Microlife Blood Pressure Monitor

It turns out that my new job is desiging and writing software to try to help people get and stay healthy. One of the fun parts of that job is playing with cool health-related devices.

I got this Microlife Blood Pressure monitor at Long's drugs here in town for about $80; Amazon has it for about the same price. The really nice thing is that you can download readings to a PC and chart them, etc. (this is why I got to expense it).

I don't really have a blood pressure issue --- maybe a touch high but not a big deal. But the interesting thing is, just seeing the numbers every day, I find myself thinking more about what I choose to eat (well, except for tonight at the M's game). We've heard similar things from other places as well --- apparently people who have lost weight have a 50% better chance of keeping it off if they just stand on a scale every morning. Not do anything about it, just look at the number.

Interesting. This is a hard space to motivate people in, myself included. Little things like this can add up.

Black & Decker Cordless Drill (and Screwdriver)

This one is actually a bit better than the one I currently have, but the same idea. I use these for everything; most recently to rebuild our huge disc swing that had fallen down a few years ago. The key feature (other than the obvious power and battery life) is the snap-on-snap-off chuck piece. You can have a bit in the chuck for drilling pilot holes and the phillips attachment on the inside --- just pop in the chuck and drill pilot holes, then snap off the chuck and drive the screws. Really nify. It also has a nice clutch feature so that you can use it on relatively delicate material without damage.

So as you can see, I fell down on my post-a-day resolution; it's been months. I took a new job and, well, blew it. We'll see if I can get back on the horse for awhile.