bookofjoe

BehindTheMedspeak: Hopscotch test for ACL instability

Girls and women especially are prone to devastating ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries.

Dr. Frank Noyes, president of the Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation (a leader in the study of prevention of such injuries) offers a simple test for any concerned parent or coach: Play hopscotch and watch what happens.

Long story short: "If your child wobbles on a one-foot landing, or if the leg is straight when she comes down, she is pressuring the ACL."

More: "If you land with a straight knee, that is dangerous... If you have the knee joint anywhere away from the rest of the body... it is going to produce an imbalance," Noyes said. During jump training sessions, "When they land, we don't want to hear them land" — instead, they need to flex their knees and land softly.

All this and much more appeared in Howard Schneider's September 4, 2007 Washington Post Health section article.

Soy Mattress

Tasty!

I mean, crunchy — sorry.

Jura Koncius featured this apotheosis of green in today's Washington Post Home section "Home Front" column, writing, "Spaldin, a Spanish bed frame and mattress maker, has created an all-natural mattress made of soybean oil and fiber. The Aircell Soy model ($1,995 for queen size), designed with eye-catching soy-green sides [top], could not help but attract attention at the [High Point, N.C.] furniture market. 'The green color really gives it an identity,' said Larry Craver, Spaldin's director of U.S. sales. For more information, call 336-765-2617."

Experts' Expert: J. D. Biersdorfer's Tech Tip of the Week

She writes the weekly New York Times computer-related Q&A column, whose problems and solutions are so far above my level of understanding and competence they may as well as be in Urdu or Pashto.

Never mind.

Her September 7, 2007 column was the exception that proves the rule.

Short item shorter: Go to www.cantoni.org/palm for a list of cellphone-friendly web sites.

Here's the unabridged version of the Times piece, for those who have the time to kick back and take it all in.

Tip of the Week: Mobile-Friendly Web Sites

Many cellphones and hand-held organizers can browse the Web now, and many Web sites are offering special slimmed-down versions just for the mobile browser. These “mobile” sites leave out the big chunky images in favor of quick-loading text. To get an idea of what is out there, there is a big list of mobile-friendly sites at www.cantoni.org/palm. Sometimes, just putting an “m.” in front of the domain name will take you to its mobile version — as in “m.nytimes.com,” for example.

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FunFact: I can see bookofjoe on my Nokia 6230 after 12 button presses — it takes about 25 seconds from initiating the sequence until the website appears on the tiny (1.2" square) screen (above).

Amazingly, it's readable and I can even see the pictures.

You wouldn't know that by looking at the mess my crack photography team made, pictured up top.

Spare Light Object

Designed in 2000 by J. P. Meulendijks of The Netherlands, it's a suspended or table lamp.

Made from twenty-six 25W light bulbs, it measures 26cm x 26cm x 26cm (10" x 10" x 10").

From the website: "One light bulb is connected and burns. The other light bulbs function as a lampshade. When the lightbulb is used up, simply connect another one. After ± 26 years, the lamp is completely used up."

€99.50 direct from the designer.

Email j.p.meulendijks@n-u.nl

"... the purely accidental quality of each lived instant, a quality the poet identifies as 'love.'"

Above, my favorite sentence of the week.

It's from Joel Broewer's October 14, 2007 New York Times Book Review piece about "In The Pines,", Alice Notley's new collection of poems.

Now I'm not sure if I should get a book of Brouwer's poems or Notley's.

Probably best to invoke my old adage when in doubt about things book-related, to wit: buy both.

Bonus: My crack research team found a treasure trove of recordings of Alice Notley reading from her work, including 21 poems in Buffalo, New York on April 10, 1987 and a video of a reading from November 6, 2006.

Obsidian Wireless Mouse

From websites:

Obsidian Wireless Mouse

The ultimate rechargeable wireless mouse has an optical sensor for high speed, ultra accurate tracking and groundbreaking design with outstanding ergonomics and highly tactile materials.

The Obsidian features innovative technology with a four-mode, touch-sensitive scroll, recharge dock and two battery packs for 24/7 use.


Features:

• Recharge cradle with wireless transmitter storage and spare battery recharge

• Superb design, complements any home/office environment

• 24/7 recharge solution using 2 x Li-ion battery packs

• Interference-free 2.4GHz wireless technology

• 4-mode, touch-sensitive scroll function

• Plug and play; ease of use and set-up

• 1000 dpi resolution minimum

• Smooth glide action

• 5 buttons


System Requirement:

• Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

• Connectivity: USB 2.0

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$49.05.

Jamespot.com: Multimedia RSS Customizable Search Engine — 'Explore the Buzz'

"Make Jamespot your spot and find what you'll never expect!"

Sounds promising and looks even better (top) but alas, far too taxing for my TechnoDolt™ peabrain — though not your big fat thinking cap.

Still in "Jéta" — nice touch, that.

Mr. Chin Kitchen Timer

Designed by Stefano Giovannoni for Alessi in collaboration with the National Palace Museum of Taiwan.

Made from thermoplastic resin and handpainted.

6cm wide x 11cm high.

Yellow or Red.

£22.