Category: Sport

March 4, 2007

Jubilee Scalextric Grand Prix

Jubilee Church in Maidstone recently held a Scalextric Grand Prix. I went along and managed to win the trophy for Best Driver shown below.

Jubilee Grand Prix Winners TrophyIt was an afternoon of good fun for all the participants and hopefully it will become a regular event. I can’t remember the last time I won a trophy so I thought it would be worthwhile documenting this moment in history 😊 Scalextrics has certainly moved along since my teenage years with the advent of digital cars and trackside equipment.






I’ve also uploaded a short video clip of a race taking place on the track.

Other video clips:

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March 3, 2007

Polar S410 Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)

I’ve owned a Polar S410 for a couple of years but never blogged about it - it’s getting a bit old and I understand its now been replaced by the RS400. Since I’ve recently started a new exercise programme I’ve been using it to record my exercise timings and related heart rate information. Once I’ve built up some interesting statistical data I’ll probably blog on the polar precision performance (PPP) software used to download, store and analyse the exercise data.

According to the HeartRateMonitor site:  

Polar S410 Heart Rate Monitor

The Polar S410 heart rate monitor is a great performer. Polar has built upon the old Polar S210 with the addition of computer communication via SonicLink to transfer the training data from the monitor to PC and UpLink to load the settings from PC to monitor. This gives the user the added advantage that data can be analysed with the software (supplied). The Polar S410 HRM utilises one complete exercise storage file and five header files with 99 data points in the memory. The user may also note lap information.
The user enjoys easy storage and analysis of the exercises over a long period so progress is easy to check. Advanced technology also ensures there is enough memory for storing all your exercising information. The Polar S410 may also be attached to a bike.

BASIC FUNCTIONS of Polar S410

  • Water resistant to 50m
  • Backlight
  • Calendar
  • Stopwatch
  • Time of day / alarm

    FITNESS FEATURES of Polar S410

  • OwnIndex(s)™ - provides automatic intensity guidance with blinking and sounding alarm
  • OwnCal(s)™ - automatically determines your calorie usage
  • Predicted maximum heart rate
  • Percentage of maximum heart rate
  • 3 Hi/Low Target Zones with audible/visual alarm
  • Recovery function, Heart Rate or Time based
  • Lap times with heart rate
  • Max / average heart rate of each lap
  • Interval training function, 30 x Time based or Heart rate based intervals. For example; 5 x Interval of 3 minutes between 150 -160 bpm with a heart rate recovery down to 120 bpm. You can also add a preset warm up and cool down session either side of the interval segment.

    RECORDING / MEMORY FUNCTIONS of Polar S410

  • Total Exerise Time
  • Time in target zone (above/below/in) 
  • Average heart rate of total training
  • Max heart rate of total training
  • Recovery heart rate/time after exercise
  • Up to 99 split lap memory
  • Lap number indicator
  • Lap/intermediate times with heart rate
  • Maximum and average heart rate of laps
  • Number of intervals with average HR of intervals
  • Exercise set (5 settings) 
  • Date and strating time of exercise session
  • 1 complete file (120 HR samples) and 5 summary files
  • PLUS PC download / upload facility via Sonic link (transfer data via soundcard and microphone, no need for a special interface) 
  • Software requirements. Win 95 or 98 or above. 20MB of free space. Sound Card and Microphone. CD Rom
  • Comes complete with new, more comfortable, Polar WearLink chest transmitter with self change batteries.

    Garmin Forerunner 305 The Polar S410 is certainly a great watch and has lasted me a long time. However, it doesn’t have a GPS so I’m now looking for a heart rate monitor that also has this capability. So far, it looks like the Garmin Forerunner 305 is a good bet but by the time I get around to buying a watch of this nature there may be a few more competing models on the market.

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    April 2, 2006

    360 degree panoramic view of Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro

    I came across this site the other day which provides you with a 360 degree panoramic view of Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro. It shows the Western Breach, Reusch Crater and Mawenzi.

    You’ll also find the story of the climbers who took the pictures here.

    Another really good panoramic view of the summit is available here. According to the web site:

    This was taken on top of Mount Kilimanjaro on November 2, 2001. The locals call the mountain "Kibo", and the summit "Uhuru" which means "freedom". It's 19,345 feet tall, making it the tallest peak on the continent of Africa (and hence one of the "seven summits" of the world). If you want to see more pictures from my journey, check out the trip journal. The sign in the picture says:

    Congratulations. You are now at Uhuru Peak, Tanzania, 5895m AMSL.
    Africa's highest point.
    World's highest free-standing mountain.
    One of the world's largest volcanoes.
    Welcome.


    It's a Quicktime VR movie, which means you can click and drag in it to "look around". Try it!

    What's really nice about this summit view is that you can zoom in and out and also move the picture up and down. Pretty clever stuff AddThis Social Bookmark Button · Email this article · Comments (0) · Permalink · Categories: ClimbingKilimanjaroSport

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