Well, my XBox crashed and this time I dont think I'll be able to fix it anytime soon. Seems to be a problem with the mobo : ( So for now, ekarma.net and cdraam.com are down. There is no Estimated Time of Repair becuase I dont have the time to fix it right now, but I'll find a way to get to it.

In other news, I went to the HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) Conference in New York City. It was awesome, and I cant wait until I attend another one like it! I really want to go to Def Con 12!!!

Holy crap! I just learned how to use, probably the coolest Unix/Linux console utility that exists!!! At first, I thought naim, a console program that allows you to chat on AIM/ICQ/IRC from the console, was kick ass. And then I learned how to use screen! What it basicly lets me do, is attach and detach console sessions from the terminal. What that means, is I can start naim using screen, then go to work, log into my linux computer using SSH, then REATTACH the screen session to the session I just logged in with! That way I can check my messages, reply to messages, anything I want, then just disconnect from my computer and the naim will still be happily running!

For those that still check my site for updates (and I'm happy you do) 🙂 I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. Just been so busy with work lately. All my tasks are backing up and I've got to get everything streamlined!! Work on my new site has temporarly been put on hold, but if you want a peek, check the new design here: https://raamdev.com/wordpress/test.php

You might say it looks plain and you like the current design better. Well what I'm going for is a site that looks good on ALL browsers, from Apple computers, to Linux, to Windows. The major differnece with my new site will be the new content. I'll have a whole article system that allows me to add articles about stuff I do, or projects I complete, etc. I'll have a whole section dedicated to a biography of myself and events in my life. There will be a whole section on my bodybuilding and workout routines. So hang in there and hopefully you'll see all that stuff this summer (did you realize its summer already!!!??)

I've been learning some wicked cool things with Apache. You can host multiple domains on a single computer that has a single IP address by using Virtual Hosts. From the user's end, its just another domain. This is how web hosts are allowed to setup 50 domains on one computer. Of course, they have all kinds of automated scripts that allow them to create a whole domain configuration in seconds. Anyways, I just finished configuring my XBox so that it runs ekarma.net AND cdraam.com. (cdraam.com?? I decided to make that domain, becuase its easier for people to remember, lol.) Anyways all cdraam.com does is redirect to raamdev.com, but its just awesome that I now know how to setup an almost unlimited amount of domains on my one XBox 🙂 Eventually, I want to start hosting raamdev.com on it as well.

I've been putting a lot of thinking into how the hell I'm going to design the backend to my raamdev.com site. I want it to be something that can easily be built upon and something that will be able to handle huge amounts of data. I'm still working on it, but check back for any possible updates. I've already redesigned the layout of the pages with pure CSS and XHTML, but I'm not going to apply the new layouts until I have the new backend working.

Lastly, I had a thought while I was in the car yesterday. I realized that so many people use computers, and people that use them often, have thousands and thousands of files they collect over time. Personal files. Pictures, letters, emails, etc etc. How is someone to manage such a large amount of files over the period of their lifetime? What happens to all those files when a person dies? An idea I had, is that there should be a filesystem, or at least a program, that automaticly creates a new directory for each year and then throughout that year all the files you save and work on will be stored in that year's folder. At the end of the year, the folder will be archived, and a new one will be created. Inside each year's directory, would be a Pictures dir, Documents, Email, etc etc. I've got to put some more thought into it, but I think its a really interesting idea. 🙂

Yea I know, I haven't updated this site in, well, forever (actually, 6 months). I guess I've been a little on the busy side (as always?) and updating this site is no where near a priority. Oh well.

I just checked Paul Bear's blog, milkhazard.com and read a comment that I had written several months ago. "The life of a blog lies in it's ability to change". I realized that the life of my own blog was no better than his, lol. So that's why the update.

Let me see if I can recall what's happen since my last post. My Linux server Jabba shutdown after a lightning strike, it was up for 200+ days. I went on vacation to Florida with Kea for 2 weeks in March(?), went camping last week, discovered Ubuntu Linux and switched to using that as my primary desktop. I've been working out a LOT since my last post. Decided that this year I will finally do what I've always said I would: be in the best shape of my life! (e.g, have ripped abs, lol). Here are two pictures I took back in April, Image 1, and Image 2.

Speaking of working out, since my last post I've done a bit of work on a fitness management site that I'm working on, known as Fitness Management Online, or FMO. I'd give you the URL to check it out, but I want to finish the registration process a bit more before I make it public. I've also got to finish this site!

ARGH! Damnit. I woke up and didnt hear the normal buzz of computers that I normally wake up to. I found out the whole circut that all my computers are on blew out. After restarting it, the computers came back on. All except my XBox of course. Blah. It turns on, but I cant see crap on the screen. SoOooo.. until I figure something out, ekarma.net and all the hawaii trip pictures wont be available. I guess I should forget about moving raamdev.com to the xbox until I have a more reliable method of hosting it!

Update:
Well, ekarma.net is back up. It was stupid human (me) error. The adapter that I use to connect the XBox to my monitor has so many modes and buttons, I just wasnt choosing the right combination of them. Oh well. Maybe its ok to move raamdev.com to it. : )

Well I needed some shelf space so I decided to make some shelves. The only problem is that I live in an attic, so theres not exactly plenty of room for shelves. 🙂 Anyway, check out how I created shelves on my brick chimney.

(Click the image) Give the images on the page a little while to load! There's 233 of them!

Check out this kick ass wallpaper. Actual pictures of the surface of mars just take my breath away. It's like your instantly transported to the surface of another planet. This is a picture from the Opportunity Rover.

Since we're on the topic of Mars, there was a news release today that stated scientist found strong evidence that Mars was once flooded with water. Imagine that. Another planet in our solar system, flooded with water.

I saw this on CNN a few days ago and after watching the video a second time, I cant stop thinking about the possiblities about what could be done with this technology. Check out the first video, and then watch the second (longer, and much more impressive) video. Amazing.

Damn, they werent kidding when they said HIIT takes some getting used to! I used to actually enjoy my cardio workouts and even preferred them over lifting! But since I started HIIT, it seems like there isnt enough of a break inbetween them. For those who dont know what High Intensity Interval Training is, let me breifly explain: It's cardio workouts, but at full intensity. You push yourself as hard as you can. Below is my HIIT workout that I complete everyday; either at night before work, or in the morning after work. My lifting is done after I wake up in the afternoon. I burn about 430 calories with this workout. Also, MHR stands for Maximum Heart Rate. My MHR is 198 bpm. Click here to find your MHR.

My Daily 25 Minute HIIT Workout
Warm Up - 70% MHR for 5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 1.5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 1.5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 1.5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 1.5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 1.5 minutes
HIIT - 80% MHR for 30 seconds
HIIT - 95% MHR for 30 seconds
Cooldown - 75% MHR for 5 minutes

And those 25 minutes are hell, let me tell you. For those of you that have never done HIIT before, please dont try it unless your in decent shape. It could be dangrous for your heart if your not used to the stress. In the 1 week I've been doing HIIT, I've already noticed my BF% drop 1%, so it seems to be working good. Currently at 16.9% BF, 168 LBS. Those extra pounds is mostly water weight, however I'm sure I've some muscle too; I've been lifting hard the past two weeks.

I'm still working on the /goals section. I'll be adding a section with all my current workouts, etc.

Go watch The Last Samurai!!!! I cant stop thinking about how much it kicked ass.

Last nights weather was awesome. Upper 50's! I could actually open the door and window of my studio and air it out. Still chilly for my tastes, but for this time of the year around here, its awesome.

Been sick this whole week. Bad sore throat and cough. Headaches coming and going as usual. Past few days I've been eatting way to many carbs. : ( I felt the difference when I worked out yesterday. Felt like I couldnt get my muscles working at more than 50%.

My sleep cycle sucks, but its my own fault. I'm sure my fitness program would be going a lot better if I actually got 8 hours of sleep everyday. Usually, I sleep 3 - 4 hours and then get a 1 hour nap at another point in the day. I was reading that you need a full 8 hours of sleep for your body to process the extra carbs in your body. I feel so good after getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Feels "so fresh n' so clean", like the carbs got flushed out of my body. The other day I slept like 9 or 10 hours, I weighed 164 LBS when I woke up!!! Without the extra sleep, I'll normally weigh 166 - 167.

Well anyway, I'm babbling on again, just for the hell of it. I doubt anyone really reads these boring posts anyway, lol. *shrug* I'll post them for my own entertianment. Drop me an email if your a frequent vistor. Thanks : )

Finally found a good use for my old PDA that's been laying around doing nothing. Its a Palm VIIx with wireless builtin. I bought and downloaded a sweet program called PDAbs made by Acrocat. It allows me to keep track of my weight, body measurements, cardio workouts, and weight workouts. I wish I had started using it a year ago. I would have an awesome progress chart for the past year. I plan to start downloading the data from the PDA monthly and posting it somewhere here on my site, so look out for that.

Also, I'm actively working on this site again, so hopefully they'll be quite a few updates in the next few weeks.