Know thyself: the Quantified Self devotees who live by numbers
A band of hackers, patients, geeks and fitness freaks are using technology to fine-tune their livesA large man in an orange shirt is hopping up and down on one leg at the front of the hall explaining how the exercises had no effect on his sleep patterns. A researcher from Liverpool tells how he learned about the effects on his body of calorie-laden sandwiches, drinking sessions and Christmas feasting by monitoring his heart rate non-stop for a year. Elsewhere speakers with Parkinson's, chronic social anxiety and back problems explain how tracking their personal data helped ease their symptoms.Welcome to the sometimes wacky and often intriguing world of the Quantified Self, an eclectic band of hackers, geeks, fitness freaks, patients and early adopters that, from its birth in California in 2008, has grown into a global movement of more than 5,000 members in 11 countries. Last weekend 260 delegates gathered in...
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