Archive for July, 2009

Health benefits of Autocrossing

Monday, July 20th, 2009

At the last GGLC autocross Alex and I decided to try out a little experiment to see how your heart rate changes during the race. We used a Polar S720i to record his heart rate, an iPhone for video and a DL1 data logger to record G-force and speed readings. I used some simple PHP magic to sync the two data files together and used the Chasecam Dashware system to create this finished video.

You can see the speed, heart rate (BPM), longitudinal G (acceleration + braking) and lateral G in the dashboard on the top of the video. His average heart rate was in the low nineties while on the grid and rises to to 101 just before the start of the run. As the run progresses you can see it quickly rise all the way to 145 bpm by the end of the 45 second run. Just as interesting is the way his heart rate falls as soon as the run ends and drops to the low 130s just 10 seconds after the run. So now if anyone asks you why you autocross just say its for the health benefits ;-)

Unfortunately the video quality is not as perfect and the heart rate only updates every 5 seconds but all in all it was a successful test of the system. I have already ordered a Polar RS800CX (1 sec resolution) and I plan to run this same setup for the duration of the Lemons race at Buttonwillow next month. So stay tuned for the health benefits of endurance racing :-D

This post has been cross posted on the GGLC blog.

Tags:, , , , , , , ,
Posted in autocross, cars, videos | 1 Comment »

Map of The Best Thing I Ever Ate locations

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Sticking with the map mashup theme of the last month, I’d like to unveil a new mashup map of all the restaurants featured in Food Networks new show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate“. The official blurb is as follows:

Ever wonder what the biggest food stars and chefs eat in their free time – when they’re paying? Find out on The Best Thing I Ever Ate! It’s the ultimate guide to the country’s most amazing meals, eats, and treats as told by the pros who spend their lives obsessing over food.

Update: Check out my new site FamousFood.us to easily find restaurants from the Best Thing I Ever Ate and other Food Network shows in a single place. Designed for both PC and mobile (iPhone, Android) use.

Since a good number of these restaurants are in the Bay Area I decided to make the following map of all their restaurants that will keep updating it as the show progresses. Click here to view the map in a full screen view along with a list of all the restaurants and their dishes. This should help all you foodies out there plan your trips accordingly – personally I think I’m going to start with the ones in the Bacon episode :-D


View Larger Map

You can also check out my maps of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Throwdown with Bobby Flay

Update (21-July-2009): I got a call from David Hoffman who produces the show thanking me for making this mashup and they have now posted it on the official The Best Thing I Ever Ate blog. :D

Update: Check out my new site FamousFood.us to easily find restaurants from the Best Thing I Ever Ate and other Food Network shows in a single place. Designed for both PC and mobile (iPhone, Android) use.

Tags:, , , , , ,
Posted in cooking, mashup | 42 Comments »