BMC takes to the race track

One day each year, BMC has a play day. It's our chance to celebrate another anniversary (21 years on the 17th!) and spend some time doing all important team building. The day ususally involves getting some, if not all, of us out of our comfort zone and having a great meal to celebrate that we all survived. In past years we've sailed on the bay, climbed up a giant rock wall and taken a cooking class.

This year we went GoKart Racing! Although there was a minor fender bender (and by minor I mean Ken got t-boned by both Tasha and Sharron after spinning out on the track) , a couple of us crashed into the wall and one of us barely made it through the race after a breakfast of spicy beans and a latte, I'm happy to announce that everyone survived.

In case you were taking bets, here are the results of the BMC Grand Prix . . .

1. Mike "Green Around the Gills" Miller - 32.54 Avg. Lap Time

2. Tasha "T-bone" Rassuli - 32.77 Avg. Lap Time

3. Nicole Stivers - 34.12 Avg. Lap Time

4. Ken "I Brought my own Helmet" Freeze - 36.30 Avg. Lap Time

5. Muriel Miller - 37.44 Avg. Lap Time

6. Sharron Faaborg - 44.70 Avg. Lap Time

And thanks to Paula for braving the noxious gasoline fumes to document our exploits on the track.

~ Nicole

P.S. You would NOT believe how sore GoKart racing makes you!

An amazing tale of the human mind

I recently read the most incredible story about the powers of the human mind - a shining example of technological advances, as well as determined survival.

Following a serious car accident, Erik Ramsey suffered a stroke in his brain stem. Now 25-years-old, Erik has been suffering from a rare and permanent condition known as locked-in syndrome for the past nine years. Erik is completely paralyzed - the only thing he can control is the up and down movement of his eyes. A speech therapist realized that Erik could use these eye movements to answer yes or no questions - up for yes and down for no.

It's hard to imagine what type of life Erik can lead, but thanks to breaking edge computer technology, determined researchers and an even more determined individual, Erik could one day make his thoughts audible. That's right - he could speak through a computer using only his thoughts.

Erik is working with Dr. Philip Kennedy, a pioneer in the field of brain-computer interface research who is on the fore-front of developing technology to generate speech through brain activity. Kennedy worked with neurosurgeons to thread thin wires into the speech center of Erik's brain. While these wires are hooked into a computer, Erik thinks about making vowel sounds. As he does, the vowel sound comes out of the speaker. The next step is developing the technology to allow Erik to form consonants. The team's goal is for Erik to "speak" full sentences within five years.

This story just blows my mind. The perseverance of the human spirit and the ingenuity of the human mind never ceases to amaze me.

~ Nicole

Cheers!

As consumers, is there a point when we cross the dependency line?

I think I found it.

My best friend Gmail, a glorious email service brought to us by my other best friend Google, recently introduced the new feature Mail Goggles

To prevent users from regretting sending those messages that Pinot Noir encouraged, Mail Goggles offers guidance that some friends can't. Once installed on your computer, the application alters its settings to prevent users from sending any email without first having to complete a series of math questions. By default, the application activates on Friday and Saturday nights, but you can customize it if you need more. Oh and have no fear. You can also choose your difficulty level.

I'm sure after the sixth, seventh or maybe 20th time of using this application, the program tends to lose its purpose. And wouldn't you agree that this application would be most useful if you could install it on your phone?

I'm willing to bet that next year at this time the new IPhone will have a wingman feature.

-Tasha

NYC Health Dept. Ad Campaign Supporting Menu Labeling

One of the arguments we heard over the last two years in our drive to get calories onto menu boards, is that the menu boards won't make a difference if people don't even know their daily calorie requirements.

The New York Health Department launched an educational campaign today to make sure people know what those requirements are and how fast food meals fit in. The ad campaign, which is simple and straight forward, runs through January. This is definitely something California's Health Department should do.

~ Nicole

(H/t to John Del Signore at the Gothamist)

2008 Ig Noble Prize Winners Announced

The Annals of Improbable Research magazine has announced the winners of this year's Ig Noble Prize, given for oddball but often surprisingly practical scientific achievements. I'm all for scientific advancements and creativity but these are pretty funny . . .

• Nutrition: Massimiliano Zampini and Charles Spence for demonstrating that food tastes better when it sounds better (report from The Guardian).
  

• Peace: The Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology and the citizens of Switzerland for adopting the legal principle that plants have dignity.
  

• Archaeology: Astolfo Gomes de Mello Araujo and Jose Carlos Marcelino for showing armadillos can scramble the contents of an archaeological dig (report from Natural History).
  

• Biology: Marie-Christine Cadiergues, Christel Joubert and Michel Franc for discovering that fleas that live on a dog can jump higher than fleas that live on a cat.
  

• Medicine: Dan Ariely for demonstrating that expensive fake medicine is more effective than cheap fake medicine (report in Stanford GSB News).
  

• Cognitive science: Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Hiroyasu Yamada, Ryo Kobayashi, Atsushi Tero, Akio Ishiguro and Agota Toth for discovering that slime molds can solve puzzles (report in Math in the Media).
  

• Economics: Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tyber and Brent Jordan for discovering that exotic dancers earn more when at peak fertility.
  

• Physics: Dorian Raymer and Douglas Smith for proving that heaps of string or hair will inevitably tangle.
  

• Chemistry: Sheree Umpierre, Joseph Hill and Deborah Anderson for discovering that Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide, and C.Y. Hong, C.C. Shieh, P. Wu and B.N. Chiang for proving it is not (report at Snopes.com). Another fact that makes me question if we should really be drinking this stuff.
  

• Literature: David Sims for his study “You Bastard: A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation within Organizations” (report from The Boston Globe).

~ Nicole

The Tipping Point Tipped!

You push, and push and push, and suddenly the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

With Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature yesterday, California became the first state in the nation to require fast food chains to post calorie information on their menu boards. Huge victory for health and consumer information advocates!

Ah but then today we learn that Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC), seeing the way the winds are blowing, is going to extend the mandate and post calorie counts on menu boards in their restaurants all over the nation. For their sudden concern for consumer rights and health, Yum Brands was rewarded with an immediate 21% jump in their stock! 21% admist one of the greatest stock market turmoils in history!

Hard to imagine McDs, Jack and the Burger King will let Yum Brands hold on to that highly marketable distinction for long. I expect, within a year, it will be common place to find calorie counts on menu boards in every state in the nation. I'm Loving It!

Mike

Who wants a simple tool to help them build a healthy diet?

I just read about a recent survey of 1,019 adults in the United States that indicates public health campaigns should focus on the total nutrient value of food.

The survey (commissioned by Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition) showed that 61 percent of respondents were interested in learning about both the positive nutrients and the nutrients they should limit when they are trying to select healthy foods. And, 78 percent of survey participants said they are looking for a simple, practical tool that would help them build a healthy diet based on getting the most nutrients from their food choices.

Some interesting statistics to keep in mind, especially with Yum! Brand's announcement of putting calorie-labeled menu boards up in all their U.S. restaurants and not just California. Hooray for change not taking place at a snail's pace for once!

~ Nicole