Unfit Bits
Tega Brain and Surya Mattu have come up with an "art project" (Unfit Bits) that gives people practical tips on how to cheat fitness trackers, such as the Fitbit. Why would you want to cheat a fitness tracker? Perhaps because your employer is offering a financial incentive to wear the tracker and is then monitoring your data and sharing that data with an insurance company. So screw them. Take their money and supply them with a stream of bogus data.
The cheat methods are as easy as tying the tracker to a pendulum or to the branch of a tree, to make it think you're walking around when you're really slouching in front of the TV. Notes Mattu, "We’re putting this kind of trust into devices that are very simple. Unfit Bits shows how silly the data is from these kinds of sensors." More info at Observer.com.
The cheat methods are as easy as tying the tracker to a pendulum or to the branch of a tree, to make it think you're walking around when you're really slouching in front of the TV. Notes Mattu, "We’re putting this kind of trust into devices that are very simple. Unfit Bits shows how silly the data is from these kinds of sensors." More info at Observer.com.
Unfit Bits from Surya Mattu on Vimeo.
Comments
Mattu has a point. How much of your life are you willing to give over to surveillance just to save a buck? Besides, it won't matter much eventually. You should read Vonnegut's "Player Piano".
Posted by KDP on 09/23/15 at 10:08 AM
1984
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 09/23/15 at 10:23 AM
One of the negatives with having someone else pay for your health care. Eventually the people paying the bills might want you to lead a healthier lifestyle to reduce their costs.
Posted by RobK on 09/23/15 at 11:25 AM
They are only cheating them selves. And yes KDP, "Player Piano" by K.V. along with his other books and stories is very good reading. And no matter how hard we try to live off the grid big brother is watching. Some hospitals now doing retina scans to prevent health insurance fraud.
Posted by Gator Guy on 09/23/15 at 11:44 AM
If I put one on my cat, how long before they declare me legally dead?
Posted by Phideaux on 09/23/15 at 02:43 PM
Phideaux, if your cat is anything like most cats I've known, it would probably be about an hour on a good sunny day.
Posted by KDP on 09/23/15 at 05:18 PM
It's better than that guys, first give kitty some cat nip and watch him bounce off the walls till he's tired and the nap. Love to see the look on the face of the tech reading the feed!
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 09/23/15 at 06:50 PM
Ha! Now I'm wondering how hard it would be to put one on a slinky, then put the slinky on an escalator.
Posted by Captain DaFt on 09/23/15 at 07:45 PM
So what happens when you go for your annual performance review and you walk your 5' 8" 400 lb frame into the meeting? My guess would be to tell them you started the year at 600 lbs.
Posted by GFnKS on 09/25/15 at 09:50 AM
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Category: Art | Exercise and Fitness | Technology