Smart devices are producing new data streams which will have profound consequences on the way we manage the environment, our health – and, of course, our businesses. But the powerful devices around us and in our pockets can also provide significant benefits simply through their status as reliable witnesses. It's not just the data that matters, but its source.
The Quantified Self site led me to a story in the Atlantic about a lady whose face froze – sending her to the Emergency Room, where they couldn't find anything wrong with her. A couple days later it happened again. She filmed the attack with her smartphone, and showed it to the doctors. They ran full tests and discovered she'd had a mini-stroke. Serious stuff. Significantly, the professionals accorded the movie more credibility than the patient's original verbal account. Technology can act as an advocate as well as just an assistant. The Atlantic