technology filter: Health and wellness

Treat Depression Online

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:11:24 GMT

Not the cheeriest concept a few days before All Hallow's Eve; but for those geeks out there suffering from depressive moodiness, it's never too soon to get started on some treatment. Ars Technica is reporting on a study that Australian researchers are about to publish showing that patients who make regular visits to thereapeutic or educational Web sites can effectively treat themselves--almost or as well as regular visits to a psychotherapist.

'Course, if you can't leave the computer even to see a doctor, that might be a whole other problem, but what do I know?

(via Slashdot)

Tough Tuesday? Buy a Hug...Vest

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:13:17 GMT

Too weird not to post. If you're tightly wound--nervous, highly anxious on a chronic basis, that kind of thing--then you know that sometimes getting a hug can be therapeutically reassuring. But when you're away from those close enough to you to actually give you a hug, what do you do? Until now, suffer in silence. But researchers at the University of Mass, Amherst have developed a special vest that has air bladders which fill up at the push of a button and give the wearer the feel of a hug.

Not sure those guys really get what a hug is all about.

(via UberGizmo)

Funky Gadget of the Week: NovaDreamer

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:38:51 GMT

So they call it lucid dreaming. The idea that you're sleeping, you're dreaming, but you're aware that you're dreaming and you can influence the direction and 'plot' of your dreams. Supposedly this will let you forget more about the real world (that actually sounds dangerous in the long run) and also do things like have experiences you'd never be able to otherwise or face old fears.

If you believe in this kind of thing, then check out the NovaDreamer. This is a gadget and associated course book that claims to be able to teach students to lucid dream at will. So live any fantasy you want in your dreams, whenever you want to for only $275. Seems like they're preying on an ever-increasing population of depressives, but then I'm a notorious cynic. But it does beg the question: If my fantasy with Alyssa Milano comes true every night, why would I want to wake up in the morning?

(via UberGizmo)

Brains Boot Like Computers?

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:31:23 GMT

LiveScience just did a piece on a study done by scientists at Wake Forest University. Their work shows that in the first few moments of consciousness, the brain stem is sending little "puffs" of nitric oxide to certain parts of the brain, notably the thalamus. These little boosts act as a boot-up routine for your head, letting your brain wake from sleep and orient itself towards handling more complex tasks than opening your eyes and measuring the distance to the toilet.

You just have to hope you don't hit a POST error.

(via Geeks Are Sexy)

Diseases: Everything Old is New Again.

Mon, 01 May 2006 21:32:32 GMT

MSNBC pubbed this interesting feature article on how older diseases are coming back. Maladies that most of us thought were germs of the past are suddenly springing up to plague our generation. A big example is mumps, which was never considered a serious health risk for me when I was a child, but is now blazing across heartland states, covering eight states and so far infecting almost 1,200 people.

Other examples include the whooping cough and even rickets are starting to again rear their ugly little heads. Even tuberculosis has re-emerged, thankfully in very small numbers but at the same time ominous because this new strain is, so far, entirely resistant to modern drugs.

It's an interesting, and somewhat chilling read, full of cautious explanations like "vaccine fatigue", but with the overlying message that nothing in medicine is ever certain. Least of all victory.

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 18:05:27 GMT

Enjoy your holidays. See you back here bright and geeky next week.

Konami and West Virginia Team Up Against Child Obesity

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:12:32 GMT

Konami Digital Entertainment has teamed up with the public school system of West Virginia. These schools will now employ Konami's Digital Dance Revolution as an add-on to PE. Idea is to make all the kids dance their booties off--literally.

See when I was a kid all they did was smack you with a shoe if you got too heavy. Running away from a well aimed shoe is pretty good cardiac exercise, too.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 15:01:28 GMT

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and watch the green beer.

In case you want some trivia to go with your alcohol, check out the Official St. Patrick's Day site as well as this background Paddy video clip from the History channel.

Oh, and in case you want to make your own green beer, here's a recipe.

Mental Exercises for Monday

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:02:39 GMT

Paul's Tips has a quick post on five ways to bulk up your geek muscle. Hey, the brain can be worked out like anything else. The five habits Paul recommends include:

Words you come across and don't understand...look 'em up.
Everyday sums...practice doing those on your head.
Learn about something you normally wouldn't look at. (Yankees fan? Pick up an article on the Mets. Like that.)
Read some non-fiction to go with all those novels. Romance novels and fantasy pics are great, but give your brain a workout with some non-fiction, titles, too.
Question your head. If you're a strict believer in a certain viewpoint, take a step outside yourself every once in a while and look at it from another perspective.

(via Digg)

Flat Out Missed This

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 18:08:35 GMT

WendySystems told me about this. Apparently, it's been out for a while, and I just flat out missed it. Maybe I was in the shower (HA!).

Seems that if you're not into coffee--or maybe if waiting for that first cup just takes too darn long--you can get that first caffeine shock while you're soaking in the shower. It's caffeinated soap.

Anyone ever use this? I desperately want to know it if works. And if it does, do you really get clean, or is there some kind of additional...residue? They say it's heavily scented with peppermint; so do you wind up smelling like an Altoid or what?

And in case you're wondering, this isn't the only type. ThinkGeek also has a travel size. And Xoxide has a version of its own, though it's often out of stock.

Toothbrush Bye Bye: Wish I'd Had This as a Kid

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 21:24:31 GMT

Okay, no brushing is jumping the gun, but according to Breitbart, Portuguese scientists say they've discovered an experimental vaccine against tooth decay. The stuff seems to work on animals, so the next step is us humans. Course, if we don't need to brush our teeth anymore, what's that going to do to the average breath-to-death factor?

(via Digg)

Useless Fitness Craze, and I do Mean Useless

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 13:31:49 GMT

Not much of a tech link, but it's definitely an illustration of why I don't get along with "trend-setters". Seems the ritzy, cool and glitzy of Rio de Janeiro have come up with probably the most ridiculous health craze I've seen to date.

It's called the BusBike, and as you suspect, it's a bike "spinning" class...on wheels. Hop on your exercycle, wait for the bus driver and take your class while the bus is driving around Rio.

Now, anyone who's seen my waistline recently knows that I don't regularly take a spinning class. But I was a kid once. I do remember what a bicycle looks like.

And I seem to remember that they already have wheels...

So if you want to see the sights in Rio, couldn't you just...well, you know.

Stem Cells Getting Results

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 22:57:42 GMT

National Geographic has an update on how stem cell research is repairing spinal cord damage in mice. Even freakier, these were human stem cells that were injected into partially paralyzed mice, and still they were able to help the handicapped rodents achieve normal scurry modes.

You can find more information at this site from a pure science and research perspective. But if you're interested in the debate surrounding stem cells, check out Time.com's excellent coverage. Frankly, I'm glad Bush freed up funds for SC research, but I'm bummed it's even this big a debate. Bugs me that such a potentially beneficial bio-technology is so hampered by raw fear.

Face Off

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 17:25:36 GMT

I think I was hammered when I actually saw Face Off. Just remember Nicholas Cage and John Travolta doing a lot of unnecessary 360 degree jumping turns in slo-mo before blasting each other.

Oh and something about a facial transplant, which now seems to have left John Woo's imagination and made its way to...Cleveland? Check it out off MSNBC.

Hey, if this works, it may increase my chances of getting a date.