Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Can Help You Find the Best foldable treadmill suitable for you?


#11/366 I hit the treadmill.. by raineydayz photography


If you need a treadmill, then you need the Sole F63 Treadmill. When you buy this treadmill, you know you are getting something that will work for life.When people complain about the treadmill being boring, it is probably because they do the same workout over and over.foldable treadmillIt is perfectly designed for all kind of body weight and can sustain more heavy duty exercises without any problems. Here are two great treadmill workouts you can use if you are pressed for time. So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. treadmill equipmentToday, the fitness treadmill is an affordable piece of exercise equipment. Granted it doesn't exactly mimic an out door run but it works great when you just can't get out.They all tend to be very highly rated in most home treadmill reviews. Sometimes it can be difficult for the consumer to know which treadmill is best. There have been a lot of advancements in technology and durability over the past couple of decades. However, many people overlook one of the biggest factors - your own size.






After purchasing a large piece of fitness equipment from Amazon, do not move. Ever. This apparently confuses the customer service representatives and sends you on a two-month odyssey of buck-passing, missed connections, confusion, and consumer mayhem. Vu writes that he has learned this lesson the hard way. He would like Amazon to come pick the damn thing up so he can get his refund.



I ordered a treadmill from Amazon on 11.29.09. It was delivered on 12.9.09, and a week after the delivery I moved to a new place. That's when I assembled the treadmill and realized it was not working. The display was OK, the timer was counting down, but the belt was not moving. So here's what I've been doing the last couple of months..

Dec 29, 09:

I call Amazon and talk to but am told that I cannot have it replaced because I've changed my address since the delivery. I should call the manufacturer and try to get it fixed. I call Merit Fitness about 3 times but due to the high number of calls, I am asked to leave a message and am reassured that I will be contacted within 24hrs. I am not.



Late Dec - early Jan:

I keep calling.



Early Jan:

Someone finally answers. One hour on the phone explaining what is working and what's not. The representative says that they will send me some parts and have a technician in my region contact me within a week.



A couple of weeks later:

I get the parts.



Mid Jan:

I call again and get the number of the technician. I call them and we schedule an appointment.



Late Jan:

I file for half a day off work and stay at home, waiting. Nothing. I call again and am told the technician should have already stopped by. I go to the door and see a note that they were there but the bell was not working. The bell *is* working but even if it weren't, why didn't they knock? Or call? I call again and they tell me that the technician will be back later. File for another half day off work. The technician comes about an hour later and after looking at the treadmill informs me that I don't have the necessary parts. He will have Merit Fitness ship the parts and schedule a new appointment within a week.



Two weeks later:

No parts, no call. I call Merit Fitness again. They apologize but the defect is so expensive to fix that I am better off replacing it. They tell me I can just keep or throw away the old unit, and I should call Amazon to get a new one. They don't know why I wasn't informed about that earlier and had to call myself.



Feb 10, 2010:

I call Amazon and talk to I tell her I want my money back and I don't care for a replacement unit anymore. No problem, we will pick the unit up, and you will get refunded as soon as we get it. What's your new address? I give her my new address and she tells me somebody will call me back to schedule a pickup. No one ever calls me back.



Feb 15, 2010:

I call Amazon again and talk to We schedule an appointment for Sunday so I don't miss any more time from work, just ruin a weekend.



Sunday Feb 21, 2010:

I get a call from the shipping company to come out because they are at the address. I get out, but nobody's there. Call them back, turns out they went to the old address. They will give me a call back in 5 minutes. One hour later, no call. I call them and they tell me that's the address they got from Amazon. Nothing they can do about it, I should call Amazon. At this point I am pretty frustrated. I call Amazon and talk to She apologizes, it was their mistake. But still, they can't give me a refund without the item. And I cannot have the treadmill picked up the same day, so we have to reschedule.



So what's it gonna be - do I want to miss another day from work, or stay home one more weekend? I tell them it's been two months and I want my money back, I don't care how they will pick up the treadmill. Not my problem anymore. I get to talk to the manager. Then the manager's manager. Then the manager's manager's manager whose name is I tell him what I told the rest - I will leave the treadmill in front of the house. I live in the Seattle area so it rains pretty often, but it's not like it can get any more broken than it already is. So come pick it up whenever you want, then send me my money back. Doesn't sound like the manager cares too much about the item. He's OK with me just leaving it outside. I will be refunded as soon as they get it, in whatever condition it might be. So there it is now, waiting to be picked up in front of my house. It's been sunny the last couple of days so they might get lucky. I don't really care either way - just want it out of my sight at this point.



Tuesday Feb 23, 2010:

Three different people from [a local shipping company] l call me to confirm the pickup date for Wednesday between 1 and 4 pm. I explain to each of them that I will leave the item at my front door. They tell me it is fine as long as I provide a note with the item number, order number and my signature.





9 am Wednesday:

I leave the treadmill with the note attached to it (see photo) in front of my house and leave for work.



1:19 pm:

I receive a call from Amazon and they tell me that the driver couldn't pick up the item because nobody was home to sign for it. I tell her what happened. She counters back saying that the driver didn't find a note (see photo). She sounds very upset like I am trying to blame her. She asks me if I want to schedule another appointment since they can't come and pick it up the same day. I say no and end the conversation.



1:45 pm:

I take another half day off work to go home and try to handle this. I call Amazon and talk to who is supposed to transfer me to , but I get disconnected. I call again and talk to who basically tells me that it is my problem and I have to call the shipping company myself. I ask her to transfer me to She snaps at me and tells me that we are not going anywhere with this, but agrees to transfer my call.



2:00 pm:

I finally get to talk to who still remembers me from our conversation last Sunday. He tells me that I was supposed to leave the item outside, but in a dry area, where the driver can pick it up. It sounds like he wants me to build a little house for the treadmill or leave the key for my house. I tell him that we've never agreed on that. At that point he tells me to call [the local shipping company] again and schedule another pickup. I call and talk to who tells me that I can't contact them directly. They will have to call me back after Amazon enters the order to schedule the pickup. So now I am waiting to see what happens next. It's so ridiculous that it's almost entertaining.



Just to give you more background information: I have been shopping at Amazon for years and have never had any complaint before. In fact, I have never filed a complaint for anything in my life. But this is ridiculous. What do you suggest I should do?



At this point, I probably would have long ago hired my own shipping company to dump the treadmill in front of Amazon's headquarters. Otherwise, I'm fresh out of ideas. Any suggestions for Vu, Consumerist hive mind?



http://www.biofusiondesign.com/archive/have-you-ever-tried-to-get-a-refund-from-amazoncom [Biofusion Design]






A new patent application from Apple describes an exercise motivation feature that presents a "virtual competitor," providing an "interactive and engaging experience" for fitness enthusiasts.



The application revealed this week, entitled "Real-Time Interaction with a Virtual Competitor While Performing an Exercise Routine," notes that while there are currently a variety of methods designed to push athletes farther, some people want something even more engaging.



Fitness enthusiasts sometimes need new sources of motivation, such as when training indoors during inclement weather," the application reads. "Modern health clubs partly serve this need by providing television monitors and music to entertain members using treadmills, stationary bicycles, elliptical trainers, and other fitness equipment. Products like the Nike+iPod Sports Kit provide workout-based voice feedback, motivational media, and the ability to share workouts among Nike+community members."



The application describes a networked system that could download a workout file associated with the virtual competitor. The system could also determine the performance of the athlete using the iPod or iPhone, and compare their performance with that of the virtual competitor.



Such a system could track the "performance metrics" of the user in both physiological terms, such s heart rate, blood oxygen content and temperature, and non-physiological performance indicators, like speed and distance.



As for the competitor, the system could display visual cues, such as location, via GPS, on Google Maps, demonstrating the user's position relative to the virtual opponent. The system could also be done audibly, allowing a runner to focus on their performance.



"For example, as user� passes the 2-mile mark, an audible cue played through the headset� may announce a 2-mile split of 10:27," the application reads. "If user� has a lead� cues may be played if the lead is less than a predetermined distance. For example, if the lead is less than 100 feet, an audible cue may be played, such as 'He's right behind you.' For smaller leads, an audile cue may be the sound of footsteps thumping."



If a user were running indoors on a treadmill, cycle, or elliptical machine, the virtual competitor system could be turned into a game, where the runner can conduct "tactical maneuvers," tracked with a camera, that can be use to complete certain actions. The competitor, represented by a virtual avatar, could potentially be crowded out by the user with a hands-free mouse, and such actions in the game could earn the runner points.






A mini treadmill is now starting to invade every household in Europe and America because of the multiple benefits that this small machine provides to its users.All treadmills have programs for all individuals no matter what there fitness goals are. That treadmill we're talking about is the Sole F80 motorized treadmill.If you're not a new comer to the treadmill arena, then you'll love the more advanced features found on this machine. To also further the challenge this treadmill has a full 15% incline for those that need a more professional workout.walking treadmillThe Amazon price of this treadmill is 99.00When looking for a higher end 'commercial grade' treadmill for your home gym, consider a 'lighter' version of a commercial treadmill model or a home fitness equipment brand that is known for higher end machines. First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Home Exercise treadmill suitable for you?


Treadmill2 by non_com


When you are looking for a treadmill for your home, you want to get one that is going to work well for you. When you buy this treadmill, you know you are getting something that will work for life.When people complain about the treadmill being boring, it is probably because they do the same workout over and over.fitness exercise bikeIt is perfectly designed for all kind of body weight and can sustain more heavy duty exercises without any problems. We recommend changing your routine every two weeks. So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. home treadmillFortunately, all that has changed. The best home treadmill is not necessarily the treadmill with all the bells and whistles but the one that suits your needs and personal situation the best. Your best bet then is to carefully decide how to plan to use your home treadmill and then what your budget allows, and then choose the machine that will best fit your needs from there.Sometimes it can be difficult for the consumer to know which treadmill is best. Below is a short list of the main features you should look at when reviewing treadmill exercise equipment.However, many people overlook one of the biggest factors - your own size.





A mini treadmill is now starting to invade every household in Europe and America because of the multiple benefits that this small machine provides to its users.If it is raining, snowing, loose dogs, or what ever the reason is, you will not need to worry because you will be able to get your running in no matter what by using this machine.It's not something that many people are taking lightly either because they are moving forward so well on a nice treadmill. You can get a full 15% incline, allowing you to train well no matter what the weather is like outside. It also features a wide range of upgrades over the traditional treadmill like a powerful 3.0 HP motor, a good set of large rollers, a cushion flex running surface and presets that will make any workout you choose fun and challenging. folding treadmillThe company is offering life time warranty on everything except labor. When looking for a higher end 'commercial grade' treadmill for your home gym, consider a 'lighter' version of a commercial treadmill model or a home fitness equipment brand that is known for higher end machines. First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Can Help You Find the Best electric treadmill Reviews & Tips


longlivezeon2007-img600x450-presentation1 by kathryn48


It is affordable, powerful, quiet and it will help you shed those unwanted pounds.Many people feel that the warranty alone is worth purchasing this treadmill. When people complain about the treadmill being boring, it is probably because they do the same workout over and over.My brother-in-law was almost 350 pounds 3 months ago and the Sole F83 didn't have any issue carrying his weight at higher speed. We recommend changing your routine every two weeks. They are quite cheap! You can pick up a new one for under 0 easily. foldable treadmillToday, the fitness treadmill is an affordable piece of exercise equipment. For someone who's seriously into running and getting the exercise they need, a treadmill is a must to ensure your running schedule is not compromised. Your best bet then is to carefully decide how to plan to use your home treadmill and then what your budget allows, and then choose the machine that will best fit your needs from there.The best treadmills on the market combine an amazing and effective workout, make efficient use of space, and are affordable. Because of this, treadmill exercise equipment has remained very popular and has continued to be a top seller in the fitness equipment industry. The treadmill has been the best selling at home fitness machine for decades so many companies manufacture them.





Well these should not be a problem now. All treadmills have programs for all individuals no matter what there fitness goals are. You should definitely look at what people are calling a best buy, and a great addition to the exercise world. This treadmill also allows you to fold up and hide away your treadmill in order to make sure that your room is not too crowded.It also features a wide range of upgrades over the traditional treadmill like a powerful 3.0 HP motor, a good set of large rollers, a cushion flex running surface and presets that will make any workout you choose fun and challenging. commercial treadmillThe Amazon price of this treadmill is 99.00When looking for a higher end 'commercial grade' treadmill for your home gym, consider a 'lighter' version of a commercial treadmill model or a home fitness equipment brand that is known for higher end machines. First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Consider a Greatwalking treadmill Reviews


     Designing your business around your client's needs by Technogym - The Wellness Company


It is affordable, powerful, quiet and it will help you shed those unwanted pounds.Many people feel that the warranty alone is worth purchasing this treadmill. When people complain about the treadmill being boring, it is probably because they do the same workout over and over.Magnetic Exercise BikeIt also has the wireless heart rate control, 3 color LCD display, arm rest and incline controls to assist you during training.Here are two great treadmill workouts you can use if you are pressed for time. So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. treadmillKnowing that many homeowners stay in small spaces (especially the urban dwellers), the products are designed to save space. The best home treadmill is not necessarily the treadmill with all the bells and whistles but the one that suits your needs and personal situation the best. Any of the above mentioned treadmills can make a great choice if you are serious about either walking or running your way to fitness. The best treadmills on the market combine an amazing and effective workout, make efficient use of space, and are affordable. There are so many choices today that it's very hard to narrow your decision down to a specific machine. The treadmill has been the best selling at home fitness machine for decades so many companies manufacture them.



A very long time ago -- 5 years to be precise -- a rock band from Chicago called OK Go made a music video on a series of treadmills.



You remember it, don't you?



Well, Damian Kulash sure does -- he's the lead singer of what had been an unknown band. But Damian and his mates made a video and without asking permission from their record label EMI, they put it up on a little-known site called YouTube.



The rest is viral video history.



"We shot it at my sister's house," explained Kulash in the New York Times. "But back then record companies saw videos as advertisements, so if my band wanted to produce them, and if YouTube wanted to help people watch them, EMI wasn't going to get in the way."



This sounds good, right? Kulash says they thought so:



"As the age of viral video dawned, "Here It Goes Again" was viewed millions, then tens of millions of times. It brought big crowds to our concerts on five continents, and by the time we returned to the studio, 700 shows, one Grammy and nearly three years later, EMI's ledger had a black number in our column. To the band, "Here It Goes Again" was a successful creative project. To the record company, it was a successful, completely free advertisement."





What folks didn't know, even back then, was that a large portion of YouTube's audience was watching YouTube videos on various pages across the web -- what has come to be known as "Embedded" videos. YouTube plays on other people's pages, and that trend has only intensified since the famous treadmill musicians hit the scene.



Now, YouTube has technology that gives owners the technical ability to recognize complex patterns, and the authority to control who is allowed to embed video, and where it's allowed to go.



So, when Margaret Stewart presented at talk at TED called "Memes, Mash-Ups and Monetization: Rethinking Copyright in the Digital Age" I wasn't sure what to expect.



First, Stewart told the technology story. Yes, Google has the technology to be able to determine who is the owner of any piece of music that has been registered with them. And yes, when music is uploaded to YouTube, record labels can decide if they want to have them be embedded or kept off the web.



Stewart told the story of the now-legendary music video about the wedding entrance in a Minnesota church to the Chris Brown song "Forever" (embedded here).



Stewart reminded the audience that the song was old, and hardly popular, before the wedding video rocked the world. 18 months after it had been released it was #4 on iTunes -- thanks to the viral popularity of the wedding march. 17 million people watched the video, and not surprisingly bought the song. A viral hit became a monetization home run for Zomba, Brown's record label.



Stewart's point: allowing content to move around the web is good business strategy. She says that empowering video sharing through rights management can be a win-win. Basically she offered an appeal to rights' holders to set open sharing rules on their content in You Tube's content matching database.



And she's not alone. Joy Marcus, the General Manager of DailyMotion.com, says it best: "2010 will be known as the Year of the Video Embed."



But the folks at OK Go (the treadmill band) sadly report that not everyone is getting the message.



"EMI disabled the embedding feature. Now we can't post the YouTube versions of our videos on our own site, nor can our fans post them on theirs. If you want to watch them, you have to do so on YouTube," Kulash laments.



Kulash continues, "But this isn't how the Internet works. Viral content doesn't spread just from primary sources like YouTube or Flickr. Blogs, Web sites and video aggregators serve as cultural curators, daily collecting the items that will interest their audiences the most. By ignoring the power of these tastemakers, our record company is cutting off its nose to spite its face."



The numbers don't lie -- OK Go's video plays have dropped 90 percent since embedding was shut off. OK Go is OK GONE. Ouch.



But not all labels have their head in the sand. When I tested the YouTube music matching software with a photo montage that I created from my pictures from TED, I used the David Bowie song "Let's Dance" and uploaded the mash-up to YouTube, expecting to get a "sorry -- copyrighted music" warning.



But happily, the folks at SONY seem to get what EMI doesn't - instead, they put a little "buy this song" add at the bottom of the video -- fine with me.



There's a change in the air. It's a change about video. And it's going to have an impact on video makers, video sites, and video watchers alike. It's what rocker Kulash called "the basic mechanics of the Internet" -- embedding.


















It was a sleepless night, and I found myself rolling around in my sheets, as

restless as I'd been in a long time, experiencing that uniquely displeasing kind of

anxiety that you actually feel in your heart as the pressure builds. Could I really be

considering this? Hell yeah, I could, and was--my turbulent bed thoughts were

being disrupted by a 19,340 foot behemoth that was pulling me to it like an

inescapable black hole. Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who first reached

Mount Everest's peak with Tenzing Norgay in 1953, once responded tersely to a

question posed to him by a reporter as to why he climbed mountains. "Because its

there" Sir Edmund said.



Luckily I find myself having more of a reason to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in

Tanzania January 7th, 2010. My friend Kenna, a talented singer and musician, has

spent the last year and a half organizing a benefit climb called Summit On The

Summit, the ultimate goal of which is to bring awareness and relief to the world's

clean water crisis. Kenna has assembled a group of musicians, actors, and even a

couple of water experts, as well as a documentary crew from Radical Media, to all

climb Kilimanjaro and shoot a documentary while doing so. The goal of which is to

create a hybrid of an educational class on the clean water crisis, and an odyssey to

the roof of Africa--Kilimanjaro, the tallest free standing (not surrounded by other

mountains) mountain in the world.



Upon agreeing to do the climb, and jumping through the necessary hoops of

paperwork, immunizations, and assembling my gear, the sole focus of my universe

and existence becomes training. Being the last one to join the team of 45 people to

go for the summit (including our film crew) I have to do in three weeks what

everyone has been (hopefully) hard at work at doing for the last eight months:

getting buns you could crack a walnut on. My physician, Robert Huizenga, is the guy

who quickly dashes any hopes I have of coasting on my natural physical abilities.

Judging by the look in his eyes though, he's thinking 'what natural abilities?' So I'm

going to have to go hard, with at least 90 minutes a day of hiking, treadmill, or

stairs--and all with at least 15lbs of weight on my back. Driven partly by fear and

madcap dreams of summit glory, I hit the Gold's Gym across the street from where I

live like I haven't ever done. Through sore calves taffy pulled hamstrings, twitchy

tendons, and steep waves of nausea, I slowly yet inexorably begin to feel my muscles

gain in strength and size, and my favorite part--get to eat whatever I want three

meals a day now, rapidly gaining eight pounds.



Technology is indeed changing the way we operate--on my downtime I find

myself sitting rigidly at the computer, sipping a Banana Cream Muscle Milk, my eyes

piercing the screen, sharp slits with endless You Tube videos of Kilimanjaro

reflecting off my fried corneas late into the night. Home made tourist videos, travel

diaries, clips of specials on the mountain, and website after website, I get so

inundated with Kilimanjaro and mountaineering, I feel like I've already been there.

Not quite, little Hirsch, I chastise myself--my days of being an armchair adventurist

are about to end abruptly. One You Tube video stays with me though and grows to

haunt my dreams--a 20 second clip of two Porters (the native mountain workers)

taking a man, face covered in a ski mask, briskly down a steep hill, holding onto his

arms as his head drunkenly lopes and bandies about, his brain short circuited by the

malignant affect of altitude sickness.



Saying last goodbye's to my friends and family before I depart is a sticky

situation--no one want to downplay the gravity of the risk, because there's always

the possibility something unforeseen could happen, yet at the same time the more

gravity given to a goodbye could in itself make one less confident of one's potential

success. Either way you cut it, better to tell ones to you that you love them while

they're in your embrace, and never feel a pang of regret. Both of my parents support

the climb, as does my girlfriend Brianna. There's not a lot of the histrionic "what the

hell are you doing?" arguments bouncing around.



At night, now that I've given myself over to the climb, ear buds fill my head

with the voices of Jon Krakauer and Ed Viesturs as the audio books I've downloaded

onto my ipod weave far off worlds of wonder. Krakauer's books "Into Thin Air" and

"Eiger Dreams" I find simultaneously sobering to the realities and risks of

mountaineering, yet inspiring to the personal challenges and spirit of adventure in

the sport. Viesturs "No Shortcuts To The Top" and "K2: Life and Death On The

World's Most Dangerous Mountain" leave my jaw agape in bed as I feel myself

transported to the bottleneck of K2 in the Himalaya's, with Fritz Veesner on the epic

1939 expedition, or the summit of Annapurna, the world's deadliest mountain, as

Viesturs proudly radioed down to Jimmy Chin (a high altitude climber and

photographer joining us in our climb) that he'd finally made it to the summit,

completing his lifelong dream of being the first American to climb all fourteen 8,000

meter peaks in the world. Call me naïve, young, or just plain monkey hear monkey

do, I'm frothing at the mouth with so many tales of adventure I find myself

continuously dreaming I'm above the clouds, putting one exhausted foot in front of

the other.



After meeting Kenna and several members of our team at LAX airport

including actress' Jessica Biel and Isabel Lucas, musician Santi White and rapper

Lupe Fiasco, as well as photographers Jimmy Chin and Michael Muller, and many

other amazing individuals I would be grateful to be able to soon call my friends, we

managed to hopscotch to Amsterdam for a quick stopover, then hightail it South to

Tanzania. Everyone in the groups are totally gung ho, and despite dizzy

constitutions following 30 hours of flying, our collective excitement is thick enough

one could cut it with a knife.



At the Arusha Hotel, after being introduced to our guides and divided into

four groups--one and two for the influencers and educators, three and four for the

film crew, and getting the rest of our gear from the guide company Thompson

Safari's--trekking poles, sleeping bags, and an informative lecture on medical safety

to everyone by Melissa Arnot, the beautiful, blonde and brown eyed 27 year old

mountain climbing wonder extraordinaire, were all pumped up with adrenaline as

we struggle to sleep the night before the climb.



After Melissa speaks, I take her aside and ask her to come with me to my

room quickly--I want to show her something that's been worrying me. A day before

I got on the plane, I noticed a hard, painful peanut M&M sized ball on my pelvic

bone--a classic little ingrown hair. Only the pain since getting on the plane has now

tripled. This begins now my official relationship with Melissa--she lathers me down

with iodine and removes the culprit hair mercilessly with tweezers. All she gets out

of me is one quick girlish yelp followed by a wolfish grin, and a relief that that

problem has been so quickly done away with.



I luckily manage to get good nights sleep despite the packing chaos the rest of

our group seems engulfed in. Ever the hyperactive personality, I keep checking my

pulse with one of the electronic instruments one of the techies Nick has. My pulse

never wants to dip below 110 beats per minute, and dark visions of having sudden

death cardiac arrest at 19,000 feet caress me to sleep.



On our drive out of Arusha in our train of beat up four by four Safari vehicles,

Lupe and I trade jokes with a fast pitter patter of a couple of homegrown class

clowns, with topics centering on our odds of making it to the top of the mountain,

religion, and the potential perils a mountain man could face for fornicating with a

two headed sheep with a sheepskin condom. Lupe is hilarious, as is Simon Isaacs, a

Vermont born cause marketing expert who regularly adds to our blob‐like

conversation of absurdity, although I think after a while we start to get on UN

Humanitarian worker Elizabeth Gore's nerves, despite occasionally wringing an

involuntary smile from the corners of her lips. However, our mouths are quickly

given a rest when our driver points ahead. There's Kilimanjaro, he says. After

having been looking at pictures and You Tube videos for weeks, part of me thought I

already kind of knew Kilimanjaro, that it almost wouldn't be a big deal when I saw it.

Good thing assumption is not a mother virtue--the peak claws into the sky above us,

dark and violent, capped with a majestic solid white glacial cap, like some kind of

high altitude crown. I know it's beautiful, but at first glance, it has about as much

"beauty" as the beautiful designs of a Pit Viper waiting under a toilet seat.



After passing through the main gate at 7,000 feet and signing into an

unending beauracratic mess of a public record book, jotting down names and

passport numbers, we go up another 3,500 feet and park the vehicles. There's

about 200 porters waiting for us--all bearing bags jam packed with the tents, food,

water, and supplies for the days ahead--so, for example, when we finish a day of

hiking the tents are waiting for us--a definite luxury for us on this climb. Porters

are all strong men, some wearing as little as shorts and sandals, and all possessing a

ruggedness of spirit and soul that shames most of us with their sheer strength--

many of the men are carrying sixty pounds on top of their heads while scrambling

through rock clusters with ease that most of us are using every drop of adrenaline

we can muster just to hang on.



To start out here were only going for two hours today--but even at an

energetic snails pace, I still feel my heart do the thumpty thump as my throat sucks

the dry air, ravenous for oxygen. Our groups are split now into four, and our group,

two, we quickly name "Dos Locos," given our tendency towards the delightfully

absurd. I draw our group logo on Michael Muller's blue rain poncho--a bearded

man resembling Michael, with his eyes practically blowing out of their sockets in

different directions, and of course--brain exploding out of the top of his head,

equipped with requisite hands to the sides of his face ala Macaulay Culkin in Home

Alone.



Out in the middle of nature like this with none of the mixed blessing

technology like cell phones and blackberries so many of us find ourselves chained

to, the jokes, conversation, exchange of ideas flows so freely and is so intellectually

engaging that I wonder if this is what college would have been like if I had gone. I'm

happy on the trail, beaming as I climb up every sloping hill, and looking at the

landscape, which at present reminds me visually of the Southwest, like Santa Fe

New Mexico, where I was partially raised. With no trees around on this first day

walk, there's lots of bushy type plants and dwarf shrubs, and the trail is wet and

muddy, gushing under our feet due to a recent rain. There's also some borderline

sketchy rock maneuvers we do, ascending and descending a series of steep forty

foot gullies and crossing the creeks below, all of us carefully hopping on the rocks

and employing our long dormant rock hopping instincts and avoiding potential

freezing water visits. Pole, pole, the famous slogan we keep hearing from all the

guides that has become like gospel on the mountain to all who desire the summit:

slowly, slowly, that is.



At our first camp we get organized into our tents, and they've generously

given me my own, while some of our groups will share with two people per tent. I

was considering briefly not writing about this part--but fuck it--by this time now

my ingrown hair--the one about an inch up and left of my manhood, has become

more than just an unwanted houseguest, shooting from its walnut sized mass a

stabbing pain whenever I move at all. Even bending down to tie my shoes has

become an exercise in sadism for me now. Melissa's had enough of my limping

around, and she calls me to her tent. She puts a pair of blue rubber gloves on, and

removes a tiny syringe and some pads from a plastic bag filled with medical

supplies. Melissa says she's going to drain it out, because its now infected and filled

with pus. This may hurt a little, she says. She delicately plunges the thin needle

directly onto my little red walnut, and I'm gripped with pain. She takes her thumbs

now, and slowly squeezes the walnut, and pink and blubbery white pus begins to

erupt out, as my pain quickly turns into fire and brimstone agony--I literally cannot

believe how hell one little ingrown hair is raising. And then, as if possessed by The

Joker in The Dark Knight, I compulsively start laughing, uncontrollably. This is like

popping the deepest pimple of your life times fifty. After she drains it, despite still

reeling from the squeezing, which went on for at least two minutes, I still feel

immensely relieved the pressure is gone--the dreaded pus now wrapped in a

dispensable plastic bio bag. If there was a single experience in my life that equaled

the pain I felt in those moments with Melissa, I don't know what they are.



After our guide Wilfred, a tall and intelligent Tanzanian man, finishes going

over plans for tomorrow while we chomp on a spaghetti and soup dinner, and

listening to a heartfelt speech from Kenna about his pride in being able to help

people that are less fortunate than others, and realization that Kenna could easily be

suffering from a water related illness. Born in Ethiopia, he came to the US when he

was young, but things could easily have been very different for him. As Kenna's

voice becomes a soft whisper and his eyes grow deeper and moist, I'm glad the

spiritual leader of our climb is so honest with his feelings.



A small group of us including Isabel and Jimmy, Los Angeles physical trainer

Jason Walsh, and water expert Alexandra Cousteau all sneak off after dark with our

headlamps on, and steal a few minutes to see the enveloping view of stars, so bright

and clear they beg to be picked from the sky.



I'm in my tent right now at 13,600 feet the next day at camp three--my body

tired and pulse is racing, partly due to the altitude sickness medication I'm on called

Diamox, but now also due to the antibiotic cephalexin and the anti inflammatory

steroid dexamethasone I've immediately been put on, as my infection has tripled in

size and quadrupled in pain after today's six and a half hour climb. Almost every

step for me today has been excruciating, and people on the trail keep stopping me

and asking if I'm okay as I stop and lean on my trekking poles, wincing and trying to

catch my breath.



Just to make the last hundred feet to the camp takes just about everything

I've got. As I stagger into my tent and collapse onto my sleeping bag, painful tears

stream down my eyes and an angry lump weighs in my throat--I know my body

well, and I know that there is no possible way I'm going to be able to continue this

climb. There's no way I'm going to be able to join Kenna and the others on their

quest to the summit to raise awareness for clean water. My heart swells with

empathy now for every sick or dying man, woman and child--all I have is a stupid

ingrown hair that has freakishly spiraled now, as Melissa tells me, into a potentially

serious infection.



And the damndest part is, at base camp three where we are now, I can see the

peak I've been dreaming about every night for the last month. It taunts me, and for

brief moments waves of scornful rage bites onto me like unleashed little attack dogs.

Altitude sickness my ass, I was breathing the air up here, and it felt so fresh to me it

was like it was scented with roses. Tired legs were the last of my worries; I'm in the

best shape I've been in since Sean Penn took me to my physical limits. But this is an

unworthy opponent‐‐ the smallest thing, a trivial, measly hair, boring its way into

my body and somehow releasing Pandora's box on my ass. Not like this, I tell

myself, as I'm wracked now in my sleeping bag with the chills and shivers--not like

this. But an honest and pure epiphany hits me--how many of my fellow human

beings last thoughts were 'Not like this?' How many good people's lives have been

tragically cut short, given the short end of the stick in a cruel and merciless world. I

don't feel a shred of regret now, sinking my head deep into my hands--I feel

humble.



After having a conversation with Kenna in my tent about what to do, we both

agree for now to treat my situation as a general health problem--and make plans

for me to head back down the mountain tomorrow and get picked up and driven

back to Arusha--there, I'll call my parents and loves ones and let them know what is

going on with me. But for now, I can't think clearly, as the stabbing pain in my groin

pierces through me like a rusty nail, just beyond the fabric of my tent the great

Mountain, quicksilver slipping through my grasp.


Or maybe not. That night, a particular stinging sensation wakes me from my

foggy dreams and has me reaching for my headlamp--I shove it down my sleeping

bag and see my large bump has been slowly frothing up bloody pus in my sleep.

Acting on what I'm almost sure is basic human instincts of taking care of ones own

body, I grab a clean sock and begin milking the thing like a large cow teat, the pus

readily barfing out. I hop over to Melissa's tent in the dark, and let her know what's

happening, and also because I know however my clean my sock is, I need to

properly sanitize this immediately with iodine. Exhaling deeply once I lie back

down in my tent, I feel renewed hope--maybe the antibiotics will start working

soon.



In the morning I wake up with a renewed sense of purpose after my first

good night's sleep--and when Melissa comes into my tent to check on me, we both

agree that I'll continue on slowly today, and see how it goes--if at lunch I'm in

unbearable pain, or it looks like the infection spreading out of control, we'll

evacuate. Sometimes I can be a pessimist, but part of me feels like this could turn

around for me in the next 48 hours or so--but only time will tell.



During the hike today we peaked out at 15,000 feet, and set up our lunch tent

where a massive dark and monolithic rock crag has been called Lava Tower. It's a

much steeper gradient we're going up today, but the nice slow pace and pressure

breathing--a technique of rapidly exhaling with your lips in the whistling position,

ensure that the altitude is pleasant. Lupe and Simon debate foreign policy, and

Jessica works her camera getting various shots, and Elizabeth takes a little spill on a

slippery boulder and bruises her shin and hip.



When we descend down to camp three its pouring rain and everyone is tired

and wet. Slinking into my tent I'm crestfallen to see that the infection now looks

even worse--more swollen, and spreading. Melissa takes note of this, and starts me

on a course of a different antibiotic--clindamyacin--just to be absolutely sure we've

covered our bases. She reckons it to knocking a guy out, then kicking him in the face

while he's down, and I couldn't be more onboard, eagerly popping the new blue pills

down into my mouth. But fuck though, I ask myself--maybe I have some freak

Tanzanian bacteria they haven't discovered yet, that is immune to antibiotics, and

once it hits my lower pelvic lymph node will immediately go straight to my heart

and leave me dead in 48 hours? I've never been accused of lacking an active

imagination.



By now, passing pussing my wound in the early mornings has become old hat

for me, and luckily I can feel myself rapidly recovering with each drop drained. I try

and stave off weird hallucinations probably due to antibiotics mixing with my anti

malarial medicine Malarone, wrapped up in my sleeping bag completely covered

like a deep coal miner.



It's the early afternoon now at 16,000 feet. It's a brief day for us, because

tonight we make our bid to the summit around 2am. Even looking at the

handwriting in my journal as I write this, it's become sloppy and slightly

sophomoric, with misshaped letters and over sized commas. I find myself

emotionally highly on edge too--I had a little back and forth earlier with someone

from the group back at 15,000 feet, and my blood is still boiling--a normal spat of

bickering wouldn't rattle a normally thick skinned dude such as myself. Better do

some pressure breathing and calm myself down.



Our plan is to wake up at midnight, and begin our seven‐hour hike to the

summit in the dark of night, planned so that as we reach the top the sun will be

rising. Everyone in the group is tense at breakfast, eyes suspiciously darting around


to make sure nobody is cracking up yet. Few people have appetites, but Muller and I

force down some oatmeal and bread with peanut butter slathered on it.



Outside we all get into a line, fit our headlamps on correctly, and begin the

hike up the rest of the mountain. Several other groups on the mountain had already

left before us, and we can see their little tiny headlamp lights stretching up and up

the mountain like an infinite glowing snake. Shaking off the fatalism of looking up

takes me more than a few minutes each time, so I try to keep my head down and

focused on what's in front of me. There's also a strange creeping claustrophobia

that I can feel breathing down my neck; there's nowhere to go right now, your at

18,000 feet in the dark, keep it together son.



Several of the people in our group are already starting to get violent

headaches and nausea, and Melissa hikes up and down the mountain between our

two groups making sure nobody's health is in jeopardy. Muller and I packed two

extra packages of beef jerky, and I gnaw into it with the zeal of starved rat at one of

our brief breaks. Perfect snowflakes begin landing on my glove in front of me, and

for a second I wonder if this is remotely what it feels like to visit another planet.



After a good eight hours of trekking up, we finally reach Stella Point at 18,701

feet. Here it basically flattens out for the next forty‐five minutes of walking, only

raising an additional 639 feet to Uhuru peak, the summit. At Stella Point everybody

gives each other big hugs and congratulations, but the job isn't done yet--and the

last forty‐five minutes, as the weather clears just enough to get a glimpse of an

ancient gigantic glacier, are hardly Childs play.



When the group finally gets to the summit, a palpable relief overtakes our

group, followed by a wave of emotion that breaks in many tears from most

everyone. I can see how much pressure each person has put on themselves, not just

because of ego, but because they felt like they were really climbing for something

they knew was greater than themselves. Our group holds up a banner together, and

a million thoughts are flying through my head--how in the world are we going to

get back down when I can see several of our group already have altitude sickness?

How deep is tonight's sleep going to be, after scaling these walls? How can our

group do everything it can to help the global clean water crisis now? Across the

globe at that very moment, the Haiti earthquake is just hitting, creating a living

nightmare for thousands upon thousands of people. We are all unaware at this

moment--and all hold up a big plastic banner that says simply: SEND WATER!











Are you determined to stay with your weight loss program, but you need to travel a lot? If it is raining, snowing, loose dogs, or what ever the reason is, you will not need to worry because you will be able to get your running in no matter what by using this machine.If you're like one of the millions of people out there that have wanted to start a better healthy lifestyle, or just simply looking to lose a few pounds, you might want to get yourself a great motorized treadmill. It allows some great uses, including six presets, and so much more. It also features a wide range of upgrades over the traditional treadmill like a powerful 3.0 HP motor, a good set of large rollers, a cushion flex running surface and presets that will make any workout you choose fun and challenging. foldable treadmillThe company is offering life time warranty on everything except labor. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.This allows for a larger user weight, and will come with a lifetime warranty against cracks or breakage.As more and more people developed the habit of doing regular exercise, the popularity of commercial treadmills has also increased.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Which is better walking treadmill Tips


I give up!   (48/365) by jbr.john316


When you are looking for a treadmill for your home, you want to get one that is going to work well for you. When you buy this treadmill, you know you are getting something that will work for life.One of the most important factors in using a treadmill to increase your fitness level is the variety of your workouts. http://www.dahongbag.com/blog/It is perfectly designed for all kind of body weight and can sustain more heavy duty exercises without any problems. Each are twenty minutes long, include a warm up and cool down period, and are equally effective for runners or walkers.So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. motorized treadmillSuch innovative designs encourage even the most stubborn homeowners to buy one and keep at home.If you've been running for a while you already know that outdoor running is not always possible due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances, that's when your treadmill becomes your best friend. They all tend to be very highly rated in most home treadmill reviews. Before you make a treadmill purchase, there are some things that should be taken into consideration.And since it's still selling really well, more and more companies have begun manufacturing them. There are many factors to consider - performance, durability, motor size, and all of those features that are now being offered.






After purchasing a large piece of fitness equipment from Amazon, do not move. Ever. This apparently confuses the customer service representatives and sends you on a two-month odyssey of buck-passing, missed connections, confusion, and consumer mayhem. Vu writes that he has learned this lesson the hard way. He would like Amazon to come pick the damn thing up so he can get his refund.



I ordered a treadmill from Amazon on 11.29.09. It was delivered on 12.9.09, and a week after the delivery I moved to a new place. That's when I assembled the treadmill and realized it was not working. The display was OK, the timer was counting down, but the belt was not moving. So here's what I've been doing the last couple of months..

Dec 29, 09:

I call Amazon and talk to but am told that I cannot have it replaced because I've changed my address since the delivery. I should call the manufacturer and try to get it fixed. I call Merit Fitness about 3 times but due to the high number of calls, I am asked to leave a message and am reassured that I will be contacted within 24hrs. I am not.



Late Dec - early Jan:

I keep calling.



Early Jan:

Someone finally answers. One hour on the phone explaining what is working and what's not. The representative says that they will send me some parts and have a technician in my region contact me within a week.



A couple of weeks later:

I get the parts.



Mid Jan:

I call again and get the number of the technician. I call them and we schedule an appointment.



Late Jan:

I file for half a day off work and stay at home, waiting. Nothing. I call again and am told the technician should have already stopped by. I go to the door and see a note that they were there but the bell was not working. The bell *is* working but even if it weren't, why didn't they knock? Or call? I call again and they tell me that the technician will be back later. File for another half day off work. The technician comes about an hour later and after looking at the treadmill informs me that I don't have the necessary parts. He will have Merit Fitness ship the parts and schedule a new appointment within a week.



Two weeks later:

No parts, no call. I call Merit Fitness again. They apologize but the defect is so expensive to fix that I am better off replacing it. They tell me I can just keep or throw away the old unit, and I should call Amazon to get a new one. They don't know why I wasn't informed about that earlier and had to call myself.



Feb 10, 2010:

I call Amazon and talk to I tell her I want my money back and I don't care for a replacement unit anymore. No problem, we will pick the unit up, and you will get refunded as soon as we get it. What's your new address? I give her my new address and she tells me somebody will call me back to schedule a pickup. No one ever calls me back.



Feb 15, 2010:

I call Amazon again and talk to We schedule an appointment for Sunday so I don't miss any more time from work, just ruin a weekend.



Sunday Feb 21, 2010:

I get a call from the shipping company to come out because they are at the address. I get out, but nobody's there. Call them back, turns out they went to the old address. They will give me a call back in 5 minutes. One hour later, no call. I call them and they tell me that's the address they got from Amazon. Nothing they can do about it, I should call Amazon. At this point I am pretty frustrated. I call Amazon and talk to She apologizes, it was their mistake. But still, they can't give me a refund without the item. And I cannot have the treadmill picked up the same day, so we have to reschedule.



So what's it gonna be - do I want to miss another day from work, or stay home one more weekend? I tell them it's been two months and I want my money back, I don't care how they will pick up the treadmill. Not my problem anymore. I get to talk to the manager. Then the manager's manager. Then the manager's manager's manager whose name is I tell him what I told the rest - I will leave the treadmill in front of the house. I live in the Seattle area so it rains pretty often, but it's not like it can get any more broken than it already is. So come pick it up whenever you want, then send me my money back. Doesn't sound like the manager cares too much about the item. He's OK with me just leaving it outside. I will be refunded as soon as they get it, in whatever condition it might be. So there it is now, waiting to be picked up in front of my house. It's been sunny the last couple of days so they might get lucky. I don't really care either way - just want it out of my sight at this point.



Tuesday Feb 23, 2010:

Three different people from [a local shipping company] l call me to confirm the pickup date for Wednesday between 1 and 4 pm. I explain to each of them that I will leave the item at my front door. They tell me it is fine as long as I provide a note with the item number, order number and my signature.





9 am Wednesday:

I leave the treadmill with the note attached to it (see photo) in front of my house and leave for work.



1:19 pm:

I receive a call from Amazon and they tell me that the driver couldn't pick up the item because nobody was home to sign for it. I tell her what happened. She counters back saying that the driver didn't find a note (see photo). She sounds very upset like I am trying to blame her. She asks me if I want to schedule another appointment since they can't come and pick it up the same day. I say no and end the conversation.



1:45 pm:

I take another half day off work to go home and try to handle this. I call Amazon and talk to who is supposed to transfer me to , but I get disconnected. I call again and talk to who basically tells me that it is my problem and I have to call the shipping company myself. I ask her to transfer me to She snaps at me and tells me that we are not going anywhere with this, but agrees to transfer my call.



2:00 pm:

I finally get to talk to who still remembers me from our conversation last Sunday. He tells me that I was supposed to leave the item outside, but in a dry area, where the driver can pick it up. It sounds like he wants me to build a little house for the treadmill or leave the key for my house. I tell him that we've never agreed on that. At that point he tells me to call [the local shipping company] again and schedule another pickup. I call and talk to who tells me that I can't contact them directly. They will have to call me back after Amazon enters the order to schedule the pickup. So now I am waiting to see what happens next. It's so ridiculous that it's almost entertaining.



Just to give you more background information: I have been shopping at Amazon for years and have never had any complaint before. In fact, I have never filed a complaint for anything in my life. But this is ridiculous. What do you suggest I should do?



At this point, I probably would have long ago hired my own shipping company to dump the treadmill in front of Amazon's headquarters. Otherwise, I'm fresh out of ideas. Any suggestions for Vu, Consumerist hive mind?



http://www.biofusiondesign.com/archive/have-you-ever-tried-to-get-a-refund-from-amazoncom [Biofusion Design]









We Have Recessed Into the Tightest Possible Corner (Metaphorically)





The Way We Live Now: Treadin' on a treadmill made of sand. Since we're ex-cons and can't get jobs we got foreclosed on and moved from the shelter into mom's place, but we're still to poor to get divorced. MEH.


Allow us to just lay out, for the benefit of future anthropologists, the lifestyle of the average American today, based on up-to-the-minute news reports from our nation's finest surviving news organs.



  • We're ex-cons (more and more and more of us!) and we can't get jobs because of that fact, and also even if we weren't ex-cons we still couldn't get jobs, because there are no jobs.

  • Of course your house went into foreclosure. But look at it like this: Foreclosure is "a beginning, not an end." We hope that empty phrase makes you feel better.

  • But don't worry; we're sure you can find a shelter. As one shelter director says, "We are here to say, ‘Move it along.'" Sweet.

  • Better yet, move back in with mom and dad. All the kids are doing it, now! Isn't this like the 15th time this story has been written? The point is, we're all terrible losers.

  • And of course our marriages failed long ago, because of the recession, but divorce would be too expensive, because of the recession, so we just stay together in misery and poverty, because of the recession.


Other than that, things are cool.

[Also the aforementioned "treadmill" is just a metaphor, and the metaphorical grains of sand on this poetic "treadmill" are metaphors made out of ex-cons, unemployment, foreclosure, homelessness, broken families, and divorce—a "sand castle," if you will, of recession-era miseries, metaphorically making it harder for you to job effectively.]







Send an email to Hamilton Nolan, the author of this post, at Hamilton@gawker.com.







Do you wish to have your own treadmill at home but you worry that it may not compliment the style of your home? All treadmills have programs for all individuals no matter what there fitness goals are. That treadmill we're talking about is the Sole F80 motorized treadmill.You can get a full 15% incline, allowing you to train well no matter what the weather is like outside. To also further the challenge this treadmill has a full 15% incline for those that need a more professional workout.manual treadmillThis treadmill priced a little high than other brands has some additional features which support for the high price. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

How to Lose Weight on a folding treadmill Workout Tips


Wellness and Chromotherapy by Technogym - The Wellness Company


It is affordable, powerful, quiet and it will help you shed those unwanted pounds.Many people feel that the warranty alone is worth purchasing this treadmill. One of the most important factors in using a treadmill to increase your fitness level is the variety of your workouts. foldable treadmillMy brother-in-law was almost 350 pounds 3 months ago and the Sole F83 didn't have any issue carrying his weight at higher speed. We recommend changing your routine every two weeks. The most important feature of a manual treadmill is the cost. treadmill equipmentKnowing that many homeowners stay in small spaces (especially the urban dwellers), the products are designed to save space. For someone who's seriously into running and getting the exercise they need, a treadmill is a must to ensure your running schedule is not compromised. As you can see, the price rises with the higher level of quality and durability that is built into each of these machines and that is to be expected. However, there are a large number of treadmills on the market. And since it's still selling really well, more and more companies have begun manufacturing them. There are a lot of choices out there and it can be difficult to filter through all of them and choose one.





A mini treadmill is now starting to invade every household in Europe and America because of the multiple benefits that this small machine provides to its users.If it is raining, snowing, loose dogs, or what ever the reason is, you will not need to worry because you will be able to get your running in no matter what by using this machine.That treadmill we're talking about is the Sole F80 motorized treadmill.For those that are looking for a great motorized treadmill, the Sole F80 is the best thing on the market. To also further the challenge this treadmill has a full 15% incline for those that need a more professional workout.walking treadmillThe main difference of Endurance T10 HRC Treadmill with others is the warranty. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.This allows for a larger user weight, and will come with a lifetime warranty against cracks or breakage.Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

How to select electric treadmill buying guide


MAKE_PT1729  Make: television Episode 105: Kinetic Wave Sculptures & Shopping Cart Chair by pt


Well, this is a piece of fitness equipment that will. Many people feel that the warranty alone is worth purchasing this treadmill. One of the most important factors in using a treadmill to increase your fitness level is the variety of your workouts. motorized treadmillMy brother-in-law was almost 350 pounds 3 months ago and the Sole F83 didn't have any issue carrying his weight at higher speed. Each are twenty minutes long, include a warm up and cool down period, and are equally effective for runners or walkers.So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. foldable treadmillKnowing that many homeowners stay in small spaces (especially the urban dwellers), the products are designed to save space. Granted it doesn't exactly mimic an out door run but it works great when you just can't get out.Your best bet then is to carefully decide how to plan to use your home treadmill and then what your budget allows, and then choose the machine that will best fit your needs from there.However, there are a large number of treadmills on the market. Treadmills, like all other at home fitness machines, have come a long way. There are all types of treadmill exercise equipment out there.



Midfielder Yael Averbuch helped lead Sky Blue F.C. to the championship of Women’s Professional Soccer in the league’s first season. Now, Averbuch, a Montclair, N.J., product by way of the University of North Carolina, is on the roster of the United States women’s national team as it prepares for the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal. She was named to the team last week by Coach Pia Sundhage after a January training camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.


Averbuch will be filing to the Goal blog before, during and after her trip to Portugal.


On Tuesday I had my first experience with a treadmill. In preparation for Portugal, our new conditioning coach, Dawn Scott, sent us a training program. The first day’s task was to complete what is called the “progressive treadmill test.” Basically, you start at a run (7.2 miles per hour) and then increase the speed (by 0.6) every 30 seconds. If you get to the fastest speed on the treadmill, then you start increasing the incline every 30 seconds. You run until you can’t run anymore. Pretty intense. Now keep in mind, I literally have never run on a treadmill and don’t even have a regular membership to a gym.


So here I am at the local Y.M.C.A., sprinting at the fastest speed on the treadmill, sweat pouring down my face, straining to maintain my pace, while the walkers and joggers next to me are probably thinking, “this girl is insane!” The test lasts roughly five minutes, so my embarrassment was short-lived, but I was glad when I could leave the treadmill room and get away from all the awkward stares. I was feeling pretty decent about my effort until I texted Heather O’Reilly and found out that she did better than me by about 45 seconds (we’re not competitive or anything). She did have a slight advantage in the fact that she knew my score before she started the test, so I’m going to use that as a bit of an excuse to boost my morale.


After this new and interesting running experience, I returned to the comfort of my usual training environment—the racketball court. This small, white, enclosed area has become an essential part of my training over the years, especially during New Jersey winters. All I need is a ball and my iPod and I can entertain myself in there for hours. As much as I’d love to be able to train in the sunshine on pristine grass fields, I really enjoy having to find new and interesting ways to train and play during the winter. I’ve kicked around in parking garages, school blacktops, parking lots, even the 8-by-6 foot free area of my basement.


During this preparation time before we leave for Portugal, Dawn also has us filling out a detailed food diary for a week. We have to record everything we eat or drink in detail, the time we ingested it, and the amount. Although it can be a pain to have to write down everything I eat (I LOVE food, so my list is very long most days), it’s interesting to analyze my food choices. I am very conscientious about what I put into my body, but I’m sure that Dawn will find some ways to tweak my diet to make it even better and improve my performance and recovery.


O.K., time to go train! I’m down at U.N.C. for a few days (I am getting my jersey retired at the U.N.C. vs. Duke bball game) so I’m hoping the weather is a little bit more mild and I can go outside.


The following was posted on the NY Times Soccer blog by Yael Averbuch and is reposted by Lauren Green. Green is a free lance writer who covers Sky Blue FC for Bleacher Report and Sports Then and Now. She can be contacted for comment or hire at lgreensoccer20@yahoo.com .


Photo courtsey of the WPS





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Obama’s Spacey Phone Call With Astronauts: Stephen Colbert “Excited” About His Treadmill in Space


February 17, 2010 6:37 PM








ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports:


President Obama called the astronauts on the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Endeavor congratulating them for their “courage” in the latest mission.


“I just wanted to let you guys know how proud we are of all of you, what you guys have been accomplishing,” Obama said from a call from the Roosevelt Room this afternoon, “It is also a testimony to why continued space exploration is so important. And is part of the reason why my commitment to NASA is unwavering.”



Endeavour's crew will spend more a little more than a week at the space station and will do construction on the orbiting outpost – including a room called “Tranquility. The president said that he’s had a chance to look at what the module will do.


“Everybody here back home is excited about this,” Obama said joking “And Stephen Colbert at least is excited about his treadmill.”


NASA had invited submissions to name a node in the international space station. Stephen Colbert’s viewers voted and he won and the astronauts decided to name a treadmill after the comedian. They ultimately gave it the acronym: Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill for COLBERT.


The Colbert treadmill arrived at the space station four months ago.


ISSS Commander Jeff Williams explained that the module they will do construction on will serve an important function.


“The Tranquility module is also going to serve as a gym, as a hygiene area as a place the crew can maintain themselves for a long duration. And a long duration – living and working in space – is what the space station is all about. To do the research, and the science necessary to take us beyond earth’s orbit.”


With the completion of Tranquility the International Space Station will be about almost complete, Williams said.


“It really marks the end of the major assembly – or at least the US orbiting segment – as we transition into full utilization of this magnificent orbiting laboratory.”


The President was joined in the Roosevelt Room by 12 middle school students from Michigan, Florida, North Carolina and Nebraska, their teachers and Rep Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD).  The students are in Washington D.C. this week as part of 39 teams competing for the “Future City” engineering competition hosted by National Engineers Week and got to pose a few questions to the astronauts.


One student wanted to know what landmarks are recognizable from space. The president said he heard rumors they could see the Great Wall, but he’s not sure if that is true.


“Yes we can see a lot of the great landmarks,” Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi said, “We can see the Golden Gate bridge, the great skyscrapers of New York. And Grand Canyon is break taking.”


Another student asked about the thoughts and emotions of the astronauts while in space.


“It is a joyous, giddy moment at the same time you are disoriented,” one responded, “After that passes after a couple of days, for it was kind of a sense of wonder and you explore what you can do in zero gravity and the things you can see out the window.”


The astronaut added, “ After a little while after that you start to think about the people back on earth that are the most precious to you, then that little bit of loneliness can kick in.”


President Obama nodded as he listened to the astronaut speak about loneliness. Endeavour will depart the International Space Station Friday and is set to return to Earth on Sunday.



-Sunlen Miller






February 17, 2010

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Do you wish to have your own treadmill at home but you worry that it may not compliment the style of your home? If it is raining, snowing, loose dogs, or what ever the reason is, you will not need to worry because you will be able to get your running in no matter what by using this machine.If you're like one of the millions of people out there that have wanted to start a better healthy lifestyle, or just simply looking to lose a few pounds, you might want to get yourself a great motorized treadmill. You can get a full 15% incline, allowing you to train well no matter what the weather is like outside. With a sturdy constructed frame, and full options you're going to love how great and easy to use this machine really is. magnetic treadmillThe main difference of Endurance T10 HRC Treadmill with others is the warranty. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.This allows for a larger user weight, and will come with a lifetime warranty against cracks or breakage.Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

Consider a Greatcommercial treadmill Comparison


Treadmill Run-T100 by FFittech


If you need a treadmill, then you need the Sole F63 Treadmill. Yes this treadmill is expensive, but that expensive cost is more than made up for by the warranty that simply cannot be beat. One of the most important factors in using a treadmill to increase your fitness level is the variety of your workouts. Commercial treadmillIt is perfectly designed for all kind of body weight and can sustain more heavy duty exercises without any problems. We recommend changing your routine every two weeks. With a non-motorized treadmill, you go only as fast as you push yourself.treadmillKnowing that many homeowners stay in small spaces (especially the urban dwellers), the products are designed to save space. The best home treadmill is not necessarily the treadmill with all the bells and whistles but the one that suits your needs and personal situation the best. Any of the above mentioned treadmills can make a great choice if you are serious about either walking or running your way to fitness. Sometimes it can be difficult for the consumer to know which treadmill is best. Treadmills, like all other at home fitness machines, have come a long way. However, many people overlook one of the biggest factors - your own size.





Music videos are an art, and they, like many art forms, had a golden age — and it ended about ten years ago. That was when music videos for bands that were just breaking out (not just U2) could be big, lavish spectacles; these days we’ve got lots of inventive, lo-fi videos made on the cheap (think OK Go’s famous treadmill video) but so little that’s done on a grand scale.


Of those golden age directors, Jonathan Glazer is one of the most unique. He sets himself apart with a surreal style that employs lots of long takes — not something you see in many cut-a-second videos, then or now — and he’s been known to hire actors, and do all sorts of unconventional things like turn the song down in the middle of the video to have some dialogue happen. Some are more like mini-movies than music videos, which is why, I suppose, he made such a graceful transition to film with Sexy Beast and Birth. Anyway, let’s start by taking a look at his most recent video, for Jack White’s new side project, the Dead Weather. Bloodless but hyper-violent, set in a desert no-man’s-land behind a suburban housing tract, it’s hypnotic and hilarious and seems to be full of hidden meanings.





Another “long takes of people walking” video is for UNKLE’s song “Rabbit in Your Headlights,” featuring Thom Yorke on vocals. We never learn who this unidentified man is (he’s certainly not in the band) — is he insane? A superhero? A magical saint? It’s all so disturbing and wonderfully ambiguous.



Speaking of disturbing and ambiguous, there’s Glazer’s underappreciated masterpiece, Birth, a film about a widow who is approached by a young boy who claims to be the reincarnation of her dead husband. He’s very persistent, and seems to know all sorts of intimate things about the dead man and Kidman’s character, and at first she pushes him away, unable to accept it (and prodded by her jealous and freaked out new husband, played by my favorite character actor, Danny Huston) — that’s the first scene you’ll see. (Sorry about the subtitles.) It’s followed by a long, wordless scene that’s shot all in one take, in slight slo-mo, that consists mainly of an unbroken close-up of Kidman’s face as something within her changes. It’s subtle and gets under your skin, and with nothing but a few blinks and slight facial movements, she communicates more than pages of dialogue could have.


“Song for the Lovers” breaks just about every music video rule imaginable. It features the singer just hanging around his fancy hotel room, looking not particularly glamorous, and getting room service — all in long, unbroken takes. At one point the song itself fades away. And somehow it seems to generate this bizarre suspense, like something terrible could happen at any second.



Glazer’s also done a lot of notable commercial work, including this great spot for Sony.


Glazer did several early videos for Radiohead, like this deceptively simple one for “Street Spirit,” which is full of little tricks and lots of great slo-mo (another Glazer hallmark).


Big music labels won’t allow embedding of their videos, which is endlessly annoying and pretty much ensures that they won’t go viral — but if you feel like looking up Glazer’s video for “Karma Police” on YouTube, it’s definitely worth a look.


Another unusual concept for a video — people crying. Really crying, in such an honest way that it’s a little uncomfortable to watch.


Wish I could include some clips from Sexy Beast here — it’s great — but I can’t think of a single scene that doesn’t include a paint-peeling amount of swearing. But do yourself a favor and check it out. It includes some of the best performances ever given by both Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone, which is really saying something.






Have you ever thought how cool it would be if your treadmill could take you on a virtual jog through nature so you could watch something more scenic than the gym wall while you run? Well, your day is coming.


Virtual Active, which lets you access a library of running, hiking, and biking workouts filmed live in beautiful outdoor locations, is releasing a free half hour sample of its virtual exercise experience for download on iTunes on March 1.


Virtual Active is also working with cardio equipment manufacturer Johnson Health Tech, the #4 manufacturer of cardio equipment, and The Indoorcycling Group, a leading European indoor cycling company. Johnson’s 7xe line of Matrix Cardio equipment will automatically adjust the treadmill incline to mimic the terrain in the video, adjust the speed of video playback based on the user’s running speed, and provide on-location nature audio (in the case of cardio-enabled downloads, the video would not be able to provide such interactivity). In addition, these manufacturers plan to introduce SyncStep, which will allow users to hear the sounds of their steps over the terrain as they run or walk. For example, when running on a wooded trail, the user might hear crunching leaves underfoot each time their foot hits the tread.


The company has perfected filming while running at 12-14 mph paces for smooth video playback, all shot in HD. Virtual Active will also be introducing its commercial equipment to health clubs on March 10 at the International Racquet and Sports Club Association (IHRSA) fitness trade show in San Diego.


Videos of the location-based workouts, which include Yellowstone, Yosemite, Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, and the Grand Tetons, will be sold on DVD for $19.95, as downloads for $9.95, on Blu-ray disc or as part of specially-equipped cardio equipment packages.


The company will be launching their full online store May 1, where users can downloads instructional videos by fitness professionals as well as upbeat workout tunes from music provider Rumblefish, which can be played on any iPod-compatible fitness equipment or can be burned to DVD and watched at home.


The company’s business model is a mix of software sales and manufacturing partnerships on which it is paid per unit of cardio equipment sold as well as the majority of the revenue from additional content downloads. It also has a Passport Player, a standalone web-connected media player that health clubs can install to conduct classes and would be based on a monthly subscription. In addition, it is exploring brand associations and partnerships, in which a billboard along a running route or the instructor’s fitness gear would be provided by a sponsor. I was able to view some mockups, and these opportunities are not at all intrusive to the user’s fitness experience but offer brands prominent product placement throughout the video.


Johnson Health Tech and The Indoorcycling Group also have a partnership with Livestrong that will include Virtual Active’s content for Livestrong-branded equipment.


Virtual Active was founded by John Ford, who is a runner and has also played competitive soccer, after he left his job in corporate accounting at Clorox, in 2006. The company is based in San Francisco and has 10 full-time employees. The privately held company has received $2.5 million in funding from friends and family to date. Most competitors, such as Trixter and Expresso, focus on cycling, whereas Virtual Active is focusing on the full range of cardio equipment, including mountain biking, running and hiking for treadmills and ellipticals, and steep hiking on step machines, said Ford. “By Fitting entertainment to a person’s favorite exercise and not making them change modalities,” Ford believes the market for Virtual Active is quadrupled.


While all the locations filmed are in the US, The company will be filming locations in Germany and Italy in April and Australia and New Zealand later this year. It hopes to film locations all over the world, said Ford. Ford said his goals for the company include acquiring some powerful brand partnerships, expanding the content library to cover the globe, and increasing Virtual Active’s distribution to every place screens exist in the fitness world.



Next Story: EC Roundup: Negotiators, boards of directors and some really dumb sales people Previous Story: Polaris’ Ryan Spoon and Hollrr’s David Hegarty on life in incubator Dogpatch Labs (video)





Well these should not be a problem now. You will be able to run indoors which is very safe rather you are at a gym or at home. You should definitely look at what people are calling a best buy, and a great addition to the exercise world. It allows some great uses, including six presets, and so much more. With a sturdy constructed frame, and full options you're going to love how great and easy to use this machine really is. walking treadmillThe extra large running surface and one touch speed adjustment deliver maximum performance during the workout. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.This allows for a larger user weight, and will come with a lifetime warranty against cracks or breakage.This treadmill is also used in schools, heavy traffic gyms, hospitals and health clubs as this can cater all fitness levels and ages.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Home Exercise motorized treadmill For Your Abs?


Burn 60 (owned by Janet Crown and Drew Gerstein) by crownjanet


When you are looking for a treadmill for your home, you want to get one that is going to work well for you. When you buy this treadmill, you know you are getting something that will work for life.When people complain about the treadmill being boring, it is probably because they do the same workout over and over.Magnetic Recumbent BikeIt is perfectly designed for all kind of body weight and can sustain more heavy duty exercises without any problems. Each are twenty minutes long, include a warm up and cool down period, and are equally effective for runners or walkers.So no crazy videos there, where people get flung across the room by their treadmill! It is possible to change the incline on manual treadmills, but you have to get off and crank a knob in order to adjust it, then get on and start walking or running again. home treadmillToday, the fitness treadmill is an affordable piece of exercise equipment. If you've been running for a while you already know that outdoor running is not always possible due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances, that's when your treadmill becomes your best friend. Any of the above mentioned treadmills can make a great choice if you are serious about either walking or running your way to fitness. However, there are a large number of treadmills on the market. There are so many choices today that it's very hard to narrow your decision down to a specific machine. Your size and weight matter when choosing treadmill exercise equipment.





Well these should not be a problem now. All treadmills have programs for all individuals no matter what there fitness goals are. You should definitely look at what people are calling a best buy, and a great addition to the exercise world. It allows some great uses, including six presets, and so much more. To also further the challenge this treadmill has a full 15% incline for those that need a more professional workout.manual treadmillThe main difference of Endurance T10 HRC Treadmill with others is the warranty. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. Professional gyms have been a popular choice to visit as there are expert trainers that provide classes for proper workout methods.

How to select home treadmill Workout


Maglevity Transport -- Bottom by Uspez Morbo


While it does not have a heart monitor on it, it has all the bells and whistles that make this treadmill a must-have for any enthusiast. When you buy this treadmill, you know you are getting something that will work for life.One of the most important factors in using a treadmill to increase your fitness level is the variety of your workouts. http://www.dahongbag.com/blog/It also has the wireless heart rate control, 3 color LCD display, arm rest and incline controls to assist you during training.Each are twenty minutes long, include a warm up and cool down period, and are equally effective for runners or walkers.With a non-motorized treadmill, you go only as fast as you push yourself.manual treadmillFortunately, all that has changed. If you've been running for a while you already know that outdoor running is not always possible due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances, that's when your treadmill becomes your best friend. Any of the above mentioned treadmills can make a great choice if you are serious about either walking or running your way to fitness. Before you make a treadmill purchase, there are some things that should be taken into consideration.Treadmills, like all other at home fitness machines, have come a long way. There are a lot of choices out there and it can be difficult to filter through all of them and choose one.






After purchasing a large piece of fitness equipment from Amazon, do not move. Ever. This apparently confuses the customer service representatives and sends you on a two-month odyssey of buck-passing, missed connections, confusion, and consumer mayhem. Vu writes that he has learned this lesson the hard way. He would like Amazon to come pick the damn thing up so he can get his refund.



I ordered a treadmill from Amazon on 11.29.09. It was delivered on 12.9.09, and a week after the delivery I moved to a new place. That's when I assembled the treadmill and realized it was not working. The display was OK, the timer was counting down, but the belt was not moving. So here's what I've been doing the last couple of months..

Dec 29, 09:

I call Amazon and talk to but am told that I cannot have it replaced because I've changed my address since the delivery. I should call the manufacturer and try to get it fixed. I call Merit Fitness about 3 times but due to the high number of calls, I am asked to leave a message and am reassured that I will be contacted within 24hrs. I am not.



Late Dec - early Jan:

I keep calling.



Early Jan:

Someone finally answers. One hour on the phone explaining what is working and what's not. The representative says that they will send me some parts and have a technician in my region contact me within a week.



A couple of weeks later:

I get the parts.



Mid Jan:

I call again and get the number of the technician. I call them and we schedule an appointment.



Late Jan:

I file for half a day off work and stay at home, waiting. Nothing. I call again and am told the technician should have already stopped by. I go to the door and see a note that they were there but the bell was not working. The bell *is* working but even if it weren't, why didn't they knock? Or call? I call again and they tell me that the technician will be back later. File for another half day off work. The technician comes about an hour later and after looking at the treadmill informs me that I don't have the necessary parts. He will have Merit Fitness ship the parts and schedule a new appointment within a week.



Two weeks later:

No parts, no call. I call Merit Fitness again. They apologize but the defect is so expensive to fix that I am better off replacing it. They tell me I can just keep or throw away the old unit, and I should call Amazon to get a new one. They don't know why I wasn't informed about that earlier and had to call myself.



Feb 10, 2010:

I call Amazon and talk to I tell her I want my money back and I don't care for a replacement unit anymore. No problem, we will pick the unit up, and you will get refunded as soon as we get it. What's your new address? I give her my new address and she tells me somebody will call me back to schedule a pickup. No one ever calls me back.



Feb 15, 2010:

I call Amazon again and talk to We schedule an appointment for Sunday so I don't miss any more time from work, just ruin a weekend.



Sunday Feb 21, 2010:

I get a call from the shipping company to come out because they are at the address. I get out, but nobody's there. Call them back, turns out they went to the old address. They will give me a call back in 5 minutes. One hour later, no call. I call them and they tell me that's the address they got from Amazon. Nothing they can do about it, I should call Amazon. At this point I am pretty frustrated. I call Amazon and talk to She apologizes, it was their mistake. But still, they can't give me a refund without the item. And I cannot have the treadmill picked up the same day, so we have to reschedule.



So what's it gonna be - do I want to miss another day from work, or stay home one more weekend? I tell them it's been two months and I want my money back, I don't care how they will pick up the treadmill. Not my problem anymore. I get to talk to the manager. Then the manager's manager. Then the manager's manager's manager whose name is I tell him what I told the rest - I will leave the treadmill in front of the house. I live in the Seattle area so it rains pretty often, but it's not like it can get any more broken than it already is. So come pick it up whenever you want, then send me my money back. Doesn't sound like the manager cares too much about the item. He's OK with me just leaving it outside. I will be refunded as soon as they get it, in whatever condition it might be. So there it is now, waiting to be picked up in front of my house. It's been sunny the last couple of days so they might get lucky. I don't really care either way - just want it out of my sight at this point.



Tuesday Feb 23, 2010:

Three different people from [a local shipping company] l call me to confirm the pickup date for Wednesday between 1 and 4 pm. I explain to each of them that I will leave the item at my front door. They tell me it is fine as long as I provide a note with the item number, order number and my signature.





9 am Wednesday:

I leave the treadmill with the note attached to it (see photo) in front of my house and leave for work.



1:19 pm:

I receive a call from Amazon and they tell me that the driver couldn't pick up the item because nobody was home to sign for it. I tell her what happened. She counters back saying that the driver didn't find a note (see photo). She sounds very upset like I am trying to blame her. She asks me if I want to schedule another appointment since they can't come and pick it up the same day. I say no and end the conversation.



1:45 pm:

I take another half day off work to go home and try to handle this. I call Amazon and talk to who is supposed to transfer me to , but I get disconnected. I call again and talk to who basically tells me that it is my problem and I have to call the shipping company myself. I ask her to transfer me to She snaps at me and tells me that we are not going anywhere with this, but agrees to transfer my call.



2:00 pm:

I finally get to talk to who still remembers me from our conversation last Sunday. He tells me that I was supposed to leave the item outside, but in a dry area, where the driver can pick it up. It sounds like he wants me to build a little house for the treadmill or leave the key for my house. I tell him that we've never agreed on that. At that point he tells me to call [the local shipping company] again and schedule another pickup. I call and talk to who tells me that I can't contact them directly. They will have to call me back after Amazon enters the order to schedule the pickup. So now I am waiting to see what happens next. It's so ridiculous that it's almost entertaining.



Just to give you more background information: I have been shopping at Amazon for years and have never had any complaint before. In fact, I have never filed a complaint for anything in my life. But this is ridiculous. What do you suggest I should do?



At this point, I probably would have long ago hired my own shipping company to dump the treadmill in front of Amazon's headquarters. Otherwise, I'm fresh out of ideas. Any suggestions for Vu, Consumerist hive mind?



http://www.biofusiondesign.com/archive/have-you-ever-tried-to-get-a-refund-from-amazoncom [Biofusion Design]







Of the more than 500 astronauts and cosmonauts who have been into space, only one has connected to the Internet and Tweeted from 250 miles above Earth: T.J. Creamer, a flight engineer and NASA science officer.


Mr. Creamer arrived on the International Space Station in December and is serving a six-month tour of duty. He has worked in numerous areas of government, including the Army’s Airborne Division and, most recently, in NASA’s Robotics Branch.


In this e-mail Q.&A., which has been slightly edited, Mr. Creamer explains how he connects to the Internet from the space station, discusses some of the interesting experiments the team of astronauts is monitoring and acknowledges that he enjoys running on “Stephen Colbert,” the station’s treadmill.


Nick Bilton: You recently sent the first Tweet from space. Was it different than Tweeting from Earth?

T.J. Creamer: No, not really, other than I was really glad to bring the follower-ship up to speed on what’s going on up here, in real-time.


At first you had some technical issues getting online. What were they?

We were having some software/firmware configuration problems between our on-board network and the ground network. Once we overcame those, all worked as we expected.


How do you connect to the Internet from space? Dial-up?

Well, you know that we have radio communications — you can listen to these on NASA TV, for instance. We use the same communications infrastructure, which involves bouncing our signals off satellites, to allow for the Internet connections. If you are aware of VOIP telephone calling, it’s essentially the same principle. Like traditional VOIP, we have both voice as well as computer data going through the same connections.


How long can you stay connected online? Is the Web connection faster when you’re over different parts of the world?

We have about 40 minutes before we need to switch to another satellite. During that switch, we lose our connection, but once we lock back on the next satellite, we regain our Internet connection again.


When you talk to your family, are you using traditional VOIP services, or special NASA applications?

Basically we are using traditional VOIP services, but they go over the NASA communications network first.


Which Web sites do you visit while online in space?

Largely, we visit current-events/news Web sites, look up some general information/trivia/knowledge-type stuff. We even use the Web for earth observation information as well. And, of course, some social networking.


Are there certain Web sites you avoid, as viruses could enter the space station?

Not in particular, but we are under the same restrictions as any government employee.





A mini treadmill is now starting to invade every household in Europe and America because of the multiple benefits that this small machine provides to its users.You will be able to run indoors which is very safe rather you are at a gym or at home. It's not something that many people are taking lightly either because they are moving forward so well on a nice treadmill. For those that are looking for a great motorized treadmill, the Sole F80 is the best thing on the market. With a sturdy constructed frame, and full options you're going to love how great and easy to use this machine really is. electric treadmillThis treadmill priced a little high than other brands has some additional features which support for the high price. It will serve you just as well and cost you thousands less.First of all, the frame of a commercial treadmill is made of a high alloy steel or aluminum, and is welded, as opposed to put together with nuts and bolts, like consumer grade equipment. As more and more people developed the habit of doing regular exercise, the popularity of commercial treadmills has also increased.