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Choosing a sport for the brick-shaped man

Harvey Jerkwater — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:25:18 -0800

What sport suits a thirty-five year old man built like a hot water heater? Everything I like is made for the lithe and long-limbed, not the squat and powerful. Any suggestions? As I age, I'm growing doughier. This needs to stop. A gym isn't the answer, either. I have the commitment and self-control of a hobo. No, I need something fun. I need a sport.

The challenge is that I'm competitive by nature, and frustrated as hell trying to compete in sports where I'm at a significant disadvantage due to body type. Drives me insane to put in twice as much work in a sport as a tall skinny guy and get crushed by him time and again simply because he's tall and skinny.

I'm a fire hydrant, with short limbs relative to my torso. I'm beefy, which means I have good absolute strength (i.e., I can lift heavy stuff no problem or hit things hard) but poor relative strength (i.e., I can't throw my own body around easily or jump all that high). And I'm a little squishy around the middle. Okay, more than a little.

The sports I'm drawn to, and have have tried to enjoy in the past, are those for which I am ill-equipped. Fencing, when you have short limbs and a long, wide torso, is frustrating as hell. Yes, you can overcome these problems with time and practice, but you know what?

Why not play a dang sport where I don't have to "overcome" myself?

(A long-simmering half-joke rant of mine is that sports where size is an advantage protects the smaller by creating weight classes; where size is a disadvantage, the larger aren't protected at all. Boxing? Weight classes. Gymnastics? No weight classes. Weightlifting? Weight classes. Track? No weight classes. This is crap! Let's see "Heavyweight Gymnastics!" It'd be interesting to watch, at least. Or forget weight classes in other sports. If track is dominated by the scrawny, then why can't boxing be dominated by the huge? Returning to the question...)

The sports that suggest themselves to the Larger Gentlemen are those that I don't enjoy.

--Weightlifting isn't a sport, it's going to the gym. Feh. I need something competitive.
--I've tried to get into judo a few times, and it just doesn't do anything for me.
--Boxing is out, since I have a giant head and don't like to get punched in it. (Also, that "short reach" problem returns. Short arms, big head? Oh man, that's not good.)
--American football would make sense, but at thirty-five, my only option is "flag football," which, where I live, structures its rules specifically to cater to the small and fast. ("No-contact blocking" is the rule in local leagues. It prevents injury and allows small people to play. This negates my one asset, mass, and turns it into a hindrance. Gah!)
--Rugby is a possibility, I suppose, though I'm not excited by the idea.
--Golf sucks. Unless you're hitting the ball into a windmill and through a fiberglass pirate's mouth, in which case it's kinda cool, but not good exercise.
--I can't hit a baseball worth a crap.
--Softball probably wouldn't be enough exercise for my girthy self. Plus, y'know, beer.

What sports are out there where being built like a tree stump is a plus instead of a minus? Or, barring that, what competitive sports are there where being built like a tree stump isn't a giant drag on your performance?

Other good gaming laptops under $1000?

wastelands — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:30 -0800

Under $1000 laptop: I have my eye on a particular model; am I missing any others in my research? I'm finally replacing a Dell desktop that is truly too slow, noisy, etc. I've been doing the research and I like this model: MSI GX620-001US.

Things I like about it / criteria:

It's within my $1000 budget

Decent graphics card so I can use it as a gaming system

Has a fairly trim/thin body

Plain/not overly colorful or curvy body. I love those Lenovo laptops for the same reason; they're minimalist and not flashy. (I don't think Lenovo has gaming capable lappies, though, at least not in my price range.)

Decent reputation/reviews overall. Second-best rating on NewEgg.

15.4" screen size is perfect for me. I need to fit it side-by-side on a table at home that holds a big monitor (I'll be using both displays at once with VGA out) as well as have enough useable screen space for doing stuff like Ableton Live on the go.

I've looked at Dells. They're thicker and more expensive than the MSI on a specs basis. Buuut... they do have that nice LED backlighting.

I took a serious look at Apple stuff. That aluminum unibody is hot. But paying an extra $150 for a even refurb 13" screen model, and getting used to new UI and programs (I'm used to Windows)... meh.

Are there any stores and/or particular laptop models that I'm overlooking that fit my criteria?

I've heard Sager notebooks can be good, I and found I could get a $900 model that has a bigger battery but slower processor compared to the MSI. But there aren't a ton of reviews out there on Sagers, so that plus the slower CPU makes me want to pass.

Bike bike bike bike. Help!

actionpact — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:29:20 -0800

Deciding between two Trek bikes for someone who's never rode a bike before. Need your help, hivemind! I asked this question a while ago, which was super-helpful at the time. My birthday just came and went on Tuesday, and I got surprised with the awesomest gift ever: a bike! Well, the promise of one anyway. We went to our LBS and I explained that apart from riding a tricycle, I'm clueless about what I need. The guy we spoke to was really helpful, told me how the brakes work, how you usually get on/off a bike, and helped me figure out what sort of bike I need (comfort, with the potential of doing commuting, mostly on roads but I'd like the option to go on rougher ground when needed, low-step design so I can wear skirts). His suggestion was to go for a Trek, specifically he recommended the Navigator 2.0-- which seems like a nice relatively lightweight sturdy bike with fat tires (and pretty decently priced!). He suggested also the Electra Townies if I wanted a flat foot design, but seeing them in person kind of set me against them (though I still like the Amsterdams).

After flipping through the brochure I also got interested in their Hybrids, specifically the 7100 and 7200 . At another branch of this store, we spotted a 7200 and I have a date to try it and the Navigator out on Saturday. But my concern is since I don't know how to ride a bike that I won't really get which is better, or better suited for me. I know the hybrids are better for going faster because they have thinner tires (and I think a little bigger?). Beyond that though, I don't know. I do know I like the look of the hybrid bikes better, they are more aesthetically pleasing to me. But the Navigators aren't ugly, so even if I wind up with that I won't be that sad, because hey, it's a bike! And I'm really excited to have a bike.

So my question is: which bike is probably better for me? Hybrid or Navigator? Of course I know I'll have to ride it/test it to know what works for me, but if you own one of them and love them, I want to hear why it was the best for you. Or if you're a bike expert, I want to know your take! I'll be asking the people at the bike shop more in depth on Saturday, but I'm just trying to do my research while I'm at it. Our limit is around $500-- the Navi's around $330, the 7100's $420, and the 7200's $450. Between the two hybrids, I'd probably just pay the extra $30, but that's a big difference between hybrid and Navigator, so I don't know if you get what you pay for on this sort of thing.

I also don't really know the benefit of going for the 7100 vs the 7200 vs the other models they have-- when I asked the people at the shops, they basically just said the difference was different components. Since I'm not a bike jock I have no idea what makes one component awesome, y'know? Will I really miss the top of the line bike derailleur? Or can I get the cheaper model and still feel pretty happy with the type of bike?

Some pertinent details: 25, girl, 5'10" so I'm looking at the 16/16.5" models, trying to minimize back pain, and somewhat of a bony butt (so i don't know if the saddles are going to be an issue?).

Other questions that may be dumb, but I'm asking 'em:
1) Are prices at bike shops firm? Ours are below the suggested price but I don't know if you're supposed to haggle or something.
2) I like the hybrids in the light peach/green colors, but the 7200 I spotted was black. There's one more branch I'm going to check out, but is it expected that the bike you buy is the one they have in the shop? This is pure aesthetic reasoning here--I dunno whether it's common practice to ask to order a bike color when they already have a model in the shop.

Thanks all! Can't wait to be on two wheels!

how should i choose a surgeon

alkupe — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:16:46 -0800

looking for advice on choosing a surgeon. I live in nyc and it looks like i need shoulder surgery.
Now the guy i was referred to does not take insurance, so the surgery would cost me around $4k. He's supposed to be the top shoulder guy though. On the other hand that doctor (at my request) listed a number of other docs in the hospital that do accept my insurance, and I found another doctor who also seems pretty good that accepts my insurance. I have a second opinion appt set up with this guy.
Now I can definitely afford the $4k. but that said, obviously i would prefer not to spend that if its not for any reason. On the other hand, if $4k makes my shoulder better, then i am happy to pay it.
Any advice on this decision? I'm seeing another doctor and if I "like" him, should i just go with that since he accepts my insurance? I really don't know what to do or how to decide.
Is a "top" shoulder surgeon better than another (still very good) shoulder surgeon?

How to optimize desk assignments?

daisyace — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:47:37 -0800

In the office we’ll be moving to soon, we’ll have about 50 desks, and almost that many workers to be assigned to them. How can we optimize who’s assigned to each desk so that as many workers as possible are as pleased as possible with their desk assignment? We’d like to have people make desk selections or rank their preferences in some way, and then make assignments accordingly. The assignments are unlikely to be influenced by seniority or hierarchy.

Desks and groups of desks vary in ways that make them more or less desirable to different people -- e.g., more or less sun (which means better or worse views to some people, and tolerable or intolerable glare on their computers to others), aisle seats vs. middle seats in a row of desks, etc. There are also at least two factors that we’d like to take into account, but that don’t correspond to individual desks that people could rank or select. First, there are people who want to work quietly and others who like music and conversation. Likewise, there are areas of the building that are naturally quieter or livelier, but we can also define areas as quiet or lively based on how many people have each preference. Second, there are communities and relationships: people who want to sit together, and perhaps people who don’t want to sit near particular others.

We’ve considered just pulling desk numbers from a hat and then perhaps allowing trades. We’ve considered making assignments temporary so everyone gets a chance at a good desk some time. We’ve considered having everyone write down their top choices, and then doing the best we can to meet them. But it’s not obvious how best to do that. It would be nice to have a system that does so with optimal results. I think doing so should probably reward flexibility, such that someone who is willing to take any desk except a few is very likely to get one of their choices, while someone who only picks a few top choices might not get one of those. I’m wondering if there’s an existing algorithm or formula we can apply, or if you have thoughts on the assignment-optimizing method we should use.

Do I choose belief or does belief choose me?

crewshell — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:09:51 -0800

Is belief a voluntary action, an involuntary action or some mix of the two? Is belief a voluntary action, an involuntary action or some mix of the two?

After reading this Free Will question I remembered a similar thought that came up a few years back that I never explored.

Can I simply choose to believe something or do I not have any control over this part of my mental psyche?

More specifically: Does one choose to believe in an idea, a statement, an occurrence or is this something that happens without our conscience control?

When someone sees something so astonishing and they utter “I couldn’t believe it, even with my own eyes” could they indeed not believe it, even after experiencing it?

Another angle, if someone told you something was true, but to your standards there is no real proof or disproof of what he tells you, could you still simply choose to believe? And if you did, would you actually, truly, be in belief or would you only be fooling yourself?

Going even deeper & conversely, if you did currently have a belief and someone presents something that conflicts with your belief, would that render it no longer true or could you tell yourself to overlook such obstacle, and again still not just be fooling yourself?

Would the answers to these question apply equally to the belief of things we can see and touch (ie. the ice is cold, the car won’t start) and to things that are only thoughts and ideas? (ie. the belief or disbelief of god, that it will or will not rain, that someone does or does not hate you, etc…)

Lastly, does the idea of subjectivity change the premise of this question as well? That being, if someone believes in something that is subjective, ie. beauty, character; how does this affect everything?

I guess overall this question has to do with reality and our perception of it, but I am trying (in the essence of actually coming to some sort of conclusion and to not wind up in an endless circular argument) to give a few concessions and assume that we all are really here, that I really am typing this and that you really will try to answer ;)