40Tech

Now I’ve seen everything. Would you have more incentive to go to the gym if you knew that a missed workout was going to hit you where it counts – in the wallet? If so, check out the New York Times’ coverage of GymPact, an iPhone app that can provide this type of monetary incentive to working out.

This is one time when downscaling technology isn’t a cliché. None of that “cell phone implanted in your tooth” malarkey– the mChip is serious business. Serious, potentially game (and life) changing business.

Once upon a time, getting tested for HIV involved a trip to the doctor, a bit of blood-letting, and a rather tense wait. It was months, at first, then weeks, then days, and eventually it worked its way down to minutes. That’s all fine and dandy if you live in a developed country, but if you happen to live in Africa, where HIV is running rampant, then visiting your local doctor’s office could involve something of a trek. A trek you may not be able to afford or, due to fear of results, lack of time, or whatever other reason, may not be inclined to make.

Researchers at Columbia University have found a way to help.

Having many friends is classically considered a desirable thing, leading to things like wealth of spirit, a good self-image, and a generally happy life. Not so in the modern days of the internet, where terms like “friend” are used as a label for the barest acquaintance, and sometimes even for enemies. In fact, in a recent study by psychologists from Edinburgh Napier University, it was discovered that the amount of “friends” you keep on Facebook may be linked to heightened feelings of anxiety and stress.

According to a Dutch study, our beloved Wi-Fi — the stuff that large populations of the planet now use in their homes, their workplaces, where they shop, where they drink coffee, and pretty much everywhere else they go — may be killing our trees. Or at least contributing to it. The researchers of Wageningen University say that more analysis is required to reach a solid conclusion on the matter, but so far, it looks like the particular radiation that is Wi-Fi is not at all interested in becoming a tree-hugger.

I like it when science fiction tech waltzes its way into the “really real” — and that’s what eLegs is doing. Well, it may not be waltzing just yet, but it’s certainly going a long way to helping paraplegics start walking!

With fall now in full swing and winter just around the corner, people are putting on their “germaphobe” hats, armored t-shirts and gloves — and, of course, posts about ways to protect yourself from the invisible nasties have started to hit the blogosphere.  One such post, just today on My Life Scoop, detailed some tech solutions to combat germs that I thought I would share with you; two, in particular. After all, tech isn’t always about computers and related objects and software… a fact that I need to remind myself of, on occasion.

We tech geeks spend much of our time at the computer, and, as a result, we spend much of our time in a chair. If this concerns you, it is with good reason. BusinessWeek recently discussed how your office chair is killing you. That article finally spurred me to do what I’d been considering for a year or two now – use a fitness ball as my primary office chair. For over a month now, I’ve been using a fitness ball as my primary office chair, albeit switching to my normal office chair for up to half the day. How’s it been working? Read on for my take on the experience.

Well, it’s official, we live in the age of computers. Surprised? Ok, so you’re probably not — but that only serves to illustrate my point. These are the days where people are often attached to their machinery for hours and hours and sometimes days at a time; and because you geeky folks out there reading [...]