FITNESS GOES REMOTE
MIRROR Wants to Change Home Gyms Forever
From big to small — that’s the pattern of the second half of the 20th century, and it’ll be the story of the 21st century, as well. At least, that’s what Moisés Naím says in his book, “The End of Power,” which examines the way power, like matter, changes form but never truly disappears. It might seem like the inevitable result of a growing global population, but Naím postulates that there’s more going on than meets the eye. He first shows how power is going from the few to the many, leading to “micropowers” like Mark Zuckerberg outweighing and outclassing government agencies. But that’s not hard to do, and as Naím points out, it’s been happening for a while. Look at the drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border. Originally, most smuggling was handled by a few large groups, beginning with Pablo Escobar’s Medellín organization in the 1980s. But as the drug war heated up in the early 2000s, something changed — governments cut the heads off of the Hydra, but then many little snakes took over. These small cartels sometimes grew to power (Los Zetas) but always resulted in anarchy compared to the previous stability. Can power contract once more? It’s tough to say — the internet drives the dissemination of power. But Naím offers a compelling vision of the future. ‘The End of Power’ by Moisés Naím WHAT DO CARTELS AND SILICON VALLEY HAVE IN COMMON? We’ve all tried to figure out ways to get our exercise in during the pandemic. But what if you’re more serious about fitness, or, after months of watching Netflix, want to start getting in shape but don’t know how? These categories might seem like different demographics, but MIRROR is courting both — as well as everyone in between. MIRROR is, well, a mirror with a smartphone-like camera built in, as well as a display that sits behind the glass. Imagine a plain bedroom mirror with a few phone-like indicators projected on it, and you’ve basically got the idea. However, with a TV-like screen, MIRROR also offers 50+ genres of exercise classes, from beginning to expert, via a subscription- based model. Although the market for such a device was certainly there before, after the pandemic hit, MIRROR’s sales have skyrocketed, and there’s a reason for that popularity. Most MIRROR users appreciate the recorded videos, but the live classes are the real draw because they allow an instructor to see you and offer feedback
JUST A FLESH WOUND? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT ...
Meet Healthy.io
Like it or not, these days, most peoples’ response to a crisis is to reach for their smartphones. This has led to some frankly horrifying behavior — like the “most hated” man in Australia taping injured and deceased police officers — but it’s also led to evidence used in courts to promote justice. Now, developer Healthy.io wants to harness that documentary impulse another way: wound care. When you get bit by a rattlesnake, you’re supposed to circle the inflammation every half hour with a sharpie and indicate the time, so doctors at the ER can see how quickly the venom is spreading. But what if you could do this with all wounds — without the sharpie, of course. One simple picture with the Healthy.io app, and you’re on your way to documenting the story of a traumatic wound. Of course, that’s only half of the puzzle. Once you’ve got pictures of one wound at various stages of healing, you can start to show them to a piece of software. Thousands of wounds later, and that software will know a thing or two about them. In fact, it might even be able to make suggestions to doctors in remote locations who don’t have the same access and benefits as their city counterparts. It’s a data-driven approach, to be sure. But then again, what isn’t these days? Healthy.io gained recognition for its kidney testing software that looks at smartphone pictures of urinalysis strips, no trip to the office required. If the bet pays off, it could be the first in a long line of companies looking to digitize health care, and in 2021, it isn’t hard to see the benefits of that.
855-556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies www.azcomp.com/it • 3
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