So despite the cold and slightly wet weather, the Frostbite Tour was a big success. I did the 100K and rolled through the first 50 miles with relative ease. I started toward the back of the pack and took the ride as an opportunity to work on taking wheels, conserving energy and then bridging up to the next group. That was a ton of fun, and quite satisfying, as I don’t think I could have done that as much as I did in years past.

The last 11+ miles was tougher, riding most of that solo, leaving me working harder and being more exposed to the elements. I also started cramping up on the climbs. I guess two 24oz bottles wasn’t enough water/Gatorade intake.

Layered with jersey and knee and arm warmers, with my Specialized windbreaker over top, my core was warm for that first 50 miles, but got a little chilly for that last solo 11 miles. I had wool socks on, and even went with shoe covers, but my feet still ended up cold and numb. I’ve got to layer them more in future. Anyway, my goal was to finish the 100K in 3 hours, but I ended up a bit over that at around 3:25. Oh well. Enough on that. I’m going to take my sore tired butt to bed.

Frostbite Tour 100K Route

So in the morning, Amanda and I are out to Clayton for the fifth annual Frostbite Tour, though it’s actually the first for us. It looks like the clouds are going to hang in there, but the rain will part in time for the start. Amanda will be manning two rest stops. Typically, her and our friend Tania do that, but Tania has come down with the flu.

Sadly, I’ve only got one other teammate going to the ride, but hopefully we’ll do the Trikes proud and put together a fast, strong training ride and do some good in the meantime for their cause. Here’s to good weather, strong riding and keeping the core warm.

So we’re sitting here watching last night’s American Idol and for the second show in a row, I’m bored to tears. I’m just not engaged this year one iota. None of the contestants are standing out to me. There’s not a single contestant I’d waste my time and effort to call in and vote for! The bickering between the three judges is tired. Randy is lame. Paula is incomprehensible, and… well I usually agree with still. Plus, I’m so tired of Fox dragging the show out night after night *and* Fox’s shameless self-promotion and product placement.

So anyway, I’m bored with the show and I think Amanda’s getting there too. I’m this close to cancelling TiVo’s season pass. The show’s run its course. They ignited the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry. Now it’s time to close the curtain on the show.

Added Comments (Amanda): Yeah, I am totally done with American Idol. I was so frustrated and utterly bored last night with the performances, lack of talent, the bickering between the judges, the goofy youthfulness of the contestants… the whole thing was annoying and old. They’ve worn out their welcome for sure. Long gone are the days of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry.

So far, so good this year with my promise of having at least one new post everyday. We’re 52 days into 2008, and I’ve been able to keep that up. The biggest challenge will be during travel. The trusty iPhone should help with that some.

But anyway, after writing my long-ass post the other day on my first crit of 2008, I realized I not only need to keep the daily posting up, but also make more longer posts that are my own content like that one – partially for the SEO benefits, but also just so that my whole site isn’t just one link aggregator. Most of the site, I’m making these posts just for myself – things that interest me and pique my interest, but I’d like to think I have others out there reading Keefer Madness on occasion.

I’d love to get some feedback, comments, questions, etc. once in awhile if anyone else is actually getting anything out of the site, besides me. But regardless, writing the longer content is fun, but time-consuming. I’m going to be trying my best to write more of those posts.

If you have a moment, please register and comment on occasion. I’d love to hear from people actually regularly reading, or those who’ve stumbled upon Keefer Madness somehow (except those damned spambots!).

Nice video of what Super Mario Brothers would have looked like on the Atari 2600. It definitely looses a lot of its classic video game visual appeal.

Great rendering on what it would have looked like, though I question the sound. Atari’s crappy graphics were never as crappy as its sound effects and God forbid – music. I honestly don’t think it’d do anywhere near the same on the “advanced” sound of SMB from the NES. Also, I don’t think Atari every could render text that small – both the text at the top for the score, coins, etc., but also the little score numbers that appeared when smashing blocks, etc.

What Would Super Mario Bros. Look Like on the Atari?

So I’ve decided to make a little off shoot of Keefermadness that specifically deals with Photography and the similar topics. Since the recent purchase of our SLR, I’ve been very interested in getting back into photography. Check out my little site on Wordpress.

This is a great list for us TiVo users who are also Mac users. I need to go through this list in depth to see if I can get more out of my Mac/TiVo relationship. At quick glance, the first on the list, TiVo Desktop, is pretty limited. It lets you stream music (MP3s only I believe. I don’t think AAC) and show photos from your Mac. This is the official piece of software from TiVo. The Windows version is a lot better, allowing you to transfer shows, etc.

I’ve also used the “TiVo NowPlaying” widget. It’s alright, but the initial install is fairly limited. There’s more you can do with it, but I haven’t been able to get it to work.

“SeasonPassGetter” sounds like it could be great for getting content onto my iPhone. I’ll give that a go soon.

TiVo Software Roundup (Mac Only)

So my first race of the season is in the books. I felt good going into it, riding all fall and winter on a combination of my trainer bike and a spinning bike at the gym, plus taking two spinning classes weekly for some interval training.

I’m down ten pounds from last season, and working on dropping more. I’m hovering right around 190 now and hope to eventually hit 175. That should be just about right for my power to weight ratio.

Anyway, onto the actual races. My teammate Adam, who moved up to category 4 raced first. The race was a combination of Cat 3 and Cat 4. He stayed with the lead pack and close to the front the entire 40 minute race, ending up with the best race of his career so far. Adam placed 9th in a race that included a bunch of riders an entire category higher than him, and a few big teams. He was the only Cat 4 Trike there, so he did exceptionally well considering all of those obstacles. Congrats!

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