Binary Me...

Four months after deciding "enough is enough" and starting to attend our local gym.... I managed this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NffVPgzYA2k

I had set this as one of my goals for the end of the year, but hit my target 4 months early.

The problem with being a geek is I spend to much time sitting on my bum!

I recently decided I've had enough of feeling tired and lethargic all the time. A friend had been asking me to come to the gym with him, on and off for months, so I finally agreed to go... but, being a tech head, I had to find some way to incorporate technology.

I started searching the Android app store and soon found a number of usefull apps to try on my Samsung Gallaxy Note. I played with an app called Liftpro and another one called Jefit. Both apps seemed quite useful but didn't quite "grab me"... As I am just starting out, I wasn't looking for anything complicated (too many options). I just wanted something simple to get me started.

Then I tried VirtuaGym.

VirtuaGym is an easy to use app that allows you to track your exercises and progress. It provides animated examples of exercises and a timer so you know when to start|stop. And there are a number of pre-defined workouts to choose from to get you started.

But, as thay say in the commercial: "There is more".

I've been using the Linux operating system (OS) for many years (since 1994) and in that time I've installed and used many different distributions (versions) of the OS.

During the past couple of years, I've mainly settled on using Debian/GNU Linux, Ubuntu and/or Linux Mint, although I will frequently download and try other versions just for fun. I also like Bodhi Linux for quick/easy "Internet Cafe" type installs. I tend to stick with Debian based systems (package management) and have never been a big fan of RPM or other packaging systems. While I can understand why some people like the "do it yourself" approach (Gentoo, et al.), I just don't see the point (on modern hardware) and, frankly, don't have the time or energy to do it from scratch every time (I don't grow my own food for the same reason).

I recently decided it was time to start looking for a new headset. I've been spending more time on the phone and also wanted to be able to listen to some music, in stereo. I had misplaced my previous Bluetooth (mono) headset some time ago and was not happy with the cheap wired headphones I'd been using for listening to music.

After a bit of online research, I decided to try the Plantronics Backbeat 903+ Stereo Bluetooth Headset.

I've now been using the new headset for a couple of days and have to say I am quite happy with them, but...

I did have a few issues at first (after pairing them with my HTC Sensation - that bit was easy!), because the connection kept dropping out every few seconds. I had charged the battery for at least 3 or 4 hours before using them so I was confident this wasn't the cause. After using them for a while, I went online to do some more research and discovered I wasn't alone in my experience. One of the pages I read suggested to do a reset (Turn off. Hold power button in and plug in the charger), so I gave it a shot. This helped a little but the problem persisted.