Be sure to check out pages 373 to 377 of Cooking for Geeks for warnings about using liquid nitrogen, advice on where and how to buy it, the science behind the recipe in this podcast, and other culinary applications.

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Highlights from our conversation include:

• Why is C still popular? It’s ubiquitous, closer to the hardware, and used to create other languages and operating systems. [Discussed at the 0:32 mark]
• What kinds of software is C used for these days? System programming (in pure C) or specialized areas when working with languages that are extensions of C or closely related (e.g., knowing C makes Objective-C programming for iOS apps more efficient and C++ games programming more intuitive). [Discussed at the 3:18 mark]
• If you learn C, what will it do for you? Knowing C gets you closer to the hardware, to better understand how things work on the system level. [Discussed at the 4:55 mark]
• Why write Head First C? Kernighan and Richie’s The C Programming Language is one of most popular, if not the most popular, programming books, and it defined the ANSI standard. That book is still the standard, but through the language hasn’t changed, the audience has, and many learners are coming to the language from a different perspective and set of knowledge. [Discussed at the 6:03 mark]
• How does Head First C make the language more accessible to this new audience? For example, it teaches how memory works in a more profound way (a concept systems programmers will likely already know, though new programmers in specialized fields might not). [Discussed at the 8:12 mark]
• Describe the labs in Head First C. The book includes three hands-on missions for the learner, presenting the project without completed source code. In the first project, the learner uses Arduino lab to program a flower with sensors to tell you when it needs to be watered. In the second lab, a computer vision system (OpenCV) is used to capture images in a web cam to check for faces, motion, etc. And finally, the learner creates Asteroids game clone, pulling together many different concepts from the book. [Discussed at the 11:13 mark]
• Arduino is making C popular among the Maker community. As a constrained platform, Arduino is a natural environment for C. C makes the most of the machine’s performance, particularly with real-time processing of input/output. And because it’s such a small language, you can become competent in basic keywords rather quickly, making small Arduino projects a gratifying introduction to programming. [Discussed at the 13:54 mark]
• Why should colleges continue to teach C? It’s an important, foundational language that requires you to understand the full stack of the technology. If you learn C, you’ll understand computers at a much more profound level than if you don’t. [Discussed at the 15:31 mark]

The full interview is available in the following video:

OSCON 2012 — Join the world’s open source pioneers, builders, and innovators July 16-20 in Portland, Oregon. Learn about open development, challenge your assumptions, and fire up your brain.

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• Head First C (book)
• Subscribe to the Code podcast through iTunes

I recently talked with Bruce Perry, author of the just-released Fitness for Geeks, about some of the tools this crowd is using, some others they might be missing, and how the rest of us can use these tips to get healthy too. Highlights from our conversation include:

• Debug your wetware. A programmer becomes fitter by becoming more knowledgeable about her internal software and learning how to optimize it for maximum performance and efficiency. [Discussed at the 00:21 mark]
• Get some sleep. This one’s pretty obvious, but now there are many new ways to quantify and analyze your sleep. Zeo Sleep Manager monitors your brainwaves during sleep and displays graphs for your review when you wake up, communicating wirelessly to a software-enabled clock and the web, Use your personal dashboard to identify your sleep cycles, analyze your REM, and measure the effects of different daily events (such as a stressful day or a drink before bed) on sleep. [Discussed at the 1:54 mark]
• Use apps to assist your workouts and quantify your health. Tools such as FitBit, Nike+, Garmin Connect, AlpineReplay, and RestWise connect you and your health to the digital world where so much of the rest of your life is lived. [Discussed at the 3:46 mark]
• Just get outside. You don’t need a sophisticated routine, as long as you’re moving. Doing the same thing over and over tends to create a static effect that plateaus. But you can randomize your workouts to make them more interesting. Tools such as GAIN Fitness and CrossFit’s Workout of the Day (WOD) Generator will use algorithms to generate your own daily protocol. [Discussed at the 4:53 mark]
• Fast. Intermittent fasting has been shown to lower blood pressure, normalize insulin and glucose levels, and even provide more efficient workouts while fasting. The basic guidelines for intermittent fasting is to eat only within an 8-hour window (eat dinner, don’t eat at night, skip breakfast) and go the remaining16 hours on just water, coffee, and tea. [Discussed at the 7:26 mark]
• Resist extremes. Bruce says it’s okay to do a marathon or similarly challenging event for the experience, but that the oxidative stress can have a significantly negative effect on your overall and long-term health. Instead, revolve your exercise program around short-duration, high-intensity training, such as sprinting, followed by 30-40 minutes of high-intensity weights. [Discussed at the 09:09 mark]
• Practice good stress. Various forms of acute stresses (known as hormesis) — such as moderate and high-intensity exercise, hot and cold exposure, one drink at night — can improve your health. [Discussed at the 13:02 mark]
• Personal experiences with fitness apps. Bruce talks about using Endomondo, GPS data, and Google Earth to scout out an off-piste ski area, and I mention my own use of Google’s MyTracks Android app for marathon training. [Discussed at the 15:19 mark]

The full interview is available in the following video:

Fitness for Geeks — This guide will help you experiment with one crucial system you usually ignore — your body and its health. Long hours focusing on code or circuits tends to stifle notions of nutrition, but with this book you can approach fitness through science.

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• Subscribe to the Code podcast through iTunes