I have struggled with the same issue. The option I've found to be the most cost-effective and time-efficient was buying a mid-range elliptical trainer (about $400 to 500, equivalent to a year's gym membership) and fitting in a quick cardio workout first thing in the morning. I hop on the thing right out of bed, and doing it every weekday morning has helped make it a mindless, routine thing. Note that I am the furthest thing from a morning person or exercise buff, but this has proven to be a great lifestyle change. I have noticed a huge improvement in my energy level, memory, mood, and endurance.
Note that I also tried joining a gym near work a couple of years ago, but hated the constant schlepping of clothes + towel + shoes to/from work and home all the time. The scheduling became difficult too - I leave work at 6pm, so hitting the gym after work meant catching the train & bus and arriving home closer to 8:30 PM. Needless to say I didn't keep that up for very long. It sounds like you are in a similar boat.
Good luck, hope you find a workable solution that fits your routine!
"Slashdot's editors are really letting out some BS stories recently. They really need a science editor to vet these things."
Yeah? This article was printed in my local paper. It took up the whole front page of Saturday's edition (the "big" paper of the week).
Some sound advice to any potential "science editor" in Slashdot's future would be to start by automatically rejecting any articles originating from the canada.com domain...
1. Business is war, and it takes MUCH more than a "good" product to succeed in a saturated market. If you did not consider your marketing/sales approach before starting on development (or, better yet, before deciding on what product to create), it's unlikely you'll be able to position your product to stand out significantly from the competition now. For a good reality check, take a look at the online edition of Bruce Webster's The Art of 'Ware, a clever and informative reinterpretation of the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War." (note: hardcopy is out-of-print, online ed differs slightly but is still useful)
2. After checking that out, if you haven't wised up & are still willing to invest more money in this venture, you might reconsider your strategy of distribution via the usual shareware channels. I have ZERO business or marketing experience, so take this suggestion with a big ol' chunk of salt, but have you thought about trying to license your program via hosting companies, for use by their customers? (In other words, they include the program as a "free" utility on a CD provided to their customers creating and managing their own webpages.) I'm sure it would be difficult to pull off this kind of deal given the amount of competition you're up against, but it would have the advantage of reducing your exposure to losses from crackers and such. If this isn't realistic, I'm sure you can come up with better ideas, given that you're closer to the problem.
At first glance, most of the legit Google links refer to the Alder Hey "scandal" in the UK that was not even directly related to voluntary organ donation, but rather overzealous organ storage, ostensibly for autopsy purposes. The vast majority of the stored organs were never used for further research (much less transplantation).
In fact, what made it a "scandal" at all was the fact that organs and tissue were removed for storage without fully informing the deceased children's parents of standard autopsy procedures. The organs and tissue were then stored without the parents' consent.
Even though this would be considered "scandalous" by some (particularly the parents involved), this doesn't suggest to me in any way that the organ donation system is fundamentally corrupt. In fact, part of me is thinking, "So what?" The kids in this situation were already dead, no one "profited" from their tissue; in fact, no one seems to have benefited at all as far as I can tell. Unfortunately many legitimate organizations have suffered as a result -- see this link for just one example.
As for your assertion that the organ donation system is untrustworthy, think about this: if a depraved "organ harvester" really wants your parts that badly, he's gonna find a way to get 'em whether you signed the little card or not!;-)
Slashdot Mirror
I have struggled with the same issue. The option I've found to be the most cost-effective and time-efficient was buying a mid-range elliptical trainer (about $400 to 500, equivalent to a year's gym membership) and fitting in a quick cardio workout first thing in the morning. I hop on the thing right out of bed, and doing it every weekday morning has helped make it a mindless, routine thing. Note that I am the furthest thing from a morning person or exercise buff, but this has proven to be a great lifestyle change. I have noticed a huge improvement in my energy level, memory, mood, and endurance.
Note that I also tried joining a gym near work a couple of years ago, but hated the constant schlepping of clothes + towel + shoes to/from work and home all the time. The scheduling became difficult too - I leave work at 6pm, so hitting the gym after work meant catching the train & bus and arriving home closer to 8:30 PM. Needless to say I didn't keep that up for very long. It sounds like you are in a similar boat.
Good luck, hope you find a workable solution that fits your routine!
The king asks: "Since I first locked you and the other prisoners into your rooms, have all of you been in this room yet?"
I'm guessing any passage through the central chamber must've happened BEFORE they were locked up, no?
"Slashdot's editors are really letting out some BS stories recently. They really need a science editor to vet these things."
Yeah? This article was printed in my local paper. It took up the whole front page of Saturday's edition (the "big" paper of the week).
Some sound advice to any potential "science editor" in Slashdot's future would be to start by automatically rejecting any articles originating from the canada.com domain...
2. After checking that out, if you haven't wised up & are still willing to invest more money in this venture, you might reconsider your strategy of distribution via the usual shareware channels. I have ZERO business or marketing experience, so take this suggestion with a big ol' chunk of salt, but have you thought about trying to license your program via hosting companies, for use by their customers? (In other words, they include the program as a "free" utility on a CD provided to their customers creating and managing their own webpages.) I'm sure it would be difficult to pull off this kind of deal given the amount of competition you're up against, but it would have the advantage of reducing your exposure to losses from crackers and such. If this isn't realistic, I'm sure you can come up with better ideas, given that you're closer to the problem.
In fact, what made it a "scandal" at all was the fact that organs and tissue were removed for storage without fully informing the deceased children's parents of standard autopsy procedures. The organs and tissue were then stored without the parents' consent.
Even though this would be considered "scandalous" by some (particularly the parents involved), this doesn't suggest to me in any way that the organ donation system is fundamentally corrupt. In fact, part of me is thinking, "So what?" The kids in this situation were already dead, no one "profited" from their tissue; in fact, no one seems to have benefited at all as far as I can tell. Unfortunately many legitimate organizations have suffered as a result -- see this link for just one example.
As for your assertion that the organ donation system is untrustworthy, think about this: if a depraved "organ harvester" really wants your parts that badly, he's gonna find a way to get 'em whether you signed the little card or not! ;-)