Scientists think second-hand smoke affects the blood supply to the inner ear.
According to research, teenagers exposed to second-hand smoke are twice as likely to suffer hearing loss. The research findings add to the list of health problems already attributed to second-hand smoke, including increased risks of asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.
Continue reading… “Teenagers exposed to second-hand smoke could suffer hearing loss”
Students can now rent e-textbooks for periods from 30 to 360 days.
E-book textbook rentals have just been introduced by Amazon just in time for the fall semester. This will allow students to save up to 80 percent on some titles. E-textbook rentals can be viewed not just on Amazon’s e-reader (and rumored Amazon tablet) but also on any device that can download the Kindle app including PCs, iOS devices, and Android phones and tablets. The rental option isn’t available for general interest e-books, just e-book versions of textbooks.
Continue reading… “Students can now rent e-textbooks on Kindle”
Philippine call center
Philippine call centers now employ more agents than India in a shift in the booming business away from its traditional home. Some call center operations in India have even moved part of their business to the Philippines.
A new mobility option.
Car-sharing is getting plenty of green-minded folks excited these days. The rise of ZipCar, carpooling apps, and so forth have been heralded as signs that people are beginning to see the merits of spending less time driving solo and more time sharing, cutting costs and pollution in the process. Well, the folks at the “progressive industrial design studio” Brooks & Bone have taken the concept of urban car-sharing to its logical conclusion: Tiny, boxy vehicles built specifically to be shared a la personal rapid transit…
Continue reading… “The ultimate in Car-Sharing: tiny, electric ‘box’ mobiles”
How does a computer recognize a face?
Since 9/11, there’s been a renewed interest in facial recognition algorithm to catch terrorists trying to slip into the country but ten years later, the system ain’t anywhere close to perfect (yes, even including Facebook’s creepy facial recognition system)
Perhaps they’re going about it the wrong way, according to Ben Austen of Wired. Rather than taking biometric measurements of the size of a person’s nose or eyes, computers would do well to learn from caricaturists instead…
Continue reading… “Better facial recognition algorithms through Caricatures”
J. Alex Halderman and his colleagues have unveiled Telex, a “state-level response to state-level censorship.” It’s a network of censorship-busting major ISPs that provide infrastructure-level, hard-to-detect proxying that allows people in repressive regimes to get access to sites blocked by their national firewalls. The descriptive materials on the site are very easy to grasp and very exciting…
Continue reading… “Telex: an infrastructure-level response to state Internet censorship”
“Having the word ‘free’ somewhere in your ad attracts attention and creates a positive feeling.”
When businesses takes out an advertisement, they don’t have much space to convince you to buy their products. If it’s a television or radio spot, they might have 30 seconds to a minute. If it’s a print ad it maybe half a page unless they can afford a full-pager. That means they have to choose every word carefully to make the most impact.
Continue reading… “Buzzwords that make you spend your money”
The study found that children involved in car crashes with grandparent drivers had half the risk of being injured as kids riding with their parents.
Hand over your keys if you’re an overprotective parent. Kids may be safer when their grandparents drive than when mom and dad are behind the wheel according to a new study.
Continue reading… “Kids are safer when grandparents drive: study”
Many companies are skeptical about the long-term payoff of daily deals.
Daily deals become increasingly popular with consumers. But, there is conflicting information about whether such offers are worth it for businesses. For some, the payoff does not justify the payout even though others enjoy profits and new customers from the venture.
Continue reading… “Are daily deals worth it for the businesses?”
Experts regard this as a new channel for the government to hear public voices in policy-making.
Ou Jiayang, a 23-year-old college graduate, should have been preparing for her new job, but Ou Jiayang is from the south Guangdong Province and spent the past two months doing something else.
Continue reading… “Young Chinese take local governments to task via Internet”
The “fourth bureaus” track your everyday transactions including your magazine subscriptions.
Mike Mondelli, an Atlanta entrepreneur, has access to more than a billion records detailing consumers’ personal finances — and there is little they can do about it.
Continue reading… “‘Fourth bureau’ – little known companies track data used in credit scores”
Do french fries actually taste better with ultrasonic waves?
Love french fry? You ain’t tasted nothin’ yet! Research chefs have invented a new way of cooking fries that supposedly made them taste so much better. The secret? A little ultrasonic wave…
Continue reading… “Ultrasonic French Fries”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.