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Issue Date: August 1, 2004
News & Views
FX body parts
Her artificial arm is so real, the fingernails get dirty.
Shark-attack victim Bethany Hamilton, 14, wears a high-tech prosthetic arm -- but not in competition.
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A generation ago, creating a better body with artificial parts was the stuff of "The Six Million Dollar Man." Today, a prosthetic arm by Hanger Orthopedic Group of Bethesda, Md., moves when its wearer simply thinks about it. Young Hawaiian surfing champ Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm below the shoulder last fall in a shark attack, may be fitted with one of these "myoelectric" limbs; meanwhile, she sports a $45,000 graphite-and-silicon cosmetic model that's so authentic, she can get dirt beneath the fingernails. (It will soon get a color touch-up to match her tan.)
How the myoelectric technology works: Highly sensitive electrodes respond to muscle signals in the residual limb, allowing the wearer to open and close the hand, move the forearm, bend the elbow and twist the wrist. Cost: from about $30,000 to more than $100,000, depending on above- or below-the-elbow amputation. (Prosthetic legs even feature microprocessor-operated, stumble-proof knees to prevent falls from tripping.)
Despite her pricey fake limb, Bethany -- whose memoir, "Soul Surfer" (Simon and Schuster, $18), is due in October -- prefers to compete sans prosthesis. Sometimes, one arm is enough.
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See aliens on Earth!
On display: The first issue of the pulp magazine "Amazing Stories"
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You can at the new Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, where science fiction and legitimate science meet to take you where you've never gone before -- except, perhaps, in movies, books and dreams. The museum, beside Seattle's futuristic Space Needle, fulfills a dream for billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, a lifelong sci-fi fan. "He considers science fiction a great tool for teaching science and guiding kids into literacy," says museum director Donna Shirley, former head of NASA's Mars exploration program. Among the museum's pop icons: the original E.T., the Queen alien from "Aliens" and a replica of "Star Wars'" R2D2. You can even activate a database of stats on the crews, missions and engineering of "Star Trek's" Enterprise. "Immortal membership" is $10,000; regular begins at $40. Call 877-724-3428 or go to sfhomeworld.org.
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Bottled-water companies tap into teen market
THE NEW DRINK of choice among teens? H2O. A recent study found that 54% of teen boys and 75% of girls drink bottled water in an average week. Teenagers are choosing bottled water for the same reasons as adults, says Stephen Kay of the International Bottled Water Association: "They're looking to moderate calories, caffeine, carbohydrates, colorings ... and it's available everywhere."
Plain bottled water -- not the sparkling stuff -- is the country's No. 2 commercial beverage category (after carbonated soft drinks); last year, overall consumption surpassed that of beer, coffee and milk.
Nestlé Waters commissioned its own teen research study. One surprising stat: 44% of 13- to 17-year-olds have been drinking bottled water for at least 10 years. "This age group was raised with portable water," says Nestlé spokeswoman Jane Lazgin. "This market has tremendous potential."
Contributing: Kathleen Conroy, Lisa Iannucci, Tessa Wegert
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