Tips and tricks for a digital life. Plus photos, travels, and other commentary.

Some highlights from Christmas. Full set on Flickr here.

This simply has to make you wonder about what else is out there.

It’s been about 5 weeks since signing up for the Ironman and I’ve been steadily making progress in the pool. I’ve been following a training program from SwimSmooth which has been great for keeping to a schedule but also, keeping it interesting.

I’ve updated my Training Progress page with automatic charts to track my progress. It uses Google Docs to update things automatically as easily as possible.

Grand totals thus far are:
Swimming: 39.7km
Biking: 0.0km
Running: 26.0km

Which is the worse scenario?

1) Retail spending is down for the holiday season because consumers are spending within their means.

OR

2) Retail sales are up slightly while consumers over spend on their credit cards and further bury themselves in debt.

Despite what I see on the news most nights, I propose that the answer cannot be both.

The New York Times had an excellent feature story a few days ago:
How Obama Came to Plan for ‘Surge’ in Afghanistan

The three-month review that led to the escalate-then-exit strategy is a case study in decision making in the Obama White House — intense, methodical, rigorous, earnest and at times deeply frustrating for nearly all involved. It was a virtual seminar in Afghanistan and Pakistan, led by a president described by one participant as something “between a college professor and a gentle cross-examiner.”

Mr. Obama peppered advisers with questions and showed an insatiable demand for information, taxing analysts who prepared three dozen intelligence reports for him and Pentagon staff members who churned out thousands of pages of documents.

The story features a carefully constructed recount of the deliberations that went into the final decision and strategy to surge in Afghanistan. Regardless of where you stand on the final decision, it’s a fascinating look into the intense debate that went on behind the scenes to make the most of a shitty situation.