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To ring in the new year, Small Dog Electronics is offering FREE ground shipping to the contiguous 48 States on every order over $200— every day, all the time!
As always, Small Dog does not charge sales tax on any orders that ship out of Vermont! Plus, we ship 99% of orders on the same business day as the order is placed.
It’s part of our commitment to keep your business by providing excellent value and award-winning customer service!
_Dear Friends,_
Happy 2009! When I was a child, 2000 seemed so far away that I was sure that the world would have completely changed. In 2009, we can look back to just the changes in one short year and be amazed at how time flies! Of course, the biggest change is perhaps the election here in the USA–a paradigm change is in store for 2009 as the newly elected officials try their hand at addressing the country’s challenges and opportunities.
I am heading west for two shows that always highlight this rapid pace of change. Nothing changes quite as fast as technology and with Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show, I should get good exposure to this year’s developments. I am looking forward to 2009 with a lot of hope and enthusiasm even as we endure difficult times.
Happy New Year to all the readers of Kibbles & Bytes!
To kick off our new series about using your iPod, Mac and other technology to maintain health and fitness, we’re offering an “8GB iPod nano (3G) with the Nike+ kit, Belkin armband, and Marware sport pouch (to use the Nike+ with any pair of sneakers) for only $169.99”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag18710/.
Already have an iPod nano or iPod touch 2G? You can order the Nike+ kit and pouch for only $34.99 “by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag18709/ Good luck and have fun getting shape and keeping your New Year’s fitness resolutions!
APPLE Apple stock will recover with the economy and hit $175/share by July. Apple will continue to post record revenues and earnings despite…
WORLD The US will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq with less than 50,000 troops left by Christmas 2009. Troop build-up will continue until…
WEATHER Another good start to the winter, but temperatures will be unusually warm with little snow until mid-February with at least three dumps…
__The following is the first in a new occasional series about using your Mac and other technology to maintain your health and fitness.__
Recognize the title of this article? It’s from the opening sequence to the old “Six Million Dollar Man”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39co0zKbQAQ TV show. Lately, I feel like a bionic man as I use technology–an iPod, my Mac, the Internet–to get back into shape. I used to be a dedicated runner (though not nearly to the level of “Adam Engst”:http://db.tidbits.com/author/Adam%20C.%20Engst), but stopped running for a number of reasons. Recently, however, I rediscovered my affection for the sport when I went on a random run a couple of weeks ago.
Also, as I get older, it’s getting more important to strive to stay in shape. Turns out sitting at a computer all day–even a Mac–does not magically confer fitness.
A couple of years ago I ran the “KeyBank Vermont City Marathon”:http://www.runvermont.org/ in Burlington with a friend and profoundly enjoyed it. I didn’t train much for that event, but I made it to the finish line in fine shape. For 2009, I’ve decided to again run the marathon–this time, with proper training.
I’m using the “Nike+”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72840 system to keep myself motivated and to track my progress. “Nike+”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/72840 is composed of a small radio transmitter (about the size of a pinto bean) that attaches to you’re running shoe (or can be used in the built-in pocket of Nike+ running shoes). It communicates with a small radio receiver that plugs into the bottom of any iPod nano. The receiver is built into the 2nd generation iPod touch, but still requires the transmitter on the shoe.
Since I almost always run with my iPod, this system is easy for me to adapt into my running routine. Indeed, I find music sounds and feels best while running through an interesting landscape.
As you run, the iPod vocalizes your time, distance, pace, and calories burned through your headphones. It also gives feedback at the halfway point and in the final lead-up to your goal, which you can set up before your run. You can also see the details of your workout on the iPod’s screen. You can also program a PowerSong to play when you need instant motivation.
When your run is finished, connect the iPod nano or iPod touch to a Mac or PC, and the workout data automatically syncs to “Nikeplus.com”:http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/ (though iTunes). Login at “Nikeplus.com”:http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/ to view and analyze your time, distance, overall milage, and approximate calories burned by run, by week, or by month. You can also view Google Maps with an overlay of your routes, view popular running routes in your region, and create new routes for future reference. It’s not a GPS, but still useful and fun.
Via Nike+, you can share your stats, routes, and goals, or simply keep your information private. I’ll share my info in February, when marathon training really begins.
There are a couple of weaknesses with the system. First, while the Nike+ website looks great, it’s also a rather slow-loading Flash blob. Second, on the Nike+ website, the window for creating your running maps is too small. Finally, some have complained that the Nike+ is not 100% accurate in tracking milage. For my fitness/fun needs, the information provided will be very useful.
Also, I wish there was a Nike+ empowered iPod shuffle. I actually prefer to run with the shuffle, because it’s so small and has the built-in clip.
One extra gadget I’m getting is the Amp+. It’s a wristwatch-based remote control for iPods equipped with Nike+. With the remote on your wrist, you can browse through your song library, choose new tracks to listen to, and view your running times. Pretty cool. If it works well, I expect to use it to control the iPod in other activities such as snowboarding (though I generally don’t listen to music while actually riding). As far as I can see, this watch is only available via the Nike website.
Like they said in the 6 Million Dollar Man, I hope to use these tools to get better than I was. “Better. Stronger. Faster.”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6TEEBVeYU Cue the wah wah music.