Once upon a time some guy named Pavlov trained his dog to drool on cue. Well, a new form of behavioural conditioning has been created and basically operates on the same principal. Pavlok's remit is to help you break bad or, conversely, form good habits.
Initially the source of a crowd-funding scheme on IndieGoGo, Pavlok is a simple wristband pioneered by Maneesh Sethi that can shock the habit out of—or into—you. And no, I don't mean that figuratively. (Legend has it, Stanford alumni Sethi got the idea for the prototype after hiring a girl to slap him every time he used Facebook. Needless to say, his productivity skyrocketed.)
In the case of Pavlok, which has already raised more than double the $50,000 capital needed to run its campaign, uses "any means possible" to help you achieve your dream and become the person you dreamed you could become.
Examples of personal shock therapy include: when you text your ex-lover, when you step into a McDonald's, or alternatively, as a reminder to take medicine or step away from the computer at intervals. The testimonial below shows a woman aiming to paint for 30 minutes a day, and I must say her progress makes a pretty convincing case for Pavlok.
The question is: how does the science mesh with the technology in real terms? The API is in place and can be integrated to various apps and used with Bluetooth and GPS to track location (say, you've been a good boy and visited the gym).
The Pavlok delivers the equivalent of a static shock, just enough to jolt you out into starting or stopping a set behaviour. The pain-averse can select a beep, vibration or even a fine as a "penalty" from deviating from the goal.
In short, Pavlok claims to offer customers accountability, because research claims an annoying habit can be cracked in just 30 days, where "some stubbornly ingrained habits can take up to 66 days." Not sure if good habits adhere to the same timeframe...
Though I'm wondering what kind of army of nano-spies would detect when I'm biting my nails, part of me is just so damn game to be done with this disgusting practice that I'd probably be willing to give any crackpot idea a whirl, if it was sustainable.
A sperm bank in the Chicago area made a mistake by inadvertently giving a white woman the sperm of an African-American donor.
Jennifer Cramblett and her partner, Amanda Zinkon, are now suing the Midwest Sperm Bank for “wrongful birth and breach of warranty" after it swapped the vials of donor No. 330 with No. 380. Cramblett only realized the mishap when she sought a second child from the original donor, only to find that it was "from a black man instead of the white man she and her partner had chosen."
Though Cramblett is citing emotional and financial damages, her principle concern is for the ongoing welfare of her mixed-race daughter, Payton, who lives with Cramblett and her partner in a small, "virtually all-white" Ohio town.
While she claims she is not racist, she is anxious about the intolerance her now two-year-old daughter will be subjected to in the homogenous community, as well as the steep learning curve Cramblett faces as a parent. (She gave an example of having to travel to a black community to have Payton's hair done.)
Understandably, Cramblett doesn't want her daughter to be stigmatized at an all-white school. While the bank was clearly negligent, I would argue that any fertility procedure holds the risk of human error. And even though it has all the markings of a Seth Rogen/Vince Vaughn flick, this isn't a comedy. This mom has to move on and move town.
She has a beautiful daughter—not the one she expected—but she can either suck it, hold her head high and educate herself and her community (being a mother in a same-sex partnership, she presumably already has some experience of celebrating difference.)
Failing that, as parents who want the best for their child, should this couple use the lawsuit settlement (assuming they win their case), and move to a more diverse area?
You tell me: Is this mom right to sue the sperm bank?
Health Canada has recalled various styles of 100% cotton children's sleepwear from Bianca Amor's Liquidation Supercentres as follows (stock number/UPC):
Youth Pyjama Pant - Plaid No name
Youth Pyjama Pant - Various Patterns No name
Baby Girls' Flannel Pyjama Set Tickled Pink/Teeny Weeny
Loose-fitting cotton sleepwear does not comply with Canadian law and may readily ignite, posing a potential burn hazard.
While neither Health Canada nor Bianca Amor's has received reports of any incidents relating to the items, customers are advised to stop using the sleepwear and return them to the place of purchase for a store credit.
Otherwise, Health Canada recommends disposing of the sleepwear in regular household garbage.
From January 2014 to September 2014, approximately 2,382 of the sleepwear were sold at Bianca Amor’s Liquidation Supercentre locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
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