Dynamic Default.png files on the iPhone

http://collison.ie/blog/2008/11/dynamic-defaultpng-files-on-the-iphone

Phys Ed - Stretching - The Truth

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them.

Stretching muscles while moving, on the other hand, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion. Muscles in motion don't experience that insidious inhibitory response.

These exercises- as taught by the United States Tennis Association's player-development program – are good for many athletes, even golfers. Do them immediately after your aerobic warm-up and as soon as possible before your workout.

STRAIGHT-LEG MARCH

(for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles)

Kick one leg straight out in front of you, with your toes flexed toward the sky. Reach your opposite arm to the upturned toes. Drop the leg and repeat with the opposite limbs. Continue the sequence for at least six or seven repetitions.

SCORPION

(for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus muscles)

Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched and your feet flexed so that only your toes are touching the ground. Kick your right foot toward your left arm, then kick your leftfoot toward your right arm. Since this is an advanced exercise, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12 times.

HANDWALKS

(for the shoulders, core muscles, and hamstrings)

Stand straight, with your legs together. Bend over until both hands are flat on the ground. "Walk" with your hands forward until your back is almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands forward again. Repeat five or six times. G.R.

The link has diagrams and a video.  Also, static stretching is still considered a good way to cool down after exercise.

31 iPhone Applications With Source Code

http://www.mobileorchard.com/31-iphone-applications-with-source-code/

CS193P - Cocoa Programming; Stanford's iPhone App class

http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/index.php

Paul Broun for Congress

I attended a campaign event for Paul Broun at the Savannah Rapids Pavillion yesterday at lunch time.  Governor Sonny Perdue was the guest of honor.  The Governor and I have had our differences, but today the focus was on supporting our local congressman.  Paul Broun is one of the few principled conservatives in Congress these days and I'm proud to support his re-election.

Parallels versus SP3

I updated BootCamp recently and it allowed me to update Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). Today, I'm catching up with Parallels. I updated the Parallels Desktop app, but when I tried to start the virtual machine, Windows complained about not being able to find "autochk" and it looked like it continually tried to restart Windows.

Google found this answer for me:

I had the same problem with my bootcamp install after updating to SP3 with the missing AUTOCHK and BSOD. I fixed it by opening the hard disk config for the VM, go to the advanced page and clear the parallels info from the boot camp partition (there is a CLEAR button there for this) and when it finishes boot it up. Parallels will show the message about this being the first time using the boot camp partition you can hit ok and everything should boot up like you had it before. I didn't even have to reinstall tools and coherence was even still working. :)

Adobe Flash updates

I've complained about Flash before, especially their installer, so it's only fair to point out that the latest version seems better in every respect. Test your version with the web page. Here's a security announcement.

The Tragic Cost of Sunday Drivers

Georgia is one of only three states that still has a Blue Law against selling alcohol on Sundays. After reading an op-ed piece by Governor Sonny Perdue about the issue, I wrote the following letter to the editor of our local newspaper, the Columbia County News-Times (registration required), which is owned by the Augusta Chronicle. You can also read Governor Perdue's original column on the state's official web site.

Update: The News-Times published my letter to the editor. (registration required) The full text follows:

Dear Editor,

You recently published an opinion column by Governor Sonny Perdue entitled "Tragic cost of Sunday alcohol sales" in which he opposes the repeal of Georgia's Blue Law prohibiting the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Governor Perdue cites a study which found that alcohol-related traffic crashes and deaths increased in New Mexico after they allowed alcohol sales on Sundays in 1995. His conclusion is that "We cannot afford to jeopardize people's lives ... even under the guise of letting people choose." But doesn't the force of the Governor's logic compel us to examine the danger of driving at all on Sundays? How many people must die before we conclude that driving is simply too dangerous in Georgia? The Governor says that he is expected "to do all that I can to make the people of this state as safe as possible." Banning driving on Sundays is a good first step toward making our roads safe for all citizens. The alternative would be to "to stick our heads in the sand", as the Governor puts it, by trusting people to drive responsibly.

Steve Miner
Evans, GA

BBC special on rare penguins

Translucent Menu Bar control in 10.5.2

Use the Desktop system preference pane to control the translucent menu bar in 10.5.2. No need for my ugly hack anymore.