Interview: Cathy Tate, SuperFeet

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Jack Olmsted along with Z-CoiL Dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch in Seattle and Caesar Snee in SF talk with with Cathy Tate (photo), a sales rep for SuperFeet.

Based in Ferndale, Washington, Superfeet Worldwide, Inc. has remained the insole industry's leading designer and manufacturer for 30 years. Originally a sports division of one of the world's top podiatry labs, Northwest Podiatric Laboratory, Superfeet began designing and fabricating custom insoles in 1977. Their product line has since expanded to include Trim-to-Fit and Easy-Fit Premium Insoles for every type of sport and casual activity, in every type of footwear.

Interview: Margaret Chesebro, Wigwam Socks

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Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch, Seattle, and Caesar Snee, San Francisco, along with Jack Olmsted, Z-Blog Reporter, talk with Margaret Chesebro, a field marketing specialist with Wigwam socks.



WigWam Video: Ironman Wisconsin 2007

In The News

Wigwam to benefit from fed move to restrict sock imports
Gannett News Service

Business & Technology | Power-generating clothes? Keep your shirt on | Seattle Times Newspaper

Business & Technology | Power-generating clothes? Keep your shirt on | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Scientists have developed a way to generate electricity by jostling fabric with tiny wires woven inside, raising the prospect of textiles that produce power simply by being stretched, rustled or ruffled by a breeze.

The research, described in the new edition of the journal Nature, combines the precision of nanotechnology with the elegant principle known as the piezoelectric effect, in which electricity is generated when pressure is applied to certain materials.
While the piezoelectric effect has been understood at least as far back as the 19th century, it is getting creative new looks, as concerns about energy supplies are inspiring quests for alternative power sources.

For example, a Japanese railway has experimented with mats, placed under turnstiles, that translate the pressure from thousands of commuters' footfalls into usable power. French scientists have proposed capturing energy from raindrops hitting a structure with piezoelectric properties.

For the research described in Nature, Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology covered individual fibers of fabric with nanowires made of zinc oxide. These wires are 50 nanometers in diameter, 1,800 times thinner than a human hair."

Back Pain Spending Up, Relief Down - washingtonpost.com

Back Pain Spending Up, Relief Down - washingtonpost.com: "Americans are spending more money trying to ease back and neck pain, but new research suggests those extra dollars aren't buying more relief.

The increased expenditures were expected, said the authors of a study in the Feb. 13 issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, but the lack of results weren't.
'This calls into question whether we're providing treatments to people who aren't going to benefit,' said study author Brook Martin, a research scientist in the department of orthopedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington, in Seattle. 'This calls for a need for more effectiveness studies and looking at which patients would benefit from treatments and diagnostic tests.'

'Spine problems are the most common reason why people of middle age have pain and disability, and we need to continue to search for better solutions because, although we have come up with newer techniques of treatments, we still have a large percentage of the of population with spine problems who are still disabled,' added Dr. Andrew Sherman, head of medical rehabilitation at the Spine Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine."

Interview: Dr. James Clough, DPM - The Cluffy Wedge

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Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch (Seattle), Hugh Solaas Shoe Safari in Old Town Silverdale (WA), and Caesar Snee (San Jose/San Francisco) along with Z-CoiL shoe owner Jack Olmsted talk to Dr. James Clough, DPM, about the Cluffy Wedge, a method that enhances the control of the foot as provided by a shoe, insole, or custom Orthotic.

"Unlocking the big toe joint can be your first and most critical step toward normal walking and physical harmony, by restoring your foot to healthy and correct function. As normal function is achieved, pressure on the ball of the foot is balanced. The entire foot and leg are brought into alignment and you are restored to a firm, stable foundation. This not only reduces your injury potential, but also enhances foot performance." - Cluffy.com

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The Associated Press: Power From the People, a Step at a Time

The Associated Press: Power From the People, a Step at a Time: "Researchers have developed a device that generates electrical power from the swing of a walking person's knee.
With each stride the leg accelerates and then decelerates, using energy both for moving and braking.
Max Donelan and colleagues reasoned that a device that helps the leg decelerate could generate power without requiring much additional energy from the person.
It's sort of like the way that some hybrid-electric cars produce electricity from braking.
With the device, a minute of walking can power a cell phone for 10 minutes, Donelan, of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, said in a telephone interview. Other potential uses include powering a portable GPS locator, a motorized prosthetic joint or implanted drug pumps"

Z-CoiL Socks At End Of Month

Dealers are expecting the first shipment of Z-CoiL(r) ($1.99-$2.99) socks to arrive at the end of February.

I refuse to admit De-Feet - Z-Coil Shoes | money news blog

Z-CoiL owner blog post:

That pun was about as bad as they get, but I couldn’t resist.

I found some great shoes that I wanted to tell you about. They are called Z-Coils, and they’ve saved me endless pain and problems with my knees. They look funny (my daughter calls them my “Tigger” shoes after Pooh’s bouncy friend Tigger), but I don’t care. When you can be out of pain and able to walk all over, who cares? I feel like the z-coils are “shock absorbers” for my feet. Read More

Interview: Ann Thariani, Co-Founder Gilden Tree

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Ann Thariani is the co-founder of Gilden Tree. The small company in Omaha, Nebraska has been importing a pumice stone called the Footscrubber (photo) from Pakistan for over 17 years. Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch (Seattle) and Caesar Snee (San Jose/San Francisco) along with Z-CoiL shoe owner Jack Olmsted talk to Ann about her business, products and the educational program that has established for the families that produce their products.