Nike has come out with a new running shoe that has a computer chip embedded in it. The chip sends messages to your Ipod as you run. So, for instance, if you are in a 10K road race, it will tell you things like “five kilometers left to run” or “two kilometers to go and you have burned 1,980 calories”, and “the race is over. Please stop running.”
In the old days, runners would look at the signs on the raceway that said things like “1K” and “2K”. Some of the higher tech races would paint lines on the roadway delineating the distance. But it was awkward. Some runners would take their eyes off the course and look at their watches, a dangerous practice. The whole process of running a race was both puzzling and perilous. Hi tech has at last joined up with Runners World.
Talking shoes is a great concept that can be extended to other forms of clothing. In my own case, I’d be happy if, when I put my shirt on in the morning, it said “Day four”, or, concerning my shorts, “Day three. Please consider changing me out.” Computer chips could also enhance my fashion sense, as when I attempted to put on sandals with white socks – “Very nerdy – please remove socks”. Then there’s my age-appropriate attire – black socks with jeans, and the jeans themselves pulled up around my navel – “Please, please! Don’t do this.”
Computer chips could also sense galvanic skin responses. Say for instance, a 57 year old man happens upon a twenty-something gal in a halter top and tight shorts while buying his Metamucil at the grocery store. What would the chip say? “Avert eyes. Think fiber.”
Piece of Mindful 