smack some people for their stupid ideas.

I mean, not every idea for an MMO is inane but some are down right ridiculous. I chuckled when I heard about Lego Universe and I even got into the beta for it. It was cute, it brought back very fond childhood memories but definitely not something I would play long term. The challenge for many software companies was to dethrone the king, World of Warcraft. I think, however, that companies are taking the MMO thing a little to far. It has become an obnoxious craze.

Here is some words of advice to those aspiring game manufacturers: NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE AN MMO!!!!!!!!!

When I heard about Transformers Universe I wasn’t too surprised but I did roll my eyes a bit. Then, today, two unveilings had me clawing my head and muttering like an escaped mental patient: Pottermore, a Harry Potter MMO, and Family Guy Online. Now I do like Harry Potter and I love Family Guy but either one of those as an MMO is absolutely absurd! Will somebody please explain to me why someone thought it was a good idea to make an MMO based off of these two pieces of pop culture. It can’t be because they think it will generate ungodly revenue because not everything made into an MMO is a good idea.

Pardon me while I quote Garfield (the next likely candidate to be made into am MMO) but these people need to be dragged into the street and shot!

/endsoapbox

**This post written and published from my iPad**

Biggs On: OBL

By

On May 4, 2011

In Biggs On, General Cogitation

Sunday night Obama interrupted regular television broadcast to announce to the nation that during a Navy Seal raid Osama Bin Laden was killed.Its an announcement the country has been waiting to hear for 10 years. There was rejoicing everywhere, it was the talk amongst friends and strangers the world over. So what does Bin Laden’s death mean to me.

I knew that there would be skeptics. “Pictures or it didn’t happen” seems to be a common phrase among just as many Americans as those celebrating his demise. Despite the White House’s persistence to claim he is actually dead many still question whether its true. Obama has already announced that no footage will be made available to the public. Osama has been buried at sea, in accordance with proper Muslim burial rituals, which apparently includes that the body must be laid to rest within 24 hours of having deceased.

I think no matter what the White House says to quell the skeptics, there will always be hundreds or thousands that will never believe it to be true. Personally the part that bothers me more isn’t the rising conspiracy about Bin Laden’s death but the fact that Obama is taking credit for it. Yes, he would have approved the raid on the Pakistan palace but the search for Bin Laden has been ongoing for 10 years. Obama has only been in power for three years. Its a political agenda for re-election because he knows he hasn’t “changed” a damn thing since he took office.

So here is what I am going to take away from this event. I believe, regardless of what the conspiracy theorists say, that justice has been served to a vicious tyrant. I also refuse to acknowledge that this is a victory of the current administration, they simply rode the coattails of the previous administration’s efforts.

Cheers!

The Cogitation Drought

By

On May 2, 2011

In General Cogitation

It has been a while since I have posted anything new for my imaginary readers to ponder and it has mostly been the result of too much going on. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t admit that it is also likely the result of the lack of topics.

I have been training lately; I purchased the iPad 2 as a tool for advancing my career therefore I have been learning the language and software necessary for designing and developing apps. I feel that I have been catching on fairly well. I have also been exploring jQuery more and I also hope to develop a jQuery plugin as well. Finally, I am also trying to find the time to work on my MCPD training so I can finally be a Microsoft certified professional.

The weather, while rainy, has been getting warmer out which means the outside work has moved higher up on the priority list. This past Saturday we were finally able to mow the lawn and do some early spring maintenance. The pain in my back, knees and feet illustrate two points to me. One, I’m out of shape and two, physical labor should be illegal for programmers. We work with our hands but at the end of the day we don’t have blisters and callouses.

**This post written and published from my iPad**

Page 36 of 40

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén