I have been using the Wii Fit semi-regularly for a couple of weeks and am quite pleased with the results so far. Seriously, I have lost a couple of pounds, and some days I can really feel the effects of the Jackknifes and Lunges. More importantly, the motivation to exercise is up (I am even thinking of bringing my running shoes out of retirement).

For the most part, I have been doing the strength training exercises first thing in the morning. As I increase the reps and unlock new exercises, my workout is lasting about 30 minutes. I will post a more in depth report after one full month of using this cursed balance board.

Was playing around in Photoshop today with some motivational posters. I think these capture the spirit of my work environment.

I managed to get one of the hard-to-find  (I even paid retail, good luck). The workouts started on Monday, and I am going to take it easy for the first couple of weeks. Wii Fit has two tracks that are focused on getting a workout, yoga and strength training, and two tracks that are more aimed at fun, aerobics and balance games.

A little background on my fitness: I have never been really overweight, but I have also never had a whole lot of muscle mass. I am in my late thirties, and haven’t really made a commitment to working out regularly. That is not to say that I am a complete couch potato, with the exception of college football on Saturday, I don’t watch a whole lot of television and I haven’t even owned a game console the last few years until I recently got the Wii. I do get out and play with things like biking, kite flying, and soccer. The bottom line is I am not a total slug, but there is definitely room for improvement in my fitness

My first Body Test reported that my BMI (Body Mass Index) was 23.07 (not too bad for a 39-year old). The animated balance board that speaks to you throughout the game told me my ideal BMI would be 22.00, that would require a loss of 8 pounds - yikes! Since it has been such a long time away from regular workouts for me, I was conservative and gave myself two months to achieve my BMI goal.

The balance measurements of the Wii Fit are incredibly sensitive, the slightest shift in weight, either left to right or front to back, are dramatically displayed as you go through the workouts. I have been giving the Wii Fit about 20 minutes in the morning of active work (no fun games for now), and as my minutes accumulate, more exercises are unlocked. I have never practiced yoga before, and I am learning that I have a long way to go with my balance. The strength training is pretty standard fare, again with the emphasis on balance. Lunges seem much more strenuous when continually receiving feedback on proper form.

So, after a few days, my thighs are sore (the lunges) and I can feel my abs (the yoga and the flying V’s), but I am having fun. This morning, the thought of going out for a run even occurred to me (it’s been a while). I am going to resist the urge to expand my workout during these early weeks and concentrate on unlocking all of the exercises and getting into a routine.

Ordered a New Tech Ballistic 4.9 power kite on ebay. It was a flown once demo, and the price was right. Of course, I unpacked it in the living room when I go home, and was immediately impressed with the size of this beast. I understand that the Ballistic is a value kite, so I wasn’t terribly upset that the construction was not on the same level as the Prism Stylus. They did the right things: sewn bridle, stretched lines, etc, but there were loose/stray threads everywhere and the ends of the sleeving were not properly closed.

I probably should not call this post first flight, because I took the Ballistic out with the included control bar one time and quickly realized I should be flying this kite with 4-line handles. It was sluggish and slow turning on the bar, but the pull was incredible in 10mph wind.

After the first flight, I ordered a pair of HQ Quad Handles XL and some kite killers. Switching to handles required me to equalize the brake and power lines, as they were originally configured to use with a control bar. It took a few walks out to the kite before everything was dialed in, but it was time to do some real flying.

I took the Frankencruiser out to a local field about a mile from the shore, summer weekends at the beach are a bit crowded and the winds are brutally strong for a first flight. Launching the Ballistic in 8mph wind was easy, the kite didn’t fully inflate until it had passed through the power zone, so the pull was manageable. The handles were a smart investment, I could really turn this kite with the breaks. A totally different flying experience! The wind picked up throughout the session, getting up to 14mph, and the scudding was on. This kite has a decent amount of lift, so I am sure there is some static jumping in it’s future.

INTERIOR: DEATH STAR — CELL ROW.

Luke stops in front of one of the cells and blasts the door
away with a laser pistol. When the smoke clears, Luke sees the
dazzling young princess-senator. She had been sleeping and is
now looking at him with an uncomprehending look on her face.
Luke is stunned by her incredible beauty and stands staring at
her with his mouth hanging open.

LEIA: (finally) Aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?

Luke takes off his helmet, coming out of it.

LUKE: What? Oh…the uniform. I’m Luke Skywalker. I’m here to rescue
you.

This scene from Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope has been bothering me for years. Was Luke really too short to be a stormtrooper? Let’s take a look…

In this scene from Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones we can see that Obi Wan is clearly taller than Jango Fett by at least 3 or 4 inches. It has been assumed that after the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, the Clone Troopers got new uniforms and were renamed Stormtroopers. It is also believed that additional non-clone soldiers were conscripted by the Empire to become stormtroopers, but the many of stormtroopers were still clones. Obviously, your run of mill stormtrooper, descended from Jango Fett could not have been a tall and imposing figure.

Nineteen years later, on Tatooine, we see Obi Wan standing next to Luke. Although still not as tall as Obi Wan, I think it is safe to say that Luke Skywalker was taller than Jango Fett. Which means he was taller than all of the Clone Trooper and hence, taller than many of the stormtroopers. So why did Princess Leia say those fateful words to Luke Skywalker, “Aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?”

This paradox is further confused by George Lucas’ attempt to create a link between Jango Fett and the stormtroopers. After his battle with Obi Wan on Kamino, Jango bumps his head while entering his ship Slave I. This was reportedly and homage to the stormtrooper bumps head scene aboard the Death Star in Episode IV. In that scene, a stormtrooper, obviously taller than his compatriots bangs his head while entering a control room on the Death Star. So if this tall stormtrooper is, in fact, a clone, that would make the other stormtroopers on his team even shorter than Jango Fett and his clone.

It seems the Empire was forced to recruit some rather short-statured individuals to bolster the ranks of the clones. So Luke is obviously taller than Jango Fett and the clones, and is much taller than the non-clone stormtroopers acquired by the Empire. Which begs the question, why did Princess Leia think that Luke Skywalker was short stormtrooper?

A friend referred me to a couple of funny sites spoofing some Star Wars action figures:

The Jawa Report: Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru Action Figures
::mcmorran.org::Star Wars toys that never made it

So I though I would throw my hat into the ring with:

To understand the context of this next one, check out:

Stormtrooper Bumps Head

I’ve been moved from my cushy office at work into a cube farm. In preparation for the ensuing cube warfare, I purchased a couple of Hasbro Nerf N-Strike Maverick. The first step, of course, is to start the mods!

A good starting point is The NerfHaven Modifications Forum. The mods on the Maverick range from minor to freakin’ heavy. There are also several YouTube Videos.

Before the mods began, I wanted to get a very unscientific baseline of the Maverick’s performance. And the results of the exhaustive testing were: If I fired from the living room toward the bedroom (yes, I live in a small apartment, as do, I suspect, many Nerf modders, but I digress), and the darts more or less landed on the bed. The scientific method carried out to its fullest!

Open the Maverick is easy enough, just a lot of screws. Since this is my first modding project (also the first time I have owned a Nerf blaster in a long, long time), I wasn’t going to go crazy with it. I pulled out the barrel and removed the six air restrictors and springs. I also inserted five pennies behind the main plunger spring.

First mod, a success. So, I opened up the Maverick and performed the “Drop Clip” mod. In it’s stock form, the slide-out barrel of the Maverick only slides out enough to reload two darts at a time, which can really suck when under heavy enemy fire. I pulled out the Dremel MultiPro Cordless 7700-02 20,000 RPM Two-Speed 7.2V Rotary Tool System w/50 Accessories and shaved off two plastic tabs on the barrel and frame. Now the barrel rotates out far enough to reload four darts at a time.

Improved performance: check. Ugly day-glow color: check. It was time to paint.

Normally, spray painting on plastic blows, but I found Plastic Primer at the hardware store, and it actually does stick to shiny toy plastic.

I saw that there are already many steampunk Mavericks on the interweb, so that probably influenced my choice of colors. I’m not much of a painter, so it’s just flat colors, silver, black, gun-metal blue, and antique brass. The next step would be to add some weathering effects so it actually looks steampunk instead of just painted plastic. We’ll have to see if I’m up for that one.

That’s all I got, here’s a stupid little video to send you off.

PLAYERS: Two or more players, with one player designated the “Zonk Master,” usually the host of the game.

EQUIPMENT: Six dice (optional: 2 white, 2 red, 2 green dice), “Zonk” score sheet.

OBJECT: Roll dice for scoring combinations, and score 10,000 points to win the game.

GAME SUMMARY: On each turn, players roll the dice to get the highest scoring combination. Each roll of the dice must result in a scoring combination or the player “Zonks” and receives zero points. The first player to reach 10,000 points is the winner.

HOW TO PLAY: The “Zonk Master” writes the names of all players at the top of columns on the score sheet. To decide who goes first, each player rolls a single die. The player with the highest roll goes first. In the event of a tie, the tied players continue to roll one die each until there is one player left who starts the game. Play then passes to the left.

TAKING A TURN: On your turn, you may roll the dice until you decide to stop and record your points, or you fail to roll any scoring combination of dice.

Roll all six dice. Set aside any scoring dice. You are not required to set aside ALL scoring dice, but you must set aside at least one scoring die each time you roll. You may stop now and record your points, or roll the non-scoring dice again.

If there are no scoring dice on any roll, a “Zonk” is recorded, you receive no points, and your turn is over.

If all six dice are a scoring combination, you “Rolled Out”, and must roll all six dice again to add to your current score. You may continue to roll the dice until you decide to record your points or you “Zonk.”

SCORING: Scores can be made with a single die or a combination of dice. A scoring combination can only be made with the dice thrown on the current roll, and cannot be combined with dice that have already been set aside.

Each 5 is worth 50 points.
Each 1 is worth 100 points. For three of a kind or six of a kind, 1s are treated like the value 10 (see below).

Three of a kind is worth the number rolled times 100 points, plus an additional 100 points for each additional die of the same number. For example, three 2s (2-2-2) would score 200 points.  Five 4s (4-4-4-4-4) would score 600 points (400 points for three of a kind, plus 200 points for the other two 4s). Three 1s (1-1-1) are worth 1000 points.

A straight of five in a row (1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6) is worth 500 points.
A straight of six in a row (1-2-3-4-5-6) is worth 1000 points.

Six of a kind is worth the number rolled times 1000 points. For example, six 3s (3-3-3-3-3-3) are worth 3000 points. Six 1s (1-1-1-1-1-1) are worth 10,000 points, which usually wins the game.

When you decide to record your points, the “Zonk Master” adds the score of the current roll to your previous total in the column under your name. If you “Zonked” on the roll, a “Z” is written on the score sheet and you receive no points.

BONUSES: Players are awarded bonuses or “B’s” for reaching milestones during the game. The nature of the “B” is determined by tradition, the “Zonk Master,” or by majority vote of all players. When a “B” is awarded, the “Zonk Master” writes a “B” next to the player’s score or “Zonk” on the score sheet.

Points B For every 1000 points in total score, the player is awarded a “B.”

Zonk B For every three “Zonks” recorded, the player is awarded a “B.”

SPECIAL RULES: “Zonk” is open to allowing special rules, either determined by tradition, the “Zonk Master,” or by majority vote by all players. Special rules must be established before the game starts and cannot be modified during the game.

Breaking the Ice Each player’s first scoring roll must be at least 1000 points to start the game. After a player has “Broken the Ice,” the player may stop and record their score at any time.

Off the Table If a player rolls ANY of the dice off the table or playing surface, a “Zonk” is recorded and the player’s turn is over.

Six-Die Zonk If a player fails to get a scoring combination when rolling all six dice, the player “Zonks.” A “Z6” is recorded on the score sheet and the player is awarded a “B.”

Three pairs (optional) When playing with three pairs of differently colored dice, if a player rolls all six dice with a different pair in each color, the player is awarded a “B.” If the roll also happens to be a “Six-Die Zonk,” the player is awarded an additional “B.”

Lubs When a player sets aside three 2s (2-2-2), all other players should ridicule him by shouting “Lubs.” Four 2s (2-2-2-2) warrant a “Super Lubs,” five 2s (2-2-2-2-2) a “Mega Lubs,” and six 2s (2-2-2-2-2-2) get a “Ultra Lubs.” This rule does not affect scoring or bonuses.

Timid If a player chooses to stop rolling before reaching 400 points on a roll, or chooses to stop rolling with more than three non-scoring dice available, all other players should ridicule and belittle the offending player for being too timid.

ENDING THE GAME: When a player has accumulated 10,000 or more points after recording a scoring roll, the rest of the players get one more turn, “Last Licks,” to try to surpass that total. The player with the highest score after the completion of “Last Licks” is the winner of “Zonk” and is awarded a “B.” The winner is also entitled to keep the score sheet, as the “Zonk Master” is encouraged to decorate and/or annotate the score sheet in any way to capture the spirit of the game.

Got the Prism Stylus P.3 Power Kite (Seafoam) today in the mail. This is the first foil kite I have flown, and after one flight, I can guarantee it won’t be the last. The kite comes ready to fly with flying lines, winder, padded straps and includes a stuff sack. It packs down to slightly larger that a football.

Based on the Beaufort Scale, I estimated the wind to be around 8-12 mph at Sunset Beach, CA. I launched solo by weighing down the trailing edge, and gradually tensioned the lines until the kite inflated. A gentle pull on the straps and the P3 took off. I immediately felt the pull like nothing my Top of the Line Spin-Offs could generate. The P3 is loads of fun, fast and pulls like a train! After a few minutes, I was breathing hard and had worked up a full sweat. What a blast!

When my friend Fawad showed up some time later, I was ready for a break. Fawad is a novice kiter, but he’s always ready for anything. I turned over the reins and sat back to enjoy the show.

He’s hooked on the power kiting thing, and so am I.