Are some things just too personal to share?
Your most private functions may soon not be quite so private
Leading French blogger, Loic Le Meur sees the availability of public access to information about bodily functions as an inevitable extension of people’s preparedness to share personal data, as evidenced by a French weighing machine that allows you to share your weight using WiFi and an iPhone app.
This video appears in his blog post called:
In the video and the blog post he talks about:
Kevin Rose (of Digg fame) talking about TVs: Why Apple’s iTV Will Change Everything
A WiFi weighing machine/scales called Withings (which also comes with its own smartphone app).
Here’s a video of the iPhone version:
A smartphone App (and community) for runners called RunKeeper
Here’s an interview that Robert Scoble did at TechCrunch Disrupt New York in May 2010 with Mike Sheeley, COO of FitnessKeeper who make RunKeeper
Something Loic refers to (metaphorically perhaps?) is the iToilet, which turns out to exist (at least it does in Japan: the link is to a story in French).
The prediction of the ‘iBody API’ as Loic calls it, it something he credits to legendary inventor Ray Kurzweil in his bestselling book The singularity is near
Loic Le Mour tells in above video blog about applications that would basically monitor all of our body’s life functions and data. What he founds amusing – is the fact those applications connect to each other. As an example – he mentions apps monitoring your training routine and the ones that measure your body weight and other things like BMI body index (the one with fat % in your body which Loic wasn’t sure about).
I don’t mind sharing this info with others, but surely not everybody would like to do that? It might be going too far for some.
It seems a good thing to have your weight automatically updated on websites & iPhone, and also backed up, so you can have a look at the charts and history, but I personally do not feel like uploading my data for my friends to see.
Exactly Malini, that’s what I referred to. But on the other hand, maybe we don’t have to share it with others – all should/would be our decision whether to do so or not. We can still use these applications to monitor our fitness, training sessions in relation to diet and how our weight changes? This is something I would like to see – how different types of diet or exercises reflect changes in my BMI or weight. All of that on easy to understand cross data charts, accessible with one click on your mobile.
How cool is that?
Yes, if you are not sharing your data with the world, but use it to keeep a track on your fitness, that is cool.
I know many people would find it interesting.
Also, if people are sharing their personal data on twitter, wouldn’t there be some social pressure on them to be fit all the time?
You can always look on that from two sides Malini. Some people would be motivated, just like Loic mentions in his video. It might actually keep people strong in their will to carry on with training regime – just because their friends are not giving up.
Checked out this Withings scale website http://www.withings.com.
Withings records your weight, fat mass and BMI. It also transmits the data to your account on the Withings site and other sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
And people are loving this scale, as I found on this forum
http://dailyburn.com/forums/general_health/topics/just_bought_a_withings_wifi_scale
You are right Malini, people seem to be pleased with it, according to forum comments that is.
Although, some people show a bit of concern because of the delay in uploading the info on the site from their scales. Nothing that is hard to overcome with minor changes and updates in software I imagine.
Great to see such small things making such a huge difference in some people’s lives.
I have found an interesting article on the subject – quick summary of iPhone history as medical device.
You can check whole article here:
http://mobihealthnews.com/2580/timeline-the-iphone-as-medical-tool/
“Even though Apple announced this month the latest version of its operating system, iPhone 4.0, with no mention of medical or health apps, a few readers’ requests to update this Apple iPhone timeline. It now spans 18 months of health-related iPhone news.”
Time flows by pretty quickly, but for 18 months, number and quality of available applications is really encouraging.
Yes, there are nearly 6,000 applications related to health in the Apple App Store.
And many of them are free to use. Here is a list of 10 free iPhone medical apps.
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/02/top-10-free-iphone-medical-apps-for-health-care-professionals/
The Medscape app is on the top of my list.
http://www.medscape.com/public/iphone
It offers etensive drug reference section, along with a diseases, conditions, and procedures section. And it can be used even in remote areas with no internet connection.
Such apps can help save lives and enabled doctors in remote areas.
Thanks for the list Malini, really interesting.
Medscape is a good one must admit, but I would go with MedPage Today Mobile. Not only lost of material on site – articles and videos, lots of the content is in partnership with the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine, but you can actually search article text for words and terms (only the ones published after 1st January 2007). This one is really great, you can check more on that on their website:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/landMMobile.cfm