Showing all posts about health
Piccolo, an app that helps plan your daily coffee consumption
26 May 2026
Piccolo, by Australian app developer Josh McKinnon, tells you what time you can enjoy your last coffee each day, based on your nominated bedtime. Sounds like the coffee drinker’s friend to me.
Most apps just add up milligrams. Piccolo runs a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model — the same maths clinicians use — over every drink you log. Each coffee is absorbed to a peak about 45 minutes in, then decays at your half-life (5 hours by default, and adjustable). Stack a few drinks and the curves add up, giving you the one number that matters: how much caffeine is active right now.
Still in development, and presently available only on iOS 26 (iPhone) by the looks of it, you can try out the Piccolo beta through TestFlight.
On a two coffee day, I can usually get away with the final cuppa at about four in the afternoon, if taken with food, usually in the form of late lunch.
I might still be up for another eight or nine hours, but anything after four, and on an empty stomach, is not the best for sleep for about twelve hours. Unless I get out walking for two to three hours, something that usually happens everyday.
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caffeine, coffee, health, technology
Psychological distress in parents possibly behind low Australian birth rates, not smartphones
22 May 2026
Sixty percent of Australian parents reported experiencing psychological distress, according to the results of the Parenting Today survey, conducted late last year by the Parenting Research Centre.
It has been suggested the impact on the mental health of parents in Australia is contributing to current record low birth rates here.
Psychological distress and poor mental health, are not however the only factors dragging down births both in Australia, and elsewhere in the world. Cost of living pressures and expensive housing are also playing a part. As is, possibly, smartphone usage.
Earlier this week Tyler Cowen, at Marginal Revolution, posted birth rate data from ten countries which generally show a prolonged, and clear, decline in birth rates across the twentieth century.
An uptick is apparent in some nations during the baby-boom, which followed World War II, through to the 1960’s. The overall downward trend in birth rates obviously predate smartphones, and possibly even expensive housing, though.
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health, psychology, smartphones, technology, trends
Long term, moderate, coffee consumption might lower dementia risk
7 April 2026
Carly Page, writing for The Register:
Researchers from Mass General Brigham tracked more than 130,000 people for over four decades and found that those who regularly consumed moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee or tea had an 18 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely touched the stuff.
The thing is coffee consumption has to be consistent — spread across decades — and in moderation. Two, maybe three, cups per day. But caffeine seems to be the active ingredient, not coffee per se.
Drinkers of teas with higher caffeine levels might also enjoy the same benefits. Matcha, and black tea, are among tea beverages high in caffeine.
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Toxic people, or hasslers, reduce life expectancy of those around them
1 March 2026
People unfortunate enough to have one, or more, toxic people in their lives, are more likely to experience accelerated biological ageing, according to research published by PNAS.
This is, no doubt, something anyone subjected to the malevolence of a toxic person could have told you, even though biological age is not readily discernible.
Biological age refers to the condition of your body, including organs and cells, and can differ from chronological age, being actual age. If you happen to be forty-two years old as you read this, that is your chronological age. Depending on a plethora of factors though, your biological age may be higher, or lower, than your chronological age.
With their ability to run down the people around them, hasslers, as the PNAS research refers to them, have a negative impact on the health of others, through their spite and subterfuge.
I imagine this cuts both ways though. A hassler, or toxic person, by sheer virtue of their nature, quite possibly has a biological age exceeding their chronological. Such people need to carry government health warnings so the rest of us can stay away from them.
The research published by PNAS makes a distinction between so-called hasslers and toxic people. I’m of the opinion they’re one in the same, particularity if they are detrimental to the health of others.
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health, personality, psychology
Problematic Instagram use: redefining the nature of addiction
19 February 2026
Kali Hays, Regan Morris, and Peter Bowes, writing for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC):
The head of Instagram has defended his platform against claims it caused mental health damage to minors, arguing in a California court that even seemingly excessive use of social media does not equal an addiction.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram (IG), made the remark during a court hearing in Los Angeles, in the United States. Plaintiffs allege IG, along with other social networks, including YouTube, are little more than “addition machines”.
One young woman, who was a minor at the time, claimed she once spent sixteen hours in a day, looking at IG.
I’m not sure how anyone can brush that sort of usage off as “problematic”. Four to five hours maybe, but not sixteen. How can that be anything other than an addiction?
In regards to IG, the problem has become worse in recent years with the proliferation of usually low quality (content wise) video clips, and numerous posts making dubious, though intriguing claims.
It’s easy to get carried sometimes, and waste more time than intended scrolling through some of the stuff (I hesitate to say content) on the explore tab.
Last year I signed up to Foto, a simple photo-sharing app, that IG used to be like, sans the filters, many years ago now. I check in on Foto once a day, and am unlikely to spend no more than a few minutes there. I have a quick look at the latest posts, and that’s it.
There’s no doomscrolling the app for hours on end.
I suspect though that sort of usage is precisely what the large social networks consider to be problematic. Of course then there is no such thing as social media addiction, when visits of several hours, not minutes, are the norm on some platforms.
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health, social media, technology, trends
Vision loss in some people is being attributed to their tattoos
19 February 2026
Jacinta Bowler writing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC):
The condition, known as tattoo-associated uveitis, can lead to permanent vision loss, glaucoma, and patients requiring immunosuppressants for the rest of their life.
While rare, the condition can set in several years after getting a tattoo. In one case, decades had passed before the person began experiencing vision loss.
Most people seeking tattoos doubtless know about the risk of infection, or allergic reactions, but few would expect their vision to be impacted, particularly years after the event.
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Socialising leads to longer life, but what about introverts?
15 October 2025
Dana G. Smith, writing for The Sydney Morning Herald;
People who have strong relationships generally live longer, and the unicorns known as “super-agers” — older adults who have the memory abilities of someone 20 years younger — tend to be especially outgoing. On the flipside, chronic loneliness raises the risk for cognitive decline and even early death.
Introverts — such as yours truly — are not hermits, they simply prefer more time by themselves. On occasion I’ve wondered if having only a small number of acquaintances might impact my health and well-being, considering long life and good health is associated with having numerous social contacts. But surely if introverts are content then there cannot be any adverse health outcomes?
Loneliness is of course a different matter, and can afflict anyone, introvert or extrovert. I suspect extroverts might struggle more here than introverts though. An out-going person who is lonely may well see their health suffer as a result.
But I sometimes wonder about introverts residing in aged-care facilities. What awareness do the staff have of introversion? Are introvert residents coerced into participating in social activities because they are deemed “too quiet”, “too self-isolating”, for their own good? It seems to me forced socialisation would be, more than anything, detrimental to their well-being.
I think caveats need to be included with research that claims strong relationships are essential for a long healthy life. That might be the case for some people, but not everyone.
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health, introversion, personality, psychology
One for coffee drinkers: caffeine might slow cellular ageing
2 July 2025
This from recent research at the Cellular Ageing and Senescence laboratory at Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Molecular Cell Biology:
In new research published by scientists studying fission yeast — a single-celled organism surprisingly similar to human cells — researchers found that caffeine affects aging by tapping into an ancient cellular energy system.
Always enjoy coffee in moderation…
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Having flu vaccination, COVID-19 booster simultaneously seems sensible
4 June 2025
Posted the other day by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC):
As winter begins, a new study has found that getting a COVID-19 booster at the same time as the flu vaccination could reduce the rate of hospital admissions for coronavirus. In a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia, Burnet Institute researchers found that offering COVID-19 vaccination boosters alongside the flu shot could reduce the hospital admission rate for COVID-19 by up to 14 per cent.
This is something we’ve been doing for the last couple of years now. We go in for the flu vaccination, and are also given a COVID-19 booster.
I was surprised the first time the medical centre staff offered to do the COVID booster at the same time as the flu shot, since we used to have to wait about two weeks after one, before we could get the next. Not anymore it would seem.
It may not seem like the odds of going into hospital, in the event of a serious infection, are hugely reduced, but every little bit helps.
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Summer sports and the heightened risk of skin cancer
3 February 2025
As someone with an extremely fair complexion, any amount of exposure to the sun can be risky, even over the winter months, when ultraviolet (UV) levels are generally lower. Trying though to explain this anyone who does not also have fair skin, is almost an uphill battle.
In fact, I’m alarmed at just how blasé some people are to the dangers of sun exposure, especially prolonged exposure. The sad reality is, that everyone, regardless of skin type, is at risk. Despite this, being out in the sun is an innate part of the Australian psyche. It’s no surprise then that rates of skin cancer in Australia are among the highest in the world.
But the message seems to getting through, albeit at a glacial pace. The Australian Institute of Sport has twigged onto the danger of sports events taking place in the blazing summer sun, and in 2023 said sporting organisations had a duty of care to provide safe environments for participants and spectators. It’s a start, but many sporting groups have been slow to take action.
But there are a number of options for creating sun safe sporting environments. These include providing adequate shade, and scheduling events at times of the day when UV levels are lower, and considering day/night fixtures where possible.
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