iPR: Digital CrossFit Log

Just like dinosaurs, horse drawn buggies and transistor radios, paper is going bye bye. Happened again this week when CrossFitMN announced that our paper notebook journals were being killed off. All those paper notebooks were taking up valuable space that could be better used for new equipment. Makes sense.....I'd rather have new state-of-the-art lifting racks and pull-up bars than paper.

After four years at CrossFit, I stopped recording my daily workouts ages ago. However, I did use the notebook to track my personal records (PR) for lifts and times/reps for The Girls and  The Hero workouts. Necessity is the mother of invention, so I climbed onto the iTunes App Store to see if I could find an app to replace my notebook.

Low and behold, I instantly found a gem of an app called iPR. It was created by a fellow crossfitter to track all of the key lifts and workouts at CrossFit. It is so simple and elegant, you'd swear that Steve Jobs designed it. Entering lifts is a breeze, both for a one rep max and all kinds of variations like 5 rep max. Here's how the summary looks:

It is also incredibly easy to enter and manage your times and reps for The Girls and The Hero workouts. It also has a slick little button where you can note if you did a workout Rx or did it scaled (most helpful for myself, The King of Mod):

So while it is sad that our notebooks must die, it feels good to get my CrossFit journal into the digital age. For just 99¢, you can do the same by buying iPR in the iTunes App Store.

Keeper: iOS Password Vault

In January, we were experiencing a lot of network issues in our home. While we had Comcast Business Class cable installed in the house that delivered 50 Mbps,  some non-hardwired devices were dropping off of the WiFi network. I brought in Nic Gallagher and Bjorn McGillan from The Wire Masters to help solve the problem...and solve it they did.

They did an audit of our house which showed that at any given time, we averaged 58 different devices that were Internet-connected and active. I was floored when I heard about that, but when I started to list devices like computers, the main server, iPads, iPhones, iPods, Time Capsule, Airports, Xbox's, security cameras, the exterior lighting system on the house and WiFi controls for all of the AV set-ups...it added up quickly. We had the throughput speed we needed, but our Airport network that we had built over time clearly could not handle all of the traffic.

The end result was that we had to switch to a commercial WiFi network that was made for a small business with about 50-100 employees. As they were tearing down the old network and building up the  new network, it became obvious that I was really struggling to find all of the user names and passwords necessary to access all of the devices. Some were stashed in the Contacts list on my iPhone, some were in desk drawers and file folders...it was a disorganized, steaming mess.

That's when Bjorn suggested I download Keeper from the iTunes App Store. Keeper is a free password and data vault that helps you to organize and store all of you passwords. While it is free, I would strongly recommend you pay the extra $9.99 per year for back-up to Keeper's Cloud. With the press of a button, all of your user names and passwords and backed up to their Cloud. So if you lose your device, you can immediately download all of your information and keep right on going.

Keeper has some amazing features:

• Keeper uses military-grade encryption and world-class security to protect your data. Keeper's built-in password generator provides you with exceptionally strong, easily changeable passwords.
• The Keeper Web App syncs perfectly with your mobile apps, allowing you to easily and securely access your Data Vault from any browser. (However, they will charge you for back-up by device, so I keep it simple and run Keeper only on my iPhone.)
• Cloud Saves: Get the peace of mind that comes with unlimited data backup in Keeper's Cloud Security Vault. If you ever need to replace or change devices, this feature is a life-saver.
• With one-touch web login from inside the app, you can securely access your favorite sites without ever leaving Keeper.
• With Keeper's super-handy desktop Browser Extension, you can auto-fill your login credentials and quickly save new website info to your secure Keeper Vault.
• Custom fields allow you to determine how you want to store information, rather than being forced into a template. You can also select the color and palette of your choice making Keeper your own. 

I now have every user name and password for every device, web account and financial account in Keeper. It's nice to have everything consolidated into a single app....and know that if I need to, I can pull it down from the Cloud in a heartbeat. Right now, the app is free and they are also offering you a free month of Cloud back-up. So it costs nothing for you to get the app and Cloud back-up...and take it for a free 30-day test drive. Check it out in the iTunes App Store.

Phillips Design Line HDTV

This new HDTV set from Phillips is fashioned out of a single pane of glass and is meant to be leaned up against a wall. It casts light upon the wall behind it with Phillip's Ambilight system. The HDTV's will be available in 46" and 55"...the latter which is expected to sell for around $4,500 when it is launched in May. If you have rug rats at home, you should probably consider selling them or have their little appendages amputated before you have this giant piece of leaning glass installed in your home.

Corvette Shooting Brake

As a dyed-in-the-wool, Shooting Brake fanboy, I feel compelled to share every iteration of the Shooting Brake that I come across. Feast your eyes on the Callaway C21 Aero Wagon. Once you have your new C7 Corvette in your garage, pack your bags and get ready for a drive to Lyme, Connecticut....home of Reeves Callaway's custom shop. The conversion will set you back about $15,000 and will be perfect for those 200 mph runs to Costco. Deliveries are scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of this year.

For those of you new to the Shooting Brake concept, check this out:  http://grogs4cogs.blogspot.com/2012/07/brief-history-of-shooting-brake.html

LaFerrari, Successor to the Enzo

Ferrari has a deep and rich history with their flagship vehicles. It started in the 60's with the jaw-dropping GTO and then came absolutely stunning cars like the F40, F50 and Enzo. Yesterday in Geneva, Ferrari unveiled their newest flagship, LaFerrari.

Remarkably, it's a hybrid. The core of the power comes from an 800 horsepower V-12. This is bolstered by two electric motors which are powered by KERS technology from their Formula 1 car. Total output is 960 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is 217 mph and it will hit 0-60 in just a few clicks over 2 seconds.

Only 499 LaFerrari's will be made. If you want one, load up your debit card with $1.31 million and call a close friend who owns a fleet of Ferraris....because current Ferrari owners get first crack. The more Ferraris your friend owns, the better your odds of landing one of these.

Mercedes Benz G63 AMG 6X6

I present to you, for your viewing enjoyment, the most badass crew-cab pickup in all the land. The MB G63 AMG features six wheels, all being independently driven for mind-boggling traction in any conditions. Power comes from a handmade, twin-turbo AMG V-8, putting out a most impressive 536 horsepower. If you want one, stuff $525,000 in your wallet and head to your closest Mercedes dealership.

Aston Martin Rapide Shooting Brake

Here are two amazing photos for all of you shooting brake fanboys. Aston Martin is rumored to be introducing their Rapide Shooting Brake at the Geneva car show. So now all of the one-percenters will have their choice of three, big buck shooting brakes: the Porsche Panamera, the Ferrari FF and the Aston Martin Rapide.