Uncategorized – Page 11 – Mike Soltys, Ph.D.

Book review: Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

Posted on August 21, 2011 by mrsoltys

Normally I love Steinbeck's writings, he's one of my favorite authors of all time. Recently I've ben trying to knock out a few of his short stories, and have been enjoying a lot of them including Cannery Row and of Mice and Men. Tortilla Flat is not on the same caliber as these other stories, and a little past halfway...Read More

Trip Report: Longs Peak, Keyhole Route

Posted on August 15, 2011 by mrsoltys

Longs peak is one of those mountains that has haunted me for years. Majestically dominating my views of the front-range, i've always been too lazy to try it after getting turned back by bad weather and preperation a few years ago. That and the fact that Longs peak is ALWAYS crowded has been a major turnoff from me attempting to climb it....Read More

Trip Report: Short 2 Night Boulder Bike Tour

Posted on August 8, 2011 by mrsoltys

I've been really excited about taking a weekend off for the sole purpose of riding my bike for a while now. This weekend the opportunity finally came around and 7 friends and I rolled out from boulder for a pretty awesome weekend. The route was to spend day 1 leaving from east campus, up past carter lake to camp in the Big...Read More

Tool of the Week: MapMyFitness

Posted on July 25, 2011 by mrsoltys

I love exercise. It helps me clear my head, feel good, and burns calories so i can drink more beer. I'm also somewhat competitive. I lever enjoy suffering in the back of a pack, and even when I'm by myself I like to match myself up to personal goals. Thats why I love MapMyFitness (also the same as: MapMyRide, MapMyRun, MapMyHike,...Read More

Tool of the week: Spotify

Posted on July 18, 2011 by mrsoltys

Lately there's been a lot of buzz around the new music service: Spotify, so I decided to review it for this week's tool of the week! Spotify is an application on your computer, much like iTunes, except it allows you to stream any song you like. Spotify's main draw is it's social aspects: where you can see your friends favorite...Read More

Tool of the Week: NPR Live Concerts

Posted on July 11, 2011 by mrsoltys

I love listening to music while I work, and free music is awesome. NPR has a series of full live concerts that you can listen to online or download for free from their series All Songs Considered podcast These are great, because you can just push play and have an hour or two of great music to work to. You can...Read More

Tool of the Week: Wolfram Alpha

Posted on June 27, 2011 by mrsoltys

Wolfram Alpha is a math lover's dream. I've used Wolfram alpha to do everything from help me derive or check equations I've gotten published to helping kids on their math homework. But that's not all it does. Check out their super cool example page and click around, you'll be amazed at everything Wolfram can do: from telling you what constellations you can see tonight,...Read More

Tool of the Week: Topo Maps

Posted on June 20, 2011 by mrsoltys

[caption id="attachment_425" align="alignright" width="320" caption="TopoMaps near one of my favorite mountain biking spots: Walker ranch"][/caption] There is no substitute for a good topo map and old fashioned compass. Knowing how to use them is a basic skill for any outdoors person. With that said, nothing beats being able to bust out your smart phone and immediately know your place on...Read More

Tool of the Week: f.lux

Posted on June 13, 2011 by mrsoltys

f.lux is a sweet free program for any operating system that really helps with eyestrain when working on your computer for long hours. based on the time of day flux gradually adjusts the tones of your monitor output to be easier on your eyes (including softer, redder colors late at night). This is consistant with the body of literature that suggests avoiding bright...Read More

Cycling Tip: My first Bike Race!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by mrsoltys

I've always been really into biking, and I can normally keep up with most of the people I ride with... but I've never raced. Something about the steep race entry fee's and the intimidation of the racing sceen always scared me off. So I don't know why I got a whim to sign up for this short-track mountain bike race...Read More