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Ending the Title of Plus Size Model

Will society ever end the title of “Plus Size Model?” Every time I scroll through my social media and see an article about plus sized models, I shake my head. Why does society feel the need to differentiate between models and plus size models? Aren’t they just models? We all need to start accepting people for who they are and not how they look.

I blame Hollywood for the misconception of how people should look. I understand that there are averages for sizes and weights, and that people should live a healthy lifestyle so they can live longer. The truth is, that is not reality. Not every guy has chiseled abs and not every woman is a size one. We all come in different shapes, sizes, and weight.

Recently, Pink was being attacked on Twitter for her weight gain. One tweet said, “Fat bitch loose wait.” By the way, if you’re going to insult someone, learn how to spell. It’s not loose wait, it’s lose weight. The artist responded to the negative tweets in a positive way. She simply told her followers that she is happy the way she is. I really hope this is a step into the right direction to end society’s view on how people should look.

Many years ago, voluptuous and curvy women were more desired. Marilyn Monroe was by no means a size one, she was between the sizes of 12 to 16. Even at that size, she was a sex icon. These days, if a woman is between the sizes of 12 to 16, she would be considered plus size. This just goes to show you that society has degenerated in that last 30 years.

Compare the two women below and tell me which one is more beautiful. You can’t because each of them are beautiful in their own way, it doesn’t matter on what size they are. Let’s eliminate the label of “plus size” because no likes to have labels, we are all human.

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Turn any TV into a PC

Google will be releasing the ASUS Chromebit this summer. The Chromebit will be able to connect to any TV via HDMI. It features a USB port and Bluetooth so you can hook up a keyboard, mouse, or other peripherals. Other Chromebit features are as follows:

• Quad-core ARM Cortex A17 Rockchip CPU • Quad-core ARM 760 Mali GPU, which uses only 3 watts of power • 2GB RAM • 16GB flash storage • WiFi 802.11 ac 

With a price tag of about $100, it is totally worth it. You essentially turn any TV into a smart TV, but better. Unlike the Chromecast or Roku, you can do more than just stream videos, you can surf the internet at the comfort of your couch. 

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A Tool for People with Depression

MIT and Northwestern University led to the development of a new social engaging tool called Panoply, which is designed to help people with depression. This tool will focus on a technique known as “cognitive reappraisal,” which allows users to receive help from others as well as offer help.

People with depression suffer from “maladaptive thought pattern,” which causes and maintains emotional problems. These thinking patterns can also be accompanied by “irrational beliefs,” which are beliefs that are thought to be true but aren’t. Psychologists put these negative thought patterns into separate thinking categories before identifying more positive appraisals of the situation.

Panoply has its users fill out specific fields that details an event that triggered a maladaptive thought. This gives other users that are logging on an opportunity to suggest ways to reframe negative thoughts in a positive light. When users become familiar with the program, they will have the ability to offer their own suggestions.

This is one step closer to ending the stigma of mental illness. The “Let’s Talk” campaign has done many great things for people who suffer from depression, anxiety, and everything else that encompasses the realm of mental illness. Now with the Panoply tool, people can reach out to others who have been through the same thing. People who suffer from depression often feel like they are alone. Panoply gives these people the opportunity to talk to one another so they no longer feel like they are alone.

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A Pen for People with Parkinson’s

DOPA Solutions has developed a pen for people with Parkinson’s who have Micrographia. Micrographia is a condition that results in small, cramped, and uncomfortable handwriting. Most people who suffer from Micrographia give up handwriting or drawing because it may be too painful. DOPA Solutions’ ARC pen is designed to eliminate the discomfort of Micrographia by stimulating key muscles and reducing the effort of moving a pen across a piece of paper. This will result in clearer, more legible handwriting. After trials of the ARC pen, the overall improvement in writing is 86%. Check out the video below.

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Can Virtual Reality Make You Forget Pain?

According to recent studies, virtual reality (VR) can make you forget pain. Neuroscientist, David Linden states that our brain tells us that we are in pain. It has the power to intensify the pain or neutralize it. This means when you stub your toe, the pain is not in your toe but in the brain. David Linden explains that our perception of pain is formed by brain circuits that are always filtering information coming from our sensory nerves.

There have been times where I had a cut on my fingers or hands, but didn’t notice it until hours later. Once I noticed the cut, I started to feel the stinging sensation. That was my brain telling me that I am in pain. This is the same thing that Dwayne Turner experienced. Turner was soldier who underwent a grenade attack while unloading supplies with his unit. "He took shrapnel in his leg, in his side — and he didn't even notice that he had been hit," Linden says.

Researchers are now experimenting the use of VR games to help burn victims overcome their agony. People who are suffering from severe burns were asked to play a game called SnowWorld, a game created by Hunter Hoffman and Dave Patterson, two cognitive psychologists. The inspiration of this experiment was to have pain signals in the brain ignored while the burn patients have their bandages changed, wounds cleaned, and staples removed. The use of opioids such as morphine only help patients when they are in rest mode.

The use of VR instead of drugs could be a better option. Many people become addicted to the prescription drugs, which can leave them worse off than the injury itself. It’s about time that gaming can help people rather than having the stigma that it destroys the brain and makes people anti-social. In fact, gaming helps with problem solving, hand and eye coordination, and now, pain.

Works Cited

Hamilton, Jon.http://www.npr.org/blogs/health. 18 February 2015. Website. 12 March 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/18/387211563/pain-really-is-all-in-your-head-emotion-controls-intensity>.

Thomas, Sue. Livescience. 28 February 2015. Website. 12 March 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/49990-virtual-reality-can-make-you-forget-pain.html>.

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Using Playstation’s Project Morpheus as a Teaching Tool

With Playstation’s Project Morpheus scheduled to be released in early 2016, there are endless possibilities to use its technology as a teaching tool. Project Morpheus is a virtual reality device that gives a user a sense that he or she is somewhere else.  Learners can be placed in different scenarios and be tested on the way they react. This is ideal for police officers, paramedics, and firefighters in training as they won’t be in real danger.  Not only is this an effective way to teach and learn, but it can be fun too.

Think back to when you were in school and the methods that teachers used. Was it fun? Did you want to go to school when you woke up in the morning? There may have been some days when you can answer “yes” to those questions. Now think if you were taught using a virtual reality device. You can learn about dinosaurs by being right there next to them, or learning about history by reliving it. As I mentioned, there are endless possibilities. This technology can really change the world.

Sid Shuman, Senior Manager of Social Media for Playstation, said this after playing EVE Valkyrie, a game where you’re a pilot of a Starfighter ship, “I looked down and saw my own virtual body seated in the cockpit with my hands clutching the flight controls. During moments like this, I briefly felt like I was actually somewhere else — an effect of ‘presence,’ a term that describes successful VR’s ability to trick the mind and fully immerse the player in his or her virtual surroundings.” This is what got me thinking on how this device can also be used as a teaching aid. If Sid Shuman felt like he was an actual pilot, imagine what it can do for people who are training to be pilots.

I think that Playstation should work with Instructional Designers and educators to develop training modules and teaching aids for organizations and schools. This will put an end to traditional teaching methods, which doesn’t work for everyone. There are many intelligent students who aren’t successful in school because traditional schooling doesn’t work for them or they’re bored. We have to keep up with the times and use technology to our advantage.

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Why is a Technical Communicator Valuable?

After I graduated from my technical communication program in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I realized that many organizations did not know what a technical communicator is, especially in Winnipeg. Out of all of the provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have the least amount of technical writing jobs. Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario have the majority of technical writing jobs. There are multiple openings daily, where Manitoba and Saskatchewan have an opening once every six months. It seems that Saskatchewan and Manitoba don’t know the value in a technical communicator.

So, what is a technical communicator? A technical communicator is a well-rounded professional that can be beneficial to any organization. They have the ability to communicate technical or specialized topics to a non-technical crowd. Technical communicators are commonly used to write manuals for a wide variety of industries, but are capable of doing so much more. They are trained in many different areas including writing, editing, instructional design and graphic design. They are also skilled in oral presentations, proof reading, interviewing, learning and teaching complex tasks and creating pamphlets, infographics, brochures, user guides and other professional documents.

Most companies in Manitoba look for people with a creative communications background, but don’t realize that a technical communicator can do the same thing. A creative communicator will be educated in one subject, whether it be public relations, journalism, or marketing. A technical communicator studies in all of those subjects instead of majoring in one. This is what makes a technical communicator valuable.Please don’t let your company go without the skills of a technical communicator. Interview one and find out what they are capable of because you never know, they might be the right fit for your company