Slashdot Mirror


Slashback: Carpal, Displays, Asylum

Slashback tonight with another word on eInk's color displays for portable computing, a temporarily happy ending for Keith Henson; a cool online-movie update, and a slight return to the subject of carpal tunnel syndrome.

But strenuous exercise might not be the answer ... Amigan writes: " Foxnews.com is reporting another story, based on a study done by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN that significantly cuts in to the number of people claiming to be Carpal Tunnel suffers."

Of course, neither this nor the Canadian study mentioned shortly ago say that people don't suffer from true carpal tunnel afflictions -- only that it may be a widely mis-diagnosed condition.

Please drop quarters into your bedside cable modem kzinti writes: "Over two years ago CmdrTaco posted a story about a video clip archive and an animated short called 'Tripping the Rift' by Chris Moeller of 'King of the Hill.' TTR is a bawdy parody of popular science fiction like Star Trek and Star Wars, and is one of the funniest things you'll ever see. Alas, the clip available in 1999 from the archive (which has since shut down) was small and of poor quality. I recently decided to see if I could find a better quality copy on the net somewhere and struck gold at, wouldn't you know it, trippingtherift.com. Not only does this site have a newly posted, high-quality MPEG edition of TTR, but it also has a couple of DivX versions and links to Quicktime and other versions of TTR. The best news is that a second episode of TTR has been produced and should be available for download 'shortly.' Trip Now!"

Lookin' clever. Regarding Chris DiBona's walk through the recent Society for Information Display expo, SID Attendee writes: "Your SID correspondent missed one of the coolest demos, from eInk. These displays use charged particles with black & white pigments on opposing ends to form a pure reflective display. The contrast and resolution was great, easily like a newspaper. They consume zero power when the display is static, and can be made incredibly thin (less than 1mm). This could be the thing that makes ebooks/webpads for real. Color is on the horizon (they had a very crude color demo at the show).

PS - I wasn't that impressed with the OLEDs - many of the LCD displays outperformed them, and seem to have fewer lifespan issues."

Thanks for the first-hand report.

6 points for Canada! iamklerck writes: "Apparently the Scientology critic who was to go on trial for interfering with a religion has been granted "refugee" status in Canada. I wish him luck, as I'm sure we all do. Perhaps some day he'll be able to return to the U.S. without having his rights violated."

39 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. The Facts About Repetitive Strain Injuries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3
  2. Re:Canda? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4

    You suspect a hoax? Why do you suspect a hoax? because you suspect a hoax? No, you need to provide evidence and reasons. But you haven't. As to why you've had your garabage post upgraded, that might be because scientologists have in fact infiltrated the Slashdot moderation system.

    Was it self-promotion for Keith Henson when he was sentenced to jail for criticizing scientologists? Was it self-promotion for Keith Henson when he made posts critical of scientologists on a usenet group? Was it self-promotion for Keith Henson when he was arrested at gunpoint by a heavily-armed "fugitive team" in Canada because scientologists lied to the police and said he there was a dangerous man in their midsts?

    I wonder what manner of man you are fm6.

  3. Re:CTS READ THEN DAMN REPORT CAREFULLY by dangermouse · · Score: 2
    Yes. But the term "media" is often used to represent the media industry or the products of that industry. In that sense, "media" is singular, the same way "flock" or (perhaps more accurately ;) "herd" is singular.

    It depends on what you're referring to... if you want to refer to the individual media rather than the overall "media" group, you would use "are". Else, you'd use "is".

    For instance, "Those are proud people" means that, taken individually, each person in the group you're referring to is proud. "That is a proud people" means the nation or ethnic group in question is, taken as a whole, proud. That is, the majority of the people are proud, but any given individual in the group may or may not be proud.

    Same deal with media. (This doesn't fly with most plurals, incidentally... just those which double [no pun intended] as mass names.)

  4. Re:Doctors and diagnosis. by dangermouse · · Score: 2
    Well, the good news is CTS is a "syndrome", which just means "collection symptoms that go together frequently". So no matter what caused the symptoms, if they're all extant simultaneously and all go away simultaneously, then by definition it sure as hell was CTS. :)

    The underlying cause is another matter entirely.

  5. CTS READ THEN DAMN REPORT CAREFULLY by gelfling · · Score: 2

    Let's see the Mayo clinic did one study, the controls weren't described nor were the methods described and the subjects seemingly were just observed doing their normal jobs so there was no actual experimental plan. Even with that piece of shit methodology 1 in 9 had symptoms and 1 in 25 had severe clinical symptoms. Holy moly does anyone see anything wrong with this???

    And oh yeah FOX news is the mouthpiece of the Republican Party - no too much of an agenda there.

  6. Only 2 points for Canada, alas by mdecerbo · · Score: 2
    Today, he was released and his application for refugee status was accepted.[...] Decision about that status might take up to two years.
  7. Carpal(ouch) Tu(oww)nnel(ow!) by Bowie+J.+Poag · · Score: 2


    There(ow!) is no (ouch!)su(owww!!)ch thing as(aagh) (ouch)carpal(owwwww!!) tunnel sy(oww!!)ndrome. Get over (ouch) it.

    --
    Bowie J. Poag

  8. Re:Correction re: Keith Henson by Pope · · Score: 2

    You know, you're right: Canadians are greater than Scientologists!

    --
    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  9. Exercise your External Rotators. by FatSean · · Score: 2

    I was feeling a bit of pain in my shoulders from typing and mousing despite taking care to have 'good posture'. A friend reccomended external rotator exercises (rotator cuff). Do a search on it, you'll find the exercises. Easy to do with light weights, and it has made a big difference.

    --
    Blar.
    1. Re:Exercise your External Rotators. by Chairboy · · Score: 2

      http://www.arthroscopydoc.com/helpful.html looks good. Please don't mod this up, I'm just trying to save people some time and I'm already maxed at 50.

  10. Not as easy a search as I thought... by FatSean · · Score: 2

    http://familydoctor.org/handouts/265.html has some simpler exercises you can do with those plastic ruberised dumbells. Unless you're huge, 5lb and 8lb weights should be fine.

    If you ARE huge check out this one http://www.t-mag.com/html/body_145shldr.html
    The writing style is pretty funny.

    --
    Blar.
  11. Part of ths reason.. by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Scientology is not as much of a problem for us Canucks (and this is not meant as a cheap shot) is a less litigous society (and legal system).

  12. Re:Gooooooooo Canada by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    I dunno, but to relate a Canadian story..

    The Alberta Premier granted free bus tickets to tons of welfare applicants several years ago to have them go to B.C. and claim welfare there (dumping them on the B.C. Economy)

    How's that for not dealing with you problems?

  13. Re:Not wishing him too much luck... by Platinum+Dragon · · Score: 2

    "Destroy them utterly" was a direct quote from L Ron Hubbard, referring to dealing with enemies of his cult.

    Close. The actual quote is "ruin him utterly." Same difference, really; it's all Fair Game in the end.

    And now that I've said this...let the Dead Agenting from the other side begin!

    --

    Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
  14. Re:Correction re: Keith Henson by QuantumG · · Score: 3

    I guess that settles it. Canadians > Scientologists, who would of thought?

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  15. Re:I think we have our answer!!! by Field+Marshall+Stack · · Score: 3
    [What the heck, I got karma to burn]

    2. No Pets. Scientologists like to release the "Thetans" in Pets. By killing them.

    This comment reminds me of the hindus in India who think Catholics are cannibals because in the sacrament of Holy Communion you "eat the Body of Christ". [This used to be a widespread belief many years ago, and you still find it out in the less educated areas in India.]

    The main criticism here is plain technique. FUD is best reserved for use by the Microsofties, not someone who is supposed to be intelligent.

    You've misunderstood. There's no Scientologist religious sacrament involving pets. It's just that one of their standard intimidation techiniques is to kill the pets of those who they view as enemies. This is derived from Hubbard's "Fair Game" doctrine, which states that "Suppressive Persons" (enemies of the CoS) are "Fair Game" for certain tactics. From hour.ca:

    In 1967, Hubbard issued the fair-game policy, which said that opponents "may be deprived of property or injured by any means, by any Scientologist. He may be tricked, sued, lied to, or destroyed utterly."
    You can find a couple of reference to Scientologists attacking the pets of their opponents here (search for "pets", it's near the bottom of the page) and here (Search for "Duke"). You can probably find more by digging around on google or xenu.net.
    --
    "HORSE."
    --
    "HORSE."
    -Flaming Carrot
  16. Re:I think we have our answer!!! by radja · · Score: 2

    >I may despise MS, for example, for their software and marketing practices. But ultimately, they too are human.

    no they're not. They're a company, and definately NOT human. Their employees, CEOs, Bill Gates and even their lawyer are human. calling MS human is like calling a human "carbohydrates and water".

    //rdj

    --

    No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.
    --Sheikh Abd-Al-Kadir, 1587
  17. Tripping The Rift by ZahrGnosis · · Score: 3

    This short actually made it onto the SciFi Channel's "Exposure" shorts thingy some months ago. Of course, it was edited for content a bit (naked clown's girlfriend and things were edited over). But full props to them for getting it out there.

    1. Re:Tripping The Rift by SaetheR · · Score: 2

      This is fsck'in he-lar-e-ous... wish there was more stuff out there like this... and if there is... where is it!??!?

  18. Re:Canada? by taniwha · · Score: 2

    Nope - Keith was tried on 2 charges of "misdemenour terrorism" (for joking on the 'net about "Tom Cruise Missiles") and one of "interfering with a religion" (for exercising his 1st ammendment rights by picketing their compound in the desert)

  19. Not if the Judge is a Clam by Martin+S. · · Score: 2
    You have a right to criticize religion; it falls under Free Speech. California's judges really should've looked into that fact.

    If you had read the story you would know the DA is almost certainly a Clam and the Judge is a suspected Clam.

  20. Re:I think we have our answer!!! by Christianfreak · · Score: 2
    Oh so I get it, truth is subjective and if a Scientologist decides to come and destroy you or your family or cause you physical harm thats okay because its their philosophy and thats what they believe. Come on! You would fight them to the full extent of the law because they are wrong to do that.

    "One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

  21. So if carpal tunnel is really a misdiagnosis... by 11thangel · · Score: 3

    ...then ergonomic keyboards and mice are just a marketing ploy! Damn you marketing professionals, and all the money I gave you for stuff you convinced me I needed!

    --

    I am !amused.
    1. Re:So if carpal tunnel is really a misdiagnosis... by garett_spencley · · Score: 2
      Actually none of the studies claimed that prolonged computer use did not cause aches, pains or other such "injuries", they simply said that computer use was not the cause of carpal tunnel.

      In fact, I first heard about this story on the Discovery channel and they said that while computer use doesn't cause carpal tunnel it can make it quite worse.

      So I would personally conclude that ergonmic keyboards and such can still be quite beneficial. And even if they don't prevent any injuries I still find them much more comfortable :O)

      --
      Garett

  22. that sucks about the OLEDs by egomaniac · · Score: 2

    I'm surprised to see the comment that the OLED displays were less than impressive ... is this just unrealistic expectations (LCDs are very mature, OLEDs are still in diapers) or a sign that LCDs may be around longer than everybody wants?

    Just got my GameBoy Advance today, and as with everybody else I'm disappointed with the very dim screen. I figure Nintendo will probably release an OLED version in a few years, which would be great -- *if* these problems with OLEDs get worked out.

    --
    ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
  23. Re:Not wishing him too much luck... by Gorobei · · Score: 5
    I think the guy should have been let off with a stern lecture, but I can't say I wish him a ton of luck. My sympathies are with people trying to make the world a better place; not with the ones who are looking to see how close to the edge of legality they can come with their death threats. And I can't help wondering whether Canada might not have had room for one more individual who is facing genuine danger for his private beliefs instead of a Usenet troll skipping out on a misdemeanor charge.

    KH's death threat was a "Tom Cruise Missile" joke, and the phrase "Destroy them utterly." "Destroy them utterly" was a direct quote from L Ron Hubbard, referring to dealing with enemies of his cult. KH has spent the last several years of his life trying to make the world a better place by exposing a vicious, money-grubbing cult.

    No, I'm not a Scientologist. I've never met one and couldn't care less about them either way.

    Maybe you should care - the COS is as famous as Cantor and Seigel for making the net a worse place. They started with an attempted rmgroup to silence their critics. It looks as if they then escalated to cancels of critic's posts, then auto-generated spam floods, cross-posts to Nazi hate groups, and now seem to be trying child porn floods of alt.religion.scientology (probably to later claim it is a haven for pedophiles.) Fear those that try to drown the free exchange of ideas.

  24. Good book by YIAAL · · Score: 2

    There's an excellent book called "The Seven Minute Rotator Cuff Solution." After a rotator cuff tear, I got only fair results from physical therapy. The exercises in that book helped a lot, and by following their recommendations I've also avoided further problems.

  25. Doctors and diagnosis. by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    Doctors will often mis-diagnose something, give you treatment, then declare you cured.

    If they diagnose CTS, give you some exercise, drugs, ergonomics, and it goes away then it's CTS. But, it could be something else that responded to the treatment. Doctors apply a scientific method to diagnosis as one would apply with programming. They don't develop a theory and test the theory for that diagnosis. Doctors will throw multiple treatments at a problem, and if it solves that problem they declare the diagnosis correct. Doctors generally do not perform the testing and analysis to make a definitive diagnosis.

  26. Canda? by fm6 · · Score: 2
    6 points for Canada! iamklerck writes: "Apparently the Scientology critic who was to go on trial for interfering with a religion has been granted "refugee" status in Canada. I wish him luck, as I'm sure we all do. Perhaps some day he'll be able to return to the U.S. without having his rights violated."
    Somebody's got their facts backwards. The only time I've ever heard of somebody being arrested for "Interfering with Religion" it was in Canada. The "culprit" was James Randi, before his "Amazing Randi" days. He made the mistake of publically accusing a faith healer of fraud. Such a law would not stand up in the U.S Courts, and I suspect it would no longer stand up in the Canadian courts either.

    Given the amount of self-promotion Keith Henson indulges in, I suspect a hoax.

    Just to establish my credentials as a non-Scientologist: L. Ron Hubbard was a Hack!

    __

  27. Re:I think we have our answer!!! by Alien54 · · Score: 3
    Some years ago, I came across a book called "Faces of The Enemy" It is an excellent book, and was also a nova special of PBS back in the 80s. I have a tape of the show and I own the book.

    Basically it goes into the profound similarity between in cultural situations where group X says Group Y is horrible, evil, etc. It is a revelation to recognize it as a profound group psychosis. It has nothing to do with politics or religion in the common sense of the word. It is a revelation to see it in oneself and to overcome it.

    I have lived over seas, and I have also seen it in the middle east. The fact of the hate itself I consider a psychosis. Two psychotics do not make either side a saint.

    I have seen a man reading the bible, interjecting racist remarks into the plain text, convinced that what he was saying was in fact in the text. When it wasn't there at all.

    Fundamentally, I throw out and throw away anything that walks down the road of foam at the mouth these guys or those guys or them guys over there are PURE evil.

    One of the things that Wiesenthall (a WWII deathcamp survivor and famed Nazi hunter) said about the Nazis was the sheer shock that he discovered that they were human, too. Simply human. That there was no more monster there then there was in anyone else.

    All too much of this takes the witch hunt attitude of "we will search for evidence of evil"; it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, and down the toilet you go. I have seen some of the stuff you are talking about, and the wacko gleam in the eye obsession is there in an awful lot of the writing.

    I am sorry. I reject that obsession with hate and the urge to detroy. I have lost family due to such hate (I am not jewish)

    I may despise MS, for example, for their software and marketing practices. But ultimately, they too are human.

    Go ahead. Hate them. Hate them. Hate them more thoroughly, despise them as completely as possible, until there is no room in your soul for anything else. Forever.

    And see where it leaves you.

    It is not a place I recommend. But you can live there if you want.

    Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
  28. Of course carpal tunnel syndrome is real! by dR.fuZZo · · Score: 2

    I'm getting it from playing too much Game Boy Advance. And I'm going blind from squinting at the dim screen to boot!

    --
    -- dR.fuZZo
  29. I think we have our answer!!! by krystal_blade · · Score: 5
    hmmmm.... Maybe Slashdot needs to relocate to Canada so we don't have to worry about posts getting yanked.

    The fact that Henson has "won" isn't really true YET. Just remember, that just because he's in Canada, it doesn't mean he's untouchable. So, for as long as it takes for this CULT to implode, he'll have to abide by the following rules...

    1. NO Personality tests. Period.
    2. No Pets. Scientologists like to release the "Thetans" in Pets. By killing them.
    3. He won't be able to visit used bookstores, as Scientologists will undoubtedly recognize him from LRH's next book (from the grave) "The Enemy".
    4. He'll have to deal with getting picketed.
    5. He'll have to explain to his neighbors that NO, He's not a pedophile, and a rapist, and involved with the Occult. (anymore)

    However, he should be able to Drive, buy bathing products, eat normally, AND live in a *gasp* house. All ideas that a normal scientologist loses when one of those videos SUCKS the INTELLIGENCE right out of em...

    I think I killed a xenu once... I threw his familiar out the window, and he couldn't survive the system shock. That was a LONG time ago though.

    ciao`... krystal_blade

    --
    It will be easy to motivate our fellow man; there is hardly anything people treasure more than not being annihilated.
    1. Re:I think we have our answer!!! by krystal_blade · · Score: 5
      Actually, I don't code. I solder. Check it out.

      And it's not FUD.

      See, FUD is used when you speak an "untruth" about something or someone. Or, you want a desired result that is somehow beneficial to you. Or, when you are worried that the truth about yourself may be harmful. This isn't "untruth". This isn't "made up". This is actually a fairly delicate way of stating that:

      Scientology uses tactics such as stalking, hiring investigators to dig up dirt on you, harrassment (picketing), disruption of your daily routine, physical assault, threats, lies, spreading rumors about you (such as a letter to your neighbors stating your a pedophile, convicted rapist, etc.) threatened litigation, and yes, even the assault and battery of your animal companion to the point of death. They even cover up deaths to avoid court prosecution.

      www.videorotten.com, or www.xenu.net

      This is not FUD. These are all documented statements made by people who, for one reason or another, were labeled as "enemies" of Scientology, and either spoke out about it, or threatened to.

      These people had their lives ruined, lost loved ones, were alienated from their families, and all kinds of other nifty, nasty things.

      LRH (L. Ron Hubbard for the uninitiated) has been quoted by his peers on COUNTLESS occasions that
      "the best way to make money was to start a religion".
      And "If they are enemies, do not stop until they are destroyed utterly."
      and "Litigation does not have to succeed, it only has to harrass to be effective."

      And countless other footbazooka quotes that can be read at

      www.xenu.net

      Check it out. Take a bit of time.

      You'll see that Scientology has left a paper trail every bit as damning as the "Halloween Documents" presented on the internet by Microsoft. It's NOT FUD. It's a statement of fact.

      These people aren't nice.
      They aren't your friends.
      They don't warrant defense.
      The only thing they deserve is to be pitied, and ignored.

      krystal_blade

      --
      It will be easy to motivate our fellow man; there is hardly anything people treasure more than not being annihilated.
  30. Correction re: Keith Henson by phr1 · · Score: 5
    Keith hasn't gotten refugee status in Canada yet. He's been let out of jail, and his application for refugee status has been accepted. That means Canada's immigration authorities accepted some papers from Keith's lawyers and said they'd think about it. What happens next is a bunch of investigation, hearings, etc. that can take up to two years, though Keith hopes to make things go faster than that.

    This is as good an immediate outcome as could be hoped for. Some alternatives were that he could have been kept in jail longer, or booted back across the border to the US. For more info and updates, see here.

  31. Re:Not wishing him too much luck... by Maj.+Kong · · Score: 2
    Maybe you should care - the COS is as famous as Cantor and Seigel for making the net a worse place. They started with an attempted rmgroup to silence their critics. It looks as if they then escalated to cancels of critic's posts, then auto-generated spam floods, cross-posts to Nazi hate groups, and now seem to be trying child porn floods of alt.religion.scientology (probably to later claim it is a haven for pedophiles.) Fear those that try to drown the free exchange of ideas.


    The KP spam attack on a.r.s. is a red herring. It's been hitting nanau and a.h.m just as hard.

    It's not scientologists and it's not the owner of the domain being spammed that's doing this. It's just the same kiddies who put Steve Gibson offline.

    What's really worrying about that attack is that it's a covergence of a remote trojan (on @home and uswest broadband users) and Hipcrime's NewsAgent, a newsgroup flooding program. Broadband providers abuse desks are either non-existant or understaffed, compounding the problem.


    --
    --

    Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.
  32. Where's the control group? by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 3
    They said they studied people who type on a keyboard 7 hours a day and found they had no higher instance of CTS than the general population. Since the general population (even the kid pumping gas at the corner Exxon) uses a computer at work these days, what's the control group? When they test drugs, the control group gets nothing but a placebo, not the test drug half the day and a placebo the other half. They should compare computer users to the Amish (or some other group of total non-computer users) if they want a fair study.

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  33. Gooooooooo Canada by kypper · · Score: 2
    Hey, I'm a canuk, so here's the obligatory plug.

    You have a right to criticize religion; it falls under Free Speech. California's judges really should've looked into that fact.

  34. OLEDs by agdv · · Score: 5

    I wasn't that impressed with the OLEDs - many of the LCD displays outperformed them, and seem to have fewer lifespan issues
    Of course Organic LEDs have short lifespans. There's only how long an array of fireflies will live...

  35. E-Ink Everything by Philopajingle · · Score: 3

    I've been hearing about all this e-ink stuff for a while, and recall the actual manufacturing process dosn't take much more money per square foot than paper. That is great, because I would love to have a Wall-Wide High Definition TV for my room, but I was more interested in the technology.With those little microcapsules, I would imagine it quite easy to get over the obsticles to plastering them all over everything. From what Ive heard, its a one way display, but I was thinkin that millions of tiny mirrors or something mixed in with the E-Ink would provide a stable color. Just think about it - turning your car into some visualization for Winamp, or dying your hair with microcapsules. The ladies would be happy with easily changable color-nailpaint and makeup, maybe even have them tatood into you for turning your skin colors. I could spend all day thinking of little things like this.. please stop me