Archive for the ‘health care’ Category
Best and Worst of Macworld 2013
Products for Apple Users
By Imei Hsu, Performance Artist
For the third year in a row, I’m attending Macworld|iWorld 2013 in San Francisco, CA, checking out the latest gadgets, apps, and clever uses of Apple products that can enhance your artistic lifestyle. With three days of expo floor showroom hours with vendors from around the world, and iFan Pass level access to breakout workshops and main stage experts in the field, Macworld is a treat for creative types like myself. This post is contains only a small portion of the hundreds of hours of instruction and demonstrations of the best (and the worst!) of Macworld|iWorld 2013, and represents my personal “take” on the expo for those of you who cannot attend. Take a look at my “Day 1″. I’ll have more in a following post on Day 2 and 3 of the Best and Worst of edition.
Best of Macworld 2013
While some of these products do not have a readily identifiable connection to art and art production, anyone working with technology on a daily basis through the use of smartphones like the iPhone and iDevices (iPad, Macbook Air, iPad Mini) can see how these developments can enhance supportive work, such as file sharing and storage, and mobility.
Bear Extender – BearExtender.com is a small long-range wireless adapter that sits right on your device. It picks up Wi-Fi signals from 2-4 times the distance of Apple Airport cards, and for the price point of $49.97, is a very affordable option for the average consumer. Engadget, Macworld, and TUAW have already given the thumbs up on this little dynamo originally designed for students on college campuses. Small and lightweight, this could be your new companion when you’re mobile and needing to create and produce on the fly with a strong signal. $49.95USD.
myFC PowerTrekk – the world’s first portable fuel cell charger made for consumer use that runs on ordinary water. While I’ve seen these in being used in Africa using water and soda bottles, this is a commercially available powerpack that can charge your iPhone or iPad. It’s small, lightweight, and of course, it does not require a power source. It is a hybrid of a fuel cell system (which you have to replace) and an internal battery. For the artist on the go (i.e. you like mountain climbing and you bring your iPhone for taking photography, or you like travel), this is a really light weight and splash proof option. There are undoubtedly obvious options for emergency situations as well when there is a loss of power, as in a natural disaster. $229USD, $4USD for the fuel cell pucks.
iHangy Music Necklace – made of either silicone for the necklace alone, or durable fabric for the necklace plus built -in earbuds, this clever necklace secures your iPhone safely with a connector piece so you can wear your iPhone around your neck and listen to your tunes or take a phone call. The earbuds are similar to the ones that come with the iPhone, and better yet, they don’t get tangled with the necklace. I like the concept for the fact that it gives you another hands-free option without additional cords, and you don’t have to carry the iPhone in a murse/purse that can be misplaced or stolen at a social event. For artists, keeping your hands free while you are doing something else while having your iPhone within reach is a nice plus. $20USD silicon necklace only/$30USD for fabric necklace w/earbuds.
Considering that this is going to sit next to your skin, make sure you are not allergic to silicone before purchase.
Bowblade – interactive gaming device. Did you like “The Hunger Games”? This safe-for-home-use bow has the feel of real bow (although it is much easier to pull than on a real bow), with several games and options to allow you to lean and move the sight as you search for targets on your iPhone. It is completely physical with the tilt mode, allowing you to have much more than the finger-thumb gaming experience.
With everything in the news about kids being shot in schools, here is a physical toy that still employs physical movement and hand-eye coordination without the fear of injuring anyone. The product itself has some heft to it, so it is not for small children because of the weight, but if you can pull back five pounds of pressure in your bow arm, you can easily manage a Bowblade.
Will this make you more artistic? [Well, no. But I still thought it was pretty damn cool.]
This one might just have to be on my Christmas wish list. After playing “Hunger Games”, I’ll eat some bacon! This item has been reviewed by big-time Apple fans… and so far, they really love it. $185 USD
Transporter – portable non-Cloud Server. Now, this might actually be my favorite thing I’ve seen so far at Macworld, and it doesn’t have anything to do with art directly, but it may have some ramifications for all who consider file sharing and storing. iCloud is not the option for everyone, and it is definitely not an option for those of us who have to consider privacy and security for our work. The Transporter is a fully-funded Kickstarter project that puts a mini server in your hands, only it doesn’t require an IT professional to maintain it. This is a portable data solution that makes your file YOURS, and yours alone. You know exactly where your stuff is, and no one else owns it. Photography people, art people, listen up. If you have ever worried that your stuff can be hacked and stolen, you might want to consider this option, freeing you up to concentrate on your art without worries of having things in the Cloud up for grabs. $199 without a drive, $299 and $399 for 1 terrabyte and 2 terrabyte drives.
The people behind Transporter were very keen on talking to me about this product because I work as a mental health counselor, and privacy in regards to HIPAA and client care are big business for the sole practitioner. We cannot afford to use the government-sponsored IT programs of hospitals, but we need affordable options. This one may be the one for me, especially because the iCloud just isn’t an option (nor would DropBox or Evernote, as there is really nothing secure about these options for the medical world).
Stay tuned for my next installment of Macworld highlights!
Facial Karaoke
Did you know your face has forty-three muscles and over one thousand micro expressions? As a psychotherapist, I spend hours studying people’s expressions as much as I listen to their stories. Why? Because people — really good people! — have reasons why they tell and respond to their stories in unexpected ways, which is another way of saying that everyone but everyone has reasons to possess emotions that remain incongruent with their actual expressions. I became fascinated with the human face and its penchant for mystery and suppression as well as over-the-top emotions pouring out of the eyes and mouth. About a month ago, this fascination turned into an art project called, Facial Karaoke, which makes its debut to the public on April 14, 2012 at the Old Rainier Brewery Artwalk.
Here’s my short description of what Facial Karaoke is:
Drop and see what Facial Karaoke is about. Old Rainier Brewery Artwalk April 14 between 6-7 pm in the Hips For Hire studio, or check out the Ustream channel to drop in virtually.
Our faces use 43 muscles and access over 1000 expressions.Facial Karaoke is my unique presentation of recycling and borrowing expressions, allowing participants to explore feelings in a physical and visceral way without experiencing the actual situations that can produce them.
Participant observers will be asked to sit with Imei for a few moments, face to face, before Facial Karaoke begins. By observing micro expressions, the participant begins to copy these expressions while noticing what thoughts emerge. Only after the expression is copied will the transmitter (Imei) reveal the context of the emotions through a short story.
Emotions explored will include the following: happiness, contempt, joy, disgust, joy, surprise, fear, and sadness. In an all-adult context, we may also opt to explore other expressions, such as lust, desire, and the equanimity after sexual orgasm.
Facial Karaoke will run from 6-7 pm on April 14, 2012 in the Old Rainier Brewery Hips For Hire Studio (maps provided on site). You may also attend by dropping in on the Ustream.tv channel, Hips For Hire.
This is a fun (and funny) way to learn expression, reading, and human connection that we all crave from the first moment our baby eyes open and see our first caregiver. All participation is voluntary. Facial Karaoke involves movement, observation, pauses, and inspiration from Butoh (modern dance from Japan). It is my attempt to help show you a little of my world as an artful psychotherapist, but with a humorous approach to educating others about emotions. From a cursory search of the Internet, I believe my presentation is unique, although the idea of facial reading and interpretation is an old practice.
Check out my video about the Artwalk offerings in the Hips For Hire studio:
I believe that artful expressions should emerge in all kinds of daily practices, which is the topic of the book I’m writing, Designing Your Practice: An Artistic Approach (due out in Fall 2012). The book explores mental health strategies involving artistic explorations as a means to understanding recovery and restoration in mental health, instead of shame, labeling, psychopharmacy, and pathologizing symptoms rather than compassionate and collaborative interactions.
People have been asking me how they can donate to help me get my book published (because it takes money!), and after my Kickstarter campaign finished, I’ve moved my campaign to my professional website for my services. Facial Karaoke is just one more way we can understand how art and mental health care intersect. I’m in the process of hiring a book publishing coach to help me in the process of creating a professionally-published book that I’ll be proud to put into your hands.
As a part of my Artwalk presentation in the studio, I’ll be accepting donations towards my book-writing project. This is the first time I’ve used my own studio to raise money for something that benefits me rather than an outside cause. I’ve decided to do this because I believe in my project, and I want everyone I know to be a part of this with me. I believe my book has the power to help people transform their daily practices and businesses into springs of wellness and creativity, and thus every dollar donated will help me — us! — accomplish this transformation one book at a time.
We hope you can attend our Artwalk, and I hope you’ll drop by in person or through Ustream.tv. Enjoy the show!
Un”Park”ed with Music
People with Parkinson’s disease have experienced temporary relief of the “freezing” aspect of Parkinson’s Disease — a heavy and shuffling gait that makes some feel like their feet are glued to the floor – when they do something more difficult to do than walking: dance.
The combination of playing music and moving to the beat helps Parkinson’s patients begin a march-like step that can sometimes converted into dance steps. For those of us who take for granted our ability to move, this short video clip that aired on NBC Nightly News in 2008 will inspire you keep on doing what you love, even as the body and mind slow down:
While music and dance won’t cure Parkinson’s, it appears that both can help those with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s to get themselves un”park”ed out of their chairs and walkers, sometimes for a couple of hours at a time. And if you are a caregiver, or you know someone with Parkinson’s, getting people who are otherwise chair-bound up and moving is essential toward keeping them healthy and active.
There are international centers that study the effects of music on humans. You might have heard of the Mozart Effect with a book by author Don Campbell. Yet we are still learning about the effects of dance on slowing down the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Dance appears to have an amazing affect on Parkinson’s.
Whether young or old, I hope to see you on the dance floor, marching to your own beat.
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