Filed under: Feature, TECHNOLOGY | Tags: AIDS Lifecycle, Cadence Cycle, Computraining, Cycling, iPhone, LA, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco
COMPUTRAINING: BIKE RACING ON A COMPUTER SCREEN
Like Oprah, I have my list of favorite things. Apart from the obligatory items like pedicures and Twizzlers, my bike and my computer are at the top of my list. Especially now, as I train for the AIDS Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to LA, cycling has become the main focus of my weekend diet. So, after biking 55 miles to Piermont in the morning, I met up with Ray and Martha at Cadence Cycle in NYC to try out a free computraining class.
Step 1
Put your bike on a trainer and hook it into a computer which automatically changes the resistance according to the selected course.
Step 2
Calibrate the bike and stare down your surrounding competition.
Step 3
The names and weights of all bikers are loaded into the computer. In the screen above, the elevation is at the top of the screen and the columns at the bottom indicate each biker.
Step 4
Start peddling furiously and talking smack to surrounding bikers.
Along the course, a green line (towards the top of the screen in the image above) indicates a decline in elevation from the current elevation. A red line indicates an increase. It’s not quite like an outdoor riding looking at a hill as the change in elevation could be a big increase/decrease or slight. The image above was taken from my iPhone. The much better, brighter picture at the top is a stock photo.
Of course, I get seated next to Ray, ultramarathoner on my left, and overly-intense cycling dude on my right. Regardless, it was a nice experience to spin using my own bike. The added competition pushed me to a mph must faster than a traditional spin class. I also enjoyed knowing that everyone was at the same resistance. There’s always that person in every spin class who is told to turn it up ‘one full turn’ and makes a fake-out hand movement and then spins like a nut job. You know who you are.
If you want to take a class, the first two are free. $25 per class moving forward. Click here for more info either on the Philadelphia or NYC location.
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Accenture, Arts, Cablevision, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lifetime Movie Network, Natalee Holloway, Network, Television
USA‘s season premiere of Law & Order: CI and In Plain Sight on Sunday night delivered increases over last season’s average ratings. L&O:CI averaged 1.9 million A8-49 and 4.6 million total viewers; up by 10% in the demo over last year’s season premiere. In Plain Sight debuted its second season premiere to 5.1 million total viewers, and 2.3 million A18-49, marking a 25% increase in the demo, over last season’s average. (Cynopsis 4/21)
The premiere of “Natalee Holloway” on the Lifetime Movie Network set a number of ratings and viewership records. The Sunday night premiere attracted 3.2 million total viewers for a 1.8 rating and was the highest-rated telecast among women 18 to 49 on basic cable in the last 12 months, with 1 million viewers and a 2.5 rating in that demographic category. TVWeek.com (4/20)
Despite the economic hard times, a growing percentage of TV viewers worldwide would rather pay for content if it came without advertising, according to a study conducted by Accenture of 14,000 people in 13 countries. The study also showed subscription models remain popular with viewers. “This underscores the recession-resistant nature of subscription models even in today’s tough economic climate,” Accenture’s David Wolf said. Adweek (4/20) , Broadcasting & Cable (4/20)
Less consumer spending will reduce revenue $5 billion in the sectors of subscription TV, mobile services and broadband services, says an In-Stat report. The industry may be able to improve revenue, however, by tapping into consumers’multitasking tendencies — 33% of males and 25% of females reported that they sometimes used their computers while watching TV. Home Media Magazine (4/20)
Cablevision has announced that it has added 30 high-definition channels, including viewer favorites such as A&E, History, Planet Green, Outdoor Channel and NBA TV. The cable provider is on a mission to offer more than 100 HD channels in its service area by June. CableFAX.com (4/20)
Comcast, as of April 27, will add 27 high-definition channels in the Houston area, including Speed Channel, Cartoon Network, Discovery and ABC Family. The cable firm also announced the addition of 10 standard-definition networks: Reelz Channel, Hallmark Movie Channel, Universal Sports, Ovation, Gran Cine, Mexicanal, Star Plus, Sony, The Filipino Channel and GMA Pinoy. Multichannel News (4/20)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Apple, Ashton Kutcher, Craigslist, Katalyst Media, Microsoft, Punk'd, Television, The New York Times Company
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Boston police say they have captured a suspect they believe to be the so-called “Craigslist killer,” a case that has attracted national attention. Philip Markoff, 22, of Quincy, Mass., is accused of preying on several women who advertised erotic services on Craigslist. (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1166939 4/21)
With all of the online video services now offering much of the same content, the new differentiating factor seems to be high definition quality. Microsoft has been there for a while (with videos over Xbox Live), as has Apple (over the Apple TV), and now Amazon is joining the gang. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/21/amazon-jumps-into-the-hd-stream-as-well-doesnt-really-make-a-splash/ 4/21)
Janet Robinson, CEO of the New York Times Co., says the struggling publisher is exploring alternative, online business models for newspapers, such as subscriptions. The company is reporting a first-quarter net loss of more than $74 million, with advertising revenue down 27%. (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://www.smartmoney.com/news/ON/?story=ON-20090421-000444-1154 4/21)
“Punked” is one of those words that started out as a slang term, but was taken to a whole new level by a pop culture moment — in this case, the MTV show Punk’d. But as quickly as it heated up in 2003, it quickly burned out, lasting just 4 years. But the company behind it, Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst Media
, may have found a way to revive the formula — take it live and online. Katalyst is teaming up with Ustream, the online streaming video service, to bring “Punk’d-style experiences” to the platform. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/20/katalyst-media-taking-punkd-live-with-ustream/ 4/20)
Google is unveiling software tools that let people search the Internet using pictures or chronologically organize results of queries for news. The new News Timeline amasses stories from newspapers, magazines and blogs and presents search results in chronological graphs. (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090421/tc_afp/usitinternetmediagoogle 4/20)
Social-news site Digg is ending its advertising partnership with Microsoft more than a year before their contract is due to expire. Instead of relying on Microsoft as its exclusive ad partner, Digg will now primarily use the internal sales force it recently began building. (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10223354-36.html 4/20)
Years after Yahoo and Google integrated web IM features into their free webmail services (Yahoo Messenger in Yahoo Mail and Gtalk in Gmail, respectively), Redmond is finally enabling users to log into their Hotmail accounts and converse with their contacts over instant messaging directly without the need to log on to Windows Live Messenger separately, or to even have the program installed altogether. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/21/ages-after-yahoo-and-google-microsoft-finally-enables-web-based-im-in-hotmail/ 4/21)
Time Inc. is trying to build its online advertising business with an ad network of its own that will, among other things, allow advertisers to make targeted buys across its properties. One of the biggest sites on the network is People.com, which attracted 13 million people in March. (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=136123 4/20)
More Americans are said to be making their income from blogging than from working as computer programmers, firefighters or bartenders. More than 20 million Americans are now blogging, with 452,000 of those using blogging “as their main source of income.” (Iwantmedia 4/21, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124026415808636575.html 4/21)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Cellphones, iPhone, LG Electronics, Mobile phone, Reuters, Today Show, Wall Street, Zumobi
NBC’s Today Show launched an iPhone/iPod Touch app powered by Zumobi delivering audio and video segments and photos from the show as well as additional info and expert columns about food, travel, fashion and relationships. (Cynopsis 4/21)
LG Electronics predicted further improvements in its mobile-phone sales going forward as the company said its cell phone sales proved especially resilient in the first quarter. It reported a 6.7% operating profit margin among its handsets, compared with 5.2% in the fourth quarter. LG said it expected to increase mobile-phone sales 10% in the second quarter, compared with the previous period. Reuters (4/21) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (4/21)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, Motorola, Television, Verizon Communications, Verizon FiOS
Apple investors should expect an uneventful quarter when the consumer-electronics company posts earnings this week, say analysts, who are eager to see if it can continue its strong track record of selling iPhones, Macs and other devices in a dismal economy. Observers are also wondering whether investors will take profits for their high-flying shares while they await Apple’s introduction this summer of a new iPhone, as well as a touch-screen tablet and small laptop later in the year. Reuters (4/20)
(Below) More reason for me to finally make the jump to Verizon.
Verizon Communications is expanding access to the remote-scheduling feature of its FiOS TV DVR service by allowing customers who do not use Verizon Wireless handsets to manage their digital-video recordings online. The telecom is also opening the Web-enabled service to all of its FiOS DVR subscribers, not just Home Media customers. Multichannel News (4/20)
The UX-series netbooks will have a 10.1-inch LCD with 1,024 by 600 resolution and a four-hour battery life — upgrades from the 8.9-inch LCD and 2.9-hour life of the previous model. The netbooks will be released in Japan on Friday with a pricing set between $606 and $707. Computerworld/IDG News Service (4/20)
Netgear has started shipping its Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150, the company’s first networked digital media adapter that has its own hard drive. The DMA, which carries a suggested retail price of $399, enables users to stream audio and HD video from a networked personal computer or NAS device to an A/V system in multiple formats. TWICE (4/20)
The next version of Motorola’s set-top au Box digital media center is not — the company stressed — built on Google’s Android platform. The device, which Motorola soon will deliver to KDDI, a Japanese telephone operator, actually is built on Motorola’s Linux-based KreaTV platform, the company said, hoping to derail rumors about the Android connection. Digital Trends (4/20) , CNET (4/20)
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