The Evil Dictator

It is not natural or healthy to be sitting at a desk in front of a computer day in and day out. Working full time and going to school has taken a toll on my body, and has caused a repetitive stress injury in my arms. To remedy this situation I have made some lifestyle changes, one of those being using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 speech recognition software. This is my first blog post through voice dictation, and I can tell you there is a steep learning curve.

To illustrate the challenges of using the software I thought it would be funny to leave all the errors on the blog post, but I didn't want to fail my course for poor writing skills. If the software is working properly, I should be able to do everything with voice commands that I normally do with a mouse. Unfortunately, I have not yet mastered these commands and am struggling with a hybrid method of typing whenever the software fails to recognize my commands, but of course it somehow understands all of the expletives I've spewed at it trying to get it to complete simple tasks like highlighting a word. I've read that smoother roads lie ahead, the more you work with it the better it gets to know you and your speech patterns but I might need an anger management course by then.

I've been feeling sorry for myself having to use this software, but feel even more sorry for my colleague who has to sit next to me and listen to my dictation at work on Monday (ha!) Wish me luck...

Worth my while-time, money, and energy? I sincerely hope so!

Your Brain (and Bodies) on Computers

The article More Americans Sense a Downside to an Always Plugged-In Existence, included in the New York Times (NYT) series "Your Brain on Computers," highlights the results from a recent NYT/CBS news poll. According to the poll, most Americans feel that technology, such as smart phones and computers, have made their lives better and easier, but some indicate that these devises are intrusive and increase their levels of stress.

Younger people in particular report that these devises make it harder for them to focus, and people in general just can't shut off after work with almost 40% of respondents checking work email after hours and on vacation.

Come on people, there is more to life than work! Not only is this addiction to technology changing the way our brains are functioning, it's also contributing to the overall health decline of the American workforce. Clearly, living a sedentary lifestyle and being chronically glued to our computers is a huge contributing factor to the obesity epidemic and the cause of many musculoskeletal issues.

I'm an active and fit person, and also embarrassed to admit that I am suffering from tennis elbow due to my excessive computer use. I wish it was from tennis! Too much work and not enough play, maybe this is my body giving me a sign.