Since last winter I started using a gem of a gem called Active Admin (built by Greg Bell) to build out better-looking (and securely working) scaffolding for my Rails apps. However, it's an insult to call it "nice scaffolding" given it can do so much more to make your apps quickly powerful and empowering to your co-workers.

At my job, I've been using Heroku to deploy almost everything we've built and found Active Admin to be a little stubborn when pushing to Heroku (or maybe it's Heroku being stubborn to receive). This had to change or I was going to have to quit using one of my favorite pieces of code.

So, after working through the process of setting up Active Admin on Heroku (about 4 hours of haggling) I decided to document the process to make building faster. I first wrote a long-ass Gist (which does waaaay more than just Active Admin setup) that detailed every step necessary to get things working quickly. But even that process was still a bit laborious, so I whittled things down a bit more by building a Bootstrap Repo and Process that gets things working in about 5 or so steps.

As the code bases change, I'll try to update the Repo and Gist appropriately, but YMMV depending on what you're trying to do.

Relevant Links

• Rails
• Active Admin
• Heroku
• Rails, AA, Heroku Bootstrap Repo
• Rails, AA, Heroku Bootstrap Gist

How SMS messaging is changing the world (Infographic)

Though we think of texting as just as a means of day-to-day communication, it has been utilized in developing countries in a variety of ingenious ways to improve the lives of the people there. Surprisingly, cell phones in the developing world are both cheaper and more ubiquitous than many basic services we take for granted, such as brick-and-mortar banks and, in some countries, even electricity. Entrepreneurs and social activists alike have taken advantage of this fact in some incredible ways. This infographic details several of them.

 

http://bit.ly/mV9nXy

A number of folks know that I've been on a mission to reduce my weight. This objective was started on January 1, 2011, which was exactly 100 days prior to the day of this post.

This morning, I hopped on the scale and saw the magical number of 202, which was my goal weight reduction of 30 pounds from 232 when the New Year began.

So, regardless of my rock-star feeling for the goal accomplished, I wanted to tell folks how I did this, because I didn't do it alone.

1. I set a goal of losing 30 pounds by no particular date
2. I formed an accountability group with my brother (Georgia) and friend (DC) who both had the same goals that I did.
3. I began using a simple workout program that would require no more than 1 hour per session and only 3-4 sessions per week.
4. I decided to change my diet, but not my overall caloric intake

So, what did I specifically do for working out?

• I installed the Couch to 5K plan on my iPhone, hopped on a treadmill, and followed that plan no more than 3 times a week. I did a few weights when done, but nothing too intense.
• I set a timer on my computer to go off every 45 min. When it went off, I at least stood up and stretched for a bit.
• If I needed to go anywhere within a 15 min walk, I did so. I didn't drive or take the bus for quick trips.
• That's about it.

So, what did I do food-wise?

• I drastically reduced my beer consumption from multiple beers per sitting to only one. I bought the highest alchohol content beer on the menu and learned to sip.
• I drank at least 72 oz of water per day (using a 24oz Camelbak bottle)
• I made sure I never missed a meal to the point of feeling guilty about it.
• I ate some kind of eggs or meat within 30 min of waking up.
• I ate some kind of yogurt or cereal 30 min before going to bed.
• I did not count calories or fat grams. Instead, I counted sodium and aimed to reduce that as much as possible.
• I considered hunger an enemy. If my stomach wanted food, I ate a snack immediately.
• I only had larger meals with fist-sized portions. I quit finishing my wife's leftovers.
• I swore off pastries completely, but I still cheated on coffee frequently and beer on occasion.
• I swore off chips and salsa, almost as bad an indulgence as beer.
• I swore off fried foods, chips, and cookies.

So, what did I tend to eat specifically?

• Per week, I made two pans of quiche cups (a South Beach Diet thing) from this recipe and added some turkey sausage. 3 per day for breakfast.
• I bought a lot of greek yogurt for snacks
• I bought a lot of bananas and apples for snacks
• I bought raw almonds for snacks
• I bought unsalted peanut butter, fruit spread, and whole wheat bread for lunches
• I bought whole wheat tortillas, hummus spread, spinach, low fat swiss, and roast beef/turkey for lunches
• I bought some prepared meals with lower sodium counts and reasonable calories/fat for dinner. I ate only one recommended serving.
• I bought lots of broccoli and ate it for side dishes 75% of the time for dinner.
• I drank a half glass of Naked Green Machine or Odwalla Superfood for lunch
• I used a multi-vitamin pack from Costco (Kirkland) at lunch
• I switched to plain shredded wheat cereal, bananas, blueberries, and strawberries with skim milk (Lactaid) as snacks, not breakfast
• I started drinking a single Muscle Milk or Myoplex protein shake (full calorie) after workouts
• I did not quit coffee and half-and-half. One or two cups per day since the beginning.

So, what was the ultimate most important thing? Go back to the first two items above:

1) Set goals

• Lose 30 pounds
• Finish a 5K without walking (pending)
• Wear size 36 jeans again (might switch to 34)

2) Accountability Group (a.k.a Battle of the Bulge)

• For the AG, we used a private Facebook Group for photos, messages, and link sharing
• We took pictures of ourselves prior to each month
• We weighed in each week
• Every meal and snack had to have a picture taken of it (Flash Diet)
• Every meal, snack, or cheat had to be indicated Bf, Ln, Dn, Sn, or Ch
• If you didn't acknowledge a cheat, you got chastised
• If you skipped a meal, you got chastised
• If you ate like crap, you got chastised
• Basically, this process for every meal or snack made you think twice. That's the whole key.

This is what my weekly weigh-ins looked like:

Week 0: 232 (0)
Week 1: 229 (-3)
Week 2: 224 (-5)
Week 3: 218 (-6)
Week 4: 218 (0)
Week 5: 219 (+1)
Week 6: 213 (-6)
Week 7: 211 (-2)
Week 8: 209 (-2)
Week 9: 209 (0)
Week 10: 206 (-3)
Week 11: 206 (0)
Week 12: 206 (0)
Week 13: 204 (-2)
Week 14: 202 (-2)
---
Start: 232
Current: 202 (-30)
Goal: 202 (-30)
Remaining: 0

And finally, a thanks:

• Thanks to my love, Megan, for helping me with the meals and the constant encouragement
• Thanks to Jer and Kristin for the accountability 
• Thanks to Jimmy and Jennifer for the accountability
• Thanks to Christine for the accountability