a personal technology profile

Last updated: 6/11/2009

My resume documents many of the technologies I have worked with professionally, but provides just a few personal aspects. This page sheds some light on the more personal side of my passion with technology with a touch on the professional side.

In my twenty plus years as a software developer, I have used and have been (and still am) willing to work with a wide variety of technologies. My home network, mentioned on my resume, is an example of this. I have Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. The Linux systems I have are primarily used for servers, though I have used and am open to using them as desktop systems. I do not use desktop Linux as much now simply because I have a better Unix-based desktop in my Mac OS X laptops. I use both my OS X and Windows laptops on a daily basis depending on what I am working on at the moment. This message was composed on the Mac, though it could just as easily have been on the Windows laptop. I am very comfortable with and enjoy using both systems.

After twenty-plus years as a software developer, basically living at a desk, I am not in the physical shape I would like to be.  I recently came across a program that can help to correct this problem.  It is the “Couch to 5K” program from the Cool Running web site.  As the name suggests, it is designed to help you go from the couch to running 5K (3 miles) in just over two months.  In spite of where I am starting from, an almost completely sedentary lifestyle, the level of progress shown in the scheduled should be doable, I hope.  I will try to log my progress through the program.  Someday in the future, I hope to be able to look back on this and marvel at how far I’ve come.  I hope to be about sixty pounds lighter by then, too.  It’s good to set goals.  Of course, there is a lot of work between now and then. For others looking to start a similar program, another good resource is the C25K web site.  There is a forum for commiseration and progress tracking.  The main C25K page also lists some good resources like podcasts to use during the workout.  They provide a way to signal you when to change pace.  There are also some running tools, info, and what to do after the 5K.

The C25K program consists of three workouts per week for nine weeks.  This is the results of the first workout, week one, day one. Program:  Brisk five-minute warmup walk.  Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.  Brisk five-minute cool-down walk. Results: Yeah!  I completed the first workout.  My pace was slower than prescribed.  I did more of a slow walk than a brisk walk and my fastest run was about 6 mph.  I ended the workout just under a mile at 0.95.  My breathing was heavy, though not overly strained.  My heart rate was good, above the threshold and comfortably below the maximum.  The biggest problem I had was with my achilles tendon, from just above my ankle to just below the calf muscle.  It began to burn during the jog segments of the second half of the intervals.  As a result, after 30-40 seconds of jogging, when the burn got too intense, I reduced speed to a walk early.  But, I still managed to finish the program. To avoid worrying about traffic and possibly collapsing too far from home, I ran barefoot on the treadmill in my basement.  For timing, I used Robert Ullrey’s podcast, played with the Routine Timer iPhone app, and kept an eye on the treadmill timer. A contributing factor to the achilles burn may be that I forgot to stretch before the workout.  When I stretched afterwards, the achilles did not hurt.  So, it should be okay going forward.  I suspect the achilles burn is from running barefoot and landing mid-foot instead of using the heel-strike common when running while wearing shoes.  I think the achilles burn may be overcome more easily than the shin splints of heel striking, at least I hope so. Overall, it was good first workout.  But, as a geek making a change from nothing to something, I almost wish there was a week zero to get started more easily.  It’s all uphill from here; should be good.

In a probably not unusual manner, my website has evolved through a progression of technologies.  After working my way through plain HTML, PHP, and a PHP framework (Kohana), perhaps it is time to try some blogging software, in this case, WordPress.  I have written articles/posts using the other mechanisms, but this will allow for writing more text instead of code.  Let’s see how this experiment unfolds.

This blog is to provide a place for me to document some of my thoughts, ideas, and hopefully helpful hints.

More about me: Tech And I