Tag Archives: health

Oculus Rift-based virtual reality game could help restore 3D vision | Engadget

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Many will tell you that video games are bad for your eyes, but James Blaha doesn’t buy that theory. He’s developing a crowdfunded virtual reality title, Diplopia, that could help restore 3D vision. The Breakout variant trains those with crossed eye problems to coordinate their eyes by manipulating contrast; players score well when their brain merges two images into a complete scene. Regular gameplay could noticeably improve eyesight for adults that previously had little hope of recovering their depth perception, Blaha says. The potential solution is relatively cheap, too — gamers use an Oculus Rift as their display, and they can add a Leap Motion controller for a hands-free experience. If you’re eager to help out, you can pledge $20 to get Diplopia, and $400 will bundle the app with an Oculus Rift headset. Check out a video demo of the therapeutic game after the break.

Read: Oculus Rift-based virtual reality game could help restore 3D vision | Engadget

A Survival Guide for the Newly Unemployed | LifeHacker

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Six step survival guide to unemployment. (Note: Some of the resources mentioned are U.S. specific. There are likely comparable services available in your country.)  

A Survival Guide for the Newly Unemployed | LifeHacker

What Teens, Screens and Digitally Divided Attention Spans Mean for Learning [Infographic] | The LAMP

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What Teens, Screens and Digitally Divided Attention Spans Mean for Learning

What Teens, Screens and Digitally Divided Attention Spans Mean for Learning [Infographic] | The LAMP

What Neuroscience Says About The Link Between Creativity And Madness | Co.Design

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The idea that very creative people are also a little crazy has been around since humanity’s earliest days. In ancient Greece, Plato noted the eccentricities of poets and playwrights, and Aristotle saw that some creative types were also depressives. In modern times, that connection has persisted, from Robert Schumann hearing voices guide his music to Sylvia Plath sticking her head in an oven to Van Gogh cutting off his ear to Michael Jackson … being Michael Jackson.

Today the link between creativity and mental illness is firmly embedded in the public conscience. Unlike some supposed cultural wisdoms, however, there’s a good bit of scientific evidence behind this one. Behavioral and brain researchers have found a number of strong if indirect ties between an original mind and a troubled one (many summarized in a recent post by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman at his Scientific American blog).

Read: What Neuroscience Says About The Link Between Creativity And Madness | Co.Design | business + design.

News: Books & Publishing, Music & Film

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Books & Publishing

Music & Film

8 Questions To Ask Your Boss That Can Make Or Break Your Career | Fast Company

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Feedback from your supervisor is what you crave, unless you’re happy flying under the radar, which certainly won’t help you advance. Getting honest input from your supervisor is crucial to your relationship with your boss–and, like it or not, your relationship with your boss can make or break your career. A solid rapport makes deadlines a breeze and the workday go by in a flash; but a shaky one can render even a short elevator ride interminable.

Plus, having a good relationship with your boss may even reduce stress at work. In aworkplace study by the American Psychological Association, up to 75% of respondents said the most stressful aspect of their job is their immediate boss.

Here, we asked an expert to share a few key questions you can ask that will help you and your supervisor get on (or stay on) the right track.

Read: 8 Questions To Ask Your Boss That Can Make Or Break Your Career | Fast Company

How One Woman Grappled With Grief Through Gaming | Mashable

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Ramona Pringle’s life was like a sitcom — one of those cheesy, too-good-to-be-true shows about finding love and success in the big city.

She had a good job at Frontline; a number of smart, successful friends; and a boyfriend — “a fantastic one!” — whom she planned to marry. Things were perfect.

With a quick roll of the dice, though, everything changed. Her mother was diagnosed with a life-changing illness, and Pringle left her job in New York and moved back home to Toronto to take care of her. A week later, Pringle’s boyfriend broke up with her.

The dream, the city, the perfect life — gone in a flash.

“It was absolute rock bottom,” she says. ” Here I was, back in my childhood bedroom — and it was so quiet. It was so eerily quiet Here I was, back in my childhood bedroom — and it was so quiet. It was so eerily quiet.”

It was the type of situation in which some might turn to alcohol, drugs or even religion to cope. Pringle was looking for some kind — any kind — of answer. But her mother was sick, and she needed to be with her. Leaving wasn’t an option.

“People get these ‘pilgrimage moments,’ you know? When something happens to them and they trek across Europe or India in search of some kind of wisdom,” she says. “I couldn’t do that.”

Instead, she turned to the virtual realm of World of Warcraft (WoW), where she found an unexpected community of support and camaraderie. She was so inspired that she went to work on an interactive documentary, Avatar Secrets, about the lessons she learned. It’s set to be released in the spring of 2014.

A really inspiring story. I think many of us can empathize with her dramatic change in circumstances directing her life down a completely different path. The content above is only half the story…read more following the link: How One Woman Grappled With Grief Through Gaming | Mashable.

News: Education & Technology, Librarianship

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Education & Technology

Startup Gives Free Stuff to Student Influencers | Mashable
Sumpto, a startup that identifies top social-media influencers at colleges across the country, sends students free gifts from brands in hopes that they will tweet, post and share photos of the free swag on their social-media accounts.

Twitter strives to explain itself to the public | CNET
A new “About Twitter” page attempts to describe the social network and explain how and why people tweet.

Bill Gates Believes Human Health Is More Important Than Tech | Mashable
In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, which focused primarily on his work to bring health aid to the world’s impoverished regions, Gates offers a glimpse into how much his views have changed regarding the importance of technology in our lives.

E Ink Looks Beyond E-Readers | MIT Technology Review
Facing a declining market for e-readers, E Ink’s new R&D facility is trying out some different ideas.

Lenovo pursued BlackBerry bid, but Ottawa rejected idea | Globe & Mail
[T]he Canadian government told the smartphone company it would not accept a Chinese takeover because of national security concerns.

Apple: “Our Business Does Not Depend on Collecting Personal Data” | AllThingsD
Apple published a formal report on federal government data requests and in so doing became the first tech company to disclose such inquiries by both account and device.

Librarianship

Museum of Science Fiction might be coming to DC | CNET
Trekkies and wanna-be Mars colonists might soon have a permanent brick-and-mortar site for sharing their love of all things science fiction

Illinois Library Comes Under Fire | American Libraries Magazine
“Sometimes libraries that are doing ‘all the right things’ pay a price for their excellence through uncivil attacks and attempts to dismantle their work,” Barbara Jones, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), told American Libraries. She is referring to Orland Park (Ill.) Public Library (OPPL) in south suburban Chicago, which has endured several intellectual-freedom challenges over the past few months.

MELSA, 3M Develop New Ebook Sharing Feature for Consortia | The Digital Shift

The Library Vending Machine | BookRiot
Changing demographics and difficulty securing new funds for new libraries, The Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma decided to to use technology to meet its patrons needs. So last week, it opened the first 24-hour library vending machine in the United States. Built by EnvisionWare, this fully automated machine will be able to to dispense more than 400 pieces of media (books/DVDs/audiobooks) and store more than 1000 returned items.

Video gaming boosts certain brain regions, study says | CNET

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This is your brain. This is your brain on Super Mario 64. See how the gray matter is increased? A new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry suggests a whole lot of benefits to playing video games.

The study concludes that “video gaming causes increases in the brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation, and strategic planning, as well as fine motor skills.”

Read: Video gaming boosts certain brain regions, study says | Crave – CNET.

This Tech-Enabled Thermometer Tracks More Than Just A Fever | Co.Design

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Kinsa wants to change how we glean information about our health, starting with the world’s most common medical device.

Quotable: “There’s a bigger picture: Like the Scanadu Scout, Kinsa is part of a larger tapestry of data companies, fitness wearables, and health gadgets that want to empower us to start owning our own data. Sensors give us on-demand insights into our health, whereas a doctor’s office means tests and a wait time for a phone call.”

Read: This Tech-Enabled Thermometer Tracks More Than Just A Fever | Co.Design | business + design.

 

This Tech-Enabled Thermometer Tracks More Than Just A Fever | Co.Design | business + design