Dr. James Beckerman is a cardiologist with the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute in Portland, Oregon.
And he’s also a jock. He serves as the Vice-Chair of the Oregon Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, as well as the team cardiologist for the Portland Timbers major league soccer team.
In a recent article, he tells the sad story of the time the running watch that tracked his regular runs stopped connecting to his computer. Continue reading
“Skate to where the puck is going.” That’s a common expression here in Canada, largely attributed to hockey great Wayne Gretsky. It basically says if you want to accomplish something, go directly to where it will really count. Or, as I like to translate that advice for the benefit of all you Silicon Valley start-ups working away on developing yet another new self-tracking health app: “For Pete’s sake, go find some Real Live Patients to talk (and listen) to first before you decide where you’re going!”
And as one sage pondered on Twitter:
“Why do we think self-tracking devices will work when mirrors and bathroom scales have so far failed?”
Speaking of Real Live Patients, here’s one who contacted me in response to a recent blog post I wrote about health apps for smartphones: Continue reading
The Ethical Nag 