ENDNOTE - According to a recent study of mobile-phone users in nine cities
worldwide, the computer age is altering the form and function of the human hand for
Generation Next. The thumb is replacing the index finger as the favorite tool for manual
tasks like dialing cell phones and typing wireless messages."They are instinctively using
(the thumb) where the rest of us use our index fingers," says Dr. Sadie Plant, the study's
author. The "digital revolution has caused a digital evolution." Video games have improved
the agility and strength of the thumb muscles. (Seattle Times, Dec 02)