• Interval Inference Mode (iiM) is a free update for the FINIS Swimsense® performance monitor, freeing you from having to manually press the “pause” button after each repeat. Simply press START at the beginning of your workout and STOP at the end, and the Swimsense® will automatically register all intervals and rest period, along with other metrics like distance, stroke type, splits, stroke count, DPS, stroke rate and SWOLF. It doesn’t like sloppy finishes and poor streamlines though, which is an interesting ‘nagging coach’ addition to the rest of its features:

    We have outlined these rules to get the most accurate readings of iiM:

    Rule 1: Push Off Strong – Try to push off and streamline for at least 2 seconds on each wall

    Rule 2: Finish Strong – Even if you aren’t finishing your interval with your Swimsense arm, it is still important to have a good finish into the wall so that the time can be accurate. Just like a coach, the Swimsense is now timing your intervals, so you better not finish short!

    Rule 3: Be Still Between Intervals – After a few seconds of non-swimming, the screen will automatically pause and invert when you are resting. However, you should try and stay as still as possible so that excess motion isn’t confused for swimming. A suggestion would be to put your Swimsense hand or wrist on the wall to hold it still.

    Rule 4: Have At Least 3-5 Seconds Rest Between Intervals – The Swimsense needs this time of stillness between intervals to know that you have stopped swimming. Otherwise it will think you are just doing a very slow turn.

    Via finisinc.com

  • Gracie Abdallah went to the Minneapolis Grand Prix hoping to meet her favorite swimmers and take a few autographs back to Sioux falls with her. Her marigold-yellow T-shirt has the names of nearly a dozen swimmers scrawled on it with a black Sharpie, but the greatest sovenier was one of Michael Phelps’ gold medals from the meet, with his name signed on the royal-blue ribbon. Read ArgusLeader.com and see KSFY.com.

  • Courtesy of www.openwaterswimming.com, kicking with a snorkel and the “hug drill”. Both of them work perfectly for pool swimmers also :-)

  • What kind of Pool Rules is this ?!? – see weknowmemes.com

  • Waterproofing nanotechnology popping up everywhere these days, during a press preview for the upcoming 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, a company called HzO showed of some kind of technology that creates a “nano-scale film barrier” with the circuitry of for instance a mobile phone, that rather than keep water out, allows water too creep inside without doing any damage. Read phandroid, see also older post here about waterproofing your iPhone with NeverWetâ„¢.

  • It’s official, Canada’s now has money ready for you to tuck into your bathing suit and take for a swim. And it’s plastic, and it’s see-through. The $100 bill is out now (who needs less?), the $50 bill coming next March, and the rest in circulation by 2013. They’re not the first though to have money out of polymer, as Australia and New Zealand have had such currency for well over a decade. But they will have the most high-tech features. Read Canadian Business.

  • The Euro crisis and debt problems of Italy has stretched to the world of swimming: Sicily has told the Italian Federation (FIN) and FINA that it can no longer host the World short-course championships at Catania in 2014 because of a lack of funds. Read SwimNews.com.

  • Brace yourself before reading this Women’s Day report …

    On the surface, Grant Hackett seems to have it all – a beautiful wife, gorgeous two-year-old twins, and a golden reputation that has earned him a host of corporate gigs and a commentary spot at next year’s Olympics. But the triple Olympic gold medallist’s future is in doubt after he “lost it” and overturned his wife Candice Alley’s beloved grand piano during an ugly screaming match at their Melbourne penthouse on Derby Day. (more…)

  • Injured Marine Jay Platt trains to cross the Mississippi River handcuffed, shackled and blindfolded. And yes, he managed to complete the swim.