Online Storage

Have you ever bought a new laptop PC?  Or felt the need to access your files from another device - such as your phone?  Or a work computer?

Wouldn't you agree that its an absolute pain to have your files stored somewhere you can't access them?  Like on a broken PC?  Or a laptop that has been stolen from you?  (Imagine losing all those photos - forever!)

Of course there is an answer, and its been around for years.  You should be storing ALL your important documents in the CLOUD!

Thankfully this is easier than ever with a whole range of providers offering free services (such as google docs).  However there are a couple which I think are worthy of special mention:

SafeSync

I subscribe to SafeSync, and get 100gb of storage for approx £50 per year.  SafeSync offer great services such as ability to share documents with non-subscribers, retrievable backups, android / iphone access, search facility and the ability to play videos / music etc direct from source (ie without downloading).  SafeSync are - quite simply - the BEST storage providers on the web (and in fact cheaper than DropBox for paid services).

DropBox

Whilst I think SafeSync is the best option for storing (precious) documents online, the fact is that most people don't like to pay for stuff!  Which is why DropBox is my second recommendation.  The great thing about dropbox is not that you get 2gb of storage for free (you get this with google docs), but that you can then use referrals to increase this up to 18gb.

Both DropBox and SafeSync offer applications which can be downloaded to your pc, so you can still work offline (away from the internet) and have the peace of mind to know that all your files will be backed up in the cloud as soon as you reconnect.

Never lose a photo again!  Click to join up:

• SafeSync
• DropBox

Wordpress accepts Bitcoin

News just in - the worlds 22nd most accessed site in the world now accepts Bitcoin!  Why?  Because it allows access for bloggers from approx 60 countries that would not otherwise be able to use their services, due to the restrictive policies of Paypal and credit card companies.

Besides - Paypal is expensive!

As noted on the WordPress website, it is still not particularly easy to get hold of Bitcoins.  However one mechanism that you could use is Bitmit - basically 'ebay for Bitcoin'.  You can even sell cash for Bitcoins!  Alternatively, MtGox - the worlds biggest Bitcoin exchange - allows bank transfers from most major countries.  For business owners out there - they even have an app you can use to receive Bitcoins as payment..

Mind Mapping with MindMeister

Today I'm going to show you around my favourite mind mapping tool - MindMeister.

I first subscribed to MindMeister approx 2 years ago, when it was the first to deliver an Android mind-mapping capability.  They are still at the forefront of this industry, having just been selected by google as their preferred partner for delivering mind maps via Google Docs (sorry, google DRIVE!).

What should you look for in a mind mapping provider?

•  Wide range of mind map formats (.mind, .mm, .mmap, .xmind)
•  Web based functionality (so you can access your mind maps from any device)
•  Android / iPhone compatibility 
•  Ease of sign on (re-use your google account, openid or facebook login)
•  Market leader (you don't want your provider to go bust and lose all your maps)

MindMeister ticks all these boxes!  Which is why I have a paid subscription, however this is only really necessary if you want more than 10 maps.  Up to 10 mind maps is FREE!  (You get three with the basic package, and can earn 7 more on referrals).

Here is a screenshot of my homepage:

And here is a (very basic) mind map.  This is actually a lot bigger, I have collapsed it to fit on the screen:

Basically, mind maps are BRILLIANT for quickly getting to grips with a concept or idea, allows you to create links to other nodes (or other mind maps), you can share and collaborate on mind maps (in REAL time!  see below)..  You can post links / images / files etc on each node.   Mind maps are awesome.




So how do you get started with mind maps?  Simples.  Click here!

Interrobang?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! wtf‽

Watching a programme tonight (apparently it was called "QI") and they discussed a punctuation mark known as the interrobang.  This symbol combines ? and !, and is used in rhetorical questions.  How useful is that‽

The interrobang was first proposed by Martin K Speckter in 1962 in the magazine TYPEtalks.  It was subsequently included in the release of the Americana typeface in 1966, and there was even an interrobang key on some Remington typewriters by 1968.  During the 1970s it was possible to purchase interrobang keycaps and typefaces for certain Smith-Corona typewriters.

Ultimately.. the interrobang failed to become a standard punctuation mark.  However it is available in WingDings 2 (press the "]" key) as well as Calibri (the default Office 2007 font).  It is also a unicode character  - so you can get it in many applications by holding ALT and typing 8253.  The actual unicode encoding is U+203D however this can be converted by setting your windows calculator to scientific / programmer mode, setting the base to HEX and typing 203D - then switching back to DEC (gives 8253). In order for the character to display in html, you can use "& #8253;" (without the space).

There is even a dedicated website - would you believe it‽‽‽‽‽

Wimbleball 2012 - Results

Race completed!  Full results available here.  My time was about an hour quicker than expected - a total of 6hr 20mins.   That puts me 562nd out of the 1265 who actually finished in the allotted 8.5 hours.

For comparison purposes, here are some of the people I knew at the event:

	Name	Swim	Transition	Bike	Transition	Run	Overall	Rank
	Philip Graves	00:22:33	00:02:26	02:29:35	00:01:24	01:23:44	04:19:45	1
	Chris Thorne	00:38:33	00:07:43	03:23:08	00:01:57	02:02:56	06:14:19	484
	Allan Bowe	00:46:27	00:08:20	03:25:30	00:02:10	01:58:09	06:20:38	562
	Lisa Pritchard	00:38:00	00:07:34	03:48:06	00:04:27	02:07:40	06:45:48	806
	Matt Francis	00:55:01	00:08:18	03:53:29	00:03:22	02:15:34	07:15:46	1017
	Sally Hughes	00:40:24	00:11:44	04:44:50	00:05:28	02:47:30	08:29:59	1265

I don't know Philip or Sally but their first / last places put our results in context!

So how did it go?  Well - it wasn't the best start..  We were given an official 15 min delay anyway, due to site traffic access issues, compounded by the fact that - following the official start announcement (to move to the lake) - I realised that Emma still had my swim hat and goggles! So I had to run off and try to find her (which I did).  I was then left (with Matt and Lisa) running towards the lake, suddenly stuck behind all the 'second wave' green hats, as the commentator shouted for the red-hats to hurry up!  Once in the lake, treading water at the back, I didn't realise the start gun had gone off (I was using ear plugs).  However I quickly got the picture, and began my longest-ever unbroken swim.  Not much to say on this stage, but special mention to the green hat who - after whacking my feet several times - proceeded to pretty much 'swim over me'.  Its not like there was a lack of swimming space in Wimbleball lake!!  

Transition one was a big one, with an 800m jog to the changing area.  Then onto the bike stage.  This was a very hilly circular route of the lake, followed by - a repeat of the very hilly circular route!  This wasn't too bad actually, as I was using Emma's dads hybrid (as opposed to my mountain bike).  However I was constantly overtaken by those on racing bikes (except on the uphills).

Transition two went well and onto the run.  Owch!!  Very quickly discovered the effect that clip-on pedals have on your calves, and was slowed to an embarrassing walk on the (numerous) uphills.  Managing not to swear at (presumably well-meaning) members of the public encouraging me to 'run a little bit', I sped up after two laps, to a sprint finish and sub-2 hour half marathon.

Learning points:

• wear two swim hats in case someone knocks yours off (this happened to Matt)
• earplugs helped me with the swim (apart from missing the start!)
• have a WEAK energy drink concentration in your bike bottle (mine was way too strong and made me thirsty)
• take spare shoes when setting up transition!!  (After dropping off my running trainers, I spent Saturday walking around in the mud and rain in bare feet)
• a track pump is useful for race morning
• make sure your cycle gloves are the right way round (cold post-swim hands are not the best for getting into inside-out gloves)
• use a tri-wetsuit (makes a MASSIVE difference to your swim)
• take toilet roll on race morning!!  as the portaloos are heavily used!!
• have both a long & short sleeve top in your cycle bag, so you can choose dependent on weather.

Moaning Points:

My biggest beef with this event (which I guess applies to most races) is the appalling attitude of competitors with regard to discarding used energy gels / sweet wrappers etc.  I saw several cyclists, in their tight lycra and expensive bikes, throwing rubbish into the Exmoor countryside.  

My second grumble is the attitude of some visitors towards the event marshalls (who were volunteers from the local rotary club).  Wimbleball is fairly remote, with single track lanes, so traffic management is clearly a challenge with around 2000 visitors to the site.  Anyway, it was a shame that one particularly grumpy old man - angry at the delays - deliberately attempted to run over one of the marshalls, injuring his leg!!  Luckily there were lots of witnesses, details were taken, and police notified.

Summary

Given my lack of training, am very happy with the result.  Am putting it down to a combination of determination, and the nutritional supplements that Emma regularly plies me with.  However - am also aware that it was only half an Ironman.  So watch this space!!

Ironman 70.3 - Training For Wimbleball 2012

I don't recall what it was exactly that made me think it would be a good idea to enter the Wimbleball Half Ironman.  I think maybe the fact it was only 'half' an Ironman... Plus the day last year when I discovered I could run a half marathon (Swindon) with an absolutely steaming hangover..  I was also inspired by my cousin, Simon Holliday, who has already completed a FULL Ironman..  But I think what actually clinched it was looking through the results to see who came last (I didn't want to come last).

What I found was a plethora of absolute geriatrics (!) who seem to regularly complete Ironman distance triathlons, well within the cut off times.

So basically it came down to the fact that if an old woman could do it, I could do it!!

The decision was made, and a ticket purchased (owch - £220!).  I was sure that I would 'find time' to do a full blown, 16 week build up preparation endurance routine, simply by 'taking the long way home from work'.

Cut a long story short, the race is now this Sunday and I haven't done a long run in months!!  Thankfully its not just running.  For the uninitiated, an Ironman 70.3 consists of a:

 - 1.2 mile swim
 - 56 mile bike ride
 - 13.1 mile run

This year, my training has consisted of:

3 SWIMS ( > 400 metres)
All in the last month, 1 in a pool, 2 in lakes.  None were over 1200 metres.

2 BIKE RIDES ( > 15 miles)
48 miles on 27th May, 26 miles on 3rd June

1 RUN  ( > 5 miles)
22nd January - the Gloucester Marathon


I do have a base level of fitness (running / cycling the 4 mile journey to work) so am not overly worried.  Also, after a freezing dip in one particular lake I bought a tri-wetsuit (Foor Quantum), which made a massive difference in my last swim session.

So anyway - I think the point I am trying to make here is.. that you don't need to bust your gut and spend hours and hours training for an Ironman 70.3.

You just need:

 - a decent bike
 - a decent wetsuit
 - base level of fitness (regular cardio)
 - the will to succeed!!

Thats the theory anyway.  Guess we will find out on Sunday!   Watch this space...

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Ab Attack

Part of being a well-rounded human being is being in good shape right?  Healthy body = healthy mind?

Easy to acknowledge, less easy to find time for.  Thats why I'm always on the lookout for exercise routines that can fit in with a hectic lifestyle.

Before continuing, its important to note that a healthy alkaline diet and a cardio fitness base (swim / run / bike) are most important.  Following these, a few strategic strength based exercises can really extend your fitness.   Legs (squats) and arms (push / pullups) are common choices, however I personally prefer to focus on having a strong core. This has so many crossover benefits, from running / swimming to climbing / boxing.   The best bit is that - given that muscle burns fat - you are burning off that beer belly whilst simply sitting at your desk!

So whats the best way to improve your core?  You can breathe a sigh of relief, it most certainly is NOT doing situps!  The conventional situp is - well, pretty useless actually.  It only exercises about 2 of your core muscles, and will never give you a 6 (or 8!) pack.

There are plenty of options for working an ab session into your week, such as getting a personal trainer or joining a group session at the gym.  However, these a) cost money, and b) may not fit into your schedule.

Instead, my recommendation is the 8 min abs routine from passion4profession.

I'd start with Level 1 - this will give you an idea of your current fitness level.  You might want to stick at this level for a couple of weeks if you have not done abs workouts before.  Don't ever train more than 2 or 3 times per week - remember you only get stronger when you REST as that is when your muscles recover and rebuild themselves.

Level 2 picks things up a bit - again I'd spend a week or 2 (even 3 weeks) on this before moving up.  Make the most of Level 2.  You will yearn for Level 2 when you start to integrate Level 3 into your life.

Okay, this is where things start to get serious.  Level 3 is a significant step up from Level 2.  You might need to remove your shoes (and socks!) before attempting this level.  If you fail the first time - do not be disheartened!  I think it took me about 4 or 5 attempts before completing the whole thing.  If you do it in less attempts than this, I hold my hat off to you.  This video is NAILS!!  Which I guess is why it is so awesome.  Remember - once you have completed this - it is important to keep it up, believe me it does get easier.  After a while you can even try using ankle weights..

So anyway, hope you have enjoyed the blog, and hopefully you will at least try Level 1.  Do let me know how you get on!!

Brain Training - does it work?

Welcome to my blog!  This post is going to review my favourite Brain Training system - Lumosity.  Does it work?  I think so!

Lumosity provides brain training in 5 key areas - Speed, Memory, Attention, Flexibility and Problem Solving.  You can choose which areas to develop, and it should be fairly obvious after a few games where you have a weak spot!  For instance, see my Brain Profile below:

Emma was not surprised to see that Memory was significantly weaker in my profile (I am still impressed how she can always remember the location of wherever I put my shoes / keys / passport etc!).

This is interesting enough, however the page I always find myself viewing (not that I'm competitive or anything!) is the 'how you compare' feature:

As you can see, Lumosity will rank you against others in your age group.  This is based on your top 5 scores in each game for each category.

Whilst you will obviously improve with practice, it is actually recommended that you do NOT spend too long training your brain each day.  You will get much more benefit out of 10 separate half hour sessions than a single 5 hour session!

The scoring feature above is based on your 'daily session' which takes approx 10 mins or so to complete.  You are shown a graph for how you've improved:

The website will show you the science behind the training, and whilst some may be sceptical, I am pretty convinced that I now have a better brain for:

 - arithmetic

 - remembering names

 - peripheral vision

and other areas.   Besides, and - perhaps more importantly - its fun!