Quinnipiac River, New Haven, CT

#ct #connecticut #newhaven #quinnipiac

Cycling today.

No running today, but I cycled, c. 6.6 miles.
Here's my route:


I <3 LOVE <3 riding my bicycle!
Here it is:


It is a used Fuji hybrid (handlebar came from a Trek, though). I bought it used at The Devil's Gear for $300 in summer of 2011 (photo is from 2011, which is why it says "My New Bike", even though I've had it for nearly 2 years now). Now that I am without a car, that $300 is proving a very worthy investment.

I find I can get around the city faster on my bicycle that in a car, in most cases. Plus, of course, it's healthier.

There are many bike lanes and paths in my city. We need more bike racks, though. You can get around okay, but you can't always find somewhere to lock your bike. Also, they need to clean the broken glass and stuff out of the streets better/more often (and people need to litter less).

@Cyclists #cycling #newhaven #ct

tulips

@Photo Shooters

Monsanto OWNS Blackwater

Monsanto OWNS Blackwater

A report by Jeremy Scahill in The Nation (Blackwater’s Black Ops, 9/15/2010) revealed that the largest mercenary army in the world, Blackwater (now called Xe Services) clandestine intelligence services was sold to the multinational Monsanto.

#monsanto #blackwater #badnews

calories burned per pound per mile

I need a #physicist and/or a #physician here.
I want to be able to calculate #calories burned in a running #workout .
Now, there are all kinds of "calorie calculators" online, but I don't want to use those. I need to know what math they employ to derive their answers.
But searching online just keeps giving me these "calorie calculators".
No where am I finding a mathematical formula, which is what I was hoping to find.

If I try to work backwards from the answers they give me:
The three factors most commonly asked for are
My #weight: 145 lbs
Time: 30 mins
Activity: #running 10 min/mile
-----------------------------
Response: 330 calories

Seems to imply that moving 145 lbs 3 miles burns 330 calories,
thus, 110 calories/mile to move my carcass.
(actuall, I've lost c. 5lbs, and am now down to 140, but just working from past workouts).

I think this gives me 110/145=calories/pound/1mile
This gives me roughly 0.7586 calories/lb/mile

So, if I weighed, theoretically, 160 and ran 5 miles
0.7586X160X5, I burn 606.9 calories?
One of the online calorie calculators gives me 608, so I can't be too far off (-1.1 difference).

So I've come up with (for English measures, lbs., miles).
calsburned=`echo "0.7568 * $weight * $distance" | bc -l`

Because a #calorie is simply a measure of heat or kinetic energy, thus, work,
and, work, as I understand it (high school physics, my friends)
is a matter of moving a certain mass a certain distance.
My understanding is that the speed or time is irrelevant.
It shouldn't matter whether I walk or run.
(although, I'm aware that resistance/friction probably do have an influence).
Moving 145 lbs 1 mile, apparently expends 110 calories.
So why do they ask me my pace or the time in these calculators?
(of course, they didn't ask for distance, but with the time+pace, the math is simple).
Shouldn't they just ask for my weight and the distance?
These calculators seem to imply that if I were running faster or slower, that would make a difference,
but, I'm guessing that's because they don't ask for distance, and are calculating that with the time and pace data, as did I.

I'm looking to incorporate this as a feature in runlog, calculation of calories burned.
Now, since I allow the user to choose what units for distances, of course, I'm also going to have to get the math for calories per kg per km, or something, too (anyone?).

But anyone who knows this shite, does it look like I'm on the right track here?

@Runner #fitness #math

Congress = Monkeys

Psychology 101

If you start with a cage containing five #monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put the cold water away.

Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.

The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one.

The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team".

Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.

Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!

This, my friends, is how #Congress operates... and this is why, from time to time:

ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME!!!!