If you missed the Google I/O conference last week, here is the video of Google’s largest announcement, Google Wave, which in short aims to replace the 40 year old email standard and become a new open standard for electronic communication and real-time collaboration. It’s a whole new way of thinking about online communication and there are a number of components to the system so if you work in tech it’s worth watching the video from beginning to end. Google Wave is a major power play by Google, and the biggest question is how Microsoft will embrace or deflect HTML5 in it’s browsers, a requirement for Wave, and the new Wave protocol itself.

As a side note, I was hoping Google would talk about how the new Wave system potentially ends the largest current issue with email — SPAM. It’s implied by the architecture of the system but I’m not sure everyone will grasp this and in my mind is a huge selling point for any protocol, as least in-part, aiming to replace email.

If you are new to running and are looking for inspiration, check out the Spirit of the Marathon movie (available on Netflix) which follows five individuals training for the event.

Also, good luck to everyone running in the Boston Marathon on April 19 — only ten days away!

Check out this pimp house feature in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Buying a new computer in a down economy might not make sense but there are plenty of ways to upgrade and get more horsepower out of your existing machine. The most obvious upgrade is to add more memory. The next is to upgrade to a larger, higher RPM drive with faster read/write times.

As many Mac laptop users know, Apple doesn’t offer post-sale hard disk upgrades. The hard disk you specify at the time of purchase is the hard drive Apple expects you to live with for life, short of buying a new laptop. This said, there are plenty of third party Mac hardware sites that offer compatible laptop drives and Do-It-Yourself upgrade kits.

Out of disk space, frustrated with the slow read/write times of my existing 5400RPM drive, and with assurances from reading multiple guides that hard disk replacement was a breeze, I decided to give it a go. (Note: upgrading internal Apple laptop components will void your Apple warranty and Applecare agreements.) Here is the process.

1. Locate a replacement guide for your machine.
iFixit.com has a number of great laptop and iPod DIY articles. I used this one specific to my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. (Thanks to fiveinchpixie on Twitter for the iFixit.com resource.)

2. Find a replacement drive.
For the hard drive, I used the Mac hardware finder at Other World Computing and found this compatible Hitachi Travelstar 320GB 7200RPM drive for $89.99 after mail-in rebate. Sweet!

3. Make sure you have the correct tools.
Based on the iFixit.com guide, the only required tool I didn’t have was a T6 Trox screwdriver. I ended up ordering this Newer Technology tool kit which has the T6 Trox and also comes with two nylon pry tools (a.k.a. “spudgers”). Another bonus is that all of the tools have magnetic tool tips which made holding on to the tiny laptop screws a breeze.

4. Backup the drive you are replacing.
There are a number of options here depending how you wish to populate the new hard drive.

Some hard disk upgrade kits from Other World Computing come with USB enclosures and software which allow you to copy over the contents of the existing drive before making the switch. Note: this is probably the simplest solution if you do not consider yourself very tech savvy or do not have an existing backup strategy.

A second option is Time Machine. In this case, replace the drive, boot from the OS X install CD, format the new drive (can provide instructions if anyone needs them), then restore from your last Time Machine backup.

The method I used was to copy my existing drive using SuperDuper to an external Firewire 800 drive which is bootable, installed the new drive, then booted from the external drive. I used Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility) to format the new hard disk, then used SuperDuper to copy the data back over.

5. Replace the drive and restore from your backup.
Follow the iFixit.com guide for your machine, format and copy your data over. The hardware replacement was super easy and took me about 20 minutes total. It then took about 2 hours to let SuperDuper copy the data back to the new drive.

That’s it! Enjoy your upgraded laptop.

I now have roughly three times the amount of disk space I had before and the 7200RPM drive is lightening fast compared to the old 5400RPM OEM Apple drive. It’s like having a new computer! Not bad for a $89.99 investment.

• Total custom design (not based on a pre-made blog theme)
• Integration of Twitter feed (on sidebar)
• List of where to find me on various social networks (“Find Me On…”)
• New Subscribe page where you can subscribe by email and/or RSS. I am also creating category level feeds (i.e. – subscribe only to Triathlon posts, etc.)
• An Archive page listing previous posts
• Photos (linked directly to my Flickr photo stream)
• A number of behind the scenes code improvements
• Overall cleaner, more Zen appearance

I hope you like the new design.

1. Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. One of six triathlons I did this year. It was a tough day but was a memorable experience to race in Hawaii and to spend time with friends on the Big Island. (Thankfully, the sunburn has mostly healed.)

2. TrendMedia office. This year TrendMedia made the leap from home-based business to a office in downtown San Francisco. While web developers can work from anywhere, I admit it’s nice to work more directly with others and to have a place to call “there”.

3. Santa Barbara Triathlon. Highlights were the beautiful surroundings and the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom who came from Chicago to see the race. Would like to do this again. (Could even skip the racing part.)

4. Alcatraz 100 (Swim of the Centurions). My second swim from Alcatraz. Somehow I thought it would be easier than the first. Hmmm. Tough swim but great weather and post-race breakfast with friends made for a memorable day. (Right: Nicole tends to Fred’s minor injuries.)

5. Birth of Miles Prescott Grover. Born Tuesday, September 4, at 7:58 am. Congratulations to friends Traci and Jojo! Miles’ blog.

6. Fred and Nicole’s engagement. Congratulations to friends Fred and Nicole! (Fred found a caregiver.)

7. Meditation class at IMC. The most significant thing I did for myself this year. Surprise. It’s not triathlon or technology related.

8. GTD. Consider me late to the party. David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity came out in December 2002 but I didn’t get around to reading it until this year. In fact, I cheated and downloaded the audio book from iTunes. Applying the GTD principles and Merlin Mann’s Inbox-Zero approach has given me a framework for getting more done with less stress in every area of life.

9. First marathon. A classmate in grade school once told me that I “run like a Chester”. I never understood the reference but it was clear that someone who ran like a Chester was clearly a poor runner. Despite being a triathlete, I’ve always felt like a Chester on the run course. Thus, training for my first marathon this Fall was a big deal. While I’m still no Prefontaine, the training and race was a challenging and rewarding experience, and I managed to finish the marathon in under four hours. (So, Adam F., wherever you are, who’s the Chester now?)

10. Christmas in Chicago. Spending time with family. What’s more important?

What were your highlights in 2007? Looking for some inspiration for the coming year.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and great 2008!

Today Amazon introduced the Kindle, a lightweight and powerful electronic book reader that features a new display technology that reads much like paper. Three years in the making, the Kindle has built in wireless connectivity and can display books, electronic newspapers, blogs, or just about any type of syndicated content. Weighting 10.3 ounces, the Kindle weighs about the same as an average paperback yet holds approximately 300 titles and retails for $399, about the same as a high-end cell phone or 2-3 college text books. Is this the beginning of the end for paper bound books? Read more at Amazon.