I revised my data collection exercise from two weeks ago to try to get a better sense of how well I’m able to hold something level with my hands while moving around. So this time I took five sets of measurements from all three axes of the accelerometer—

1. at rest on a chair (for control values)
2. attached to my right hip (where one is supposed to attach a pedometer), while I walked on a level floor
3. held in my hands at chest height, while I walked on a level floor
4. attached to my right hip, while I climbed up and down a flight of stairs
5. held in my hands at chest height, while I climbed up and down a flight of stairs

The results are a bit hard to read in these lousy charts, but you can make out that generally the values spike higher and lower when I’m wearing the accelerometer versus when I’m carrying it. So, apparently, I am a reasonably effective shock absorber.