
Apple Watch owners use their nose to navigate the watch - doener
http://www.wsj.com/articles/nosy-apple-watch-users-discover-another-way-to-go-hands-free-1451077454
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jamessb
Michelle Vandy uses an Apple Trackpan on a tripod to control her MacBook. It's
quite impressive to watch:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAokWwilHGk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAokWwilHGk)

"The last few years my arms have largely shaped my work setup. I used to
struggle with severe pains and cramps in my lower arms and couldn't design
unless I had my special equipment. Basically I assembled a device from a
Manfrotto Table Top Tripod Kit 209, 492 Long, tripod adapter plate and an
Apple Magic Trackpad and placed it in front of my 15 inch MacBook Pro. I then
used the tip of my nose to draw and maneuver the mouse, while my arms were
resting in front of me. Yes, it was pretty frustrating at times and yes, it
looked ridiculous and yes, it took a long time to increase my precision and
speed, but somehow I ended up becoming extremely efficient!" \- Interview on
The Setup:
[https://usesthis.com/interviews/michelle.vandy/](https://usesthis.com/interviews/michelle.vandy/)

~~~
CodeWriter23
I'd prefer RSI in the wrists vs. the neck, ijs. Probably works great for a
healthy young woman though.

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dag11
I'm guilty of the nose tap, as well as the forehead-tap and chin-tap to
dismiss the screen. Wearables are fun!

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taspeotis
Nose-tap seemed obvious, but I never thought of forehead-tap or chin-tap. (I
dismiss the "usual" way ... covering the screen with my other hand.) I'll add
those to my repertoire, thanks!

~~~
mmmBacon
A knuckle tap is a good one too. Works well when fingertips are covered in BBQ
sauce, grease, etc...

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ameen
Knuckle tap and scroll are common among smartphone users.

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andrewflnr
My favorite part is the guy who programmed his nose into his iPhone's
fingerprint sensor. I wonder if it can really tell the difference between his
nose and any other person's.

~~~
turshija
You can also use toes, and if you want to get more weird: you can also use
your nipple ! Not only it can tell the difference between your and any other
person's nipple, it can also tell the difference between your left and right
nipples. Don't ask me how I know...

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froo
I have personally programmed my toe into my iPhone last year sometime. Purely
for testing. It does work.

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reubensutton
This is one of the weirdest articles I have ever seen on WSJ

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vatys
I love the stipple picture of the guy nose-tapping his watch

[http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/HC-
GU128_Watch_G_2...](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/HC-
GU128_Watch_G_20151225172013.jpg)

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steele
Necessity, mother, invention etc [http://www.wired.com/2010/02/korean-iphone-
stylus-its-made-o...](http://www.wired.com/2010/02/korean-iphone-stylus-its-
made-of-meat/)

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riebschlager
> Mr. Desarnauts recently tried nose tapping himself for the first time in the
> shower when his wrist started to vibrate from an incoming phone call while
> he had shampoo in his hands. He sent the call to voice mail hands free.

This whole article smacks of solutions to problems these people paid to have.
Why are you wearing a smart watch in the shower? What call or email is so
important that it couldn't wait until you get out of the shower?

~~~
sandworm101
Better question: Do you really want Apple monitoring what you do in the
shower?

Siri: I noticed you spent an extra five minutes shaving yesterday and suspect
your razor is a little dull. We sold that little factoid to Braun. Now every
website in the world will be filled with their razor ads. Please do not
disappoint. Braun is an important customer, unlike you.

~~~
achompas
In what world is Apple, one of the strongest protectors of individual privacy
in SV, concerned with how long you shave?

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sandworm101
A world where data tracking people's behaviour is useful to those wanting to
sell them products. Is it really all that speculative to suggest that an apple
algorithm (or google) might correlate persons who suddenly take a few extra
minutes shaving with persons who in the next week will buy some shaving
products?

Apple is a supporter of individual privacy, not group privacy. They have and
use lots of behavioural data, anonymized and sorted, but data nevertheless.

~~~
achompas
> A world where data tracking people's behaviour is useful to those wanting to
> sell them products.

Like...Apple-branded shaving cream?

In all seriousness, this is not a situation Apple cares enough about to spend
time parsing logs/activity streams.

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theinternetman
Keep forgetting the Apple Watch is actually a thing

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bjelkeman-again
When it is very cold outside and I am wearing thick gloves I use my nose to
silence alarms etc on my phone. It is very practical.

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esolyt
> One thread about a month ago carried the subject line, “The nose tap. We’ve
> all mastered it amirite?”

Looks like copy pasting reddit threads to people who don't use reddit is
modern journalism's new plan to survive.

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dwb
Touchscreens? I've been using my nose for light switches for years.

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donatj
You must be quite short.

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megablast
Doesn't work for me, would be good to check the time on my bike.

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mtgx
It's only because the UX is so terrible. I think the closest to fixing the UX
on a smartwatch so far has been Samsung with its Gear S2. It has a circle
bezel that rotates through everything. Very easy to use.

[https://youtu.be/2VTBkOVhRwM?t=1m37s](https://youtu.be/2VTBkOVhRwM?t=1m37s)

~~~
MBCook
How do you propose to rotate a bezel when both your hands are busy?

That's when I nose tap my watch.

It has nothing to do with the UI and everything to do with the tool at hand.

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reustle
Or, tool at face

