Get Buff While Geeking Out

Two different devices intended to slow the nerd obesity epidemic just came to our attention. PoconoPCDoctor writes about the Geek-A-Cycle, which is a workstation with built-on exercise bike that you have to pedal to run the computer. And several readers pointed out the FP Gamerunner (mirror), reviewed here: think treadmill meets Quake 4. Again, you have to keep moving to stay in the game.

Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

These devices are a great step forward and I challenge criticisms of them. These are things in their infancy but with our economy as it is, I'll bet there's a few early adopters out there for this technology.

The only valid criticisms might be cost & intrusion. They are both fairly large devices from what I can tell. In order for them to last a while, I would assume they are made out of solid steel that would be ever present in a living room. Frankly, I'm surprised that they went the bike/running route when it would have been easier to set up a rowing or "hand cycling" device instead. I don't think this device is for the gamer who is looking to tone his already rock hard body so I wouldn't be so concerned which muscles the device works out, only that they achieve a cardiovascular exercise when they use the device. I can think of a contraption for rowing that is quite small (hooks to your feet and has a t-bar for your hands to pull) or a hand peddle device with little more than a base to stabilize it.

I like the FP GameRunner much more than the Geek-A-Cycle which simply powers the computer ... after all, it's competition that drives the gamer. Hell, if you can make these cheap and very competitive in nature, I'm sure many schools will be interested in using them for gym class [mtv.com]. The only requirement is that you have a healthy mix of strength versus strategy, I doubt that simply pumping your legs for five minutes and the fastest wins will draw many people. Provide a live course that adjusts for the path you take on the trail and penalizes you for falling and I think you're definitely headed in the right direction.

These are good starts at addressing a growing problem, but I'm hoping innovation kicks in as this market grows. In college, my roommate would watch TV and fix an device to his arm that sent electric shocks to his muscles. He would sit there and twitch and twitch and I just could not stomach that. These are, in my opinion, better that the over medication and electrocution I've witnessed some people put themselves through.

But...

Do you run faster with the knife?

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

Personally, my major problem with these (other than ergonomics on the cycle) is the fact that you HAVE to use them to keep going. A geek just starting out with this thing would get winded in 10 minutes and quickly give up, and probably throw the thing out the window because he wants to stay on his computer for more than 10 minutes at a time. Allowing me to, say, cycle for 10 or 15 minutes at a time and then take a break *while still being able to use my computer* would be a lot more helpful.

Having something like this that allows me to exercise while using my computer is good enough, don't force me to use it by powering off my computer if I stop for a breather.

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

What the hell do you think about? Long distance running is the most mind-numbingly boring activity imaginable. Once you get past the conditioning and the masochistic endorphin high of doing something painfully hard, it becomes a tedious grind that takes ho

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

it would have been easier to set up a rowing or "hand cycling" device instead.

It probably would have been easier to do it that way, but much harder to use the computer.

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

Hrm... Working out via repetitive hand motions while surfing the Internet... Why does this sound familiar?

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

While I realize that this device provides very healthy aerobic exercise, the title is just wrong. You can't get "buff" with this machine, because cardiovascular work alone simply cannot increase your muscle size. To do this, you need to have some form of resistance training (e.g., lifting weights), as well as a caloric surplus. As a matter of fact, if you were trying to get "buff," this device would be working against you by burning calories that might otherwise be spent building muscle.

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

We need to keep gym class in the schools so kids get and learn the value of regular exercise.

I don't know about where you went to school, but gym class in grade school doesn't teach the value of squat. In every school I went to, gym was extra practice for the jocks, except they got to use everyone who wasn't as fast or skilled as them as target practice. You want to turn someone off from physical activity, there's no quicker way to do it than making them play football against the varsity team, or run laps with the track team.

Re:Expense, Intrusion & Innovation

If the kid is going to cry about people running faster then him, or playing flag football better then him, and not try to get in better shape, let them be a fat slob for life, I could care less. Your same argument could get swapped around for science class, when those poor jocks get turned off because nerds answer all the questions, yada yada yada, a very lame argument.

You're missing a big part of the problem. If a jock can't answer a question in science class, and a nerd mocks him, said nerd will probably find himself stuffed into a locker after class. If a nerd, or anyone else, does poorly in gym class, the bullies among the athletes can have a field day making fun of him (or her) and there ain't a damn thing the victim can do about it.

I've belonged to three gyms since graduating from college. In each one, every single person there, no matter how fit or musclebound, was at least neutral towards the sedentary and obese people who joined the gym. A surprising amount of people were openly friendly and helpful. I've seen a guy with six pack abs who could bench press 350 pounds strike up a friendly conversation with a 350 pound, 45 year old woman. He appreciated that she was trying to do something about her poor health.

That's the exact opposite of most people's high school experiences. Many high school athletes are neutral or even friendly to their less athletic peers. But most schools have gangs of bullying and very vocal athletes that enjoy humiliating everyone weaker than they are. They turn exercise into a negative experience for the non athletes, and many people never even try to attend a commercial gym because they figure the experience there will be just as bad as high school.

You may not be sympathetic to that, but I am.

Re:The economy under Bush is just fine.

"The rich are paying their fair share, and then some, and then some more."

You reveal your income bracket here. The rest of your post is either condescension (you aren't entitled to any sonny) or meaningless statistics taken out of context and used for propaganda.

"Gas prices are down to near their normal inflation-adjusted levels."

Compared to when? The gas crunch? 5 years ago gas was about $1.50/gallon. Now gas is about $3/gallon. Your math seems a bit skewed to me. If you are claiming that inflation rates are so high that the dollar is worth half what it was 5 years ago then our economy is in a very sad state indeed.

"We are at 4.6% unemployment, which is pretty close to what economists consider full employment"

Sounds great. Of course it is meaningless. The biggest single glaring fact that makes your unemployment statistic worthless is that it only considers people who are actually drawing unemployment benefits. That is a small fraction of the unemployed. It also considers part-time and minimum wage (or near minimum) workers employed.

"At the same time, the share of national income earned by the top 1% has fallen from 21% under Clinton to 19% under Bush."

How about the top 5%? How about the top 10%? This is why statistics are useless for anything but propaganda. No matter what your viewpoint you can pick the numbers that suit your position.

"Most of what you think you know about the economy from listening to the mainstream media is a crock of shit."

The media? Who needs to look to the media to find out about the economy? Look to the people. Your average citizen is now making $25,000 or less and has no benefits. The reason they have no benefits is that almost all corporations have eliminated full-time positions among non-management workers. If you look at the workers filling positions typically held by teens you will now find adults working those jobs. A single adult in this position is forced to live with family or a roommate. In a marriage both the husband and wife must work just to keep up and they are building a landlord equity instead of themselves. Remember when the economy was healthy and one individual could work hard and support a house and car, plus put away something to take care of their family? Now both a husband and wife must work and they must save to be able to afford insurance, forget building to the future.

There is nothing fine about the economy if you are looking at it from the position of most of the working citizens instead of the position of the most successful citizens.

So if I run virtual machines...

...does that mean I also have to imagine copies of myself riding virtual exercise bikes to keep them ticking over, too?

1.21 gigawatts

PoconoPCDoctor writes about the Geek-A-Cycle, which is a workstation with built-on exercise bike that you have to peddle to run the computer.

With the number of case fans and neon lights a lot of geeks out there have, they may need to hire lance armstrong to keep their gear running.

have to pedal to run the computer? no.

the Geek-A-Cycle, which is a workstation with built-on exercise bike that you have to peddle to run the computer.

No, it isn't. It's just an exercise bike that fits under a desk [slimgeek.com]. It makes pedaling while working convenient, giving you something to do to keep your legs and heart entertained while you do your work, but doesn't make it mandatory.

The Hacker's Diet

And while we're talking about geeks and Obesity, let's not forget The Hacker's Diet [fourmilab.ch]. In my experience, it's a sensible and effective way for people with a sedantary lifestyle to lose weight safely, effectively and sensibily. Some comments in this related Slashdot article [slashdot.org] are helpful too.

That will keep you fit ...

a workstation with built-on exercise bike that you have to peddle to run the computer.

If you have to peddle it door-to-door, that will definitely keep you fit, especially in rural areas. It probably works in urban areas, too: the houses are closer together, but the people are more resistant to peddlers. But what do you do to keep fit after you make a sale ?

Reminds me of...

...the Atari Puffer [atariprotos.com]. That was not a saleable idea either.

I Ride A Bicycle 20 Miles Each Way To/From Work

I am solving this problem the cheap way.

I ditched my car and now get around on a bicycle.

My commute is 20 miles each way to and from work. That includes goeing up and down an 800 foot hill (Council Crest, in Portland, Oregon).

I am losing my weight fast.

I am saving about $400 per month in car related costs now that I got rid of the car.

People tell me it can't be done, but it' no problem for me so far.

And I don't need some new fangled cycle/workstation or treadmill/workstation. And I don't need to spend $$$ for waiting to use unwashed health club equipment.

Peace

Re:I Ride A Bicycle 20 Miles Each Way To/From Work

I had mod points to give on your post, but you're at the max! Totally agree with your approach. I used to commute from Brooklyn to mid-town Manhattan in the mid 1970's. Man what a workout! The view of New York Harbor while riding over the Brooklyn Bridge was spectacular. Round-trip was about the same as yours - 20 miles. I got to work a little sweaty at times, but used to shower at work when it was really hot. My resting pulse at the time was about 45.

Not getting hit by NY taxi drivers, buses, and delivery trucks also added that gaming element to the daily trip.

peddling wildly

>exercise bike that you have to peddle to run the computer.

It's *hard* *work* to generate power by selling exercise bikes. Especially door-to-door: lugging three or four of those puppies around in a suitcase will buff you right up.

I was a bike racer for a long time. At my best I could generate about 350 watts continuously for an hour. A decent computer would suck that dry. I think I'll stick with my Qube-2 [dslwebserver.com], which only draws about 35 watts. It's challenging to hook a keyboard or a monitor to it, but at least it's low-power!

Obesity and skepticism

My BMI (body-mass index) is 29.3. That's just on the border between overweight and obese. And yet no one seems to consider me overweight. I take a size 34 waste, my belly doesn't overhang my belt, I can easily run 5 miles at a decent pace, and I keep up to obviously fit people when circuit training. My doctor has never once told me I should lose weight.

The problem, of course, is that the BMI doesn't compensate for muscle or stature. Now everyone knows the BMI is only a rough guide, and that there are better ways to measure obesity. But if it's the main instrument for claiming an "obesity epidemic" then we have to know how rough.

If the BMI doesn't work for me, how many others does it not work for?

Doop!

What's funny is that not only did I post this back in '03 [slashdot.org] but that I also misspelled pedal in the story body and it didn't get picked up by the editor then either.

Slashdot is like buddhism for stories. All stories are headed for reincarnation until they reach Nerdvana.

Tested this at IHRSA

I used to be the lead developer at the Microsoft Health Club in Bellevue Washington and had a chance to test one of these at the health expo in Vegas (while I was attending Apachecon). You can't back up, you can't jump, the movements are very limited. I saw several of these device and while they were all nice, they all lacked in some way. Overall, I wouldn't suggest thes to anyone until they can get these prices down. I ended up just going home and buying a couple of dance dance revolution pads for my Playstation.

I for one...

...am still pumped from using the mouse.

Re:Clean energy, hamster style?

My question exactly. My notebook draws around 35W when idle and 40-45W when loaded, including the battery recharging. This site http://www.windstreampower.com/humanpower/hpgtech. html [windstreampower.com] is claiming for 125W of continuous pedaling power of the average human - and they even sell the equipment needed. But only in 120V US-voltage, which is not quite right for my European 220V appliances. Hmpf. But nonetheless, one hour of pedalling would yield enough power for two hours of computing - which would ne rather nice to have in not grid-connected cabins to be able to watch some dvds in the evening. Not bad...

Very important to cool legs while riding cycle.

If you're going to use a stationary bike for exercise, I strongly recommend a small fan blowing against your legs - especially the uppor portions, and that you wear shorts. Cooling the leg muscles greatly increases your power and endurance - far more than