I was must say I was pretty bummed at the thought of using my 4 year old nano just to exercise at the local track, knowing my 3 month old iPhone 3G would  be in my pocket. That’s tough for a techie like me. And, my wife wasn’t too happy with my displeasure either. So I did what any carefree gadget junky would do, I used this as an excuse to buy an iPhone 3GS.

So a 4 hour wait inline at the Lenox Apple store, turned wife shopping spree at the mall, produced the wholey grail of phones iPhones, the 3GS. I’m not going to review the new iPhone 3GS in this post, but I will say there’s huge difference from 3G to 3GS just in performance. I’m truly loving the purchase. I was also able to get the subsidized pricing by upgrading my teenager’s line, which in turn meant he was getting my old 3G (lucky kid).

After leaving the Lenox Apple store, taking a left in the mall will put you right in front of the Nike store. How convenient, I needed to grab a pair of Nike + compatible shoes. BTW, the Apple/Nike relationship is obvious as the Nike store was loaded with iMacs, very hip. So I grabbed a pair of Nike Air Pegasus+ thinking I was just about ready to hit the track.

The following day included a stop at my local Best Buy to find a wireless headphone solution. With the iPhone OS 3.0 even my now old 3G supported A2DP (bluetooth) wireless audio, and what better way to workout then to do it wirelessly, right? So I found the MOTOROKR S9 HD which also included a built-in microphone so it could answer calls too. Who wants to miss that important call while working out? A short 2 hour charge and simple pairing of the devices and the my ears were full of wireless HD goodness. Or, so I thought…

Day 1 on the track:

With my Nike + shoes on, my wireless headphones roaring and my iPhone 3GS  ready to hub my digital workout, I hit the track. I set up my workout on the Nike + software and hit start. Well, it wasn’t more than 100 feet and my headphones started dropping audio, which was surprising after they worked so well at home. After repositioning my iPhone (to my hand) I thought all was well. But then I noticed my Nike + was saying I was walking a 9 min mile pace, then a 30 min pace, something was wrong. I turned my attention to calibrating the Nike+ as I could deal with the occasional audio drops. This turned into my quest for the remainder of my walk, I spent at least 3 miles trying to get the Nike+ to register something close to what I was actually walking. At the end of my walk it dawned on me, that the Nike + is probably using some form of bluetooth technology and that could explain the problems with the MOTOROKR S9-HD (interference). So back to Best Buy went the MOTOs for a refund. They may work fine without the Nike + but I bought them specifically to use with it.

Day 2 on the track:

With my handy Apple earbuds in place, I set out for a fresh start to remedy my miserable first impression of the Nike +. I was certain my problems were with the MOTO. After walking my first half mile, I checked in with my Nike + only to be shocked, it said I had walked an entire mile. This can’t be. So I decided to once again attempt to calibrate the system. One half mile, no luck. Another half mile, with no luck. I was beginning to doubt myself thinking the new track I was walking on was mysteriously supersized. So I switched over to a great iPhone app called MotionX GPS Lite (iTunes Link). This app uses the GPS in the phone to do many things, including measuring the distance you are traveling. So after another half mile, I started thinking the plus in Nike + name is meant for mystery distance they add to your workout for you. Now I’m getting frustrated.

Day 3 on the track:

So I’m beginning to think I just needed to calibrate my Nike + in the workout mode. The system will let you calibrate your device after you have worked out. So I figured I would start with a full mile, maybe the longer distance would help. As I completed one mile, naturally my Nike + tells me it was 2.08 miles I scroll the calibration to the lowest amount it would allow, 1.37 miles. I’m not sure why they limit it, but apparently Apple/Nike must think their device can’t be that far off. Ha! So with a new calibration set, I set off for another mile in workout mode, certainly this will be closer to the actual distance, wrong. Once again the Nike + is completely nuts, even Lance Armstrong chimed in on my headphones and congratulated me on new “best mile” 9’05″. Anyone who knows me and my size knows I can’t run a 9 min mile, never mind the fact that I’m walking.

At this point I’m about to give up on the Nike + iPod. I have another sensor that I’m going to try next time. Maybe that will be the winner. As for now, I have spent 3 days trying to log over 9 miles of walking with nothing to show for it. Well I’m sure my waste line will show improvement but my Nikeplus.com account sits dormant waiting for me to log some real data. I did however link my Nikeplus.com account my Twitter and Facebook, so when/if I get this working, my social network isbound to know.

UPDATE: Day 4 –  I reached Nike + nirvana, seems my new sensor works great. I put up a nice 2 mile walk this morning. Now if only there were some compatible wireless headphones. Here’s my chart:

Ideas, solutions, questions? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks to @stammy for sharing this. I put it on the widescreen and the kids watched it over and over again. I forgot how much I loved the Muppets when I was young. I heard the Muppets are returning via a new Disney show called Studio DC: Almost Live.  Enjoy!

So long story short, after going through the hoopla of picture taking (by the store manager) and chatting with other staffers, we finally sat down to eat our $50 free dinner. Once the kids were settled and our talking gave way to chomping, from out of nowhere, a very pregnant woman bellies up to our table. The normal split second thoughts start flying; do we know-, wait no-, uh, yeah she’s a stranger, and just when calmness should have ensued the thought process takes a spiraling dive, what?-, Oh, oh, NO!-, as the Mommy-to-be assertively lifts her shirt, lowers her waistline and pushes her nakedly protruding abdomen atop our dinner. She hollers in a strong southern draw, ”Look what I did for free chicken.”

A train wreck, or a deer caught in the headlights, is how you might describe the immediate reactions at our table. We stared on in horror, our mouths full of chicken. Oh my god, I thought. I was speechless. Quickly Melissa stepped up, carrying the conversational torch through its awkward cycle. “Yeah I wrote on my belly,” said the pregnant lady, explaining the chicken-scratched ballpoint ink marks claiming she would “give birth for chicken.”

“Wow, that’s um,” Melissa said chokingly, “that’s nice?” as the Mother-Gone-Wild wannabe retreated to her table.  

“Holy $%*# did that really just happen?” someone from our party gasped quietly.

I mean, over our table, from out of nowhere, a woman raises her shirt, drops her waist and pushes herself well within our “personal” space. Wow, this is not something one could have imagined another person doing to anyone especially a stranger. It’s not as if we dislike pregnant woman. All of us are parents and have been there before, respectively. But shoving your hacked-up-art covered belly within inches of a stranger’s face, while a Chick-fil-A sandwich is tearing between their teeth, that’s simply wrong on so many levels. 

Anyway, the remainder of our dinner turned into quite the giggle-fest, more so after the lady left the restaurant, as we relived that shocking moment. Our horror, turned freak-show-survivor, mixed with utter disbelief, was just the fuel we needed. Our kids were fortunate enough to be sitting on their own and were somehow oblivious to the events.

While dressing up for free food, will leave a lasting, and wholesome “Chick-fil-A” inspired memory. The “attack” of the pregnant woman will haunt us even longer. For those who are dying to know, yes I did wear my cow outfit proudly. After all Chick-fil-A has long been admired in our family. We love it!

Apparently Cows and iPhones have alot in common. Cows come in black and white, and iPhones come in black or white. Cows moo, and apparently iPhones moo too (see Moo – iTunes). Leather is produced from cows, and some iPhone cases are made from leather. Today, July 11th, 2008, Apple launched the iPhone 3G to crowds of fans, while Chick-fil-a declared today Cow Appreciation day. They are inviting anyone who isn’t “too chicken” to visit a Chick-fil-a restaurant dressed like a cow, a free meal. Leave it to my family to participate. That’s the way to save some money!

So here’s my technology list for the family vacation at the beach:

• Nikon Digital SLR, extra battery, charger, case and lenses.
• Wife’s Casio Exilim EX-S10 point and shoot, w/charger
• 2 old point and shoot cameras – good for beach and kid’s usage
• Sony Digital DV camcorder, charger, DV tapes and bag (probably don’t need since point and shoots will do good enough)
• Bagful of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries with chargers
• iPhone wall chargers
• 2 MacBook Pros, with chargers
• Portable backup of home/business data (WD MyBook Studio) – just for safety not likely to use 
• Firewire cable (hard drive, or linking the MacBooks for fast data transfers)
• Spare D-Link Wireless router (condo has ethernet we can blast wifi to the pool from our balcony)
• Extra ethernet cable to config router
• Work’s external hard drive (I’m certain I will be working through vacation need to edit some videos)
• Video iPods and (can use iPhone charging cables)
• Video cable for iPods
• Re-encode 25+ kid’s movies from media server for iPod (thanks VisualHub)
• Charge & replace batteries for wireless headphones (we use the iPod as a mobile media server for the in-car LCD panel)
• Get portable iHome (water resistant, beach ready version)
• Sync old iPod Nanos with current music for use with portable iHome (better to lose/damage old nano then Video iPod or iPhone while on the beach)
• Remind kid’s to pack chargers, headphones and games for their Nintendo DSs
• Grab the latest Netflix DVDs (hope it’s something good)
• Find s-video cable/adapter for MacBook Pro (can always serve a makeshift DVD player)
• Find audio cable (headphone to RCA) to use with MacBook Pro and/or iPods
• USB SDHC card reader (for all the cameras – no need to bring 3 different USB cables)

What I’m I forgetting? Let me know with a comment…

I’m not a new comer to the blogosphere or social media. My past includes authoring to the now vanished EarthLink Protection blog (2005), and I recently helped cofound Skribit, Inc., a community engagement tool for blogger. In recent months, I helped setup my Wife’s company blog. Actually 10+ years ago (1998 to be exact) I started my first “web log”. Yeah, I’m no Dave Winer, but I did maintain a webpage that logged the pregnancy and arrival of my first child Cameron.

Today I work for a video-centric social media company called Vitrue, (for the record: the views and opinions on this site are my own and not those of my employer). I have 12+ years working with software, web, and internet technologies and there’s bound to be some overlap between my blog and career. But if you are interested in Vitrue’s position check our their blog.

What to expect from me? Well that’s going to evolve over time. My passions include technology, gadgets, anything Apple, UGC video (YouTube & .Mac Gallery), and music (guitar). I’m not an avid gamer, but own the major consoles, RockBand is hot right now. I wired my home with gigabit ether to stream video to 5+ set-top boxes, audio too. I setup a homegrown NAS with 3+TB of storage. I use Macs, and love my iPhone. Given my recent employment, I imagine I will be spending more time in the social side of the net, videos in particular. In the end, I hope this blog will engage a readership, promote healthy conversations and impress some friends and family.

In addition to the personal interest above… I have two boys Cameron and Ryan, a beautiful wife Michelle, and her two kids Nick and Kara. We’re a modern day Brady Bunch minus Alice, although Michelle really wants to hire Alice. This summer we will celebrate our 2nd anniversary. My wife created this family web site with iWeb and a .Mac account (I think it’s a little outdated).

So if you made it this far, drop me a comment and say so. If nothing else say hello. Until next time…