Entries by Kevin

I picked up a book at Fry's Electronics. It's called "Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design". The author is Chris Lefteri. Very interesting book, lots of good photos and descriptions of techniques.

I'll be doing some more updates to kevinfox.wordpress.com  regarding a bike frame I'm designing. Much is changing in the way bikes are made as well as in their structural appearance. It's a good distraction from my word-oriented work, and a good way to think differently.

I was looking through www.nextag.com  and found many examples of new designs, and prices up to $6,000 per bike. Summer's coming, and really looking forward to making my prototype.

Posted by Kevin

If you like history and associated news, then you'll probably like Dipity.
You can search - like "church" or "springfield" or "melbourne" for timelines of choice.
Enjoy.

Posted by Kevin

Following my involvement in Leadership Sunnyvale, class of 2009, I've been working with a classmate, Dan Hugo, to launch a local news media company.

We're doing podcasts to start. The website's taking shape, with updates done weekly. We'll also be doing a hyperlocal news website for Sunnyvale.

It's very early stage, but we're adding new shows by interviewing people and encouraging others to consider posting their podcasts on our site.

We're also moving towards context-driven advertising where the content of the podcasts support the ads and the advertising is relevant to the podcasts.

Have a listen and let us know what you think. We take concerns and compliments. As we progress, the shows will improve with skill and better technology, perhaps even the use of a real studio (not just an apartment).

The goal we have is to put news content up on the site, then do our show as a review of the content plus our opinions and questions, and then engage in conversation through listener comments and follow up interviews.

Posted by Kevin

I've removed the video due to the language and insinuations.

If you'd like to know more about our political candidate's backgrounds, please visit the following:

1. Obama's CV

2. Obama's Resume

3. McCain's Resume

4. McCain's CV

The video speaker asked where Obama's parents are, how come he doesn't mention his mother in the books he's written, and asserted that his qualifications for running for President of the United States could not be found. Perhaps we could offer grace and prayer rather than attacking, and perhaps we could peaceably vote our conscience while letting others do the same.

Posted by Kevin

It's been 14 days on the P90 program. I find myself pushing more this second time through, mostly because I know I will get stronger and because I know the routine.

It's good to keep the end results in mind because I find the first month difficult - I am tired, somewhat sore (not hurt, just sore), and I am very aware that I have another workout to do the next day. But I'm taking multivitamins, I'm stretching out, I'm thinking about food portions and I'm tuned in to what I need to do to keep at it and make progress.

With Halloween coming up, and all the opportunities to eat sugar, it's good to be on a workout plan. I see the candy at the store and think, "No. Not interested. It won't help me achieve my goals." 14 more days to go till my next update.

Posted by Kevin

It's back to the P90 program for me. I started up again on September 1. It's a commitment to drinking protein shakes (I could eat lots of chicken and tuna, but the shakes taste great in SlimFast) after the workout (Gold Standard 100% Whey) and before going to bed (ProM3 blend). It's also a commitment to drinking more water, and eating more veggies, salads, and keeping snacks down to walnuts (unsalted) and pieces of fruit. The rule of thumb: eat until I'm not hungry. I also take multivitamins. Breakfast is soy milk and Shredded Wheat.

I bought a Sportline watch that also give heart rate at the push of a button. This comes in handy during the cardio workout. I'm generally working out within the 70-80% range for my age. I'll give progress reports over the next three months.

Posted by Kevin

Just wondering what other people do to manage their home office space with regards to multiple projects. Do you create bins? Use drawers? Devote file cabinet space? Use bureaus/chest of drawers? If it's all binder material, that's easy. But projects that include oversize and different size materials that don't fit neatly into a file folder or binder - what do you do? I'm looking for creative ideas that work well.

The background on the question has to do with my home study / home office:

I've just moved my furniture (filing cabinets, bookcases, desks and computer) to make enough functional room to accomodate three desks in one 9'x12' bedroom. One desk is for working on paper crafting projects. The next is for my writing. The third is the business desk with the computer. I emptied the sliding door closet behind the business desk and put my bookcases (with books, binders, mail supplies) in the closet. I just turn around and have easy access to these items. But I'm still working on the project management aspect. For now I use file carry cases and plastic craft drawers, but I'm thinking there might be a better way.

Posted by Kevin

I worked the P90 program back in the Spring and want to give a follow up on weight loss and strength gain.

In total, I've lost 25lbs and kept the weight off. I'm much more flexible so fewer muscle strains and I'm stronger in that I can help friends move and have much more sustained energy for regular activities.

I'm going to return to the P90 program beginning in September for a September to November 90 days to increase my stamina through cardio and my strength / body shape through strength training. My focus will be on core body strength and developing back muscles and smaller muscles groups in my arms and legs. Hopefully it will improve my golf game!

Posted by Kevin

Posted by Kevin

I've been doing the Power 90 program fairly consistently for about 45 days. The program is supposed to be 6 days on, 1 day off, but I tend to go 5 days with 2 days off. I've found it very helpful to take a multivitamin and protein supplements.

I started with Muscle Milk, a protein mix. Now I combine Whey Protein with a can of Slim-Fast within a half hour after a workout. At night, I use Silk brand soy milk (unsweetened) with a protein mix called Freak Fix. During the day, I eat till I'm not hungry about 4 times a day. That means Shredded Wheat for breakfast with soy milk, a salad with additional veggies and low-fat Feta cheese for lunch, a snack of a small handful of nuts (walnuts or almonds), and cooked veggies and grilled chicken for supper.

I'm getting stronger, have a better heart rate while working out, and can complete more of the early stage workout routine. I've changed it up some by adding ankle weights and using 3lb hand weights during the cardio segment. For the sculpt segment, I use a combination of 15lb dumbells and 6lb hand weights. I also do the 100 crunches routine after each workout - both the cardio and the sculpt of disk 1 of the Power 90 program. I can also do the 15 reps for most of the exercises. When I started, I could do between 3 and 5 reps. I've come a long way. I use a heart rate monitor and take short breaks to keep movement healthy.

Posted by Kevin