Alexander Romero Blog of Leadership

Local, Mobile, Social --> Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2012-01-03T10:41:00.001-05:00

My new favorite pastime is devouring technology information from YouTube on my iPhone while I'm sweating away on the Life Fitness orbital machine. This satisfies several needs for me,

I get a decent work out in everyday which makes me feel good (and helps get rid of some extra calorie consumption I successfully took in over the holidays)
I'm also productive in my efforts to research interesting and innovative tech companies and Product Management positions
I'm a captive audience while on the machine so it's easier to tolerate some of the more dull yet very informative tech videos. I never have the patience to sit through these types of videos while I'm in front of my computer as I end up getting distracted and venture off to other parts of the Internet or my email. However on the orbital machine, checking email and surfing around proves more difficult, so for the time being, it works out perfect.

I've watched over 40 hours of YouTube video the past few months. If you're interested in some of the highlights you can checkout my YouTube recommended playlist. It only represents about 3 hours and 45 minutes of the stuff I've watched. Not to say the other stuff I didn't include wasn't interesting, but it was more specific to my own personal research and probably doesn't have as broad appeal so I left those videos out. I'm happy to share them, if someone's interested (...crickets).

Within these reco's alone are some really interesting nuggets of information.

Like Tien of Zuora talking about the end of Oracle and SAP in a few years.
Or Eric Schmidt reinforcing three words over and over....Local, Mobile, Social. You'll see this show up from his interview at Le Web, to another one at SalesForce's Dreamforce (Exact Spot in Video).

When Eric Schmidt talks, I tend to listen...very carefully. So where will Local, Mobile, and Social take us in tech?

I think that is a fascinating new frontier. Something where Facebook and Amex or Facebook and Foursquare meetup to offer promotions and discounts. What does it mean for mobile OS's like Android's new Ice Cream Sandwich. Or perhaps with Jawbone's Up product. Here you have a mobile device that records all your movements, including sleeping and eating. It's certainly mobile, now how can it be used with Social? Weight loss? Exercise? or for Local? Where to eat? When to eat? This is just the start of the confluence of Local, Mobile, and Social.

Dissatisfaction Letter to Airtran CEO for Oversize Bag Fee

2010-09-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

Airtran Airways (AAI)

Mr. Bob Fornaro

RE: Dissatisfaction Letter

9955 AirTran Boulevard

Orlando, FL 32827

Subject: Dissatisfaction with Excessive Nickel and Dime Fees on Airtran

Dear Mr. Fornaro

I sit aboard Airtran flight 595 from BWI to IND aghast of my experience during checkin with Airtran. Instead of enjoying thoughts of my destination plans to attend the Purdue vs. Ball State game with my family, I am angrily typing out this letter.

My dissatisfaction began when I went to checkin online and discovered selecting a normal seat would cost me an extra $6. Fine maybe for one person, but I’m traveling with an extra 3, so I passed. This fee annoyed me, but wasn’t sufficient to justify sending a letter.

It was the checkin of my bag that exceeded my dissatisfaction threshold and led to this letter. It began as I hoisted my bag to the scale, where an Airtran Customer Service Representative devoid of any pleasantries sloppily draped a tape measure along my bag. He then muttered my bag was 63” and would cost an additional $49.

This is a standard bag, that I’ve flow with for 10 years, with numerous airlines across multiple continents. Never once have I been told it was oversized. I could perhaps understand the fee if I egregiously stuffed the bag and it was overweight, but this particular trip was only for a weekend so it was lightly packed at best.

I inquired for a better explanation which he answered by reiterating the $49 fee and added that without paying he could not accept the bag. I asked him to explain the measurement process and then asked for the measuring tape. He refused initially then handed the tape to me. At which point I measured numerous times and came up with between 60” and 63” depending on if I laid the bag flat to compress some of the empty space.

The CSR dismissed my measurements, reiterated his were correct and requested the $49 bag fee. At this point I requested to speak with a supervisor so he went to the back room. He emerged without a supervisor and so I waited, taking up checkin space with my 5 and 3 year old boys as well as my father. Another passenger next to me hoisted their bag on the scale and so the process began again except this person’s bag was 51 lbs as well as over 62” so they were looking at an $89 fee. Needless to say they too were unhappy so we both began fuming about this 62” policy.

By this time no supervisor had shown up and both CSR’s looked uncomfortable that we were bringing attention to an oversized bag fee that seemed to apply to standard size bags in a bait and switch tactic to egregiously generate additional fees. So he took my bag without additional charge and waved me on to proceed.

I don’t write dissatisfaction letters everyday but this experience really rubbed me the wrong way. So while waiting to board I recounted my oversize bag fee debacle with a TSA Agent and several other Airtran and non-Airtran travelers. Each shared their disgust with these new nickel and dime airline fees and none had a positive opinion of Airtran.

My own personal opinion is that in a misguided effort to generate additional revenue, someone at Airtran set the checked bag size exactly at or under the standard bag size of about 62 inches. I shared this theory with the other people I spoke with who agreed.

Given this experience I don’t believe I will be flying nor recommending Airtran to anyone. However, in the event my opinion or experience was an exception and you look to rectify my dissatisfaction please send me four vouchers for roundtrip Airtran tickets.

I would also appreciate a response to the following questions.

1) As a percent of bags checked over the last quarter, what is the percent of bags that were deemed oversized?

2) As a percent of revenue for baggage fees what is the percent of revenue attributable to oversize checked bag fees. (Oversized checked bag revenue / Total checked bag revenue) x 100.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Regards,

Alexander Romero

Cc: Alfred J Smith III, Senior VP Customer Service of AirTran Airways

Cc: Soleil Securities Morgan Stanley

Mr. Jim Higgins Bill Greene

Great Quote I Like

2010-06-04T11:36:00.002-05:00

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Fred Buechner

Interesting Location Based Service Mobile Discovery Company - Layar

2010-06-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

Layar.com has a pretty interesting use of mobile technology to visualize what is available in your area for commerce or services.

Then to combine with something like Yelp for reviews, or foursquare for social networking is a fascinating world of converging mobile services.

My belief is that mobile technology is still the "Wild West" of ideas and opportunity to deliver value to consumer.

Here is a TechCrunch write up on it.

Stainless and Carbon Ball Valves

2010-02-17T23:04:00.004-05:00

Normally I don't write about industrial equipment but in this case I am making an exception.

My father-in-law has been selling industrial and commercial ball valves for many years and recently just launched his business online.

Now you can buy everything from Stainless 1 piece, 2 piece, 3 piece, sanitary, multi-port, actuators and more from him online.

So if anyone happens to need an industrial ball valve for a plant, refinery, or that pro-sumer home brewing operation check him out.

http://www.ssivalves.com

Reason for FCPS FY2011 Budget Cuts

2010-01-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

As of 25 January 2010 the biggest reason for cuts in FCPS is because of an increase in payments for retirement plans, $71 million, and health care costs, $25 million, which by keeping the budget flat from FY2010 to FY 2011 mean that $96 million in programs and positions have to be cut for FY2011 to make those other increased payments.

See the data and analysis here:
https://sites.google.com/a/fcta.org/fcta---home-page/data/fx-public-schools/20111-fcps-budget-notes

Note that in 2009 spending per pupil was $12,839. In 2011 it's projected to be $12,869. Inflation hasn't gone up that much so if spending per pupil is the same as 2009 why can't we have the same level of school services as 2009? The answer always points back primarily to the FCPS employee retirement plans. It is gobbling up money from a fixed budget.

We need to convert FCPS employees to 401K's, extend the retirement age, and reduce future benefits. If we don't reform this antiquated system, more programs will be cut year after year.

Interesting Quote on Happiness

2009-06-29T08:23:00.002-05:00

"I am the happiest man alive. I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity, and I am more invulnerable than Achilles. Fortune hath not one place to hit me."

- Sir Thomas Browne 1642.

Great Quote on Daily Activities

2008-12-15T11:16:00.002-05:00

In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ulitmately we become enslaved by it.

--Robert Heinlein

Adventure Races

2008-12-06T10:28:00.005-05:00

I don't like the ordinary and think diversity is the spice of life. Plus I'm a thrill junkie. So these Adventure Races look right up my alley, although some are too outrageous for me. No time for these now, but hopefully sometime in the future.

Easy Laptop HD Upgrade

2008-09-24T14:44:00.003-05:00

We have come a long way since the old days of upgrading a HD in a laptop or anywhere else for that matter.

I had been running out of HD space on my laptop and was eyeing a 320 GB HD. Of course the last thing I wanted to do was get into a multiple day / many hour job that involved hand copying and installing applications on the new hard drive.

But much to my surprise, when I was looking around at HD's they suggested the EZ Gig II as a product to clone the existing drive and make swap in / swap out easy.

I was skeptical that it could be so easy, but I figured I would give it a try.

I ordered my Hard Drive from Drive Solutions who also were the ones that suggested the cloning software.

So how did it go???

Very well! I couldn't believe it but it actually worked perfectly with very little work. The longest part was just waiting for the data to copy, but the software took care of that. So without much work I upgraded my hard drive from 150 GB to 320 GB, and all my old applications, settings, documents, etc. were transfered over no headaches!

An Interesting Quote from Einstein

2008-08-18T14:12:00.001-05:00

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

- Sign Hanging in Albert Einstein’s Office at Princeton

Good Quote

2008-06-23T07:28:00.001-05:00

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
- Antoine de Saint Exupery

Enrollment stats for Cluster I Langley, McLean, Herndon

2008-04-07T19:57:00.003-05:00

Interesting demographics on enrollment in Cluster I - Fairfax County Schools

My old elementary Spring Hill has about 79 kids in kindergarten.
Armstrong has 53.

Building Your Own Wiki

2008-03-31T19:20:00.002-05:00

Over a year ago I began looking at Wiki products for our internal business needs. I never ended up finding an easy, inexpensive, and maintenance free one so we made do without. However now we have the benefit of using Google Sites for our Wiki needs. I also came across an article which listed a few services as follows:

www.customervision.com
www.pbwiki.com
www.socialtext.com

Comparing Public Schools

2008-03-19T22:45:00.001-05:00

An article in the WSJ referenced this site as a good place to compare public schools.

SchoolMatters

Thought I would pass it along for those interested.

Don't Buy Stuff you Can't Afford

2008-03-17T21:14:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite skits from SNL. It is priceless.

Don't Buy what you Can't Afford

Easy Syncing of Files

2008-03-13T10:28:00.001-05:00

Looks like we are finally seeing progress of making an easy to use integrated syncing of file program for multiple desktops that also includes sharing.

Check out www.getdropbox.com and watch the demo.

Interesting CRM System

2008-02-25T14:13:00.002-05:00

My brother just sent me to Highrise, an online CRM system. Thought it was worth keeping an eye on so wanted to blog it.

Volunteer Opportunities?

2008-02-09T20:07:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article in "The Bottom Line" and came across an interesting way to volunteer to help those in need. It is through Airline Ambassadors, the web site is www.airlineamb.org. I know I could find numerous closer volunteer opportunities right here in DC, but somehow this caught my interest. I think because I am accustomed to such a high standard of living, it's worth taking the time to both help others, and experience how those in undeveloped countries live and survive. It serves as a valuable reminder of how blessed we are, and that with those blessing we may share our good fortune with others.

Congressman Frank Wolf RSS Feeds

2008-01-30T22:09:00.001-05:00

Since I've been using Google Reader much more these days I was happy to find that my Congressman provides an RSS Feed.

Congressman Frank Wolf RSS Feed Info

For me this is a much better way to get updates about what my representative is doing.

Good Quote

2008-01-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.
Full effort is full victory.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi

Bethlehem Carving Group

2008-01-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

My brother gave me a very special hand carved cross made in the holy land. I came across the paperwork and wanted to keep a record of where it came from. The Bethlehem Carving Group (www.bethlehemcarvings.com)

We Miss you Coco

2008-01-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

I am very sad to share with you that Coco passed away yesterday evening. She was a special part of the Romero family for 13 years. She had perhaps one of the best personalities of any dog I know. Always loving and wanting to be part of the family.

Her parents were Sirrod's Lil Su'e Scooter and Sirrod's Sanibel Dolly Girl and she was born on 12 Jan 1995. Mom brought her home a few months after she was born. Several years later mom had knee surgery and asked that Allison and I watch over her so we took her to San Francisco.

She was a well traveled dog, having lived on both coasts and making on numerous occasions the transcontinental flight between Dulles andReston. She brought our family a lot of joy and comfort.

Her favorite spot in any house was always on top of the back cushion of any couch, and she could always find the softest spot to lie in. Whether it was the pillows of a bed, or a chair, she'd find a spot, then nuzzle into it.

On her last day we spent a lot of time petting her, and Grant read stories to her. We'll miss her a lot and know she's in a better place. We have many fond memories with her.

Race Season Signup has begun

2008-01-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

It's 17 degress outside, cold, and windy, yet it's already time to start signing up for races which is hard to believe.

Even more hard to believe is that I am already now signed up for 4 races and January isn't even over.

Here they are in order:

I definitely plan to do the Reston Triathlon, and I am eyeing Savage Man.

Shoeboxed Mail-In is Netflix for Receipts

2008-01-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

This looks like a pretty interesting service to help keep finances organized.

Shoeboxed Mail-In is Netflix for Receipts

Monkeysee.com

2008-01-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

My old friend, who also used to be my neighbor growing up, just launched a new How To Video site called www.monkeysee.com.

Thought I would plug it for folks to check out.

Don't Tax Me Bro!

2008-01-02T00:06:00.001-05:00

As a result of being totally fed up about the over taxation I am experiencing everywhere I turn, combined with my excessive use of the phrase "Don't Taze Me Bro" with my brother Allen, a stroke of genius allowed me to combine the two and come up with "Don't Tax Me Bro."

I loved it so much that I created a T-shirt at CafePress.com and ordered one for myself, my wife, and my kids.

Apparently I wasn't the only "genius" to come up with this slogan and a quick search of the Internet found several Ron Paul supporters also using it. Fine by me. Whatever works to stop the wealth redistribution!

Biking Cue Sheets By Location | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club

2007-12-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Biking Cue sheets for around DC.

Cue Sheets By Location | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club

Better Gmail 2 :: Firefox Add-ons

2007-12-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

For the new version of Gmail, this is pretty sweet!

Gives you a bunch more shortcuts and allows you to customize them. I basically pulls together several other "feature enhancements" into one download.

Will also put image icons for the types of attachments.

Better Gmail 2 :: Firefox Add-ons

What MacGyver wants for Christmas

2007-12-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

Doesn't every MacGyver and MacGyver wan-a-bee need one of these?

Available at Hammacher Schlemmer!

The Complete Swiss Army Knife

Obesity across America

2007-11-15T05:45:00.000-05:00

Interesting animated graph about the change in US obesity by state and time.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/fit.nation/obesity.map/

Funny Mac Commercial

2007-11-15T05:03:00.000-05:00

Mac is definitely getting a lot right these days. Here is a funny Mac commercial.

I don't know why Microsoft can't accomplish two simple things.

1) Make their software work and not crash
2) Make their software fast

I won't even bother with the third request which would be to make their software easy to use. I wish they would just focus on the above two.

If I didn't still have numerous apps that were only available on the PC, I would totally consider switching over to Mac.

Netflix Movies have arrived!

2007-11-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Boy that was super fast! My Netflix movies I ordered on Monday got here today, Wednesday.

So far so good with Netflix. One feature I've been using a lot is the the "View Now" feature from Netflix which allows you to watch some videos on demand.

Lately I've been watching episodes of Heroes and for those with time to kill, I recommend watching the show.

Took the Netflix Plunge!

2007-11-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Me being an early adopter of technology, it's hard to believe I had never joined NetFlix, especially since all my friends that have it, rave about it.

My big issue with it is my mindset against monthly subscription costs. Seems like I am already saddled with so many, cable, internet, cell phone, newspaper...that I just didn't want to voluntarily add another.

I've been fighting this conflict for a while hoping another solution would emerge. Right now I think Blockbuster sucks. Why do they NEVER have Entourage! I tried Tivo / Amazon downloads and I didn't much like it. For one thing it took forever for the movie to start playing, the selection was not that great, and there are a bunch of other limitations. It sounded great at first, but I tried using it a few times and just could never find something I wanted except for once, and when I did I had problems downloading it.

Verizon Fios has on-demand movies, but why too does their selection suck. Same problem, couldn't find the stuff I wanted.

So now I find myself in high demand for videos to watch (I'm recovering from jaw surgery), so I decided to signup yesterday.

Here are my early reviews:
- Price seems good.
- Interface is GREAT! Good job Netflix!
- Great selection
- Great suggestions
- Can watch some movies on demand

So I have 35 movies in queue after spending just a little time on the site. I opened the account yesterday, and it said I should get my first movies tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. But I also didn't have to wait for a few of my selections. I could watch some of them online on my laptop which I thought was pretty cool!

So overall, a thumbs up for Netflix as of now.

Bike Fitting in NoVa

2007-11-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Although I've read articles about bike fitting, I'd like to get it done by someone who really knows. That said, Eric Sorenson was recommended by some of my fellow triathlete's to do the fitting.

Link is Principle Fitness

Masters Swiming - Potomac Valley Registered USMS Teams

2007-11-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

Hopefully I won't fall too far into laziness during the off season. That said, this is a handy link for Master's swimming programs in the DC Area.

Potomac Valley Registered USMS Teams

Also found one in Herndon at the Worldgate center www.trimasters.i8.com

As long as I am talking about swimming, might as well include this link to a swimming store recommended by other traithletes.

Aardvark Swim and Sport

Disney Dining Pass...Not Worth It

2007-10-11T07:59:00.000-05:00

We just returned back from a family vacation to Disney World. It was a lot of fun! Because it was toddler week, we received a promotion which was 6 days of Disney Dining. I won't launch into a rant about how bad Disney food is, instead I'll stick with the facts.

We racked up $434 in food comps according to our bill. We had 2 dining passes for 6 days. Equals $36.20 per day per person that we were comp'd. The Disney Dining pass retails for around $38.99 (prices are frequently changing by a few dollars).

So economically it doesn't make sense, or possibly, one could break even. However the plan includes an appetizer and dessert at each sit down meal, and I believe a dessert with counter service. Both are things we normally don't get and ended up being too much food. So had we been just buying the food ourselves, we wouldn't have spent as much.

So conclusion...don't get the Disney Dining Pass.

Nation's Triathlon Final Time

2007-10-05T18:01:00.001-05:00

It is the end of the Tri season and it has been a busy September. Three races in 4 weeks, plus add in a week vacation in Disney and there wasn't much free time. The Nation's Tri was great. Beautiful venue and day. Plus everything went off without a hitch.

It was very cool to be one of the first to swim in the Potomac since 1971 when Nixon declared it unsafe. Well on this day, it was "safe enough."

Here are my times:

Swim 30 min 01 sec
Bike 1 hr 15 min 32 sec
Run 51 min 59 sec
-------------------------------
Total Time 2 hrs 43 min 38 Sec

I felt good in the swim, and was hoping to break the 30 minute mark.

I almost did, and probably would have had it not been for the rising sun that made sighting very difficult on the way back. I know...the sun got in my eyes...very cliche. But it's the truth!

Plus, I did collide with one person who was swimming the other way, which made me more cautious after that point.

The bike wasn't too hard, but there was some unexpected wind that slowed me down. Overall, I still really need to work on my biking and my running. I'm not sure I improved much in either this season. We'll see what happens next season.

Cool Disney Costumes

2007-09-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

Disney certainly makes some cool costumes for their parades. I thought this costume was really cool because it really looked like a lifesize plastic army man.

Savage Man Water Start

2007-09-21T07:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my teammate and videographer, below is the water start of the Savage Man triathlon.

Savage Man...Completed!!

2007-09-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

It was a great...and hard weekend, but team Ghenghis complete Savage Man, the Half Iron man triathlon in Deep Creek, MD. Savage is a good description of this race since it was brutal! I did the swim and the run, and Hung did the bike.

Total Time: 6 hrs 45 minutes and 20 seconds.
Swim: 00:40:17
Bike: 3:46:31
Run: 2:16:34

You can check out the website for the terrain. Bike section included 5,500 feet of climbing, and the run 1,330 feet of climbing. For those readers in San Francisco, that's like running half way up Mt. Tamalpais. The run course was two loops, each of which started out straight up hill for the first 3 miles. Total run course was a half marathon, 13.1 miles.

On the uphill of the first loop of the run I found out that I can sustain over 90% of max HR for over 7 minutes without dieing. That is news to me! My HR monitor keeps track of a lot of data. Below is the graph. The two big peeks are the climbs up the mountain.

The course was beautiful for all three parts. It was also, quite difficult.

I think this race could become the Wildflower of the east. Having done the Wildflower Olympic course, I can say, this course was more difficult.

I thought the organizers did an excellent job. The race was very well marked, plenty of aid stations, and lots of support from the community and local law enforcement. Many thanks to all of them.

Reston Tri - Complete!

2007-09-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

Here is my final sprint to the finish! My final time is somewhere right around 2 hrs 40 minutes. They haven't posted the official results yet. When they do I'll update the blog.

Overall it was a good and challenging race. I wanted to finish in under 2 hrs 30 minutes but it wasn't going to happen. I think I still need more work on the bike and the run.

The official times are now available at the www.restontraithlon.org.

Total time: 2:41:48
Swim: 00:31:45
Bike: 1:09:17
Run: 00:56:39

Ocean Edge Resort - Cape Cod Wedding

2007-09-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

Well, this was a few weeks ago, but I'm behind on blogging. This is a picture of the Ocean Edge Resort in Cape Cod. Allison and I went there sans children for Tim and Ashley's wedding.

It was a beautiful weekend and a lot of fun. I will note that traffic from Boston Logan to the Cape was miserable. But the Cape is cute and quaint.

2007 SavageMan Triathlon

2007-09-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

One week after the Reston Triathlon is the SavageMan Triathlon.

This is a half so I am going to be doing it as a relay. Although somehow I wound up with doing two legs. Namely the swim and the run. Hung will be doing the bike.

Swim should be no problem (1.2 miles) but the run is 13 miles, which is a lot further than I usually run. Not to mention the fact it is a hill terrain, in the mountains, on wilderness trails. Hmmm....wish me luck!

Reston Triathlon - Coming Up Next Week

2007-09-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

Keeping up with my racing year, next week is the Reston Triathlon.

I'm very excited for it because I've tried to get in three years in a row and this is the first time I've been successful!

I've been training pretty consistently so I'm looking forward to the event. 1) because I've been training, 2) it's right in my back yard.

Hopefully if I get time, I'll post my results.

Reston Century Ride

2007-09-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm now a three year veteran of the Reston Century Ride.

Of course being a veteran I'm now much smarter. So after doing the full 100 miles one year and suffering, I now only do the Metric Centruy, which is about 70 miles. Much more tolerable.

The route has some great hills in the middle of the ride.

Favorite SNL Video

2007-09-03T08:36:00.000-05:00

Allison and I love this video from SNL. Every now and then they have something funny.

SNL The Apartment Meeting Video

Good JFK Quote

2007-08-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

"Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life." John F. Kennedy

Whistler Tips - Frightening

2007-08-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else concerned about our society??

2 Mile Lake Swim in Reston

2007-06-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was the Jim McDonnel 2 Mile lake swim here in Reston. Although I've swam 2+ miles during training time, I had never done it continuously in open water. So I was excited to participate in this race. Unfortunately work and keeping tabs on my 2 year old and 6 month old didn't leave too much time for practicing.

So I completed the race no problem (whew, didn't want to have to be pulled out), but my time was pretty bad. Although I did place 3rd in my division...but it was only out of 3!

My time on this swim was 1 hr and 12 minutes. I really should have been able to finish it in under an hour. I mostly blame lack of training. Plus next time, I want to get some better anti-fog goggles. I had to clear my goggles a lot so I could see where the next buoy was to swim. A problem I didn't have to worry about in the pool.

Time to be a Kid again!

2007-05-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

My philosophy on kid toys is that the best toys for them are ones that parents actually play with also. It's the truth. Doesn't matter if it's a rock, book, or a monster truck. If the parent and the child have fun at the same time, it's a Win / Win.

So now it's time for a little father / son activity with my new Revo 3.3 RC Gas powered car.

Herndon Rocks

2007-05-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

With the weather cooperating well we've had a good time meeting friends and enjoying the local music at Herndon Rocks.

Here is the link http://www.herndonrocks.com

Wealth Redistribution!

2007-04-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

This commentary in the WSJ is an Eye Opener.

"Those who made more than $87,300 in 2004, the top 10%, paid 70.8% of all income taxes, an increase from their share of 48.1% in 1979. Think about it. Ten percent pay seven out of every 10 dollars and their share of the burden is rising."

Wealth redistribution is just one step from Socialism. Our tax system has got to change!

Awesome Cherry Blossom Race

2007-04-02T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I participated in the cherry blossom 10 miler. It was great! It is the longest distance I have ever competed in. Prior to that the longest had been a 12K, so this was a great accomplishment for me.

Total Time 10 Miles: 01 hr 33 min. I was pretty happy with this time given all my other responsibilities while trying to train in some miserably cold months.

Here's the mile by mile breakout.

Mile 01 - 9:19
Mile 02 - 9:16
Mile 03 - 9:39
Mile 04 - 9:23
Mile 05 - 9:30
Mile 06 - 9:54
Mile 07 - 9:53
Mile 08 - 9:03 - Almost broke the sub 9
Mile 09 - 9:21
Mile 10 - 8:36 - Finally broke the sub 9!!

I definitely went all out the last mile. Later that day I was pretty much exhausted, so I am happy to say I gave the race my all. However the case could be made that I could have gone faster in the beginning or middle miles. However I was concerned about burnout.

Thanks to my Polar watch, below is my breakout of speed, Altitude, time, etc.

Funny Pictures

2007-03-31T19:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, I found myself clicking through this site for way too long.

It's pretty darn funny. This is my all time favorite so far.

Newspaper WTF

ColorJack: Sphere

2007-03-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

Hmm, kind of cool. Perhaps I'll use it in the future when picking color schemes. I had a real hard time picking a color for our mantel.

ColorJack: Sphere (Color Theory Visualizer)

Or yet another suggested site:

http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html

Pretty Funny

2007-03-31T18:31:00.000-05:00

This is pretty funny answers to test questions.

I especially like the find x.

Scribd - They didn't study

Idiocracy Recut

2007-03-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

Just watched this movie the other night. Thought it was hilarious.

It's from the same guy that made Office Space.

YouTube - Idiocracy Recut

Safer Version of Firmware???

2007-03-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

Here is another version of the firmware that I found for the WRT54G. Perhaps it will work better?

HyperWRT - Home Page

Back to the Linksys Firmware

2007-03-10T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, after hacking my WRT54G with Talisman from Sveasoft, I ran into an issue with my Slingbox. Apparently there is some UPNP problem with Talisman. See link below.

Tale of woe with Linksys bridge: Sling Community

Basically, I could see Slingbox from an Ethernet connection, but not from my wireless connection. Go figure. Kept getting the 0x8007274d error.

So I went back to the Linkysys Firmware, and now it works.

I guess at a minimum, this has been a learning experience.

Hacking my Linksys WRT54G Access Point

2007-03-10T01:43:00.000-05:00

Somehow I've gone down a rabit whole of time playing around with hacking my Linksys WRT54G. It is now 1:42 AM and I'm still up...yikes.

Surprisingly though, I flashed it and have got it to work!

Now I'm on to monitoring the traffic...why, I'm not sure.

WRT54G Bandwidth Usage Log

Investigating Wiki's and Content Management Solutions

2007-03-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of reviewing different content and document management solutions. In the process I have received all kinds of recommendations.

This one looked pretty basic:
Welcome to Wikispaces - Wikis for Everyone

For document management there is a solution from Knowledge Tree

Then for content management, Joomla looked pretty good.

Blue Screen of Death

2007-03-05T00:11:00.000-05:00

Nothing like getting the Blue Screen of Death on Windows XP. It doesn't happen to me too often, but three times tonight.

First time was this error:

Stop: 0x0000008E (0XC0000005, 0x0012E92C, 0xB3A71C80, 0X00000000)

So this site comes in handy Troubleshooting Windows STOP Messages

Microsoft claims memory may be the problem http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315335

Now I am testing my memory to see if there's a problem using Memtest86.

On Reboot I got this one. Things seem to be intermittent.

Stop: 0x0000008e (0xc0000005, 0x80574e62, 0xed7efbc8, 0x00000000)

Strongbad Emails as Podcasts

2007-02-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

I love watching the emails on www.homestarrunner.com

Of course, I always forget to go and check for new ones.

Now through the wonder of iTunes, you can now get the Podcast sent to your iPod!!

Awesome!!

Network Upgrade

2007-02-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

The network in my house was a rat's nest cobbled together over the past 3 years.

Finally, I upgraded it and untangled the mess into something manageable.

I found this site helpful with wiring information:

http://www.derose.net/steve/guides/wiring/

Streaming Music

2006-11-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

I'm still interested in getting my music to different rooms in the house, but I don't know if anyone's come up with something that works well. To date most reviewes have been mixed at best. Here's an article that discusses Sonos and also has named a few others. Review: Sonos Digital Music System

Custom Stencils Idea Gallery

2006-11-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

I just finished up the nursery with a cool stencil from Wonderful Graffiti (pictures to come shortly). In cleaning up my emails on the subject I found this as a good reference site for ideas and quotes. Custom Stencils Gallery

Nations Tri Pictures

2006-11-11T12:05:00.000-05:00

Finally photographers are offering the photos as high res images for purchase, instead of the printed photo.

Only catch, is they still send me a CD and charge for shipping??? Arrgh, why can't I just pay and download them. Anyway, I'm happy to have the pictures.

I thought this was a great pictrues with the Capitol in the back!

New Tri Video

2006-11-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a trailer for a new Tri Video. Looks interesting...motivating. What It Takes

Quote from the 7 Habits Book

2006-11-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

"The real mantra of success is sustainability and growth. You may be able to meet your quarterly numbers, but the real question is, are you making the necessary investment that will sustain and increase that success one, five, and ten year from now?"

Basement Bathroom Design

2006-11-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

I started with good 'ol pencil and graph paper for the original bathroom design, but then for the 3D picture decided to test out Google's Sketch It Up product. The product is pretty cool. Below is a picture of my design. In Sketch Up you can manipulate this drawing in 3D.

Installation of Bathroom in Basement

2006-11-05T10:20:00.000-05:00

We are busy in the middle of adding a bathroom to our basement. So far so good, but one of the major expenses is glass for the shower. Since we're doing this install economically I'm serving as the general contractor for it, so I'll have to make a trip to
Sterling Glass to pick it out.

Kid's Guitar Songs

2006-10-29T08:12:00.002-05:00

I had these links in my email inbox forever! So I think it is better to immortalize them in a blog entry. They are links to either Guitar Tabs or Lyrics for some of Laurie Berkner's Children's songs. Uncle Allen, please practice before Christmas.

Victor Vito Guitar Chords and Lyrics

More Laurie Berkner Guitar Tabs

Kid's Guitar Songs

2006-10-29T08:12:00.001-05:00

Kid's Guitar Songs

2006-10-29T08:12:00.000-05:00

Team Romero - Smallwood Triathlon

2006-10-03T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here is Team Romero up bright and early for the Smallwood Triathlon.

Got Organic Milk??

2006-09-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Some people say I'm wasting money on buying Organic Milk. I don't think so. Check out this news piece. It's definitely sketchy what the big drug / chemical companies are up to.

Signed Up for Smallwood Triathlon!

2006-09-14T22:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, I definately decided after so much training I had to put my efforts to good use in a race. Now I'm officially signed up for Smallwood.

Now I'm contemplating doing Bassman Tri on Oct. 08 as part of a relay with Brad and Hung. We'll see if I can convince them.

Swim Canceled for Nations Triathlon

2006-09-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm quite disappointed that with just a few days to spare, they announced that the the swim part of the Nations Triathlon is cancelled. This is a serious bummer because I've been spending a heck of a lot of time in the pool.

So now, after training for about 2.5 months, I'm feeling like it was wasted. Although I know it's not because I feel great and am in great shape, but still. I wanted to put that hard work to some use.

So now I'm scoping for a last minute race close by. I think I found one. The General Small Wood Triathlon.

Widlflower 2003??

2006-09-14T21:56:00.000-05:00

I guess I'm pulling one from the back of the rack here. Going back all the way to 2003! This was my second triathlon, accompanied by my brother.

Guess I'm not the only one that post their TNT Wildflower video to YouTube. Here's Zack - Wildflower.

Reston Tri Video Highlights

2006-09-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

Interesting, someone put together a highlights video for the Reston Tri. It's got an introductory commercial, I guess they paid for the production.

Don't know why they made this a Windows Media file instead of putting it on YouTube or Google Video. Maybe for quality reason. The Quality looks pretty good and I think it's a great video.

Lake Audobon Practice Swim

2006-09-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

Got up pretty early this Sunday to participate in the Lake Audobon Practice swim. I thought there wouldn't be many folks there but there was quite a crowd. Only a few braved the swim without a wetsuit (yours truly included). Actually the water was pretty warm, I don't think a wetsuit was necessary, but a lot of folks had them. The swim went great, except I came out a little slimy. I think it was from the recent rain kicked up some gunk.

Training Disrupted due to Ernesto

2006-09-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

With Tropical Storm Ernesto in VA the past few days it really messed up my training schedule. The outdoor pools in Reston were closed, so I went to the YMCA indoor. Closed for maintenance.

So I tried the Reston Community Center. Closed for maint.

So I called Herndon Rec Ctr. Closed for maint.

So I called Spring Hill Rec Ctr. Closed for maint.

I admit, at that point I canned my workout for the day, although I feel I gave it a pretty good try, apparently it wasn't meant to be.

Troubleshooting iTunes Playback on a Windows PC

2006-08-25T16:39:00.000-05:00

Why are there so many little issues to tinker with. Damn windows! Troubleshooting iTunes Playback on a Windows PC: "Safe mode (waveOut only) "

I'm getting serious about fitness!

2006-08-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

Just signed up for the Reston Century ride as training for my upcoming Nation's Triathlon. In this case I'm going to do a swim first with the Reston Area Triathlete's, then do the half century, which is 62 miles.

I don't want to do a full century again. That was seriously painful.

Alexander...

Reston Training Routes

2006-08-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

Using Google Maps I laid out a couple of loops w/ minimal traffic for training in Reston, VA.

A) 3.8673 Mi - One good hill climb. Hunter Staion Road Loop
B) 2.92 Mi - Moderate Hills. Good for Bike / Run loop work outs.
C) 1.193 Mi
D) 0.9169 Mi
E) 0.6586 Mi
F) 2.199 Mi Lake Thoreau Running Loop

Training for the Nations Triathlon

2006-08-23T16:29:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm signed up for the Nations Triathlon I'm getting organized and revisiting my tryed and true TNT training. Here was an old loop we used to do in the Presidio for cross training.

Polar 625X is Awesome!

2006-08-23T16:27:00.000-05:00

I'm just begining to use the awesome features of my new watch. I downloaded the data to my computer and check out the graph it makes. Awesome!!

New Polar Heart Rate Monitor

2006-08-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ever since I got my first Polar Heart Rate Monitor I've loved it. Now many years later my watch was having problems so I sent it in for repair. It was out of warranty.

Since it was expensive to repair Polar offered me a trade in with a 30% discount. So my new Polar 625X is on the way.

If I hadn't gotten a discount from Polar I would have bought it from http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/ as they offer some darn good deals. Thanks Hung for the reco.

2nd Training Tri of 2006

2006-08-13T12:49:00.000-05:00

Since I've been too much of a procrastinator to sign up for a real triathlon, I've instead been doing the short training tri's that the DC Tri Club has been putting on.

I think it's a good thing that I haven't tried a real one because the first training tri in July was much tougher than I thought. This last one yesterday I did a lot better and felt as if I were in better shape.

DC Training Tri Results

Running slow these days.

2006-07-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

I timed myself this morning at 7:00 am for a 10K run. It's not pretty, I came in at 1:12:56 seconds which is terrible. Of course I wasn't running my hardest, in fact, I wasn't sure if I was even going to make the full 10K, but I did. Also, there is a severe heat advisory for DC so even at 7 AM it was still stinking hot and a challenge to run.

So with that time I'm at a 11:46 / mile! Yikes, I guess I can only improve from there. Back in my hey day, I did a 10K in 47:55, or a 7:44 pace. Wow! I can't believe that, but I was in much better shape then.

Disney Family Trip

2006-05-31T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hmmm. Guess who wants to be a millionaire in this picture?

Post Op Sinus Surgery: 14 Days

2006-05-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

All is well from my Sinus Surgery two weeks ago. I'm feeling pretty good, able to breathe well, and so far no Migraine headaches!

This would be a miracle if this surgery cured me of my Migraine headaches. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I'm still on restricted physical activity per the doctor's orders (no biking, running, or swimming). But I feel well enough that I could probably do those things. Although bending over is still not a good idea right now.

So I almost feel back to normal, except I'm not allowed to blow my nose. Not that I really need to, but I would kind of like to.

Overall I feel it was a very mild surgery and recovery.

The Camery is SOLD!!

2006-05-31T21:31:00.000-05:00

Fairwell to the Camery. I know my dad will miss it since he had it for many, many years and it always got him home safely. Even with a few bumps and bruises.

Now he's in the red racer!

Allison did a very good job of taking the picture and selling the car. Looks professional!

Sinus Surgery Post Op: 48 Hours

2006-05-20T09:02:00.000-05:00

Slept a little better last night than I did the night before. But not much. I kept waking up in the middle of the night.

I feel a lot better this morning. It's not as uncomfortable as before. I'm hoping to be off pain medication today. So far I haven't had to take any. Also, I've almost stopped oozing out my nose. Thank goodness.

Sinus Surgery: Post Op 24 Hours

2006-05-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

The night definately sucked. Was only able to sleep in 20 to 30 minute intervals. The worst part is there is no breathing through my nose, so that means only mouth breathing. Which means when I'm sleeping, breathing threw my mouth, my mouth get's completely dried out. Like I woke up with a terrible dry mouth hang over. Except for it happens every 20 minutes when I'm sleeping.

I'm still taking the Tylenol #3 , although it's not too painful, it's very uncomfortable. There are a couple of stints in my nose, which I think are causing most of the discomfort.

My nose is still oozing stuff. I hope that stops soon.

Sinus Surgery Post Op 8.5 Hours

2006-05-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, after my last entry I started to have a bit more pain. Nothing unbearable. Also, I had a lot more oozing, started soaking through the gauze and having to replace every 10 minutes, instead of 45 minutes.

So I guess blogging, and talking with my wife was more than I should have done. So right after that entry I took a nap for 90 minutes, and the oozing settled down. Per the docs instructions, I also put an ice pack on my front, and back of the neck.

I just took another Tylenol #3 according to the schedule, which is every 4 hours as needed for pain.

My wife brought me the ice packs, and made me a milk shake in there somewhere. Thanks honey.

Sinus Surgery Post Op: 5 Hours

2006-05-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

So surgery was this morning at 9:00 AM. I think it got done around 10:30 AM or 11:00 AM. I woke up from anesthesia in recovery. I was pleased to wake up and find out there was no need for them to put in a catheter (whew!). Because that meant no pulling it out, which last time was not fun.

This is my third surgery in my lifetime and so far the least painful at this Post Op point. Although it's worth noting, sometimes the worst doesn't happen until the residual pain med's from surgery where off.

I didn't spend more than an hour (I think) in recovery before they moved me to the second recovery section where my wife joined me (thanks honey!).

At this point (Post Op: 1.5 hours around 12:30 PM) I wasn't in very much pain (mostly just discomfort) and asked about what pain medications I was on. They said only the ones given during surgery, and I didn't recongize the names. This was my biggest concern because as I mentioned above, sometimes the real pain kicks in when the "heavy duty" pain meds from surgery wear off, and the swelling starts.

I was starting to feel a bit more pain so I requested and oral pain med (Tylenol #3). It didn't seem to do too much, but it helped take the edge off a bit. So far the biggest thing to deal with is the constant ooze from out of my nose, which is caught by a gauze taped underneath it. I'm having to change that about every 45 minutes.

After about another hour in recovery I said I was well enough to go home and finish recuperating. They checked with the doctor and got the Ok for me to go home.

I got home around 2:30, had some soup for lunch, along with a little pasta and took another Tylenol #3.

So it's now 4:30 PM (Post Op 5 hours) and I'm doing pretty well. I think partially because I had steeled myself for much worse pain.

However I'm only cautiously optimistic, as sometimes the pain get's worse 10+ hours Post Op, before it get's better.

Either way, I guess I'm well enought to write this lengthly blog entry. Thanks to my wife for taking me to the hospital, waiting for me, meeting me in recovery, and picking up my prescriptions. Thanks Dad for checking on me during my surgery.

Sinus Surgery

2006-05-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

The winters here in DC have not been kind to me. Every year from late December through early April my Migraine headaches, congestion, sinus headaches, etc., were getting worse and more frequent.

This last February it culminated with four bad sinus infections. One right after the other with terrible headaches, sinus pressure, and extreme lethargy. The first one was really bad, then I went to the ENT went on antibiotics, and it got better within a few days.

It was then that the ENT said I would need sinus surgery. I shrugged off his suggestion, took the antibiotics, and didn't think much of it, since this was the first raging sinus infection I had really ever had that I could remember. I figured it was a one time thing. Plus, although the prior years were uncomfortable, the tipping point between regular sinus pressure / congestion, and a raging sinus infection are night and day.

Then 2.5 weeks after the first infection (about the time the antibiotics wore off) the infection came back. And so the process would repeat until it happened a total of four times. By then the weather had warmed up and my sinuses began behaving.

But after those four, I decided, I needed the surgery before next winter. It wasn't good for me to be taking so many antibiotics over and over again. So that wasn't sustainable for next year.

So I took the advice of my ENT and scheduled the surgery. The big day is tomorrow. I hope all goes well.

2006-05-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

I've been a little out of the loop on the Purdue DC Club. I hope to get back involved.