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Today I have acquired a Biodot.
Work was having a Staff Wellness Event, so we popped along for a giggle. Very fun. They were doing blood pressure checks, height/weight checks, Quit Smoking advice, information about the gym (complete with a raffle for gym membership, which I thankfully didn't win!), information about staff counselling and occupational health, etc.
They also had a lady giving out Biodots.
The short description of these things is: they are the latest incarnation of 80s mood rings, only now they come as little stickers you slap on to your wrist or thumb-web. They change colour amusingly in response to body heat.
What they are sold to you as: a "scientific" stress test, they work by measuring blood flow to the skin, which changes in response to stress.
Yes, of course... Because I become less stressed when sitting in my environmentally-controlled 27°C laboratory. That's exactly why it goes blue. Nothing at all to do with the fact that I'm sitting in a bleeding hot room sweating under a labcoat! I also, apparently, become less stressed when standing in the sun, but more stressed when standing under trees. Clearly these Biodots are ingenious and everyone needs one...
Bloody hell.
The more useful news is that my blood pressure is sitting comfortably at 120/75. Good to know!
In other and entirely unrelated news, the experts have confirmed that my bumblebee find at the country park was indeed Bombus jonellus - a new record for the area. And since then, we've found Bombus humilis...pretty much everywhere. Literally every bee walk in the last month, formal and informal, has turned up a queen or two. It's not surprising as they favour flower meadows, chalk grassland and coastal-type areas (which pretty much describes this area exactly, although the "coast" is technically tidal river estuary). It's still an excellent thing to know, and we're seeking advice on how to make sure the population on the unprotected piece of land is conserved (the other sightings were in reserves/country parks so already being formally managed for conservation).
Other stuff fine. Discovered the reason I still haven't received my PhD certificate, nearly a year on, is because the University sent it to my old address in London, despite that I'd given them my new address, so it got returned. (On the subject of postal fail, CRI's birthday present hasn't made it here yet. Am starting to worry as it was mailed on Friday afternoon I believe.)
Work was having a Staff Wellness Event, so we popped along for a giggle. Very fun. They were doing blood pressure checks, height/weight checks, Quit Smoking advice, information about the gym (complete with a raffle for gym membership, which I thankfully didn't win!), information about staff counselling and occupational health, etc.
They also had a lady giving out Biodots.
The short description of these things is: they are the latest incarnation of 80s mood rings, only now they come as little stickers you slap on to your wrist or thumb-web. They change colour amusingly in response to body heat.
What they are sold to you as: a "scientific" stress test, they work by measuring blood flow to the skin, which changes in response to stress.
Yes, of course... Because I become less stressed when sitting in my environmentally-controlled 27°C laboratory. That's exactly why it goes blue. Nothing at all to do with the fact that I'm sitting in a bleeding hot room sweating under a labcoat! I also, apparently, become less stressed when standing in the sun, but more stressed when standing under trees. Clearly these Biodots are ingenious and everyone needs one...
Bloody hell.
The more useful news is that my blood pressure is sitting comfortably at 120/75. Good to know!
In other and entirely unrelated news, the experts have confirmed that my bumblebee find at the country park was indeed Bombus jonellus - a new record for the area. And since then, we've found Bombus humilis...pretty much everywhere. Literally every bee walk in the last month, formal and informal, has turned up a queen or two. It's not surprising as they favour flower meadows, chalk grassland and coastal-type areas (which pretty much describes this area exactly, although the "coast" is technically tidal river estuary). It's still an excellent thing to know, and we're seeking advice on how to make sure the population on the unprotected piece of land is conserved (the other sightings were in reserves/country parks so already being formally managed for conservation).
Other stuff fine. Discovered the reason I still haven't received my PhD certificate, nearly a year on, is because the University sent it to my old address in London, despite that I'd given them my new address, so it got returned. (On the subject of postal fail, CRI's birthday present hasn't made it here yet. Am starting to worry as it was mailed on Friday afternoon I believe.)
