Biggs' Zone

A Gamer Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

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FitBit: The Ending of an Era

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On June 13, 2024

In Fitness

I recently talked about running my first half-marathon at the Flying Pig. I had fun doing it and I’ll think about if I want to do it again however it marks the end of an era. The half-marathon was my FitBit’s swan song. I am officially retiring my FitBit and it feels really weird; I have “phantom device” syndrome.

A few years ago I bought an Apple Watch but I kept using my FitBit because it had so much of my walking/running data that I didn’t want to give it up. Essentially I had two fitness devices and it was time for one to go.

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2019 Year In Review

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On January 3, 2020

In General Cogitation, Year in Review

2019 Year In Review2019 was the final year of the decade, which means we are entering the second decade of the new millennium (and 20 years since the “dreaded” Y2K scare). It’s still hard to tell if all of us still like each other. Political differences continue to divide us and it’s depressing, infuriating and scary. I don’t do politics on this blog so, in the words of Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that. 2019 was an OK year, depending on your perspective. These perspectives is what I am going to get into for my 2019 Year In Review.

Celebrity Deaths

We lost over 150 celebrities this year. I’m not going to mention all of them, only the ones that I found particularly depressing. I’m not trying to down play the deaths of the others because it sucks when we lose anyone. Before I begin I would just like to note that Kirk Douglas and Betty White are not on this list.

Celebrity Deaths: Internet

Tardar Sauce, aka Grumpy Cat (7) passed away this year. If you don’t know who Grumpy Cat was, then you are living under a rock. Her permanent scowl was a condition caused by a genetic mutation but created thousands of meme. She was an Internet sensation.

Celebrity Deaths: TV

The television death that seemed to be most notable was the death of Caroll Spinney (85) who was the original Big Bird on Sesame Street from 1969 to 2018. Best known for his comedy on The Carol Burnett Show, Tim Conway (85) passed away this year. He was so talented and so hilarious. If you haven’t seen his Elephant Story bit from the show, you are missing out! Luke Perry‘s (52) sudden death was truly heartbreaking. He’s mostly known for his role as Dylan in 90210 and, more recently, as Fred Andrews on Riverdale.

The Star Trek Deep Space 9 series lost two lovable characters his year. René Auberjonois (79) passed away this year. While he had many television and film roles, he always has been and always will be Odo to me. Unfortunately the bad news for DS9 doesn’t end there. Aron Eisenberg (50) played the lovable Ferengi Nog on Deep Space 9; in fact he was probably my favorite Ferengi. RIP gentlemen. Thank you for the awesome memories.

Celebrity Deaths: Movies

The following celebrities are primarily known for their movie roles. We lost Doris Day this year, but she lived a long and extraordinary 97 years! Also, from the golden years of film, Peter Fonda (79) passed away; he was the son of Henry Fonda, the brother of Jane Fonda and the father of Bridget Fonda. The actor with one of the coolest names in Hollywood passed away, Rip Torn. While it really sucks that he’s gone, I did not know he was 88 when he passed. I mostly remember him from the Men In Black movies.

Peter Mayhew at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration in Chicago

The last celebrity death is the one that sucks the most. In April, just a couple of weeks after his appearance at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Peter Mayhew (74) passed away. He is a legend for his role as Chewbacca and the epitome of a gentle giant. He loved his role as Chewbacca and he will be greatly missed. However, its comforting to know that now, he is fulfilling his obligation to Han Solo, and he’s taking care of the princess. RIP Chewie.

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From 4000 Steps to 10K Races

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On June 26, 2019

In Fitness

From 4000 Steps to 10K RacesMany people comment to me that they don’t think that they could run like I do. Believe me, the distances that I run are minuscule compared to some of the marathon runners I know. Also, anyone that knows me well, knows that I did not just wake up one day and decide to run. I’ve had problems with my knees since high school and this all began by simply walking. A lot. This is how I went from 4000 steps to 10K races.

One Day I Bought A FitBit

Every time someone makes a lifestyle change like this, there is always some catalyst. It might be a health scare, marriage, divorce, having children. For me, it was buying a FitBit. We had been researching ways to exercise and when my wife read about these FitBit’s we thought we would give them a try; that was over six years ago. There must be something about the actual data that became the motivation I needed.

My life was pretty sedentary. I sat behind a computer for 8 hours to work. I sat behind another computer or the television, playing video games when I wasn’t working. My knees hurt going up and down the stairs and I had a prescription for pain killers. Pain killers that are a controlled substance in the state of Ohio. The day I put on that FitBit is the day I decided I was done with all that.

Within the first three years I went from an average of 4,000 steps to 10,000 steps a day and I lost 55 pounds.

Walking Leads to Running

So for the first 3-4 years after strapping on a FitBit, I became addicted to walking. I wanted to take a walk like a smoker craves the next cigarette. One mile lead to two miles. Two miles lead to three. I started walking for my lunch break and I was signing up to walk 5K races.

One day, about two years ago, I was out for a three mile walk and I was walking at a pretty decent pace. Suddenly I had this thought “I wonder if I can run”. I know that my knees would not appreciate the extra stress from the impact of running. However, I was just too damn curious. So I just started running. I started out alternating between running a block and walking a block and just gradually built from there.

Within two years I was running two 5K races and one 10K race. It just takes some perseverance, perhaps a little insanity, and having an addictive personality helps too. You just have to keep working at it and give your body a chance to adapt. Eventually your legs and your lungs will learn how to work together.

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Biggs Zone – 2018 Year In Review

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On January 1, 2019

In General Cogitation, Year in Review

It is now 18 years after the dreaded Y2K scare. I wonder if there is anyone still hiding in their bunkers. While the Y2K date issue was a valid bug in most software, it would never have caused the catastrophe the fear-mongers were predicting. Be that as it may, 2018 is over and another year is in the books. Most of us are still here but its hard to tell if any of us still like each other. Lots of people still have a hard time seeing past party boundaries and misguided political correctness. I’m going to cover a lot of the usual retrospective topics, I might throw in a couple of new items. So with that said, time for the 2018 Year in Review.

Notable Celebrity Deaths

I know this is rather macabre but I like to take this opportunity to talk about the celebrities we lost this year. I have two reasons for doing this. The important reason being to honor their memory. These people brought joy and entertainment to our lives, we owe them some homage. The other reason is merely for acknowledgement. There have been times in the past when I did not know a celebrity has passed away (e.g. when Leslie Nielsen died).

I’m only going to mention those in the entertainment industry. While I believe any person in political office definitely deserves recognition, I avoid making any political statements or allude to political leaning. Therefore I avoid mentioning specific names so as to not show favoritism toward any one political party. I will say that I appreciate their valuable service to our country and that I hope their actions were driven by their heart and values and not by kickbacks or constituent persuasion.

Celebrity Deaths: TV

John Mahoney as Martin Crane

Jerry Van Dyke (86) is widely known for his role as Luther in Coach. He was also the younger brother of legendary actor Dick Van Dyke. I didn’t watch a lot of Coach but Luther was hilarious, much like Jerry himself. Going from brother’s to father’s, I was really sad to learn about the passing of John Mahoney (77). My all time favorite show is Frasier and John Mahoney was Martin Crane, the crotchety father of Niles and Frasier. One of the most surprising facts about John Mahoney that blew my mind, he was born in the UK, he should have had an accent very similar to Daphne Moon in Frasier. Speaking of great shows from the past, Night Court was a fantastic show from the mid-80s with the honorable Harry Stone portrayed by Harry Anderson (65) who left us too soon from a stroke.

Celebrity Deaths: Movies

I know several of the TV actors that passed away were also in movies, but they are better known for their TV roles. So, with that said, we start notable movie deaths with R. Lee Ermey (74). Everyone probably knows him best as Gny. Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, I think a drill sergeant is a role he was most comfortable playing as it seemed its a role he

Mini-Me

was always playing. We had to give a heartfelt good-bye to “the Bandit“, Burt Reynolds (82) was definitely one of the “good ol’ boys” and watching old Celebrity Jeopardy videos will never be the same. Speaking of iconic roles, Verne Troyer (49) will always be known for his role as “Mini-Me” in the Austin Powers franchise. He brought a lot of joy to the role however, despite all that Verne Troyer drank himself to death. Please watch your friends for early warning signs of depression. There were far too many celebrity suicides this year and I’m sure it represents a mere sample size of the number of deaths by suicide in the country.

And Then There’s Stan Lee

I’ve already said a lot about Stan Lee. Losing him is a mighty blow to Marvel and comic book fans. X-Men is the only comic book I ever read as a kid and I’ve enjoyed all of the comics brought to the screen. Stan Lee inspired all geeks to be ourselves and fight for your dreams. He would have been 96 this past December; while nearly a century old, his legacy will live on for many centuries to come.  

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Need Help Resolving My Flying Pig 5K Conundrum

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On March 2, 2017

In Fitness

Flying Pig 5K ConundrumWhen I was reviewing my 2017 goals for the year I was vehemently expressing my intention to run my first 5K. I am focusing on the Flying Pig 5K, which is coming up the first weekend in May. A few weeks ago, after running on the treadmill, I started experiencing sharp pains in my knee that lasted a little over a week. My wife and I both became concerned as to whether or not my knees will be able to sustain running the 3.1 miles. The most logical next step was to consult with my doctor.

There are a lot of runners that support the theory that running actually helps their knees feel better. The mechanics of running seems to support the notion that its harder on your knees. My doctor, however, had an interesting suggestion. While she didn’t want to discourage me from running, she suggested that I don’t run on the treadmill. Apparently the physiology of our bodies and the slight contortion necessary to run on the treadmill can cause irregular motion of the patella. Since my patella is already prone to slipping, that is not a situation I want to risk. Running outside, however, is fine (as long as I’m wearing a brace).

How Can I Train If I Can’t Run Everyday?

So the conundrum I face is how can I train on days where the weather isn’t conducive for running outdoors? There is an app I started using last summer, C25K, which takes you through a 9 week regimen to prepare you to run the full 3.1 miles. It’s a great app that prepares you for running a 5K but it assumes you will be running at least 3 days a week. The treadmill made it easy because I didn’t have to worry the weather or finding the space to run the required distance for each session.

The Flying Pig 5K is now a little over 9 weeks away. I don’t know if I am going to be sufficiently ready by May 6th. I may end up walking the 5K again and perhaps set my sights on running it next year. This will give me a year to find a training regimen that won’t cause severe knee pain. The concept of waiting another year really bums me out because I was so pumped to actually do it this year. I am open to suggestions and feedback. Part of me is thinking that I will run outside when I can, use the treadmill for speed walking, and do exercises that will strengthen the muscles around my knees.

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

The Era of the Wearable has Plateaued

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On December 13, 2016

In Biggs On, Technology

Wearable has PlateauedThis coming January will mark four years since I started using FitBit’s fitness devices. During that time we have seen the rise (and fall, in some cases) of other wearable tech devices; Apple Watch, Pebble, Microsoft Band (**snicker**), Garmin. While FitBit wasn’t the first company to create a wearable they certainly figured out how to be a catalyst. A couple of weeks ago one of my co-workers told me FitBit wasn’t doing as well. Today I noticed their stock has been steadily declining. Perhaps the era of the wearable has plateaued.

It isn’t a surprise that the wearable tech fad is starting to wane. FitBit did a brilliant job marketing the device and by creating such a successful brand, Apple joined the market. Unfortunately when a corporation like Apple joins the party, they take it to another level. A level FitBit didn’t seem prepared for. The Apple Watch took a fitness device and made it much more functional, however even Apple saw mediocre adoption. Everyone either had a FitBit or a Garmin, or people didn’t want to pay the premium price for a watch. The slow adoption in-and-of-itself is unfortunate because I’ve talked about how much I enjoy my Apple Watch (while still using a FitBit).

What’s Next for Wearable Tech?

I know plenty of people who still use their FitBit but half the people on my friends list have been inactive for quite a while. FitBit’s recent acquisition of Pebble leads me to believe that they are not out of the game yet. My hunch is they will use the Pebble software and design a new FitBit to compete with Garmin and the Apple Watch. In fact I foresee all of the fitness tech companies researching the next modernization in wearable tech. It seems the wearable has plateaued just as your weight-loss can plateau. If you want to keep losing weight you have to make a change (more reps, reduce calories, etc). We have barely tapped the surface of biometrics and biotechnology, so there has to be something new that can be implemented into a wearable.

I hope FitBit pulls out of its downward spiral. I love my Apple Watch and all but I don’t want to lose all that fitness data I’ve accumulated over the past 4 years. These devices can already measure your activity level, your steps, your elevation, your heart rate, our sleep, etc so I imagine finding the next metric is going to be challenging. An article I spotted on CNET leads me to believe that wearable technology still has a future and where it goes next is going to be interesting.

/cheers

apple_logo-263x300The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do
– Steve Jobs

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