The Eric Wroolie Blog

Overpass Experiences

RunKeeper vs. Nike+

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A couple of years ago (in 2006), I started using the Nike+ iPod sensor while running. I’ve written several posts about it here.  I’ve written about how to attach the sensor to your shoe without buying Nikes special shoes with pockets in the souls and I’ve written an api to retrieve the data from the Nike+ site with C# to use in other apps.  I love the little device and it works perfectly with my iPod nano—it gives me music and a measurement of how far I’ve run (roughly).

But there are some things I really hate about the iPod Nike+ sensor.

First, it’s not as accurate as it could be.  The transmitter is attached to my left shoe, so it works like a pedometer.  I’m not a treadmill runner, so my self-pacing is terrible.  My stride is based on the terrain or my mood.  It’s not consistent—but it’s close enough.  It’s cheaper than shelling out for a Garmin Forerunner.

Second, it’s wasteful.  The transmitter in the shoe has a battery that can’t be replaced or recharged.  You have to buy a new one when it dies.  I’ve been through two of them now.  Last week I found that my standard three-mile run was registering as two and a half miles.  The battery in my shoe transmitter was running low again.  I really didn’t want to throw this into a landfill somewhere and buy a new one for £20.

Third, I can’t get to my data easily.  Nike has a website that stores all your run data.  It’s possible to get a feed of the data, but not officially.  Some people out there have found ways to tap into this data (Running Tracker, Ear-fung.us, and myself) —but they do this using an unofficial api into the Nike services (which sometimes changes).  Nike wants to build their own running community (we need another community?).

So, I started looking for an alternative.  A few months ago, a friend at work told me about an iPhone app which uses GPS.  I looked into it and started using RunKeeper, an iPhone app with an online service.  I’ve used it on a few runs, and I will never use Nike+ again.runKeeper

RunKeeper is better than Nike+ for the following reasons:

  • It uses GPS instead of a pedometer sensor
  • It maps your runs for you on Google maps and Google earth after the run.
  • I don’t have to buy a transmitter every twelve months.
  • I can track bike rides as well as runs.
  • I can still listen to music while running.

There are some things I would like to see in the application.  I still can’t get to my data except through their interface (that I know of) so an open API would be nice.  I need to turn off wifi before the run—which is not difficult, but the only awkward step (this is due to the way an iPhone works).  And, I’m not too crazy about the idea of taking my expensive phone out on runs with me.  But aside from this, the application works great.

If you are a Nike+ user, and you have an iPhone too.  Try this app.  You won’t go back.

Nike+ API Revisited

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One of the highest traffic posts I get on this blog is the brief post on accessing the Nike+ API with C#. I’m pretty proud of that post, but I don’t keep up with how the API works.Running Shoes

The Nike+ API is not published, so it’s not public.  It can change at any time.

If you are interested in the Nike+ iPod API, there is a much more up-to-date blog you may want to have a look at.  It’s called Running Tracker.  I’ve been subscribed to the RSS feed of this site.  They’ve created a cross-platform desktop application to examine the data stored with Nike.  I know about their API changes through Running Tracker.

If you have come to this site about the API, by all means, use the code if you can– but also check out the Running Tracker site as it is more up-to-date on the subject than I have been.  Their application doesn’t use C#, but it might be able to help you out with more information.

Creative Commons License photo credit: marksteelenz

Attention: Low Crime Area

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I’ve been seeing signs all over the place lately by Thames Valley Police which say “This is a Low Crime Area.  Help us keep it that way.”  On the other side of the sign it tells you to lock stuff in your car and take valuables with you etc.2009 230

It strikes me as funny because very rarely are you told that you don’t need to be vigilant.  The sign in the picture was posted in a park.  I walked into the park with my usual level of caution (don’t talk to strangers, etc), but then saw the sign and realised I could take my wallet out and start counting my money right there on the street.  There are no signs like this posted outside the park, so I assume this must be some kind of sanctuary against crime!  Once I leave the park, I need to be careful again.

I wonder how much this sign campaign cost.  I’ll bet it is a ridiculous amount– in the tens of thousands of pounds county-wide.  I wonder how much crime it actually stops.  Someone must have said “Let’s put signs up everywhere where there is little crime, just in case.”  How will they know it works?  If it is still a low crime area six months from now, does that mean the sign campaign was successful? 

Or . . . is it merely a CV point for an public official to say they are “doing something about crime”?

This sign is posted in Oxfordshire in England, but you get the same kind of stuff in the States. 

Growing up in San Diego, there were always public service signs and posters up everywhere–most of the time, no one paid any attention to them.  In school, the hallway walls were plastered with posters of Rob Lowe and Brooke Shields that had giant slogans telling you to stay away from drugs, smoking, sex, etc.  No one ever stopped to look at these posters– they were always just there.  Someone somewhere spent a ton of taxpayer money to produce them, but no one cared.

California is broke.  Republicans in the state refuse to raise taxes any further and the voters agreed with them in a recent election.  I think these kinds of ineffective programs are the reason why.  While the Democrats want to make out that Republicans are against paying teachers and firemen, the reality is that Republicans are against wasteful spending more than anything else.

Sure, putting up signs everywhere to reduce crime sounds like a good idea–but it also sounds like an expensive idea.  The problem is there is no way to measure how effective they are.  Our governments are so far in debt, that these kind of luxuries need to be looked at. 

I didn’t mean for this post to be a rant– just a picture of a funny sign.  I’ll try to post a picture of this sign in a few weeks– after it has been vandalised.