For those of you who operate under daylight savings time you must be feeling some relief right now. We've finally fallen back and I no longer have to wake up before the sun comes up. We are biologically programed to sleep at night and wake with the sun. Unfortunately the recent extension of daylight savings time has forced most of us to spend 1-2 months fighting our natural inclinations.

We have just finished year two of a country wide experiment caused by the candy companies. They have been lobbying congress for decades to move the fall back date until after Halloween. They want to have a larger Trick-or-Treat turn out and they think that daylight savings time is the key. I'd argue that the loss of productivity due to the extension is not worth the economic boost the country might get by buying a few extra bags of candy.

More:

• Problems Adjusting to Daylight Saving Time

I'm excited to let you know that a special discount has been set up for readers of About Ergonomics who wish to attend this years ErgoExpo.  Not only can you save 20% but you can hear me speak at this years conference.  Simply use the discount code ABOUT20 during registration.

I was just Boo'd.  And I must say that this is the greatest ergonomic breakthrough to hit Halloween that I've ever seen.  If you don't know what Booing is it is where you make up a bag of treats and a "Boo" sign and then leave it at a friends door anonymously.  So in essence it is trick or treating without having to leave your house.  That's awesome.  If you haven't been Boo'd and have to do it the old fashioned way then here are some tips to make your trick or treating easier.

We spend a lot of time in the field of ergonomics trying to fit the work to the worker.  Well, Art van Bodegraven and Kenneth B. Ackerman have a nice Op-Ed piece over a DC Velocity, The Case for "Revergonomics" , discussing improving things by doing the opposite.  That is finding a worker with the aptitudes and physical traits that will make them perform better at a given task.

I slide a fresh pair of Scotch Precision Scissors out of there packaging, felt the balance and smoothness in the action and set down to slice through some paper.  I marveled at not only how far technology has come, but also in how much thought is continually put into scissor design.  Then it hit me.  I think we've all forgotten just how important scissors are to mankind.  Sure it's no cotton gin or pacemaker, but scissors are even more important to the advancement of our species.  They are the second tool most of us learn to use (behind the crayon) and are ever present in are life.  Scissors are an essential ergonomic tool.

The National Ergonomics Conference & Exposition (otherwise known as the ErgoExpo) is hosting a free Webinar: Proving the Value of Ergonomics to Your Company - And Why That's Good for Your Career on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 from 2 - 3 pm EST.  Drew Bossen, the Executive Vice President of Atlas Ergonomics will " explain how to prove the value of ergonomics to your company, and how to prove your value as an ergonomics and safety professional."  Registration is required.

Matt, over at his blog The Quern, has related his Saga of the New Keyboard, a heart wrenching tale of how he attempts to replace his natural, ergonomic keyboard of 13 years.  Any relationship that long is going to leave some lasting impressions.

Bill Burton, over at Casino City Times, has a nice article on Slot Machine Ergonomics.  At first thought you may not see why slot machines need good ergonomics.  But they are a perfect case study for what needs ergonomic development.  People work at the station for hours on end with little to no breaks and they perform a repetitive motion dozens of times per minute.  It's worth the read.

Sometimes things are as ergonomic as they can get.  Case in point: Cooking molds have been around for a long time.  They can be used for pancakes or eggs.  If they are shaped like a dinosaur then the intention is pretty clear.  The mold is trying to make breakfast fun (or dangerous).  When it is shaped like a piece of sliced bread, well, then the intention is different.

I got a pair of these silicone egg molds from someone who thought I'd like how ergonomic they are.  Since they will shape my egg like my bread it should make my egg sandwich creation process easier.  Things don't always work out as planned.

In order to retain the shape when you remove the mold you really can only cook the egg on one side.  Flipping is not facilitated.  That is if you can remove the mold in the first place as the egg has a tendency to stick to the mold.  When you add that to the fact that a typical fried egg doesn't fall off of the sandwich in the first place you can safely dispose of egg molds.  Use them for fun, not efficiency.

The Lysol Dual Action Disinfectant Wipes are a great ergonomic entry into the pre-moistened cleaning wipe category.  Pre-moistened towelettes are very popular (and rather ergonomic in their own right).  Whether it is a handy wipe, a glass cleaning cloth or a bleach filled towelette, providing a disposable cloth infused with the cleaning product of your choice has a mass market appeal. 

Lysol's Dual Action wipes adds a bit of roughness to the mix.  One side has "scrubbies" on it.  And they work rather well.  I tried it out on one of the toughest jobs I know.  I was making jelly earlier today when I let my pot boil over.  (It was completely intentional for the purposes of this review)  And I do not know of anything harder to get off the counter than overcooked jelly that fused with the surface while it was still piping hot.  A scrubby wipe took it off reasonably fast.