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I’m all for designing with simplicity in mind. But when I was shown this sign by a Bangor ER triage nurse after breaking a crown off my molar, I couldn’t help noticing that the picture had a couple of names in the “credits.” Which left me with two questions: 1) Did both scientists get tenure as a result of creating this innovative “pain scale”? And 2) did this clever pair go on to create the US government’s color-coded Terror Threat Levels?

At least if your surgeon is using this new augmented reality viewer.

Doctors in Boston are now handing out farmers market vouchers to obese kids. There’s a similar program in Maine for pregnant mothers, and an initiative in New Zealand that requires supermarket employees to have prior experience on a farm. Maybe teachers should start assigning visits to the farmers market too…

This project brings mobile computing to a whole new level. I can haz in Orono?

Intriguing, if disturbing, news from scientists who’ve managed to track people’s recent travel based on how water isotopes end up in their hair. Bottled water was already suspicious, but now I’m going to assume anyone drinking Poland Spring could be the next Anna Chapman.

The body has always been our primary interface–which some artists and technologists are starting to hack.

The body has always been our primary interface–which some artists and technologists are starting to hack.

Would you like a power suit to go with that wearable computer?

Would you like a power suit to go with that wearable computer?

The debate over cell phone radiation and cancer is still raging, thanks to a report that one in four of studies paid for by the phone industry showed harmful effects, while three in four of independently funded studies showed bioeffects. This review isn’t proof of the influence of mobile phones on cancer, but it does make a pretty scary case for the influence of economics on science. Geeks may protest that the energy of phone photons is too low to fold proteins in carcinogenic ways, but meanwhile many of them (er, us) are exposing ourselves to much greater hazards through technologies we take for granted.

Too bad they didn’t mention the best solution of all, which is switching to the Dvorak keyboard. From Wired: Make fun of computer geeks all you want, but there is one constant threat to our health and safety that we all face daily. That would be RSI, or repetitive strain injury. It’s also known as cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) or occupational overuse syndrome. Actually, RSI can encompass any number of specific injuries resulting from performing the same task for extended periods of time, like tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. The best way to cure it is to stop working. But you can prevent RSI with a few common-sense tips.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the bathtub.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the bathtub.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the bathtub.

“The human body has some 10 trillion human cells—but 10 times that number of microbial cells. So what happens when such an important part of our bodies goes missing?

Bookmark this category Here’s more fuel to vaccine skeptics who claim that bugs introduced intravenously don’t engage the immune system in the deeper way of bugs introduced via the skin. The Slashdot comments touch on another revelation of recent research: that autoimmune disorders such as Lupus tend to appear in societies that have artificially blocked their citizens’ natural exposure to germs. From Slashdot: Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California have shown that the more germs a child is exposed to, the better their immune system in later life. Their study found that keeping a child’s skin too clean impaired the skin’s ability to heal itself. From the article: “‘These germs are actually good for us,’ said Professor Richard Gallo, who led the research. Common bacterial species, known as staphylococci, which can cause inflammation when under the skin, are ‘good bacteria’ when on the surface, where they can reduce inflammation.”

Video artist Gary Hill once responded to the question of how his work should be displayed when CRTs became obsolete with the suggestion that his video should be projected on his viewers’ bodies from inside their skin. When Hill was participating in the TechArcheology workshops a decade ago, this suggestion sounded flippant (and was perhaps meant to be). But now mainstream science has caught up with this nutty vision, and it looks like the porn industry won’t be far behind. So what happens when your LED tattoo goes obsolete? Microsoft customers had better be diligent about downloading the latest “patches,” or they’ll end up sporting the Blue Skin of Death.