Step counting apps could be driving people to chase over-ambitious goals, a leading computer scientist has claimed.
Dr Greg Hager, from Johns Hopkins University in the US, said "very few" of the estimated 165,000 available healthcare apps are based on scientific evidence.
He is especially critical of apps and devices that set users a target of 10,000 steps.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, he said: "Some of you might wear Fitbits or something equivalent, and I bet every now and then it gives you that cool little message 'You did 10,000 steps today'.
"But why is 10,000 steps important? What's big about 10,000?
"Turns out in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day, burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume. So they picked 10,000 steps as a number.
"But is that the right number for any of you in this room? Who knows?"
Dr Hager said that a survey of several hundred mental health apps for coaching and diagnosis found only five that could be linked to an evidence base.
But none of those were available to the public - they were all research tools.
He added: "I think apps could definitely be doing more harm than good. I am sure that these apps are causing problems.
"Without any scientific evidence base, how do you know that any of these apps are good for you? They may even be harmful."
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Marine Le Pen says Syria's President Assad must stay in power to beat IS
France's far-right presidential candidate has backed keeping Syria's Bashar al Assad as the best way to defeat Islamic State.
Marine Le Pen, who is ahead in the polls for the vote's first round, pressed a pro-Syria, pro-Christian stance on a visit to Lebanon.
The National Front leader aimed to boost her international profile with the trip to the former French protectorate.
Speaking after a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, she said she had told him there is "no viable and workable solution" to the Syrian civil war beyond choosing between President Assad and IS.
Ms Le Pen said: "I clearly explained that in the political picture the least bad option is the politically realistic.
"It appears that Bashar al Assad is evidently today the most reassuring solution for France."
:: Marine Le Pen: Who is National Front candidate in France election?
Lebanon has taken in some 1.2 million Syrian refugees - the equivalent of one-fourth of its own population.
Many of those living in the country as a result of being displaced from Syria are Christians.
Analysts say Ms Le Pen hopes to be seen as a defender of Christians in the Middle East, with a view to winning votes of French citizens in Lebanon and Christians at home.
Ms Le Pen's position differs widely from official French policy and that of Mr Hariri, who is allied with Saudi Arabia against the Syrian leader.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, whom Ms Le Pen also met, supports Mr Assad and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah working to topple him.
Marine Le Pen, who is ahead in the polls for the vote's first round, pressed a pro-Syria, pro-Christian stance on a visit to Lebanon.
The National Front leader aimed to boost her international profile with the trip to the former French protectorate.
Speaking after a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, she said she had told him there is "no viable and workable solution" to the Syrian civil war beyond choosing between President Assad and IS.
Ms Le Pen said: "I clearly explained that in the political picture the least bad option is the politically realistic.
"It appears that Bashar al Assad is evidently today the most reassuring solution for France."
:: Marine Le Pen: Who is National Front candidate in France election?
Lebanon has taken in some 1.2 million Syrian refugees - the equivalent of one-fourth of its own population.
Many of those living in the country as a result of being displaced from Syria are Christians.
Analysts say Ms Le Pen hopes to be seen as a defender of Christians in the Middle East, with a view to winning votes of French citizens in Lebanon and Christians at home.
Ms Le Pen's position differs widely from official French policy and that of Mr Hariri, who is allied with Saudi Arabia against the Syrian leader.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, whom Ms Le Pen also met, supports Mr Assad and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah working to topple him.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Explosions rock district courts in Charsadda
Explosions have struck a court complex in northwestern town of Tangi in the district of Charsadda, witnesses say.
It is not yet clear whether there were casualties in Tuesday's blasts.
Local reports said firing was ongoing as rescue teams rushed to the site.
It is not yet clear whether there were casualties in Tuesday's blasts.
Local reports said firing was ongoing as rescue teams rushed to the site.
Frances Bean Cobain pays tribute to dad Kurt on his birthday
Kurt Cobain's daughter has thanked him for the gift of life on what would have been his 50th birthday.
Frances Bean Cobain, who was 20 months old when her father killed himself, posted a handwritten note to him on her Instagram account.
"Today would have been your 50th Birthday. You are Loved and you are missed," she wrote.
"Thank you for giving me The GIFT of Life. Forever your Daughter, Frances Bean."
The Nirvana frontman was 27 years old when he shot himself dead at home in Seattle in 1994.
His band had gained worldwide fame just three years earlier with Smells Like Teen Spirit, from their second album Nevermind.
Frances Bean Cobain was brought up mainly by her mother, Hole singer Courtney Love. Her godparents are REM's Michael Stipe and actress Drew Barrymore.
Frances Bean Cobain, who was 20 months old when her father killed himself, posted a handwritten note to him on her Instagram account.
"Today would have been your 50th Birthday. You are Loved and you are missed," she wrote.
"Thank you for giving me The GIFT of Life. Forever your Daughter, Frances Bean."
The Nirvana frontman was 27 years old when he shot himself dead at home in Seattle in 1994.
His band had gained worldwide fame just three years earlier with Smells Like Teen Spirit, from their second album Nevermind.
Frances Bean Cobain was brought up mainly by her mother, Hole singer Courtney Love. Her godparents are REM's Michael Stipe and actress Drew Barrymore.
A letter to President Trump from Asia
I was sorry to read on your Twitter feed about the problems you are having with fake news (sorry, FAKE NEWS!), the enemy of the American people.
I sympathise. We journalists can be annoying, what with our tendency to bang on about facts and truth, and our disinclination to just take really powerful people at their word. Sad!
Having lived and worked in Russia and China, and reported from North Korea, I thought you might appreciate some friendly tips on how they handle the media. You're welcome.
Let's start with China. They take the direct approach.
Last year, President Xi Jinping toured the headquarters of the main state news organisations, reminding reporters they must show absolute loyalty to the Communist Party, and closely follow its leadership in "thought, politics and action".
In case anyone didn't quite get this, he told them to think of their surname as "the party".
You might want to try something similar with The New York Times.
People tweeting things you don't like? China has already thought of this.
Here, they've built a great big firewall around the internet. I know how much you like walls.
So now you can just block whole websites. Twitter? Facebook? Both blocked in China. This also works for news sites that displease you.
And if the television airs an unflattering report, you can just have the censor dip it to black. End of problem.
Russia, under that strong leader you so seem to admire, has been steadily dismantling its independent media since Vladimir Putin came to power.
A number of Russian journalists have met unfortunate, untimely deaths.
They've also perfected what you might like to call the Nietzsche approach: "There are no facts, only interpretations."
The Kremlin-backed Russia Today TV channel functions along these lines.
As its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, explained to Der Spiegel a few years ago: "There is no objectivity - only approximations of the truth."
The beauty of this system is that once you dispense with facts and the notion that objectivity exists, it's all just a matter of perspective.
This is especially helpful if you ever need to annex part of a neighbouring country, or fight a secret war in Ukraine.
You just come up with your own "alternative facts" and stick to them.
But if you feel like Russia and China are leaving things a bit too much to chance, there is also North Korea.
Fun fact: Kim Jong-Un also likes to talk about "patriotic devotion", though he has yet to declare a whole day in its honour, so you are one step ahead of him on that.
In Pyongyang there is only state-controlled media, and it is among the most tightly controlled in the world.
The good thing about this is that if something bad happens that you don't want your citizens to know about - say the mysterious death of your half-brother and sometime heir to your job - you can just stop them finding out.
You tell the media not to mention it, and they do as they are told. Easy D, as you might say.
Now, I know you're getting some pushback on this at home, what with John McCain warning this is "how dictators get started", and Carl Bernstein accusing you of "demonstrating an authoritarian attitude and inclination that shows no understanding of the role of the free press".
But what does either of them know about freedom or the free press, right?
Anyway, I know you're a busy man. I'll let you get back to running that finely tuned machine.
I sympathise. We journalists can be annoying, what with our tendency to bang on about facts and truth, and our disinclination to just take really powerful people at their word. Sad!
Having lived and worked in Russia and China, and reported from North Korea, I thought you might appreciate some friendly tips on how they handle the media. You're welcome.
Let's start with China. They take the direct approach.
Last year, President Xi Jinping toured the headquarters of the main state news organisations, reminding reporters they must show absolute loyalty to the Communist Party, and closely follow its leadership in "thought, politics and action".
In case anyone didn't quite get this, he told them to think of their surname as "the party".
You might want to try something similar with The New York Times.
People tweeting things you don't like? China has already thought of this.
Here, they've built a great big firewall around the internet. I know how much you like walls.
So now you can just block whole websites. Twitter? Facebook? Both blocked in China. This also works for news sites that displease you.
And if the television airs an unflattering report, you can just have the censor dip it to black. End of problem.
Russia, under that strong leader you so seem to admire, has been steadily dismantling its independent media since Vladimir Putin came to power.
A number of Russian journalists have met unfortunate, untimely deaths.
They've also perfected what you might like to call the Nietzsche approach: "There are no facts, only interpretations."
The Kremlin-backed Russia Today TV channel functions along these lines.
As its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, explained to Der Spiegel a few years ago: "There is no objectivity - only approximations of the truth."
The beauty of this system is that once you dispense with facts and the notion that objectivity exists, it's all just a matter of perspective.
This is especially helpful if you ever need to annex part of a neighbouring country, or fight a secret war in Ukraine.
You just come up with your own "alternative facts" and stick to them.
But if you feel like Russia and China are leaving things a bit too much to chance, there is also North Korea.
Fun fact: Kim Jong-Un also likes to talk about "patriotic devotion", though he has yet to declare a whole day in its honour, so you are one step ahead of him on that.
In Pyongyang there is only state-controlled media, and it is among the most tightly controlled in the world.
The good thing about this is that if something bad happens that you don't want your citizens to know about - say the mysterious death of your half-brother and sometime heir to your job - you can just stop them finding out.
You tell the media not to mention it, and they do as they are told. Easy D, as you might say.
Now, I know you're getting some pushback on this at home, what with John McCain warning this is "how dictators get started", and Carl Bernstein accusing you of "demonstrating an authoritarian attitude and inclination that shows no understanding of the role of the free press".
But what does either of them know about freedom or the free press, right?
Anyway, I know you're a busy man. I'll let you get back to running that finely tuned machine.
Five die as plane crashes into Melbourne shopping centre
Five people have been killed after a small plane crashed into a shopping centre near an airport north of Melbourne, Australia.
Video showed smoke billowing from the mall near Essendon Airport, with firefighters hosing down the burning wreckage of the aircraft and nearby buildings.
Assistant police commissioner Stephen Leane said the Beechcraft plane exploded on impact.
He said: "There were five people on the aeroplane and it looks like nobody's survived the crash."
A taxi driver told ABC radio there was a "massive fireball" after the impact.
He said: "I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel - it looked like a plane wheel - bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along."
Police said the aircraft crashed just before 9am local time, an hour before the Direct Factory Outlet shopping mall was due to open.
Superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations were centred around a "catastrophic engine failure".
The pilot made a distress call before crashing.
State premier Daniel Andrews said: "A number of people have died as a result of what is the worst civil aviation accident that our state has seen for 30 years."
Essendon Airport is a small field used mainly by light aircraft.
The charter flight came down on its way to King Island in Bass Strait, which is between the mainland and Tasmania.
Flights from Melbourne's main airport have not been affected by the crash.
Video showed smoke billowing from the mall near Essendon Airport, with firefighters hosing down the burning wreckage of the aircraft and nearby buildings.
Assistant police commissioner Stephen Leane said the Beechcraft plane exploded on impact.
He said: "There were five people on the aeroplane and it looks like nobody's survived the crash."
A taxi driver told ABC radio there was a "massive fireball" after the impact.
He said: "I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel - it looked like a plane wheel - bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along."
Police said the aircraft crashed just before 9am local time, an hour before the Direct Factory Outlet shopping mall was due to open.
Superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations were centred around a "catastrophic engine failure".
The pilot made a distress call before crashing.
State premier Daniel Andrews said: "A number of people have died as a result of what is the worst civil aviation accident that our state has seen for 30 years."
Essendon Airport is a small field used mainly by light aircraft.
The charter flight came down on its way to King Island in Bass Strait, which is between the mainland and Tasmania.
Flights from Melbourne's main airport have not been affected by the crash.
Croydon tram crash driver 'lost awareness' before fatal accident
Investigators probing the fatal Croydon tram crash have said the driver "lost awareness" before the accident.
The tram - which was travelling from New Addington to Wimbledon - derailed on 9 November last year killing seven people and injuring another 51.
A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) says: "The late application of the brakes, and the absence of emergency braking, suggests that the driver had lost awareness that he was approaching the tight, left-hand curve".
On board data shows that the driver only began applying his break two-and-a-half seconds before he reached the speed limit sign at Sandilands Junction, decreasing the speed of the tram by only three miles per hour by the time it passed the sign.
Instigators also said that the only sign on the sharp bend was positioned 90-120m after the point at which drivers would need to start braking to reduce speed.
There was no sign to tell drivers when to apply the brake, but the report notes that "they were expected to know this from their knowledge of the route."
Heavy rain on the morning of the crash is also likely to have reduced the "readability" of the sign.
After overturning, the tram, which was carrying 60 passengers, slid for 25 meters on its side before coming to a halt.
Of the seven passengers who died, one was found inside the tram, two were found partially inside the tram, three were found underneath the tram, and another was found on the track close to the tram.
The interim report also said the tram was travelling faster than initially thought, entering a sharp bend at 46mph (73km/h) - nearly four times the speed limit of 13mph (20km/h).
Another case of speeding had taken place in the same area 10 days before the crash and is now also being investigated by the RAIB.
Investigators were also looking into whether lives could have been saved if the tram had been fitted with shatterproof safety glass, which is a requirement on all passenger trains.
Additional speed restrictions and signage have been introduced following the accident.
The tram's driver, Alfred Dorris, 42, was arrested at the scene and was questioned on suspicion of manslaughter.
Mr Dorris from Beckenham, south London, has been bailed until May.
A full accident report is expected to be published later this year.
The tram - which was travelling from New Addington to Wimbledon - derailed on 9 November last year killing seven people and injuring another 51.
A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) says: "The late application of the brakes, and the absence of emergency braking, suggests that the driver had lost awareness that he was approaching the tight, left-hand curve".
On board data shows that the driver only began applying his break two-and-a-half seconds before he reached the speed limit sign at Sandilands Junction, decreasing the speed of the tram by only three miles per hour by the time it passed the sign.
Instigators also said that the only sign on the sharp bend was positioned 90-120m after the point at which drivers would need to start braking to reduce speed.
There was no sign to tell drivers when to apply the brake, but the report notes that "they were expected to know this from their knowledge of the route."
Heavy rain on the morning of the crash is also likely to have reduced the "readability" of the sign.
After overturning, the tram, which was carrying 60 passengers, slid for 25 meters on its side before coming to a halt.
Of the seven passengers who died, one was found inside the tram, two were found partially inside the tram, three were found underneath the tram, and another was found on the track close to the tram.
The interim report also said the tram was travelling faster than initially thought, entering a sharp bend at 46mph (73km/h) - nearly four times the speed limit of 13mph (20km/h).
Another case of speeding had taken place in the same area 10 days before the crash and is now also being investigated by the RAIB.
Investigators were also looking into whether lives could have been saved if the tram had been fitted with shatterproof safety glass, which is a requirement on all passenger trains.
Additional speed restrictions and signage have been introduced following the accident.
The tram's driver, Alfred Dorris, 42, was arrested at the scene and was questioned on suspicion of manslaughter.
Mr Dorris from Beckenham, south London, has been bailed until May.
A full accident report is expected to be published later this year.
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