Why take art classes?

July 2nd, 2010 § 0

I’ve been asked this a lot recently, I’m going to get all serious and philosophical to explain it :)

The short version – I have found that as you develop new skills and knowledge, your perception of the world around you changes and improves. And that’s what I’m striving for – an increased perception of the world around me – I want to see more and better, I don’t want to be blind.

The long version…

As a software engineer, when I use an application I can infer how it was built and how it works, what limits the designers and engineers had to work around, and the influence from other applications. I can appreciate the work that went into good applications, or the lack of work that went into bad. If I didn’t know how applications were created then I wouldn’t have such insight – I’d just know whether I liked it or not. But it’s not limited to just appreciation, but also the skill to be able to do it yourself…to know how you would start, how you would finish, and how to get from the start to the finish.

This same increased perception applies to everything – sports, dance, music, art, literature, engineering, etc. For me, I’ve always been interested in technical subjects, and I’ve tried my hand at many sports. I’ve read many books (but I’ve yet to write one), and I’ve tried playing an instrument. But my last attempts at art were a very long time ago, and I wanted to have that experience again as an adult. Figure drawing is just the start…other classes offered include portrait drawing, still life, and abstract drawing (capturing the essence of the subject).

That’s why I’m taking art classes – I want to learn to see how an artist sees. To be able to look at something and know how to capture the tones and shapes and life of the subject on paper, as well as understand the works of others.

This also means eventually I’ll have to tackle my lack of musical and dance abilities…but that’s for another time!

An Annoyingly Efficient Relevancy Engine

July 1st, 2010 § 0

From Rands in Repose, the classic article The Nerd Handbook says:

Your nerd’s insatiable quest for information and The High has tweaked his brain in an interesting way. For any given piece of incoming information, your nerd is making a lightning fast assessment: relevant or not relevant? Relevance means that the incoming information fits into the system of things your nerd currently cares about.

I find myself doing this a lot. The distinction between nerds and normals can be striking, and to me this is the most painful difference in communication. Normals will include so much irrelevant information in their conversation it becomes mind-numbing. I know that they think they’re including relevant information, and to them these are important details, but when reduced to actionable items and related facts it is just static.

I’ve found this challenge goes in both directions too – when asked “How was your day?” or “Did you have a good at work?” they expect a detailed, blow-by-blow replay of everything that happened that day. Maybe I’m missing some gene, or my brain is wired differently, or I just don’t care that much, but do I really need to replay my daily life to you as a soap opera?

How do you compromise? Is there a polite way to say “get to the point” in a conversation? Is there a minimum response to “How was your day?” that’s more than saying “just another day at the office”? Perhaps there’s a way of explaining I just want the facts, please, and it’s not you but it’s me that’s different.

Why I Like Crossfit

June 30th, 2010 § 0

I’ve been doing Crossfit for a year now, and though I don’t proselytize I do share when people ask. Recently there was an email thread at the office where I had the opportunity to share.

The discussion started with someone’s quick & dirty response to the question “What is Crossfit”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfit#Criticism

But that isn’t really helpful, I can say the same criticisms about any other activity or sport. Heck, programmers get injured (RSI) and all they do is sit indoors & type!

Another comment was:

You could also have gotten good improvements with many different
exercise programs and likely at lower expense. Chi running, total
immersion swimming, or in this case crossfit don’t have a monopoly on
the basic ideas of exercise physiology.

OK, now I had to do some educating. I’ve done all three programs (Chi Running, Total Immersion Swimming, Crossfit) and they’ve helped me out a lot.

Without further ado, here is my Crossfit testimonial

Some of us are stupid and need to be taught how to do things correctly :)

I needed Total Immersion to teach me how to swim better. I could have gotten the same results from a master’s swim class, but the book was a lot cheaper. My running form was crap, I had no clue that there was actually “running technique” until I started reading about Chi/POSE (again, the book was pretty cheap). I went from no running for >5yrs to completing a marathon & racing a 21min 5k in 4 months (and I lost 40lbs!). My previous attempts at running all resulted in debilitating shin pain.

I had been doing weight machines and using the elliptical at the gym and making OK progress. Now with Crossfit, at $10 per class, I’m tons stronger & fitter than I ever was at the gym. I’m undisciplined, and won’t do hard workouts on my own. Spinning class was awesome at the gym, but that’s more expensive than crossfit. The personal trainers at the gym are all a joke, and they’re more expensive than crossfit. I like crossfit b/c someone else takes care of the programming for me – I just show up & do what they tell me for an hour. They make sure my technique is safe & correct and the group env insures that I don’t quit or slack off.

I also wanted to learn how to lift barbells (Olympic Lifting). I could have followed the articles in Muscle and Fitness (bad idea!). I could have bought Starting Strength (I did, great book!), instead I’m being coached every day for $10/hour. That sounds like an awesome deal to me, and my coach’s certifications are:

  • CrossFit Coach
  • National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT)
  • USAW certified Olympic weightlifting coach
  • Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Certified
  • Navy SEAL veteran
  • Over 20 years of coaching experience

You can even do Crossfit on your own (all the workouts & demo videos & forums are online and free!).

No, those trademarked businesses don’t have a monopoly, and with enough research and experience you can achieve the same on your own. There are many free resources for marathon training online (I used them), there are free forums for strength training, and just about every other activity. But I’m lazy, and I don’t want to get a second degree in physiology, so I try different programs and do what works.

I’m not saying that you or everyone needs to do Total Immersion/Chi/POSE/Crossfit, but they are great programs (solutions?) for some of us, and shouldn’t be dismissed b/c someone may be profiting from them.

My SIFF favorites from 2010

June 30th, 2010 § 0

25 Random Things About Me

June 28th, 2010 § 1

Following the Facebook meme (aka chain-letter), here’s 25 random things about me:

  1. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I finally got the months of the year in the correct order – “March, April, May”, NOT “April, March, May”.
  2. I still don’t know which months have 30 or 31 days.
  3. I was legally deaf until age 4.
  4. As a result of not being able to hear, my speech development was delayed and I rode the short bus to a special-ed pre-school with all the other retarded kids.
  5. I still stutter when I get excited.
  6. I had 9 surgeries over 9 years to correct my hearing, culminating in a muscle graft to rebuild my right ear drum which involved almost fully detaching my right ear during the operation.
  7. The scented knock-out gas used for surgery smells exactly like the artificial scent from my sister’s “Strawberry Shortcake” dolls. It also resulted in some of my weirdest dreams.
  8. I never dated until college.
  9. I picked Spanish as a foreign language in school because it’s easy to learn. After 6 years of study I still sucked at it.
  10. I was “the short, fat kid” when I walked onto the UW Rowing team. Of the 120ppl who tried out I made the final cut of 26ppl and ultimately was the 6th strongest rower on the team.
  11. I once tried playing Underwater Hockey.
  12. I aced my high school calculus class and AP exam without a graphing calculator.
  13. I’ve lived in winter temps of -60F (Fairbanks, AK) and summer temps of 120F (Phoenix, AZ).
  14. I’ve climbed Mt. Rainier but have never hiked Mt. Si.
  15. During a high school field trip I was one of the student drivers and raced the other student driver while on I-5, hitting speeds of 105MPH in my minivan before the teachers caught us. (I won, btw)
  16. I won a school district art award for a watercolor painting in 2nd grade.
  17. Most everything I know about computers I’ve learned by breaking them first and then frantically trying to fix them before anyone noticed.
  18. I didn’t “discover” music until college. During high school I only owned two cassettes – The Beatles and Two Live Jews.
  19. I played the violin in school, grades 6-8, I was not very good. If I was musically talented then I would play the fiddle, banjo, guitar, piano, and bagpipes.
  20. My greatest fear is being blind.
  21. I can’t detect the smell of (the additive in) natural gas nor marijuana smoke.
  22. I’ve never done drugs. (marijuana, acid, mushrooms, ecstasy, etc)
  23. BMI charts don’t fit me – they all say my max weight should be 180lbs. I was 180lbs when I was 14.
  24. I can’t remember the last time I had a bath. (Yes, I still shower every day!)
  25. I have above-average night vision.