Daily Archives: June 23, 2006

A Brief History of Galactic Real Estate

rockyplanet.jpgWorld-renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking told a news conference in Tokyo last week the human race needs to “spread out into space for the survival of the species,” claiming “life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.”

Trouble is, according to Hawking, “we won’t find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system.”

The Galactic Real Estate Listings are pretty slim so far–the closest prospect is 40 light years away, and according to various studies, our pale blue dot may be pretty special after all.

Phil’s been nagging us to use the Future Prediction Website. I posted one, but Ning is apparantly out painting the town tonight.

Rest assured, Professor Hawking, the human race will find a way to avert self destruction and global/astronomical catastrophe. None of the dire predictions about the demise of our civilization, our species and our planet have materialized so far, because we keep adapting and getting “better all the time.”

We have a lot of work to do, but this is not a bad neighborhood.

Maybe we should remodel instead of moving.

It's a New Phil, Week 25

No big news to add after the excitement earlier this week. My weight is holding steady at 246 pounds for a total weight less of 51 pounds!

Stephen requested a recap of my methodology and progress.

I started out in January following a strict point system formula based on the Weight Watchers program. This was highly effective, although I quickly found calculating points to be needlessly complex and time-consuming. I switched over to counting calories in February and, over a period of weeks, came upon roughly 2200 calories per day as the optimual trade-off between amount of food consumed and continuing to lose weight. Slowly. In April, I quit counting calories in a formal way and simply tried to match my eating patterns to what had provided success up to that point.

In January, I also started walking on a treadmill every day or riding my bike when weather permitted. I would go a couple or three miles on the treadmill. Since spring, I have put the treadmill in the garage and now spend a lot more time on the bike. I go for one to two hours — anywhere from 10 to 25 miles depending on the terrain. It’s a mountain bike. I prefer the unpaved trials — which means I don’t go as fast (or far) as some.

Additionally, in March I began working on developing a new workout routine based on an older one I did a few years ago using a sledge hammer and, initially, a couple of chairs — but I now use footstools at my wife’s urging. I do intend to disclose the details on it fully at some future date. It promises to have a huge impact on the world.

Here’s a visual representation of the first 25 weeks of the program:

It’s a New Phil, Week 25

No big news to add after the excitement earlier this week. My weight is holding steady at 246 pounds for a total weight less of 51 pounds!

Stephen requested a recap of my methodology and progress.

I started out in January following a strict point system formula based on the Weight Watchers program. This was highly effective, although I quickly found calculating points to be needlessly complex and time-consuming. I switched over to counting calories in February and, over a period of weeks, came upon roughly 2200 calories per day as the optimual trade-off between amount of food consumed and continuing to lose weight. Slowly. In April, I quit counting calories in a formal way and simply tried to match my eating patterns to what had provided success up to that point.

In January, I also started walking on a treadmill every day or riding my bike when weather permitted. I would go a couple or three miles on the treadmill. Since spring, I have put the treadmill in the garage and now spend a lot more time on the bike. I go for one to two hours — anywhere from 10 to 25 miles depending on the terrain. It’s a mountain bike. I prefer the unpaved trials — which means I don’t go as fast (or far) as some.

Additionally, in March I began working on developing a new workout routine based on an older one I did a few years ago using a sledge hammer and, initially, a couple of chairs — but I now use footstools at my wife’s urging. I do intend to disclose the details on it fully at some future date. It promises to have a huge impact on the world.

Here’s a visual representation of the first 25 weeks of the program: