Physiological Effects of Computers

Insomnia and youth in sin(gapore)

Junk Sleep is a result of engaging in technological devices right into bed time.

The term was developed by a team of final year students from Nanyang Technological University Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. More formally, they described ‘junk sleep’ as an effect where proper REM is not achieved because one has been using consumer electronics right up until the moment of falling asleep (in addition to often leaving them on, which continues to disrupt the sleeping process).

They researched this topic, and found a vertable grocery list of symptoms, which sounded like a list of side effects for a poorly-tested prescription drug. Singaporeans consider this a growing epidemic. The graduate students eventually raised an awareness benefit to bring the whole of it to light as part of their master’s program. They recommend ceasing the use of electronics (ranging from computers to ipods) about two hours before bed, and insisted that one not use them on one’s bed, as the association can create the sense that one ought to still be working/being entertained.

The site for the event is Good in Bed, which features a home scenario that allows users to earn about the devices and (by clicking one screen to the right) the health risks, symptoms, and solutions they offer. The site was covered by AsiaOne.

Gaming Addiction

See Gaming Addiction

Further Reading

• Video Game Addicted Man Kills Mother In Yangju
• CNN.com. "Man dies after 3-day gaming binge." [1]
• Henderson, Elizabeth Connell. "Understanding Addiction." University Press of Mississippi, December 2000.
• Eurogamer. "Child dies as parents play WoW." June 20, 2005. [2]
• Foxnews.com. "Parents neglect starved babies to feed video game addiction." July 14, 2007. [3]
• Girl starved to death while parents raised virtual child in online game
• Reuters. "Docs Want More Info on Video Game Addiction." June, 2007. [4]
• Surratt, Carla G. "Netaholics?: The Creation of a Pathology." Nova Science Publishers, Aug. 1, 1999.
• Young, Dr. Kimberly S. "Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction and a Winning Strategy for Recovery." Wiley, Feb. 27, 1998.
• South Korea Cracks Down on Gaming Addiction
• In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop
• [NY Times: Bloggers are working themselves to death http://www.blogherald.com/2008/04/05/ny-times-bloggers-are-working-themselves-to-death/] (article in response to NYTimes blogger death coverage. Denies writer's experience with physiological detriments when blogging).

Mobile Computing and Vehicles

Articles

• Driven to Distraction (NYTimes series about technology, driving, and everyday life that won author Matt Richtel a Pulitzer).
• Driven to Distraction: Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky.
• In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin (the study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over 18 months, found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting).
• Safety Group to Call for Ban on Texting While Driving
• Doubts About Scare Tactics on Drivers Who Text
• Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab
• Text-Blocking Apps Only Work if You Use Them
• Gadgets in Emergency Vehicles Seen as Peril (In a city like New York, gadgets are an extra distraction. Paramedics aren't supposed to use GPS devices while driving, but they do).

Videos

• The Dangers of Texting While Driving (In a CNBC interview, Matt Richtel of The New York Times discusses the dangers of texting while driving).
• Distracted Drivers (Most people are aware of the dangers of trying to multitask while driving, but most continue to do it anyway)