Life Inside Podfitness

You may have wandered here, only to see this sad, neglected blog. What happened?

We’re actually moving to better digs at Podfitness proper, going from “completely unofficial” to “semi-official”. This also means we’re able to offer better resources, tips, and Q&A for you.

It’s very much under construction, with major improvements coming, but it’s up and running, and it’s our new home.

Also, it’s a place for Podfitness members (and the curious) to connect with each other. Come check it out:
Click here to visit the new Podfitness Blog!

It’s not an official poll, it’s really an excuse for me to foist my musical tastes upon the unsuspecting masses.

Feel free to do the same in the comments section.

Cardio:
What Ever Happened–The Strokes
Fitted Shirt–Spoon
Turn Up the Good–Baumer
Flying in a Blue Dream–Joe Satriani
Army–Ben Folds Five
Tenisu No Boifurendo (Kodomo Remix)–Freezepop
Duet–Black Eyed Peas
The Bucket–Kings of Leon
Sun–Mae
Dashboard–Modest Mouse
Sleeping Lessons–The Shins
Canned Heat–Jamiroquai
Don’t Go Knockin’ On My Door–Britney Spears (What? Don’t look at me like that!)

Weight Training:
I Burn–Toadies
Battery–Metallica
Follow–Breaking Benjamin
Let’s Get Started On Doing All Those Awesome Things I Suggested–Strong Bad
Enough Space–Foo Fighters
Paddle Out–Sublime
Sure Shot–Beastie Boys
New Hope–Blink 182
Chinese Bombs–Blur
Less Talk More Rokk–Freezepop

Cooldown:
Hide and Seek–Imogen Heap
Lenny–Stevie Ray Vaughan
Lightning Song–Queens of the Stone Age
Exceptional Affair–Baumer
Swallowed In the Sea–Coldplay
Pink Bullets–The Shins

It’s taken a while to announce, but we’ve been testing the Mac version while we worked the bugs out. I would like to publicly thank the group of testers that have been helping us bang out the issues, and it’s finally ready for public consumption.

Before you start, the most important things to know are:

1. You need to have at least one playlist in iTunes built with music you want in your workout
2. It has to be music you’ve imported yourself, Podfitness doesn’t work with iTunes Store purchases yet.

I’d also appreciate any feedback, right here in the comments.

We want Mac users to have the best experience possible with Podfitness, so check it out and let me know what you think.

Click here to visit the Podfitness for Mac home page.

Right behind Mac support, the number two question asked of me is, “Why can’t I mix music I’ve downloaded from the iTunes Store?”
Once again, I’ll offer a short answer, followed by the ravings of a madman. The short answer is: DRM.

The rant: DRM is Digital Rights Management, and it’s severely handicapping legally downloaded music. It is a system that locks a file so that only one person can use it, and it not only affects services like Podfitness, it is also severely hampering the progress of digital music in general.

If you believe everything you read, even Steve Jobs wants to rid the world of DRM. The reasons are simple. DRM assumes that every customer is a criminal, and gives consumers little choice about when, how, and where they listen to their music. Want to listen to your iTunes music on a Zune? Sorry. Want to let your wife listen to your Zune music on her iPod? No such luck.

To compound the problem, Apple does not license FairPlay (Apple’s proprietary DRM scheme) to any companies for any reason, so literally no one outside of Apple has the ability to touch music purchased from the iTunes store.

So what does this mean for someone that uses Podfitness? Well, no one can decode and use iTunes music at any price, so Podfitness is locked out of using iTunes Store purchases.

Can you get around this? Yes, but it’s a pain. Apple provides the “back door” of burning your iTunes music to CD and re-importing the CD. Unless you move the original files, it’ll overwrite your existing protected files, so if anyone were to try this, I’d advise a bit of caution. It can also degrade the quality of your music somewhat.

Personally, I don’t let DRM music live on my computer, and I back up my Purchased Music (I just drag all the songs to a folder in my Documents), burn them to an audio CD, and re-import for every iTunes purchase I make. It’s not for everybody, but until Steve Jobs comes through on his commitment to opening iTunes purchases, it’s the best we’ve got.

We’ve put ads in every major newspaper in America, on the radio, and on TV, but I’m not 100% sure we’re doing a good job of explaining why we’re holding a 12-week body transformation contest.

If you’ll indulge me, I’ll tell a quick story. If you won’t, skip down a couple of paragraphs.

In 2005, I joined a 12-week body transformation contest, and it was one of the most grueling 90-day periods of my life. I was certain I was going to win, and certain that my story was going to be the one that won me the prize.

I dieted like crazy and worked out twice a day. I went with a low-carb diet, because my #1 goal was rapid weight loss, damn the consequences. In that 12 weeks, I lost 55 pounds, and lots of people didn’t recognize me. It was exhilarating to buy new jeans and throw away my old ones that were 6 inches larger.

I learned a few things about myself that stick with me today. I learned that money and competition can be a great motivator to do things that I already know I should be doing. I learned that I love to bike, run and hike, activities I still enjoy. I learned that it feels good to not worry that my body is spilling into the seat of the passenger next to me on an airplane.

But I didn’t learn how to live a healthy life, and that’s led me to regain 35 of the 55 pounds I’d originally lost! My story wasn’t the best one, because even though I’d radically changed my body, I still felt like a fat person inside. So when I started gaining weight, it was actually comfortable and natural for me, rather than unsettling.

I hope to have a happier ending to this story soon, but that’s my life and that’s where I am now. To me, the Podfitness Challenge is about finding people that use Podfitness to learn the things that I tried to take shortcuts around.

For the sake of brevity, I’m going to say we’re looking for our “Jared from Subway”. We want people to use Podfitness to change their bodies, tell us about it, and we’ll give them $50 grand and a 30-thousand-dollar home gym. It’s free for Podfitness members to enter, but you have to be a Podfitness member to join.

At the end of 12 weeks, you send in the contest packet with before/after photos and an essay about why your body transformation has changed your life. We’ll take videos, which is great because we’re going to put the winners on our TV show, and it tells us if you’re a budding TV star.

We’ve hooked up with a bunch of companies to get a pretty decent prize package put together. The contest is $4.60 a week, and includes 3 months of Podfitness, 3 months of eDiets, a 30-day membership to Bally Total Fitness (with a discount rate of $15/month afterward), and a 270-page book co-edited by yours truly.

I haven’t been posting much, because putting this contest together has been a 7-day, 100-hour-per-week job for the last couple of months, but I can say, having had the experience (both good and bad), that to anyone that participates, it will have been totally worth it.

I get this question across my desk a half-dozen times a day, and that’s just friends, family, and random emails sent to me. Obviously, as a Mac nerd, I care deeply about the subject, and decided to investigate.

Short answer: We’re as close as you can get without being able to attach a definitive date.

Long, rambling, almost-irritating-in-a-way answer:

First, let me tell you a story about another company. This company, whom I shall not name, sucks. They make a great technology product that claimed they had Mac support. And when we called them, they said, “Yes, we support Macs. Just buy an Intel Mac, install Boot Camp, install Windows, and we’ll support your product.”

Say what?!?

We’re Mac fans around this place. The Apple store in the area keeps us on speed-dial to find out how many machines we’ll be picking up this week. Our marketing, IT, Development, and executive teams are now all Mac-based (many recent converts, to my delight!). No one feels the pain of a lack of Mac support here than me, since I’m the local Mac Support guy, and I have to set up duplicate iTunes libraries for our people in Parallels so we can use our own product. It’s a solution, but certainly not the one I would want for our customers.

I was around during the infancy of our company, and I know we had planned a simultaneous Mac and PC launch. The code was originally written for the PC platform, and we thought that we’d hire an outside developer to port our code.

We talked to a number of well-known Mac developers, and even the guy that wrote Coverflow (well before that was co-opted by Apple), but great Mac developers are always super-busy. So, in-house it was. We were sure it would be ready by mid-April. I was so excited, that I decided to try to speed things up by making an icon:

However, we were continually rebuffed in our development cycles. Fix this, add that, etc. We pushed back to July. Then September. Then December. The question became, “How hard can it be to port your code to Mac?” The answer: “Very.”

Another question was “Well, now that Mac has moved to Intel, is it easier to port your code to Mac OS?” The answer was again, a surprising “No, more difficult.” There was something about switching our code from Carbon to Cocoa that slowed it down tremendously. I won’t pretend to understand all the ins and outs of coding for the Mac, but it’s a totally different animal. Our developers have been working really hard on a lot of things, but about 8 weeks ago, the Mac finally found its place at the top of the list.

Now, it’s Februrary, and I’ve been working in the office all weekend. Our entire development team has been there this weekend, as well, and I had to rub my eyes when I saw what they were doing.

Podfitness created its first workout on the Mac today. At this point, it’s a Dr. Frankenstein thing (you really don’t want to see programs before they’re tied up in their neat little packages, trust me), and of course there were some small issues, but the Mac made its first Podfitness workout today. That’s no small breakthrough.

It’s taken too long, I know. I think it’s funny that I can’t find any statistics on the percentage of users of iPods or other MP3 players use each player, but I would venture a guess that somewhere between 15-25% of iPod owners use a Mac. That’s a pretty big chunk of people that we’ve had to turn away over the last year.

Another thing that was noted (first by me, and subsequently by many, many potential Podfitness members): It’s ironic that a program designed for MP3 players, which Apple largely popularized, isn’t yet compatible with Apple computers. Rest assured, we’re very close to announcing a date that will finally end the tragic irony.

Note: Since starting this post, I received two emails from people hoping to find the status of Podfitness for Mac. I hope they find their way to this blog. Stay tuned for official announcements from Podfitness about this.

Well, I’m going through with it. I’m betraying my collection of iPods (currently at 7) and buying a Zune.

Why, why, why would I do this? I have had trouble with the Zune software in the past. It’s not as slim or sexy as the iPod, and the wireless capability hasn’t been all it was cracked up to be, but I think I’ll head out today and pick one up.

Microsoft is on to something. Apple hasn’t added any real wireless capability to iPods so far (barring the iPhone), because Steve Jobs says that if they add something, they can’t take it out as a feature later. That’s true, because they’re a market leader.

For example, look at Windows. It’s great, in theory, but in execution it falters, because they have a ball and chain attached. It’s called backwards compatibility. They have to run old 32- (and even 16-) bit applications on newer, 64-bit hardware. They can’t abandon old programs, because so many large businesses around the world take years, sometimes decades, to change over their old technology.

Apple didn’t worry about this, and completely abandoned their old operating system. Sure, they built in OS9 for a couple years, but now, no program that worked on a Mac in 2001 will work on a Mac in 2007. They could get away with it, because they had such a small user base to begin with. Microsoft couldn’t even attempt such a major overhaul, or they would severely risk losing (a lot of) market share to Apple.

Now, Apple’s in the driver’s seat of market dominance in the music arena, and Microsoft built a little division called Zune that I think has the requisite balls, if I may use the word, to tilt at the Apple juggernaut, fail, try again, perhaps fail again, and try once more. I can’t wait to see what is around the corner from them in terms of Wi-Fi support and more players. You go, Zune!

That doesn’t explain my purchase of the Zune hardware in its current state, though. That’s because I want to rent music and have a decent player with significant 3rd-party support. And another, super-secret reason, to be revealed at a later date.

So many secrets!

I don’t know how much I can tell you yet, because I don’t want to circumvent our tried-and-true PR people, but I am working on a project that is a totally fresh approach to losing weight.

1. You don’t have to do anything but listen. Really.
2. Just in helping create it, I’ve lost almost 10 pounds in the last few weeks. (Yay, only another 35 to go!)
3. No joke, you don’t have to change anything.
4. You could theoretically do it yourself, but it’d be time-consuming, embarrassing, and a pain in the neck.
5. If I don’t use this every other day, the effects seem to fade and I start gaining weight.
6. It’s 100% legal.

Seeing its success in my own life makes me want to work harder so we can get this built into Podfitness.

Here is another link to the Macworld photos. This text, right here. Click it. It has photos. Click me. Go ahead, you know you want to.

The Wireless speakers I was talking about, and holy crap, do they sound good:

They’re hot. 150 ft. range (or more), crazy long battery life, inductive charging, RF remote, sexy looks, you get the idea.

I’d use them as rear surround speakers if there were some way to permanently power them. I’ll own them nonetheless.

Why Doesn’t Apple Buy Cisco and call off the lawsuit themselves?

I had a friend ask this a few minutes ago. Here’s why:
Apple’s market cap: $74 billion
Cisco’s market cap: $174 billion

The loudest dog on the street isn’t always the biggest.

Taking Dorothy Mantooth out for a nice steak dinner
I strayed from my eating plan a tad in San Francisco. By a bit, I mean I took my dad’s advice and went to Morton’s in Union Square. I had what appeared to be a quarter cow, and around a half gallon of creamed spinach. So yeah, off the wagon a bit. I felt compelled to finish, since what my dad didn’t tell me is that my dinner was guaranteed to cost north of $75 (actually, $90 with the salad). So, yeah. Wendy’s it was not.

This morning, I wasn’t up any weight, but I don’t see how that is possible. Cows weigh a lot, and I ate a lot of one, so…
… well, the math eludes me, but it should equate to weight gain.

I’m back on the wagon today, and back to my workouts tomorrow. I’d be a shining example if I said I did a special Podfitness workout in my hotel gym, but I found it impossible to carve a session into my trip. There is next year, though. I do hope we get a booth at MW2008, and I’ll be able to represent my company without fear of someone noticing the irony of a guy with my physique wearing a Podfitness shirt.

I’m glad to be back in the snow, I missed the sting of frostbite on my cheeks. As expected, my 2 lost days’ work (and more) were waiting at the office when I arrived, so I apologize for the lateness of the post.

Best of Show Awards (warning: contains cop-out)
I’d like to make a quick comment on some startling insights into corporate culture that I received. People asked me about the coolest thing I saw while there, and second place goes to the Griffin Wireless speaker system, due out soon.

First place goes to the people working the booths. Diverse, passionate, and committed to their products, I was continually surprised by their candor and friendliness. But there was one standout: Microsoft.

First, I’d like to comment on my disappointment in Apple’s representation. It’s funny, Apple employees came across as slightly cocky and distant at Macworld. This is in direct contrast in my experience shopping (and formerly working) in an Apple retail store. There was an air of “we’re special; we’re chosen” around them that I found repugnant.

Microsoft was approachable, and begged me to complain about their product. They can take it, they want to see the product improve as much as anyone. They were bursting at the seams with enthusiasm about Office ‘08, and genuinely wanted “man-on-the-street” opinions about experiences with the current version.

I can’t speak to their corporate lightheartedness and humility in general; it could be the fact that they’re Mac-heads at Microsoft, torn by their conflicting allegiances. Or maybe Microsoft just hires cool people.

I know, Eric looks docile, but this PM from Microsoft soon gets a fire under him about Office for Mac.

I know that part of what makes Apple cool and Microsoft lame is that Apple doesn’t do market research. Instead Stevie J. divines what people will want, rather than what they say they want now; however, I think people are starting to realize that it is nice to be listened to by a company that wants to hear from you, as opposed to one with an ivory-tower relationship with their customers.

Comment two:

I am baffled by Apple’s behavior about the iPhone trademark. As you know, Apple willfully used the iPhone trademark, belonging to Cisco, and has no intention of admitting that it isn’t theirs to take.

The way I gather things, this is what happened:

1. Apple tells Cisco they’re using the iPhone trademark, but strokes their back gently and says, “Don’t worry, baby, we’ll make it all right.”
2. Cisco believes Apple; besides, they have a thing for the “bad boy”, and find their aloof attitude mysterious and cool.
3. Apple takes Cisco’s stuff and splits in the middle of the night, leaving Cisco heartbroken and shaking with rage.
4. Cisco tells Apple they’re taking them to Judge Alex; you can’t just do that, it’s not cool.
5. Apple says that Cisco’s property is theirs in spirit anyway; every sane person that hears the news asks what the hell Apple is thinking.

People, myself included, are cheering on (sometimes disappointing) products like the Zune, because they are loathe to line the pockets of Steve & Co. It’s like the Soup Nazi. Sure, everyone lines up for great product in spite of harsh treatment, but eventually someone else is going to get the recipe (in an armoire, for instance), and it’s over.

I’ll come off my soapbox now, but as a current Apple customer and former employee, I think I sense a changing wind that has the potential to become a furious backlash.

I’ve got a whole buncha photos of Macworld.

Click here to see all the photos.

Some highlights:

My Mac crashed hard again tonight. This time, all of my icons disappeared for no reason, even under Safe Boot, and I couldn’t boot into the OS. So now it’s 3 AM (4 AM at home), and I’m just now back up and running. Good thing I carry around my system disks for the occasional Archive & Install.

I am quite certain that my computer did this on the 1-year anniversary of its announcement, to remind me to temper my (typically unchecked) enthusiasm for new Apple hardware.

Also, I went to the Apple Store earlier to get an SD card reader… sold out. So pics are still forthcoming. Sorry.

Engadget and I are on the same wavelength today.

Hint: read the first line, I posted the same thing several hours earlier. Coincidence, or government conspiracy?

Click here to read the Engadget article

Also, OWC introduced a modded Macbook tablet powered by Wacom, as the article explains. It seemed nice. I’d take it out for a nice steak dinner, and maybe even call it back the next day.

I’m back in the Microsoft Blogger Lounge, and I just finished a conversation with a docile developer-type that became very animated when answering my questions about Office for Mac and Exchange.

Connecting with these people on that personal a level is something I’m not accustomed to. It’s pretty awesome to get tech support answers from the people that built the application.

More on the iPhone:

I sat through an hour-long presentation in front of a monolithic screen, and saw the iPhone in action. Wowowowowowow. If the newest James Bond movie would have had this phone in it, I would have scoffed at it for being too unrealistic; it’s that advanced.

There’s no way they could pack the processing power required to run OS X that well, and 8 gigs of storage, and that kind of touchscreen into something as small as my now-pathetic-feeling Motorola Q. I wanted to hurtle my Q at the screen to show it how much of a disappointment it is compared to the iPhone.

The iPhone is, as they say, teh secksay. You’ve seen pics online, but I’ll post mine soon as well.

I found it interesting that in the hourlong presentation, no mention was made of calendars or tasks. I was worried, and asked about it afterwards. They replied that it’s such a given that it didn’t even deserve mention during the presentation. That surprised me a little, because there is room to innovate in these areas, but I’ll imagine that maybe that part just isn’t complete yet (hence the June launch).

More to come.