This is what popped into my head the first time I heard about “the quantified self”. How hard can it be? I figured:
- Look into mirror.
- Conduct census of occupants.
- Done!
But once disabused of that notion, I realized the idea has a powerful appeal for me. I love chasing digital metrics as it is — pageviews, Twitter followers, Facebook Likes — and illustrating a book about measurement has only made that appetite grow.
So the prospect of applying the same principles to my own health that I’ve used to increase my Klout score is overwhelmingly tempting, and it’s only a matter of days before I get a Flex or an Up or a Basis or just have a netbook hot-glued onto my back which, judging by some of the prices at NCIX these days, may be the most economical option. (Plus, that’s a one-kilo weight I’ll use all day long to strengthen my lumbar muscles. Win!)