rjshade.com

So it seems that x100e webcam is a 0.3 megapixel USB connected camera,
that can be read from using the v4l2 api.

( http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Integrated_camera )

To get up and running you'll need to install libv4l and a program for
capturing video, such as mplayer. On Arch:

pacman -S libv4l mplayer

The webcam appears on my machine as /dev/video0 and the
output can be viewed using mplayer as follows:

sudo mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:device=/dev/video0

and to record video:

sudo mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:device=/dev/video0 -nosound 
-ovc lavc -o blah.avi

Starter: Portobello mushrooms topped with garlic and shallots (fried),
and a stilton and breadcrumb mix. Grilled to perfection ;-)
Main: Simple Simon's pies (http://www.simplesimonspies.co.uk/) with
mash and peas.

         

Click here to download:

Pre-birthday_dinner_with_Kai.zip (24292 KB)

Update: Photo of the start taken from here

The usually idyllic Bourton-on-the-water was being gently soaked by
the Sunday morning drizzle as I returned to the site of my first ever
proper race. I ran this course last year after a last minute space
opened up and this was responsible for kick-starting my running
'habit'. The course is lovely and flat and with some nice cooling
rain today was perfect for a PB attempt - and to try and finish in
sub-40 minutes as an added bonus. I was in fact pretty much on target
until 6km when the seconds started slipping out from under my feet. My
fuel reserves emptied somewhere around 8km at which point I needed to
run 2km in under 6 minutes. Not a chance at this stage.

Target time: under 40 minutes. Actual time: 41:28. Beat last years time by
over 7 minutes, but there is much work to be done.

"If you aren't failing regularly, you aren't trying hard enough."

"Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having."

"I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting."

Paul Graham

Oxford To Henley-on-Thames, following the Thames path. 50 miles. What
better way to spend a Saturday morning, afternoon, and evening running
the entire length?

   

Click here to download:

Thames_Trot_50_mile_ultra.zip (1048 KB)

Running this ludicrous distance is the culmination of a year of ever
escalating running challenges. I used to detest running and this time
last year the furthest I'd ever run was around 5 miles. My number one
tip for anyone wanting to follow a similar path is to always push
yourself by entering more and more demanding races. In my case it was
10k in February, half-marathon in April, marathon in October, 50 miler
in February. Pushing yourself out of your running comfort zone is
vital, and having an event to train for is the motivation I found I
needed. Tip two: find someone to train with. Ideally someone who plans
to run the same distances as you, and ideally is a bit faster than
you. It's much easier to tell yourself that you can put off that long
training run for a day or two if you don't have someone else waiting
for you at the front door.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

What's next?

"If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."

Emil Zátopek

So I finished my first marathon last week in around 3:48. Two years ago I'd never run more than 3 miles without collapsing. A year ago I'd have been shocked and apalled at the suggestion of running 26.2 miles without stopping.

In April when I ran my first half-marathon at Edinburgh I thought that that was far enough, and that it would be daft to run any further. After Edinburgh I realised that this wasn't going to stop - I was becoming addicted. The obvious thing to do was feed this budding addiction and so I entered the Loch Ness marathon.

Many months later as I crossed the line I was overcome by an overwhelming feeling that I'd just completed one of the most challenging and fulfilling things I'd ever done. Days later, as the pain subsided and I found to my great delight that I could walk down stairs again, my thoughts turned towards the next event. It would have to be tougher, and would have to be longer.

I've found my next race: the Thames Trot. This is a 50 mile ultramarathon along the Thames path, from Oxford to Henley on Thames. To add to the fun, last year the run took place in heavy snow on a day I spent in the park building an igloo ( flickr.com ).

4 months to go. Let's see how this goes...

"To call running "fun" would be a misuse of the word. Running can be enjoyable. Running can be rejuvenating. But in a pure sense of the word, running is not fun.

Dean Karnazes