What’s Been Done So Far?

If you look at the original diagram I created, there where a few different components to this tracking platform (local storage, data collection scripts/api integration, and the presentation layer).

• Local Storage – Personal copy of data stored in MySQL.  I created the local storage piece almost immediately after writing the article in Aug.  I chose to use MySQL as a database, and created a schema that was suited towards collecting my initial data set of interest: data from my FitBit and WiThings scale.  The schema accounts for storing both daily and intraday activity for calories burned/consumed, activity score (+very active, moderately active, and lightly active), total distance, steps taken, sleep, and weight.  I’ve now created about a dozen or so SQL queries that will generate useful reports on this historical data.

• Data collection scripts/API Integration. I immediately leveraged the Perl FitBit API I originally wrote last April to sync data from the FitBit site to my local database.  I created a nightly cron job that will request the daily + intraday stats and save to the db using Perl::DBI.  I also took a similar approach with the WiThings scale.  Although I haven’t created a Perl wrapper yet for Withings, they do publish and easy to use REST API for getting access to your weight.  This script also runs on a nighly basis and saves weight information to the local database.

• Presentation Layer.  This has been the most complicated piece so far.  I’ve created a Java-based webapp using Spring 3.0/Jetty to build the analytics UI.  For now the UI is built with 2 major views: a dashboard, and reporting interface.  The dashboard displays both historical and daily information in a visually-pleasing format using Google Charts.  You can see a daily snapshot (+ weekly, quarterly, and yearly views) and see stats on your activity, distance, steps taken, weight, sleep and intraday stats (activity and sleep level on an hourly basis).  I’ve also built a light home-grown reporting interface that integrates with the Google Visualization API and easily builds dynamic tables and charts based on the provided SQL queries.

Screenshots

• Dashboard View

• Historical Stats – Multiple Activity Logs

• Historical Stats – Distance Bar Chart

• Daily Stats

• Intraday Stats

• Reporting

Immediate Next Steps?

The current code is fairly stable and mostly ready for a demo.  Before I make it live I’m planning on adding a few major features:

1. Geo-Location support – I’ve been tracking GPS coordinates since I purchased my QStarz device in September.  I’m thinking of adding a couple Map and GPS tracklog views to the Dashboard.  And, this could lead to some interesting location-based reporting as well.  I have a ton of saved .gpx files, so it’s a matter of writing an integration script to parse and store in the db.  And, some lightweight presentation layer to dynamically generate .KML and overlay on top of Google Maps.
2. Simple mobile interface.  I’d like to be able to access the interface using my iPhone and having some light interface to get quick stats and graphs would be nice.
3. Come up with a catchy project name.  As I stated earlier, although the original scope of this was for fitness tracking, this type of platform can be used for tracking any type of personal statistics.

Future Roadmap

1. Tracking detailed sleep info from MyZeo.  Since I wrote the original vision I had the chance to do a review for the MyZeo sleep device.  I’ve also created a Perl API so it’s simply a matter of writing the integration script to start recording in the MySQL DB.
2. Tracking workout info from my iPhone app – iFitness.  I also have about 10 years worth of workout information either stored from previous products (like CrossTrainer) or written down.
3. Tracking heartrate info from my Garmin heartrate monitor watch.
4. Integrate with the new official Fitbit API.  Since I wrote my initial (unofficial) Perl API, fitbit has embraced the developer community and released a support API (yes!)

What’s a better way to kick off the New Year than by giving tips on how to improve your overall quality of sleep? I decided to write this post as a mini-review of the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach and share some open source tools and APIs to help with saving your Zeo data for your own personal analysis.

Overview

In retrospect, 2010 was a pivotal year for me since I first learned about some amazing new technology gadgets that help you keep track of your overall health and well-being. Last February I discovered the WiThings scale that will automatically track your weight and BMI, and will upload your data online so you can set goals and visually see how you are progressing. Then, in April I received my FitBit and have been consistently using it to track my overall fitness activity – calories burned, miles walked, activity level, etc. The thing that I love about these gadgets is that they “just work”: simply stepping on scale, or wearing a little gadget on your belt will help produce interesting sets of data and visual graphs that can help guide you to take action to improve your health. A few months ago I discovered another amazing device called the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach that will actually track how well you’re sleeping, provide detailed data and visual feedback, and give coaching tips to improve your overall quality of sleep.

What is Zeo?

In a nutshell, the Zeo product is designed to analyze your sleep patterns and provide you with a lightweight wireless headband, a bedside display, a set of online analytical tools, and a personalized email-based coaching program.  The main thing that initially blew me away with Zeo was the fact that the wireless headband will actually record your brainwave activity!  Not only can the device tell you what time you go to bed and what time you wake up, but it will provide detailed info on exactly when you’re lightly sleeping, in REM sleep, and in deep sleep.  With all this info at its disposal, the Zeo is able to provide you some valuable information and tools to analyze trends in your sleeping patterns.  Here’s a sample of some of the sleep data you can review once it’s been uploaded to the myzeo.com site:

• Zeo Sleep Score

When you wake up and place the headband back on the bedside display, the Zeo will provide you with an overall sleep score (ZQ) that is based on your sleep quality and quantity.  Your base score is your total sleeping time, combined with restorative sleep (Deep & REM) and disrupted sleep (wakeups, total wake time).  Think of the score as your overall grade for how well you slept.  I was surprised to learn that the average score for my age group is a ZQ score of 77.  Since I started using the Zeo in November, my sleep score has been averaging a ZQ of 98.

• Sleep Graph

This is where the Zeo data can get interesting.  This particular graph will not only show what time you went to bed and woke up, but also the total time it took to fall to sleep and a detailed breakdown of what sleep phase you were in throughout the night!  Reviewing this graph can provide some telling feedback on how different factors may impact your night’s sleep: going to bed too early/late, stress (a racing mind), too much caffeine or alcohol, working out too late in the evening, etc.

• Sleep History

The sleep history graph will show key information (ZQ score, total sleep time, deep sleep/rem sleep, etc.) for different time intervals (daily, weekly, monthly).  Again, being able to use this data to see trends in your sleeping patterns can provide some useful feedback on how to be more conscious of what’s impacting your quality of sleep.

For a good review and video of the Zeo, I’d recommend reading the WallStreet Journal article from last year (note the price for the Zeo is now $199.95 USD and available at retailers like Brookstone & Sharper image). And, for another recommended review with some detailed info on how the Zeo actually works check out Ryan Hurd’s review and some peer-reviewed literature on the science behind Zeo.

Open Source and APIs

Now, this is where the post gets a little technical (and exciting)!  The thing that I *really* like about the Zeo is their willingness to give you as much access to your sleep data as possible and embracing open source as a compliment to their commercial offering.  How are they doing this?  Zeo issued a press release back in June announcing their new open API to allow 3rd party companies and individual developers complete access to their sleep data.  The published API offers developers the ability to register and signup for an API Key, and provides a comprehensive REST API (using both JSON and XML) so 3rd party libraries can be developed.

Zeo currently offers some sample code using the API in a variety of languages (Perl, PHP, Java, etc.) and a fully working Ruby libarary developed by DailyBurn.  In order to help ease my own effort to download data and help other developers, I decided to create my own OO Perl library similar to the one I initially created for Fitbit back in May.  Unlike the FitBit libary which is somewhat unofficial (Fitbit does not offer ‘published’ API for developers), the Zeo Perl library has been fully tested against the published API, and any future changes by Zeo can be easily incorporated in the the library.

The Perl API (WebService::Zeo) is now hosted on GitHub at http://github.com/ericblue/Perl-Zeo-API. In the near future this library will also be made available on CPAN. This module provides an OO (Object-Oriented) library that currently supports all major services in the REST catalog (methods for getting sleep averages, detailed sleep data based on exact dates and ranges, and pagination to step through the sleep records).

More Open Source “Hacking”

In my mind, the officially supported API is major news for techy geeks and data junkies (me). But, it gets even cooler…. along with the Web API, Zeo also offers:

• Zeo Data Decoder Library – A version of software and a library that enables a user to decode Zeo sleep data stored on a memory card without uploading data to mySleep.myZeo.com.
• Zeo Raw Data Library – A version of software and a library that enables a user to decode Zeo sleep data and raw signal data in real time using the auxiliary serial port located on the back of Zeo.

Their developer site lists some cool sample projects:

• Integrate Zeo sleep data into a website that tracks your weight, nutrition, and exercise.
• Create a desktop application to view and process Zeo sleep data.
• Build a lucid dreaming system to notify you when you are in REM sleep and alert you using a sound.
• Use Zeo while you are awake to measure meditation.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the Zeo so far and would highly recommend to anybody interested in improving their sleep quality.  And, for the “hackers” out there, the open source offering provides some great tools to access all of your sleep data and analyze in unique and interesting ways.  Happy 2011, and I wish all of you restful sleep and a healthy ZQ score!

I recently discovered that Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping, will be coming to the US next month to host a variety of exclusive talks, training events and accredited courses.  I found out about this tour from Kathleen Church, the Media Relations Liaison for ThinkBuzan, and she informed me that Tony will be conducting these workshops in Minneapolis, San Francisco, and New York from May 3rd to the 18th.    Not only does the content of the workshops look great, but given that this is Tony’s first US visit in over a decade this looks like an opportunity worth pursuing.  Here’s a brief excerpt from the training page and a copy of the official press release:

British born Tony Buzan has helped millions to unlock their creativity, enhance their memory skills and expand their thought processes. He invented Mind Maps in the 1970s and they are now used by over 250 million people worldwide. He works as a motivational speaker and business consultant for businesses and government organisations all over the world, including General Motors, Walt Disney, BBC, Microsoft, Intel, Boeing, HSBC, Friends of the Earth, Procter and Gamble, and British Airways. In 2008 Tony received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Creativity Association (ACA). The Englishman has authored or co-authored over 100 books on the brain, translated into 33 languages and published in over 150 countries.

Tony Buzan Brings His Mind Mapping Technique For Improving Decision Making, Creativity, Communications Skills To U.S.
Best Selling Author, Lecturer, Consultant To Tour US Cities

NEW YORK, NY—APRIL 4, 2010—In a career that has spanned decades, Tony Buzan has helped millions around the world to improve their professional and personal lives by improving decision making, unlocking their creativity and enhancing their memory skills with Mind Mapping techniques.

Now Tony is bringing his program to the United States.

A best selling author and consultant to major international corporations, Tony will host workshops and seminars in New York, Minneapolis and San Francisco May 3 to 18, where he will describe The ThinkBuzan System.

Course attendees will learn how to work creatively, generate innovative new ideas, deliver dynamic and engaging presentations, improve their organisation and planning skills, and enhance their training repertoires with a system that has been developed over 40 years of experience.

Mind Maps, which Tony invented in the 1970s, are now used by over 250 million people worldwide.  He is a consultant for businesses and government organisations all over the world, including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Walt Disney, Boeing, BP, HSBC, and the BBC.

The royal families of Bahrain and Liechtenstein and global media personalities and prominent world figures have benefited from using his techniques.

After a presentation by Tony at HSBC’s headquarters, Anne Ewing, the bank’s Head of Learning & Development ,  said that “he held the audience spellbound as he challenged, confronted and tested our collective assumptions about how adults learn.  His complete mastery of his subject shone through… He is an extraordinary teacher and communicator”.

Leon Sadler, vice president for professional services at FICO, described the true power of Tony’s process: “I’ve relied on Mind Maps in my work with the world’s premier technical knowledge-based organizations, including Accenture, IBM and now FICO, a leader in analytics and decision management. I have passed on my enthusiasm to my co-workers and kids, and enjoy watching a new generation of Mind Mappers develop.”

In 2008 Tony received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Creativity Association (ACA).  Forbes Magazine has named Tony one of five top international speakers, along with Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher, and reported that “Buzan shows corporate executives how to hotwire their creative energies.”

He has authored or co-authored over 100 books on the brain, which have been translated into 33 languages and published in over 150 countries.  During the US tours, he workshops and seminars will be co-hosted by Chris Griffiths, ThinkBuzan’s CEO and author of ‘Mind Maps for Business’.

The ThinkBuzan System is built around a number of cutting edge techniques that address key areas such as; working creatively to generate new ideas and innovative solutions, combating information overload, dealing easily with an overwhelming workload, making correct decisions quickly, and thinking strategically and setting goals to boost personal and business development.

Tony’s US Tour events are an ideal opportunity for all executives, consultants, trainers and managers, anyone working n education, marketing and PR, or human resources and development to sharpen their professional skills.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT:

· Tony Buzan: http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/company/about/tony-buzan

· ThinkBuzan Ltd: http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/company/about

· The ThinkBuzan System & The US Tour: http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/services/training/usa2010

The first site SimplyNoise offers up some white, brown, and pink noise to help drown out distractions.  And the second site RainyMood plays a gentle 30-minute loop of rain to help you relax and wash your stress away.

It’s about time I spread the news about this truly great site!  Brian Johnson, entrepreneur and philosopher at heart, has created a new site/service called PhilosopherNotes.  What is PhilosophersNotes?

Think: Mini-CliffsNotes for Self-Development Books!

“Brian’s always been passionate about understanding what makes great people great and applying the truths they embodied to make his little dent in the universe.

After selling his last business (Zaadz) and traveling for a bit, Brian decided to give himself a Ph.D. in Optimal Living with a Specialization in Greatness and Bliss.

He figured he’d get a Master’s when he’d distilled 100 of his favorite books into concise, fun, inspiring summaries. Then, on a flight from Tokyo to LA, he had one of those “Aha!/hallelujah!!” moments when he opened the SkyMall to an ad for a company that summarized business books for “busy executives.” He decided someone should do summaries of self-development books for the “busy self-actualizer” and that that someone should be him. ☺”

I’ve gone through quite a few of the summaries so far(6 pg PDFs + 20 min MP3s), and have to say I’m super impressed!  Now, here comes the great news….. you can signup and get 25 titles ….. for FREE!  Yes, free.

Click here to get signed up.

And so we arrive yet again at the end of another year. 2008 was at best a mixed bag – while the world was electrified by the US election and it’s promise of change, the global economy was shaken to its core as a decade of financial mismanagement and willful blindness finally caught up with us. Gas prices spiked, leading us all to ask some difficult questions about sustainability, efficiency, and consumption – and then plummeted, leaving us feeling somewhat relieved, but baffled by the unpredictability of it all.

As we roll into 2009, there is an atmosphere of suspenseful anticipation, of hope mixed with not a little uncertainty. Companies are streamlining to prepare for the worst, even as entrepreneurs look ahead to new opportunities. Overall, it seems that now is a time for shaking off the dust, clearing away the debris of the past, and looking towards the future.

Here at Lifehack, we’ve always followed a path of cautious optimism. Plan for the worst, but work for the best! 2008 has seen the arrival of a host of new contributors, as well as two new contributing editors, Thursday Bram and Joel Falconer. Together, we’ve continued to bring you the best tips, advice, and recommendations across the field of productivity, helping with everything from managing your todo list to managing your career.

Here, then, are the best posts of 2008, selected according to their popularity and the amount of discussion they generated both here on the site and across the blogosphere. Contained in these posts is a healthy dose of the wisdom, direction, and skill you need to move forward into a successful 2009!

Click here to continue reading the article.

Last year I picked up a copy of The Integral Vision by Ken Wilber.  I recently decided to re-read the book, and created a comprehensive book summary highlighting the key pieces of information in the book.  The book summary is presented in the form of mind maps for each chapter.

Why am I doing this?

I first stumbled upon Integral Philosophy a couple years ago, and quite honestly became hooked.  Since that time, I’ve read a wide variety of books and have engaged in the exciting and often daunting task of trying to build a comprehensive and well-informed worldview (or map).  There are a number of good intro books that people recommend for first diving into Ken Wilber’s work (e.g. A Brief History of Everything).  Regardless of which book you pick, the fact is for most people (myself included) this is a vast and complex topic.  Distilling a philosophy/worldview/framework into a small but useful text is difficult to say the least.

I’ve personally found The Integral Vision to be the best intro into Integral.  It’s a short, but powerfully-information packed book that definitely does justice to such an interesting and complex topic.  My hope is that others who are just getting into Integral Theory/Philosophy will benefit from the mind map summaries.  My advice would be to get the book, and use the maps as a study or reference guide to help the information sink in.

Overview

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 1

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 2

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 3

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 4

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 5

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Chapter 6

View Online (Flash) | Download Map (MindManager)

Entire Book Summary

Download (2.0MB Zip)

Tom’s Twelve Laws of Life

1.     SELF-MANAGEMENT AND PEOPLE SKILLS ARE THE KEYS TO YOUR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS.

2.     YOU ARE AT THE CENTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE. STAY THERE!

3.     WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MOST IS WHAT YOU GET.

4.     YOU MAKE YOUR HABITS AND THEN YOUR HABITS MAKE YOU.

5.     GUILT ENSLAVES YOU. RESPONSIBILITY LIBERATES YOU.

6.     “OBLIGATIONS” ARE A FRAUD.

7.     EXPECT LESS FROM OTHERS AND MORE FROM YOURSELF.

8.     NOBODY WAKES UP IN THE MORNING CHOOSING TO BE THE VILLAIN.

9.     THERE IS NO “HAPPILY EVER AFTER” IN THE REAL WORLD.

10.   THERE IS A HELL, AND IT STARTS EARLY.

11.   YOU CAN CREATE PARADISE ON EARTH.  MANY PEOPLE DO.

12.   IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE

Definitely read the original post in its entirety to get some great wisdom on each of these 12 laws!

Set aside a specific time each week for personal reflection.

Having a consistent weekly review is one of the most powerful ways to better focus your attention, realign your priorities, and make sure you’re making progress towards your goals. Block off 30-45 minutes at the end of each week, ask questions, and write down your answers in your system of choice: What did I learn this week? What did I accomplish? What do I still need to focus on for next week? Have I made progress towards my long-term goals? What new ideas do I have? What did I learn this week that inspires me?

Luciano has now compiled and posted all of the submissions into a single article that lists the 66 Best Tips.  I have to say that there are some really great tips in there.  The thing I like about this project is that it creates a forum that allows both everyday readers and bloggers to post their success recipes.  The blogosophere is a big place, and having a single page to combine this type of advice is incredibly helpful.

Please do check out the page (http://litemind.com/best-personal-excellence-tips/), and make sure to vote by 12/8!  I certainly wouldn’t mind if you picked my tip (#51) as the best, but I have to say I have some tough competition