Every project in the NMI starts with five words, "Wouldn't it be cool if …." We have done some crazy cool things. Wired tablets to Segways. Rigged cameras to take pictures of you in from of the Arch. Built apps to control your microwave oven. They were cool, sure. But this semester we are focusing some of our projects beyond cool all the way to crucial. We are going to explore how new media technology can help people make better health behavior decisions. Students are devising ways to use their technowledge to encourage people to lose weight, exercise, avoid diabetes, and eat better. And we are leveraging new capabilities pioneered for relevant advertising to help people live healthier. Think Facebook's OpenGraph. And we aren't alone in this focus on health. At the inaugural Digital Health Conference Extravaganza (http://www.dhcx.org) in Orlando in just a few weeks (2/15 – 2/17), geeks and health professionals will be assembling to share ideas. I will be there. And over the next few weeks, I will share with you what I will be talking about. And if you have ideas for creative health-related projects (and if you want to work with us on them) let me know.
