300k Miles!

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/n2eXg)
So this morning I hit 300k miles in my 1993 Honda Accord SE! I've owned my car since 1999 and I got it with 78k miles on it. So I've driven it an average of 22,200 miles a year. At my current miles per gallon of 25 at the current gas prices I would have spent over $1580 a year or $15,800 over the last 10 years. I could have bought a new car :) I had my Flip Video MinoHD (that Carla got me for my birthday. Thanks beautiful!) with me so a captured the moment of going from 299,999 to 300,000. A momentous occasion I'm sure.



Like I mentioned in the video I've had a great time driving my little Honda. Maybe I'll get another 100k our of it!


Yes it is dusty :) I haven't cleaned in awhile.

Why do I use linux? Top 5 Reasons.

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/oPy7n)
I was inspired by a blog post about "Why Do You Use Linux" to post why I use Linux and I wanted to post how I use one of the best operating systems out there as well. First off if you are not familiar of what Linux is you can read up about it at wikipedia, but basically it is an operating system like Windows and Mac OSX that allows you to interface with the hardware and software on your computer system. Each operating system has its pluses and minuses. I'll give you my take on what those are bust first I'll give you some background.

I've been using Linux since around 1999 for both personal and professional reasons. I've always liked to tinker with computers as it is more than just a job for me. It's fun. What isn't fun is having to reboot every 10 minutes and having no clue why something like that is happening. It's like having a car that is sputtering smoke and your not allowed to look under the hood. Fortunately in Linux everything is available under the hood. File locked? check it with lsof, network slow? view all the traffic with wireshark, running out of memory? use free or a large amount of other free and open source software that is at your disposal. So here are the main reasons why I use Linux:

1. Freedom: no vendor lock-in, open source code


2. Stability: I have client servers that have been running for over a year. 'nuff said


3. Security: never have to worry about virus' again, plus built from the ground up to be a secure OS


4. Efficiency: Can run on small devices (Kindle anyone?) as well as a full desktop PC or server


5. Choice: I'm not forced into candy XP, glassy Vista or keechy OSX I have a multitude of choices from KDE, Gnome, XFCE, e17 and more great desktop environments. Not to mention the thousands of other programs I can use.



And those are just 5 of the reasons of why I use Linux. If you want to try this out you can download a "Live CD" that allows you to boot from a CD to run Linux and not touch mess with the system you are on right now, but I must warn you you might be tempted to click on the install now button because it is nice!

I'll write another post on How I use Linux, but this should get anyone who has not heard of Linux interested.

Until next time. Linux on!

P90X: Take 3

(My Original Blog Post: http://jheslop.com/2009/03/02/p90x-take-3/)
So this is my 3rd time through P90X and I'm ashamed to say that this time around has been no better than the past two. Life gets in the way and I end up missing a week and then fizzle out. However I am determined to get back on the horse and hammer out the rest of the 60 days I have left. The hardest part is finding the time between the wife and kids to do an hour workout via DVD every day.

All that said I love P90X! It has to be the best workout program I have ever done. Click on the image to see all the reviews at amazon as that helped me in determining which program to go with.



One of the best parts of P90X is the music and Tony talking you through every step. It makes the workout fly by and you don;t have to focus as much on how bad it hurts. Just power through and X it.

I have a found a few resources to help out with making it easier to keep track of things. Here is a P90X Spreadsheet to keep track of progress which has has all the pre/post test info you can put in as well. My good friend Matt has a blog post about P90X that outlines all of the extras he bought for using the program. I ended up just purchasing basic dumbbells from Wal-mart and a yoga block (needed because I'm not flexible at all!). If you have any questions about what I use or getting started leave a comment and I'll respond back to you. Good luck with getting in shape and not fizzling out like me :)