Bruce Shankle - Inside Out

Savannah Diet - One Month In

2012-06-17T22:49:00.001-07:00

I'm about a month into my attempt to refactor my personal relationship with food. The good news is that I've been relatively successful since my 7-day water fast at keeping my old habits from returning. Gone are the days I sit around munching on bags of chips, or downing large milkshakes after stuffing myself with a cheeseburger and fries.

So what am I eating? Well, above is a photo of tonight's dinner. It is about a pound of spinach leaves, an orange, some strawberries, some blueberries, blackberries and/or raspberries, a few raw walnuts, raw almonds, raw pecans or raw cashews. I have 2 to 4 meals like this everyday. Sometimes I'll have an avocado as a desert. On alternating days I'll have a stir- fry consisting of a teaspoon of olive oil, onions, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, a handful of shrimp or an egg, some garlic, and black pepper. I never add any salt to my diet these days. Occasionally I'll eat an egg or two with fruit for breakfast, but I limit animal protein to no more than 200 calories every other day. And when I do eat protein it must be egg, fish, shrimp, goat, or duck. Generally it is egg and shrimp. I've had duck twice and goat once.

I also make sure I'm hungry before eating, at least 30 minutes, and I never eat just to eat. Only when I am hungry.

Once a week I'll have popcorn as a treat if I happen to see a movie and maybe some chocolate covered peanuts. I've also learned to make some nifty tasting shakes made from almond milk, pure cocoa powder, and artificial sweeteners. This also makes great hot chocolate.

Other than than my once per week movie treats, I've eliminated beef, pork, chicken, dairy (no butter, no milk, no cheese), grains, refined grain products (bread and pasta), potatoes, and legumes, and refined sugars from my diet. I'm doing my best to adhere to the Savannah-style diet put forth by Geoff Bond in his book, Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Health and Our Food.

My personal results are that I've lost about 28 pounds (so far), I carry less fat, I have more energy, and I have few if any cravings for high-calorie foods. I never have heart burn, constipation, or other digestive problems. And while I do look forward to my weekly treat which consists of popcorn and some chocolate at a movie, they haven't led to any massive "falling off the wagon" habits so far.

I will admit, the elimination of grain and potato products from the diet probably seems radical in today's world where almost every meal has some form of grain or potato product. But it has led a very fundamental realization for me. When your only source of carbs is unrefined vegetables and fruits you end up eating A LOT of vegetables and fruits. I've never eaten so many fruits and vegetables in my life. I probably eat 2 to 3 pounds per day of raw natural foods. That sure seems a much healthier way to get your calories, right?

Below is an excerpt from the beginning of the book on the problems with grains which expresses this idea succinctly: "Grain consumption leads to micronutrient deficiency. Even whole grains have poor concentrations of the multitude of these vital substances that are essential to human health: vitamins, minerals, carotenes, flavonoids, and many more. Grains are basically bulk fillers that displace more nutritious foods from the diet."

It is in the chapters before he gets into the science behind the claims that he makes here. My friend Dave Parrish typed this up (I guess) and I yanked it from his Google+ pages to share some of the book. Thanks Dave!

"The Problems with Eating Grains

Grains, as a class of food, were never part of our ancestral diet. We are speaking of all types of grains - wheat, rye, rice, barley, oats, quinoa, and so on - and all forms of these grains, including bread, pastry, breakfast cereals, pasta, pizza, oatmeal, and cookies. Consumption of all these grains is linked to a range of conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, cancers, osteoporosis, obesity, depressed immune system, premature aging, and diabetes. There is a common thread to some of these conditions: they are, in part, provoked by abnormal surges in blood sugar. These surges in turn disrupt hormones that control other process, such as bone building, immune function, cell renewal, and cholesterol control.

Grain consumption leads to micronutrient deficiency. Even whole grains have poor concentrations of the multitude of these vital substances that are essential to human health: vitamins, minerals, carotenes, flavonoids, and many more. Grains are basically bulk fillers that displace more nutritious foods from the diet. The situation is even worse with refined grains, because with mechanization, the millers strip out the most nutritious part of the grain. Now we know why governments try to compensate for this shortfall by insisting on the "fortification" of breakfast cereals and many other grain products. Of course, these efforts are only a crude and inadequate substitute for the real thing - the marvelous cocktail of thousands of compounds working together as a team, which are provided by plants conforming to the Savanna Model.

From anthropological evidence, we know that the earliest farmers suffered a sharply reduced quality of life: reduction of stature, increase in infant deaths, reduction of life span, increase in infectious diseases, increase in anemia, diseased bones, and tooth decay. Today, we can also link grain consumption to many other conditions that cannot be preserved in the archaeological record, including brain disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy, and immune system disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and allergies. There is even a common occupational ailment in the baking industry, "baker's asthma," a debilitating host of microscopic substances, known as antinutrients, that are common in grains and are secretly gnawing at the foundations of our health in many unsuspecting ways.

Grains are also linked to colon disorders, including irritable bowel, colitis, colon cancer, and celiac disease. Full-blown celiac disease has symptoms of diarrhea, depression, vitamin deficiency, mineral deficiency, epilepsy, stunted growth, and osteoporosis. These conditions had been observed for centuries. It is astounding to think that it was only in the 1960s that the substance in grains known as gluten was found to be the cause.

Gluten is more properly called "the gluten complex," because it is not a single compound but a cocktail of many similar proteins. The human system is particularly irritated by the cocktail found in wheat, followed by rye, barley, and oats. However, in Asia, sensitivity to the gluten cocktail found in rice is also known. Indeed, all grains contain gluten in some form or another and all of them cause trouble in the human system."

-from Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Health and Our Food by Geoff Bond.

As another friend of mine is fond of pointing out, it remains to be seen if any sort of special diet can be stuck to for the long term. Therefore, I consider myself an ongoing experiment. Let's see how things progress over the next month.

-B

Post Fast - 1 Month

2012-06-13T23:39:00.001-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starging fat: 29.8%
Today's weight: 192
Today's fat: 25%

Tomorrow will be approximately 1 month since I started a 7 day water-only fast which I ended over a period of 3 days by gradually returning to a solid food diet.

This is my report of how things are going.

First of all, as I was breaking my fast, I read the book Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Health and Our Food by Geoff Bond. The first chapter is available online in digital form for free and for me, it was a book I could not put down.

This book explores the diet our ancestors on the African savannas would have consumed compared to the modern Western diet and correlates a lot of our current health issues to our poor choices of food.

In no uncertain terms, this is a radical book.

Geoff Bond calls himself a "nutritional anthropologist". He explores the underpinnings and history of processed foods in our culture and their origins from our learning to be farmers. He also explores the gross mis-information that is our governmental food guidelines and how those guidelines came to be and are updated. In the book, Bond suggests that most of our allergies, sickness, cancers, and emotional problems stem from poor diets consisting of foods we are either allergic, don't have the enzymes to break down, or are laden with 'anti-nutrients': stuff that hurts us rather than helps us. He suggests that for optimum health and happiness, one should adopt a diet similar to what our ancestors ate. But we have to learn to do this by choosing from foods we can find today. Condensing the book into a list looks something like this:

No grains or grain products: no bread, no rice, no cookies, no cake
No dairy products: no milk, no yogurt, no ice cream, no cheese, no butter
No legumes: no peanuts, no soybeans, no soy products
No beef, no pork, no chicken
No adding salt to your food
No refined sugar
Yes to green leafy vegetables
Yes to low-sugar fruits
Yes to only certain types of meats: fish, goat, duck, eggs
Yes to nuts from trees (cashews, pecans, walnuts) in limited quantities
Yes to omega 6 and omega 3 oils if in balance: 1/4 tsp of olive oil

That's the gist of it. Following this diet I eat large quantities of spinach and broccoli. I make vegetable stir-fries with 1/4 tsp of olive oil, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, string beans, squash, zuchini. I eat lots of raspberries and blackberries. I eat nuts in limited quantities. I avoid all grains and dairy products. I use a teaspoon of honey in coffee combined with artificial sweeteners, but even honey is frowned upon. Occasionally I'll have an orange or an apple. I eat no more than 20% of my calories in the form of protein and this is always egg, shrimp, fish, goat meat, or duck. The book explains in great detail why these meats are OK and beef, pork, and chicken from factory farms is not OK.

One day per week I have broken the rule and had popcorn and/or peanuts when I've attended a movie. But I actually don't crave these things. The fast taught me I can go seven days without eating. So far, food has not exerted any real power of my will. Hopefully I'll retain some power of choice over my natural cravings.

So how is this working for me? Well, its a bit too early to tell. I've only been at it for three weeks. But the results so far is that post-fast I've lost a little bit of fat and maintained my weight at or below 192. I have no food cravings. I feel pretty good. People say I look younger. I have amazing amounts of energy. I feel like I eat all the time.

I am happy that I did not return to bad food habits after the fast. But, to be honest, it hasn't been that hard. I don't miss feeling bloated and miserable after meals, or the heart-burn. or feeling fat. Now I feel light (actually I am lighter), I have more energy, and no real cravings.

Overall, so far I'm feeling pretty good about having done the 7-day fast and refactored my diet.

Time will tell if I'm able to maintain control.

-B

Breaking the fast - Day 2

2012-05-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%
Today's weight: 193.6
Today's fat: 27%

Here's a question: have you ever chewed single pecan half so slowly you can actually feel and taste the pecan oil running out slowly onto your tongue? I'm trying to eat very slowly right now as I come off my fast as I don't want to shock my system. It has really given me a new appreciation for food. I used to be able to down a whole bowl of nuts without a second thought. Going without food for seven days has given me a whole new appreciation for how foods actually taste.

Today is the second day of breaking my fast. So far so good. My stomach still feels a tad sore. But not too bad. I'm going to try raw nuts today. They are a good source of the good fats and protein. Did you know that peanuts are not actually a nut? They are a legume? I'm only going to eat raw nuts from trees for now.

Breakfast consisted of:
2 cups of raw baby spinach (20 calories)
1 cup of unsweetened and unflavored almond milk (40 calories)
1 very small peeled peach which was VERY sweet (100 calories)
Total: 160 calories

I had a mid-morning snack of:
3 raspberries (10 calories - maybe less)
3 blackberries (10 calories - maybe less)
3 raw pecan halves (21 calories)
3 raw walnut halves (27 calories)
3 raw cashews (24 calories)
Total: 90 calories

For lunch I had:
3 raspberries (10 calories - maybe less)
3 blackberries (10 calories - maybe less)
3 raw pecan halves (21 calories)
3 raw walnut halves (27 calories)
3 raw cashews (24 calories)
Total: 90 calories

Snack:
2 cups of raw spinach (20 calories)

6 raspberries (10 calories - maybe less)
6 blackberries (10 calories - maybe less)
6 raw pecan halves (42 calories)
6 raw walnut halves (54 calories)
6 raw cashews (48 calories)
Total: 160 calories

For exercise:
I took a two mile walk up and down hills with a friend in the late afternoon.
At the gym: 20 minutes on the stair-master, 15 minutes on the rowing machine, 10 minutes on a bike

For dinner:
I prepared a stir fry which consisted of:
1 Tbsp of olive oil (120 calories)
1/2 medium sized onion (calories 30)
3 cups of fresh green beans (calories 100)
1/2 of a small yellow squash (calories 20)
1 cup of Quorn (100)
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
Total: 370

Total calories today approximately: 870

For those interested, Quorn is a meat substitute made from a fungus. I used the ground variety as it seems to have the least additives. It tastes pretty much like ground mushrooms to me.

The rather large meal I prepared for dinner was the most calories I've consumed since starting the fast. It sat well with me, but I noticed a very definite feeling of being full and I could feel my stomach working hard to churn through all that plant matter. It is also the first significant protein I've had since starting the fast.

Performance at the gym was not quite on par with my normal performance as my left knee was hurting a bit. Tomorrow I plan to try do my weight-lifting routine with my gym partner. That will give me a better idea of how much strength I lost during the fast (if any).

So far, all systems are nominal in bringing the digestive system back online. I think trying to adopt eating like our ancestors is giving me quite a dose of vitamins. I had to stop by the grocery store to buy more baby spinach.

-B

Breaking the fast - Day 1

2012-05-22T02:32:00.002-07:00

Starting weight (pre-fast): 208
Starting fat: 29.8%
Today's weight: 194
Today's fat: 27%

Today is the first day of breaking my 7-day water fast. You can ready about my fast here:
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7.

By the 7th day of my fast I had begun to feel weak and I could feel my heart beating strongly in my chest. I had no cravings or thoughts of food and could easily have gone longer without food.

I broke my fast by drinking 8 oz of non-pulp orange juice diluted with 8 oz. of water. This is about 120 calories and mainly sugar. I could literally feel the energy from the sugar start to metabolize in my body. My energy level increased somewhat. I got excited and tried to eat an orange. That was a big mistake. I had stomach cramps for a couple of hours. It made me not want to eat anything else.

So I decided to do some research. After consulting several web sites on how to break a fast, and reading one account of a guy who ended a fast badly by overeating I decided to go back to eating very gradually following a regimen like this:
Day 1: Fruit juice, fruit, 1 cup of raw spinach
Day 2: Fruit juice, fruit, spinach
Day 3: Fruit, spinach, a walnut, a cashew, almond milk
Day 4: Fruit, spinach, 3 walnuts, 3 cashews, almond milk
Day 5: Fruit, spinach, handful of walnuts and cashews, almond milk
Day 6: Fruit, spinach, handful of walnuts and cashews, almond milk, 1 egg

What I actually ended up doing on day 1 looks sort of like this:
1 cup of diluted orange juice and 1 orange
5 hours later, a cup of strawberries
8 hours later, a cup of orange juice and a cup of strawberries
3 hours later, a cup of grape juice
5 hours later, an orange and some raw spinach
5 hours later, a cup of blackberries mixed with raspberries

I consumed approximate calories: 1,000

I also exercised today by taking 2 different walks. One with a friend, one with my wife. I'm going to guess maybe 2.5 to 3 miles. I felt strong, and 'light' during these walks. Not bloated and puffy like I sometimes do.

I noticed these things:

Presently, a single orange easily fills my entire stomach and I can feel my stomach working away on it.
My strong heartbeat calmed down. I can no longer feel my heart beating in my chest.
My stomach felt 'sore' at the end of the day. Not hurting like acid reflux or a sour stomach, but sore like you hadn't been to the gym in the while and this was your first day back. The muscles of my stomach were probably just tired from trying to grind away at the fiber in the fruit I ate.
I had much more energy than I had on day 7 of the fast and the surge in energy was almost immediate after drinking the first diluted juice. Walking was brisk and effortless.

I still have no strong cravings for unhealthy foods. In fact, fasting inspired a lot of questions in my mind about our food supply. Last night, I started reading a book recommended by my friend Dave Parrish. It is called : Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Health and Our Food. The first chapter in digital form is free. The book is written by an anthropologist who claims to back what he says with hard science. After reading chapter 1, it was hard to put the book down. It is very intriguing and giving me some interesting ideas about shaping my diet as I go back to eating again.

My wife and I did some shopping tonight and I bought another orange and some raw nuts. I also bought a product called Quorn, which is a protein derived from a fungus. I'm curious about it as well as it was mentioned in the book I am reading.

-B

Fasting - Day 7

2012-05-20T22:00:00.001-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starting Fat: 29.8%
Today's weight: 196
Today's Fat: 28%

Today was the 7th a final day of my first long-term water-only fast.

It was a tough day. I had very little energy today and found it hard to keep up with my 2 children. I took a nap in the middle of the day before taking them to a small carnival that was going on in our town. I spent a lot of time 'sitting' at the carnival while they enjoyed amusement park rides.

Again I was intrigued as I watched carnival-goers consuming giant-fried turkey legs, candy apples, cotton candy, ice-cream, hot-dogs, fried dough, and other standard carnival fare. When you haven't eaten for 7 days, watching that sort of consumption, and the typical body composition of the consumers, is actually a saddening experience. Not because I couldn't have any. But because everyone else wants it. I must admit that the fried onions smelled good, but I had no desire to eat any of it.

A couple of times I stood up really fast and felt a bit dizzy, but it passed in a few moments. I could also feel my heart beating even more strongly today. It was the first day I really felt deeply the lack of energy from not having eaten, but with that came a deep appreciation for nourishing foods.

I feel pretty strongly about completely refactoring my relationship with food now. We visited a local farmers market and purchased some locally grown fruits in preparation for breaking my fast, which is something I plan to do over the next week.

NOTE: If you ever fast, I encourage you to read on safe ways to break a fast. You're going to want to start off with diluted juices for a couple of days then very gradually move to non-diluted juices then gradually move to raw fruit then gradually move to vegetables then gradually move to other solid food. I plan to break my fast over the next week very gradually.

Here are some thoughts on water fasting:

I think it is easier than juice-fasting because cravings were constant when I tried juice fasting
I think if you are relatively fit and have a decent amount of muscle, you won't really feel the effects for 3 days or more
It had a big effect how I think about food and my body
It raised my internal awareness with regards to eating healthy higher than it has ever been
If you are relatively healthy, and you are addicted to unhealthy foods, it may be an avenue for change (I'm the ongoing experiment on this hypothesis)

Seven days without food gave me a lot of time to think about my relationship with food. And I think it gave my digestive tract time to rest from 41 years of essentially non-stop work. I don't buy all the 'detox' chatter from the professional fasting community. But I do think it gives you time to break addictions and to rethink the whole food equation.

In fact, for me, the greatest result of this fast was putting me mentally at a vantage point where I could think clearly about food. Since obesity and processed foods is the norm in our society, while your consuming those things and living that lifestyle, it is considered 'normal' now. Fasting, for me, put me out of that norm, and the result was being able to look at it and feel sad and desire a change for myself.

I am reminded of the saying about the fish who was told he was living in water. The fish said, "What is water?" He had no idea what is was because he was born into and had been in it all his life. Most of us have been born into a calorie rich environment surrounded by cheap unhealthy foods that appeal to our natural cravings. That is our water. When you jump out for a while, perhaps you can see how polluted it is.

My original goal had been to see if I could re-experience the deeply 'spiritual' moments I had when did a juice fast last year. I can't really say that happened, however there were some very happy moments, and some very emotional moments. I am definitely more in touch with my body. I've felt my heart beating in my chest for almost 4 days now, reminding me it is there.

Now as I go into a true 'break-fast', it will be interesting to see what happens. Will I be able to refactor my diet? Or will I return to the old unhealthy habits? Let's find out?

-B

Fasting - Day 6

2012-05-19T20:54:00.001-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%
Current weight: 196
Current fat: 28%

Today is day 6 of my first experiment with not eating for an extended period of time.

Today was a tough day energy-wise because I only slept about 3.5 hours last night. Plus today we had a 'combined' birthday party at my mother's place for my son, his cousin, and me.

I felt a bit lethargic today. I think the combined lack of sleep and calories made today a bit tough. At one point I stood up quickly and I felt a bit dizzy, but it passed in a few seconds. Of course that's happened when I'm not fasting so I was not too worried about it. My mother, a former nurse, took my blood pressure today: 118 / 80. My heart-rate was 61. Apparently that is good. But I can still feel my heart beat stronger than normal.

I had a somewhat happy experience. I was playing my mother's piano and I was playing the song "Wind Beneath My Wings". As I was playing it, I started thinking about my wife and how supportive she has been of me since I met her, especially as I've worked to get my business off the ground. Involuntarily, tears came to my eyes, and I realized the meaning of those lyrics in the context of a relationship filled with love. That was a truly good feeling to have. When was the last time you were so happy you cried? That is an amazing song and my wife is an amazing human being. Thank you, Wei, for being who you are.

I had no temptations for food. In fact, today was an opportunity to have a unique perspective on a typical birthday party. Food included: hot-dogs, potato chips, corn chips, fruit-punch, cake (3 of them!), a side-salad and beer. I consumed none of it but I enjoyed watching everyone else eat. It was fascinating because:

Excluding my wife, no adult at the party was particularly healthy-looking
Excluding my wife, no adult at the party ate vegetables (the salad)
The foods that were most popular with the kids were chips, cake, and fruit punch.
The cousin's parents were continually 'bargaining' with the child over sips of fruit-punch in exchange for taking a bite of his hot dog. I simply commanded my soon to eat his and gave him that look a stern father can give his soon. And I threatened my daughter with no desert unless she ate her hot dog. I imagine this is typical of most American parents, but I wondered if the children hadn't eaten in 6 days if threats or bargaining would be necessary: probably not.
Excluding my wife and daughter, every person at the party has a bit of a gut. (If I lean forward in my chair I can grab a softball++-sized mound of pure fat).
I blew out candles on a giant cake baked for me and never had a bite. I just drank my water.

I started to wonder what exactly is a hot dog? It's basically all the pieces of an animal that don't look good in a package ground up into a paste, treated with food dye and squeezed into an edible tube and pre-cooked. They are mostly fat. But, we put them on a piece of bread (which has fat in it) and a fat to it (chili, mayonaise, and slaw). It seems to be sad and comical at the same time.

I, of course, realize birthday parties are a celebratory thing, but looking back on that experience, made me wonder what we're collectively teaching the children about food. It's about the same sort of thing I learned growing up in America, but my version was on a farm with fried chicken (or some other meat) and potatoes and jelly biscuits at almost every meal. It seems we're feeding ourselves to death here.

Now that I've consumed nothing for 6 days I wonder if it is a chance to try to have a different relationship with eating. Here are some things I'm thinking about:

Eliminating artificial sweeteners from my diet (I've been addicted to diet sodas for years)
Eliminating as much as is practical processed foods and refined grain products (which would include bread). A friend of my did this and feels a lot healthier. He seems happier too.
Consuming much more fruit

Part of me is toying with the idea of being vegan for a while because a high-school friend of mine has been doing that, and so far he's not dead. He seems to think pretty clearly too. I do like to eat animals, but now that I know I can eat nothing for 6 days and be totally fine, why not try vegetables for a few weeks?

I have to admit, smelling the hot-dogs cooking over charcoal today was nice. But I was never very tempted to eat them. Which still, amazes me.

I originally planned to do this for 7 days. Tomorrow will be day 7. I have mixed thoughts about ending my fast after that. On the one hand, I think I could go much longer, I have PLENTY of fat reserves. I could probably last another month on my gut fat alone. But, on the other hand, I am concerned about losing a lot of muscle. From what I read, your body has to metabolize proteins when you're in this state, and I know from the gym, building muscle takes a long time.

But really, fasting is not that hard. If I just sat around and relaxed and sipped water, I could probably fast longer than some of the religious icons claimed to have.

-B

Fasting - Day 5

2012-05-19T04:04:00.001-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%
Current weight: 197
Current fat: 29.4%

Today is the 5th day of my first long-term fast. Notable things today:We can see that my scale isn't very accurate at measuring % body fat since it went up today. I don't see how that could be possible.

When I went to bed last night was very happy. Very at peace. I've still had no major food cravings which I am still surprised by. However, I had a passing thought about peanut butter today and as I was thinking about it I felt as if I could smell it.

This is the longest I have ever gone without food in my life. I continue to be impressed by the human body.

-B

How to add static IP and DNS to Ubuntu 12.04

2012-05-18T12:42:00.001-07:00

I recently deployed an Ubuntu 12.04 server and needed to change the IP address and DNS entries to be static. The defaults are to use DHCP and it seems no one has really documented how to do this. None that I can find via Google anyway. So hopefully this will help everyone.

If you've set up an Ubuntu 12.04 server and want a static IP address and DNS entries do this:

1. Edit /etc/network/interfaces (see the iface eth0 part)

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.23 # Your ip address here
netmask 255.255.255.224 # Your netmask here
gateway 192.168.1.1 # Your gate address here

2. Edit /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base, add these lines (the example below is Google's public name servers):

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.8.4

3. Reboot the machine, or run these commands from the console:

sudo ifdown eth0
sudo ifup eth0
sudo /etc/init.d/resolvconf restart

Fasting - Day 4

2012-05-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%

Current weight: 199.8
Current fat: 28.6%

Today is the 4th day of my first long-term fast. Notable things today:

My heartbeat is noticeably faster now. My heart usually idles around 60 to 70. Today it is 80 to 90.
I felt physically tired today.

From what I've read both are normal at this stage of a fast.

My muscles should now be completely empty of their stored glycogen.

I'm still surprised by the lack of cravings for food. But I am also just extremely impressed by the human body. We indeed can go very long periods of time without food as long as we have water. I don't imagine I'll ever worry to much about missing a meal again. It simply doesn't matter.

-B

Fasting - Day 3

2012-05-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

This marks the end of day 3 of my fasting experiment. Here are the stats:

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%

Current weight: 201
Current fat: 29%

As we can see, in a period of 3 days my body has shed about 7 pounds of water. That's almost 1 gallon. I had another slight headache this morning when I woke up. I suspect due to dehydration during the night.

So far I'm quite impressed by not being hungry or having any real cravings for food. My wife bought me some liquid vitamins there are supposed to be very healthy but they are made with concentrated fruit juices and each serving contains 11 grams of carbs. Carbs are about 4 calories per gram so that would have been 44 calories. So I turned it down.

I'm working pretty much as normal and had quite a productive day. I program for a living and today I made a lot of forward progress on our graphics engine by adding support for compressed texture formats and support for 3-channel RGB textures which will save a lot of space at run time.

Today I took a long walk with my wife for exercise. I had some mild heartburn after drinking a quart of water really fast just before our walk, but it dissipated in 10 minutes or so.

One observation today was that time appears a little slowed down. I actually enjoy that because it makes the day feel longer and I got more done.

For those following, I weigh myself when I get up in the morning so the stats are always from the morning of the blog post.

So far so good. I'm starting to wonder if I have a small nuclear reactor powering my body as I obviously don't need food. At least not now anyway.

-B

Fasting - Day 2

2012-05-16T00:41:00.001-07:00

This marks the end of day 2 of fasting experiment. Here are the stats:

Starting weight: 208
Starting fat: 29.8%

Current weight: 204
Current fat: 29%

I'm certain the 4 pound weight difference is purely water weight, loss of muscle glycogen, and having no food input. I do not think it is much fat loss. That is just based on the fact that I probably only burn 2,000 calories per day and a pound of fat has about 3,500 calories. There is no way I burned through 14,000 calories yesterday.

I had a mild headache today which was gone by afternoon. I'll assume that is due to lack of caffeine. Even though I got off caffeine several weeks ago, sometimes I drink decaf coffee. I hear it has some caffeine in it.

Today I walked about 4.5 miles for exercise and I sipped water all day long. Nothing much to report thus far. I haven't had much of any cravings for food. I've kept busy. I feel focused and relaxed.

Last night I had a dream about eating candy bars. I woke up afraid I had messed up my fast, then I realized it was a dream.

One observation after two days without food is the realization that we can indeed go long periods of time without food. It makes me wonder why there seems to be a general fear with regards to fasting. I imagine not having food for long periods of time was common for our ancestors.

A thought I have been having is that after I'm done fasting, I try to go back to eating healthier than I was. Maybe the fast will let me forget how good all the junk food tastes.

-B

Fasting - Day 1

2012-05-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a 40, soon to be 41, year old man and I stand about 6' 3/4" tall (depending on how I slept I can be as tall at 6' 1" and as short as 5' 11 3/4").

Over the past few years I've experimented with different diet and exercise routines. I tried working out 5 days a week and eating pretty much whatever I wanted. I tried working out and limiting calories. I also tried working out and eating mainly a protein diet. At one point I even tried a juice-only diet (which I refuse to call a fast because I drank a LOT of apple juice). I pulled a muscle at the gym once.

I tried not working out for a year (and that pulled muscle finally healed) and just trying to be 'conscious' of my diet and I didn't really gain a lot of weight.

Throughout all these experiments I actually haven't changed that much. My weight was as low as 185 and as high as 208. And everywhere in between. I put on muscle, lost muscle, developed good cardio endurance, lost cardio endurance. At some points I was very vigilant about my diet, at others completely off the wagon so to speak.

My wife says I am genetically lucky to have a relatively stable physique considering the range of my diet.

Recently I got curious about fasting. But not so much because of trying to lose weight. I don't think fasting is a good way to lost weight. I am curious about fasting because of an experience I had while on a juice-only diet. For lack of a better word, I would describe the experience as 'spiritual'. When I was calorie deprived for several days (wasn't liking carrot juice all that much) I felt moments of inner peace that are hard to describe. Time seemed to slow down. Colors were more colorful. Sounds were more 'soundful'. In essence, reality was more vivid, and I felt happy.

When I returned to my normal diet, those experiences left me. In fact, I noticed that food and some beverages, especially caffeine, seemed to work the opposite way. Making reality sometimes feel more harsh.

So, mainly, I'm curious about that. Will I be able to re-experience that inner peace I felt? Or was that a one-time thing?

Secondly: I'm also a bit curious about hunger. No one I know has ever gone without food for more than 24 hours. So, what happens if you go 7 days? How do you feel? Is it the end of the world? I'm so curious! I've read that the human body can go a long time without food and that a break from digestion can actually be good for you. So I want to find out.

My goal is to go at least 7 days consuming nothing but water, a few vitamins, and maybe some salt if the urge hits me. But ZERO calories in any form.

So here I am at the end of day 1. Surprisingly, I haven't been very hungry today. I've had no overwhelming urge to run to the kitchen and make a snack. In fact, not eating today was a bit of a relief because I didn't have to 'deal' with food. I sipped water pretty much all day. I was surprised by how full I felt just drinking a lot of water.

My friend Nik Donets who started OneManScience asked me to track some stats. Nik: here are my stats at the beginning of Day 1 as revealed by my electronic scale:

Weight: 207 pounds
Body fat: 29%

-B

If only I had followed my own advice...

2010-04-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

I found this on Google Groups. It is a post I wrote in 1994 (using my then-girlfriend's account at NCSU). Had I actually bought $1,000.00 worth of Microsoft stock back then, I'd have $144,000 today. I never imagined back then I'd be actually working at Microsoft on the Windows operating system itself.

"Dear people of the world,

I work for small development firm. I was the first Windows programmer.
Before I came to the company everything was DOS/Novell.

Within 6 months the company is now Windows/WindowsNTAS/DOS/Novell.
All the software that used to be at the company still is, with added
products from Microsoft.

We have Word 6.0, Excel, Access, SQL Server for NT Adv.Serv..
The network administrator is in love with NT Adv. Serv.
The secretaries now actually get their work done without confusing
DOS applications.

The programmers have had no trouble in learning/using Windows and
writing programs in VB, PowerBuilder, ObjectView, Visual C++,
SQL Server for NT.

The company is more productive overall, and products are developed faster,
have more functionality, and are easier to use. And no additional hardware
was ever required. (And I've gotten a nice 6 month review for "helping the
company evolve..." with a raise to boot.)

There are many more positive things happening...
People who used to sneer at Microsoft (Mainframe guys I like to call 'em)
now seem to like Microsoft's development tools and/or tools that work
with MS operating systems.

Although I am usually quite objective, have come from a UNIX background,
have worked for IBM (extensively with OS/2), have done consulting work for
companies locked into a character-based mindset, and acknowledge that I don't
know everything about all software, I feel I must defend Microsoft.
I appreciate what they have accomplished not only for themselves, but for
those of us who program small computers or a living.

I know Microsoft's strategy and tactics can be difficult for some to deal
with, but it's all part of the evolution of the computer. Competition is
good for the market, and the products. It keeps everyone on their toes.

I don't close my eyes. I have OS/2, DOS/Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows
NT, Daytona (beta), SCO Unix, and CICS systems around me everyday. I have
seen the strengths and weaknesses of these environments. Each has a place in
the market, each performs some useful function. But the products I find
I like the most and use most often bear the Microsft name. And if had the
money to buy stock, it would be in Microsoft.

Keep up the good work Microsoft!

Regards,
Bruce Shankle"

What is fructose?

2009-12-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone knows fructose is the sugar found in fruits, berries, and honey. It's natural. What if I told you that fructose is actually a poison?

Would you call me crazy?

It turns out that fructose, as consumed by the majority of folks today, in indeed a poison. It puts the same load on your liver as alcohol, suppresses you natural hunger response mechanisms (so you feel hungry even after you eat), and leads to a whole host of metabolic problems.

SweetDisguise.com, a recently conceived web site, attempts to shine a light on the root cause of the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic in our country.

Interesting articles include:
What is Fructose?
Sugar - The Bitter Truth
Will Fructose Make Your Heart Explode?
Is Corn Syrup Jeopardizing Your Baby's Health?

From the site: "Every carbohydrate we eat must be converted to glucose in order to be useful. Glucose is often called ‘blood sugar’ because it is the sugar that is in your blood. Fructose, on the other hand, cannot be used by your brain or muscles. They don’t have the cellular machinery to burn it. It turns out that to metabolize fructose, our livers have to perform several complicated chemical processes on it. This puts the same strain on your liver as consuming alcohol. But it also short-circuits our natural hunger suppression signals and creates a host of metabolic problems like insulin resistance, obesity, and elevated LDL cholesterol."

Get educated on fructose and think about it before you drink another can of soda.

-B

Windows 7 - Coming Your Way

2009-10-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

Before I hunker down to work on our next engineering challenge at Microsoft, I wanted to reflect on my experience working on Windows 7.

For the last few years I've been working at Microsoft as a test engineer. I'm sometimes asked what that means. A test engineer is someone who, well, tests things. I would classify myself as a natural tester, and I take pride in what I do. I lead a team of test engineers who test Windows graphics: everything from the HLSL compiler to the display driver model.

Growing up on a farm in rural North Carolina gave me an interesting perspective on how things work; from the herding behavior of cattle, sheep and goats, to the inner workings of complex farm equipment, I've witnessed a lot of things go wrong while working hard to make them go right. Getting a pilot's license and the healthy paranoia of staying safe in a small airplane gave me another dose of tester mentality. Writing software for 15 years helped as well.

Testers that I work with, at least in graphics, are also software developers. In essence, we are the first customers that get a chance to try out a given piece of technology before it is released to the public. Our job is discover, identify and resolve flaws before they find their way out of the factory, so-to-speak. The amount of code we generate to test a given function is often times more code than the original function itself. The kinds of issues we discover are sometimes trivial, sometimes complex, sometimes bizarre.

It takes a very special kind of mindset to perform in a test role year after year, largely because we don't get the glamor of being the creator of the code that ships and our successes, a high quality product, often end up being credited to the developers. I often equate this to things I've heard about NASA and the United States space program. Apparently NASA has many times more engineers testing things than they do building things. For every astronaut up in orbit, there are thousands of folks on the ground ensuring everything is 'nominal'...and even then there are often problems anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I respect feature development, I did that for many many years and have shipped many successful products and line of business applications in many different industries. The creativity of being 'in flow' working on something new is very appealing to me. And Microsoft developers are truly the best of the best when it comes to producing world-class code. But development without testing and high quality bars generally produces sub-optimal products. And I've been quite fulfilled in this role as a test engineer, it comes naturally to me.

I've also made many new friends. The engineers I work alongside in test at my job are easily the most intelligent and gifted people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. And over the past few years we have worked very hard to produce an operating system worthy of praise.

I look back on the Windows 7 experience realizing the depth of the technical achievement, the humbling affect of the scale of the effort, of knowing my contribution is but a small fraction of much larger force, and a smile of knowing I'll always get to remember being a part of that effort.

I think you will be very pleased with Windows 7 when it hits store shelves less than 3 weeks from today. We've all worked very hard on it.

I'm proud of our accomplishment :).

-B

Learning to stop

2009-04-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've been observing something in myself and in others over the last few months. What I've observed is that most human beings are always running towards the future to find happiness. They are looking towards that next 'thing' or 'event' that would make their lives more fulfilling and happy.

Thinking about this it dawned on me, what if we just 'stop'. Learning to stop, and feel each breath we take deliberately, to feel the motion of each step we take, to feel the wonder of just existing, of experiencing, of just being, is at best difficult.

I've recently begun learning a bit about Asian culture and I find that many components of this culture are more 'patient' and 'graceful' than their heavy-handed, fast-paced Western counter-parts. Take for instance gardening. Japan has the notion of a Zen Garden or Rock Garden "Japanese gardens are a living work of art in which the plants and trees are ever changing with the seasons. As they grow and mature, they are constantly sculpted to maintain and enhance the overall experience; hence, a Japanese garden is never the same and never really finished." -Wikipedia

The American counterpart? Well take a trip to a Home Depot and look at all the people buying fertilizers, and plants, and bizarre yard ornaments (like elves, and shiny balls). It seems like Americans are more interesting in forcing things into and out of the ground as opposed to garnering artistic expression from a garden.

Another example is perhaps cooking. Spend an evening with someone who cooks authentic Chinese food (not the over-oily Amercianized stuff, but the real deal) with exotic spices, wide variety of sea-foods and vegetables and noodles and soups...now compare that to an evening with someone who cooks American favorites like barbecued pork-chops and mashed potatoes. True, they're both nourishing but doesn't the American way seem a bit more 'fat'?

Granted, my experience with Asian culture is really just beginning, but so far I'm finding that I enjoy the components of peace, harmony, patience, and 'stopping' that I feel when I explore it.

If I have my wishes, as the clock moves forward, I will become more intimate with Asian culture and perhaps make it a more permanent part of my life.

Try stopping today and see if experience something that should have been obvious to you when were going...like love perhaps...

-B

The Long Way Home

2008-12-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is the route a friend and I are planning to drive to get from the state of Washington to the state of North Carolina. Hopefully I'll get some sun along the way.

View Larger Map

ATI Catalyst Windows 7 Preview Driver Package

2008-11-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

If you're alpha or beta testing Windows 7 and you're looking for drivers for your AMD / ATI Radeon series GPU you can try finding them here:
http://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=39069

-B

Linksys Media Center Extender - Replacing a Defective Unit

2008-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

If you have a Linksys DMA2100 or DMA2200 Media Center Extender and it stops working and you've tried the reset procedure and it still won't work, you may need a replacement device. This procedure may be similar for other Linksys devices, but I only have the Media Center Extender which quit working after about a month and simply refused to work any more. It had a solid red LED only.

This recently happened to me and it took me a couple of days and many phone calls to Linksys and various other parties to sort out what I needed to do to get a replacement. I had purchased the unit from Dell so I couldn't simply take it back to the store (which a Linksys rep asked me to do in one of my many phone calls). It would be nice if Linksys actually had a description of the process like this on their web site instead of making every customer jump through so many hoops to return a defective product still under warranty.

I'd like to share with you what to do to save you time and energy if yours fails and you want a replacement. If this post actually helps you please leave a comment and let me know. Or if a number has changed or the process has changed let me know.

Prerequisites
You will need:

Phone
Web browser with Flash support
Printer (to print the RMA packing slip later)
All of the original hardware that came with your device
Patience

Step 1: The main Linksys customer support number doesn't handle the media center extenders. They've contracted out that work to another company. The number you'll want to call from the US is: 866-509-7452
Here a technician will ask you a few questions to debug the issue. You may be able to get the device working again using a reset procedure. If the tech deems the device bad, he has the power to issue you a case number. You MUST have a case number in order to return a defective device. But the case MUST BE ACTIVATED!!! The technician may assign you a case number and then tell you that you need to call another phone number in a couple of hours. This is not true. Read on.

Step 2: Did the first technician ask for the device serial number and assign you a case number? If not you will have to go back to Step 1. If the case is not activated you won't be able to return the device. If it was activated properly you will receive an email.

Step 3: If you are in the US, go to this web site. If you are not in the US, go to this web site (requires Flash) and select your country. This will take you to a page where you can select an RMA option.

Step 4: Fill in the online form which requires an active case number to get an RMA.

Step 5: Navigate through the multi-step web pages of ensuring the device type to be replaced, and the serial numbers (which you will be asked to verify several times on 3 different pages).

Step 6: Select a return shipping method. Ground is free. Anything faster and you have to pay.

Step 7: Agree to the RMA Terms and Conditions (see below)

Step 8: You will finally get an RMA number!! Yay!!! Make sure your printer is connected and ready to go before clicking the print button at the bottom of the page

Step 9: Print the packing slip, package up your item, and ship it (you have to pay for that) to the Linksys Return Center in Ontario CA.

Step 10: Hopfully they will replace the device.

Linksys RMA Terms and Conditions:
Please Read the Standard RMA Terms and Conditions before Clicking the "Continue" Button at the Bottom of the Page

Please ship the defective unit(s) to the address below.

Linksys does NOT under warranty offer refunds, substitutions, credits, or upgrades.

Linksys is NOT responsible for lost packages in transit. Please obtain a tracking number as a safeguard for your shipment. Linksys strongly suggests using UPS or FedEx to ship the defective product to Linksys. Both shippers provide tracking numbers

Linksys is not able to accommodate walk-in customers.

Processing the Defective Unit

Package your return unit(s) in one box, please make sure the contents are secure and that enough packaging material is included to prevent the unit(s) from moving around during shipping.

Please ship the defective unit(s) to the address below.

All original Linksys accessories, such as power adapters, couplers/dongles, and antennas MUST BE RETURNED with the product.

If you are replacing a product that belongs to a networking kit, only return the defective product listed on the previous web forms belonging to the networking kit. Please do not include the working product.

Linksys is NOT responsible for lost or damaged packages in transit. Please obtain a tracking number as a safeguard for your shipment. Linksys strongly suggests using UPS or FedEx to ship the defective product to Linksys. Both shippers provide tracking numbers

Linksys is NOT responsible for lost or damaged personal accessories. If you have attached any accessories that did not come with the original product, please remove these items prior to returning your unit(s). In addition, if your product uses any internal fiber modules please also remove these items unless they are listed as one of the products on the RMA web form.

Linksys is not responsible for data stored on the hard drive of the defective unit. If the defective unit has a hard drive and it cannot easily be removed form the defective unit, backup your data prior to shipping the defective unit to Linksys.

The customer bears the cost of sending the defective unit(s) to Linksys.

Processing the Replacement Unit

Linksys bears the cost of shipping the replacement unit to the customer UPS Ground unless the expedited shipping option is chosen at the time the RMA is created.

Upon receipt of the defective unit, a replacement unit is usually shipped within two business days.

In the event of a backorder, units will ship when available, and the shipping method will remain the same as the option selected at the time the RMA was created.

If you wish to change the shipping method, YOU MUST contact the Linksys Customer Service department at 1 800 546 5797, option 3 prior to the replacement unit being shipped. Once the replacement unit has been shipped, the funds paid for expedited shipping cannot be refunded.

Once you receive your replacement unit, test the unit, and verify that it is working properly.

Damaged or missing part(s) must be reported within five business days of receiving the replacement unit(s).

IMPORTANT: If your unit uses a power supply, make sure to use the power supply that comes with the replacement unit, and not the original power supply.

If you have any questions regarding your replacement unit, contact the Customer Service Department within five business days at 1 800 546 5797, option 3.

6 Simple Rules for Better Writing

2008-08-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

George Orwell was passionate about improving the use of the English language.

For example why say:
"While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigours which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement."

When you can say:
"I believe in killing off your opponents when you can get good results by doing so."

I often find that the blogger mindset tends to be more concise as George Orwell recommended with these six simple rules:

i.	Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
ii.	Never use a long word where a short one will do.
iii.	If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
iv.	Never use the passive where you can use the active.
v.	Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
vi.	Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

-B

BikeE

2008-07-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

This is picture of me on my BikeE that I bought through Craigslist recently. Even though the company who designed and built these is no longer in business, it is an amazing machine.

This is a recumbent design that is very comfortable to ride for long distances. I commute on it from Bothell to Redmond WA (14 miles each way) several days a week. Unlike a standard bicycle, I'm in a relatively relaxed position while riding and nothing is ever sore: no neck pain, no shoulder pain, no numbness in the 'load-bearing' areas if you catch my drift.

They are also fast. Recumbents hold the bicycle world speed record (80+ MPH) largely because of the smaller aerodynamic profile compared to a traditional bike. As a reward, recumbents have been banned from most pro bike races which has limited their popularity. I guess that's a bit like Formula-1 cars being banned from stock-car racing. Lance Armstrong is rumored to have said he'd ride a recumbent in races if they were legal.

In these economic times and with gas prices at an all-time high, I think a lot of us are going to have to consider alternative ways of commuting. I figured I could get some good exercise while saving gas, even if I do look a bit ridiculous. :)

-B

iPhone 2.0 Cheaper? Really?

2008-06-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

My colleague Jacob Beaudoin, whom I call "The King of Avoiding Recurring Costs" pointed out something interesting about iPhone 2.0 that all of us iPhone-lovers seem to have overlooked.

Having an iPhone in the US requires a 2 year contract with AT&T. Looking at the minimum plan costs:

iPhone 1.0 - Purchase price: $400 + 2 years at $60 per month = $1840
iPhone 2.0 - Purchase price: $200 + 2 years at $70 per month = $1880

Jacob asks, "Am I missing something or did they just raise the price and tell everybody they lowered it?"

Thanks for keeping it real, Jacob.

-B

Music and Life - Microsoft - One Year Later

2008-04-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I accepted a full-time position with Microsoft's DirectX team in Redmond, WA. It was opportunity I really couldn't turn down and to a large degree I felt like I had little room to grow in my previous job.

I've been programming since I was about 12 years old and professionally now for almost 20 years. I have long been interested in graphics programming. My first programs on the TI 99/4A were all about graphics and every chance I had on the X-windows based systems in college I was doing something with graphics.

Coming to Microsoft has really been the high point of my career as a software developer and I have learned so many things about the software development discipline.

I actually was involved with Microsoft about 10 years ago when I was working for Stingray software. We had a 'field trip' to Redmond where I got to meet Anders Heijlsburg's team who were working on what ultimately became .NET. That trip made a big impression on me. It showed me that the engineers at Microsoft really know their stuff and they know how to build software.

One thing Microsoft excels at is creating software and tools for software developers. The project I work on is one of many tools and technologies for other software developers and I really enjoy being a part of that.

Something I find myself struggling with occasionally is work-life balance. I'm challenged by and interested in my work to the point that I feel like I could devote all my waking time to it. But that obviously isn't healthy in the long run. We all need some down time.

Lately I've found myself listening to lectures and speeches by Alan Watts. There is is a great talk he gave that's been animated by the creator's of South Park which I've found very inspirational in this context.

One of the things we joke about at work is "drinking from the fire hydrant." Meaning that there are enough challenges to keep even the brightest and hardest working individuals saturated.

But I think answering to those challenges is what makes me like my job so much.

Another point of job satisfaction for me is I am working with some of the most intelligent, creative, and driven people I've ever had the opportunity to work with. There is a lot to be said for that.

-B

Carolina Games Summit

2008-01-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Come join me at the Carolina Games Summit Saturday, January 26th, 2008 in Goldsboro, NC.

"The Carolina Games Summit is a hybrid festival of industry speakers, video game tournaments, product promotions, exhibition booths, student recruitment and family fun! Formerly known as the Goldsboro Gaming Expo (G2Expo) due to overwhelming popularity and growth the event was re-branded in June 2007 to Carolina Games Summit."

Last year was truly a blast and this year promises to be even better.

This year I'll be delivering an interesting presentation for the key-note on video game graphics which will be a lot of fun for gamers and I promise to have some cool door prizes.

I'd also love to follow up with those of you who attended last years discussion on breaking into the game industry.

See you there!

The 4 Imperatives Of Leadership

2007-12-12T01:16:00.000-08:00

Quoted from this great writeup:

1. The first is to inspire trust. You build relationships of trust through both your character and competence and you also extend trust to others. You show others that you believe in their capacity to live up to certain expectations, to deliver on promises, and to achieve clarity on key goals. You don’t inspire trust by micromanaging and second guessing every step people make.

2. The second is to clarify purpose. Great leaders involve their people in the communication process to create the goals to be achieved. If people are involved in the process, they psychologically own it and you create a situation where people are on the same page about what is really important—mission, vision, values, and goals.

3. The third is to align systems. This means that you don’t allow there to be conflict between what you say is important and what you measure. For instance, many times organizations claim that people are important but in fact the structures and systems, including accounting, make them an expense or cost center rather than an asset and the most significant resource.

4. The fourth is the fruit of the other three—unleashed talent. When you inspire trust and share a common purpose with aligned systems, you empower people. Their talent is unleashed so that their capacity, their intelligence, their creativity, and their resourcefulness is utilized."