wrburgess notes http://wrburgess.com just a few words posterous.com Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:49:00 -0700 Repost: How SMS messaging is changing the world (Infographic) http://wrburgess.com/repost-how-sms-messaging-is-changing-the-worl http://wrburgess.com/repost-how-sms-messaging-is-changing-the-worl

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

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sat, 21 May 2011 12:20:56 -0700 Learning Rails @Kickstand Espresso http://wrburgess.com/learning-rails-kickstand-espresso http://wrburgess.com/learning-rails-kickstand-espresso

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:05:00 -0700 How I lost 30 pounds in 100 days in 2011 http://wrburgess.com/how-i-lost-30-pounds-in-100-days-in-2011 http://wrburgess.com/how-i-lost-30-pounds-in-100-days-in-2011

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

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:53:00 -0800 The power of the #hashtag http://wrburgess.com/the-power-of-the-hashtag http://wrburgess.com/the-power-of-the-hashtag
Keep your Twitter hashtag short (for quick typing and searching) and relevant. But most of all, ADVERTISE it!

Which isn’t to say there wasn’t any spikes; Twitter is most interested in the one that occurred at 8:38 p.m. ET. That’s when ABC (NYSE: DIS) actually displayed the #oscars hashtag during the telecast. Take heed, TV industry: “Even in a show as big as the Academy Awards, this technique—so simple, so low-tech—really works: put a hashtag on TV and people will start talking about it immediately.”

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-twitter-makes-its-oscar-impact/

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sun, 02 Jan 2011 14:32:00 -0800 Matt Mazur » I Eliminated the Free Plan from my Web App for a Month: Here’s What Happened. http://wrburgess.com/matt-mazur-i-eliminated-the-free-plan-from-my http://wrburgess.com/matt-mazur-i-eliminated-the-free-plan-from-my
Media_httpwwwmattmazu_bhppi
via mattmazur.com

Nice case study for a web-based app where a Freemium model was temporarily eliminated.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sun, 02 Jan 2011 09:14:00 -0800 100 Shocking Predictions For 2011 http://wrburgess.com/100-shocking-predictions-for-2011 http://wrburgess.com/100-shocking-predictions-for-2011
via businessinsider.com

Here are what I consider the most interesting "things to watch" from the JWT Agency 100 trends for 2011:

16. Buy One, Give One Away
17. CAPTCHA Advertising
22. Decline of the Cash Register
24. Detroit
26. Digital Etiquitte
27. Digital Indoor Maps
32. Entrepreneurial Journalism
35. F-Commerce
40. Group-Manipulated Pricing
42. Home Energy Monitors
47. Long-Form Content
49. mHealth
51. Micro-Businesses
53. Mobile-memes
56. Near-Field Communication
67. Personal Taste Graphs
75. Scanning Everything
76. Self-Powering Devices
78. Smart Infrastructure
79. Smartphone Cameras Take Over
81. Social Browsers Go Mainstream
82. Social Networking Surveillance
83. Social Objects
88. Tap-to-Pay
89. Tech Liaisons
93. Transmedia Producers
97. Video Calling
99. Voice-Activated Apps
100. YouTube the Broadcaster

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:31:23 -0800 Rainy, balmy final day of 2010 http://wrburgess.com/rainy-balmy-final-day-of-2010 http://wrburgess.com/rainy-balmy-final-day-of-2010

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Belmont CTA, Chicago 2010

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:10:00 -0800 NCAA denies playing favorites (in poor fashion) - ESPN http://wrburgess.com/ncaa-denies-playing-favorites-in-poor-fashion http://wrburgess.com/ncaa-denies-playing-favorites-in-poor-fashion
Any insinuation that revenue from bowl games in particular would influence NCAA decisions is absurd, because schools and conferences receive that revenue, not the NCAA
via sports.espn.go.com

Dear NCAA:

Just because you don't receive the money directly does not prevent the money from influencing the key managers of the institution.

You think we're all stupid. We get it...no need to get nervous and post a vague defensive statement about it.

-- rb

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:11:00 -0800 7 Things We Learned From 2010: Text is still the hottest ticket going | PCMech http://wrburgess.com/7-things-we-learned-from-2010-text-is-still-t http://wrburgess.com/7-things-we-learned-from-2010-text-is-still-t

The written word, and clear, concise transfer of information, will still win the profit battle in 2011 (and beyond) -- rb

CNN just released their 10 biggest tech ‘fails’ of 2010.

7. Text is still the hottest ticket going.

...

What’s the one thing you do on the internet more than anything else? Read. Every time you go online, you read something, be it from here, email, Wikipedia, social networks or otherwise. Reading is the thing you do the most online.

Reading has everything to do with text. With this text there are also many opportunities to participate with your own text, such as with blog comments, email, social networking, forums/message boards, chat rooms and so on.

I don’t predict things very often, but I’m betting you’ll see a lot less photos and videos online in 2011. It’s not that people are sick of it, it’s that the cost from the service provider’s side is too high and doesn’t result in any decent profit. YouTube to date has not netted dollar one; that’s a fact. Photo sites like Flickr also haven’t exactly gone gangbusters in the profit department. Blogs and social networks on the other hand continue to rise, and the vast majority of  that content is – you guessed it – text.

From an internet money-making perspective, which a lot of you are interested in, stick to text-based mediums. It costs the least to produce and has the highest chance of turning a profit. Email newsletters work. Blogs work. Social networking to promote products and services work. Photo and video? They serve nicely as a value-add, but the core content should be text first and always.

via pcmech.com

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sun, 12 Dec 2010 07:51:12 -0800 Weird Starbucks http://wrburgess.com/weird-starbucks http://wrburgess.com/weird-starbucks

P141 P143
See the full gallery on Posterous

I don't think the downtown Battle Creek Starbucks sells much whole bean coffee. Sheesh.

Add to that 7-noon weekend hours.

Nice staff, tho.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:45:00 -0800 Delany stands up for Big Ten's Rose access - Big Ten Blog - ESPN http://wrburgess.com/delany-stands-up-for-big-tens-rose-access-big http://wrburgess.com/delany-stands-up-for-big-tens-rose-access-big
For once, I actually agree with Jim Delany on something (about previous investment meaning something), although I think he's missing the whole concept of capitalism and the benefits of new product offerings (rise of Boise State and ratings) for the market he's in. You have to leave some carrots out for the new products to chase after. One thing I don't get, though, is this Big Ten fascination with the Rose Bowl. It's the match-up and implications that should matter (Super Bowl, BCS Championship, etc) not the location of the game. Otherwise, the Rose Bowl is just an over-hyped exhibition game typically pitting together above-average teams from a small pool (21) of schools. Who cares about winning the Rose Bowl when the big game is played the next week?

 


Delany: "The notion that over time by putting political pressure on, it's just going to get greater access, more financial reward and more access to the Rose Bowl, I think you're really testing. I think people who have contributed a lot have, what I call, 'BCS defense fatigue.' If you think you can continue to push for more money, more access to the Rose Bowl, or Sugar Bowl. I have tremendous respect for Boise and TCU. ... I think they are tremendous teams that can beat any team in the country on a given day. I think the only question is, 'Does one team's 12-0 and another team's 12-0 equate?' And that's where the discussion plays out, not whether or not they're elite teams or deserving access to the bowl system. I'm not sure how much more give there is in the system."
via espn.go.com

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:55:03 -0800 Sweet Ale in Chicago http://wrburgess.com/sweet-ale-in-chicago http://wrburgess.com/sweet-ale-in-chicago

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Part of a gift Beer of the Month Club. Couldn't actually get it in Georgia last visit...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Tue, 07 Dec 2010 06:14:20 -0800 Chicago is hot! http://wrburgess.com/chicago-is-hot http://wrburgess.com/chicago-is-hot

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sat, 04 Dec 2010 07:59:17 -0800 First Snow of the Winter http://wrburgess.com/first-snow-of-the-winter http://wrburgess.com/first-snow-of-the-winter

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:39:00 -0800 Atlanta unveils downtown site for college football Hall of Fame - College Football News | FOX Sports on MSN http://wrburgess.com/atlanta-unveils-downtown-site-for-college-foo http://wrburgess.com/atlanta-unveils-downtown-site-for-college-foo
Media_httpstaticfoxsp_sibyn
via msn.foxsports.com

The College Football Hall of Fame relocating to Olympic Park in Atlanta. This looks pretty cool.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:37:00 -0800 The ‘Rink at Wrigley’ returns http://wrburgess.com/the-rink-at-wrigley-returns http://wrburgess.com/the-rink-at-wrigley-returns
Media_httpwwwchicagon_fvibc
via chicagonow.com

We didn't use the Wrigley Rink last year, but in plans for our expected budgeting and my need to exercise the legs more, I think we'll be visiting this a few times!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:54:00 -0800 On the 17th anniversary of the Jaguars, I thought this was an appropriate video. - Big Cat Country http://wrburgess.com/on-the-17th-anniversary-of-the-jaguars-i-thou http://wrburgess.com/on-the-17th-anniversary-of-the-jaguars-i-thou
via bigcatcountry.com

I soooo remember this day. We all thought Jacksonville was the next Atlanta back then.

And thus began my following a team that people forget remains in the NFL half the time.

Still, GO JAGS!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:19:48 -0800 New Hat http://wrburgess.com/new-hat-0 http://wrburgess.com/new-hat-0

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Red & Black Friday

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:03:40 -0800 St. Simons Casino Rockers http://wrburgess.com/st-simons-casino-rockers http://wrburgess.com/st-simons-casino-rockers

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:01:46 -0800 She-crab soup and veggies http://wrburgess.com/she-crab-soup-and-veggies http://wrburgess.com/she-crab-soup-and-veggies

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Barbara Jean's

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/864442/wrburgess_casual_work.png http://posterous.com/users/37lrrsEI6TC1 Randy Burgess wrburgess Randy Burgess