You Gotta Have PowerBlocks

You Gotta Have PowerBlocks

     When I was in my small NY apartment I simply didn't have enough room to store the equipment that I wanted to use like dumbbells, an Olympic bench, a lat machine, a pull up tower and a leg press. I was working late everyday so going to a gym was limited. So I decided to do a little research on equipment.

     When I did some simple math I figured that I would need a room that was 14' x 20' and I would need to spend about $2700. That seemed like a lot of money and the room I was going to use was almost  8' x 11'. The benefit of having your own equipment is that you buy it once and its yours. The downside is that you need a place to store it. Since I am a larger fella, I can't do much with smaller weights (20- 50 Lb) I am used to working with heavier loads.The larger the weights are the more space they take up, natrually. I did a little more math and figured that a set of dumbbells that would work for my situation would take up a wall that is 14' long, utilizing 2 rows, and the cost would be over $1700. Yeesh. I was thinking that I was going to have to join a gym that I wouldn't have the time to go to ( at that time the gyms in my area closed at 8PM on weekdays and 2PM on weekends ). 

     Then I found what I was looking for. There was a bright light emanating from the section of the store where these were hiding. I found my PowerBlocks. This was exactly what I was looking for. This set went up to 90 Lbs, it only took up about 3 square feet of space and was totally within my budget. There was another set that utilized a different locking mechanism, but no matter what I did the weights seemed loose and uncomfortable. After a little more math I figured that a set of dumbbells up to 90 Lbs would be about $1400, so this was a no brainer. I purchased the PowerBlocks and a stand for less than $800 and the salesman cut me a nice deal on a lat machine with weights and an incline bench. My total came out to $1100 for a complete, yet compact gym. This was about the cost of a year and a half of membership at a nice gym. I was satisfied.

     The main feature that I liked about the PowerBlocks was the locking mechanism. When you lock in a  certain size, it stays locked in. Then there is the balance of the dumbbells. You might not think that balance is a big deal until you start heaving 85 Lbs above your head. Throughout my various workouts I found no issues to speak of. The price was right, the size was right and I was able to work on everything I wanted to when I wanted to. Of course you dont have to buy the Elite 5-90 Lb PowerBlocks. Unless you have the necessity for it. You can get the Classic 5 to 45 Lb or the SportBlock 3-24 Lb.  There is a set to fit your ability and budget. If you want get a weight set for the home or office that doesn't  take up a lot of space and is affordable the You Gotta Have PowerBlocks.

The Garmin Forerunner 305

You Gotta Have The Garmin Forerunner 305

     Yes, this looks like a serious watch. That's because it is a very serious watch. I first saw this on my neighbor's wrist when she was training for the NYC marathon. (she finished in just under 4 hours) I asked her what this watch did for her that others couldn't and she replied with "This is my training partner and my coach". Apparently this little device does almost everything you would need on a run, except play music.That's why you need an iPod Shuffle. After a run she would plug it into her computer and it would plot out on a Google map where she went, her speed, heart rate, distance, pace, calories burned and of course the time. It has a GPS receiver that monitors your position and sends the data to your computer when you dock it. She said that the battery life was pretty good since she only has to charge it up after 3 or 4 runs.

     I don't run, but I am impressed with this little piece of technology. There is nothing like being able to see and analyze your progress. Rather than just guessing that you had a good workout, with this watch you can see and track your workouts to truly get a measure of improvement. If you run, bike, ski or walk You Gotta Have this watch to get the most out of your workouts.

The Magazines

     Everyone loves magazines. They are quick and easy. They work great just about everywhere like the bathroom, the bus, the library, the coffee shop, the train, an airplane, the kitchen and even at work. Just don't let the boss catch you. The only real problem I have is the price at the newsstand. Each magazine is between $4 and $8 a piece. I have seen some for $17 per copy. Yeeesh.
     You can either buy a Kindle and get the magazines sent to you over the air waves. Or stay with the more traditional route of letting the USPS deliver them to you. Either way you do it, you are going to have to pay for the subscription. So why not save a bunch of $$ on the subscription fees for the stuff you're going to buy and read anyway.
     Here are some huge savings on subscription fees on popular magazines. Some of the savings are so huge that you get the magazines delivered for about $.50 per issue whereas you would normally pay about  $5 per issue.  Hmmm.. $6 per year or $60 per year for the same thing. Let me think about that for a while.
     The following magazines are all via Amazon.com and represent some significant cost savings based on a 1 year subscription. 


     Wow that is a huge list, but if you take a look at the annual cost of each and then think about the newsstand price you can see that this is a no brainer. I'm sure we are all having to tighten our budgets a little nowadays, but that doesn't mean you should go without. It does mean that you should be smarter about how you spend. If You Gotta Have Magazines, Then buy them the right way.

The Pink Floyd Box Set: Oh, by the Way

You Gotta Have this Pink Floyd Box Set.

     If you are a Pink Floyd fan then you gotta have the box set "Oh, by the Way". It contains all 14 Studio albums, most of which some people have never heard of. You get everything, yes everything that the boys from Cambridge produced in the studio. You also get 2 collectors posters and some nice coasters. All the great tunes everyone has heard before and a whole bunch of music that the radio stations wouldn't dare to play, but they should have. If you were to purchase all the albums separately they could cost you almost $400. If you are like me and started buying Floyd albums on cassette and then again on CD, because the cassettes wore out, then you might want to buy this box set and rip the albums to mp3s. And yes, you can even get all 14 albums onto 1 CD-R. This will make a great gift for anyone who has an appreciation for listening to and understanding the progression of a rock band that has left such a huge mark on music.

     Other than the obvious Albums in this set, Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here. Here are some thoughts on a few of the not so known albums that are noteworthy and should be listened to if only to hear the progression and maturation of the band.

     Atom Heart Mother is one of my favorite albums that the average listener wouldn't think was a Floyd Album, but it was the 1st album to be specially mixed for 4-channel Quadraphonic Sound. Quadraphonic is a very early version of what we now know as that modern marvel called Surround Sound. Surround sound has revolutionized the way we watch movies in the theater, our living rooms and the way we play games on the computer and consoles. Just think what kind of a breakthrough it was back in 1970 on some progressive rock bands album. Quadraphonic Sound would be utilized at concerts to create some seriously trippy sound effects. The 1st Song is the Atom Heart Mother suite. It is about 24 minutes long and can seem bizarre at 1st. But when you give it a 2nd chance you can hear the instrumental experimentation paying off.

     A Saucer Full of Secrets was a major turning  point for Pink Floyd since founding member Syd Barrett started to become too hard to deal with, due to LSD usage, and David Gilmour was brought in to finish the album. You can start to hear Syd's influence mixing with David's melodic guitar.

     Animals is a fantastic example of Pink Floyd's ability to change their musical style. This thematic album is  based on the Orwell book Animal Farm and the social-political condition that was affecting Britain in the 70's. This entire album has a darker undertone than previous releases that could be perceived as a precursor to the bands turbulent times to come. If you listen closely you can hear every member of the band adding their own touches to the songs complementing each others strengths.

     Not included in this box set is Pulse which includes the entire Dark Side of the Moon album performed live and Astronomy Domine which hasn't been performed live since about 1972. The rest of the album is a nice mix of tracks from The Division Bell and the more popular hits like Hey You, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Learning To Fly and many more.You Gotta have the Pink Floyd Box set Oh, by the Way.

    

The Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio Alarm Clock

You Gotta have the Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio

     If you like to listen to Internet Radio and want a device that is super easy to setup then this is the radio for you. The Aluratek AIRMM01 is fantastically easy to setup. I think that from the time that I started to take it out of the packaging and started listening to Groove Salad, a full 3 minutes had passed. It was that easy. It scans your airwaves and you go through a simple setup for wireless (be sure to have your security credentials at hand) and before you know it you are good to go.

     I purchased this radio for my father who likes to listen to BBC world radio in the morning and he couldn't be happier. This radio sits on a shelf in the kitchen and does its job beautifully. The sound is very good for such a small device, of course this depends on its position and the size of the room it is in.There are some other radios out there but I felt that this was the best bang for the buck. 

     You can stick a USB thumb drive into the USB port on the front and play music right form that. Just make sure that you don't have a ton of folders with music in them since it will scan the folders for audio files and will take longer to start playing. You can even have it connect to a Windows Media Center computer and stream your music collection to where ever the radio is. ( I'm building a beater computer for this purpose and will let you know how it comes out )

     If you are looking for a small internet radio that is  very easy to setup and has great sound then this is the radio for you. You gotta have the Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio.

The Bose® In-Ear Headphones

You Gotta Have these Headphones

     If you are like me and listen to your iPod all the time, then you need a good set of headphones. Bose is known world wide for making some of the best audio equipment for the masses, so you would think that they would make great pair of headphones. Well, they do. In fact these are the best headphones that I have ever used. They have a good even sound at all volume levels, they have a fantastic bass thump that would make you think you are standing next to a 15" woofer ( well not exactly ) and there is no screech in the highs. I can also honestly say that I don't get any annoying ringing in my ears after wearing these for a couple of hours. They fit in my ears very comfortably with no falling out and I can even hear nearby conversations if needed. 

     In my opinion these are the best headphones that normal people can buy. Yes $60 seems a little high for portable music devices compared to the $8 crap and the $17 stuff you see elsewhere, but its the sound that you want and its the sound that you get. There is no comparison. You Gotta Have Bose!!

The iPod Shuffle

You Gotta Have this iPod. 

This is the coolest Shuffle that Apple has ever made. Its durable, sleek and very easy to use. The 4GB of memory should be plenty for most people and the transfer rate from my computer is very good. I can change out the entire library in about 1.5 minutes. The charge holds for a long time too. I can use it for 3 days in the gym on a single charge without any problems. Just clip it to your shorts or shirt and you are in business. You wont even feel the shuffle attached to you. This has replaced my 160Gb iPod for all activities that might damage the screen. My 160Gb iPod now lives in my car and also gets to ride in airplanes on occasion. This cool little iPod comes in numerous colors to suite your needs. Silver, Black, Pink, Blue and  Green. If you want to buy your loved ones something that they will actually use and genuinely appreciate, then this is it. You Gotta Have this iPod.

The only issue i have with this iPod is the headphones with the controls built in. These headphones sound great, as they should, but they fall out of my ears when i am doing anything but standing still. I run, lift weights and do all kinds of exercise, but I hate it when I constantly need to readjust my earphones. This led me to look into the tapSTICK By Scosche.