Human Limits

The Boston Marathon Bombing is horrific and whoever is responsible took a shot at everything that is great about living in the modern world especially inclusiveness and the celebration of individual effort.   In terms of the tragedy and what it means for individuals, Boston, and the rest of the world I have nothing to add to what has already been written or said in many forums.  However, acts of terrorism highlight just how powerful, for better or worse, we have all become.   My point here is that individuals and small groups of people now have ready access to technology and can do things that used to be the purview of large organizations or governments.   That “power” can be used to good things or bad things.   Let me give you four examples:

1.     Car Parts Baby Incubator

Incubators for babies are lifesaving.   When high tech incubators (and other medical equipment) designed for the developed world are donated to hospitals in less developed parts of the world they fail and the infrastructure to repair and maintain them is not available.  However, low cost baby incubators can be made from “Toyota parts” that are available everywhere.   This is an example of how “good enough” technology can be used to innovate in creative ways.

2.     Bombs From Ag Supplies & Cell Phones

The bombs in Boston were made using cheap and easy to obtain parts.  Similarly, the truck bomb used in the 1995 Oklahoma City attack was constructed using readily available materials including fertilizer that cost perhaps $5,000 dollars in total.  The 2004 Madrid subway attacks were remotely triggered using cell phones.

3.     Designer Doping

Novel steroids for sports doping have been developed essentially in “underground” labs.   In the past making new drugs would take the research lab facilities of a big hospital, university, or a drug company.  There is also a web-based secondary market for lab equip, and a rogue innovator can easily develop a lab “in the basement” with an impressive array of low cost equipment.   On the positive side, this secondary market also facilitates legitimate innovation in small companies.

4.     Computer Capacity & Cyber-Attacks

Most people have far more computer capacity on their desktop or laptop than they need for routine tasks like e-mail and word processing.   This excess capacity can linked and used to solve problems or it can be harnessed surreptitiously to do mischievous and destructive things like generating denial of service attacks directed at various organizations or governments.   There is a lot of talk about sophisticated cyber warfare, but the vast majority of cyber-attacks are denial of service attacks that merely overwhelm the target’s IT system.

Summary

We are surrounded by cheap and reliable technology that can be mixed and matched to do wonderful things like make simple, effective and easy to fix incubators for babies.  Forget the developed world; cell phones are transforming economies and political systems in the developing world.   Cheap lab equipment and computing power is leading to all sorts of invention and innovation.  However, this same cheap and reliable technology can also be used for great evil as the Boston bombings show.  Unlike big organizations or governments what end users do with all of this technology as it diffuses is very difficult “control”.

Last week I happened to see the ceremonial opening tee shot at the Masters golf tournament that featured Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player who are all great champions.  Palmer is 83, Nicklaus is 73, and Player 77.   What struck me as I watched was how well Player hit the ball at age 77.   The video clip below is from earlier in the year and shows Player hitting off the tee.   Here is a link to a slow motion video from a year ago.

click here for video

I am not a huge golf fan, but the flexibility, range of motion, rhythm and power of Player at age 77 is remarkable.  Player is also one of the first high profile athletes to really incorporate fitness training into his routine and he has kept at it as he ages and continues to participate and compete.   His program includes a lot of core strength exercises and he has some excellent tips about things like remembering to take the stairs.  Here are his “10 rules” on being an athlete, you can argue about some of the specifics, but on the whole he has it right.   His program and his rules might also be described as state of the art thoughts from someone who is aging well — extremely well.   He also makes a key point about staying engaged in life with his rule number 10:

“When I’m on vacation, I try to play golf with younger people, the fitter the better. I think you tend to take on the characteristics of the individuals you spend the most time with. Doing activities with young, healthy people has had a way of making me rise to their level. The best traits of young people–their optimism, curiosity, alertness and energy–are contagious and will definitely make you feel younger. “

Never Too Late!

Seeing Player hit the ball so well and reading about his fitness program reminded me that it is never too late to improve.   The clip below is of 95 year old Paul Lurie swimming with Terry Laughlin.  Lurie, like Player, shows outstanding flexibility and rhythm along with terrific overall technique.   I find the fact that Lurie is taking lessons and improving in his 90s as inspirational.

click here for video

Something Special?

It is tempting to argue that Player and Lurie are “something special”; however what they do is pretty typical of “healthy agers”.   And while the population as a whole gets fatter and less fit there is going to be a subset of people like Player and Lurie who both age and thrive.  I also think Player’s comments about doing things with younger people are right on the mark and a key part of the “staying engaged in life” element of successful or active aging.  Some have argued that aging has become overly medicalized and that as the world gets older we need a new paradigm focused on the many positive aspects of aging and how to promote them.  Player and Lurie are good examples of what a new aging paradigm might look like.

Congratulations to Tony Gage who took first place with a total of 116 in the Human Limits NCAA pool!

The top finishers include:

1.  Tony Gage – 116

2. Jennifer Meyer –  114

3. Wes Emmert – 111

4.  Anders McCarthy – 110

5.  Laura Stoltenberg – 105

Today we have guest post from Dr. Sandy Billinger from the University of Kansas.   She has a remarkable story and will be walking across Kansas in May and June of this year to celebrate all sorts of things including the key role that physical activity can play in resiliance.

Why would anyone want to walk across the state of Kansas?  In the western part of the State, the distance between towns is quite great and water is scarce.  Thistles and tumbleweeds roll across the road due to the constant 25-30 mile an hour winds with the occasional gust to 45-50 miles per hour. In any part of the great state of Kansas, the weather can be very unpredictable and can become severe without much warning.  Kansas is right in “tornado alley” and for the most part, Kansas residents find themselves in a tornado watch from April to September.

It really begs the question of why would anyone want to walk across the state of Kansas? The Walk Across Kansas is both a personal and professional endeavor that will take my son and I across the State for the second time.  It was a life-changing event that led me to travel from my hometown of Hays, Kansas, to Kansas City.

Almost 20 years ago (April 1993), I was driving home for lunch when a car ran a stop sign and t-boned my car.  The car hit me with enough force that my car was turned counter clockwise and was facing the opposite direction.  I was 30 weeks pregnant with my son at the time of the accident.  Not only did the impact change the path of my car but it would change my life in ways I had never imagined.   You can read about my personal story, my road to recovery and how I ended up torturing myself obtaining a dual PT/PhD degree at www.walkacrosskansas.com

I was always told by various physicians that I was lucky I was healthy (no comorbid conditions) and exercised before my car accident — that it helped my recovery and probably saved my life.  Exercise has always been part of my lifestyle and hope it will always be.  My son and I have been through a lot since 1993 and we are embarking on this journey together, across the State for the second time, thankful that we both survived almost 20 years ago.  We hope to inspire others to be physically active.

I am a huge fan of physical activity and try to support as many organizations that promote physical activity.  I serve on several American Heart Association committees, the National Physical Activity Plan for healthcare providers and a group of faculty at Rockhurst University and KU Medical Center host an Exercise Is Medicine conference in May.  Each year we obtain a proclamation that May is Exercise Is Medicine month.  May also happens to be Stroke Awareness month which is a research focus in my laboratory at KU Medical Center.  So, why not combine efforts in the month of May.

I have a goal for this walk and that is to educate people on the importance of physical activity (even just walking) in Kansas.  In a previous blog, Dr. Joyner highlighted the awesome and tremendous work of Red Dog’s Dog Days in Lawrence, KS and his free community exercise program that has been in existence for 30 years and serves up to 500 community residents and visitors per day….now that’s IMPACT.   There are others that inspire me to do more and be proactive such as Dr. Michael Joyner, Dr. Steve Blair, Mr. Dick Sarns, inventor and engineer and his wife, Norma, and Mr. Herb Strange, 80-year old weightlifter in Kansas who holds numerous national and world records.

On May 16, 2013 my son, Michael Thomas and I will begin this adventure.  We will walk 570 miles across the state of Kansas following the American DiscoveryTrail(ADT) and our goal is to complete it in 23 days, returning June 7th.  That averages to about a marathon a day of continuous walking.  We will be backpacking, carrying our gear, and trying to plan for our food and water supply.  This is a challenge since the towns are far apart in western Kansas.  Questions like, “How much food do we carry and how many days’ worth?”; “SmartWool socks or liner socks combined with wicking cotton socks”; “What do we do when an unexpected storm hits?  Will there be a ditch nearby to crawl into or do we run to the nearest farmhouse and hope someone will let us in the cellar or basement?” How do we handle loose dogs? Answer: Bear spray?”  “What happens if one of us gets injured and how much Advil can one really take safely?”  I am sure there are more things to consider but these are a few.  I am also traveling with my 19-year old son.  There is certainly a difference of opinion on how to handle these issues, with me being the more reasonable, logical, and having a fully myelinated brain.  He wants to fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants and while I love adventure and used to be that way, not this time.  The reality of the challenges is forcing me to be more of a planner. I’d like to survive and retell the stories.

As we pass through each town/city, we are inviting people to join us and walk.  We are working with our local American Heart Association to get the message out to these towns and engage stroke survivors.  As we get closer to Kansas City, we have groups or “teams” who are going to join us.  Some will walk with us on the Flint Hills trail, while others are walking parts of the last leg, which is 18 miles.  We’ve had remarkable community interest in being active.  In fact someone recently mentioned we may have to close a section of the city or route traffic to allow all of us to walk.  Our Doctor of Physical Therapy students are conducting a fundraiser (we are also raising money for stroke research at KU) and having people walk in teams.  They are also walking portions of the trail with us.  A stroke survivor who recently was in one of our studies while he was in the hospital has been “extra committed to rehab” as he wants to walk a short distance with us as we cross the finish line.  I was so impressed and in awe of his desire to improve his walking ability.  It has been amazing to hear different stories from people and their excitement for our Walk Across Kansas.  Already, I feel I’ve made a difference in Kansas City and am both nervous and excited for this physical and mental challenge.

So, if you find yourself wanting to do something fun or just happen to find yourself wandering along the ADT in Kansas in May or June, we would be more than happy to have you walk with us on our journey.  I am sure that we will have some interesting stories to share that will help the time pass by.   If you are not up for joining us, on the website you will find a link for our Facebook page and you can follow my training and our journey.

The Rutgers coaching abuse scandal raises all sorts of issues about sports, higher education, money, power and perhaps most importantly how to “get the best out of people”.   Here are a few thoughts on what happened at Rutgers.

Student Athletes?

The term “student-athlete” is used almost reflexly in the media and by organizations like the NCAA.  The implication is clearly that the student part comes first and that sports subserve an educational function.  That having been said, would the average professor at the average university be permitted to berate their students, physically abuse them, and throw things at them?  I doubt it.   Here is a video clip of legendary coach Bob Knight throwing a chair during a Big 10 game in the 1980s.   What educational purpose was served by throwing a chair?

click here for video

Times Have Changed!

Some have argued that “kids have gotten soft” and that harsh coaching methods are a key to success.  I would argue that harsh coaching tactics can lead to “learned helplessness” and ultimately limit the ability of the (student) athlete to respond independently to challenging situations.  If sports are critical in developing the ability to act independently and make decisions under stressful circumstances why not teach those skills in a positive way.  The great basketball player Bill Walton has a number of relevant observations on this topic, and here is a link to something he wrote in 2000 about the firing of Bob Knight after decades of abusive behavior as coach at Indiana.  In no way does Walton advocate a soft approach to accountability but merely a constructive one.

“We all need motivation. It’s a particularly important aspect of sports because the tiniest of margins often separate the winners from the losers. Yet with Knight, we’re not talking about a constructive approach to making people perform by challenging them on their positions or on their failures in life. Knight does it to denigrate. Doesn’t Indiana know that universities are supposed to be about how you teach? Teaching is about building confidence, about making people feel better about what they do and who they are.”

Change a few words and ask the same questions to the folks at Rutgers.  I would also add that times have changed and that we live in a world where things can be hidden, but only for so long…….ask Lance Armstrong.   What is really nuts is that various high officials at Rutgers seemed to have been involved in mostly an effort at damage control vs. correcting a crazy situation.  How many times do we have to collectively learn the Watergate lesson that the “cover up is usually worse than the crime”?

Failure of Process?

The President of Rutgers, Robert Barchi, has described what happened there as a “failure of process”.   It seems to me what happened was a failure of values and judgment.   This was more than faulty systems and procedures.   It also makes me think that there is perhaps an institutional version of learned helplessness going on.  Here is a synopsis of what can happen when organizations get too hierarchical and tolerate abusive leaders.

“Rarely does the subject of power and abusive power come up for open discussion…….and yet it is a critical component of any organizational setting. As communication breaks down, errors compound and the situation feels increasingly out of control, organizational leaders become more controlling and authoritarian. Under these circumstances, workplace bullying is likely to increase at all levels and organizations may become vulnerable to petty tyrants. As the organization becomes more hierarchical and autocratic there is a progressive and simultaneous isolation of leaders and a “dumbing down” of staff, with an accompanying “learned helplessness” and loss of critical thinking skills. The organization and the individuals in it become highly risk-avoidant…….”

Summary

Anyone who feels justified in using harsh and abusive tactics to get the best out of people needs to look in the mirror and ask what they are trying to accomplish.  Organizations that confuse process with values and judgment need to take a longer look in the mirror.   Empowering people to solve their own problems can be very challenging but ultimately lead to much better and more satisfying results for all involved.

The weather is finally warming up here in Minnesota and now that the ice is off the road I started riding my bike to work this week.   That having been said, I want to be a nag today and encourage everyone to wear a helmet when either riding a bike or motorcycle.

Motorcycles: Just the Facts

Here is a quick summary of 2010 motorcycle fatality data from the Centers for Disease Control:

“In 2010, the 4,502 motorcyclists (operators and passengers) killed in motorcycle crashes made up 14% of all road traffic deaths, yet motorcycles accounted for <1% of all vehicle miles traveled . Helmet use consistently has been shown to reduce motorcycle crash–related injuries and deaths, and the most effective strategy to increase helmet use is enactment of universal helmet laws. Universal helmet laws require all motorcyclists to wear helmets whenever they ride. To examine the association between states’ motorcycle helmet laws and helmet use or nonuse among fatally injured motorcyclists, CDC analyzed 2008–2010 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a census of fatal traffic crashes in the United States. Additionally, economic cost data from NHTSA were obtained to compare the costs saved as a result of helmet use, by type of state motorcycle helmet law. The findings indicated that, on average, 12% of fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing helmets in states with universal helmet laws, compared with 64% in partial helmet law states (laws that only required specific groups, usually young riders, to wear helmets) and 79% in states without a helmet law. Additionally, in 2010, economic costs saved from helmet use by society in states with a universal helmet law were, on average, $725 per registered motorcycle, nearly four times greater than in states without such a law ($198).”

Additionally, helmets reduce the risk of death from a motorcycle accident by about 40%, and head injury by about 70%.

Bike Helmets

There is also solid evidence that bike helmets prevent head injuries, and here is one paper from France.  However, there is some controversy about whether mandatory bike helmet laws discourage bike riding and the health benefits that flow from it.  The topic is complex and depends on a number of factors related to the safety of riding a bike vs. other public health benefits.   However, the guidelines are pretty clear and bike helmets are a good idea and prevent head injuries.

Summary

Enjoy the warm weather and wear a helmet when you are on something with two wheels.   Make sure you kids are wearing them too!

I have been really impressed by the University of Louisville’s up tempo style of play during March Madness.  Yesterday they beat a very good Duke team 85-63 in a way that reminded me of the best game I ever saw by one team, a 1977 NCAA tournament game between #2 San Francisco and UNLV  that Las Vegas won 121-93 (with no 3 point line) .  Like UNLV of old, the Louisville team of 2012-13 plays up tempo and tenacious defense.

click here for video

Is Relaxation is the Key?

During a web search for “Louisville & up tempo”, I stumbled onto a web site by the jazz drummer Joe LaBarbera.   LaBarbera wrote a great piece “How to play up-tempo jazz without getting tired”.  In addition to some detailed technical advice, here is something on how relaxation during a performance is the key:

“O.K., so now back to the issue of playing up tempo (fast) without tiring. One major reason I have discovered over the years for fatigue is a lack of relaxation when playing. You may have seen some drummers who look like they are working very hard when they play fast while others achieve the same thing seemingly effortlessly.  One thing that has served me well over the years is the ability to stay relaxed at the drums……”

Here is a clip of Mr. LaBarbera teaching and playing with a high school band in 2010.

click here for video

Relax & Win

What LaBarbera says and shows is consistent with some of the ideas I have discussed in previous posts about relaxation and mastery.   The paradox of success in many fields is that it flows from a strange combination of total effort and total relaxation at the same time.

In previous posts I have ruminated on topics like metrics, big data, and decision-support.  How far will this go? One thing that strikes me is just how much we are all being “tracked” and who is doing the tracking.  By tracked I mean the passive (and sometimes active) collection of data related to where you are, what you are doing and who you might be doing it with.  The data does not have to be specific and might for example be something like person X ate lunch at restaurant Y on a given date at a given time.  The specifics of what you ate might not be part of this tracking but the general pattern of what you did is being tracked.  Mix and match a few databases and a pretty granular picture of your daily life emerges.

How Big is Your Electronic Footprint?

Stop for minute and think about how often check in electronically. How many footprints or electronic crumbs do you leave; and how easy would it be to “reconstruct” your life?

• When, where and what you do can be tracked every time you use a computer.
• When and where you use your cell-phone can be tracked as well as who you call.
• Every sort of electronic transaction from using your “parking card” to routine credit card transactions can be tracked.
• Every time you swipe something it is being recorded.
• In some places facial recognition programs and closed circuit video monitoring are increasingly being added to the mix.
• Plenty of us also divulge and confess to all sorts of things voluntarily on social media via the process and cultural phenomenon of Oprahization.

Think again about how hard it would be to live an electronically invisible life?  Essentially it would be a non-electronic, all cash life.   While it might be possible have a minimal electronic footprint in a very local way, how about making a plane or hotel reservation?  Who really wants to live without a cell phone?  A lot of life today has obligatory electronic component and anything electronic can and probably is being recorded and tracked.

The Tracking of Malte Spitz

Below is to a TED talk by the German politician Malte Spitz whose movements were tracked by his cell phone company for 6 months.    Here is a link to a longer article on this incident and also an interactive map of where exactly Mr. Spitz was over the time period he was tracked.   Why was this done?  Who approved it and why was he targeted?  Or did he just sort of get on a list and it was off to the automated data collection races?  To me the potential mindless elements of this, where no one is responsible and it is all merely a matter of “policy” is perhaps the scariest part.

click here for video

Tracking vs. Innovation

All of this tracking might lead to so-called innovations like making “electronic prisons” for certain offenders.   Is this a real innovation or merely a way to do things more efficiently at lower costs?  On a larger note are tracking, metrics, and decision support the pathway to innovation or merely the pathway to efficiency?   Is the real solution to crime prevention fixing the social conditions that seem to breed it, or is the solution simply more and better ways to incarcerate people?

The Minority Report is Prophetic

In the novel the “The Minority Report” by Phillip K. Dick a future society exists where crime can be predicted and prevented using techniques that are similar to those discussed above.    Such techniques are already being developed and perfected to predict consumer behavior and who knows what else.

The Electronic World: Another “Tool” or Something Different?

The electronic world has many, many positives that do in fact make things more efficient and easier.   As a tool (or set of tools) it allows us access to information and insights that used to be in hard copy only in a few places like University libraries.   Complex scientific and engineering problems can be solved quickly.   It is politically powerful as shown by the efforts of authoritarian governments to tightly control internet access and social media to suppress dissent.   However, like most tools the electronic world is changing how we live and challenging assumptions about life as we mindlessly get more and more addicted to it.  I am not arguing for the good old days, just asking how routine we want the voluntary, passive, and active invasion of our privacy to become.   Every wave of technology has intended and unintended consequences and in the long run we spend a lot of time and energy as a species dealing with the unintended consequences of our technical innovations (suburbia and urban sprawl came with cars for example).   Are the changes coming with the electronic world just another cycle of technical change and unintended consequences?  Or, are we moving from humans the tool makers and users who manipulate the environment to a world where the tools are manipulating us?