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Runner's Web and Triathlete's Web, a Running, Track and Field and Triathlon Resource Portal
What a cool article on the differences between swimming and running!
I definitely have the "terminal mediocrity" down!
"Keller and other elite freestylers can easily swim 25-yards in 7 or 8 strokes (counting each hand entry as one stroke), while novice swimmers typically average 20 to 25 strokes for the same distance.
And that threefold difference in stroke efficiency is only half the story."
If you are trying to make the transition to swimming, definitely READ IT!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
Documents for the Study of American History: US History: AMDOCS: 1400 - 2004 Primary Sources
Documents for the Study of American History: US History: AMDOCS: 1400 - 2004 Primary Sources
One of the coolest history sites I have "stumbled upon." It has hundreds of original source writings going back to about 1400!!!
One of the coolest history sites I have "stumbled upon." It has hundreds of original source writings going back to about 1400!!!
Friday, July 15, 2005
Meditate on this, it can extend your life
That meditation (and I would add yoga) lowers blood pressure really shuold be no surprise. I am continually amazed at how much more relaxed I feel after yoga (and conversely how tight I feel if I miss a few days.
Meditate on this, it can extend your life
"New research published in the American Journal of Cardiology indicates that meditation may not only reduce stress, but may also help adults with high blood pressure to live longer."
Now I am not as convinced of the degree that this works, but the study reports:
"Overall, men and women who practiced transcendental meditation not only had lower blood pressures than those in the other groups, but were also 23 percent less likely to die from any cause, Schneider and his team report. In particular, they were 30 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 49 percent less likely to die from cancer."
wow. Those are big numbers!
Meditate on this, it can extend your life
"New research published in the American Journal of Cardiology indicates that meditation may not only reduce stress, but may also help adults with high blood pressure to live longer."
Now I am not as convinced of the degree that this works, but the study reports:
"Overall, men and women who practiced transcendental meditation not only had lower blood pressures than those in the other groups, but were also 23 percent less likely to die from any cause, Schneider and his team report. In particular, they were 30 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 49 percent less likely to die from cancer."
wow. Those are big numbers!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The World is Flat
I do not know where to put this, so I will put it here on my RandomTopics2 blog, but link to it from FinanceProfessor.com's blog as well.
As promised back in May, I finally got around to ristening to the World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. Of course there are things I do not agree with (especially the gloom and doom political side in the second half of the book), but I would urge EVERYONE to read/risten to it. So far it is very good and it will definitely get you thinking.
The super short version of the book is that the because of various factors (technology, internet bubble, collapse of communism, etc), the competitive advantages of certain countries and firms are evaporating. (to put another way, the barriers to entry are collapsing)
While virtually nothing as of yet has shocked me, it is a book that will make you think. (In fact, it is so thought provoking that I have been using the NPR technique of mixing in music occasionally to allow my time to think while driving).
One of the really thought-provoking parts is about Open Source programming. Will it speed up or slow down progress? And to take it a step further, will it stop with programming? Or be everything? On one hand it could be the beginning of the end of big corporations, but on the other hand does it work? One answer is from Jim Herbsleb a Carnegie Mellon Professor who reports that open sourcing is not without its problems--namely it takes longer and may not be for the masses.
Open-source development models fall flat - Computerworld:
That said, as a mental exercise, let's allow it to work. Then what? Of course, many have asked what will it mean to software companies. But what about other companies? Will the future allow open-source drug development?
But even in the absence of open-sourcing, few can argue that competitive advantages are being eroded and this will have major changes on the economic landscape for generations to come.
For instance, let's examine blogging. In many ways blogs level the playing field. Indeed, FinanceProfessor.com's blog attempts to do just that. It tries to make academic papers accessible to more people. Which is good right? Well, not if you are an academic journal publisher. So suppose blogging catches on. What becomes of journals?
This begs the question how can firms (or journals) compete in this type of environment? In theory it will lead to faster changes and constantly looking for ways to offer what is not being offered. The question that is unanswered is how this will be done and who the winners and losers will be. (For instance, should journals go online and allow advertising to cover costs and to make money?)
See, isn't it thought provoking? Get the book!
BTW: Here is an article by Friedman himself from FreeRepublic and here is his own website for the book.
Here is a link that offers a differing view (that is, the world is not flat)
LinuxWorld:
As promised back in May, I finally got around to ristening to the World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. Of course there are things I do not agree with (especially the gloom and doom political side in the second half of the book), but I would urge EVERYONE to read/risten to it. So far it is very good and it will definitely get you thinking.
The super short version of the book is that the because of various factors (technology, internet bubble, collapse of communism, etc), the competitive advantages of certain countries and firms are evaporating. (to put another way, the barriers to entry are collapsing)
While virtually nothing as of yet has shocked me, it is a book that will make you think. (In fact, it is so thought provoking that I have been using the NPR technique of mixing in music occasionally to allow my time to think while driving).
One of the really thought-provoking parts is about Open Source programming. Will it speed up or slow down progress? And to take it a step further, will it stop with programming? Or be everything? On one hand it could be the beginning of the end of big corporations, but on the other hand does it work? One answer is from Jim Herbsleb a Carnegie Mellon Professor who reports that open sourcing is not without its problems--namely it takes longer and may not be for the masses.
Open-source development models fall flat - Computerworld:
"Because work is done by the users, they're more likely to get the functionality right, so a major class of errors is eliminated,' he noted, adding that developers of commercial software are rarely users of the software, and the functionality is determined by project managers.Moreover, some are questioning whether it even works now
'Project managers tend to understand purchasing designs -- why companies buy software -- so they'll build a project that plays into those hands,' Herbsleb explained. This means that commercial software can be created without fully meeting user requirements. Because free and open-source software developers are its users, they create the functions they specifically need.
But one of the drawbacks to the open-source software development model is that mainstream users often get left behind because the really technical people create the software design functionality for themselves, not for the average user."
That said, as a mental exercise, let's allow it to work. Then what? Of course, many have asked what will it mean to software companies. But what about other companies? Will the future allow open-source drug development?
But even in the absence of open-sourcing, few can argue that competitive advantages are being eroded and this will have major changes on the economic landscape for generations to come.
For instance, let's examine blogging. In many ways blogs level the playing field. Indeed, FinanceProfessor.com's blog attempts to do just that. It tries to make academic papers accessible to more people. Which is good right? Well, not if you are an academic journal publisher. So suppose blogging catches on. What becomes of journals?
This begs the question how can firms (or journals) compete in this type of environment? In theory it will lead to faster changes and constantly looking for ways to offer what is not being offered. The question that is unanswered is how this will be done and who the winners and losers will be. (For instance, should journals go online and allow advertising to cover costs and to make money?)
See, isn't it thought provoking? Get the book!
BTW: Here is an article by Friedman himself from FreeRepublic and here is his own website for the book.
Here is a link that offers a differing view (that is, the world is not flat)
LinuxWorld:
"Cultural differences among certain classes of businesspeople, technologists, academicians, and teen-agers have been rounded off, perhaps"The NewsTribune offers an interesting insight:
"what I fear will happen to Friedman'’s flat world. A clever, contemporary Clare Boothe Luce could easily turn the argument around. The flat world is a threat, and the only way to keep out threats is to close our borders and close our minds."Which would be a tragedy.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Study: Walking on Cobblestones Is Healthy - Yahoo! News
Yet another reason to run on grass and trails instead of inside (treadmills) or on tracks.
Study: Walking on Cobblestones Is Healthy - Yahoo! News: "The path to better health and lower blood pressure may be paved with cobblestones. When people over 60 walked on smooth, rounded cobblestones for just a half-hour a day over four months, they significantly lowered their blood pressure and improved their balance, a study showed. "
Now if I could just convince myself to ride moutain bikes more, or even outside more...lol...I like my trainer too much. :(
Study: Walking on Cobblestones Is Healthy - Yahoo! News: "The path to better health and lower blood pressure may be paved with cobblestones. When people over 60 walked on smooth, rounded cobblestones for just a half-hour a day over four months, they significantly lowered their blood pressure and improved their balance, a study showed. "
Now if I could just convince myself to ride moutain bikes more, or even outside more...lol...I like my trainer too much. :(
Sunday, July 10, 2005
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Fires wiped out' ancient mammals
If you have read Guns, Germs, and Steel this is a of special interest to you. In the book (CD), it is hypothesized that humans caused the mass extinctions in Australia, but through hunting and not firestarting. Now, there may be new evidence that suggests it was fire.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Fires wiped out' ancient mammals: "The evidence, published in Science magazine, comes from ancient eggshells.
These show birds changed their diets drastically when humans came on the scene, switching from grass to the type of plants that thrive on scrubland.
The study supports others that have blamed humans for mass extinctions across the world 10-50,000 years ago"
BTW don't miss Guns, Germs, and Steel on PBS. I am really excited about it and will defnitely be taping.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Fires wiped out' ancient mammals: "The evidence, published in Science magazine, comes from ancient eggshells.
These show birds changed their diets drastically when humans came on the scene, switching from grass to the type of plants that thrive on scrubland.
The study supports others that have blamed humans for mass extinctions across the world 10-50,000 years ago"
BTW don't miss Guns, Germs, and Steel on PBS. I am really excited about it and will defnitely be taping.
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