Can New Technology Allow Homeland Security To Read Your Mind?
Also in this issue: The strange Blackberry addiction, and new study finds surgery for arthritic knee pain no better than conservative treatments…
Imagine this: You’re walking through the airport really fast because you’re running late and trying to get to the gate on time, before your flight takes off without you. You reach the security but instead of a long, drawn out process that includes a baggage search – you simply pass through a body scanner that…
Reads Your Mind!
I hope you have pleasant thoughts while you pass through the scanner because even though this sounds like science fiction – it’s not. Believe it or not, this technology is being tested and perfected as you read this newsletter!
What this is all about: Most preventative screening looks for explosives or metals that pose a threat. But a new system called MALINTENT turns this old school approach on its head. This machine detects the person — not the device.
MALINTENT, the brainchild of the cutting-edge Human Factors Division in Homeland Security’s
Directorate for Science and Technology, searches your body for non-verbal cues that predict whether you mean harm to your fellow passengers. It has a series of sensors and images that read your body temperature, heart rate and respiration for unconscious signs invisible to the naked eye — signals terrorists and criminals may display in advance of an attack.
But this is no polygraph test. Subjects do not get hooked up or strapped down for a careful reading; those sensors do all the work without any actual physical contact. It’s like an X-ray for bad intentions.
Currently, all the sensors and equipment are packaged inside a mobile screening laboratory about the size of a trailer or large truck bed, and just last month, Homeland Security put it to a field test in Maryland, scanning 144 (mostly unwitting) human subjects.
Results of the test are being kept very “hush-hush!”
Here’s how it all works: When the sensors identify that something is off, they transmit warning data to analysts, who decide whether or not to flag passengers for further questioning. The next step involves microfacial scanning, a measurement of minute muscle movements in the face for clues about mood and intention.
Homeland Security has developed a system to recognize, define and measure seven primary emotions and emotional cues that are reflected in contractions of facial muscles. MALINTENT identifies these emotions and relays the information back to a security screener, almost in real-time.
This whole security array — the scanners and screeners who make up the mobile lab — is called
“Future Attribute Screening Technology” — or FAST — because it is designed to get passengers through security in two to four minutes, and often faster. If you’re rushed or stressed, you may send out signals of anxiety, but FAST isn’t fooled. It’s already good enough to tell the difference between a harried traveler and a terrorist. Even if you sweat heavily by nature, FAST won’t mistake you for someone with bad intentions.
Bob Burns, MALINTENT’s project leader, said that this is not Big Brother. Its goal is to “restore a sense of freedom.” Once MALINTENT is rolled out in airports, it could give us a future where we can once again wander onto planes with super-sized cosmetics and all the bottles of water we can carry — and most importantly without that sense of foreboding that has haunted Americans since September 11th.
That’s a nice thought. Now onward to…
The Strange Blackberry Addiction!
If you have a Blackberry – you know this is true: A new study of 6,500 traveling executives says 35% of them would choose their PDA over their spouse. And get this: Of those polled, 87% said they bring their device into the bedroom. 84% check their emails just before they go to sleep. 80% check them first thing in the morning.
They Call Them “Crack-Berrys” For a Reason…
“It can actually ruin relationships,” said Dr. Susan Bartell, a psychologist and relationship expert. Of those polled, 62 percent said they love their Blackberry or PDA, and most of them said it makes their life more productive. However, experts suggest, for the sake of your relationship, you might want to occasionally turn them off and spend some quality time with your partner.
From Crack-Berrys To Knee Pain…
If you have knee pain from arthritis – you are going to find this very interesting.
Here is why: A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that surgery is no better than other treatments at relieving knee pain caused by arthritis. 86 patients who had an operation experienced no less pain over two years than 86 patients who had physical therapy and took medications to dampen inflammation.
An earlier 2002 study (by the Department of Veterans Affairs) found the same results but had a different design: instead of assigning patients to surgery or medical treatment, it assigned them to real surgery or a sham operation. The real surgery was found to be no better than the sham one. Many orthopedic surgeons denounced the study but in 2003, Medicare decided to stop paying for the operation. It’s hoped that doctors who were not persuaded by the previous study on the subject will now stop performing the operation.
To learn how to eliminate arthritis, back pain, and other ailments with revolutionary new technologies, call the toll free 24 hour recorded message at 1-888-867-4951 to request your free video.
Archive for May, 2009
Think about this the next time you’re going through the airport…
Sunday, May 31st, 2009Have Researchers Discovered The Secret Formula To Happiness?
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 If you want to live a happy and healthy life, then reading this article may help put you on that path… fast. Sound too hard to believe? Sure it does. Especially with all the “doom and gloom” our economy and country is facing right now.
But the truth is: most of the time, achieving success and happiness is actually easier than achieving failure and despair. And…It is ALWAYS a choice.
A Choice That You Can Make Right Now…
What’s that, you want proof? Sure thing… here is some amazing and interesting PROOF… According to a December 5th article in Reuters… happiness is contagious!
Here’s exactly what that means: Not too long ago, a team of researchers found smoking and obesity spreads in social circles. Basically, if you have friends who smoke and are obese, you are more likely to smoke and be obese too.
That was bad news. But now, the same team of researchers has GREAT NEWS!
On December 4th, in the British Medical Journal they revealed that getting connected to happy people improves your own happiness. Here’s how they came up with this conclusion… this is pretty incredible: Nicholas Christaki (a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School in Boston) and James Fowler (a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego) used data from a huge health study that began in 1948. The study is called the Framingham Heart Study. Data was kept on 4,700 children of the volunteers of that study.
Volunteers gave many types of personal information over the years including: births, deaths, marriages, divorces, etc. But what seems to be one of the most important types of information gathered was their list of personal contacts: Personal friends, co-workers and neighbors. Then Christaki and Fowler measured happiness using a basic four-question survey. Subjects were asked how often during the past week:
(1) They enjoyed life.
(2) They were happy.
(3) They felt hopeful about the future.
(4) They felt that they were as good as other people.
And the results were simple: 60% with high scores were rated as “happy,” while the rest were “unhappy.” That’s pretty straight forward and simple. But here’s where it gets really interesting.
The happiest people had something in common: they had the greatest number of happy people in their social network. In other words, the people with the most friends, spouses, relatives, etc. who were happy were also the happiest people. “Each additional happy person makes you happier,” Christakis said. “Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others.
It is this fabric of humanity, like an American patch quilt.” WOW! Researchers saying we are really all connected! We are not separate entities …
WE ARE LINKED!!!!
He went on to say that on our “patch quilt,” we are surrounded by all of our connections (other patches). These patches are either happy or not happy. If happy patches surround us, then we are happy. Conversely, if unhappy patches surround us, then we are unhappy.
Pretty simple – isn’t it? So simple, we probably didn’t need a Harvard researcher to tell us that we are all connected and having happy people around us makes us happy and sad people make us sad… right?
Well, here’s something fascinating about that…The research showed if a person in your social circle is happy, then your happiness increases 15%. But a negative or unhappy person in your social circle only decreases your happiness by 7%. Clearly… One Bad Apple Does NOT Spoil The Bunch!!! At least not the entire bunch!
You would need twice as many “bad apples” as “good apples” to be unhappy yourself. That is good because there seems to be a whole heck of a lot of negativity out there these days.
Now check this out… it’s pretty neat: According to the study, if you have a happy friend, it will increase your happiness by 15%. And, if that happy friend has a happy friend (which is a friend of a friend) your chances of being happy increase by 10%. And, if that friend (a friend of a friend of a friend) has a happy friend… your chances increase 6%.
And here may be the most important part of all this for YOU: According to the Reuter’s article, researcher James Fowler said, “Among other benefits, happiness has been shown to have an important effect on reduced mortality, pain reduction, and improved cardiac function. So better understanding of how happiness spreads can help us learn how to promote a healthier society.”
Here’s something that fits the economic times of today: In 1984, a study found that saving $5,000 increased a person’s chances of becoming happy by 2%. So, according to Christakis, “a happy friend is worth $20,000.” Is that number adjusted for inflation? Who knows… or cares!!!
Scientists Discover True Love?
Sunday, May 31st, 2009Modern science makes wonderful discoveries every day. In fact, modern science moves forward so fast, it is mind-boggling. For example, according to a presentation by Carl Fisch, the amount of new technological information is DOUBLING every 2 years. For someone starting a 4-year technical school/college program, half of what they learn in their first year will be outdated by their third year.
That’s with the amount of technological information doubling every 2 years. It is predicted that by 2010 the amount of technological information will double every… 72 Hours!!!
One can only wonder what a 4-year college degree will be worth (or NOT worth!) by then!
Check this out: It is predicted that by 2013 a super computer will be built that will exceed the computational capability of the HUMAN BRAIN. By 2023, a computer with that computational capability will be available for only $1,000. By 2049, for that same $1,000, technology will be so advanced that you will be able to purchase a computer that exceeds the computational capabilities of the… Entire Human Race!!! Once again… mind-boggling. So, is it really any surprise that scientists may have finally found proof of true love?
It’s funny that many people don’t believe things unless they are “scientifically proven.” As if nothing exists in the universe unless it has gone through a proper scientific study. Because of this, many health care treatments are often delayed. Chiropractic adjustment or spinal manipulations fell into this category for a long, long time.
Not too long ago, many in the medical community viewed Chiropractic as dangerous and “quackery.” Now, spinal manipulation is widely accepted for back pain and some medical doctors are actually taking courses on it. But without the scientific studies – say back in the 1940s – was Chiropractic care any less effective? Or was scientific “proof” simply years behind the eight ball? Now, there are plenty of research studies on the effectiveness of chiropractic care. To receive a free breakthrough for back pain video which cites some of these studies call the toll free 24 hour recorded message at 1-888-867-4951.
Love is another great example. If you have ever been in love – do you need a scientific study to prove to you it was real? Seems kind of silly, doesn’t it? That’s why it was so silly when a patient would go to a Chiropractor, get better, and be told it had nothing to do with the Chiropractic care, simply because there was no scientific evidence.
Well, now scientists are saying they have discovered true love. But, how? According to an article in The Australian, “A team from Stony Brook University in New York scanned the brains of couples who had been together for 20 years and compared them with those of new lovers. They found that about 1 in 10 of the mature couples exhibited the same chemical reactions when shown photographs of their loved ones as people commonly do in the early stages of a relationship.
Previous research suggested that the first stages of romantic love, a roller-coaster ride of mood swings and obsessions that psychologists call limerence, start to fade within 15 months. After 10 years, the chemical tide has ebbed away.
The scans of some of the long-term couples, however, revealed that elements of limerence mature, enabling them to enjoy what a new report calls “intensive companionship and sexual liveliness.” Very interesting. But, if you’ve ever seen a couple hold hands and look in each other’s eyes with that special look… after 50 years of marriage… you already knew true love existed. And you probably didn’t need a large research study to figure that out.
Mood Disorders Common With Long-Term Steroid Use
Monday, May 11th, 2009A study in the May 2004 issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology reports that people who take steroids long-term for conditions such as asthma stand a higher chance of developing mood disorders such as depression or manic depression. The study involved 20 patients who had been using steroids at least six months for asthma or rheumatic disease and 14 similar patients not using steroids. Both groups were tested to evaluate mood.
60% (12) of the steroid users were formally classified as having a mood disorder. Additionally, one of the tests indicated that the steroid users were at increased risk for developing manic symptoms.
