The Stove Obsession

I like gadgets. As a Scoutmaster I have the opportunity to go camping a lot. I don't have a stove.
So I built one.
I started looking into "pop can stoves" on them internets a while ago and decided to make one. My first attempt was mildly successful.
The basic theory is that you make some enclosure that will hold alcohol. This enclosure self-heats and the alcohol vaporizes and comes out of some holes or jets.
I used the bottoms of two pop cans. You fit one inside the other and poke some holes around the top one. Add a fueling hole and you're ready to go.
Well I want quite satisfied with my first one; it used too much fuel and wasn't very efficient. So I built a second one.

It looks nice, but the jets point out sideways too much, which expends most of the heat on the sides of the wind screen. Not ideal. But with fewer jets it burns much longer. Much more efficient than my first attempt even.
I'll make another one soon using a narrower diameter can (the new small Coke cans look perfect). Fiberglass inside seems to help moderate the flame a little, too.

The Program

I'm about to embark on a public journey to fitness.

"Why would you do this?" you ask. Well, fitness is fitness. There are tons of reasons to get/be in shape. Over the weekend I went on a hike with my Boy Scouts (still a Scoutmaster) and while it was a short hike - about 1 mile each way - the elevation change was fairly significant - 600 feet up. Needless to say there were quite a few times that I was left huffing and puffing.

"I've got to get in shape!" I say to spyderfry on the way up the hill.

"Cardio is Rule #1" he quotes Zombieland, one of his favorites.

Anyway, fitness. Better health. A sexier physique. Being the "strong man" in the family. And the vacation to the beach later in the year.

And why would I make this public? Well, like Scott Adams says, everyone is looking for their own preferred pain. Mine just happens to be public motivation.

Join me on my trek. What is my program? It's a balanced approach, drawing equally from Couch to 5 K for the cardio and from The Testosterone Advantage Plan for the weights. I know, I know, Testosterone Advantage Plan, begin hurling middle age loser epithets my way etc. But if you look at the workout plan it presents I think it's a pretty compelling case. Sure, as I read the book the Wikipedia voice in my head says "citation needed" at least five times per page, but it sounds good at least. And C25K has a couple of pretty good Android apps, which works well with the nerd factor in me.

Both C25K and TAP are 9 week programs, so that's nice. And I have a comprehensive gym at my place of employment, so that's nice too. And as long as I can live with the thermodynamic constant of energy in = energy out I should be doing pretty good in a few months.

My wife is busy with a program of her own, P90X. I was going to join her, but I couldn't commit to that kind of structure. And I've never been one to work out in front of the TV. But I do need some pressure. A little public visibility, maybe, and a cadence. I need someone who knows better than I to tell me when to go, when to stop, when to slow down (there's an app for that). So here's to working out and losing weight, and Stay Tuned for More Fantastic Updates!