Posted on

ASL and the Deaf Culture Appropriation of Apple Fitness+

I have been a big fan of Apple Fitness+. However, after completing the workouts for a several months now, I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that Apple’s misuse of Deaf Culture — in particular, ASL — in their workouts, is a disengaging, and phony, cultural appropriation intended to falsely imply inclusion, when the real aftereffect is a complete failure of meaning. At the beginning, and at the end of almost every workout, but never during a workout, the non-Deaf, and non-ASL fluent, trainers toss in a little ASL sign — a gesture, really — like “ready” or “welcome” or “thank you” and it just comes across as clunky; a falsely sprinkled twinkle on a star. Those throwaway “ASL” signs do not fit the spoken words of the trainer, or even really the intent of the class — they’re just movements intended to appease, and impress, and to not really communicate any emotion or context. Apple uses “ASL signs” as a winking trinket without the inherent value of a cultural totem or the magic of a talisman.

Continue reading → ASL and the Deaf Culture Appropriation of Apple Fitness+

Posted on

The Genius Cutthroat Thuggery of Apple Fitness+

When Apple announced their new total workout app — Apple Fitness+ — I was stunned at the sheer audacity and cutthroat thuggery of the move, and I was never more proud to be a dedicated Apple fanatic and loyal Apple Watch owner. Apple isn’t aiming for Peloton with this subscription App release. No, Apple is aiming to kill off the Nike Training Club, Centr, FitBod, Sworkit, Strava, Adidas Training — and all other exercise and fitness Apps — and, perhaps, even one day, MyFitnessPal. Yes, Apple is going to knock out the small fry competition with their big, giant, footprint, and they’re doing it because there’s gold in them thar fields: One Workout App to Unite Them All!

Continue reading → The Genius Cutthroat Thuggery of Apple Fitness+

Posted on

Chris Hemsworth Betrays His Gender

Chris Hemsworth is a big movie star. He just finished up a blurp as Thor in the Avengers movie serials, and he’s currently the lead in the latest disappointing Men In Black installment. Chris Hemsworth also has a new workout/lifestyle App that I have supported since day one as a yearly subscribing “founding member” and I have been generally pleased with the Centr App that bears Chris Hemsworth’s name and likeness — though he really doesn’t appear to be involved, at all, in the day-to-day running of the App; but the App is filled with Chris’ people, his trainer, his food guy, his movie body double, and so if the Hemsworth name sells the App, the Hemsworth name accepts all challengers to the fitness of the fairness of the programs.

Continue reading → Chris Hemsworth Betrays His Gender

Posted on

Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body? Not in the United States!

My mother used to regularly remind me as a child that it was “A healthy mind in a healthy body” as poet and satirist Juvenal is purported to have written — and for this reason encouraged me to not only keep up with my studies but to also participate in activities of the physical fitness variety. When I was at The Peddie School from 1993 to 1996, we were required to take courses in physical fitness or to participate in one of their competitive teams.

Continue reading → Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body? Not in the United States!

Posted on

Fitness and Health Rankings by City

I love it when cities are shamed for the bad behavior and poor performance of their citizenry, and now we have empirical evidence of the fitness index of some of our major residential areas.  Out of the top 50 urban cores, the New York City metro area placed 30th.  Not so great.

Continue reading → Fitness and Health Rankings by City

Posted on

The Innocent Intended: Violating Your Email Address

Every single day someone somewhere is violating your email privacy.  The violators might not even intend on penetrating your cone of silence, but their carelessness can lead to no other end than virtually bleeding you out.  You might think your email address is secure, but if someone has access to your private information and then includes those personal markers in a misdirected email intended for you, but sent to someone else — any sense of security you have worked to protect is inherently broken.

Continue reading → The Innocent Intended: Violating Your Email Address