jimmy from shinagawa

Uncomfortable practice

2013-05-20T06:42:00.000+09:00

"1. Do what does not come easy.

The key to deliberate practice is discomfort, and discomfort is generated by doing those tasks which are outside of your current abilities.

2. Manage energy to maintain productivity:

Better energy management allows for sustain sessions of intense practice, whereas many of us are normally inclined to simply slog away throughout the day, spreading our energy far too thin.

3. Avoid reactive behavior, work with an ideal in mind

In a sense, deliberate practice is hard not only in application but also for our ego. It hurts to fail, so we are often reactive in our efforts to simply “not mess up”, rather than proactively pursuing an end goal with a relentless force.

It may sound cheesy to say, “Don’t be afraid to fail,” but from the way that the benefits of deliberate practice operate, failure is something that needs to become the norm rather than a thing to be avoided: we can’t practice in areas of discomfort without messing up quite often."

Forget Flow – The Secret to Skill Lies in Discomfort - Expert Enough

Don't be afraid to fall when learning to ski comes to mind.. harder as you mature.

Blood rust

2013-05-17T06:32:00.000+09:00

"“You can tell it’s blood,” he says matter-of-factly, “because ordinary rust turns the grinding water brown. If it’s blood rust it bleeds, it looks like blood in the water. Even 2,000 years old, it bleeds. And it smells like a steak cooking, like cooked meat. I’ve encountered this before with Japanese swords from World War II. If there’s blood on the sword and you start polishing it, the sword bleeds."

Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords - CW

New media

2013-05-16T06:30:00.000+09:00

"The media’s role is changing and evolving as our behavior on the internet is changing. And the sooner we realize it, the better it will be; not just for media but also for the society it is supposed to serve.

“Twitter and (other) social networks are really good at this news thing for first 30 minutes and then everything goes crazy – speculation, rumors and the worse part is the role television plays in it all.” (#1)

“If you watch television and Twitter at the same time, you know how woefully behind television is, and that is when start to wonder, what the role of media is in this future where Twitter is the primary medium.” (#2)"

Hyper-connected, real-time news is a good thing — but so is accuracy - GigaOM

Functional Training

2013-05-15T06:26:00.000+09:00

"Simple exercises with no-tech equipment (call them paleo or playground exercises, depending on how much fun they are) have long found disciples at niche gyms and in movements such as CrossFit.

"What’s the real logic in sitting or laying down to train your legs?” Functional fitness is “far more bang for your buck” because it works multiple muscles simultaneously, he said, providing better overall strength and mobility, and a higher calorie burn.

“Gyms are way out of the times if all they have is machines.”

The functional fitness zones also are a moneymaker for gyms, costing $5 to $6 a square foot, compared with some $50 a square foot when filled by machines.

“You look like you’re in a circus,’ ” Mr. Wall said people say to his wife when she does functional training workouts on her own at her gym. “To older people in particular, it just doesn’t look like they think exercise should.”"

Fitness Playgrounds Grow as Machines Go - NYT

Take my picture

2013-05-14T06:21:00.000+09:00

Gold for Nerds

2013-05-13T06:15:00.000+09:00

Nigel Farage visits Bulgaria

2013-05-10T06:13:00.000+09:00

Get Britain Cycling

2013-05-09T07:10:00.000+09:00

"Recommendations

The Government should produce a cross-departmental Cycling Action Plan, with annual progress reports.
The Government should appoint a national Cycling Champion, an expert from outside the Department for Transport.
The government should set national targets to increase cycle use from less than 2% of journeys in 2011, to 10% of all journeys in 2025, and 25% by 2050
Central and local government and devolved authorities should each appoint a lead politician responsible for cycling."

Get Britain Cycling Summary & Recommendations - pdf

4K Video

2013-05-08T07:05:00.000+09:00

The C520 will also allow them to shoot differently. It can track the action more accurately and the stabilization allows the team to shoot with ultra-long zoom lenses.

The C520 will also allow them to shoot differently. It can track the action more accurately and the stabilization allows the team to shoot with ultra-long zoom lenses.

4K Helicopter Cam Ups the Gnar in Gorgeous Skiing Videos - Wired

Beetroot and Chicken

2013-05-07T10:00:00.000+09:00

"I predicted at the time that this retirement was unlikely to develop into a permanent state of affairs. And I was right. As I headed home at the end of a ride a few days ago, I caught up with my pear-shaped friend on his old training bike. "I read an article about how you can ride for just 20 minutes three times a week and enjoy all the benefits of 20 hours of hard training, as long as you do exactly the right efforts," he explained.

"As someone with a lot of experience of high levels of fitness, I thought I owed it to science to get back on my bike and give it a go."

I couldn't help thinking that if a five-minute warm-up, three half-hearted 20-second sprints and a five-minute warm-down actually was the training equivalent of 20 hours' hard riding a week, the chances are that somewhere in the 150-year history of competitive cycling, someone would have noticed before now.

All the same, I didn't want to spoil it for him. It's just that I couldn't help it. "Is this going to be as successful as the beetroot and chicken diet?" I asked."

Dr. Hutch: the fitness regime - Cycling Weekly

Stuck in the muck

2013-05-06T09:55:00.000+09:00

"Economics writers are always looking for signs of change, and we excitedly (sometimes too eagerly) leap to identify a new trend in the economy. But this time there isn’t one. Government is contracting, as it has in 10 of the last 11 quarters. The private sector is improving quickly enough to counteract that contraction and ensure that GDP growth is expanding — but not fast enough to spur the robust recovery that the country sorely needs."

The incredible stagnant U.S. economy - Wonkblog

Chemistry Sets and Mystery White Powders

2013-05-03T09:53:00.000+09:00

"In the last five years, the market for legal highs has exploded. It's never been easier, or cheaper, to buy drugs online – but no one knows what's in them, or how dangerous they are.

"Mephedrone was the perfect drug, wasn't it?" Ramsey says. "Water-soluble, not that toxic, and a very effective stimulant. Enormously enjoyable, users say, and very profitable for the dealers. People absolutely loved it. Well, they still do, actually – Britain is awash with the stuff."

Ramsey was among the first scientists to discover the chemical formula of mephedrone and is as conflicted as any rational observer over drug prohibition. "You can't just have shops and websites selling [legal highs] to kids. But it is the anti-drugs legislation, in many ways, that has prompted this innovation."

After mephedrone was banned, the dealers who had got rich quick cast around for new legal drugs that might capture the nation's imagination – and money. By 2010, the underground online drug culture had gone mainstream. None of the subsequent concoctions has gained the popularity of mephedrone, but the change it effected – of people looking online for legal drugs – is now permanent. Its significance is still playing out.

There is a market for these drugs when other drugs aren't very good. If there were good-quality coke, weed and pills, I don't know how much of a look-in these drugs would get."

The hidden dangers of legal highs - Guardian

Fascinating, scary article.

The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon

2013-05-02T09:40:00.000+09:00

Live on less

2013-05-01T09:37:00.000+09:00

"In short, what are the main ways to live well on less?

Embrace challenge and shun convenience for its own sake. Ask, “Will this really make me happier in the long run?” about all life decisions. Realize that happiness comes from accomplishment and personal growth, rather than from luxury products. Seek out voluntary discomfort as a way to become stronger, rather than running from it. Develop a healthy sense of self-mockery, and acknowledge that you are a wimp in many ways right now (and only by acknowledging it can you improve). Practice optimism. And of course, ride a bike.

That’s pretty high-level stuff. If you just want the meat and potatoes: Live close to work. Cook your own food. Take care of your own house, garden, hair and body. Don’t borrow money for cars, and don’t drive ridiculous ones. Embrace nature as the best source of recreation. Cancel your TV service. Use a prepaid cellphone. And of course, ride a bike!"

Meet Mr. Money Mustache, the man who retired at 30 - WSJ

First Flight

2013-04-30T06:12:00.000+09:00

"Two baby ducks leaving the nest and taking to the air for their first ever flight."

via Twisted Sifter

67 Years of Technology Innovation

2013-04-29T06:18:00.000+09:00

Print

2013-04-26T06:17:00.000+09:00

"Japan’s got big problems and I wouldn’t go near their economy or their markets with a twenty foot pole, but that doesn’t mean they’re on the brink of insolvency. Saying something that silly might make people think you don’t even understand the most basic institutional structures of the way their monetary system is designed. As for the USA, it’s the same story, but that doesn’t stop the mainstream media and politicians from constantly talking about how we’ve “run out of money”. It’s absurd. And this conversation about whether we “have the money” should just stop. It’s time to get past the basics and move on to the real discussion – the quality and efficiency of spending, how it’s impacting living standards and is it causing inflation?

I mean, if you had a printing press in your basement would you worry about your credit card bills?"

Japan Isn’t Bankrupt - Pragmatic Capitalist

13 ways to improve your health

2013-04-25T09:56:00.001+09:00

1. Use butter. Stop eating margarine.

2. Avoid deep-fried foods unless prepared in heat-and oxidation-resistant more stable saturated fats like coconut, beef tallow or creamy lard.

3. Eat an orange; don’t drink orange juice.

4. Include fresh eggs for breakfast. Most of us need 30 grams of protein before noon.

5. Choose fresh eggs and whole raw milk from small producers as much as possible; avoid dried, powdered or pasteurized products that promote cellular rusting.

6. Stop using commercial vegetable oils, such as canola, soybean, and sunflower.

7. Have a glass of water first thing, but remember, there is no one formula for how much water we need daily.

8. If you supplement with one mineral, make it magnesium.

9. Eat fermented vegetables and old fashioned bone broths.

10. Walk – don’t run.

11. Eat red meat and juicy fatty pork.

12. Need to lose weight (burn fat)? The Atkins and/or Paleo approach to eating is based on the traditional nutrient-dense foods that kept our ancestors happy and healthy.

13. Learn more about tonic herbs.

13 ways to improve your health in 2013 - Diet Heart News

Hear hear

2013-04-24T06:00:00.000+09:00

"THE newly-elected Conservative MP for Totnes, Sarah Wollaston, entered Parliament with great gusto in May 2010. A doctor for 24 years, she had given little thought to politics until shortly before winning a surprise Tory ticket; she assumed she would be able to contribute to public health policy. But what she found in the House of Commons dismayed her. There was, it seemed, not much for an accomplished backbencher to do. Parliament’s arcane ways were another turn-off. “All that yah-boo stuff,” Dr Wollaston shudders. “Why is that any use to anybody?”

Like many Tory MPs newly elected in 2010—of whom there are 146 at present, fully 48% of the party’s total—she has since become disenchanted with a job once considered among the most prestigious in the land. Parachuted into politics, like most of her swollen intake, partly due to a mass exodus of MPs embroiled in a petty corruption scandal, she is acutely aware of the low esteem in which politicians are held. Many newcomers—though not Dr Wollaston, she protests—also resent the pay cut they took for the privilege of parliamentary office. This has made the government’s traditional disregard for backbenchers unusually hard to bear.

In an effort to mollify Dr Wollaston, party bosses offered her a junior, unpaid job in the government, which she huffily rebuffed. In an institution that prizes loyalty above usefulness, this was a serious blot. When she then criticised the government’s complicated NHS reforms and rebelled in a vote on Europe, the stain became ineradicable. Three years into her political career, she finds herself more or less written off by her bosses. She will never be allowed anywhere near health policy. “Maybe I was naive,” she laments. “But I thought the whole point of being an MP was to scrutinise legislation and improve it.”"

The dinosaur’s fresh meat - Bagehot

Mush mush

2013-04-23T06:16:00.000+09:00

"“Dogs will go from using their reserves -- to not -- in 48 hours,” Davis said. “They gain fitness that fast. Their response is to change their metabolism so they don’t use up their reserves anymore.”

“They don’t just continue to perform, they perform a lot better,” Davis said of dogs that run both races. “There’s a good argument that nothing prepares a dog better for a 1,000-mile race than a 1,000-mile race. They can do it indefinitely, as long as you have trail and they’ve got food. They get tired, but they don’t fatigue in the biochemical sense.”

The key to a sled dog’s endurance is its ability to get energy it can use immediately. Davis and others have found that dogs are much quicker than humans at moving energy to their muscles.

“The faster you can get stuff into a muscle cell, the faster you can use it,” Davis said. “They may get better at pulling fat out of the bloodstream on the fly.”

The key to this ability is in a sled dog’s “transporters” -- proteins that allow it to pull carbohydrates and fats through cell membranes and into muscle cells. The proteins we use for that job also exist in dogs, but Davis and other researchers found decreased numbers of the human-style transporters in dogs when the measurements showed the dogs were moving more fat."

What makes Iditarod dogs perfect endurance athletes? - Alaska Dispatch

Meet Todd

2013-04-22T06:39:00.000+09:00

Tellason Stories: Meet Todd from Vertical Online on Vimeo.

The connection from having built all my bicycles is what makes it hard for me to consider selling any one of them..

C27H46O

2013-04-19T06:55:00.000+09:00

"Here are six things that we need to know about cholesterol:

i) It is virtually impossible to explain how vital cholesterol is to the human body. If you had no cholesterol in your body you would be dead.

ii) Cholesterol is so vital to the body that our bodies make it. The body cannot risk leaving it to chance that we would get it externally from food or some other external factor – that’s how critical it is.

iii) There is no such thing as good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Cholesterol is cholesterol. The chemical formula for cholesterol is C27H46O. There is no good version or bad version of this formula. HDL is not even cholesterol, let alone good. LDL is not even cholesterol, let alone bad. HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein. LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein. (There are three other lipoproteins, by the way, chylomicrons, VLDL and IDL).

Fat and cholesterol are not water soluble so they need to be carried around the body in something to do their vital work. The carriers of such substances are called lipoproteins. We can think of lipoproteins as tiny ‘taxi cabs’ travelling round the blood stream acting as transporters. So, lipoproteins are carriers of cholesterol – oh – and triglyceride and phospholipids and protein. All lipoproteins carry all of these substances – just in different proportions. LDL would more accurately be called the carrier of fresh cholesterol and HDL would more accurately be called the carrier of recycled cholesterol.

iv) The standard blood cholesterol test does not measure LDL – it estimates it. The fasting blood cholesterol test can only measure total cholesterol and HDL.

v) Statins stop the body from producing the cholesterol that it is designed to produce. They literally stop one of our fundamental body processes from being able to function. The intelligent view on statins is that in the very limited arena where they appear to have some ‘benefit’ (men over 50 who have already had a heart attack), they ‘work’ by having anti-inflammatory properties and that the fact that they lower cholesterol (by stopping the body from being able to produce this vital substance) is a very unfortunate side effect. (Drug companies should work on developing something that has the anti-inflammatory benefit without this huge and damaging side effect – it’s called aspirin).

vi) “Cholesterol in food has no impact on cholesterol in the blood and we’ve known that all along.” Ancel Keys. Ancel Keys, the same man who did the brilliant Minnesota starvation experiment, spent the 1950’s trying to show that cholesterol in food was associated with cholesterol in the blood. He concluded unequivocally that there was not even an association, let alone a causation. He never deviated from this view.

We have got cholesterol completely wrong

"What the government advice should say is: The body makes cholesterol. The cholesterol you eat has no impact on the level of cholesterol in your blood.

So, cholesterol will remain the mass murderer for as long as statins are as lucrative as they are or until the public are enlightened and courageous enough to say no to doctors who try to put them on this medication.

Our global dietary advice was changed in 1977 in the US and 1983 in the UK as a result of a biased study of seven handpicked counties. Had the data been available for the 192 countries we can analyse now, or had Keys even considered all the data that was available to him at the time (for France etc), our conclusion may have been that we need to protect cholesterol levels in the body. We may have realised that the last thing we should be trying to do is lowering cholesterol – unless we’re trying to lower life expectancy for some reason."

Cholesterol & heart disease – there is a relationship, but it’s not what you think

Preaching to the choir here. I have high cholesterol. I exercise. A lot. And eat well. Bugs me all the time.

Freaks

2013-04-18T06:51:00.000+09:00

"If you know what your power values for different amounts of time are you can look at this chart (created by Andrew Coggan). This is the most widely accepted and referenced benchmark for power output based on rider category.

These power levels don’t necessarily go across in a straight a line. You’ll be stronger at somethings over others and most riders probably won’t be able to produce these wattages in all zones. For example, an 80kg rider would have to generate over 1900 watts to be a top sprinter according to this chart. Not likely. A guy like Cavendish is producing 22-23 watts/kg in all those sprints he’s been winning (he’s 70kg and laying down about 1500-1600watts) and that makes sense on this chart. However, he’s not in the 6′s in the other areas. Just remember that sprinting is just as much about tactics, timing, and strategy as it is about watts per kilo. A guy like Cav has all the technical abilities perfectly aligned with a powerful sprint. A rare combination.

To win the Tour de France you need to be able to hold 5.9 to 6.0 watts per kg for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, 3 to 4 times over the course of a 5 to 6 hour day in the mountains. Incredible freaks of nature."

JUST HOW GOOD ARE THESE GUYS? - Cycling Tips

Me? 3.26

SCARF

2013-04-17T06:06:00.000+09:00

Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness

"It’s really a summary of what motivates us, the things we feel most passionately about, both positively and negatively, that are driving our behavior all the time. They’re almost like the primary colors of intrinsic motivation.

So, simply put, the brain categorizes everything into one of two categories: threat or reward. We’re driven unconsciously to stay away from threat. We’re driven unconsciously to go toward reward. This decision about threat or reward happens five times every second. It’s very subtle. We’re making this decision about everything good or bad all the time.

There’s been a ton of research in the last 10 years or so that shows that things that create the strongest threats and rewards are social. And social threats and rewards activate what’s called the brain’s primary threat-and-reward center, which is actually the pain-and-pleasure center. This was a big surprise, to see that someone feeling left out of an activity, for example, would activate the same regions as if they had put their hand on a hot plate.

I think the domain where leaders can have the biggest impact is relatedness. Many people have had a boss they really wanted to work hard for because they respected them. It doesn’t have to be love, but it’s a sense of respect. And I think that those bosses have worked hard to have a sense of relatedness with people, which comes from having shared goals and making sure there’s a feeling of being on the same team, not a sense of “us” and “them."

A Boss’s Challenge: Have Everyone Join the ‘In’ Group - NYT

Furnace

2013-04-16T06:33:00.000+09:00

"The Volvo Ocean Race is a grueling eight-month offshore race that takes place every three years and tests the world’s best sailors physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is considered a major feat when one completes the entire thing and returns home in one piece and, at the age of 22, Rome was youngest sailor out of all six teams competing.

Recently, he wore a heart rate monitor for an entire day at the base (gym session and sailing) and burned upward of 9,000 calories. We joked that I should wear the monitor for an entire day at work – where I sit at a desk – and see if I burn a single calorie."

Living with a Metabolic Furnace