MEDIA REVIEW

"Anatomy for Exercise" DVD-ROM

Requires reasonably fast processor on computer – 1.5GHz with 512MB of RAM and 200MB of disk space.

I have a Sony Viao laptop. With Google open it ran a little slower than the blazing Mac I have downstairs that my kids use, but overall the software ran fine. You've probably been bombarded by the following two words in nearly every piece of software you've ever purchased or used - "INTUITIVE INTERFACE." With this DVD those two words actually apply. Pop (or slide) the DVD into the slot (or door), follow the setup instructions and the start-up screen opens.

"Getting Started" teaches you the basics on how to drive this baby out of the driveway. If you're tech-savvy (of which I'm not, I just like to pretend I am) you'll have this thing screaming down the highway to the mysterious duodenum and beyond in no time flat. It is that easy to use, navigate, explore, and learn. I went ahead and looked at the Getting Started movie, so I wouldn't drive right into my neighbor's living room, or run over her poodle. I learned quickly. Armed with the knowledge of how to delve deeper into the human body than I ever safely or legally could, I was ready to go.

Warning! Danger!

This program will not work on an iPad because it requires you to have or install Adobe Flash, and with the proliferation of iPads and tablet computers taking over all sentient life on planet earth, this would be a major issue for Apple aficionados. Education will soon depend more and more on the computer, be it tablet, pad, pod, mode, diode, or neural implant. That's why this software would be a nice compliment to the already expansive and voluminous options of anatomy texts, including the one you perhaps saved from your college anatomy course (I can't believe I still have mine, and didn't sell it for money to buy sodas and burritos on Friday nights) including the classic Gray's Anatomy.

But I digress. The metaphor of "layers" is embedded (pardon the pun) as the way you will explore. You click an arrow to go "down" and into more explicit detail, or up to less detail. For example, if you start on the home screen and go to "Anatomical Language" you'll see on your left, a nice color graphic of a au natural man with the different areas highlighted in nice soft colors. When I think of the conceptual metaphor of "windows" as a platform for computing on a personal level, I think of those 'windows' extending straight back, in a line of progression that might as well be infinite. It is a linear metaphor, extending in a line, backward, more or less horizontal. Which leads me to my next point.

Navigation is easy in this program, based on the principle of layers; you begin on the surface, such as the skin, and click down to more and more detail. In effect you are "digging deep for information" or "mining." This is powerful stuff, essentially giving you a screen-sized microscope in which to explore the body in as much detail as you can handle.

Rotating the figure is easy, as is flip-flopping from left to right and back. On top of the main screen are three subheadings; "ANATOMY, MOVIES, and ANIMATIONS". You navigate around the body's systems from that tab. Hundreds of anatomical terms are featured, along with their labels. The movies and animations operate slowly and are rich in detail. All the major human anatomical systems are covered (or rather, uncovered) and college students or teachers will enjoy learning from this program. The program is also recommended for mature middle-schoolers and would be a wonderful resource for any high school advanced-level placement course.

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