This week's links

There were quite few interesting links I found this week, summarized here for your convenience.

A new procedure is now available for the treatment of chronic bowel incontinence, a disorder impacting (no pun intended) the lives of more than 18 million Americans. If sacral nerve stimulation trials prove successful, a pacemaker-like device is surgically implanted to provide continued, adjustable neurostim; effectively ending fecal incontinence. There is a similar device manufactured by the same company for urinary incontinence that has been utilized by over 85,000 patients worldwide. Am I the only one that doubts that somebody out there will want to get that area of their anatomy stimulated by electrical impulses? Ahem...

A clever image can quickly help you determine if you need glasses while working on a computer with a particular focal distance. Einstein's image is only discernible with clear vision (not nearsighted), otherwise (if you're nearsighted) you will see a fuzzy Marilyn Monroe.

This study links lower intelligence test results with users of the Internet Explorer browser, more specifically, version 6. These results simply suggest that individuals with lower IQ's seem to resist change instead of being willing to experiment, use other variants of a commonly used tool or follow upgrade advice like most of the higher scoring participants.

A public high school in central Florida will be purchasing iPads for each and every student this fall in an attempt to save money on textbooks and provide an alternative approach to education. While this bodes well for incorporating a richer multimedia experience in the classroom, it also evens the playing ground as many special ed students with learning disabilities have recently begun using apps on Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads that have been designed to compensate for developmental deficits or rehabilitate/ remediate ways of remaining in the mainstream. These kids with learning disabilities will have the advantage, in many cases, of familiarity with these devices before their classmates. Additionally, the touch interaction of these devices will also make their adoption in the classroom less arduous on a demographic that is sensitive to the learning curves of new devices. More troubling to yours truly, a link at the bottom of the article suggesting how these students might foolishly "jailbreak" their new iPads. This would allow the students free reign as to what they put on their devices, likely some games, possibly introducing viruses or other nasties into the system.

Finally, for the nostalgic of you out there, a story summarizing the history of the World Wide Web, which turns twenty today.

Be sure to check back during the week for more tweets about daily living in the information age via the goshthatsneat.com Home page, featuring a live twitter stream or follow us on Twitter directly from our link at the top of the page. On a more personal note, I wanted to share with you guys my transition from using a PC to a newly purchased iMac desktop. I'll be sharing a bit more about the significance of such a major step as well as any snags or revelations I encounter.

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Location:Ocala, FL United States