Archive for Software
May 29, 2008 at 10:29 pm · Filed under Software, Technical stuff
So, here is the tube map showing progress to date, you may have to zoom out to catch the extremes, depending on the size of your screen:
**UPDATE** I’ve removed the image as it seems to be slowing the blog down and crashing folks computers, you can still view The Full Screen Map over here.
If you don’t know about google maps, it’s a particularly useful little gadget. Click on the “my maps” tab and then either plot a map manually or import a data file from SportsTracks or whatever GPS mapping system you have on the computer. There are a number of examples in the previous few posts. You can colour the map as you see fit and then copy the link to an embedded image. Very swish.
I’ve been including these embedded google maps to illustrate each section of the London Underground route but have been struggling to display all the sections together on one interactive block.
There are a stack of hacks for google maps out there as well but the two I have found particularly useful are, GPS Visualizer and Map Channels.
GPS Visualizer is an incredibly in depth utility. If you are into maps, you want to check it out. It enables you to plot multiple gpx tracks onto one image and will colour them according to an amazing array of variables such as speed or altitude. You could plot atmospheric pollutants with coloured blobs suggesting density or of course simple tracks showing how slow you actually run. I’m sure I could plot my geographical tube map using GPS Visualizer but to be honest I can’t be bothered to stay up all night trying to fathom out how to do it.
Map Channels is very easy to use. It requires you to have set up all your routes as google maps already but thats not a problem for me. You can then create maps with multiple map channels visible. If you set the colour and style of the track in google maps this will be replicated in Map Channel image. Incredibly easy and yet it includes a great number of style control options.
I’ve only just started playing with this one but I’m impressed by how well it has enabled me to display multiple, differently coloured tracks.
Popularity: 16% [?]
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Tags: google maps, GPS, gps visulaizer, London Underground, map channels, maps, tube
December 25, 2007 at 10:26 pm · Filed under Apparel, Equipment, Event, Gadgets, Software
Today was the annual showing of the Christmas Bushy Park Time Trial and I’ve been looking forward to this particular event for about 340 days, since my first introduction to the wonder of the time trial phenomonen back in February. It would have been easy to stay in bed this morning, it was dark and gloomy and of course presents awaited. Still, you can’t really resist that level of anticipation.
As I cycled through Richmond Park in the light drizzle, I puzzled a little over the knowing looks I received from the exhausted reindeer. They obviously knew what was in store for me - that’ll teach me not to leave any carrots out on Christmas Eve. When I mentioned yesterday that a downpour was required to wrap up a thorough test of the Salomon pack, it really wasn’t meant as a Dear Santa letter. I could have waited.
The rain held off for most of the run and I was able to “enjoy” the 5k amongst good company. I was adopted at the midway point by a first-timer and her motivational cousin and was able to experience a vicarious boost that carried me over the finish line relatively unscathed.
I even remembered the new phone this morning so I got to try out the Sports Tracker Beta application. It required a little bit of juggling to switch on both the garmin and the N82 without dropping the phone into the path of a couple of hundred runners but then it is a bit overkill to use two different devices. Sports Tracker has been around for a while and I remember Jogblog took it for a whirl a while ago, but the new version is quite impressive. The phone application links flawlessly to the website offering a live update of your progress, with your route appearing online as you run. Pretty nifty stuff.
The website is particularly attractive and displays some respectable charts. You can view the page for the BPTT workout to get an idea of the detail available.
I can imagine this service being quite addictive and the stats will only get better as you add more workouts. I’m going to be using this again and have already downloaded the application to my N95, I’ll be interested to try it out on my next commute where I tend to have more trouble picking up a GPS signal. I’ll have the two phones going head to head against the garmin to see how reliable the reception is.
So, back to this morning, did I mention that it was raining? I finished up at the time trial and set off on the bike for 7 mile ride home. I was dreaming of roast potatoes and yorkshire puds when the sky starting lobbing buckets of gritty, grimey rain water at me. When I finally got home I was just staggered by the amount of water I’d managed to absorb and peeled the Salomon Raid Revo off directly over the bath expecting at least half a bucket of gulley water to come rushing out of the mini plug holes. As it happens the inside of the pack was still dry which is quite impressive given that no other part of me remained “dry” even my goretex jacket had failed under the onslaught.
Popularity: 50% [?]
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Tags: BPTT, commute, Garmin, GPS, n82, n95, nokia, OGB, salomon_raid_revo, sports_tracker
May 19, 2007 at 3:17 pm · Filed under Running, Software
I’ve been playing around with google earth trying to get some snazzy topographic viewpoints but even after I’ve discovered the button to exagerate the vertical displacement even my hilliest of routes look flat.
Here is an example of my assorted Broadmoor routes, where my max ascent must top a whopping 35 metres!
I then stumbled across a blog that explained my problem - my routes actually are as flat as a pancake. Check out the elevation profile for the run Krissy is currently contending with - is that crazy or what??? How can you run up a 3000m ascent and then continue going for 50 miles? Nuts!
Talking of nuts, has anyone caught the new advert for snickers, with B.A. Baracas? Coooool.
Popularity: 23% [?]
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Tags: Broadmoor
January 30, 2007 at 10:48 am · Filed under Equipment, Software
Its great to read blogs from folks on the other side of the world, but have you ever wondered where exactly, the other side of the world is?
This is a fun google maps gadget that allows you to dig right the way through to the other side. I end up in the ocean, slap bang in the middle of a rift valley just to the SE of New Zealand.
**UPDATE** The above site seems to be down at the moment, sorry for the disappointment that this may cause. It’s back online again!
Popularity: 17% [?]
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January 30, 2007 at 12:43 am · Filed under Diet, Equipment, Software
I’m building up for another assault on my weight.
Over the last 15 months I lost 20lbs! Unfortunately no whooping and a hollering is deserved as the net position sees this 20lbs declining to a mere 7lbs loss. I went through 3 clear weightloss phases and as the chart shows, I don’t have too much of a problem in losing weight but a big problem when it comes to maintaining a constant weight.
(Note that all the graphs can be enlarged by clicking on them)
Fortunately, I have discovered some new tricks for my arsenal. The first is The Hackers Diet, which is a free ebook/webpage designed by John Walker of Autodesk/AutoCAD fame. He reverts back to his engineering roots to develop a nerdy yet satisfying approach to weightloss and weight maintenance. Particulalry appealing is his approach to trend monitoring, to avoid the boom and bust nature that most dieters will be familiar with.
This annotated chart makes me giggle and reminds me why the daily scale ritual tends to leave me so apprehensive. With the hackers diet you continue to monitor your weight daily but you enter the figures into an excel spreadsheet that plots the trend based on an exponential moving average to smooth the noise. Moving averages are explained very well in his section on Signal and Noise. If you haven’t already noticed, I ought to point out that this diet is only going to appeal the real data fiends out there, its not called the hackers diet for nothing. After application of the smoothing, the above chart now looks like this:
The point of this is that the red smoothed line, illustrates the very satisfactory weightloss situation, suggesting that the diet and required monitoring could proceed without need for prozac. I’m convinced that I keep stopping perfectly successful diets because of the misery I feel when the scales tell me the wrong number, regardless of how transient that may prove to be.
Each individual data point (daily weight) will either appear above or below the trend line, below is obviously great as it means that it is having the effect of pulling the trend even lower. The odd appearance above the trend isn’t too worrying either as individually their impact on the trend is insignificant. You can get even more deeply into the system and determine your bodys energy balance, going as far as planning your required intake etc. I’m not going to look at this just yet. It suits me to develop the system for monitoring purposes, possibly using it alongside the BodyForLife program that I’ve had success with previously.
All the excel spreadsheets designed for Hackers Diet are available free on the site mentioned above - they really are worth delving into if like me you go crazy for complex excel constructions and his manual is extensive, explaining the process far better than I have.
My second great discovery is the PhysicsDiet, which is an online fitness log/charting site developed to support the Hackers Diet. So many geeks have been successful with the hackers diet that complementary programs are popping up all over the place. The physics diet uses the same maths as the hackers diet spreadsheets but visually it is far more exciting. I’m going to maintain both the spreadsheet and online version for a while but I think I will use charts like these to post my progress:
This shows the January results and so long as I can keep the chart green, I’m smiling.
Popularity: 35% [?]
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Tags: Diet
January 17, 2007 at 9:23 pm · Filed under Equipment, Running, Software
I’m still intent on running home once a week, so today I repeated the exact same running route as last week. I again finished the 10k distance in 1hr 20mins, and was strangely within 15 seconds of my previous time.
Given that it was direct replay of last weeks route, there isn’t much point me repeating the sporttracks image. Instead I’ve used it as an excuse to introduce my new discovery - everytrail.com. I first came across this on The Trail Runners blog which is certainly worth a read.
Everytrail allows you to upload your running tracks directly from your GPS unit, add waymarks and photos and provides a really simple way to share the route as an iframe on your blog. Non of this is all that new really but I’m particularly happy that I can also directly upload the gpx file. This means I can plot out a route on memory map and upload it without actually having to cover the course with my garmin. I used this feature when I needed to plot my friends planned commute. I was able to stick it on the web for him to peruse at work and determine whether it was a manageable distance.
If you use another mapping package that saves the routes in an alternative format (eg tracklogs), you might want to try out GPSBabel which is a free tool for converting routes into the gpx format.
Popularity: 31% [?]
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Tags: commute, everytrail, Garmin, GPS, motionbased, Sporttracks
January 13, 2007 at 8:13 pm · Filed under Equipment, Running, Software
As I mentioned earlier, my Saturday has been pretty much ruined due to a wasted day waiting for a delivery from M&S. The delivery was to be expected anytime between 7.30 am and 6 pm. Its gone 8 now and I’m still sitting here, pee’d off, no parcel and no run. I’ve given up now and turned to the bottle, or at least a couple of cans of stella.
I’ve spent most of the day messing around with my iTunes library. I’ve been frustrated by the bpm column that remains empty against all my songs. This info could be super useful. As I determined earlier, my running pace is about 158 strides per minute when it ought to be 180 for maximum efficiency. Surely if I create my playlists around the target beat, I might be able to train my little ole legs to pump a bit faster.
So I’ve been researching bpm determining software. There are a number that require you to tap the beat out on your mouse or trackpad (absolutely useless for rhythmless me) and others that work it out automatically. Its not foolproof though, apparently it is common for the automatic system to either dbl or halve the true bpm, which might explain why my Norah Jones collection appears to the most upbeat music in my library.
I’m trialling beaTunes which is a standalone program that integrates well with iTunes. It populates my library with the bpm info that I’m after but also categorises my music in other ways too. It asigns a colour to each track which looks fairly pretty and again is designed to make intelligent playlist choices that reduce the opportunity for inappropriate or clashing tunes. I like the idea but I haven’t had a chance to try this out as its taking about 20 hrs to analyse my library. The program itself is shareware - I get it free for 8 days, not ideal I suppose but at least I get to update my entire library before the free period runs out.
Popularity: 18% [?]
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Tags: Stella
January 1, 2007 at 3:01 pm · Filed under Equipment, Gadgets, Running, Software
pure
Originally uploaded by warriorwomen.
Running is normally considered the minimalist sport, much favoured by purists who just like to pop on a pair of shoes and head out of the door to freedom. I somehow manage to thwart this image and see a necessity in spending the best part of a months salary on “essential” running clobber.
This snap shows a representative sample of the gear I require to push one foot in front of the other. Its amazing I can even move under the weight of all this gear.
Dr Nick asked me, a few entries back, whether the GPS actually improved my running performance or whether it was just the gadget factor. Thats quite a toughy really. It has undoubtedly improved my running but only really by providing me with the incentive to get out there and run.
I suppose the actual question he wanted answering was “will it improve my running?”. This again is a tough question. I tend to think if it was going to work for you, you’d have one by now.
I enjoy the post run analysis more than the actual running. If I forgot the garmin - I just wouldn’t bother running, it has become the most important feature to me. I run to feed its little data banks. If you were just such a data fiend I reckon you wouldn’t have any difficulty rationalising the expense.
Here’s my list of “essential” running gadgets and utilities from 2006:
- Garmin Forerunner 305 - see above for my sad addicts confession. Here for a review and comparison with other speed and distance monitors. Plenty of other bloggers have seen the light as well and adorn their sites with the maps and stats acquired en-route: Steve’s Running, Trail Runner, Celeste and Getting Buff
- SportTracks - Training log software. I’m tempted to put this in at number 1 as it is the reason that the garmin forerunner is such a dream gadget. Without SportTracks the gps system would be seriously emasculated. SportTracks is available for free download and I can’t recommend it strongly enough for anyone with a gps unit. It is by and far the best sports diary I have come across. Whats more it continues to be a work in progress, with the developer working closely with the users to make it increasingly brilliant. Most of the stats I dsplay in this blog are cut directly out of SportTracks.
- Runners World Marathon schedules - I’m not up for the marathon yet but these have been made available as downloadable schedules for the garmin forerunner. You can select the schedule based on standard predicted finish times or alter each for your specific target. I’ve been playing around with these schedules as part of the testing phase and have found them to be excellent. Even without completing the full program I now have a load of training routines to add variety to my runs.
- iPod Nano - I don’t run with this all the time, sometimes its a joy to hear the birds and the rowers. The good thing about running with music though is that it adds an element of bouncing fun and it stops me hearing my gasping breath. It also stops me from hearing the fattist abuse hurled from white vans. I haven’t been tempted by the Nike+ phenomonen, mainly because I have the forerunner, but you can see some interesting Nike+ paraphenalia at Booyaa.
- The Filter. One of the reasons I don’t use the iPod too much while running is that I struggle to develop suitably stirring playlists. I just can’t be arsed to dedicate that much time to iTunes. My latest discovery is another free download and seems to be working wonders for my playlist doldrums. I can highlight a few songs that typify the mood I’m after and then press a magic button on The filter console and watch it search through my library to propose a whole new playlist. Apparently it learns from its mistakes and takes into account both my preferences and those of the online community. It seems pretty good so far.
Popularity: 49% [?]
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Tags: Forerunner, Garmin, GPS, Nike, runnersworld, Sporttracks
August 5, 2006 at 12:42 pm · Filed under Equipment, Running, Software
It was a tough psychological run this morning. I took the new route around both the Chiswick and Hammersmith Bridges and I’ve displayed the MotionBased viewport below. It turns out to be an almost perfect 10k route, but its hard on the mind. I’m dreading starting my marathon training when I’ll have to face considerably longer runs each weekend.
Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 16% [?]
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Tags: Forerunner, Garmin, GPS, motionbased, thames
August 2, 2006 at 9:26 pm · Filed under Equipment, Running, Software
This is a small extension to the 6.6k route I mapped out a few days ago. It saves me retracing my steps as its a truly circular route. It was nice and cool this morning with quite a blustery breeze, I’m sure this helped to keep my heart rate under control and meant I was able to run the entire route. Oh well, not quite the entire route, as usual I walked up the steps to each bridge and you can see this reflected in the heart rate profile. Still a pretty good effort I think, and makes a stark contrast to the enforced interval training on the 26th. It looks like a heart rate of 160 bpm makes a manageable run for me.
You can check out more details on the MotionBased website again.
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Popularity: 15% [?]
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Tags: motionbased
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