Burzycki.org – The Photography and Technology of Brent Burzycki

My FitBit story……

I originally ordered my FitBit tracker in 2008 when it was first announced it shipped at the end of 2009 after almost a year of waiting. It was a very interesting year of updates from the company. It showed the entire process they went through from design to production.

Pretty much since then I have used it in some fashion almost daily and during that time it has helped me understand how and what I do as far as general daily activity and also sleep cycles.

In the last 4-6 months I purchased FitBit’s for my employees and now we are all using them to try to motivate us all to get in better shape. Since we started this it has changed how we all interact at work and also how we all feel daily. It has been an eye opening experience to see how health can affect all items in our lives.

Some quick words of warning on the units:

#1 – They do not like the washing machine

#2 – Take care where you leave it

#3 – Goals can become addictive

#4 – Keep in in a pocket or secured well or it will be missing

#5 – Carry it as a money clip and you will never forget it….

As of yesterday I am trying my best to put in days that look more like this:

I will admit 15K step days are not as easy as you might think if you are not usually up and about all day. I n my daily job I usually average 5000 or so steps. To add 5 to 10k to that daily takes a bit more devotion to the overall cause of fitness.

I highly suggest picking one up. If you use the link on this page you can get one for the normal price and help to support my site also. I will not lie it’s and affiliate link and I do get a bit of credit for it. That said I do not work for them or do anything but use the product daily since the first day it was out. I also do not shy away from being an affiliate for a company that has a great product.

I have purchased 6 of these so far with my own money because they are so good at motivating those I purchased them for to become more healthy. I have had the luck of being in decent shape for most of the life and that has been a hindrance in getting motivated to get in better shape as I get older. My FitBit and the friendly competition it has garnered between my peers has started to push me closer to my goal of being in the best shape of my life before 40.

Here are the details on the new FitBit Ultra…. PS: you can now put in a greeting message for what the FitBit will call you when you first pick it up… When I pick mine up it says: “Hi There Fat Ass” – and give me motivational reminders during the day to “move faster – FatAss” and other such tidbits…. You can choose the motivational name of your choice..Mine starts conversations and insults people that should not be picking it up….

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The Ultra contains an accelerometer like the one in the Wii, tracking your activity more accurately than old-fashioned pedometers, plus an altimeter for tracking stairs climbed.

ACTIVITY TRACKING

With you every step of the day

Fitbit makes every step you take a step toward better fitness, even on your busiest days. Fitbit Ultra’s super sensitive 3-D motion sensor tracks your day down to details a pedometer can’t catch, showing your exact steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. The new altimeter tracks floors climbed (new) so you can monitor this heart-healthy activity, encouraging you to take the stairs at home or work, or climb a little further on your next hike.

 

 

 

SLEEP TRACKING

Demystify your sleep cycle

We all know solid sleep is hugely important to well-being and weight loss. But until now the question has been: just how do you track sleep? The answer — the Fitbit Tracker. Slip your Tracker into the Fitbit sleep wristband before bed, and it will keep a watchful eye as you slumber. When your info uploads to Fitbit.com, you’ll see not only how long you sleep, but how well you sleep.

The Tracker monitors how many times and how long you wake up during the night. Over time, you can apply what you learn to better understanding what helps you sleep better.

 

 

 

DISPLAY

Check your progress

Check your real-time stats at any time with a quick glance at your Fitbit Ultra. Switch between steps, distance, calories burned, and floors climbed (new) with a single button. With every peek, you’ll get a little burst of motivation to fit in a few extra steps.

• Steps

• Distance

• Calories Burned

• Floors Climbed(new)

• Flower

• Clock(new)

• Stopwatch(new)

• Greeting(new)

• Chatter(new)

  Get fun messages to keep you moving, each time you pick up your Tracker.

  

WEARABLE

Tiny, comfortable, and discreet

Unlike bulky, awkward devices that all but scream, "Look at me, I’m on a diet," the Fitbit Tracker is light and small enough to wear all day without anyone knowing. In fact, it’s the smallest fitness tracker out there. Tuck it in your pocket, or clip it to your belt or bra, and you’re set.

• Pocket

  Clip your Tracker on your pocket for easy access throughout the day, or slip it inside for protection.

• Waist

• Bra

• Wrist (when sleeping)

  

STATS & GRAPHS

Free online tools

Your activity and sleep stats come to life on Fitbit.com, creating a visual map of your progress that gives you a clear picture of how you’re doing and where you’re headed. Use your custom dashboard to analyze your day and chart your progress over time. You can keep score with yourself and see how you compare to other people in your age and fitness range.

 

WIRELESS

Upload wirelessly

Your stats automatically upload to Fitbit.com whenever your Tracker is within about 15 feet of the base station plugged into you Mac or PC. There are no buttons to push, no data to enter, just your stats waiting for you to explore.

 

SOCIAL

Share with friends

Nothing motivates like a supportive community and a little healthy competition. On Fitbit.com you can share info with friends and create your own private groups with friends and family to set collaborative or competitive goals. You can also join public groups and forums to ask questions and get advice from thousands of people with similar fitness goals.

 

LOGGING

Log workouts and meals

Pack even more details into your data by logging individual foods and workouts from your smart phone or computer. Find specific foods in our database of over a 100,000 food items, and enter workout specifics from yoga, Pilates, elliptical workouts, boot camp, spinning, kickboxing, and even Wii games. You can also track your weight and other health indicators like blood pressure, glucose, and heart rate.

 

MOBILE

iPhone app & mobile site

Log workouts, food, water, weight and more with Fitbit’s free iPhone app or on our mobile website. Plus check your stats while you are on the go!

 

Plays well with others

Fitbit is a leading partner in the ever-growing nutrition and fitness app and website network. Fitbit.com makes it easy to sync your stats with other popular nutrition and fitness programs such as LoseIt!, RunKeeper, and Microsoft HealthVault. There are lots of great tools out there, the key is finding the combination that motivates you.

You’re just steps away from better fitness. Try Fitbit now.

Great app – especially if it is still free

Go grab it – works on most iPhones also…
Thanks to +Brad Moore and +Terry White for the heads up…

Reshared post from +Brad Moore

If you have an iPhone or iPad, stop whatever you’re doing right now and go download this free photo editing app, Snapseed – http://bit.ly/vnmkBG

It was named the iPad App Of The Year, but it works great on iPhone too. It’s normally around $5, but it’s free right now. I don’t know for how long, so grab it before the price goes back up!
Thanks +Terry White for the heads up!

Embedded Link

Snapseed for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Read reviews, get customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Snapseed on the App Store. Download Snapseed and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Google+: Reshared 3 times
Google+: View post on Google+

Great Read……The Lost Fleet Series

 

The Alliance woke Captain John "Black Jack" Geary from cryogenic sleep to take command of the fleet in the century-long conflict against the Syndicate Worlds. Now Fleet Admiral Geary’s victory has earned him the adoration of the people-and the enmity of politicians convinced that a living hero can be a very inconvenient thing.

Geary knows that members of the military high command and the government question his loyalty to the Alliance and fear his staging a coup-so he can’t help but wonder if the newly christened First Fleet is being deliberately sent to the far side of space on a suicide mission.

Reading: Alien Invasion: The Ultimate Survival Guide for the Ultimate Attack

What if there really are aliens and they do attack?  Read what two scientists reveal in this “how-to” survival manual for the space age. 

Alien invasion.  Unlikely? As unlikely as Pearl Harbor?  The extinction of the dinosaurs?  A meteor strike that levels whole forests in Siberia?  You get the drift.  Some events produce such a massive setback to life, the Earth and to humanity that we must understand and prepare for them, even if the chances are low that they’ll come about.  In fact, it will be criminal and abrogation of our duty to future generations if we do not get ready!  But where to begin?

Drs. Travis S. Taylor and Bob Boan have the answers.  Both are experienced scientists, physicists with expertise in both defense and military signal intelligence and experience working with both the Department of Defense and NASA.  These are intellectual heavyweights who have a clear idea of the possibilities of alien contact, the calculations of whether or not that contact will be friendly…and what to do if it’s not.

An amazing journey through what we do – and do not – know about how to defend ourselves from space.  Sure, that day may never come in our lifetimes – but everyone should have a copy of this lying around JUST IN CASE.  Heck, better yet, why not commit a few of these scientists solutions to memory! Just in case.

About Travis S. Taylor’s ground-breaking popular fiction:

“…explodes with inventive action…dazzling, cutting edge scientific possibilities…” – Publishers Weekly

About Alien Invasion:

“In a business that strictly separates technology and conjecture, this is a well considered, very comprehensive work. United States Space is a serious business, but what IF there is an external threat?”— Dr Byron Knight, NRO Chief Scientist, MASINT

“…the definitive book on the defense of earth against a potential alien incursion….the book also serves as an important primer on the potential future of warfare on every level. It is tightly grounded in current day realities of war and extrapolates thoughtfully but closely about future potentials. It should be on the reading list of anyone who is serious about national security and the future of war.” — John Ringo, New York Times best-selling author of military SF

“It looks like the time has come to take a serious look at planetary defense from all aspects. This book introduces the subject in a way to stir thoughtful and intelligent debate. Hats off to the authors.” — Gerald B. Helman, former US Ambassador to the UN Geneva and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs

About the Author

Dr. Bob Boan has been an active member of the space community for over a quarter of a century, with expertise in remote sensing and communication systems and concepts using both radio frequency and optical technologies. He has been involved in developing systems for civil, commercial and military applications. Dr. Boan has written poignant, critically acclaimed literary fiction such as Bobby becomes Bob, Twilight Times Books.

Amazing Woodworking Cabinet…..

Lamborghini Aventador