Name:
Location: Vienna, Virginia, United States

A graduate of Dartmouth College (2005) and Washington and Lee University School of Law (2010). These are my personal blogs, and the musings expressed on them do not reflect the positions of my employer. They do reflect my readings, thoughts, and aspirations, which I figure is good enough.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Huckleberry Hound

There's a new study documenting the prevalence of a problem called "Blackberry Thumb."

As opposed to green thumb, which is someone who like to garden, blackberry thumb could present real problems.

At least that's what some people think. But honestly, any prolonged activity on a keyboard or a video game machine will accomplish about the same.

To those people that didn't see this coming, I suggest sitting around and playing a Gameboy for 5 hours at a time, attempting to become the River King by flyfishing.

I suggest playing Diablo II for 10 hours a day for a week until you've pimped out a level 85 Barbarian with Verdungo's Coil, a two-socketed Unique Elite Polearm, a Shako, a Raven Frost,a Metallic Grid and some other sweet shit.

Sit around and play Goldeneye until your hands curl around an N64 controller, even when you don't have one physically in front of you.

Heck, practice the clarinet for three hours. Your right thumb will be black.

Ask Mike about his tendinitis, which I say came from him touching himself too much at night, but he INSISTS stems from all the drumming.

Play pool until your fingers ache.

I refuse to believe that for some reason, Blackberrys cause more stress than a prolonged session of Counterstrike, as some experts seem to think. If anything, since the teenager's bones aren't fully developed, they'll just see even more problems later in life.

The cure isn't acupuncture or magical metal bracelets. It's just not being obsessive compulsive.

Of course, the modern working man or woman is too busy earning a living to bother with setting down their PDA's for a moment or two, because God forbid they not be productive while sitting on a commuter train.

I'm as work-driven as the next guy, but at some point, work does separate from the rest of life.

I also find the part where Sadie Plant, "a British researcher of cyber culture", claims that thumbs are used more than index fingers for pointing and ringing doorbells. So does that mean natural selection will now favor people with the gene for freakishly overmuscled thumbs?

I could write "Dr. Pascarelli's Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury . . . ", except I'd name it for myself. I would read:

"It's not that urgent or important, give it a rest."

The End.

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