Shipwreck Bay - One of New Zealand’s Most Storied Point Breaks

Established Northern California paramedic Grant Seibert has responded to numerous emergency 911 situations. Grant Seibert had the opportunity to visit New Zealand and learn to surf while in college. He capped his summer by competing in a surf competition, taking fourth place.

One of New Zealand’s most popular surf breaks, Shipwreck Bay is situated in the west of the North Island’s Northland region, within the township of Ahipara. About five hours’ drive from Aukland, the bay is located at Ninety Mile Beach’s southernmost point. Challenging to access, it was put on the international surfing map by the classic 1960s documentary The Endless Summer.

Any southwest swell in the area will get picked up by the headland and funneled into two distinct breaks of varying skill level. The left-hand “Wreck Bay” point break provides a long, gentle ride to the sandy beach. By contrast, “Peaks” is situated farther out along the headland and starts with a fast-moving barrel that continues into a long rise toward the beach. Rather than swim out the full distance, many surfers choose to walk back along the beach.

Tips for Making Healthy Meals at Home

Avid outdoorsman and marathon runner Grant Seibert has traveled to locations as far away as New Zealand and Southeast Asia to participate in watersports and mountain biking. In between his adventures abroad, Grant Seibert enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and home cooking.

Cooking at home is becoming more popular amongst people who want more control over what they eat, including people with food allergies or those on restricted diets such as keto or low-carb. However, without proper planning, home-cooked meals can be just as high in calories as restaurant meals. In American culture, many popular comfort foods are high in starch, fat, and sodium.

Substituting high-fat ingredients such as butter and lard with more heart-healthy options can greatly reduce a meal’s caloric content. Furthermore, experimenting with spices and herbs helps prevent an over-reliance on flavoring dishes with salt. Home cooks can also expand their repertoire by researching healthy, vegetable-heavy recipes online or in health-conscious cookbooks.

Celebrating National Ergonomics Month

A licensed paramedic, Grant Seibert holds a master's degree in human factors and ergonomics, which incorporates a physiological understanding of the human person for the development of everything from systems to tools. Grant Seibert is a past member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).

A federated society of the International Ergonomics Society, the HFES focuses on supporting professionals in the field of human factors and ergonomics by spearheading advocacy efforts and providing educational opportunities. Founded in 1957, the society celebrates National Ergonomics Month each October.

National Ergonomics Month is an opportunity to foster awareness about the impact of ergonomics for personal well-being. The society encourages major corporations, communities, and educational institutions ranging from middle school to university level to host outreach events or simply honor those who provide exemplary modeling of ergonomic principles.

As part of its celebration of the month, the society hosts a meeting to bring together professionals in the field from around the globe. The 64th International Annual Meeting will take place October 5-9, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. It will include workshops on topics proposed by past attendees in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to virtual environments. Still accepting paper proposals through May 28, the HFES will release its final session schedule on June 1.

For more information or to get ideas for participating in this year's National Ergonomics Month, visit www.hfes.org.

Research Looks into Workplace Relationships between Humans and Robots

Robot Photo by Alex Knight from Pexels

A longtime paramedic in the San Francisco Bay Area, Grant Seibert holds a master's degree in human factors and ergonomics from the University of California.. The subject Grant Seibert studied dealt with how humans adapt to and work with their environment, on psychological as well as physical-layout levels, and he has been a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).

Recent research published in HFES's Journal focused on the complex relationships between humans and robots. A survey of 164 participants presented 18 hypothetical scenarios across industrial, health care, and military sectors. In each scenario, either a non-autonomous robot, an autonomous robot, or a human had caused some sort of error, with respondents asked to assign blame.

A key finding was that humans were more likely to blame each other than to blame robots, and also more likely to blame autonomous robots than non-autonomous robots. This blame hierarchy is important, given that workplaces are set to become increasingly automated in the future. When robots and humans are part of a team, the humans’ perception of their technological counterparts is important in ensuring their successful functioning, particularly in challenging circumstances.

The researchers next plan to study how bots’ appearance and level of autonomy affect humans’ relationship to them.