Word: pacers
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...said to mimic the effect of walking in sand and to make for orthopedically superior posture. In appearance, Earth Shoes pioneered the flanged, boxy look that epitomized much '70s design and can be seen in such later icons of the decade as Bruce Jenner's hair and the A.M.C. Pacer...
Wearing the colors of their country, or their company sponsor, the front runners do not acknowledge the cheering crowd. Conservative and calculating, they monitor their pace and fluid levels with the detachment of a boilerman checking fuel guages. Clumps of serious runners follow, dedicated amateurs clustered behind a pacer. Then the hump of the bell curve runs by, the anonymous pack one standard deviation from the mean. After that there are no more clumps but, rather, a constant stream, preventing you from crossing the street without careful timing and a quick dash...
...power wheelchair activated by a chin-controlled joystick. He is mobile enough to attend T.C. Williams public high school, where he is an honor student and a member of the French and Latin clubs. Unable to breathe without assistance, Bob has been fitted with an Avery Diaphragm Pacer, which uses a battery-powered transmitter to send electric impulses to his phrenic nerve. This causes his diaphragm to contract, simulating normal breathing. "Without this technology, Bobby wouldn't be alive," says Dr. Alan Fields, associate director of critical care at Children's Hospital in Washington...
...complex equipment can also be fragile and costly to maintain. Bob Cushmac's Diaphragm Pacer once shut down when he was caught in the rain. Another time it stopped when someone spilled coffee on it. He might have suffocated, but a nurse is with him at all times to provide help. Says George Cushmac, Bob's father: "It's lovely stuff, but it comes with the price of having to repair it when it breaks down. This isn't like owning a Maytag washer with a serviceman waiting to be called...