BKZAP.RVW 940311 Peachpit Press, Inc. 2414 Sixth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 800/283-9444 or 510/548-4393 Fax: 510/548-5991 tbooth@peachpit.mhs.compuserve.com "Zap!", Sellers, 1994, 1-56609-021-0, U$12.95/C$17.95 dsellers@hebron.connected.com The industrial first aid class that I was in had come to problems associated with bones and joints. The instructor was discussing bursitis, and was using the example of carpet layers. The tool used to stretch carpet is designed to be "kicked" with the knee while the worker is kneeling and tacking the carpet in place. Because of the repeated blows to the knee joint, bursitis is a fairly common result. Once it sets in, the worker can only hope to get a new job before the pain gets too bad. Someone in the class wouldn't accept this, and kept asking what could be done. The instructor patiently kept explaining that nothing could be done. Finally, the student pulled out what she thought was her trump card: what if the worker's whole *life* was carpet laying? "Well," replied the long-suffering teacher, "I guess he'd die, then." This was immediately recalled to me by the anecdote used to open this book. Some conditions are tragic and some are preventable. The prevention, however, may not always be within the control of the worker. Still, this is an important book. When you consider the possibly painful and costly alternatives, "Zap" is probably well worth the price for any and every computer user. Home users may cavil, but they are the ones who probably have the worst work setups and the most control over their environment. Certainly every large office should have a copy, although I suspect it will be used more by staff than management, alas. Given that the book's chapters cover not only body systems but also external and environmental factors, it tends to seem a bit disjointed. The jumps from subject to subject are sometimes difficult. It is, however, undoubtedly useful in bringing together all manner of factors and problems into one place. The suggestions tend to be along the lines of common sense; relax; if something is uncomfortable at first, it will get worse with repetition; keep moving, etc.; but it is not to be despised on that account. When the subject gets more technical, as in the chapter on radiation, Sellers tends to waffle more. (He recommends a commercial monitor retrofit which can be accomplished more effectively and for less money at home with a roll of tin foil.) The resources at the end of almost every chapter are helpful for further study in specific areas. There are, however, some odd gaps (such as the chapter on back pain). Hopefully, future editions of the book will add more contacts and information. The book is written to the user. This might seem an obvious audience, but it is probably management who need more prodding here. It is a pity that more information is not directed towards the solid business advantages of an "ergonomic" workplace. In discussing chairs, for example, one could note that the cheapest steno chair might be available for sixty dollars, whereas the most expensive is ten times that much. This might appear to be a substantial price difference--until you consider that the cheapest receptionist costs twenty times as much, per year, as the most costly chair. If you get only five percent more work out of someone with a better chair, you pay for the chair in a year. While there are gaps in this work, it is significant for bringing together a number of health issues in one place. For this reason, I highly recommend it and look forward to improved editions in the future. Give it to your computer novice friend and it might just save his or her neck. Or eyes. Or hands ... copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKZAP.RVW 940311 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag