Okay, so people have been complaining about “eye strain” when it comes to, apparently, only LCD’s and the backlit strain of monitors [read, all monitors] but not when it comes to eInk devices like the Kindle. I’ve yet to find any scientific proof that this is anything other than anecdotal and in my opinion purely ergonomic issues as well as environmental; you have dry eyes because you are staring at something, it could be your desk or a pencil and you aren’t sitting properly in your chair.

So, I started digging around, and reading material on the subject matter. Apparently it is referred to as “Computer Vision Syndrome” in scientific and professional circles. And there is an interesting 2005 book on the subject that discusses it and what is referred to as Visual Ergonomics.

Some factors involved in Computer Vision Syndrome appear to be Eyestrain, Headaches, Blurred Vision, Dry Eyes, Irritated Eyes, Neck Pain, Back Pain, Light Sensitivity, Double Vision, After Images and Color Distortion. Now, some of these are serious issues. But, Neck and Back Pain can be written off as purely ergonomic. In the most simplistic terms, put your screens and hold your iPad in a manner that prevents you from curling your spine and bending your neck up or down for extended periods of time.

In the book, Visual ergonomics Handbook by Jeffrey Anshel, he starts out shooting by stating that a research project found that upwards of 90% of computer workers indicate visual symptoms whereas only 22% report musculoskeletal disorders. He also states that those who reported visual issues “often occurs when the viewing demand of the task exceeds the visual abilities of the computer user” which makes me think of the insurance claim that a vast majority of car accidents is caused by excessive speed. I have to ask; How slow do the parties have to be traveling to avoid an accident? Well, one party or the other was moving excessively if there was an impact. I know, pedantic. But true.

I would like to find a source that has researched the real issue here. For the most part, humans are designed to receive light through the eye upwards of 20 hours a day depending on who you talk to regarding sleep duration. Does it matter if it comes from a full spectrum source like the sun which is then modified by the atmosphere or is the spectrum emitted by LCD and backlit monitors so drastically different that it is impacting the physicality of the human eye? It is rare that there is a physical muscle impacted to cause “eye strain” yet we report our eyes being tired.

If you are interested in this book, and the topic of Visual Ergonomics or Computer Vision Syndrome, you should get it wherever it is sold. I have only read what was available via Google Scholar. I’ve read several other research papers, but it seems mostly anecdotal and I can always talk about that huge wave you missed last weekend too.

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There will be groans around the world if Apple launches the Tablet on Verizon alone. You will hear my screams for miles. I switched from Verizon because of crappy overseas access in the places I roamed. The iPhone works flawlessly where I travel and it gives me the functionality I wanted in a tight little package instead of the clunky Blackberry worldphones offered by Verizon.

So, it comes as a shock to me that a rumored surfaced on Engadget:

On a totally separate note, we also received a tip claiming to have some specs — we can’t verify any of this either, but we’re told that the device will have a 10-inch screen and look like a larger iPhone with a MacBook-like aluminum back, and that pricing will run $800 on contract with Verizon and $1000 without when it arrives in March.

WoW! First off, I nailed the MacBook like aesthetic in my rap about the iPad. Oh, and I’m not happy about the price. I suppose the Apple tax is included, but this thing better be multitasking and on AT&T and share everything with the iPhone and my MacBook Pro including tethering for $1000. And, it better buy me dinner first.

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People are talking about the Apple Tablet a lot lately, probably because Apple reserved a hotel room for one big meeting and everyone is getting excited. But then there are people who are upset about the unicorn bearing Apple Tablet possibly called iSlate of which people have registered iSlate.org as if it doesn’t dawn on them that if the name is trademarked, they are knowingly violating the mark. Kinda funny. But anyway, Ars Technica’s John Siracusa writes “Antacid Tablet” with his predictions, while a mess of others write about their perceptions of things Tablet.

For instance (from Techmeme.com):

edit: typo  and, I guess I’m not the only one giving Wilcox a hard time.

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3. Want to drum up interest in the Apple Tablet rumors? Suggest it is dead.

I did my masters paper on Apple, a strategic analysis. I predicted that Apple would purchase LaLa.com and they did. I also suggested that Apple would launch the Tablet in March, with announcements in just weeks that there will be 10″ tablets in the supply chain. Well, it looks like that was definitely the case… maybe.

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I’m writing this at 110 baud because I have messed up my hand. Long story. But I wanted to write about this anyway. There is a LOT of talk about the Apple Tablet possibly being named the iSlate and it reminded me of my entry on my personal site back 4 months ago. I let it die because I couldn’t find any information immediately on who Slate Computing was, and frankly, I figured this was the case; Slate Computing was a cover for the development of the iSlate by Apple. Since I have no ties or informants and simply do my own digging, I hit a dead end. I should have just emailed Jobs, maybe he’d slip and confirm.

Anyone, people are going nuts over MacRumors finding evidence of the DNS change in 2007 that it was publicly displayed as owned by Apple. That might be from a site like DomainTools, the keep an historical record of domain changes is they catch them. Pretty nifty.

Here are some more comments:

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Apparently, Apple (AAPL) has reserved a hall to make an announcement of some sort. We’re all hoping that it is an Apple Tablet, maybe a 64GB iPhone with a higher resolution screen? Maybe a unicorn? Financial Times says they’ve rented a hall.

a Pink one.

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Things are getting revved up now! Business Insider says that Apple will announce the launch of the Tablet and that developers should get ready for App production. Hey, I’m starting to like this.

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BGR says a connected source believes that the Apple Tablet will come in 7″ size. I dunno about that. 10″ screens are the smallest I would want to surf around on. It’ll be easier to work with and it definitely is being produced considering the number of Netbooks that abound.

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So, Omnilala is a company that currently has the LaLa trademark, it is live, and it is in the same sector as LaLa.com. Does this mean there will be a trademark dispute? LaLa didn’t have such deep pockets as Apple, so what does the future hold?

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Not much to say right now, I’m doing a strategic analysis of Apple, Inc. I wouldn’t mind getting a copy of its employee manual so I can get a feel for the Kool Aid that gets given out upon hiring. Anyway, with that, all kinds of talk about the Apple Tablet. No one really knows what it’ll be called, my bet is the iSlate, or maybe the MacBook Touch [which will just wash out any type of independent identity for what I think will be a beautiful device].

So, who is talking about it? (via Techmeme)

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2. A lot of Tablet Talk of Late
3. iSlate, Slate Computing, and past Research