gHacks technology news » workrave http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:29:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Take Eye Stress Relief Breaks With Eyecare http://www.ghacks.net/2009/08/06/take-eye-stress-relief-breaks-with-eyecare/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/08/06/take-eye-stress-relief-breaks-with-eyecare/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:49:38 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=15080 microsoft windowsBreaks are one of the most important aspects when working long hours in front of a computer screen. One problem that can arise is eye stress which comes from staring concentrated for to long at a computer monitor screen. Among the symptoms that computer users can experience are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and other symptoms that affect the eyes. The effects are only temporary but can be easily prevented by taking regular eye stress relief breaks.

Some computer users with lots of discipline might be able to force themselves to taking regular breaks but the average user usually forgets about them or are concentrated on work which they do not want to interrupt.

The best help for these users is to make use of a software program like Eyecare that informs them when it is time to take a break. Eyecare is probably the most basic type of eye stress relief breaks programs. It is a portable software program that runs quietly in the background. The only indication that it is running is a system tray icon and the process in the task manager.

The program will automatically bring up a black screen every 20 minutes for one minute so that the user can rest the eyes. There is unfortunately no configuration available at this point in development which means it is not possible to change the frequency of the screen blackouts. Eyecare is also a bit heavy on the resource side as it uses more than 20 Megabytes of computer memory while running. Viable alternatives with more options are Workrave or Eye Defender.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/08/06/take-eye-stress-relief-breaks-with-eyecare/feed/ 2 Organize your PC Breaks with Off 4 Fit http://www.ghacks.net/2008/06/03/organize-your-pc-breaks-with-off-4-fit/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/06/03/organize-your-pc-breaks-with-off-4-fit/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:22:46 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=4758 I reviewed Workrave a while ago which reminded PC users that it was time to take a break to assist in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury. Off 4 Fit is another application that reminds the PC user that he needs to take a break. The difference between both applications is that Off 4 Fit is actually using animations to show a number of exercises during the breaks.

Exercises are divided into the three categories Eyes, Hands and Body each containing several exercises that do not take up lots of space, if any, which is ideal for work environments. Each exercise is explained visually by an avatar that is performing it over and over again as well as text that is displayed below the performance.

The first exercise for the hands for example asks the user to stretch his finger joints while the first body exercise is all about stretching the body for a few times.

pc break fitness

Each exercise is repeated several times. Basic controls allow to pause, rewind or forward exercises at any time. The exercises are easy to learn which means that the animations are no longer needed eventually which should definitely be the first goal of a new user. It does not make much sense to exercise the eyes when you have to keep them glued to the computer monitor to understand the exercises correctly.

The other criticism that I have is the advertisement popup that appeared once talking about another tool of the developer that would scan my Registry. I have no idea on the frequency of those popups, it happened once during my tests.

The time before the program reminds the user that he should take a break can be set between 10 and 180 minutes.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/06/03/organize-your-pc-breaks-with-off-4-fit/feed/ 2 Workrave http://www.ghacks.net/2006/02/23/workrave/ http://www.ghacks.net/2006/02/23/workrave/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:33:26 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=333 Most of us are geeks. We work many hours a day nonstop using computers and notebooks and seldom take breaks in that time. Well, unless we stand up to get another coffee. So, most of us work in an unhealthy environment.

Workrave is a freeware program that assists in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). The program frequently alerts you to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily limit.

This is a excellent way to stay healthy even if you have to work on a computer for eight or more hours per day.

workrave

Workrave is compatible to Windows, Linux and other nix operating systems.

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