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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REPRESS YOUR STRESS

STRESS.  Everyone has some stress.  Some deal with it better than others.  One way of reducing stress in one's life is exercise.  I consulted a website maintained by the Mayo Clinic.  An article on Stress Management affirms that just about any form of exercise can relieve stress. An active person will naturally boost the 'feel-good' endorphins released by the brain.  This will keep you distracted from life's daily worries and make you feel good.  Exercise will improve your mood. It can also improve your sleep which is disrupted by stress.  This is in addition to all the other more obvious physical benefits exercise brings.

I can provide an anecdotal story.  Yesterday while driving on the poorly maintained highways that criss cross Chicago, I hit something and punctured my tire.   I was able to drive to a Firestone Tire location before my tire completely deflated.  This is the type of thing that was capable of ruining my day in the past. Nothing about this mishap was enjoyable, but I think I dealt with it better than I might have in the past.   Exercise does not make problems go away.  Exercise will keep you head clear so that you can tackle problems directly and appropriately.  There is simply no downside to exercise.

Here I am in a surreal photo before I started exercising again.  I could have used some endorphins to calm down.

While I was waiting for my tire(s) to be replaced, I was able to walk over to a very nearby Whole Foods.   As I was eyeing the sushi, I noticed that none of the packages had any nutrition information printed on the clear plastic containers.   I asked the sushi makers if they had any nutritional information for their products and indeed they did.  They pulled out a thick three ring binder notebook with nutrional information on all of their products. I found a suitable low calorie selection and had a most delicious lunch.

Whole Foods Kikka Spicy Tuna Roll, 8 pieces, 390 calories

TUESDAY MENU

BREAKFAST    three sunnyside up eggs, 2 turkey breakfast sausage links            275 CALORIES

LUNCH             SPICY TUNA ROLL, 8 pcs (7 oz)                                                 390 CALORIES

DINNER            2 cups Chicken Noodle Soup, 1/2 Beef Burger                              325 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION        990 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

5AM  TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
6PM   TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
8PM   TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES

NET CALORIC DEFICIT     810 CALORIES

Yesterday I visited with two of my favorite customers.   I have met with these two people four times at least in the past 6 months, and they have not even opened their shop yet.   These two people had just seen me on December 8th.   I was wondering if they would notice my 30+ pound weight loss.  It really made my day, when they asked me if I had lost weight.  Absolutely made my day. 

Last week, I surprised myself when I hopped on the treadmill four separate times on Friday for a total of 3.5 hours in order to log 50 miles 'walked' for the week.   At the time I thought that I had set a personal record that I would not soon break.  I underestimated myself.  My 'exercise' week begins on Saturday.   Through the first four days of the week, I have managed to log 44 miles. (eleven hours on a treadmill, so far this week)  My long-term goals remain the same - minimum of 30 minutes of cardio exercise four times a week as the doctor ordered.  I admit I am going just a bit overboard this week.   I am a calorie and fat burning machine.   I believe that my pace of losing one pound per day should continue at least this week.   I will know for sure in three more days.

See how much less stress I have after exercising?