As part of our new Access channel we’re going to highlight interesting stories, ideas, and research related to self-tracking data and data access issues and the role they take in personal and public health. We recently found this expert report, published in the International Journal of Obesity, that tackles issues with the data researchers rely on for…
“Science is really about repeatability, about process, about discipline, about characterization, about controlling noise, and there are lot of different mechanisms that we can pull together to tell a story or inform a decision.”- Ian Eslick This past April we were lucky to host a meeting of researchers, toolmakers, science funders, and government representatives for…
As the calendar turns over to a new year, it’s useful to look back and see what the last 365 days have been all about. Looking back is always easier when you have something to look back on, and, no surprise here, self-tracking is a great help for trying to figure out how things went….
I’m fascinated by self-tracking projects that focus on things that are hard to quantify. Such is the case here. Fabio Ricardo dos Santos is gregarious and likes to be around people. A lot of people. But he had a nagging sense that something was out of balance. To better understand why, he began to track his…
There are an incredible 12 QS meetups getting together this week in seven different countries. Both Toronto and St. Louis will discuss how to use self-tracking tools to keep New Year’s resolutions. In Indianapolis, people will talk about their recently acquired tracking devices from the holidays. Geneva will be doing a review of 2014, where…
What We Are Reading Newsletter from Jan 17, 2015
“If we’re going to be connected, then we need to be protected. As Americans, we shouldn’t have to forfeit our basic privacy when we go online to do our business”. – U.S. President Barak Obama In a speech this week at the the Federal Trade Commission President Obama spoke about new measures he hopes to…
Quantified Self Labs is dedicated to the idea that data access matters. Moving forward, we’re going to be exploring different aspects of how data access affects our personal and public lives. Stay tuned to our QS Access channel for more news, thoughts, and insights. On January 13th Uber, a wildly popular and often scrutinized ride…
In our work supporting users and makers of Quantified Self tools we pay close attention to how others talk about trends and markets. In the past year, the most-used catch all term for devices that help us track ourselves has been “wearables.” Now, it’s clear that wearables covers only a fraction of QS practices. Many of…
MyFitnessPal is one of the leading dietary tracking tools, currently used by tens of millions of people all around the world to better track and understand the foods they consume every day. Their mobile apps and online tools allow individuals to enter foods and keep track of their micro- and macro-nutrient consumption, connect additional devices…
The spirit of reflection that accompanies a new year is still present as eight QS meetups in four countries get together this week. Munich, in particular, will be discussing how to use QS tools to help track and reach goals for 2015. A common resolution is to lose weight, and weight management is the focus of…
What We Are Reading Newsletter from Jan 10, 2015
Sebastien Le Tuan was chronically late. Only after a candid conversation with his father did he realize what affect this might have on his personal and professional life. In this talk, presented at the Bay Area QS Meetup, Sebastien describes how he started tracking his punctuality and what he learned from the process.
It’s a new year and here at QS Labs, we are looking forward to hearing about new self-tracking projects from our community in the next 12 months. One of our newest groups, Reno, will be the first QS group to ring in 2015 by sharing their stories of finding meaning through their personal data. To…
We’ve featured Bill Schuller here on the Quantifief Self website before. He’s given some great talks about tracking with his children. However, Bill hasn’t been satisfied with these or his other previous public speaking efforts. So like any good self-tracker he set out to see what he could learn from tracking and measuring his public…
December is a month of holidays, but it’s also a time for reflection. The group in Seattle will use their meetup on Monday as a time to reflect on self-tracking 2014. Sounds fun! To see when the next meetup in your area is, check the full list of the over 100 QS meetup groups in the right…
What We Are Reading Newsletter from Dec 20, 2014
Julie Price has been tracking her weight consistently for the last four years. Like many of us, she found that her weight goes up and down depending on various life events. In this talk, presented at the Bay Area QS meetup group, Julie discussed what she’s learned about her weight and what correlates with weight…
A few years ago Mike Brown was searching for inspiration while working at his first post-collegiate job. He decided to start a personal blog to document a series of monthly projects that would challenge his current way of living and help him learn about himself. In this talk, presented at the Boston QS meetup group,…
This is a very exciting week as two new QS groups, Göteberg and Ljubljana, will have their very first meetup. In Berlin, they will look at how to “biohack the holidays,” sharing techniques on preventing weight gain and avoiding hangovers during the year-end festivities, as well as a show&tell on what one person found when…
