PRISMA

A couple of days ago I stumbled onto this press release for the PRISMA application, and naturally I had to check it out... This app does some very cool things to photos and amazingly it is a free download.

Apple announced its annual Best of 2016 charts for the App Store, naming photo editing app 'Prisma' as the iPhone App of the Year. Released in June of 2016, Prisma is designed to turn photographs into works of art using a range of different filters. Prisma garnered a lot of interest in 2016 and continually introduced new art filters.

prisma logo is a simple triangle

this explanation of prisma comes directly from the prisma-ai.com website

Turn Memories into Art

Using Artificial Intelligence

Prisma transforms your photos and videos into works of art using the styles of famous artists: Van Gogh, Picasso, Levitan, as well as world famous ornaments and patterns. A unique combination of neural networks and artificial intelligence helps you turn memorable moments into timeless art pieces.

This original creepy photo was taken less than 10 days ago during my hike at the Tolleston Dunes Trail.  I really like this photo precisely because it does seem creepy. (even though in this case the creep in the background is me) The following 36 photos were changed using the prisma application.  I used a different photo app to make just four mosaics to show the 36 different ways that this photo was changed.  

I highly recommend this application to anyone who wants to have a bit of fun with their photos.

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, December 9, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Butter Flavored Grits, 6 Packet	600	126	6	12	2,040	6
Powerbar - Protein Plus Bar Vanilla	420	54	10	40	260	28
Kirkland - Pre-Cooked Bacon, 6 slices	240	0	18	18	1,050	0
	1,260	180	34	70	3,350	34
L U N C H
Great Grains Raisins Dates Pecans Cereal	1,260	246	24	24	810	78
	1,260	246	24	24	810	78
D I N N E R
Subway - Turkey Sub Sandwich	560	92	7	36	1,620	14
Subway - Sun Chips- Harvest Cheddar	210	27	9	4	320	3
	770	119	16	40	1,940	17
S N A C K S
Cliff Bar - Chocolate Chip Bar, 68 g	250	45	5	10	150	22
	250	45	5	10	150	22
Totals	3,540	590	79	144	6,250	151
Your Daily Goal	3,466	433	115	174	2,300	130
Remaining	-74	-157	36	30	-3,950	-21
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,536 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, December 9, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Elliptical Trainer	97	998
Elliptical Trainer	99	949
Daily Total / Goal	196 / 30	1,898 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	910 / 210	9,049 / 4,130

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And lastly....Saturday is the day to weigh myself. I won't exactly do a victory dance based on my progress this week, but less is less. This week I weighed 231.1 lbs. That is down a pound from last week. Better down than up. It is very hard, to exercise the calories away from over-eating. Ever the optimist, however misguided, I guess I keep on trying. 

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40,000 STEPS

It takes a bit of effort to amass 40,000 steps in one day as any 'fitbitter' knows.  Yesterday was the 35th time that I have stepped at least that much in one day since I first purchased my fitbit back in September. It had been over two months, since March 26th that I have reached this somewhat dubious accomplishment. My day started with about 10,000 accumulated during a 90 minute session on the elliptical machine. I ran an errand in the late morning which turned into a six mile trip which tacked on another 10,000 steps. And finally, the last full day that our family hosted a young woman from Paris, France was spent traipsing about Chicago so she could enjoy a final glimpse of Chicago before her flight home today. I definitely enjoy being active.

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Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, May 28, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original	200	44	0	4	620	0
Butterball - Bacon Style Turkey, 4 slices	140	2	12	8	600	0
Egg, whole, cooked, poached, 3 large	215	1	14	19	446	1
	555	47	26	31	1,666	1
L U N C H
CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA	480	80	14	10	120	30
ORGANIC DATE PIECES	240	60	0	2	20	44
	720	140	14	12	140	74
D I N N E R
Homemade - Fried Chicken Leg, 3 Leg	510	3	29	54	177	0
Broccoli - Broccoli	120	12	1	11	98	0
Wild rice, cooked	331	70	1	13	10	2
	961	85	31	78	285	2
S N A C K S
Trail mix bar- tropical blend, 1 bar	210	20	13	4	45	10
Malt O Meal - Honey Nut Scooters	240	48	3	6	420	18
	450	68	16	10	465	28
Totals	2,686	340	88	130	2,555	105
Your Daily Goal	5,001	625	166	251	2,300	187
Remaining	2,315	284	78	120	-255	82
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 3,071 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	962
Walking	75	1,271
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	838
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	168 / 30	3,071 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	814 / 210	10,452 / 4,130

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CRITICAL MASS SEPTEMBER

Considering the fact that I was completely unaware of the phenomenon that is CRITICAL MASS prior to last month - I am now a two time veteran of this fun bike ride.  As always, hundreds of bicyclists converged on Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago between 5:30PM and 6:30PM.   Right around 6:30PM some bicyclists starting cycling around the big city block.... And they continued to ride around the block.  Slowly but surely hundreds of cyclists joined the parade of bicycles - until CRITICAL MASS was reached and the leaderless bike trip was underway.  Last night's ride took us to the North Side of Chicago - the part of Chicago where I live and am actually familiar with.  Last month I felt as if I was a tourist in a foreign city cycling all over the southside of Chicago.  This week I was on my home turf.

I made an effort to ride up front as I was trying to figure out who is in charge of this unsanctioned, but very highly tolerated Chicago event.  Once again, as always there were quite a few POLICE OFFICERS on bikes accompanying the riders.  I did start a conversation with someone who I heard discussing where to go. I asked him if he was in charge.  I got back the standard answer that no one is in charge.  I am beginning to wonder if this is some kind of legal defense - defense against what.... I don't know.  Anyway, what I learned is that a few guys, veterans of this ride, will just kind of take charge during the ride.  They will discuss where to turn and once agreed, they simply yell out the plans.  And hundreds of bicyclists follow along.  Many times along the ride, the leaders stop to "MASS UP' which allows those trailing behind to catch up and once again become a massive collection of bicyclists. This ride is not a race.  It is simply an enjoyable ride on city streets that takes place on the last Friday of the month. Every month. I imagine that the ride might become a bit less popular in the winter.  Perhaps I will see that for myself in the upcoming months.

I used my recently downloaded application, MAP MY RIDE, to document last night's journey.  The ride was approximately two hours and the total distance travelled was 17 miles.  One month ago I was overly impressed with myself that I could actually ride my bike for 15 miles - since this was a distance that I could not remember ever biking in all of my 57 years.  During this past month, I completed a 30 mile ride when I rode to a YMCA in the suburbs, and I completed a 40 mile ride when I rode to the Indiana border.  I am no longer so impressed with myself for surviving a leisurely ride of 17 miles.  This does not diminish the enjoyment of the ride.  It is just one more example  that my abilities and the sense of what I have accomplished physically in the past year have been dramatic. The big test comes on Wednesday.  The name of this test: HALF DOME.

CRITICAL MASS CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 2015

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226.8 lbs

I weigh 226.8 lbs.

I gained 1.4 lbs this week

I have lost 82.2 lbs in 276 days. Today begins Day 277.

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 226.8 (276 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 26.6% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 30.34 

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 276 days ago (Class III obesity)

I have 5 words of MOTIVATION for myself today: HALF DOME IN FIVE DAYS 

(SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, HALF DOME)

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 Friday MENU

breakfast three egg omelette w/cheese, bacon, multigrain rice cakes     855 calories
lunch      sausage, granola, ginger, spinach salad, cabbage soup           1272 calories
dinner    multigrain rice cakes, two gala apples                                       880 calories
SNACK SUPERFOOD CEREAL CHIA GINGER, date pieces, ginger 552 calories

total calories consumed 3560 calories

calories burned

YMCA PRECOR elliptical machine 125 minutes              1718  calories
132 minutes bicycling <10 mph, leisure pace                        395 calories
(MAP MY RIDE posted 1198 calories - this seems way too high - I arbitrarily reduce it 67%)

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 2113 CALORIES

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FRIDAY NET CALORIES 1447 CALORIES

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fitbit day 23

25059 steps
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Bicyclists assembling on Daley Plaza, Chicago