they’ll let anyone online these days…
by Travis on Jan.31, 2010, under Rants, Tech Stuff
Disclaimer: I can’t claim credit for finding this one… Carson found this one probably in his never ending quest to find the end of the internet. 🙂
wow… i mean, really… wow.
I can admit, I’ve seen some stupidity before, but this one really takes the cake. I seriously have to ponder if this kid will survive to adulthood. Evidently this kid, who posts up videos on YouTube, goes by the screen name ‘NextGenHacker101’… Personally that name makes me laugh in and of itself but pushing past that, I actually watched the video (posted below). “NextGenHacker101” goes on to explain how he’s going to show you an ip viewer than lets you see people’s connection speeds and such connected to a specific website. He goes on to explain this whole “cool” utility, etc.. etc.. and then goes to demonstrate…
First off, glancing at his desktop I had to stifle *some* laughter since he was instructing from Windows XP but pressing forward nearly choked on my drink as he prompted you to launch the command prompt ‘cmd’. As the words left his mouth ‘Tracer-T’ I believe is where I completely lost all ability to maintain any composure. Seriously… if you’re going to “instruct” people on “cool tools” to view people’s connections, learn what the heck you’re talking about before making a complete idiot of yourself. *trace-rt* is short for “traceroute”… *rolls eyes*. I share this video so that you don’t actually need to go to YouTube and seek this confused individual out.
Could this tool be used in any shape or form for hacking? Sure. Could it be used the way this kid described it? Not at all.
For those of you that don’t know. The utility that this poor uninformed soul completely botched the explanation of is used to determine the route taken by packets across an IP network. It’s most often used for network troubleshooting and in no way could be used to show you who all is connected to a website or how fast their connection is.
(Workout) Week 3 Results
by Travis on Jan.31, 2010, under Fitness
So the end of week 3, beginning of week 4 results are in:
239.4 lbs @ 21.33% bodyfat
Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I hit my goal of 2lbs for the week and managed to drop the bodyfat down further. 🙂
Summary of results thus far:
START: 246.2 lbs @ 24.31% bodyfat
EOWK1: 245.4 lbs @ 23.46% bodyfat
EOWK2: 241.4 lbs @ 21.94% bodyfat
EOWK3: 239.4lbs @ 21.33% bodyfat
Total Weight Lost to date: 6.6 lbs
Total BodyFat Lost to date: 2.98%
So far for the year it’s looking pretty good. I upgraded my version of my tracking software at the beginning of the year so I don’t have last year end summaries anymore since I couldn’t retain that data with the software. 🙁 Just looking at pictures though it’s pretty crazy. Amanda and I were comparing pictures of me last February to pictures from today and it’s amazing. I can’t wait to see the difference when April 4th rolls around. 🙂
post new years observations from the gym…
by Travis on Jan.29, 2010, under Fitness, General
It never fails…
You finish off a holiday season and you come back to chaos! 😀
Actually it’s not that bad. It’s just been really busy since I got back to work. I had fully intended on writing this blog out a couple of weeks ago only to be delayed consistently with things going on. Anyway, on with the show…
I had mentioned prior to the new year posting up results and such on my latest rounds of working out with Andy. One of those ‘let the knowledge that others are watching drive you to complete the task at hand’ kind of things. Well, here I am. Granted we’ve been back on it for 3 weeks now but it’s never too late to start posting up the fun.
Before I get started on me, there are some funny observations to cover and some advice to hand out. Anyone who hits the gym on a regular basis will understand fully where I’m coming from here.
Do you ever notice how trying to hit the gym in January is like trying to go shopping on Black Friday? Not only is it completely impossible to work with your usual routine without constant interruption to your normal flow, but it’s usually interruption by the absolute worst perpetrator possible, the gym noob. Most of the time, these poor souls make desperate New Year resolutions to lose weight that only ends in their own disaster and embarassment. They seem to come into the gym and see everyone in there busting out workout routines that they have been doing for months and try to “fit in”. They only end up getting in the way or more often getting hurt. Seriously folks, you will experience first hand the EPIC FAIL that will end your resolution as quickly as you came up with it. You will not meet your goal, you will not lose weight and you will only get frustrated and continue to get larger if you rush into something for some stupid reason like a New Year’s resolution.
If you are truly concerned about your weight and would like to take steps to resolve those concerns, take some advice and do one of three things:
a) Get yourself a trainer, someone who can review your current fitness level and help you with a plan to meet your goals. This individual will be your gateway to a new, more fit lifestyle if you take to heart their advice and accept the structure they give you.
b) Get a workout buddy who has lots of experience and will help you start slow and ramp your way into a full blown routine. While this is not exactly using a trainer, if you have a friend who you feel can really help you, try it. If it doesn’t work, you can always choose another alternative.
c) Do some research. Don’t just show up at the gym expecting to dive right in and learn what to do by looking at what other people are doing. You will not figure it out the secret to weight loss and getting in shape. Go online, pick up a book, talk to people, etc… learn what it is you can do to meet your needs and create a routine that works for your fitness level and beyond.
Most importantly, please go see a doctor if you have any health concerns.
Regardless of the method you choose remember two things when you are at the gym with other people around you. It’s not about the size of the weight you’re using or how fast you can move on a cardio machine. DO NOT get caught up in what everyone else is doing and try to ‘fit in’. You will fail. If you are weight training, pick a weight that works for you. It’s all about form and motion, not about how much you can lift. If anyone gives you a bad time for using a lighter weight or moving a little slow, ignore them. More than likely they will be the one to fail due to poor attitude and lack of intelligence in the first place and so long as you stay focused you can exceed even your own expectations when you come out on the other side.
Ok, enough with the advice column and on to my workout progress thus far. 🙂
Prior to heading out on vacation I had come close to hitting my previous goal of 230 (from 264). A little bit of a bummer but hey, I still lost 25 lbs coming in at 239 and hitting a bodyfat percentage of 19.83%. I can’t complain. Of course, like the holidays do, they added back some of that weight. I did pretty good considering all the fun stuff I ate and tallied in at 246.2 just prior to starting this latest round of working out. The more sad thing was having the bodyfat land at 24.31%. Oh well. That’s why I started another round. 🙂
So far so good, the results are as follows:
Week 1 -> 246.2 lbs/24.31% BF
Week 2 -> 245.4 lbs/23.46% BF
Week 3 -> 241.4 lbs/21.94% BF
I’m interested to see how this week will turn out, hopefully pretty decent but we’ll see. With a huge jump in week two I may be looking at something more modest this week. 2lbs/week is the goal though so as long as I stick to it, I should see 220 by April4th. It’s been hard to get in all the cardio I want but the drive is at least still there. I’ll actually post up some pictures when I hit the end of this round since it will give a good view of a year worth of changes. If that’s not something to motivate me to get this goal I don’t know what is, lol.
What lies beyond? Probably not much… lol 220 would more than likely put me back in a pair of 34’s with the rate I’ve been changing out fat for muscle so going beyond that may be futile. We’ll see though as I start to creep closer to my goal. Either way, 25 lbs down, 21.4 lbs to go. 😀
I will be posting up the weekly results to keep myself in check. Even if they are bad. *shrug* it’s not like I’m on “The Biggest Loser” and have Jillian or Bob in my face about not hitting a good number in a week… I just want to post losses in the form of wins, no matter how big or small.
the avatar blues
by Travis on Jan.12, 2010, under Rants
So I was browsing around the internet and saw an article titled ‘ avatar blues ‘ on cnn. Since the Na’vi are blue it intrigued me to find out what this article could be about. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to read. Evidently, the weak minded are at it again in their complete failure to grasp reality and accept the life they have been given in this world. I personally blame parents for this.
An example to begin… there is a fan forum site “Avatar Forums” and one of the topics is “Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible” and it has received thousands of posts from people experiencing depression and other people trying to help them cope. Really!? Seriously!? This topic became so popular that admins had to create a second thread so people could continue to post.
Be prepared, I couldn’t make stuff up this rich to save my life (or end it, LOL):
“That’s all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more info about ‘Avatar.’ I guess that helps. It’s so hard I can’t force myself to think that it’s just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the Na’vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie” – Elequin
“Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’” – Mike
“When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning. It just seems so … meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.” – Eltu (Ivar Hill) (17)
“Once can say my depression was twofold: I was depressed because I really wanted to live in Pandora, which seemed like such a perfect place, but I was also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have done to Earth. I so much wanted to escape reality.” – Eltu (Ivar Hill) (17)
You have got to be kidding me… It’s like Emo Hippy Tree Huggers from Hell who have lost the will to live because of a movie have been unleashed on our world!? ROFLMAO! Quite honestly I think these people are a prime example of individuals who need to seek therapy. Actually, they don’t need therapy, they just need a good slap across the head and a dose of reality.
*THIS* is what our world is turning into. A bunch of whipped individuals who don’t have the will to live because their parents were too soft on them and didn’t prepare them for the world outside their little bubble. *THIS* is the result of philosophies of “Everyone is a winner”, lack of discipline in the home, lack of proper family structure and the readiness to throw medication at a child whenever they exhibit behavior that isn’t up to par.
To quote Chris, “Dear Diary, Current Mood: apathetic. My life sucks. Diary, sometimes you’re the only one that ever gets me.” ROFLMAO!
Seriously, if you want to be disgusted with the world you live in that is one thing. But instead of acting out, begging for attention and feeling that there is nothing you can do because that’s what you’ve been indoctrinated with in your life, take some time to realize that resolving these issues starts with *YOU*. Suck it up, drop the Emo “everything is soooo…. Gray” attitude and learn to start helping fix the issues at hand.
For the record: Discipline in the home does not mean beating your kids down, but it does mean actually doing something to keep your kids in line and teach them about actions, consequences and responsibility. Seriously, it’s OK to smack your kids on the rear end when they’ve earned it. Complete and total failure to give them solid structure turns them into this. If you don’t believe me, just wait a few years and you’ll see the results. Of course by then it’ll be too late and you might as well just start your own Emo blog. 🙂
