Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
You can usually tell when someone has been sitting for along stretch in front of a computer monitor--they tend to sufferfrom Dry-Eye Syndrome: red, itchy, irritated eyes.Now researchers at Japan's National Institute ofIndustrial Health have found that monitor placement may be theculprit.
If your monitor is level with your gaze or raised above it, thehigher angle of your head reduces the volume of tears produced byyour tear ducts, which results in eye irritation. Lowering themonitor's position--and the angle of your head--increases tearproduction and soothes tired eyes.
The researchers also claim lowered monitors reduce neck-musclefatigue, and improve attention span and the overall comfort ofcomputer users.
Clean It Up
Keeping your computers smut-free.
In theory, giving employees access to the Internet will makethem more productive. But in reality, some workers find the allureof game-, sport- or sex-related sites too strong to resist. Thisslows access for legitimate users, wastes untold hours of companytime and brings objectionable material into the workplace. While anumber of companies have established usage policies for theInternet, most BIZ Experiencess don't have the time to stalkcubicles in search of rule-breakers.
The Elron Internet Manager from Elron Software Inc. effectivelyenforces usage policies by blocking access to sites deemedinappropriate by network administrators. The software, whichis loaded onto the network server, can track individual ornetworkwide usage and generate reports on which sites are beingvisited, what files are being downloaded and who is doing thesurfing. Internet Manager is supported by Windows NT, Apple or UNIXplatforms and does not slow Internet access during periods of heavytraffic.
If you think this software isn't necessary, considerthis: Elron Software asked companies who downloaded a trial versionof the product to submit three days' worth of usage reports tothem, and found that nearly 70 percent of the participatingbusinesses recorded hits on sexually explicit sites. For a copy ofthe study or a free 30-day trial of the program,visit http://www.elronsoftware.comor call (800) 223-9075.
Charting Your Course
Just getting there is half the fun.
Driving in an unfamiliar area alone means juggling the steeringwheel and a road map, while peering out the window for roadsigns--a real recipe for disaster. Those days may soon be over, asmore and more cars are equipped with Clarion Corp.'s Auto PCrunning Microsoft's Windows CE 2.0.
The Auto PC is an in-dash CD drive and AM/FM stereo that givesdrivers directions to a chosen destination through interactivespeech technology and a graphical display. It uses mapping datafrom a CD-ROM to plan a detailed, accurate route; it can even planan alternate route at the driver's request. Optional featuresof Auto PC include global positioning system technology and acellular phone connection that allows the driver to getup-to-the-minute traffic reports, e-mail messages, news and otherimportant information that can be read to the driver by AutoPC's voice synthesis.
The Windows CE platform allows information such as addresses tobe transferred from handheld PCs and other devices using CE to theAuto PC via an infrared port.
Retailing for $1,299, Auto PC will be offered as an aftermarketproduct beginning this June but will probably not be available as afactory-installed option until 2000.
Contact Source
Clarion Corp., http://www.clarionmultimedia.com,(800) 347-8667
