Kinetics» Art

Self-tracking: Checking under the hood

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 02:09:46 +0000

Der Mensch als Industriepalast (Man as Industrial Palace), Fritz Kahn, 1926. (See full description below.)

Our bodies are exquisite self-tracking machines. We’re artfully engineered with rheostats and feedback loops and switches. The number of times our heart beats in a minute, the temperature of our body, the pH of our blood, the sodium concentration inside our cells, and the turning on and off of our genes are all tightly regulated.

Unfortunately, we don’t come equipped with external tachometers. We don’t have a fuel gauge that points a needle to ‘full’ to signify when we should stop eating, or a temperature gauge to indicate when we are overheating. There is no factory-installed ‘check engine’ light.

In order to make sense of what’s going on under our hoods, we can turn to a variety of tracking tools. Sensors, probes and analyzers help us detect the electrical, chemical and mechanical signals emanating from within. We can measure, track and display with respect to time and space, episode and intervention. And best of all, we get to serve as our own control: N=1.

From lab bench to park bench
As a physiologist, my life has revolved around self-tracking. In grad school, we routinely used ourselves to calibrate equipment, develop techniques, and generally see ‘what would happen if….’ We documented our lives in lab notebooks and every day was ‘show and tell.’

Self-tracking is moving out of the lab and into living rooms and bedrooms, gyms and diners. There’s a rapidly growing community, Quantified Self, that is “a collaboration of users and tool makers who share an interest in self-knowledge through self-tracking.” The site originated with gurus Kevin Kelly and Gary Wolf, and an expanding community is overseen by them, along with Alexandra Carmichael, cofounder of CureTogether. There are more than a dozen meet-up groups around the world, as well as an active Twitter community (#quantifiedself).

Long the province of elite athletes and astronauts at one end of the spectrum, and individuals living with chronic diseases (and ICU patients) at the other end of the spectrum, tracking is moving from the fringes inward. Now the bright, shiny gadgets we ordered from scientific equipment catalogs (lactate analyzers, heart rate monitors, pulse oximeters) can be picked up on Amazon.

Should you check under your hood?
Suffering from insomnia? Want to get pregnant? Training for your first 10K? Measuring any number of parameters can reveal trends and provide clues as to what makes you tick. Self-tracking can help you make a connection between what you’re feeling or sensing and how your body is doing.

You can track physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and blood glucose. You can track mental health parameters such as mood and self-esteem. You can track behaviors such as foods eaten, hours spent sitting at a computer, songs listened to, minutes spent exercising, and hours spent sleeping. You can track environmental influences such as outside temperature and pollen count, commuting time, number of friends on Facebook, number of neighbors on your street you know by first name.

The data provide a glimpse of what’s going on under your hood. The measures are all exquisitely intertwined and although they might not represent true cause and effect, when grouped in combination they can reveal wonderful patterns. The patterns tell a story that can provide you with insights and awareness, which may in turn lead to behavior change, thus creating a feedback loop much like your internal circuits.

Self-tracking lets you build a personal dashboard to create a narrative of yourself. It can empower you to better understand how you are functioning, and thereby put you in better control of what’s going on under your hood. And as you self-track, at some point you will cross a threshold where you view your body not only as a machine full of data points, but as an engineered piece of living art.

Great self-tracking resources

Quantified Self
What if Self-Tracking Goes Mainstream?, Alexandra Carmichael, The Future Now Blog
The data-driven life, Gary Wolf, The New York Times
Know thyself: Tracking every facet of life, from sleep to mood to pain, 24/7/365, Gary Wolf, Wired

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The image
The image above is a cropped view of Der Mensch als Industriepalast (Man as Industrial Palace) by Fritz Kahn (1888-1968). It is a chromolithograph frpm 1926, and is courtesy of the National Library of Medicine, as part of their amazing Dream Anatomy exhibit. “Kahn’s modernist visualization of the digestive and respiratory system as ‘industrial palace,’ really a chemical plant, was conceived in a period when the German chemical industry was the world’s most advanced.”

Inspired by the art, Henning M. Lederer created this video in 2009:

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TEDx MidAtlantic 2010: What if?

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:25:23 +0000

This year’s stellar TEDx MidAtlantic was about our choices and roles relative to our true selves, and relative to the world around us. “What if?” was the theme, and the talks seemed to focus on what parts of our brain we consciously choose to use. In fact, images of brains cropped up repeatedly in presentations throughout the day.

“Amazingly, there are cells in our left hemisphere’s orientation association area that define the boundaries of our body – where we begin and where we end relative to the space around us. At the same time, there are cells in our right hemisphere’s orientation association area that orient our body in space. As a result, our left hemisphere teaches us where our body begins and ends, and our right hemisphere helps us place it where we want to it go.”
- Jill Bolte Taylor, TED speaker, from her book, My Stroke of Insight.

Here are some of the What If’s that the speakers left us to ponder:

What if…..

You strive to be a big picture thinker?

You strive to keep your love of learning?

You embrace failure?

You find and use your own voice?

You bring every aspect of your life’s passions to bear in your work?

You focus on the business of happiness?

You strive to keep your sense of wonder?

You look at the world around you with new eyes?

You inspire and reward those around you to think creatively?

You use collective consciousness to solve big problems?

You create and build something lasting?

You give yourself space to breathe?

TEDx Resources

TEDxMidAtlantic
TEDxMidAtlantic on Twitter, #tedxmid #tedx
TEDxMidAtlantic on Facebook
TEDx MidAtlantic on Flickr
TEDx site
Main TED site

TEDx MidAtlantic 2010 Buzz

Bmore Media, @BmoreMedia, Asking and Answering “What If?” at TEDx MidAtlantic
The City Fix, @TheCityFix, Live Blogging TEDxMidAtlantic
Roman Kudryashov, What are these ideas and why are they here? TEDx MidAtlantic, a brief summary
Think Tank Creative, @think_tank, Live Blog: TEDxMidAtlantic

Speakers/Performers: (Twitter, URLs)

Francis Béland, iprizecleanoceans.org
Jeffrey Brown, @JeffreyBrown, www.pbs.org/newshour
Steve Case, @SteveCase, http://revolution.com, www.casefoundation.org
Storm Cunningham, @restorm, www.revitaliz.com
Dickson Despommier, www.verticalfarm.com
Esther Dyson, @edyson, http://edventure.com
Nina Fefferman, www.rci.rutgers.edu/~feffermn
David Gallo, @gallotar, www.whoi.edu
Christoph Gielen, www.christophgielen.com
Yash Gupta, http://carey.jhu.edu
Cesar Harada, http://cesarharada.com
Bill James, www.jpods.com
Michael Kahn, www.shakespearetheatre.org
Paula Kerger, www.pbs.org
Diana Laufenberg, @dlaufenberg, www.scienceleadership.org
Ted Leonsis, @TedLeonsis, www.verizoncenter.com
Charles Limb, www.hopkinsmedicine.org
Albert Yu-Min Lin, http://exploration.nationalgeographic.com/mongolia
Tim McDonald, www.onionflats.com
Matt Mountain, www.stsci.edu/portal
Iyeoka Ive Okoawo, @iyeoka, www.iyeoka.com
Sandra Postel, www.globalwaterpolicy.org
Adam Pruden, www.mit.edu
Otis Rolley, @OtisRolley, www.updconsulting.com
Saras Sarasvathy, www.effectuation.org
Jackie Savitz, @JackieSavitz, http://na.oceana.org
Susan Shaw, www.meriresearch.org
Sam Shelton, www.designigniteschange.org
Roshini Thinakaran, http://roshinithinakaran.com
Time for Three, @tf3, http://tf3.com

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Image:
Composite image of brain MRIs
Using computer software programs, scientists combined brain MRIs from 20 normal people into this composite image, in which ellipsoids represent normal anatomical variations. Pink purple ellipsoids, signifying the greatest variation, occur in brain regions that are uniquely human for example, regions that control language and logical reasoning. Blue ellipsoids, representing slight variations, occur in brain regions that control sensation and movements. Ultimately, this baseline data on interpersonal variability will allow scientists to distinguish normal anatomical variation from abnormal brain loss, such as that seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Image courtesy of Dr. Paul Thompson, University of California, Los Angeles. Grant No. EB001561, from the picture gallery of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health.

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Please touch: Lessons from Leonardo da Vinci

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:01:00 +0000

“Oh my God!!!! We’re allowed to touch!”

“Look at the sign!”

Those were the squealing voices I heard recently at the brilliant Da Vinci-The Genius exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC. The exhibit showcases full-scale machines, reproductions of famous Renaissance paintings, and detailed anatomical sketches from Leonardo da Vinci. The interactive inventions are beautifully crafted by Italian artisans working from Leonardo’s codices. And almost everywhere are signs that read, “Please touch.”

Kids were running all over pulling and pushing levers and laughing and squealing. And so were adults.

The interactive exhibit provides a clear reminder that as humans, we are designed to manipulate objects in our world. To touch, grasp, push, pull, clutch, rotate, stroke, manipulate, poke, and hold. Perhaps no one personifies this ability better than da Vinci, who used his hands as an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer, architect, and sculptor.

Exhibits should not be spectator events. Museum curators would be wise to watch kids interact in this space. One of the kids may be a future da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci resources

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Health 2.0 goes to Washington: Aretha Franklin would be proud

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:40:56 +0000

There were several themes that resonated throughout the recent Health 2.0 Goes To Washington conference. Two of the most powerful and provocative ones centered on patients and data.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Patients want – and deserve – respect. The kind of R-E-S-P-E-C-T that Aretha Franklin favors. It’s simple: patients are at the center of the health care system and they should be heard and they should participate.

The Health 2.0 conference featured a patient on almost every panel as well as an outstanding Patient 2.0 breakout session. The amazing presenters are helping to redefine what it means to be a patient or a patient advocate. They are educated and empowered. They are active participants in their own health and/or the health of those around them. They demand access, information, and control, which are all the byproduct of respect.

“Content comes from the patient, it belongs to the patient, and it should be up to the patient to decide who to share it with.” – Regina Holliday

While there are very big issues on the table (such as access to medical records), often it’s the small signs of respect that can make a large and lasting impact. A few examples that were given:

Health care providers taking the time to write down a diagnosis or instructions, rather than just providing information verbally in a stream of polysyllabic words. (Regina Holliday)
Health care providers encouraging patients to use the web to set up appointments, ask questions, and interact, so, as Gordon Brown from Myca said, “the waiting room is wherever the patient is.”
Physicians tilting a computer screen that holds lab results so a patient can see their own information (Dr. Ted Eytan).

This message of respect clearly resonates far outside the conference walls. Recently a friend angrily said, “I walked into my doctor’s office, signed in, and no one at the desk even looked up to greet me.” This group clearly is not going to stand for this type of treatment. As moderator Gilles Frydman, founder of ACOR.org and ParticipatoryMedicine.com said, “These patients are not the old type of patients.” Cue Aretha.

Data, data, data
A second overarching theme at the conference centered on health data. The biggest buzz was generated by the newly launched Community Health Data Initiative (CHDI), highlighted by Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House; and Todd Park, CTO of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The CHDI data set will ultimately consist of thousands of measures of health care quality, cost, access, and public health (e.g., obesity rates, smoking rates). It will include data produced for the Community Health Status Indicators, County Health Rankings, and State of the USA programs. Data will be available at the national, state, regional, and county levels, as well as by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and income (where available). This initiative is part of HHS.gov/OPEN, and is in search of a better name (vote here to rename the CHDI).

Useful health data abound, but tend to be tucked into nooks and crannies. The key is to “unlock the mojo” according to Todd Park. There is a growing spirit of accessibility, transparency and collaboration towards a big data ‘commons.’

Health data are much more than community health maps, mortality stats, and nucleotide sequences.

Data are in the random observations scratched in lab notebooks that will never be published in scientific journals, but that are being coaxed out in forums and conversations;
Data are in pharmacy records;
Data are in web metrics from sites such as Pillbox, Health Central, and Everyday Health;
Data are in the anecdotal information shared on sites like PatientsLikeMe and Sermo;
Data are in the art on easels and t-shirts. Data are on murals, such as those painted by patient advocate Regina Holliday;
Data are in the posture, tone of voice, and hand gestures of individuals sharing their stories via video on sites such as The Moment.

Health data are numbers and letters and charts and maps.
They are also images and sounds and body movements — or a lack thereof.
Health data are DNA misspellings and raised voices. They are MRI scans and wringing hands.

“Data need to turn into motivators for individuals and ROI for businesses.” – Esther Dyson

What health data are you sharing?
How are you going to change health outcomes with data?
What questions are you answering with the data from others?

Buzz about Health 2.0 Goes to Washington

Susannah Fox, @SusannahFox, e-patients.net: Health 2.0 DC: Passion & Execution at Scale
Gilles Frydman, @gfry, e-patients.net: Why a Patient 2.0 Panel at the Health 2.0 DC conference?
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, @healthythinker, Health Populi & Mobile Health News: Patient Power Through Data Liberación
Krystle Kopacz, So Health, Health Central: Health 2.0 DC: Most Memorable Moments
Lygeia Ricciardi, @Lygeia, The Health Care Blog: Health 2.0 Came to Washington—And Now it Needs to Stay
Regina Holliday, @ReginaHolliday, Regina Holliday’s Medical Advocacy Blog: A matter of perspective
Ted Eytan, MD, @tedeytan, Still about listening: Health 2.0 DC and Ragan Health Care Communicators Summit
Matthew Browning, @MatthewBrowning, Your Nurse Is On: Health2.0 Goes To Washington-A Summary

Health 2.0 images and video

Leroy Jones, Jr., @TechnicalJones, Talking Technology: Health 2.0 DC ~ images of the day and video interviews
Cindy Throop, @cindythroop, Flickr: Health 2.0 Goes to Washington
Phil Baumann, @PhilBaumann, Video interview of Ted Eytan and Regina Holliday at Health 2.0 2010
icyou: Health 2.0 DC video interviews (search tag is “Health 2.0 Washington”)

Health 2.0 Resources
Health 2.0 Goes to Washington main site
Health 2.0 Conference main site
Twitter tag: #health2con

Available presentations from Health 2.0
Amy Romano (@midwifeamy) Maternity Care 2.0
Regina Holliday (@ReginaHolliday): Patient 2.0

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TEDxPotomac: A River Runs Through It

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:39:05 +0000

“The river is woven into our history. It graces our landscape. And in a modern urban environment, it is a reminder of our connection to the natural world, to ideas larger than us, and to our past and future.” – Patrick Smith, TEDxPotomac Organizer

The inaugural TEDxPotomac drew its name and inspiration from the Potomac River. Ideas surged and ebbed and flowed and branched.

The word cloud above highlights actions and ideas passionately conveyed by speakers and participants throughout the day. Some concepts that resonated:

Humans have a basic need to collaborate. [Berit Oskey]
We need context to give meaning. Find something in your world and discover its name and learn something about it. [Bob Corrigan @bobcorrigan @eolpm]
The difference between first and second place: Do one more thing one more time. [Josh Sundquist @joshsundquist]
Engage people. Share results. Ask for feedback. Listen. Repeat. [Craig Newmark @craignewmark]
Redesign your expectations of what is possible. [Yoko K @yokokami]
Data is power. Information is power. [Shannon Hader]
Foster accountability over scapegoating, dispersion of power over concentration of power, transparency over anonymity. [Frances Moore Lappé @FMLappe]
Live your life in pursuit of what makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. [Warren Brown @cakelovewarren]
Excellence touches people deeply [Steve Moore @readysetdc]
Civility is a big deal. Be nice. [Craig Newmark @craignewmark]

And from the final talk of the day highlighting the theme of rivers and water:
Water is life. We are all environmentalists. Water connects us all across the globe. [Alexandra Cousteau @acousteau]

Thanks to the organizers, speakers, sponsors, and other participants for sharing their time, energy, and passion.

TEDxPotomac Resources

TEDxPotomac site
TEDxPotomac on Twitter @tedxpotomac #tedxpotomac
http://twitter.com/tedxpotomac/attendees-2010
TEDxPotomac on Flickr
TEDx site (x = independently organized TED event)
Main TED site

TEDxPotomac buzz

Image generated by Wordle http://www.wordle.net/

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New Year’s Resolutions: The Magnetic Poetry of TEDx MidAtlantic

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:45:08 +0000

This word cloud represents the essence of the messages of the inaugural TEDx MidAtlantic event as culled from my scribbled notes. The speakers were amazing role models, and their messages, which were so passionately delivered, words to live by.

In the true spirit of TED, the terms cut across numerous disciplines, including technology, arts, medicine, business, health, entertainment, and design. As I reviewed my notes, it struck me that the key messages represent a wonderful sort of magnetic poetry mosaic from which New Year’s resolutions can be crafted.

The theme of the TEDx MidAtlantic event was The Power of Stories. I’ve selected five words that spoke to me to build personal resolutions and craft my 2010 story. They are empower, execute, listen, acknowledge, evolve.

What 5 words would you choose to craft your 2010 story?

To start your new year with a dose of inspiration, check out videos of the talks, which are available at both TED and TEDx MidAtlantic. Some of my favorite TED talks include:

For more insight into the TEDx MidAtlantic event held in November 2009 in Baltimore at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), check out these reviews:

Duende: TEDx MidAtlantic. (A wonderful ‘visual recording’)
GrayMatter Minute: TEDx MidAtlantic, Eggs, Bones, Cows and Social Media.
Jim Doran: TEDx MidAtlantic. (The ‘top five favorite talks’ represents a perfect list of videos to watch and then craft 2010 resolutions)
Stellargirl: Inspired by TEDxMidAtlantic. (Key phrases that capture the event essence)
Christiana Aretta: Visual High Notes from TEDxMidAtlantic. (Stunning photos that convey the passion of the speakers)

Related posts:

Image generated by Wordle, http://www.wordle.net/.

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Bench Top Roundup: Nobel Edition

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:57:10 +0000

Dr. Marshall Nirenburg in his office with molecular models. He shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on deciphering the genetic code. (I had the honor of working in the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics at the National Institutes of Health, where Marshall is laboratory chief.) Photo courtesy of National Library of Medicine Profiles in Science.

Here’s a roundup of recent thought-provoking, amazing, and/or just plain cool items that are worth a look. In this week’s Nobel edition we celebrate the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Prizes.

Can you hear me now?
“Hello, you’ve won the Nobel.” A chat with Gunnar Öquist, the man who makes The Phone Call. From Seed Magazine.
“Then, the phone really started ringing. It was a reporter from The A.P. who said she was in front of our apartment and wanted to get a picture of me. I said, ‘I’m in my pajamas.’ She said, ‘That’s exactly the photo I want.’ I said, ‘But you’re not going to get it.’” A brilliant interview with Martin Chalfie, 2008 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, who slept through The Phone Call. From The New York Times.

Sidewiki
Are you familiar with Sidewiki? If not, brush up with these thought-provoking posts.
Been Avoiding Social Media? It Just Kicked In Your Door, The Scholarly Kitchen
Google SideWiki: How to Brace Yourself for a Communications Bitch Slap, Phil Bauman
A Google colonial sideswipe, Andrew Keen of the UK Telegraph
Martin Frank, Executive Director of the American Physiological Society, points out via Twitter that Sidewiki could allow for commentary along side research articles. (@ExecDirectorAPS)
Make sure to watch the demo video and ponder the implications. What are your thoughts?

Stick figures
Watching life unfold as a social network where every link is a human relationship and every circle is a waistline. “The Buddy System: How Medical Data Revealed Secret to Health and Happiness,” from Wired. Includes stunning data visualizations.

4 billion served
“More than 4 billion [cell phones] are now in use worldwide, three-quarters of them in the developing world.” From The Economist special report on “The power of mobile money.”
4.1 billion SMS messages are sent daily, according to the latest Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey results from CTIA-The Wireless Association®

Art imitating life
Anatomical illustrations by Fernando Vicente that merge science and art and add a dash of fashion. They are reminiscent of Andreas Vesalius’s classic 1543 De Humani Corporis Fabrica (this link is to an amazing ‘touch and turn’ version of the book.)

Fat body = skinny wallet
NPR interview with Safeway Inc. CEO Steve Burd, about the company’s wellness incentive program. Employees receive a discount on their health insurance if their body mass index is below 30, the number over which people are considered obese. (Here’s a BMI calculator so you can see if you qualify for a discount.)

Don’t bother with the CliffsNotes
“There was no rule book, we just did what we thought was interesting and might prove fruitful. You can’t write a book on how to do that.” Dr. George Smith, 2009 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in “‘Masters of Light’ Get Nobel,” a wonderful article in The Wall Street Journal.

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Choreographing Cells: Dance Dance Evolution

Carol Torgan, Ph.D. — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:24:56 +0000

What do you get when choreographers interpret scientific papers that interpret our cells choreography? A Science Dance Match Up Challenge.

In a challenge recently held by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), four professional choreographers were paired with four scientists to create dances based on peer-reviewed scientific research. Individuals were invited to read the abstracts of the articles, watch the dances either live or online, and then try to match the science to the dance. The entire event was conducted as an informal research study to see if modern dance encodes science.

Those who watched the dances performed live, rather than online, were much better at matching the dance with the research, according to the results. “Being part of a live audience focuses your attention in a way that staring at a lonely computer screen never can. It’s equally true of art and science,” said John Bohannon, in his AAAS Gonzo Scientist column. (For science geeks, here’s the raw data).

The winning live audience was the University of Vermont, which beat out a global range of institutes that included McGill University in Montreal, CeMM in Vienna, The Science Gallery in Dublin, and Harvard. The New York Time’s Tierney Lab blog even took a turn, challenging readers to take the Dancing Science Quiz and tabulating results.

“Sun Starved,” shown below, is one of the dances from the Science Dance Challenge. The dance was choreographed by Chloe Jensen, working with researcher Dr. Sue Lynn Lau on the paper, Loss of ARNT/HIF1β Mediates Altered Gene Expression and Pancreatic-Islet Dysfunction in Human Type 2 Diabetes. Cell 122, 337 (2005).

Cell dance
While the choreographers created an amazing body of work, another type of choreographed dance – albeit one without an audience – simultaneously went on inside each of the cells within the dancers bodies.

“The Inner Life of the Cell,” the video above, illustrates the dance taking place inside a single white blood cell. It was created by XVIVO, a scientific animation company. Clearly the medical illustrators are also choreographers. They just sport high tech software rather than leg warmers.

Enjoy the dances.

So you think you can dance?

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