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Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

codaris.github.io

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Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#101

Post by monsieurbanana »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #53
gumby wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a bonus you get more fine hand exercise -- on both hands!

Be sure to remap Caps Lock to work as CTRL, or else you may overtrain your left pinkie.

Or to alt, as the Flying Spaghetti Monster intended. Earlier keyboards had ctrl next to the space, which is why it's such a used modifier key (thumb is stronger than pinky, and is quite easy to use both left and right keys).

Not that I personally do that, I'm too used to ctrl mapped to caps lock. If I could go back in time to before I started using emacs though... I would learn emacs with vim bindings.

As a more general recommendation, getting used to both right and left control (whatever it's mapped to) is a huge ergonomic improvement. When you need to use Ctrl with a key in the left side of the keyboard, use right ctrl, and left ctrl when using a key in the right side. This avoid having to crumple your hand to reach, eg., ctrl+a.

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#103

Post by matthewowen »

marshmallow_12 wrote: post #15
smithza wrote: post #10

Lastly, I very much did not want all my workout data locked away in this app. This is a great example to demonstrate the simplicity of modern "smart" products. I think of the Tim Berners-Lee next generation web product that never got off the runway: just of common and understandable interfaces for gleaning data from interconnected devices. The workout domain is a great candidate for standardizing data-types to pull h…

the obvious problem is that exactly no one in the industry has ever devoted more that 3 brain cells and 5 seconds working out a universal standard to present their data. Stuff competitors! And why shouldn't they? They have minus zero interest in making life easier for their broader (and probably narrower also) consumer base.

This is a weird opinion - Garmin is arguably the market leader, and they opened up all their formats and protocols to be standards which are now widely adopted (.fit files, ant+ wireless communication), and they also now work with the competing wireless communication standard too (btle).

And just looking at exercise bikes, it's true that peloton/flywheel/etc are closed. But the products in that space from the established fitness tech players (eg wahoo and tacx) are entirely based around communicating via standard protocols (ant+ fe-c trainer control).

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#104

Post by matthewowen »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #51
marshmallow_12 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the obvious problem is that exactly no one in the industry has ever devoted more that 3 brain cells and 5 seconds working out a universal standard to present their data. Stuff competitors! And why shouldn't they? They have minus zero interest in making life easier for their broader (and probably narrower also) consumer base.

Nothing will change until interoperability and full end-user access to data become legally mandated. As it is, everyone has every incentive to prevent users from accessing the data, because the whole business model of IoT is about holding data hostage to extract ransom from the customer.

This is a generic opinion about IoT that's woefully misapplied to sports tech.

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#106

Post by brailsafe »

mandeepj wrote: post #97
terry_y_comb wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Free up" brain power: I turn off the radio when I need to focus driving on the road (e.g. traffic, rain, snow) It sounds absurds. But I think some may do the same.

> "Free up" brain power Same. When I have to seriously think about the code I'm writing - I stop the music. I think that goes against a lot of people who continuously jam music while writing code.

I don't mind music when the work is mundane, but I fucking hate needing to have something playing to drown out the sounds of people around me when I need to really think (best done in silence or with cafe noise for me). I honestly don't know how people actually do hard things in an office.

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#107

Post by Auracle »

novok wrote: post #60

I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding. Also you…

I’ve got a treadmill walking desk - two, actually. I’m in a bit of a unique situation where I do two types of jobs on my computer. I do both photography and some development. I can do all my photography tasks while walking at a fairly slow pace, 2mph or so. I’ll often walk 4 or 5 hours a day. I can’t, however, concentrate on an audiobook at the same time while culling photos. Editing and retouching are so automatic I can do all three.

Programming though? Only if I’m doing something I know how to do fairly well I can walk. That’s pretty rare due to how little time I can commit to coding.

In either situation it keeps me more awake and energized, even if I can’t concentrate as well.

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#108

Post by quartesixte »

terry_y_comb wrote: post #81
novok wrote: post #60

I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding. Also you…

"Free up" brain power: I turn off the radio when I need to focus driving on the road (e.g. traffic, rain, snow) It sounds absurds. But I think some may do the same.

I also do this. In particularly treacherous stretches of road or in unfamiliar areas I turn off the music.

Only on well-worn commutes do I feel free to blast the radio.

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#109

Post by brailsafe »

emodendroket wrote: post #96
novok wrote: post #60

I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding. Also you…

I took up Dance Dance Revolution again, which I used to be into in high school. I thought I "couldn't do it anymore" but it just took several weeks before I was conditioned enough to not be in pain the next few days.

I love DDR and would love to play, but all my mats are destroyed!

Re: Hacking a $200 Under Desk Exercise Bike

#110

Post by hellbannedguy »

novok wrote: post #60

I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding. Also you…

There’s a study out there that Dr. Edell used to talk about.

It compared the mood of treadmill vs. outside walking.

Outside was perfected by a lot.

(I miss Dr. Edell. I thought someone would replace him, but no.)

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