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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Herptilian haven New Ashland cell tower light angers neighbors 'Batkid Begins' will air at film festival Asphalt plant granted extension Work your body to save your braaaaains Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergecy Services, March 16 Emergency services, March 15 Emergency services, March 14 Judge denies motion to suppress evidence in Rogue River serial murder case Medford man gets 4 years for burglaries Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Education Work your body to save your braaaaains St. Mary's School buys campus from parish for $6.5 million Medford School District calls foul on teachers union Supporters rally to back beleaguered principal St. Mary's reaches out to China Environment Herptilian haven Proposed new rules for Oregon critter catchers would require the killing of nuisance animals Jacksonville requests extension on reservoir dam-notching permit Blooms coming too early for Rogue Valley's bees Low snow closes Mt. 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East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Real Estate News East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 New construction prices jump 18.2 percent in Jackson County People In Business People in Business: Feb. 28 People in Business Transportation Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, March 16 Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Letters to the Editor, March 15 Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Charles Krauthammer: Early Onset Clinton Fatigue Editorials Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Other Views: State must rein in medical marijuana Our View: Daylight saving bill another waste of time Our View: Medford native Dave Frohnmayer leaves legacy of distinguished service Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 16 Letters to the Editor, March 15 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 13 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Columns Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Charles Krauthammer: Early Onset Clinton Fatigue George Will: The prescience of Daniel Patrick Moynihan Dana Milbank: Jason Rezaian's detention a tragedy for Iran Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinion: Plan a Hawthorne playground for all children Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Lifestyle Latest stories Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Home Help: This top garage trend keeps gaining momentum Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Haga-Parks Southern Oregon Journal: It’s a small world Food Community blog: Have a ball at this weekend's cheese festival Community blog: Fewer and fewer of us eschew brilliant beets Season Stepp: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish recipes Page H. 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Community blog: The Future is Now Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville City-rock band Shotgun Wedding performs at the Craterian Theater in Medford Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Theater Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Music Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Rogue Valley Chorale presents 'A Festival of Choirs' at the Craterian Theatre SOU's Chamber and Concert choirs present 'Songs of Passion' City-rock band Shotgun Wedding performs at the Craterian Theater in Medford Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Dining Restaurant Inspections Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Herptilian haven ... Our View: Keeping the light trained on government ... Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action ... Herptilian haven ... Our View: Keeping the light trained on government ... Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action ... EDUCATION Work your body to save your braaaaains SOU students, alumni working on zombie-based fitness app By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 @ 11:01 pm By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 @ 11:01 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Which would you rather have for a personal trainer: A well-toned fitness enthusiast or a zombie apocalypse? Southern Oregon University student Christopher Applegate is working on a capstone project that utilizes the latter, specifically with "Zompocalypse Fitness," a unique fitness app that takes a page or two from a George Romero movie. it's basically a hybrid of a workout trainer and serial zombie story where a group of survivors fights to stay alive. “It’s like when you pick up a good book. You fall in love with a character. You get into it and you can’t put it down,” Applegate, 41, says. “We’re absolutely counting on that for motivation.” Patient zero Applegate's idea for the app started with an assignment in one of his digital media classes at SOU, where he was tasked with designing an iPad app. A fitness enthusiast who fights wildland fires during the summer, he says he gets "kind of bored" with the usual workout regimens. The night before class, he thought of an idea for how to change that oft-mundane grind. “I was thinking about zombies, watching ‘Walking Dead,’ " Applegate says. "At the same time, I was thinking, 'I should go work out before class tomorrow.' It just kind of came to me." The idea was to turn a zombie story into a series of workout routines. Project artist and SOU alum Chris LaGasse, 35, says the 18-episode story will follow a character through a journey that starts in Ashland and heads north. App users are thrust into the middle of the tale and experience it as it happens through the workouts. "It's a really kind of action-packed, really interesting, character-driven kind of story," LaGasse says. "Along the way you're running into all these different zombie situations." In one scene, the character has to escape from zombies by heading to a body of water and swimming for a certain amount of time, as zombies can't swim. In another, the character has to run a certain amount of time to escape a closing horde. With each challenge completed, another chunk of story unlocks. "You are actually having to feel what the characters are going through on a physical level," Applegate says. Pandemic In preparation for his class presentation, Applegate designed the first few pages of an interface and included some elaborate exercise routines. It went well, he says, with several classmates saying they would use such an app. So Applegate kept at it, and the app continued to take shape over the summer.  “The more I kind of honed it and polished it up, it was like, 'You know what? I can do this. I’m going to do this. This can happen.' " As a zombie plague is apt to do, Applegate's idea spread. Students from other SOU departments — theater, computer science, emerging media and digital arts, and athletics — got involved. "I was thinking, 'Man, this is the only thing that could get me to work out,' " LaGasse says with a chuckle. "I just thought the idea was really great." Months later, the team project has become an intricate balance of storytelling, programming and health. "Everything has its own little challenges," says SOU student Jeoffery Puglisi, 29. Applegate says he hopes to make "Zompocalypse Fitness" live for iOS and Android operating systems by Halloween. Until then, the team soldiers on, one sweat-inducing undead attack at a time. "It's really moving, and a lot of that has to do with Christopher," LaGasse says. "He's just really motivated and always keeping us motivated. All the pieces are coming together."  For more information, see www.zompocalypsefit.com . Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 @ 11:01 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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