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App to measure impairment
A psychology professor at the University of Massachusetts has a new app out that might help you determine if you should get behind the wheel after a few drinks or a joint.
Dr. Michael Milburn, an expert in research methods, measurements and statistics, is the creator of the Druid app. Available on iPad, iPhone or Android, the app takes you through a series of four tests that measure cognitive and behavioural impairment. This impairment level could be from cannabis, alcohol or other sources like cocaine or prescription drugs.
“By impairment I mean slowed reaction time, worse hand-eye coordination, worse balance and a diminished capacity to perform divided attention tasks,” Milburn told the Cape Breton Post via email.
“They were the first people to get a hold of me and offer me a job.”
Other job offers included everything from sales to call centre work and even a handyman position. A couple of emails described his humorous ad in the Post as “a genius way to do things” and many offered encouragement.
“A lot came from people wishing me good luck. It was a good feeling.”
One man from Halifax emailed about a 55-and-over job searching group.
“I sent everyone who emailed me back a ‘thank you.’”
The story not only got Dickson a job but reconnected him with long-lost friends.
“I have a friend I haven’t seen since the 80s,” he said.
“He lives in Antigonish and wants to have a coffee. He’s coming down next month.”
Another friend he worked with 15 years ago also wants to reconnect.
“He’s with ground search and rescue down in the (Annapolis) Valley and got a hold of me as well as other former co-workers.”
Dickson has also been recognized from his photo in the Cape Breton Post story, including recently at Hardy’s Seafood Delight on the Louisbourg highway.
“The guy took me out to the kitchen with him while he was making the fish and chips to talk to me.”
There were also bizarre emails and even messages from family.
“My brother called from Halifax; he got a kick out of it.”
Greg McNeil, owner/director of security for SPS Security Atlantic Ltd. in Sydney, said he was reading the Cape Breton Post online shortly after midnight the night the story on Dickson was published, when it caught his eye.
“I said to my wife, ‘Well there we go. He’s got everything we’re looking for from what he said — honesty, reliability and wants to work.’”
McNeil sent Dickson an email that night.
The humour also was a plus and was actually the hook that first brought his attention to the story, admits McNeil.
“In our business, responsibility is number one but humour is the biggest issue we use for defusing situations. I thought it was great.”
McNeil also thought Dickson’s age was a plus. At this time the company’s oldest employee is 75. The older worker is someone he had once worked in corrections with. The coworker retired then came to work for McNeil when McNeil opened his security business in 2005.
“He’s probably my senior advisor that I go to about everything when there are issues.”
The company now has 22 employees, including eight well over the age of 60, he added.
“Age is experience,” he said. “In our business we can train the person if you have the attitude and focus. We work around a lot of communications equipment such as radios and cameras and Don worked with all that before. He’s also fantastic with people; you can pick that up from him right away.”
Although the business does security for Canadian Tire, their main focus is marine ports and industrial sites in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
McNeil said Dickson will start at Canadian Tire to get him use to the security routine, but will mainly be at the marine port and industrial sites including the Provincial Energy Ventures site and the Savage site at the International Coal Pier.
As happy as Dickson is to have the job, McNeil seems to be just as glad to have him.
“Don will be working part time but there will be lots more hours if he wants them.”