Ironmen and other related thoughts

The thumping bass-line pumping from the speakers begins to quicken like the huge heartbeat of this neoprene beast I see before me... This was the start of Ironman Nice and I was there to watch it.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Nice to watch friends take part in an Ironman. Aside from the fact that all of them on the whole were completely insane, it was hugely impressive to witness. Completing a 3.8 km sea-swim, 180 km bike ride and 42.2 km marathon in 31 degree heat does sound ludicrous, but there can be no doubt that those who completed it, in whatever time, did so after conquering some very dark places. I found myself wondering what drove these mad men and women to explore the recesses of their souls and push themselves beyond all imaginable limits. True, many of them set out from the start point not knowing just what kind of journey they had begun but even fewer could have imagined just where they would end up.

Prior to the start I was impressed by the athleticsm on display from the competitors. Almost all of the participants had the honed look of highly trained indivuals; their streamlined wetsuited bodies cutting notable silhouettes against the low morning sun. Months of preparation and training had brought these incredible people to the point of physical excellence and, in less than half an hour, these machines would be embark on the most grueling experience of their lives. As each racer zipped up their wetsuit, donned their hat and goggles the nervous excitement grew. Grins were replaced with grimaces. Banter dried up. Thoughts were collected. The gravity of the moment dawning fully upon everyone; not just competitors either. Friends and family found it difficult to find the right words to offer - now was not the time for vacuous offerings of 'you can do it' or 'give it your best'.

Finally, the race was upon them and en mass they moved to the start. Each member of this creature began to jostle for position, anxious to get a good start and not falter at the first. Suddenly, it was on. The siren sounded and some two thousand people began to enter the sea. You could hear the splashes from several hundred metres away; the air laced with salt as the animal thrashed its way forward, anxious to get into clear water. Arm clocked rythmically over arm, feet churning water white as arduous progress was made. Some sought to race ahead only to be held back by others who had the same idea only a few seconds sooner. Others chose to move laterally, finding clearer water to work through. And those in the middle of this maelstrom? Well, they were pulled along by the surging current, unable to distance themselves from their neighbours. At last all were in the water, the collosal length of this brute now fully apparent. Onwards it pushed, now beginning to thin slightly as it turned passed marker buoys. After the first lap it became easier to make out individuals, particularly those at the front and, sadly, those at the back. It was evident some had found this stage difficult, their arms beating the water with less frequency now, kicks barely breaking the water's surface. However, on they swam, this was no time to stop. As the tsunami of swimmers began their final return, shouts peppered the air as supporters re-found their voices. Slowly but surely men and women emerged from the water, and then disappeared behind crowds as they pressed on to the secoond stage of the race: the bike... 

ASRock ION 330 HT: XBMC & Infrared Problems

I recently re-installed my XBMCLive ASRock ION 330 HT media centre. Most things were pretty straight-forward such as:


AirPlayer
Samba
Sabnzb
BBC iPlayer (from the Hitcher's repo)


However, the final part (the remote) was really getting to me. I just could not get it working. Luckily, I found a complete walk through, which worked perfectly: http://doityourselfhtpc.com/2010/12/22/asrock-ion-330-ht-remote-and-xbmc-live/


And that's it. Just don't forget to REBOOT!