New Accelerometer Designed
HP has developed an accelerometer that can detect a change in movement equivilent to less than one-billionth the width of a human hair. The iPhone has accelerometers and so does my watch. The accelerometer in my watch tells me how far I run. It's a great solution despite any imprecision. Using GPS or a foot pod to track your mileage adds quite a bit to the price of an already pricey running watch and obviously some extra weight.
From Wikipedia:
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, the acceleration experienced relative to freefall.
Single- and multi-axis models are available to detect magnitude and direction of the acceleration as a vector quantity, and can be used to sense orientation, vibration and shock. Micromachined accelerometers are increasingly present in portable electronic devices and video game controllers, to detect the orientation of the device or provide for game input.
Kelly’s Running Warehouse
Last night I bought a pair of shoes from Kelly's Running Warehouse. I wanted to contact them because often when I buy products in Korea with a credit card it sets off a fraud alert either at my bank or the processing company.
Kelly's Running Warehouse is actually owned by Road Runner Sports. The same shoes at a discount and none of this VIP subscriptions crap to get a lower price.
Trail Leader Pro
I'm buying a new running watch for Christmas. I've always thought this sort of technology is gimmicky but what sealed the deal was the absence of a foot pod to track mileage.
Over the years I've really wanted temperature and barometer readings in the winter and the altimeter will be useful for hiking.
Trail Leader Pro Features
- Highly Accurate Accelerometer-based Exercise Mode(speed, distance, calories, steps, pace measurement)
- Time
- Weather Forecast
- Alarm
- Chronograph
- Count Down Timer
- Pacer
- Temperature
- Altimeter
- Barometer
- Digital Compass
- 2.4GHz Heart Rate Measurement
- PC Link Capability
The Red Face
Running outside in the winter can be challenging because of snow, ice, extreme temperatures, and wind chill. Fortunately this year I won't be far from a heated building. At MSU the temperatures in winter were usually around 10 to 20 degrees at the height of winter. It's quite an epic challenge to run in temperatures such as that and with the gear I'll be purchasing it probably would be more enjoyable now.
The wind speed is much greater at Jinnam because its higher than the city so with that in mind I set out to buy a Gore-Tex shell and pants. Unfortunately there isn't much selection locally and I needed wind proof yesterday. I settled on a shell from a company that produces a similar shell with a membrane that keeps out the water and wind and allows the moisture to escape. The temperature was 40 degrees today and the shell felt quite cozy.
When you pay a premium for such a small amount of fabric you must repeat these words over and over again to stem buyer's remorse: it's the technology, stupid. A good jacket is a real necessity because I bike to work. Oh wait, I don't bike. The bike is broken.
Obviously the name of this company is a take off of The North Face. For those who aren't familiar North Face makes performance gear. Dean Karnazes is one of the athletes sponsored by NF. Their jackets and winter ware are popular on MSU's campus.
Is The Red Face konglish? Well, having a red face in the winter could be the first sign of frostbite. They clearly beat Russia to the use of this name.
The shell is red but my camera can't capture the brilliant colors correctly so it may be a while until I have a respectable photo.
Next on the list: Pants and gloves.
RoadRunner Sports
I have about a million old pairs of Asic's Evolution model. A few pairs have been thrown out but the rest are kept in tow as a matter of pride. You're a serious runner when you can wear out a pair of shoes in a few months.
Obviously runners are a different breed of shoe buyer and by large will continue to buy same shoe that works for them, but Asics will release a new color scheme so that they can move the price of the shoe over $100 again. I would prefer if they let me pick the color. There's an iphone app for that purpose that allows one to customize the color scheme of certain Nike shoes.
I placed an order and decided to also order some running undergarments. Because of agreements Road Runner Sports (RRS) has made with Asics it can't ship them to Korea. The Asics here are a lot more expensive than in the states. Prices in the states go up and down with the shoe cycle but prices here remain much the same.
RRS sends me an email saying that one of my items is on backorder and won't be shipped until January 2010. Unfortunately my parents have already received the package and reshipped it to Korea.
Normally notifying someone that all the items of their order didn't ship until after they receive the package might be a little awkward for a company. That's not the case with Road Runner Sports. They handle these sort of things with the subtlety of a running promotion...
Unfortunately Zappos won't sell their shoes at the prices that RRS will. So RRS, we're still living together, but would it hurt to pick up those dirty clothes you leave all over the floor?
It was a perfect day for a run
It was a perfect day for a run. The leaves are changing color and the preeminence of the sun is waning, giving way to cool gusty breezes that propose fall is near. I ran for about 5 hours this afternoon. Initially I wasn't sure that it would be possible. The most that I have run in Korea is around 3 hours.
A quick trip to the local mart yielded about 15 small Powerade cans. And all the usual items were packed such as tums, tooth brush and tooth paste, floss, vaseline, sunglasses, and sunscreen. I started at 2:PM so I felt the transition from day to night. My body doesn't feel burned out and the pain compared to my last run is much less because of the amount of vaseline used to prevent chaffing.
This is in preparation for running the length of the I&M Canal. At a little over 60 miles it's part of Ottawa's link to the past and my favorite running trail. More on that later.
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News from Korea
- Kim Jong Il Bowls for Murdoch Dollars With Video Games Made in North Korea - Bloomberg
- South Korea's Foreign Minister Offers to Quit - Wall Street Journal
- Tropical Storm Malou Churns Toward South Korea as Typhoon Warning Issued - Bloomberg
- SA women all set for Korea - SPORT24
- Korea Won Gains as US Jobs Data Supports Exports; Bonds Fall - BusinessWeek
Yeosu Current Temperature
75°F