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AirTalk

Wired to the max

By AirTalk Staff
Published Apr 29, 2010
Old ways of measuring electrical signals, like the EEG shown above were the purview of mega-geeks and researchers. The new generation of self-trackers can fit in a pocket, onto a headband or in your smart phone.
Old ways of measuring electrical signals, like the EEG shown above were the purview of mega-geeks and researchers. The new generation of self-trackers can fit in a pocket, onto a headband or in your smart phone.
(
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
)
Listen 24:37
Wired to the max
With smart phones and tiny self-trackers like FitBit and DirectLife you can measure every movement and moment consumed – from time spent in REM sleep and calories ingested to mundane tasks like waiting in line and washing dishes – and learn how this knowledge affects your moods. Do we really need this much information about ourselves? How useful is it? And are the odd habits of self-tracking ultra-geeks the new normal? Wired magazine’s Gary Wolf tells us why numerical navel-gazing may soon displace linguistic forms of self-exploration.

With smart phones and tiny self-trackers like FitBit and DirectLife you can measure every movement and moment consumed – from time spent in REM sleep and calories ingested to mundane tasks like waiting in line and washing dishes – and learn how this knowledge affects your moods. Do we really need this much information about ourselves? How useful is it? And are the odd habits of self-tracking ultra-geeks the new normal? Wired magazine’s Gary Wolf tells us why numerical navel-gazing may soon displace linguistic forms of self-exploration.

Guests:

Gary Wolf, author of the upcoming New York Times Magazine cover story The Data-Driven Life; contributing editor for Wired, covering science and social issues

Margaret Morris, Clinical Psychologist and Senior Researcher, Digital Health Group, Intel Corporation