When she was working as a stats coordinator for MLB Advanced Media more than a dozen years ago, Steph Armijo took her first yoga class and immediately saw the potential benefits for ballplayers. Sure, shed look toward the field during pregame warmups and see some players doing lizard poses and variations of other asana, but none of it was being done in a methodical way to maximize the full benefits.

A few years after leaving MLB in 2007, she founded Yoga 42, a program geared toward elite athletes. When I first started knocking on this door and said I want to teach yoga, that didnt mean anything to them. Teams want to see the results, she says. You see players doing the typical yoga stretches, but nobody wanted to call it yoga and nobody wanted to do yoga. She eventually taught classes to the NBAs Brooklyn Nets and to front-office employees of MLBs New York Mets, but only occasionally to the players.

New research, however, offers a glimpse into the objective data that could convince clubs to open the door wider for implementing biomechanical yoga programs. Last summer, Armijo partnered with Motus Global and KineticPro to conduct a small pilot program that tracked the recovery of pitchers who participated in a 60-minute yoga class the day after pitching and then another 60-minute vinyasa class the day after that. Yoga therapy balls were also used for myofascial release.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY:Make Sure Youre atthe Worlds Premier Sports Tech Event (March 2627 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn)

Athletes were tested on range of motion, jump force and isometric shoulder strength using six wearable Motus motion sensors and KineticPro resistance bands with force sensors. Though small in scopethe study included 10 high school and college pitchers in Florida, split evenly between a control group and a yoga groupthe results were promising.

Four variablespelvis flexion, non-dominant shoulder abduction, non-dominant shoulder internal rotation, and dominant trunk rotationall showed significant improvement among pitchers in the yoga class. The majority of data points, including dominant shoulder internal rotation, showed better results among the yoga participants, although many did not rise to the level of statistical significance. (A full white paper is available.) The study concludes, Yoga speeds the recovery process of several key fatigue markers, and may offer more physical benefits than has previously been considered.

After a start, theres a need to gain more mobility, and over the course of a season, theres a need to at least maintain your mobility, says Ben Hansen, who until last month was the VP of biomechanics and innovation at Motus before joining the Chicago White Sox as a senior biomechanical engineer. (Driveline Baseball acquired Motus sports sensor technology earlier this month, after the yoga research was completed.)

Earlier work by the married duo of Armijo and Hansen discussed how trunk separation and trunk flexion correlate to faster pitch velocitiesand how those qualities can be enhanced by yoga. For this most recent study, they drew on research originally emanating from the University of North Carolina. Longtime exercise and sport science professor Joseph Myers, along with doctoral students Sakiko Oyama, Lizzie Hibberd and Brett Pexa, worked on a series of studies that validated the use of ultrasound to identify inflammation and fatigue in the shoulder. A subsequent study used ultrasound and a range-of-motion assessment on UNC pitchers during the fall 2014 season to track fatigue and recovery.

A typical [starting] pitcher gets five days rest, and we have no idea whether that's a good number or not, says Myers, who left the university in 2016 to join MLBs Tampa Bay Rays as director of baseball performance science. "But we were trying to find ways to measure the trauma associated with throwing and pitching and when does it return back to baseline.

They found that shoulder musclesespecially the infraspinatus muscle in the rear of the rotator cuffbegan swelling immediately after an outing on the mound and stayed inflamed for at least 24 hours. Thats important, Myers says, because the infraspinatus is responsible for essentially putting on the brakes in the throwing motion.

This went along with some changes in shoulder range of motion that have been linked to injury risk and also just self-reported soreness, says Pexa, now an assistant professor in athletic training at High Point University and a consultant to the Texas Rangers. So we had some good recommendations to say that pitchers shouldnt pitch on back-to-back days. This was nothing new, it wasn't anything crazy, but now we had some really, really good evidence from an intramuscular standpoint.

HEALING POWER: What Sports Tech Can Learn From a PT Guru

After Myers left academia, a larger study has continued under the purview of Pexa that is expanding in size and scope, including the examination of blood samples for inflammatory biomarkers as well as other wellness factors (sleep, stress, etc.), performance data gleaned from TrackMan radars, and monitoring the acute-to-chronic workload ratio of individual pitchers. Using a clinical reach test that provides a raw assessment of shoulder range of motion, Pexa found that players had their worst outcomes when throwing the mostor the least. It follows that ACWR research right now, where there's this Goldilocks zone, he says. We can't be working too high, but we also can't be working too low because we're not setting ourselves up for good performance in the future.

While pro clubs are keen to apply findings to protect their playersand Myers and Pexa declined to discuss use cases from their MLBorganizationsa major motivator for this work is to assuage the arm injury epidemic at the amateur level. Many of the most promising pitchers might throw for multiple teams in the same season, with little-to-no communication between coaching staffs. In the recent application of yoga to facilitate recovery, Armijo found that her 10-pitcher cohort was comprised of willing yoga novices; a few members of the control group jealousy eyed the sessions.

Every player that does yoga says they feel better after a yoga session. Nobody says they feel worse, she says. The first day, they couldnt lift their arm over their shoulder. They were that sore, so we had to be mindful of working within those parameters as well.

NEW YORK GROOVE: Adam Ottavino Answers Pitchings Why With Edgertonic Cameras

The bodys response to pitching is complex. There is not only an inflammatory response but also a neuromuscular one in which tissue stiffens. Even the non-throwing shoulder shows some markers of fatiguean effect on the nervous system that Hansen believes will be a future measurable in baseball.

Myers says theres not enough evidence yet to suggest a change to how pitchers are deployed, but there are still inherent benefits of practicing yoga. You could potentially use various various types of modalities, treatments, yoga, whatever, to maybe make them a little more ready for a bullpen session that happens two days after a start, or three days after start, he says. And its a comfort level. Youre decreasing some of the spasm and tightness that's present after throwing."

Other benefits of yoga include helping players relax and get better sleep during the grueling game and travel schedule of the season. Armijos vision is for a yoga instructor to one day become part of a pro clubs strength and conditioning staff. Were showing that these guys can recover faster, she says. How valuable would that be in the actual season when these guys need it?

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New Research Could Open the Door to MLB Teams Embracing Yoga Recovery Programs for Pitchers - SportTechie

Joining a group fitness activity can be very intimidating, especially when you are a late bloomer with questionable fitness levels, like me. In the initial days after joining yoga, I often felt a childish happiness at the possibility of being able to bunk a class. Every time I looked around, from the way people carried and placed their mats to the way they held their postures I got overwhelmed. I could not hold my own body weight. The conversations around the journey from XL to L to M were even more discouraging. I never felt the high that people claimed exercising gives.

Nobody I know will ever consider me as remotely athletic, I have never had any misgivings in this regard either. However, I was at a point in life where fitness had to be embraced, there was no other way out. I have been practising yoga regularly, more or less, for the last two years now. In the last six months, my relationship status with yoga has undergone a metamorphosis. We now have a love-hate relationship.

Also Read:Padma Shree Awardee Yoga Grandma Nanammal Passes Away At 99

I have realized you are as strong in yoga as your mind is. The epiphany first came on the day I could feel a Khumbak (retention or holding the breath, a state where there is no inhalation or exhalation) and enjoyed it after Kapalabhati (pranayama). As you sit with your eyes closed it was a happy place to be in, what needed to be accomplished was accomplished and what was to be achieved next was away. Since then it has been my favourite zone. A friend had once compared this state to the time you take in deciding between two books, especially when you have just finished reading a very good one. You want to savour that aftertaste.

Now yoga classes have become more about me and my mind, the outside is not intimidating anymore. To achieve a posture all you need is a pact with your mind and I realized this on the day the eldest person in my yoga batch did a headstand. She was the first one in the group. It also brought back the joy of celebrating together and admiring each others journeys. I have learnt to look beyond the competition and push my body. Of course, none of this can be attained without a good teacher who opens your mind first and then literally handholds you through this journey.

So, am I a changed being? I definitely feel better in my own body. However, I still have days when there are aches and pains which make it impossible to get out of bed. I succumb too. But I also take my body and my mind more seriously. I am still learning to know the difference between my mind giving up and saying no, not today. I am more in sync with myself and try to achieve a Khumbhak in most things I do.

Also read:Govt Institutions, Corporate Bodies May Introduce Yoga Breaks

At the end of a yoga class, you always do a Shavasana when you lie down after a rigorous session, you relax and rejuvenate and are ready to brave the world. You have earned that brief time to yourself because you have sweat it out and that has been the best lesson I have learnt in self-love. I now pat my back whenever I think I have outdone myself.

The views expressed are the authors own.

Excerpt from:
When Yoga Is Not Competition But Challenge To The Body And Mind - SheThePeople

Researchers tested the calming effect of music for kitties during vet visits; 'cat-specific' music was the winner.

The last time we took our cat to the vet, I literally thought he was going to have a heart attack. Tough guy is king of the savannah at home, but once in his carrier and headed to the place with the scary people in scrubs, he was a panting, hissing, mewling mess. Porr kitty. And I didn't envy the vet who had to wrestle with the freaked-out mini tiger either.

But after reading about a new study from Louisiana State University (LSU), I think I have a gameplan for the next time: We are going to play him some relaxing cat music.

Indeed, a growing body of evidence has led to the popularity of using music in human medicine. Research has shown it to be efficacious in everything from improving motor and cognitive function in stroke patients to reducing anxiety associated with medical examinations, diagnostic procedures, and surgery.

Along these same lines, researchers previously have found that during general anaesthesia, cats remain physiologically responsive to music; and beyond that, classical music was found to be more soothing than pop or heavy metal.

The authors describe cat music as being comprised of "melodic lines based on affiliative vocalizations and rewarding sounds. These melodies are interpreted as more likely to be effective if the goal is to calm an agitated cat. The thought and musical design behind composing cat-specific music was based on the idea that the development of the emotional centers in the brain of the cat occur shortly after birth, during the nursing stage. Because purring and suckling sounds are common in this developmental stage, these sounds are layered into tempos and frequencies used in feline vocalization to create cat specific music."

To see if cat music would work to calm cats at the vet's office, they experimented with 20 cats who enrolled in the study. The felines were played 20 minutes of Scooter Bere's Aria by David Teie, classical music, or no music at all in random order at each of three physical examinations at the veterinary clinic, two weeks apart.

This is the cat music. (Is it weird if it makes humans calmer too? Asking for a friend.)

As evidenced by lower cat stress scores and handling scale scores, the researchers claim that the cats appeared to be less stressed during the exams when played the cat-specific music, compared with both classical music and silence.

The examination period, they write, showed "significantly lower CSSs [cat stress scores] when cats listened to cat music compared with listening to silence or classical music," write the authors. They conclude of their findings,

"... that cats respond more positively to music made specifically for them and suggest that tranquil behaviors can be achieved in a veterinary clinical setting with the introduction of cat-specific music. Our results also suggest that this would not be the case for classical music or silence."

We have heard of all kinds of ways people try to quell the nerves of anxious cats traveling to the vet, from special pheromone sprays to Ativan and Xanax. Forget that, try some nice soothing cat music complete with purring and suckling sounds! and chances are you may even feel a bit more relaxed as well.

The study, Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic, was published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

Researchers tested the calming effect of music for kitties during vet visits; 'cat-specific' music was the winner.

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This music calms cats the best, study finds - Treehugger

I have been fortunate over the last year to engage in some great conversation on mindfulness and what one should do to stay focused on the practice. Its an appropriate time to share tools to support the practice.

Lets start where it all began, my white paper from 2018 Creating a Leadership Legacy. Below is an excerpt on mindfulness.

Mindful Leadership:

In the 4 part series from Harvard Business Review Press on Emotional Intelligence, the book on Mindfulness was hard to put down. By definition, mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing ones awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting ones feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, which may be used as a therapeutic technique. What is inspiring about this is that we have to focus and be present to truly be effective in the uber connected world in which we live. Our role as leaders has always been to cut through the noise and help prioritizethat was easier when we only dealt with office meetings and an occasional phone call. Leaders today are reacting to situations and information coming at record speeds and from endless sources. However, being mindful brings calm to the storm. I have read the learning content and team based focus from id8te. They start with teaching the team mindfulness and its health benefits. I know that I am going to check them out with my team. If you are struggling and looking for a place to start, begin the simple practice on mindfulness. How, you ask? Personally, I started with the app Calm. I also read some books and listen to mindful audio books.

That was a great time for me as I really started to explore what mindfulness meant as a person and leader. There is so much talk about mindfulness and its finally being embraced by the business world.

Ellen Langer is a pioneer in the mindfulness space, and she gives a simple description of mindfulness.

It is the process of actively noticing new things. When you do that, it puts you in the present. It makes you more sensitive to content and perspective. Its the essence of engagement.

Its important to add that mindfulness is not mediation. You do have distractions enter your thoughts. Whats important is to recognize them and let them float away. Each person uses different techniques to stay mindful. Some use their breath or music to concentrate on. Some meditate. Meditation takes a great deal of practice and if youre new to this, you may want to start with guided meditation.

Without question this has to be the hardest part of the practice. We have been programmed to multitask and have up to 10 tabs open on our browser at any given time. We have multiple chats going, while listening to a podcast, and were half engaged in a conversation. This happens at work, at dinner, or at home with potentially different distractions.

So how do we stay focused on the path? Make it a priority and fundamental to our life today. In the present. When we fully commit to something and make it part of our routine, it becomes part of who we are. You know theres progress when your wife and colleagues have noticed the growth. My wife has even asked me about a book that really grounded me ( Zen and the Art of Happiness) and she would like to share it with some friends who are searching for a way to re-prioritize their lives.

Most learn that they need three part alignment. Mind, body and spirit. For example, my routine goes something like this. Every morning I get up at 5:15 and have coffee with my wife. From there exercise consists of either cardio or yoga. After getting ready for work there is an hour of time by the ocean in spiritual meditation. During the day I try to get 10,000 steps. Also its important to find time for those moments to close your eyes and get centered. Twice a week I go to Tai Chi. My evenings are filled with family or reading. I do not watch television anymore as a habit. Listening to soothing music and reading helps nourish me and gets my body ready for sleep.

My journey started by reading a series of books on happiness, mindfulness and meditation.Below are the titles and descriptions.

Zen and the Art of Happiness. Cutting-edge science and spirituality tell us that what we believe, think, and feel actually determine the makeup of our body at the cellular level. In Zen and the Art of Happiness, you will learn how to think and feel so that what you think and feel creates happiness and vibrancy in your life rather than gloominess or depression.

This book is so deep that you will most likely read through it twice before setting it down. I gave a copy to a friend and all 3 of my daughters. From there I read After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path Enlightenment does exist, internationally renowned author and meditation master Jack Kornfield assures us. Unbounded freedom and joy, oneness with the divine . . . these experiences are more common than you know, and not far away. That book really puts you to work.

The third took me back to a book that started this journey a few years ago. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. When Wherever You Go, There You Are was first published in 1994, no one could have predicted that the book would launch itself onto bestseller lists nationwide and sell over 750,000 copies to date. Ten years later, the book continues to change lives. In honor of the books 10th anniversary, Hyperion is proud to be releasing the book with a new afterword by the author, and to share this wonderful book with an even larger audience. This is just a great foundational book that I find helps me come back to center.

After reading these books and engaging with friends on these topics, you may find yourself more open to understanding all religions and practices on meditation and mindfulness. Exploring Buddha you will realize that our impression was wrong. Buddha was simply a royal who left the family and sat under a tree and explored the mind and found enlightenment. Followers of Buddhism dont acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They instead focus on achieving enlightenmenta state of inner peace and wisdom. When followers reach this spiritual echelon, theyre said to have experienced nirvana.

Another book that really challenges beliefs is The Third Jesus, bestselling author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra provides an answer to this question that is both a challenge to current systems of belief and a fresh perspective on what Jesus can teach us all, regardless of our religious background. There is not one Jesus, Chopra writes, but three. When we take Jesus literally, we are faced with the impossible. How can we truly love thy neighbor as thyself? But when we see the exhortations of Jesus as invitations to join him on a higher spiritual plane, his words suddenly make sense. You will learn that Deepaks is a christian.

Harvard Business Review has published a 12 volume book on emotional intelligence that gets to mindfulness, resilience, listening and all the key topics for todays workforce and leaders. What you will love about these is they are easy reads. If you remember from my first white paper, they originally released the first version of four. Mindfulness was the very first book I read in that series.

Mindfulness will help your EQ. Being present more often allows you to pick up and hear more than ever before. You also become way more observant with your eyes. It allows one to be more empathetic, listen better, react to situations with more information and you will find youre more resilient in life.

Through practice your health will improve. Studies suggest that mindfulness practices lead to an increase in gray matter concentration in the parts of the brain that affect learning, memory, emotion regulation, self-referential processing and perspective taking. I can tell you I have lost 18 pounds and I am in better shape from even 15 years ago. You have more energy will be perfectly fine running all over for family or friends. You see, you think and act differently and you appreciate life and the opportunity you have to impact people all the time and more importantly in the now.

Another part of this practice is not dwelling on what is wrong in the world and replaying negative thoughts that haunt us as humans. You actually make a real time commitment to focus on the good and you begin to seek good information to support your growth. You may find yourself listening to relaxing music, practicing yoga, reading and getting away from screen time. You become focused on making a difference and being happy that we get a chance to make the world a better place.

The last thought is this: Give mindfulness a try for 3 daysThe worst thing that happens is you make time for yourself. That one act of self care will feel good. We owe it to ourselves to become a better version of ourselves each day we are blessed to wake up. In fact a recent article in the Wall Street Journal talked about the wave of traders who are leaning on meditation to improve their health.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-new-way-for-stock-traders-to-rebalance-meditation

People are seeing the effects daily when mindfulness is a practice. Also we need to lead with LOVE. Listen to your people and those conversations taking place around you. Observe your surroundings. Have a voice for those who do not. Practice empathy. Being present and putting ourselves in someone elses shoes is leadership at its finest.

Thank you for reading and you can follow my thoughts at bobsellethehrgyuy.com or read my published work at thriveglobal.com

Be Well,

Bob

The rest is here:

Small Steps Towards Mindfulness That Can Change Your Life - Thrive Global

If youve been thinking of investing in an Echo smart speaker then now is a good time to go shopping. These popular devices from Amazon have just been cut in price with the entire range now costing a lot less than before. For example, you can currently pick up an Echo Dot for 44.99 - saving 5 - or a standard Echo for 79.99 - saving 10.

Along with these devices getting a reduction, theres also price cuts on the all-screen Echo Show. This means you can buy a Show 5 for 74.99 - saving 5 or a Show 8 for 109.99 - saving 10.

YOU CAN FIND ALL OF AMAZONS PRICE CUTS HERE

These are all good discounts and are certainly worth considering if you were thinking of buying an Echo.

However, there is one more deal that offers the chance to pick up an Echo for free.

Virgin Media is currently running a promotion which includes one of these smart speakers when you sign up to a new broadband bundle.

Virgin says that it is offering this smart speaker on the Big Bundle, Bigger Bundle and Bigger Bundle+ Movies.

If you opt for the Big Bundle or Bigger Bundle youll get a free Echo Dot whilst those opting for the Bigger Bundle+ Movies will be treated to a free Echo Show 8.

Prices for Virgins plans start from 33 per month and include TV and broadband.

YOU CAN FIND ALL THE DEALS HERE

Along with these price cuts and deals, theres more good news for Echo owners in the UK.

First launched in the US, the Whisper Mode is now available on multiple devices in the UK and means that Alexa wont respond quite so loudly when you ask it a question.

The clever update basically allows you to whisper to Alexa with her then responding at a similar low volume level.

The concept is aimed at not disturbing other people in the house when you need something answering late at night or early in the morning.

If you also want to do a series of things with one whispered command, you can set up a routine that is triggered by a whisper. For example, you can set an alarm, turn off lights and play relaxing music simply by saying, Alexa, good night. You can easily create a range of customisable routines using the Alexa app.

Heres how to set up Whisper mode on Alexa: Open the Alexa app > Go to Settings > Next, click Voice Responses > Then activate Whispered Responses.

This mode should work on most of your smart speakers including the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show and new Echo Studio.

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Amazon Echo prices drop, but theres a new way to get one for free - Express

Not being able to get to sleep is one of the most frustrating things, and most people will try pretty much anything to help them nod off.

Anyone who has been failed by the usual tricks, like relaxing music, counting sheep or spritzing your pillow with lavender spray, should give the 4-7-8 method a go.

Fans of the process said it can take less than a minute and it's as simple as changing the way you breathe, said MedicalNewsToday.

Dr Andrew Weil, a specialist in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona explained that this breathing technique comes from Indian yogis who use it during their meditation practices.

Dr Weil said: "Its the single best method that Ive found for dealing with getting back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night".

You simply inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold that breath for seven seconds and exhale slowly for another eight seconds.

Then repeat, until you drift off.

As well as helping insomniacs, it helps to calm over-stressed minds, managing anxiety and controlling anger responses, by forcing your heartbeat to slow down.

Dr Weil continues: "The theory is that by imposing certain rhythms on the breath with your voluntary system, gradually these are induced into the involuntary nervous system.

And that comes with time. So its the regularity of doing this over a period of weeks, months, years that produces the changes that you want."

Dr Weil suggests using the technique twice a day to start seeing the benefits, and only completing the cycle four times when starting out.

And if you start to feel lightheaded, don't worry, that's completely normal - so make sure that the first few times you try this you're laying down.

Continued here:

Fall asleep in 60 seconds using 4-7-8 method that insomniacs swear by - Scottish Daily Record

Your neighbor could, for all you know, be hunched over her laptop making meticulously crafted post-rock, or editing a track of breathy confessional folk, or futuristic chill hip-hop that samples vintage field recordings of calypso from the Caribbean. Theres no telling.

The internet is big enough for every super-niche taste to have its own special nook with like-minded people there to egg each other on, or offer insightful critiques, whether its in artistic endeavors, obscure politics, romance or how-to fix-it projects. You might not be able to find an audience for avant-noise in your small hometown, but theres a community of listeners and players out there ready to lend an ear to almost anything. A local gig or a receptive slot at the open mic isnt always easy to find for every type of artist, and there are those who actually prefer to work in solitude. Some love to labor away at music-making but dont especially want to get up on stage and perform in front of an audience.

Technology has made it more and more feasible for musicians to create without needing to have access to a practice space or a venue to perform. You dont need musical collaborators or even a traditional instrument, so long as youve got the digital tools to grab and rearrange sound files. Platforms like Bandcamp and Soundcloud make it easy for artists to make music and share it with listeners from around the world.

Typing in the tag for Greensboro in Bandcamp yields interesting results, a sonic snapshot of music made by people in the region.

A quick search by city was how I discovered Chaucerian Myth, the name under which Greensboro musician Andrew Oliver records. Oliver had been a literature student in college, and he took his love of Medieval and Renaissance writing and used it as a jumping-off point for his music, composing elaborate synth compositions that related to the works of writers like Geoffrey Chaucer or Margery Kemp and others. Oliver makes music that gets labeled dungeon synth, which covers a broad range of styles, some of which draw on aspects of industrial rock, goth, soundtracks, early music and ambient music.

Chaucerian Myth just released a new album in January, Sir Orfeo, inspired by another work of Middle English literature from the 13th or 14th Century. This one is a variant of the Orpheus story from Greek mythology, a story, incidentally, where music and art is enough to overpower the forces of darkness (but other aspects of human nature do us in), only here Orfeo is a king who goes to rescue his wife who has been taken by a fairy king. Olivers music hints toward aspects of baroque style with suggestions of counterpoint and figured-bass style patterns, along with harpsichord and lute-like timbres that signal early music to the listener. But elsewhere, like on the second track, The Tale of Sir Orfeo, things get surprisingly energetic with almost metal-ish drum programming pulling the sounds out of the distant idealized past. (Oliver has said hes a big prog fan.) And the final track moves into almost atonal territory with dense, meandering and spooky melodies that bring to mind horror soundtracks.

Still, on the whole. Chaucerian Myth is like computer-enabled musical-fantasy time-travel, imagining a misty past stuffed with magic, artistry, royalty, enchanted nature and heroism.

While Oliver is conjuring a musical vision inspired by centuries-old poetry, others are engaged in something more abrasively rooted in the ugly present. The same regional search that gets you to Chaucerian Myth will also bring you to Democracy Dies in Stupidity, the new release by Sewer Cult, another project with the Greensboro tag. I know nothing about the people making Sewer Cults music, but it sounds like a caustic firehose of rage directed at Donald Trump and his fans. The album cover shows an image of Trump bringing a fork to his open mouth, and on the fork appears to be a turd. The album opens with a track called The Divider, which starts out with a processed sample of Trump declaring himself to be a very stable genius, after which a flesh-tearing blast beat kicks into hyperspeed.

True to their name, Sewer Cult have a cloacal fixation, blended in with their aggressive anti-fascist vibe. There are songs with titles like Coprophagia look it up and a few on related topics. Another track is called Toilet of the Vanities. With the exception of the title track, none of the songs is much longer than 2 minutes, that duration being a sufficient amount of time in which to let loose with a barrage of blistering grindcore growls and howls.

If all that is too organized, chordal, melodic and patterned for your taste, you can also find the new release from Dysphoria (also tagged as a Greensboro-based project), which is filled with sounds that are a little more in the noise/anti-music realm. The release, God Is A Gateway Drug, sounds like frying circuitry, or multi-tracked static, complete with hisses, shrill whistles and harsh, unrelenting grinding sounds. While the intent might be to generate caustic and abrasive frequencies, listened to at length, some of the tracks, like Swallow, start to have a white-noise quality. For most of us, there are too many abrupt skittering sonic flare-ups for this to be a recording to listen while relaxing. Fans of Throbbing Gristle and even Fennesz might be open to whats happening on a Dysphoria recording, though. Most others would find the sounds off-putting, confrontational, and possibly sociopathic.

But thats the beauty of the digital dynamic: the musics there if you want to seek it out, and easy enough to ignore if you dont. For music makers, streaming platforms offer vast openness, possibility, and the perfect mix of virtual anonymity and potential community for any micro-niche or idiosyncratic style. That can only be a good thing if more people feel free and encouraged to make their own music.

John Adamian lives in Winston-Salem, and his writing has appeared in Wired, The Believer, Relix, Arthur, Modern Farmer, the Hartford Courant and numerous other publications.

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Local lurking on Bandcamp: Greensboro-based artists churn out oddities - Yes! Weekly

When the sun sets on Houston, its only natural to want to grab a drink while happy hour is still in effect. Still, if all youre doing after work is watching your bank account dwindle at one of our many excellent bars, youre missing out. Shake up your after-dark agenda with something a bit more unexpected, like stargazing in the park, catching a jazzy burlesque show, watching a midnight movie, or anteing up at a poker club. While the rest of the city heads home, heres how to make the most out of your post-sunset time in Houston:

Recommended Video

EaDo Because burlesque would feel kinda weird in the daytime, the night is the perfect time to catch a show by sultry burlesque troupe The Moonlight Dolls, who are now performing at Chapman & Kirby while Prohibition Theatre revamps (and eventually takes over) the space. Shows range from glamorous takes on The Jazz Age to a champagne- and booze-filled Almost Midnight show on Friday and Saturday nights.

Brazos Bend State Park Escape the city lights and go stargazing with George Observatorys telescopes in Brazos Bend State Park. Depending on the season and time of the month, you can experience incredible phenomena from bright meteors and eclipses to Saturns rings and Jupiters cloud belts. While the George Observatory main campus is closed until further notice for renovations, it will still be setting up shop at the Nature Center every Saturday from sunset to 10pm (weather permitting).

River Oaks Houston institution Landmarks River Oaks Theatre presents a Midnight Madness movie every Friday and Saturday, with cult sensations like Tommy Wiseaus The Room and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (featuring a live shadow cast). There are also fun throwbacks like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Beetlejuice.

Galleria/Uptown Settle in for an outdoor movie experience at the Rooftop Cinema Club, which rocks skyline views and a curated selection of cult films, classics, and new releases. The spring lineup includes flicks like Selena, Poetic Justice, Pretty Woman, and a You Choose Tarantino feature voted on by the audience. Snag some tickets in advance (the shows are known to sell out), hit the bar, dig into endless popcorn, and show up early to play some corn hole or giant Connect Four.

Various locations While the Houston Improv -- known for booking national acts -- is a good choice here, there are some other, more underground comedic options to explore in this city. Hit The Secret Group, half bar, half entertainment venue with stand-up comedy shows and open-mic nights; go the way of improv (and try a class yourself) at Station Theater; and check out the famous Open Mic Mondays at Rudyards (or the Live Punk Rock Karaoke on the second and fourth Tuesdays, which could also end up being pretty funny).

Downtown Weekends are throwback nights at Etro Lounge, with I Love the 80s video dance parties every Friday and Saturday, and 80s Hip Hop on Sundays. This is your chance to dust off your funkiest dance moves and the neon-coated everything youve been stashing since your last college mixer. Doors open at 9pm, and the tubular times go till 2am.

Downtown During its PacMan Fever events on the first and last Friday of each month, Joystix Classic Games and Pinballs opens up its arcade showroom for unlimited gameplay from 9pm to 2am (for $15 per person at the door). Youll find both new and vintage games, including classics like NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat 2, The Simpsons, Guitar Hero, and Mario Kart DX, and you can always pop over to the adjoining Eighteen Twenty Lounge for drinks.

Various locations Some of Houstons coolest coffee shops keep late-night hours for those last minute study sessions and chill after hours hangs. Head to Penny Quarter on lower Westheimer and you can pair wines with grilled cheese and fries, sip beers and spend the night playing board games at EaDos Coral Sword, or cozy up for Greek wines and good conversation at the quaint Agora cafe in Montrose.

Galleria Youll find members-only poker clubs all over Houston, including two popular ones in the Galleria area. Lions Poker Palace hosts tournaments and cash games, with professional dealers at each table and hours till 3am Sun-Thurs (5am Fri-Sat). Prime Social Poker Club is open 24/7, offering tournament poker, live poker, backgammon, chess, cribbage, dominoes, and pool throughout its facilities, as well as a full bar, upscale lounge, and food delivered straight to your table.

Montrose Dinner, dancing, and drag shows are on the menu at this Montrose hangout. Hit the gayborhood to enjoy a lineup of flamboyant dining experiences, from Dining with the Divas drag shows and Cyn-Ful Fridays to MaryOke-Karaoke and trivia nights.

Various locations Weve got some of the countrys best Vietnamese restaurants in our backyard, and bellying up for some pho before you go belly down for the night is a quintessential Houston experience. Just hit your nearest after-hours Vietnamese joint, including favorites like Mais, Pho Binh by Night, and Pho A Hung By Night; or switch gears and get your noodle fix at Ninja Ramen.

Houston Bowling is making a big nightlife comeback thanks to the a score of fancy bowling alleys, including CityCentres Bowl & Barrel, Memorials Bowlmor, Downtowns Lucky Strike, and Pinstripes over in River Oaks (which offers bocce, too). Each rocks craft brews, cocktails, and tasty pub grub to keep the night interesting even when youre living that #GutterballLife. If golf is more your thing, then the totally fun interactive golf game, TopGolf, is your new thing.

Memorial Park The Arboretum at Night series invites yall to experience the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center after dark, offering night hikes and up-close encounters with live nocturnal animals (plus adult beverages for those 21+). There are a few select dates throughout the year, so be on the lookout for the next available opportunity to enjoy a safe/boozy hike at night.

Northwest Houston Before hitting the hay, hit the GangNam Spa: a 24-hour luxury wellness experience rooted in Korean culture, with over 30,000 square feet of specialty baths, saunas, treatment rooms, lounging space, and dining areas. That includes things like the Topaz Cave, a private relaxing space made of Topaz stones to improve memory and mental concentration and relieve stress; a Himalayan Salt Room made of 350 million-year-old natural salt base rocks for healing; and an Igloo Ice Room to close the pores, smooth skin, and enhance skin elasticity. Access the facilities for $39 on weekdays and $49 on weekends (but note that spa services will cost extra).

Various locations No matter what scene youre after, Houstons got a live music venue for you. Check out the lineup at the indoor/outdoor White Oak Music Hall, located right in the Heights with patio bar The Raven Tower right nextdoor. Over on the Eastside, The Continental Club and Warehouse Live (EaDo) and Satellite Bar (East End) are usually hosting a rock show of some kind; Downtown plays home to Revention Music Center and House of Blues; and youll often find big name acts at spots like the Toyota Center, NRG Stadium, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands. Country fans will also want to check out The Rustic (Downtown), honky-tonk Goodnight Charlies (Montrose), and McGonigel's Mucky Duck (Upper Kirby).

Montrose Numbers Nightclub hosts a wide variety of events (like Doomsday Wrestling, for instance), but Kinky Tuesdays are one of its most popular. Youll get a kinky-yet-classy and respectful glimpse into the BDSM lifestyle, with local vendors and performers, rope classes, and an open stage for aerial performers. Theres even dungeon equipment available -- and if you have to ask what that means, youre probably not ready for it. Doors open at 8:30pm, and the cover is $7 for singles and $10 for couples (21+).

Northwest Betting on horses isnt the only attraction at this race track; you can also sip 50-cent beers during the live thoroughbred racing events every Friday from 6-9pm. Youll also want to swing by for the live Yorkie, Corgi, Pug, and Wiener races, too -- its quite possibly the cutest way to spend an evening in Houston. The race track is also open for Simulcast Wagering till 2am, 363 days a year.

Buffalo Bayou In the summertime, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership offers 30-minute twilight boat rides along the Buffalo Bayou ($7 for adults, the last tour departs at 8pm). Youll start at Allens Landing, then escape the city and glide along Buffalo Bayous waters, looking out for graceful herons, jumping fish, and if youre lucky (or maybe not), alligators chillin on the banks.

Various locations While you can always check out the current season of productions in the Theater District, with venues including The Hobby Center (favorite plays and Broadway productions), Alley Theatre (Tony Award winner of Outstanding Regional Theatre), Wortham Theater Center and Jones Hall (homes to the Houston Ballet and Houston Symphony, respectively), there are a number of smaller production companies that are worth a visit, too.

Over in EaDo, the funky Rec Room tells innovative stories through theatre, music, dance, and comedy; Midtowns MATCH Houston takes any pretension out of the theatre experience, with affordable options in music, theatre, dance, visual art, and film; and 4th Wall Theatre Company offers cutting-edge live theatre and a Pay What You Can performance of every production (on Mondays in the last week of the run) over in Arts District Houston.

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Brooke Viggiano is a Houston-based writer who guesses she isnt sleeping anymore. Stay up with her at @brookiefafa on IG or @brookeviggiano on Twitter.

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The Coolest Things to Do in Houston After Dark - Thrillist

IBMs Deep Blue wasnt supposed to defeat Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov when the two of them had their 1997 rematch. Computer experts of the time said machines would neverbeat us at strategy games because human ingenuity would always triumph over brute-force analysis.

After Kasparovs loss, the experts didnt miss a beat. They said Chess was too easy and postulated that machines would never beat us at Go. Champion Lee Sedols loss against DeepMinds AlphaGo proved them wrong there.

Then the experts said AI would never beat us at games where strategy could be overcome by human creativity, such as poker. Then AI beat us at poker. And atStarCraft. Now its going for even more complex games such as Magic: The Gathering. History shows us that a machine can be developed to outperform a human at any given task.

Apparently the only thing more powerful than humanhubris is our ability to iterate new technologies. At least according Kasparov, who recently told Wireds Will Knight:

1997 was an unpleasant experience, but it helped me understand the future of human-machine collaboration. We thought we were unbeatable, at chess, Go, shogi. All these games, they have been gradually pushed to the side

History repeated itself in 2016 when Sedol lost to AlphaGo. Much like Kasparov, Sedol was shocked at his defeat by a machine. He retired from competitive Go play in 2019 citing the fact that even if he were to become the number one player again, AI is an entity that cannot be defeated.

But Kasparov, whos had more than two decades to reflect on his loss, sees artificial intelligence as an opportunity for collaboration, not a future overlord or oppressor. He predicts that 96 percent of all human jobs (those not specifically requiring human creativity) will be destroyed by AI in the coming years.

Read:This AI suitcase could help visually-impaired people to travel

This isnt a gloomy prediction, as Kasparov told Wired, with every age of major technological advancement the majority of jobs are disrupted and new ones are created. Thats why even small towns have half a dozen automobile mechanics but youll be hard-pressed to find your local farrier or blacksmith unless you live in a farming community or the world of Skyrim.

The real challenge, according to Kasparov, is with creating new jobs that cater to human creativity:

For several decades we have been training people to act like computers, and now we are complaining that these jobs are in danger. Of course they are. We have to look for opportunities to create jobs that will emphasize our strengths. Technology is the main reason why so many of us are still alive to complain about technology. Its a coin with two sides. I think its important that, instead of complaining, we look at how we can move forward faster.

Kasparovs prescription for the future seems to be that we should speed things up. He wants us to develop AI faster because technology is inevitable. And, as the self-professed firstknowledge worker whose job was threatened by a machine, he has a unique perspective.

But speeding things up will, ultimately, displace workers whove been able to rely on their skill-set so far. This leaves CEOs and governments in a predicament where the greater good may ultimately come from ditching humans for machines, but the immediate impact would leave a significant percentage of workers with no means of income.

To this end, Kasparov mentioned that it might be time for governments to consider a universal basic income (UBI). And hes not the only person advocating for a UBI to combat the threat of AI-caused worker displacement.

Former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang ran his now defunct campaign on the promise that hed usher the country into the AI era by providing a monthly freedom dividend of $1,000 dollars to every adult citizen.

What do you think? Is your job AI-proof?

Youre here because you want to learn more about artificial intelligence. So do we. So this summer, were bringing Neural toTNW Conference 2020,where we will host a vibrant program dedicated exclusively to AI. With keynotes by experts from companies like Spotify and RSA, our Neural track will take a deep dive into new innovations, ethical problems, and how AI can transform businesses.Get your early bird ticketandcheck out the full Neural track.

Published February 24, 2020 21:00 UTC

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Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov predicts AI will disrupt 96 percent of all jobs - The Next Web

The past decade was about the rise of digital health technology and patient empowerment. The next decade will be about artificial intelligence, the use of health sensors and the so-called Internet of Healthy Things and how it could improve millions of lives.

The cultural transformation of health care we call digital health has been changing the hierarchy in care into an equal-level partnership between patients and physicians as 21st century technologies have started breaking down the ivory tower of medicine. But these milestones are nothing compared with what is about to become reality.

With advancements in exoskeleton technology, AIs ever-increasing importance in health care, and technologies like 5G and quantum computing soon going mainstream, theres much to be excited about.

Here are the five biggest themes for health and medicine for the next 10 years.

Artificial intelligence in medicine

Developments in artificial intelligence will dominate the next decade. Machine learning is a method for creating artificial narrow intelligence -- narrow refers to doing one task extremely well and a field of computer science that enables computers to learn without being explicitly programmed, building on top of computational statistics and data mining. The field has different types: it could be supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised or reinforcement learning, among others. It has an unprecedented potential to transform health-care processes and medical tasks in the future and it has already started its invisible revolution.

If we consider how AlphaGo, the AI developed by Googles DeepMind lab, beat world champion Lee Sedol at the classic Chinese game Go by coming up with inventive moves that took experts by surprise, we can get a glimpse at what AI can hold for health care. Such moves were made possible by the combination of neural networks and reinforcement learning that this AI uses. This enabled the software to operate without the restrictions of human cognitive limitations, devise its own strategy and output decisions that baffled experts.

We can expect to see the same surprises in medical settings. Imagine new drugs designed by such algorithms; high-level analysis of tens of millions of studies for a diagnosis; or drug combinations nobody has thought of before. When applied to medicine, an algorithm trained via reinforcement learning could discover treatments and cures for conditions when human medical professionals could not. Cracking the reasoning behind such unconventional and novel approaches will herald the true era of art in medicine.

In global health, for example, an algorithm can provide a reliable map of future measles outbreak hot spots. It uses statistics on measles vaccination rates and disease outbreaks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as non-traditional health data, including social media and a huge range of medical records. Thats just one example, but the field is already buzzing with smart algorithms that can facilitate the search for new drug targets; improve the speed of clinical trials or spot tumors on CT scans.

However, while experts believe that AI will not replace medical professionals, it also seems true that medical professionals who use AI will replace those who dont.

A myriad of health sensors

Medical technology went through an amazing development in the 2010s, and theres now no single square centimeter of the human body without quantifiable data. For example, AliveCors Kardia and Apple Watch measure ECG and detect atrial fibrillation with high sensitivity. The EKO Core digital stethoscope records heart and lung sounds as a digital stethoscope, while blood pressure is monitored with the Omron Blood Pressure Smartwatch, the MOCAcare pocket sensor, and blood pressure cuff, the iHealth Clear, the Skeeper, a pocket cardiologist, or the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor, and of course, dozens of traditional blood pressure cuffs.

There are dozens of health trackers for respiration, sleep and, of course, movement. And while researchers cant decipher your dreams yet they are working on it, alongside figuring out all kinds of brain activity. For example, through EEG. Thats a method that records electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached externally to the scalp. The NeuroSky biosensor and the Muse headband use it to understand the mind better and in the latter case allow for more effective meditation. As you see, theres not much left unmeasured in your body and it will even intensify in the future. For example, we expect digital tattoos to become commercially available within five years, which will not only measure the majority of the above-mentioned vital signs, but they will do so continuously. These tiny sensors will notify us when something is about to go wrong and we will need medical advice or intervention.

Moreover, with developments in 3-D printing as well as circuit-printing technologies, flexible electronics and materials, applying so-called digital tattoos or electronic tattoos on the skin for some days or even weeks became possible.

Made of flexible, waterproof materials impervious to stretching and twisting coupled with tiny electrodes, digital tattoos are able to record and transmit information about the wearer to smartphones or other connected devices. While these are only in use in research projects, they could allow health-care experts to monitor and diagnose critical health conditions such as heart arrhythmia, heart activities of premature babies, sleep disorders and brain activities noninvasively. Moreover, by tracking vital signs 24 hours a day, without the need for a charger, it is especially suited for following patients with high risk of stroke, for example. Although we are not there yet, there are certain promising solutions on the market such as MC10s BioStampRC Sensor.

Quantum computing puts medical decision-making on a new level

In 2019, Google claimed quantum supremacy and made the cover of Nature magazine. One example of how this technology will have a major impact on the health-care sector is quantum computing taking medical decision-making to a whole new level and even augmenting it with special skills. What if such computers could offer perfect decision support for doctors? They could skim through all the studies at once, they could find correlations and causations that the human eye would never find, and they might stumble upon diagnoses or treatment options that doctors could have never figured out by themselves.

At the very endpoint of this development, quantum computers could create an elevated version of PubMed, where information would reside in the system but not in the traditional written form it would reside in qubits of data as no one except the computer would read the studies anymore.

In addition, the applications of quantum computing to health care are manifold, ranging from much faster drug design to quicker and cheaper DNA sequencing and analysis to reinforced security over personal medical data. While the technology does hold such promises, we still have to be patient before practical solutions can be implemented in medicine. However, with continued progress in this area, even though quantum computing has been something from a science fiction novel, this decade will see the first such computer used in the clinical practice too.

Chatbots as the first line of care

Symptom checkers that function on the same principle as chatbots are already available, free of charge. However, these rely on the user inputting symptoms and complaints manually. We yearn for one that can make predictions and suggestions based on a users data, like sleep tracking, heart rate and activity collected via wearables. With such features, those bots can help users make healthier choices without having to drag themselves to their doctor.

There was a Black Mirror episode titled Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too that featured an incredibly smart and emotional chatbot that had human-like conversations with the character. Think about having a similar personalized chatbot thats accessible via your smart device and with additional health and lifestyle features. This chatty virtual being can wake you up at the appropriate time based on your sleep pattern and advise you to take your antihistamines as the pollen concentration is particularly high during your commute that day, before you even get out of bed. It can even recommend what you should consume for each meal based on your nutrigenomic profile. It could find the best words for you to motivate you to go to the gym. It could find the best jokes that help you get into a good mood. But would you rather bend to the rules of an AI, essentially forgoing your freedom of choice, than experience life based more on your own will?

5G serving the whole ecosystem of digital health

5G networks will enable data to be downloaded at more than 1 gigabit per second (1gb/s), allowing for downloads 10 to 100 times faster than the currently available 4G services. 4G networks can only serve around a thousand devices within a square kilometer, while 5G can serve a million. It will make the era of the Internet of Things possible by connecting a huge amount of health trackers with laptops, smartphones and many more digital devices. There will be no connection issues or latency, as the trackers will be able to work in harmony while getting the most out of our data.

Such a boost will allow for more reliable communication, which is a must in areas like telesurgery, remote consultation and remote monitoring. With bigger bandwidth and faster connection, there might be a boost in wearables as health IoT networks become more stable and reliable, and further help with patient engagement in relation to their health.

Major applications of 5G are expected to be apparent starting in 2021.

Dr. Bertalan Mesko, Ph.D., is The Medical Futurist and director of The Medical Futurist Institute, analyzing how science fiction technologies can become reality in medicine and healthcare. As a geek physician with a Ph.D. in genomics, he is a keynote speaker and an Amazon Top-100 author.

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The top 5 technologies that will change health care over the next decade - MarketWatch