many people i have seen that they have different problems, while surfing, working on the computer, many have some eye eatching problems, many have some spinal cord strains, many have some problems of seating in the air conditioning room and in front of computer.

so are there any such instances in which the people suffered of certain computer related deceases or accute problems of health. is rediation from computer works out? is looking on the computer steadily makes problem to the eyes and the neck ? is there any hand crampling like experience?

or what?

i'm assuming you mean diseases...

carpal tunnel syndrome is common in computer users, but has always been an issue for any typist. new, flat-screen type displays do not have any radiation (LCD, tft, etc.) due to their architecture so there should never be a worry there. even CRTs are really not a problem (mostly just hype in the early days) though i would imagine sitting all day staring at a monitor is hard on the eyes.

one thing i do know is that you need to make sure your refresh rate does not "beat" against the lights in your viewing area (a "beat" frequency is the difference between two sources, say a display and a light source) in the US, power cycles at 60 Hz. incandescent lights don't really flicker, but flourescent lights do. so, if your screen refresh is set to 72 Hz, you'll notice a 12 Hz beat (72 - 60). low frequencies tend to cause drowsiness and headaches, i.e. the higher your refresh the less chance of problems related to this phenomena (i set mine to no less than 85 Hz).

btw, i believe that in europe power cycles at 50 Hz so a 72 Hz refresh would be groovy.

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

The EMF spewed off by a monitor isn't good for you at all... but it doesn't matter, everywhere you turn stuff is spewing out EMFs

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-The Wolf
http://www.ryanmercer.com

I don't know that this is really "science".

Yes, fluorescent lights can make you tired; older monitors in close proximity may generate minor amounts of radiation. You won't go blind or impair your vision from staring at a screen 8 hours a day, but eye strain is a consideration. As for hand and neck cramping, those are legitimate concerns; a person out-of-shape can get the ol' repetitive stress disorder (AKA "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome"), a precursor to arthritis. Keyboard pads and hands-free devices are becoming mainstream in many offices now, so the problem is at least starting to be addressed.

The biggest problem associated with large amounts of data entry and computer usage is lack of exercise. Sitting at a keyboard all day is detrimental to heartrate, bloodflow, and muscle usage. Unless a person with such a job hits the gym or engages in some other cardiovascular activity, he/she can become fat, slow, and weak. Just getting up a few times a day to get a cup of water, or maybe take the stairs to a meeting is a good idea.

I've heard of a few stories of actual deaths caused by computers...

There was a man who died from a blood clod which formed because he sat for the whole day in front of his computer.

And then there are those stories about heavily game-addicted Koreans who forget to eat and drink.

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Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

Yeah there was the Korean video gamer that died not too long ago... he sat at the computer for something like 36 hours at a net cafe and stood up to leave and dropped over deader than a doornail. I've heard other counts of people who have spent days on end infront of computers downing caffeine and have literally exploded their hearts. Heh. Crazy people.

__________________
-The Wolf
http://www.ryanmercer.com

based on what? i've yet to see credible science pointing to negative effects from electromagnetic radiation from a CRT. newer ones emit very little anyway.

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

attributing causation to such a happening is an incredible stretch.

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

Check Deep Vein Thrombosis, the stretch isn't as far as you might think.

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"God bless thee, my son; I will give thee the greatest jewel I have ...
"The end of our foundation is the knowledge of causes, and secret motions of things; and the enlarging of the bounds of human empire, to the effecting of all things possible."Trying to make sense of computers, The Error Log.

Blood clods have killed people after long flights, so it is not impossible.

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Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

I stay in front of the computer some 12 hours a day. I´ve had troubles with my back (solved after changing the chair), hands (carpal), eyes (they get red and tired at the end of the day). I also have sleeping problems from keep thinking bout programming after shutting off. But I couldn´t live without it.

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"As truth is gathered, I rearrange,
Inside out, outside in - Perpetual change." - A British rock band

Do you have any credible scient saying they are good for you? EMF's do cause cancer... take a look at cancer rates around large power lines. I'm not saying using a monitor a day is going to instantly give you cancer, but it does increase the risk... however so does eating or drinking just about anything anymore, as does simply breathing in air anymore. However if monitors gave off 10x more than they did now... you'd still find me sitting infront of a monitor here at work every day and my bank of monitors at home every night.

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-The Wolf
http://www.ryanmercer.com

Not much of a stretch... this is why military forces around the world make tank drivers and what not do stretching exercises and other things to prevent them from having similiar things happen when they are cramped up for long periods. Sure the computer didn't cause it, but using the computer did.

__________________
-The Wolf
http://www.ryanmercer.com

Exactly, you could tell me "Ryan, your computers will kill you before the year is over unless you reduce your useage immediately" I'd reply "I want to be burried with one of my keyboards".

__________________
-The Wolf
http://www.ryanmercer.com

thanks taks, ryanmercer,argos,henrik, kullat nunu, grandes, for the valuable replies and the link. some are having a sort of sleeplessness problem, as argos is almost 12hrs on computer( that's a guinese book of record like experience).

sunil

that one NBC reporter died from a blood clot in his legs when he was in a Bradley fighting vehicle when the US invaded Iraq a couple of years ago.
not computer related, but the same deal that was mentioned before.

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"blacker than the blackest black... times infinity."- Nathan Explosion
The.. Best.. Thread..Ever...

I'm not caring for this mental image of you.

I, too, sit for hours in front of 7 computers monitoring data (refreshing 3-30 seconds). I read about 200-300 emails a day. I don't drink coffee while at work. I don't have a lunch break. I'm only "allowed" to leave the room up to 10 minutes at a time. I average 8-12 hours per work day (depending on coverage). I often take mental breaks, like jumping up and down or dancing. Of course, no one is around during these breaks.

I'm going to die, aren't I?

awesome reply candy, thanks you have did another superior record brek seating in front of not only one but on 7 computers at a time (do you use one keyboard for all the 7 computers? ) but daily functioning is just looking a great grand circus, is it not for your eyes ? candy.

I know of a lady on another message board who had this problem. She had to go to the hospital for a sonogram. Then she had to take medicines to get rid of the blood clot in her leg. These things often happen at the back of the leg, behind the knee.

Last year I had a growing problem with numb feet, and I had to go to the hospital and have a sonogram. But, no clot. But I had to change chairs. My old chair was cutting off the blood circulation to my feet. The front of the chair seat was pressing against the backs of my legs, around the back-of-the-knee areas.

Older people need to keep this in mind. Also, a young NBC reporter died of this during the first days of the war in Iraq. He had to sit in a small side-seat on some kind of military vehicle for days at a time. That cut off the circulation to his feet.

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3029942