Below 190

189.6 pounds. I’ve lost around 34 pounds!

Hidden features in digital alarm clock radios

When I was younger — I’m not sure how young, though I’m certain it was before high school — I was intrigued by my digital alarm clock radio. It was the kind where pressing the “Sleep” button turned on the radio and displayed 0:59 as long as you held the button. It would play for 59 minutes, then shut off automatically.

Back then, I discovered the following features:

• If I held “Sleep” down, then pressed the “Hour” button, it changed to 1:59. If I pressed “Minute”, it would decrement the minutes. Thus, it was possible to set it to play for, say, ten minutes, then shut off.
• Holding down “Alarm” and pressing “Sleep” button would display the last digit of the minutes and the seconds. Holding “Minute” would cause the seconds to stop. Each press of “Hour” would reset the seconds to zero, and if the seconds were 30 or greater, it would increment the minutes. Thus, it was possible to set the clock exactly and resynchronize it when necessary.
• Pressing both “Hour” and “Minute” while holding down “Alarm” reset the alarm time to midnight.

The software in these clocks must be available on a standard chip somewhere, because the clock in Elena’s room and the Dora the Explorer clock in Katrina’s room have the same features.

UPDATE: There is a common chip! Actually, several manufacturers make chips with these features. The NTE NTE2062 [35k PDF], the Sanyo LM8560B [789k PDF], the UTC LM8560 [92k PDF], and the TI TMS3450NL have these features listed on their data sheets.

Back from Děčín

By the way, I’m back from Děčín. The trip was uneventful, which I believe is a synonym for “successful” when it comes to international travel.

Facts about Mr. Bear

Here are some facts about Katrina’s teddy bear, Mr. Bear.

• Mr. Bear is a Ty Pluffie called Slumbers.
• Mr. Bear was purchased by John McKenzie, a friend of Brad’s, and given to Helen and Brad at Katrina’s baby shower. (John was Brad’s manager at TPI and is now part owner of Majority Controls LLC.)
• When she was still learning to talk, Katrina gave Mr. Bear the first name “Beebeebee”, pronounced [βi βi ˈβiː] in IPA. Pronouncing it “bee-bee-BEE” or “vee-vee-VEE” is close, though using voiced bilabial fricatives (a sound between a ‘b’ and a ‘v’) is better.
• Some of Mr. Bear’s friends and family, originally purchased as possible Mr. Bear stand-ins, have the same first name as Mr. Bear. (Brad: “Hey, you sat on Beebeebee!” Katrina: “No, that’s Beebeebee’s friend, Beebeebee.”)
• According to Katrina, Mr. Bear is a girl, though masculine and feminine pronouns are often used interchangeably.

(Comment from the old site:)

Will the "real" Mr Bear please stand up?

Submitted by Helen Town on Wed, 03/07/2007 - 1:28pm.

I think Mr Bear’s CURRENT picture should be displayed as well, for comparison purposes.

Coming this fall (sometime around October 5, 2007)

(On the old site, there was a countdown to October 5, 2007 here.)

Helen's Blog

“Now how does the baby get inside the Mommy’s tummy?” — Katrina

So, as Katrina was feeling a bit artsy and decided to draw a picture of me she asked, “Now how does the baby get inside the Mommy’s tummy?”

I told her some cells had to get together and grow. She seemed satisfied with that. Phew!

Current weight

I weighed 196 pounds this morning. I’m 6’ 3” tall (I had Helen check a few days ago), so my BMI (body mass index) is 24.5, which is on the high side of the normal range. Hopefully more people I know will start to notice the physical difference as I continue to lose weight.

Trip to Czech Republic moved up

Looks like I may be going to Děčín sooner than I thought. There’s a group heading there at the end of February, and if I can get a passport by then, I’ll be going with them. I’ve found my birth certificate, so now all I need are some 2”-by-2” pictures and I’ll be all set. Autodesk will apparently handle most of everything else.

Trip to Děčín?

My manager started a conversation with me this morning with the words, “Do you have a passport?” Not a good sign.

There is an excellent chance I will have to travel to Děčín in the Czech Republic sometime before the end of spring.

Map data ©2009 PPWK, Tele Atlas - Terms of Use

50 mi

50 km

Map

Satellite

Hybrid

I guess it’s time to get a passport.

Losing weight

I’m trying to lose some weight. I remember when I weighed 180 pounds and thought that was too much, and as of Christmas of 2007, I weighed over 220. I’m around 6’ 4”, so that puts me in the “overweight” category.

I realized I needed to make some changes. I set my start date to New Year’s Day — a little clichéd, I know — and came up with a plan. I joking refer to it as the “Quit Eatin’ So Goddamned Much” diet, but it’s a little more than that.

• Portion control. I limit amounts. For example, I used to drink over half a gallon of nonfat milk every day; now I limit myself to one or two 12-ounce glasses.

• No sugary drinks. Instead of Coke, I get water.

• Unlimited fruits and vegetables. This one is fun. If I feel like snacking in the evening, I’ll often grab a bowl of grapes. When I’ve gone out to lunch, I’ve been getting the salad along with soup or a sandwich.

• No alcohol. I didn’t drink much before, but the calories from alcohol (like Long Islands — mmm, Long Islands) are problematic. In addition, my triglycerides are way too high, and alcohol is bad for them.

This morning, I was at 204.6. Things seem to be going well so far.

(Comment from old site:)

Belt

Submitted by Helen Town on Wed, 01/31/2007 - 6:41am.

Brad just moved down one notch on his brown belt. Any more weight loss and he’ll have to splurge and buy a new one!