Jarrett Interaction Design

My favorite sites for following election results are the NY Times and Electoral-vote.com. Enjoy!

It was a nice Halloween evening, if a bit chilly.  I’ve got to share the most surreal moment of the evening:

An 8-year-old Grim Reaper with a plastic scythe chasing an 8-year-old Michael Jackson with a single sequined glove.

It was completely unscripted, just a group of kids playing at the neighborhood Halloween parade.

Well, I’ve got to quit running for a while. I’ve hurt my hip. I did all the things you’re not supposed to do: new running shoes, different surface + double-length run while on vacation, running again too soon after noticing the pain.

The symptoms seem to point to hip bursitis, which should go away with rest. I should also build lower back strength to prevent its return. So, I’ll wait a week to run again and see how it goes, then build up slowly.

UPDATE: One week later, I’m still healing but I was able to run yesterday. Over the weekend I insulated the crawl space under our kitchen.  In the contortions to work in that small space, I must have done something to reverse some of the cause of the pain – the hip pain went entirely away. That was the reason I was willing to try to run at all. Odd, eh?

UPDATE 2: Unfortunately, my hip is hurting again. Darn, I may have to go see a doctor.

Just finished the audio version of The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution by David Stipp, and it is very exciting and thought provoking.  In science-bio-journalistic style (like James Gleick in Chaos etc.), Stipp covers the science – and pseudo science – of anti-aging.

In the last 20-30 years, we’ve come to the cusp of developing medicines that can slow the effects and diseases of aging in a general and broad sense, rather than tackling individual diseases and symptoms. The compounds hold the promise to extend maximum lifespan by double-digit percentages while greatly increasing the healthy portion of that lifespan – and “compressing morbidity” toward the end of life. In other words, long, healthy lives, where we drop dead quickly near at the end. And these could be available to many of the people alive today – this is a 20-30 year window, not a century.

Stipp is an aging baby-boomer who does his research and brings a healthy dose of skepticism to the investigation and discussion. He wants to find this elixir for himself – and to address many of the ills of the world. But he is not yet convinced that the science has shown which dosages and combinations will have real (vs placebo) impact without deleterious side effects.

I personally want to live to be 120 with at least 119 of those years being healthy and active. A combination of these drugs and some bionic pieces (for my eyes) hold the promise that I might actually achieve this. Let’s hope the potable water holds out that long.

(cross-posted from my LinkedIn Reading List)

I ran 5.8 miles in 56 minutes today. I was on the treadmill, listening to my tunes, and I just decided to keep running without looking at the clock. Matt told me that runner’s high kicks in around 40-45 minutes; I don’t know if I had that, but I definitely felt I could have kept running some more if I didn’t have to go back to work.

I’m now consistently running the 3.5 miles of my outdoor route at home without stopping, and shaving time off my pace. With the treadmill, I’m adding a hill program or running faster occasionally. As long as I run four days a week, and I don’t skip two days in a row, I make steady progress. I’ve also lost more than 10 pounds in the last five weeks – in addition to running, I’m eating and drinking much less.

I still don’t like running, but I no longer dread it, and I’m really proud after I’ve done it.

Oh, and I retired my first pair of running shoes – after 452 miles over the last two years – and bought a new pair. I’m running about 15 miles a week right now. If I keep it up, I should retire this pair in about six months. Wish me luck!