FitSugar

Put Your Mouse Down: Neck Stretch

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:00:00 PST

We all need a little break from computing to remember we have a body.

So put your mouse down...and watch this video. Do the neck stretch while you watch.

If you want more on desk stretching and personalized reminders check out MacBreakZ.

Put your mouse down and Release your Eyes

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 15:30:00 PST

Eyes may be the windows to the soul, but staring at your WINDOWS operating system can seriously overwork them. So go ahead and put your mouse down.

No really.
PUT.
YOUR.
MOUSE.
DOWN.

And look away from your computer screen and focus on the farthest thing you can see and hold your gaze for 5 seconds.
Then focus on your cuticles for 5 seconds (do you need a manicure?).
Look up and far away again and hold the gaze for 5 seconds (if you are gazing at a person and you catch their eye – just smile).
Now focus for 5 seconds on your palms and try to find your lifeline.

You have just worked out all the tiny muscles that control and focus your eyes.

Try to do this multiple times a day - to work out your eyes and keep them strong.

Put your mouse down and Release your Neck

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 15:30:00 PST

It is hard not to be obsessed with Thanksgiving right now. The food, the tips, the shopping hints are all over the Internet. Well I am here to ask you to put your mouse down and release your neck.

No really.

PUT.
YOUR.
MOUSE.
DOWN.

Inhale and shrug your shoulders up to your ears. Exhale and let them fall back down. Repeat 4 more times.

Bring your right ear to your right shoulder and repeat doing the same thing on the left side.

Look over your right shoulder. Then look over your left.

Lower your chin towards your chest. Then look up at the ceiling.

Now hopefully your neck feels better.

Put your mouse down and...Arch over your chair

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 16:33:42 PST

No, really.
PUT.
YOUR.
MOUSE.
DOWN...

and arch over your chair.

If you are a serious computer user you should really take time, right now, to arch back over your chair. It might feel like a Flashdance moment, but this will give your tight chest a much needed release. Try to get your shoulder blades over the top of the seat. Rotate your arms away from you so your palms are facing out. This is the ultimate anti-computer move.

6 Reasons to Love L.A. Noire, and 1 Reason You'll Want to Pull Your Hair Out

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:17:50 PDT

I just started playing L.A. Noire, and if you haven't already picked it up for yourself, you're missing out. This stylish game puts you in control of an investigator that is hunting down a possible serial killer set in 1947 LA. So far it's pretty amazing - the sounds, style, and incredible likeness to real TV stars make this game totally addictive. Since I can't yet give you a full review, I asked members of our Facebook and Twitter communities, who have already finished the game, to weigh in on their favorite parts of the thriller; see their reactions below!

The characters - Not only does this game star some of your favorites from Mad Men, and Fringe, it also has some seriously complex characters. Bradley B. says, "[Cole] is one of the most fleshed out characters in recent releases."
The open environment - I love a sprawling environment to explore, and L.A. Noire delivers. You can drive around the city and visit landmarks, search for clues, or find hidden gems out on the streets.
CSI-style detective work - Just like in some of your favorite crime-solving shows, you get to investigate scenes, put together pieces of the puzzle, and attempt to find the real killers. Which leads to . . .
The interrogation - Since you'll be gathering information at the scene, you'll want to put together the most accurate information in order to bring in the right suspects. But there's a definite sense of cat-and-mouse in the interrogation room. You could ask the wrong questions and put away the wrong suspect at any moment, or be forced to start your case over completely. And that's never good for your relationship with the chief!
The investigation/action one-two punch - Investigating a scene or following a lead one moment, then chasing down a potential suspect and covering your behind in a shootout the next - it's all part of solving crime in 1940's LA!
The story - Danielle W. says, "It's interesting that a case can turn out a number of different ways. This game has very mature story telling" and Spacekatgal agrees. She says her favorite thing about L.A. Noire is "the mature narrative. I've never seen nudity in a videogame in a way that tells a better story."

To learn about one way L.A. Noire will want to make you scream, just read more.

I'm Asking: What's on Your Work Desk?

Emily Co — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:15:19 PDT

Sometimes decorating your desk with pretty items can put a smile on your face even when you're going through a tough work day. I'm asking, what sort of desk ornaments or organizing items do you have on your work desk?

My desk has a pink mouse pad with a cartoon bear on it, headphones for me to watch YouTube videos, my Starbucks tumbler, a tiny whiteboard for me to jot down ideas, and a stack of career and personal finance books on the side. Not to forget, there's usually always a copy of O magazine! What sort of items do you have on your desk?

16-Year-Old Schedules Wrist Surgery From Too Much Texting

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:00:39 PDT

How do you know when your texting obsession has gone too far? When you have to have surgery on both of your wrists for a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, that's how! Take it from Annie Levitz, a 16-year-old student from Chicago who sends an average of 100 texts a day - the obsession just isn't worth it. Annie began feeling pain in her wrists after sending a boatload of texts daily (hopefully she has an unlimited texting plan!), which then developed into numbness and loss of feeling in her hands. After visiting a doctor, who diagnosed her with carpal tunnel syndrome, she started receiving shots to numb the pain, has been fitted with braces on both wrists, and will undergo surgery to correct the damage to her nerves.

I'll be the first to suggest that it's time parents and teachers alike start educating children on the health risks of too much technology - from texting to chatting with strangers online - and they should be taught to know when to put down the phone for health's sake. I'll make the first move - want to know how you can prevent an extreme case of carpal tunnel syndrome like Annie's? Just

read more. Besides limiting your texting time (let's get real - 100 a day? At that point, maybe you should consider calling or sending an email), I have a handy exercise regime you can perform at your desk, on the bus, or before you hit the sack to keep your wrists healthy. Additionally, consider making your work stations and desks ergonomic - wrist guards for your mousing hand and keyboards, and making sure you're sitting at the right angle with a good chair. Finally, consider investing in a voice-to-text app like ShoutOut to give your hard-working wrists a break. Source: Flickr User eron_gpsfs

Interview with Imagination Movers: Disney's Amazing Dad Band

LilSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:27 PST

Disney's hottest dad act, the Imagination Movers encourage friendship, creativity, and thinking while they get kids up off the couch. You may assume this is just another example of the Mouse's Midas touch, but it's more. The four friends (three of which are fathers to a combined nine children) have a back story beginning in New Orleans that will have parents pushing their tots in front of the television as the band's message is genuine. Rich Collins (Mover Rich) explained, "We weren't four guys that went and auditioned and got put on a show. There's history that makes us what we are." I had the opportunity to sit down with the foursome (Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith) recently in San Francisco. To see how Hurricane Katrina altered their lives and led them to become male role models on the Disney channel,

read more. lilsugar: How did you guys go from being an architect, a firefighter, a teacher and a journalist to having a kid's band? Dave: We wanted to make quality music for kids because we had children who were steeped in the whole world of entertainment and a lot of what we saw was cartoons and puppets. We brought it back to what we had grown up with - Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo. Mr. Rogers had just passed away and we thought there was a void and decided to take a shot at doing something about it. So we got together - four goofy dads who had an idea and here we are years later and it's turned into something that is of value. Scott: Actually, the initial idea was local in New Orleans and then low and behold what we created resonated with people and we were tenacious about its development and were fortunate that Disney came and saw us at Jazz Fest. We played our set and started talking about doing a show together and had this concept and that's how it was born. lilsugar: Did you guys quit your day jobs as touring and doing a show must take up the majority of your time? Dave: When we started it was a hobby. We'd put the kids to bed and meet. At first, it was in my built out attic room and we'd be there from like nine at night until 12 or one in the morning a few days a week and brainstorm and work. Then, the music took on a life of its own. We made three independent CDs and a DVD and started playing shows. The business needed attention so Rich was the first one to quit and make the full time leap. Then, three years ago Katrina came. Once that happened we lost three of our four homes and Smitty was a firefighter. Smitty: I still am a New Orleans firefighter, I'm just on leave of absence. lilsugar: When you lost your homes, did you go stay with family and then reconnect later? Rich: So the flood came and the three of us lived in one neighborhood (Smitty lived in a drier part of town) so our houses got completely flooded and were under eight feet of water for weeks and our office, Mover stuff and instruments - it was all gone. So we were all in our cars with the kids and the cat and the computer and a few pieces of clothing and a couple of pictures you saved and we were literally refugees, but it's funny. It's not funny really, but there was a day or two after when we were all holed up in different cities and hotels and things and we started communicating via text because we had a show booked that next Saturday in Dallas. And, so I was like - can you get there? Can we do this show? Dave: I was sitting on the steps of a hotel in Houston, my kids were in bed and I'm exhausted outside with my wife and we're texting because that's the only way you can communicate. I looked at my phone and it was Tuesday or Wednesday and he's like so are we still playing Dallas Saturday? Saturday, I was in Dallas. We realized what else are we gonna do? We will have a hotel room there. I don't know if I have a job, I don't know where anybody is, and there's a small fee out there and I've got an obligation. Not knowing where anything was or where money was gonna come from, we went. People loaned us instruments. Rich: Scott bought some replacement suits - I was wearing my old glasses. We were like refugee performers - so a bad thing happened and that's kind of a symbol for what happened in the bigger picture. We were totally thrown off of our routines, but quickly realized that there was this huge community of Movers fans in New Orleans and around the south who reached out to us to ask if we were okay. And to let us know, "your music was in the car and kept our kids feeling safe and please keep doing what you're doing". It was this outpouring of support. Doing the Movers gave us this safe harbor and in a bigger sense, it is what allowed us to pull ourselves up out of the storm. This is maybe getting a little too grand, but we managed to get the deal with Disney and bring the production of the show to the city. It was the lifeline for us and for our families to get the show going, but we're now employing more than one hundred people for seven months at a time when we do the show. It's a huge boost for the local film community. lilsugar: No matter what happens, you're staying in New Orleans? Smitty: New Orleans is a small town, we grew this thing from nothing. People would tell us that this was their sense of normalcy and for us this became the thing we rallied around to lift ourselves up. Scott: The one guy who didn't lose his home, Smitty, penned the lyrics to the song, We Got Each Other which was probably the first recorded song in New Orleans after Katrina and was on our Eight Feet album. Dave: You might lose your tangible things, but you've still got your family and friends and support. Smitty: I didn't lose my house and none of my family died or anything, but as a fireman, for two weeks straight we banded together and relied on one another for our lives. That was part of that song too. It was pretty tough, but I think out of all that, here comes this good thing. Scott: Our lives turn on a dime. We were professionals working jobs and then we were standing in line for welfare or to get food stamps. It was just a real experience. Courtesy of Disney