Hamsters

A great wheeze from East Carolina University, supported by what looks like a fake charity (could be out of date, but if it isn't now it certainly used to be).

Portable pedal machines could be used in every office to improve the health of workers, according to scientists in the US.

Now I can immediately think of a number of problems with this.

1. I'm not the fittest, but I play football and walk to work so not too bad. But I sweat when I exercise, and judging by my football companions I'm not the only one. So this isn't hugely compatible with wearing a suit. And I've worked in an American office, ten years ago, and there were some BIG units there. The idea of that office also being a gym makes me shudder to my core.

2. This will generate a lot of excess heat. Not just from raising people's body temperatures, but the bikes themselves. Where does this heat go? Are firms expected to pump up the air con to the max every day? Not great for the famous carbon footprint really, or indeed the bottom line that will apparently be improved by this activity.

3. People won't use it.

"In a questionnaire, the workers said they would use the machine regularly at work if they were offered one by their employer."

Of course they said this, it doesn't mean they will. Even the charidee man realised this.

"However, it's not for everyone and I was concerned that, not surprisingly, use of the pedal machine decreased gradually over the one month trial period as enthusiasm waned."

Duh.

On a less flippant note, and maybe I'm being dramatic, I can see where these sorts of ideas end up. If this were to be adopted, some bright spark would realise he could power his office using these hamster workers. Good for the AGW scammers, and a nice opportunity for Government to push a whole bunch of agenda in one go.