Aaron Traffas

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-17

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-10 http://ff.im/-e6TpS #
• Drag The River – Lizzy http://ff.im/-e7dmc #
• likes 30 Rock – s4 | e8 – 30 Rock on Boxee http://bit.ly/91V9DC #
• likes 30 Rock – s4 | e8 – 30 Rock on Boxee http://ff.im/-e7ncz #
• is watching The West Wing S04E11 #
• Avatar Plot Fail or Observation Win? http://bit.ly/8UhV0x #
• Kansas governor Mark Parkinson is showing some balls and proposing tax increases during his State of the State address. #
• is watching The West Wing S04E17 #
• Diane under sawdust. The bookcase would have been easier with a table saw. http://flic.kr/p/7veZ1W #
• Diane under sawdust. The bookcase would have been easier with a table saw. [pic] http://ff.im/-ecyYJ #
• Armchair Martian – Re-Routed http://ff.im/-ed4Is #
• Watching the K-State game — at The Pub http://gowal.la/s/2UCD #
• Jesse Malin – TKO http://ff.im/-egjM7 #
• Two Cow Garage – Should've California http://ff.im/-egjMb #
• Kathleen Edwards – Back To Me http://ff.im/-egjMg #
• Office Word http://ff.im/-egGES #
• I just unlocked the "Adventurer" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/8Q68a2 #
• Awesome. Windows Movie Maker 2.6 can be installed on Windows 7! Goodbye, Windows Live Movie Maker, hello old friend Windows Movie Maker. #
• @auctionguyyy Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! in reply to auctionguyyy #
• Auction Video Podcast Episode 5 – Justin Clark from realtimebid.com http://ff.im/-ehQk1 #
• Auction Video Podcast Episode 5 – Justin Clark from realtimebid.com http://ff.im/-ehS0z #
• Turning in, looking forward to seeing @jdschultz, @bpiflier, @auctionguyyy, @pgauctioneer and more in MN tomorrow and Friday! #
• Rolling through fog to KC airport #
• Boarding UA 682 from MCI to Ohare. #
• down at Ohare #
• I'm at Chicago O'Hare Gate F11 (ORD, Des Plaines). http://4sq.com/5UpWzh #
• Leaving ORD for Duluth. #
• Down at Duluth! #
• Lake Superior is big. #
• I'm at Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (350 Harbor Drive, Harbor Dr & 5th Ave W, Duluth). http://4sq.com/8UTtrI #
• Duluth Curling Club http://flic.kr/p/7vJH4F #
• Just finished judging the MN auctioneer contest. Congrats Matt Schultz! #
• At the MSAA convention, @pgauctioneer Peter Gehres presents. http://flic.kr/p/7vYyhm #
• At the MSAA convention, @pgauctioneer Peter Gehres presents. [pic] http://ff.im/-emuwm #
• @bpiflier driving is for Twitter. Stop lights are for Robo Defense. in reply to bpiflier #
• Exhausted. #
• Watching high school girls hockey. #
• Tomorrow's shuttle is at 4:45am. Good night. #
• Up too early — at Duluth International Airport http://gowal.la/s/31xY #
• I'm at Duluth International Airport – DLH (4701 Grinden Drive, Duluth). http://4sq.com/5jHfgA #
• I'm at O'Hare gate F1a (ORD, Chicago). http://4sq.com/5LW3Kd #
• Trying to eat my way through a two hour layover at O'Hare. So far so good. #
• I'm at O'Hare Terminal 1 Gate C2 (O'Hare Airport, Chicago). http://4sq.com/5rihxe #
• Boarded UA7347 at ORD, bound for MCI. Almost home! #
• Flight cancelled…back at O'hare. Suck. #
• @nmallare Fair enough. I have the recently released third edition of Zeldman's DWWS to keep me company. in reply to nmallare #
• I'm at Fox Sports Sky Box (O'Hare Airport, Chicago). http://4sq.com/4Z4×2y #
• Apple should buy Adobe so I can focus all of my tech-hate in one place. #
• Next two flights from ORD to MCI cancelled. Might be staying in the Windy City tonight. #
• @bpiflier like Dearth Vader at the end of Star Wars, you too will turn away from evil someday! in reply to bpiflier #
• @nmallare fog in kc, I guess. in reply to nmallare #
• @bpiflier I get three seats to myself…as I stretch out at the gate. I'm jealous! in reply to bpiflier #
• Never thought I'd end up on a train in Chicago when I woke at 4:30am in Duluth! #
• @dN0t you seem to have had a good time last night. in reply to dN0t #
• I'm at Jefferson Park Blue Line CTA (4917 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago). http://4sq.com/64z5wa #
• @dN0t going to fly out tomorrow. in reply to dN0t #
• I'm at Clark & Lake Train Terminal (100 W. Lake, Clark, Chicago). http://4sq.com/6yYIE7 #
• I'm at Lou Malnati's (958 W. Wrightwood, at Sheffield, Chicago). http://4sq.com/8sgaCt #
• @dN0t weak, but not fail. Megan is in Chicago for an internship, so I'm staying with her. About to try deep-dish pizza with her and Andrew in reply to dN0t #
• @dN0t Oh…and you'll love which airline it was. in reply to dN0t #
• I'm at Irish Eyes (2519 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago). http://4sq.com/70KdVV #
• @bpiflier great work this weekend, Ryan. Always fun to catch up. in reply to bpiflier #
• Ending Our Advertising Relationship With BigDeal http://bit.ly/5Da7kc #
• Getting back on the Chicago Metro, going to try again today to get out of O'Hare. #
• Make-A-Reasonable-Request Foundation Provides Sick Child With Decent Seats To Minnesota Timberwolves Game http://short.to/13u4v #
• I'm at Damen Blue Line CTA (1558 N Damen Ave, Milwaukee, Chicago). http://4sq.com/8I0axW #
• I just unlocked the "Super User" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/6cRO2b #
• I'm at O'hare Airport Terminal 1 (ORD, Chicago). http://4sq.com/6DAp6b #
• Perfect Sunday breakfast. http://flic.kr/p/7wp5ME #
• I just unlocked the "Explorer" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/5o4FLj #
• R.A.T. 9 mouse long on features, Michael Bay-good looks http://short.to/13ukv #
• OK, @unitedairlines, lets try this again! #
• Back at last! — at MCI Terminal A at MCI http://gowal.la/s/J4L #
• @mayoauction ouch. As if y'all isn't pedestrianly plural enough, they have to use y'alls? in reply to mayoauction #
• How to Tether Your Android Phone [How To] http://short.to/13gmz #
• Know What Your Email Address Says About You [What You Said] http://short.to/13utm #
• Home sweet home! #

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Alzheimer’s

I grew up in rural Kansas. There was one house within a quarter-mile of mine, and it happened to be across the road. The hundred-yard distance in south-central Kansas was the equivalent of a neighboring apartment for someone growing up in urban America.

The inhabitants of the house were amazing people. The patron was an unquestioningly kind soul, within whose grandchildren I found friends. The matron was someone within whom I could never imagine an unkind or an inhospitable thought.

Recently, I recall marveling at the sight of the holiday parking feats which caused their yard to impersonate a car dealership. It seemed one of every make and model of vehicle was parked in neat, orderly rows for each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their family was fruitful, and love seemed to bring all of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren home regularly to vist.

I have a huge number of memories, all of which are pleasant and involve borrowing something from them or playing with their grandchildren on their farm equipment or stopping to visit on one of many all-too-hurried trips between my house and my grandmother’s during harvest.

My fiancee Diane and I are re-watching the West Wing. We usually average a couple of episodes each night. It’s a great TV series that deals with idealism, but one of the overriding themes is that of a president who has multiple sclerosis, a long-term and debilitating disease.

The West Wing had 156 episodes. There was one episode that dealt with a different, long-term, deblitating disease called Alzheimer’s. It’s in the middle of season four, and it’s a one-episode story arc that deals with the father of one of the regular cast memebers. It’s a truly heart-wrenching episode, and it’s what came next tonight in our one-by-one rewatching of the series.

I don’t believe in fate or providence, but it’s unnerving to watch that episode tonight knowing that I received word this morning that my neighbor passed away from Alzheimer’s. He was a beloved friend, and he and his family were never anything but unconditionally kind to me and mine. Rest in peace, Willard, you are and have been loved and will be missed.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-10

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-03 http://ff.im/-dJWNZ #
• is watching The West Wing S04E06 #
• Getting beat today by the clock….taking a pounding. #
• @bpiflier Science is objective – the scientific method by iteself is never wrong. Scientists, however, are another story. Good article. in reply to bpiflier #
• @MikeBoesker No @gowalla app yet for Android. You have to use the m.gowalla.com which isn't as accurate – but better than nothing! in reply to MikeBoesker #
• @jdschultz I'd rather have wide coverage (Sprint, Verizon) than a rare-though-fast connection (AT&T, T-Mobile). in reply to jdschultz #
• @jdschultz You should add Verizon for the Droid. The added coverage is a comparatively small bonus. in reply to jdschultz #
• @jdschultz It'd be a great time to switch to Google Voice! in reply to jdschultz #
• Damn you, Google. I've only had the Droid for a couple months and now I have to upgrade again to the Nexus One in a couple months? Drat! #
• Google Nexus One event live at http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/01/google-android-event-liveblog.ars #
• Unlocked Nexus One not compatible with AT&T / Rogers 3G. #
• @MikeBoesker saweeeeet! in reply to MikeBoesker #
• Listening to and loving the Mike O'Meara show from http://www.mikeomearashow.com/ #
• @jdschultz Just sent a Voice invite – be sure to get a new Google Voice number – you can't undo the choice not to. in reply to jdschultz #
• I haven't eaten in over 26 hours…15 minutes until I can go home and eat myself to sleep. #
• Eating with @dpoe — at Buffalo Wild Wings http://gowal.la/s/2Gnz #
• Remember when it was Twitter that couldn't stay up? Now, it seems, Facebook is pouring on the fail sauce on a regular basis. #
• Foursquare opens its service to everyone, not just select cities. Gowalla, I love you, but you don't have an Android app. Sorry. #
• @timseley Looks like a pogoplug for flash instead of hard drives. http://www.pogoplug.com Does iconnect work for large physical drives? in reply to timseley #
• TinyPic http://ff.im/-dSO8U #
• @dpoe is there a Foursquare app for the Pre? #
• @djpizzle I have to figure out a way to get it…Not coming to Verizon until later this spring and I don't have a T-Mobile account. in reply to djpizzle #
• Listening to and loving the @mikeomearashow at http://www.mikeomearashow.com – you'll laugh so hard you'll cry. #
• Old 97's – Big Brown Eyes http://ff.im/-dU4a2 #
• Configuring dd-wrt on my shiny, new Linksys WRT320N router. Secure gigabit and dual-band wireless N for the Traffas household. #
• is watching The West Wing S04E07 #
• is watching The Daily Show With Jon Stewart #
• Cory Branan – Wayward and Down http://ff.im/-dXmhR #
• Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Good http://ff.im/-dXCsB #
• is watching The West Wing S04E09 #
• @dN0t Sorry, dude. O'Brien was the only late-night host more annoying than Leno. in reply to dN0t #
• OMG – Boxee beta is out for average users! Why did I not see this? #
• I'm at Purple Wave (825 Levee Dr, Manhattan). http://4sq.com/7dAPJA #
• Chris Knight – House and 90 Acres http://ff.im/-e0rRi #
• Reckless Kelly – Vancouver http://ff.im/-e1g7L #
• Getting in a cold diesel to rattle over to Lawrence for Ween night. Performing with the BFF's tonight. #
• My first time in a tribute band tonight…and its for Ween. WTF or FTW? #
• I'm at Jazz Haus (Huntington Rd, Lawrence). http://4sq.com/68Elvc #
• Ween Night — at Jazz Haus http://gowal.la/s/2Mwr #
• Venue nearly full for Ween night at the Jazz Haus in Lawrence ahead of the first band starting. #
• First act starting the night: The King Dong Variety Hour. #
• The King Dong Variety Hour http://flic.kr/p/7ujGgf #
• King Dong Variety Hour finishing up…Big Fat Fucks up next (that's us!) #
• The King Dong Variety Hour [pic] http://ff.im/-e2aoc #
• Getting our asses handed to us by a bunch of ringers from a music store closing the show. There would crush Ween with their own songs. #
• I'm at Dairy Queen (1015 N 3rd St, Manhattan). http://4sq.com/615isV #
• I'm at Burger King (Interstate 70 Frontage Rd, Junction City). http://4sq.com/56o7bY #
• I'm at Cheddars (11661 E 13th St N, Wichita). http://4sq.com/8dHxyF #
• Going to be a day of working on materials for my trip to Duluth this week. #
• likes s13 | e10: W.T.F. on Boxee http://bit.ly/2g60pU #
• likes s13 | e10: W.T.F. on Boxee http://ff.im/-e6rPi #

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-03

• @gowalla I created a new site with my phone that is too far from the actual site. The website won't let me fix it. How can I make it right? #
• @cliquidator This is what you need – Lenovo's wireless Multimedia Remote with Keyboard sneaks out for retail – http://bit.ly/7fo0B4 #
• RT @dN0t Few contributions to a software project are more valuable than a good bug report. #
• RT @auctionwally u can't have ur cake n eat it too. An auction w reseve is NOT an auction. It's a store item. Reserve auction = fail #
• The AuctioneerTech guide to Dimdim presentations http://ff.im/-drY8F #
• @bpiflier Early January, I think. I'm sorry I didn't write it earlier…better late than never. It's required reading for presenters now. in reply to bpiflier #
• is.gd http://ff.im/-ds4Lg #
• The more I code, the more frustrating it is that I can't fold/unfold nodes in an outline in OpenOffice. #
• @bpflier @jdschultz What do you guys mean by aggregate sites? I guess I'm not understanding. #
• @jdschultz @bpflier Fascinating. I think auction calendars are of huge importance driving traffic to our websites and improving findability. in reply to jdschultz #
• @jdschultz @bpflier The design is horrible, but that means a better, more positive contrast for the user when he arrives on my site! #
• @bpiflier Very, very well put. in reply to bpiflier #
• @jdschultz You know if you'd quit doing live auctions, they'd have no choice but to come to your website. in reply to jdschultz #
• RT @dN0t OH: "You're a quitter. You should run for governor of Alaska." #
• From ad: "92% of Kansans read their local newspaper" – when? 1985? #
• likes The West Wing on Boxee http://bit.ly/qYYM3 #
• likes The West Wing on Boxee http://ff.im/-dtae0 #
• AuctioneerTech adds new features to suggest and subscribe http://ff.im/-dtowV #
• Clickpass http://ff.im/-dtrAf #
• Ask a Nobel laureate! http://bit.ly/4WShur #
• Viva La Music Revolution http://bit.ly/6q6dRJ #
• @michaelmutter What kind of phone do you have? #
• @MikeBoesker Dude…sign up for Gowalla….you'll love it more than Twitter. http://www.gowalla.com in reply to MikeBoesker #
• Why does Foursquare limit the number of cities? Who cares? @gowalla doesn't. http://www.gowalla.com #
• @SarahWeber1 You should check in to Purple Wave on Gowalla. #
• @dpoe You thought I was kidding about Picnik? in reply to dpoe #
• @dN0t Sorry to hear it. You should consider spending New Years in the Little Apple. in reply to dN0t #
• @dN0t I guarantee we have more Guinness in one bar than there is in Barber County. in reply to dN0t #
• @michaelmutter Here's to hoping for a @gowalla app on the Pre soon – but not sooner than the Android app. in reply to michaelmutter #
• Glossary – Headstones And Dead Leaves http://ff.im/-dwDvi #
• Glossary – Shaking Like a Flame http://ff.im/-dwDv9 #
• The Great Divide – Jail Burned Down http://ff.im/-dwDvf #
• Height Vs. Time On Trampoline http://bit.ly/8KfLna #
• Sprint offering January window to escape contracts without paying termination fees! Time to get a Droid! http://bit.ly/82X2bK #
• Finally getting my double injection – H1N1 and seasonal. I feel safer already. #
• Getting vaccinated — at riley County Health Department http://gowal.la/s/2vVU #
• @dN0t loving the political affiliation tags on dn0t. in reply to dN0t #
• @dN0t Robert's tags – Lieberman (I-Pentagon), Baucus (D-Pharmaceutical Industry), Paul (R-Constitution) – thought they were cute. in reply to dN0t #
• @brandonhowe @jdschultz Too early? Our kids are going to love it… #
• @timseley No kidding. I'm a die-hard last.fm user, and I keep finding myself logging onto lala.com instead. At least it syncs with last.fm! in reply to timseley #
• ChaCha http://ff.im/-dzmYq #
• Wellsphere http://ff.im/-dzmYo #
• @dN0t Who is Better with Beer? Where's the show? in reply to dN0t #
• Treat yourself to a new phone experience in the new year w/ Google Voice http://www.auctioneertech.com/2009/google-voice-manages-your-calls #
• @bpiflier You tweeting from the shower? That's dedication. in reply to bpiflier #
• lol RT @willtmc Does google voice transcription suck for everyone or just for people who get a lot of calls from Southerners? #
• The Mountain Goats – Fall of the Star High School Running Back http://ff.im/-dC3B8 #
• is watching College Football #
• @SarahWeber1 That was a fairly amazing interception. in reply to SarahWeber1 #
• Tracking west to Norton, KS, for a wedding tomorrow. Going to see how geocaching and Gowalla work in the wilderness. #
• I'm at Cawker City's Ball of Twine in Glen Elder, KS http://gowal.la/s/2zE5 #
• Wow…haven't seen a fail whale on twitter.com for a while. #
• Follow @auto for a chance to win a #freetesla electric car #
• @jason will be giving away a Tesla electric car, but you have to follow @auto – #freetesla #
• Rehearsal dinner for Holly's wedding. — at Christian Church http://gowal.la/s/2zZL #
• Rehearsal for the wedding, hats and all. http://flic.kr/p/7sgVP1 #
• Geocaching.com http://ff.im/-dF4bl #
• Rehearsal for the wedding, hats and all. [pic] http://ff.im/-dF4bj #
• Gowalla needs to hurry on the Android app…I keep creating spots with the mobile web page that are off by many miles. #
• Diane and her mother making flower arrangements for Holly's wedding tomorrow. http://flic.kr/p/7shoaR #
• Diane and her mother making flower arrangements for Holly's wedding tomorrow. [pic] http://ff.im/-dFGrB #
• Top 10 Words and Phrases Ruined By Alt Med http://bit.ly/8g9Z9I #
• Watching the picture-taking for Holly's wedding. — at Christian church http://gowal.la/s/2BcQ #

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-27

• Snow starting now, blowing hard. http://flic.kr/p/7q8ctk #
• Join me on Gowalla! The easiest way to share and discover new places. See where I've been: http://gowal.la/u/traffas #
• @dN0t The KSDOT has an impressive road conditions dashboard that I just came across. – http://511.ksdot.org/ in reply to dN0t #
• @dN0t We'll be in the 620 tomorrow afternoon. No concrete plans, as yet. How long will you be around? in reply to dN0t #
• Global Auction Guide launches new website http://ff.im/-dkUz8 #
• @traffas I am broadcasting, from my Android phone, live on Ustream. Come watch! http://ustre.am/6fd #
• @traffas I am broadcasting, from my Android phone, live on Ustream – http://ustre.am/6fd #
• @traffas Hey! I am live on Ustream from my Android phone – http://ustre.am/6fd #
• Guess the Ustream Android resolution and framerate aren't high enough to catch the snow as it falls and blows. #
• Have a Droid and miss the multitouch? Snag the Dolphin browser for tabbed browsing and a little pinch and zoom! http://bit.ly/5AfI2g #
• @jdschultz The only one I don't want to give up is the www in reply to jdschultz #
• Snow falling harder now, beginning to accumulate even though its blowing nearly sideways. http://flic.kr/p/7q9pyx #
• The mess in the living room. http://flic.kr/p/7qdMrm #
• Nothing works yet on the Palm Pre. Gowalla? No. Foursquare? Not in Kansas. Brightkite? Loopt? Negative. Nobody is building for the Pre. #
• RT @CobraCommander: My foes are hung by the chimney with care… #
• The girls got doll houses for Christmas http://flic.kr/p/7qfJ5B #
• @dnot drunk at home after movie watching. Tomorrow? #
• Laughing at the History Channel's signature bullshit, wishing it were called the psudo-history channel. #
• @dn0t drunk at home after movie watching. Tomorrow? #
• Merry Christmases to me http://flic.kr/p/7qD9ew #
• Celebrating Holly's 21st birthday — at Pizza Hut http://gowal.la/s/2qXQ #
• What does the first word say? http://flic.kr/p/7qUx1L #

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Today’s quackery: osteopathic manipulative medicine

Image via Wikipedia

Andrew Taylor Still lived near Baldwin City, Kansas, during the time of the Civil War. There, he founded the practice of osteopathy in the 1870s after his father and three children died from spinal meningitis. He founded the American School of Osteopathy in Missouri in the 1890s. Still believed that the bone was the starting point to diagnosing pathological conditions and that he could “shake a child and stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days by a wring of its neck.” Right.

True osteopathic manipulative medicine, like it’s cousin chiropractic medicine, is bullshit. Claiming to cure or alleviate a pathological condition by manipulating an unrelated system is an affront to common sense. Curing a fever by manipulating the skeletal system is as ludicrous as thinking you can stop a car’s engine from overheating by rotating the tires.

This post isn’t an attack on American osteopathic physicians. As a baby, I was delivered by a DO, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t shake me. While I don’t technically have a regular doctor, I have in the past received very good care from a local doctor who is a DO.

Since it’s quack roots in the 1870s, American Osteopathy has transitioned to a practice that is essentially real, science-based medicine. Modern doctors of osteopathy in the United States are taught but no longer use osteopathic manipulative medicine – the component that is the modern derivative of Still’s baby-shaking pseudoscience. American osteopathic physicians have real degrees from real universities and have equivalent medical training to real doctors.

Unfortunately, osteopathy has a context outside of American osteopathic medicine. Osteopathy in the rest of the world has parked itself squarely in the purview of complementary and alternative medicine (CAMP). This D in the DO can stand for diploma, not doctor, and the practitioners are more skilled in bamboozling their clients than they are at practicing any kind of real medicine.

Here’s the thing. Real medicine is based on science. If something is “complimentary” or “alternative” to science, it’s not medicine – it’s crap. If something makes you feel better that shouldn’t, like chiropractic or acupuncture or homeopathy or osteopathic manipulative medicine, it’s called a placebo and it’s unethical to present it as a legitimate treatment for anything.

My typewriter is too loud

This is what it was like when our parents went to college.

Student Brings Typewriter To Class – Watch more Funny Videos

CAPTCHA FAIL

This was the CAPTCHA presented to my mother upon attempting to sign up for her Twitter account.

moar funny pictures

Failblog calculus

I’ve seen this post on failblog.org a couple times over the last week and each time I can’t stop laughing. Enjoy.

see more Epic Fails

Magnets

Ferromagnetism describes the property of some metals to exhibit interactions with magnets. Steel is ferromagnetic, aluminum isn’t. That’s why you can stick a magnet to a refrigerator but not to a beer can.

Magnetic field strength is measured using a unit called the Tesla. A refrigerator magnet has the strength of 5 milliteslas. MRI machines have been tested beyond 8 Teslas.

The iron in our blood isn’t ferromagnetic. It doesn’t respond to magnets. In fact, there isn’t anything in our body that’s ferromagnetic. If there were things in our bodies that responded to magnets, we couldn’t use an MRI machine for human diagnostics.

Next time you see someone with a glorified refrigerator magnet strapped to her wrist, think about how silly it is to think that wearing such a magnet could have any possible physiological effect. Even though it’s silly to think this, considering that science tells us it’s absurd, this concept has generated studies just in case we don’t understand something about magnets and our bodies. Don’t worry, science understands magnets and our bodies just fine, and wearing magnets doesn’t have any effect on the body.

If physics and anatomy were more widely understood, predatory scam artists would have much less luck swindling the gullible into purchasing, among other things, magnets for medical uses.