Interactive Wearables

For Apple fans, the Apple Watch (left) is here.

 

It is only a matter of time before interactive wearables are as widespread as smartphones. Already tech-heads have rushed to snap up the watch, which is being sold as a health gadget with its ability to track physiological traits.

 

Australia's University of Wollongong researcher Katina Michael said detecting someone’s pulse and temperature could reveal much more than just that, such as when they were asleep, happy or down and anxious or calm. She said that by capturing bodily data together with information on our movements, purchases and social life, it became easy to work out what a person was thinking.

 

Associate Professor Michael said there was a big question mark over what would happen to this data in future, and it could easily fall into the hands of employers and insurers who could deny jobs or policies to people who didn’t fit their mould.

 

But she warned that keeping private by forgoing wearables isn’t going to help anybody either. In a workplace scenario, Michael said bosses would favour access to data from wearables because they could monitor their employees’ performance and could even reject applicants with undesirable characteristics.

 

“If someone is not performing well under pressure or is stressed meeting executives… and certain activities have flustered them, the watch will know before they even know,” she said.

 

Similarly, hirers would prefer candidates with available data when deciding who has the best fit – and you just have to hope that it’s you.

 

Also health and life insurers could deem someone ineligible for a policy if data indicated they didn’t eat well, didn’t exercise enough or had certain mental or physical illnesses.

 

“They may say to us you either give us the data or I’m not going to insure you,” Michael said. The consequence is that you’ll pay a much higher premium for less service.

 

Indeed, technology can be a double-edged sword.

After a 6-day lull, I returned to Toastmastering. I was so relieved.

 

And yesterday, I was at the KL Advanced Toastmasters meeting. I had the fortune to be given a speaking slot and I presented a speech, i.e. CC #6 titled The Grim Reaper. It was a good speech and Lakhmichand evaluated me.

 

In the ‘Open Evaluation’ segment, one listener had remarked I adopted a very theatrical style of elocution. Another said I used sensory language. Nice.

 

I was also the Table Topics Evaluator. A small turnout of only eleven people but still, a good meeting nonetheless. A 7.5 over 10 score.