I'm being asked about fitness trackers. I know basically nothing about them (which I guess tells you something) beyond the general tech aspects; certainly nothing about which ones are considered the most accurate for different sorts of metrics. Primary purpose is likely sleep monitoring, but other metrics, advanced functions, and connectivity options are also of interest. There seem to be an awful lot out there across a very wide price range so I really don't know where to start with a recommendation. Apple is probably off the table. Informed advice would be welcome, especially from actual users. Thanks.
I do see some discussion of the lack of Airplane modes on most of these devices. Even using BLE, some people really don't like having them active while they sleep when trying to track their sleep activity, given hands near heads and such. Would be such a simple thing that would make some people more comfortable with the tech.
@lauren do you mean in terms of health effects of the little radios?
In that case it seems like the simpler way, or at least the healthier way, to make some people more comfortable is through education about how little health risk there is from those devices.
That's rather than indulging their fears.
@volkris "Rather than indulging their fears" is EXACTLY the attitude why so many nontechnical people HATE techies.
@lauren or doctors, engineers, teachers, basically anybody who might not play into the confirmation bias.
We need a better informed population and we need to work on building up, helping to improve people's lives.
However we go about it.
@volkris Most people perceive this as "talking down to them". It's the wrong way to convince anyone of anything. I deal with this when explaining technical issues all the time, especially when speaking to large nontechnical radio audiences. I make a point NEVER to talk down to an audience. And you know what, they appreciate that. A lot. And to a significant extent, your recommendation is to change human nature, which hasn't actually changed since the caves, or maybe earlier.
@robryk your reply reminds me of coming across a post around here recently where someone was defending Fauci's approach to communicating about COVID on the basis of, The public needed to hear messages of certainty even if the science was uncertain.
Yeah I agree it's extremely important to recognize that different people respond differently to different rhetorical tactics. Some people are convinced one way and some another.
@lauren