NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Sickweather Maps the Health of Your Friends

One of the most recurring complaints about social media is that people use it to advertise mundane facts about themselves that nobody really cares about. But this accumulation of seemingly useless information can be quite valuable when gathered and analyzed in mass.

Sickweather, a Baltimore startup, is in the process of creating a system that tracks social media sites like Facebook and Twitter for public references to "sickness." The system then attempts to create a sickness map that warns people of outbreaks to help them avoid catching the bugs.

The company hopes to establish its own social network eventually, through which users will be able to log in to track the health assessments in their community. For now, however, Sickweather's founders are moving to build a reporting tool on the shoulders of other more established online communities.

DNEWS VIDEO: IS IT FUTURE YET?

Graham Dodge, the CEO of Sickweather, anticipates the system will be particularly appealing to young families with vulnerable children and tells Technology Review that "they can decide, 'Maybe I won't take my kids to that birthday party.' " It’s not difficult to imagine the awkward social dynamics that this might lead to and the many "un-friendings" that could ensue.

Other companies, such as HealthMap, have tried this idea on a wider scale. They have been rummaging through search engines and news stories to create a map of notable epidemics across the globe in an effort to alert the public and help them visualize this information. Sickweather is hoping that by applying the same approach at a local level, and using micro-blogging sites instead of news sources, they can give the public an even more personal health tool.

Credit: Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy/cultura/Corbis

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Find H1N1 Vaccine Through Google

I'm recovering from a cold. Some sniffling, coughing.

When I first came down with the symptoms this past Monday, I thought for sure I had the flu. I was achy, had the chills. Of course, the first thing I thought was, "H1N1."

I hadn't gotten the vaccine, because as you know, there's a shortage. But there's also the issue of where to get the vaccine. You can call your doctor. Or you can ask Google. They know everything, and perhaps one day I'll regret their imminent takeover of the world. But for now, they're super useful.

They launched a flu shot finder web service this week to help people locate clinics offering the H1N1 vaccine as well the season flu vaccine.

The site work just like Google maps. You type in your zip code and voíla, clinics marked with little needle icons pop up. Blue equals those clinics offering H1N1, red is for seasonal flu and blue/red offer both.

And speaking of H1N1, scientists recently reported that the Virus Can Be Killed by Acidic Ozone Water. Sure, you can use other disinfectants or harsh chemicals, but those aren't environmentally friendly. Ozone water is made by adding a teeny tiny bit of hydrochloric acid or a high concentration of ozone gas to water.

In big doses, hydrochloric acid is dangerous, but in weak doses, not so much. In fact, your stomach contains hydrochloric acid to digest food. Furthermore, after the ozone water deactivates the virus, it decays into plain water, leaving behind no harmful residue in the environment.