The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Does wearing a helmet on the slopes promote riskier skiing? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:01 AM PST BALTIMORE, Nov 14 — Does wearing a ski or boarding helmet give riders a false sense of security, promoting more dangerous behaviour on the slopes? No, say researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US, adding that strapping on a helmet is the smartest move you can make on the snow.  A study finds that wearing a helmet while skiing or snowboarding can lessen the risk of getting injured. — AFP pic "These are all just excuses," says head researcher Dr Adil H Haider. "Our research shows none of those theories hold water." For the study, Haider and his colleagues reviewed 16 published studies on injury in recreational skiers and snowboarders. Analysis showed that helmets both saved the lives of snow enthusiasts and did not increase their risk of injury. Nearly 10 million Americans ski or snowboard each year, with some 600,000 injuries reported annually. Up to 20 per cent of those are head injuries, and 22 per cent of those cases are severe, the researchers say. Often the injured were not wearing helmets. Head injuries are the leading cause of death among skiers and snowboarders. The findings, announced Monday, are published in the November issue of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. "There really is a great case to be made for wearing helmets," he adds. "By increasing awareness and giving people scientific proof, we hope behaviour changes will follow." Currently there are no laws in the US mandating the use of helmets among recreational skiers and snowboarders, although in Austria, children are legally required to wear a helmet. Throughout Europe there are efforts to pass similar laws. Also, at least in the US, helmet-wearing is on the rise: data from the 2009 to 2010 National Demographic Study done by the National Ski Areas Association, encompassing more than 130,000 interviews from across the US, found some 57 per cent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets during the 2009-2010 ski season, compared with 25 per cent during the 2002-2003 ski season. — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Jawbone ‘Up’ fitness wristbands get in shape Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:37 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 14 — Wireless earpiece maker Jawbone yesterday released redesigned UP wristbands that combine fashion with smartphone lifestyles to help people along paths to improved fitness.  UP by Jawbone - Family. — AFP pic UP presents data in bar graphs and timelines that show patterns and reveal how close people are to achieving fitness goals. The bands can signal people when they have been idle for more than 45 minutes. "We launched to great fanfare, UP was our fastest selling product ever, and then we started hearing about the issues," Jawbone vice president Travis Bogard said while giving AFP a preview of the redesigned model. "We learned a lot out of it," he continued. "The concept of wearable computing really is a totally new space and ultimately a lot of problems needed to be solved." Challenges included making UP wristbands rugged and durable enough to survive everyday life rigors such as showers, dishwater, children, and fitful sleep. Meanwhile, the innards needed to be sensitive enough to tell how well people sleep or how active they are. The bane of the first UP boiled down to miniscule amounts of water, sometimes abetted by oxidation by soap or detergent, corrupting capacitors used in charging systems, Bogard said. "You just go through your day and the wristband is along for the ride," Bogard said of UP, which is to be worn during all waking and sleeping hours and can go for 10 days on a full charge. "If I get splashed at Sea World or someone knocks my elbow at a party and I spill my scotch, the electronics have to survive that." Jawbone did millions of hours of real world trials with UP and abused wristbands in labs with equipment including a "Big Shower 2000" to test the ability to endure relentless ablutions. "It's basically a new product built from the ground up," Bogard said. "It was an opportunity to turn problems into innovations." UP remains true to the original premise that most people want to improve their fitness and could benefit from encouragement along with detailed feedback about their own habits. "Despite wanting to be better there is this big gap between intention and action," Bogard said. "This is really about that personal journey; helping people understand themselves and the decisions they make." UP applications for iPhones and iPod touch devices were redesigned to let people more easily get pictures of activity, sleep, eating, and even their moods on any given day or over time. Software features include being able to get nutrition breakdowns of meals and converting steps taken into calories burned. Jawbone crafted the power-efficient wristbands to look like jewellery to be style statements as well as a fitness tools. UP wristbands track users' level of activity, whether they are exercising, pacing in an office, or snoozing in bed. Sensors also record how long and how soundly UP users sleep. The wristband can be set to wake someone by vibrating gently at an appropriate point in a light phase of sleep, in order to make rising easier. "Apps" are being worked on for other mobile devices, according to Jawbone. The launch of the new UP came shortly after the release of a Pew study showing that more than half of US smartphone owners use handsets to gather health-related information. Meanwhile, 19 per cent of the smartphone owners who took part in the study said they had at least one health "app," with exercise, diet and weight programs the most common. — AFP/Relaxnews |
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