Health Tech

Monsanto, Already ‘Most Evil Company of 2011’, Buys Bee Research Company to Hide Ills

There are few insects as critical to just about every part of the ecological cycle as the bee. Some estimates say that one-third of naturally grown food requires pollination by bees, including most fruits, vegetables and nuts. Coffee, soy beans and cotton are all dependent on pollination by bees to increase yields. It is the start of a food chain that also sustains wild birds and animals. And yet in recent years the bee population has been in freefall, with reports stating that a decline of 90% or more has occurred over the last few decades. The reports are not…


Dear 16-Year-Old Me

“One bad Sunburn before the age of 18 doubles your chances of developing melanoma.” “You are at a higher risk if you have more than 50 moles, a weakened immune system, or a family history of skin cancer.” “The outlook is very good if we can catch it early, but you have a less than 10% chance of surviving more than 5 years if we don’t.” “Melanoma can show up on your tongue, your palms, and on the soles of your feet.” “Your skin is like an elephant; it never forgets.” “If something seems out of place, get your doctor to have a look…


When Did Bed Shopping Get So Complex?

Sarah and I just bought a new mattress. This would not normally be news, but it was quite the shocker to discover just how complex buying a mattress has become. The last time I had to shop for a bed, I called 1-800-Mattress and bought the cheapest one they could quickly deliver. It was quick and it was simple. No longer. Now there are mattresses in every possible firmness, material, and price — except cheap. Honestly, I wanted to avoid the whole thing as long as possible, but Friday night our old bed struck back. I rolled over, and then…


Stay Cool as Temps Rise!

Monday is a big day for many runners. It’s the 116th annual Boston Marathon (the oldest marathon in the world!), which is always an exciting event. I love following Boston, even though I don’t have a shot at qualifying to run it unless they let me race with a rocket strapped to my legs. This year is going to be very unusual though, and it serves as a good reminder to always adjust as temperatures rise quickly in this warm spring. See, Boston starts at 11am, and this Monday it looks like it is going to be a bit warm….



Would You Sell an Extra Organ for the Latest Tech?

I have no idea if the story I just read in the Telegraph is true or not, but supposedly there is a 17 year old in China who is suffering from a renal deficiency after selling his kidney to be used in an illegal transplant operation. He got 22,000 yuan (about £2200 or $3500) in the trade, which only sounds slightly better than a handful of magic beans; he used the money to buy a freaking iPad and iPhone. Supposedly his mom only found out about the crappy trade when she asked him how he got his shiny new gear….


An Argument for Braces, If You Still Aren’t Convinced

I know plenty of people whose parents opted not to get them braces when they were younger; some of these people could care less about whether a few of their teeth are bunched up a bit or not, but there are a few who are genuinely embarrassed by their smiles. The discussion of braces comes up every now and then, and one of the arguments against getting them has been that it would be silly to wear braces as an adult. After seeing this video, my comeback will now and forevermore be that if your smile bothers you and you…


Color Blindness or Do You See What I See? Two Apps That Might Help

(Ishihara color sample from Wikipedia) I work in a company that specializes in computer graphics, animations and programming. As such, there is a large amount of visual data that I have to pore over that often deal with proper colors, because in the world of product marketing, brand colors are generally VERY specific. I have “normal” color vision and 20/20 vision (when I was younger it was around 20/10…oh for the old days!), so excellent sight has been the rule for me, and I’ve never given visual capacity much thought. Not too long ago, however, a coworker called me to…


What’s My Heart Rate Measures by Just Looking at the Screen!

This morning I was feeling great after we got a lot of outdoor time and exercise due to the unseasonably warm weather this weekend, and I really pushed myself on my morning jog (based on my speed I can’t bring myself to call it a ‘run’), and so by the time I got home I was really winded. I checked my heart rate to be sure I was in my normal range before doing my indoor workout. Imagine if I could just check my heart rate anywhere I went using my smartphone and just having it look at my face!…


$30 off Eyeglasses at Costco

Despite my reputation of being very clumsy, I have worn glasses for over 20 years without breaking them. Until last week’s vacation, when I left them on the bed and smashed them. Oops. To be fair, being at sea apparently exacerbates my natural klutziness, since I also went flying off a water tube, fell off a chair, and walked head first into a tree branch. So I guess I should be happy my glasses were the main victims. However, this did mean I needed new ones, and I apparently picked a good month for it! Costco has a coupon for $30 off…


The Cenoire Eluo Sonic Toothbrush Review

Your teeth are precious. And as tough as they are, they actually need to a good bit of attention if you want them hanging around. Brushing and flossing are a must. Water picks are good too. And while it is easy to get into a healthy routine when you are home, it can be much tougher when you travel or are out and about for a 14 hour work day. That’s where Cenoire’s Eluo Sonic Toothbrush comes in. The Eluo is easy to carry, simple to use and, believe it or not, even looks kind of neat. Here’s a look.


iGrill + Omaha Steaks’ Steak Time App = Meat Magic

Now far be it from me to tell a man (or a woman for that matter) how to use their BBQ grill. Like politics and religion, grilling is a topic where advice is rarely appreciated or even more rarely followed. I’m sure you’re great at cooking a steak over charcoal or gas, and I wouldn’t tell you to your face if I thought otherwise. A. because you’re feeding me and B. because you probably have fire and sharp BBQ tools within arm’s reach. Maybe you’re one of those people who can judge a steak’s doneness by comparing the surface of the…


LaserLeap Technologies Wins Best Startup Challenge at Photonics West

Wow … we just jump from show to show to show … from CES to NAMM – and now Photonics West. Sure there isn’t all that much overlap, but each of these shows are rather interesting to me. I haven’t heard much specific technology news of interest from Photonics yet, but today we learned that LaserLeap Technologies has won the 2012 Biophotonics Start-up Challenge based on their new ‘transdermal drug delivery’ system. From Optics.org: [LaserLeap CEO] Serpa’s winning pitch detailed a proprietary laser device that has been developed to aid drug delivery through the skin. The pulsed laser is used…


Put Down the Pinot – Turns Out the ‘Red Wine is Good for You’ Report Was Falsified!

I have been a red wine lover since … well, forever it seems. I have always known that moderation in all things is key, that too much of a good thing is never a good thing. I never assumed that any amount of alcohol was beneficial, so when the study came out a while ago about the possible benefits of moderate red wine consumption … well I was thrilled. Turns out the victory dances were premature, as the researcher behind the study has just been found guilty of “145 counts of fabrication and falsification of data”.


Withings Introduces the World’s First Internet Connected Baby and Toddler Scale

Kev and I have a Withings WiFi connected scale and blood-pressure cuff. My favorite feature of both is that our results are automatically exported to both a password-protected personal page on the Withings site as well as an app on our iPhone or iPad. We are able to monitor our own numbers and when the mood strikes — peek at each others. Withings has just introduced a brilliant product with the same capabilities that should make every new parent happy — their Smart Baby Scale. By using the Withings Smart Baby Scale, parents can access their child’s weight readings from…


The SodaStream Home Soda Maker Overview and Review

Early this week preparations for CES went into high gear. I commented to the GD team that during the week a staple of my diet tends to be either sugar-free Red Bull or FiveHour Energy and that, upon arrival, I may buy a case of each. I also made an offhand comment that a box of FiveHour Energy is rather pricey. Bryan chimed in that he has a SodaStream and one of the available mixes is an energy concentrate. It would, he noted, be far more economical. Two days later I joined the ranks of the SodaStream users. Funny thing is,…


That Bad Spray Tan Might Be the Best Thing for Your Skin!

Despite the fact that everyone knows tanning and overexposure to the sun is really bad for you in terms of cancer risk, having a tan is often described as a ‘healthy glow’, and celebrities wouldn’t dream of going out in public without a radiant but all too often orange glow. A new study published by Reuters finds that spray tanning might actually be the best thing you can do if you are determined to have a bronzed look to your skin! From the article: Women who use lotions and gels to produce a fake suntan tend to cut back on…


The Simplest Medicine Ever

We [as a society] tend to rush to prescriptions for every issue. High blood pressure? Medicine. A sinus headache? Medicine. Achey joints? Medicine. Need more vitamins? Medicine. You get the idea. But there’s another way to stay healthy (and get healthy), and it doesn’t even require a co-pay! For starters, it requires 9 minutes to watch the video below…trust me, it’s worth it!  


Ten Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs’ Biography: An Entrepreneur’s Take

My friend Peter K is a speaker, author, health and success coach, nutritionist and physical therapist. (His website Peter K Fitness tells his story, introduces his method and explains how his approach has helped countless people lead a healthier lifestyle. Some impressive testimonials are there too!) Peter is Elana’s health coach and played a huge role in her becoming as fit as she now is. (It also turns out that I had the privilege of officiating at his wedding more than a decade ago. A connection we did not make until Elana met him for her first training session.) Peter…


Victoria Secret Model Reveals Brutal Starvation Pre-Runway Diet

I have repeatedly talked about the unhealthy foods and unreasonable quantities and government subsidization of unhealthy processed foods … but today we got something from the other end of the spectrum. In spite of protestations by ultra-thin actresses and models that they can ‘eat whatever they want’, most reasonable people tend to believe that the truth is uncomfortably close to the parodies on TV shows and movies where the model is asked about eating and claims to have eaten an orange for lunch … then confesses it was a single slice … and was the entirety of her solid sustenance…


Stop Filling Out Medical Forms! NoMoreClipboard.com Is a Novel Solution for You to Maintain Your Health Records.

  NoMoreClipboard.com A few years ago I started a Google Health account. I loved it. I had my entire medical history and medications in one place. Unfortunately Google Health is going away. So I started to search for a replacement. My criteria were as follows: Easy to use Can hold my medical record Can hold my current and past medications Can Print out a summary sheet of my medical history and medications Ability to add documentation from my medical providers Ability to give my medical providers limited access to my medical history Secure based off of Health Insurance Portability and…