Analysis, Health & Fitness, Internet, Latest Trend, Report, Science & Technology News

Peer-to-Peer Healthcare Widespread in U.S: Report

searching for health info

The internet gives patients and caregivers access not only to information, but also to each other.

Many Americans turn to friends and family for support and advice when they have a health problem. This report shows how people’s networks are expanding to include online peers, particularly in the crucible of rare disease. Health professionals remain the central source of information for most Americans, but “peer-to-peer healthcare” is a significant supplement.

 

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Internet, Latest News, Twitter

Is Twitter Dividing the Happy From the Unhappy?

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Anyone who thought that social media was going to usher in a utopian era of communication without borders is going to have their faith badly shaken by a new study from Cornell University. On Twitter, it seems, there are already at least two walled-off nations: happy people and unhappy people.

And never the twain shall tweet.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, New Inventions, Science & Technology News, Space

First Space-Based Gas Station Set to Open in 2015

gas-station-in-space

Space gas to become a reality soon?

In space, no one can hear you scream — about the soaring prices at the pump, that is. For what will be the very first time, plans for a space-based satellite filling station have been announced, with a launch date set for 2015. It may sound like a bit of unnecessary convenience some 22,369 miles above our heads, but experts say that the gas station will do much more than make Earth a planetary truck-stop. “This is a first-time-ever, huge, huge, huge event,” says the director of the Space Protection Program — and it’s sure to make space a little cleaner, too.

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Great Videos, Science & Technology News, Space

Breathtaking Saturn Cassini Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9iIqIAUT4[/youtube]

The Cassini spacecraft reached Saturn in 2004, sending the clearest images of the most striking planet in the Solar System. Working at home, Stephen Van Vuuren used those photos to create the most hypnotizing space film I’ve seen. There is no CGI and no 3D models in these images.  Just images from NASA.  Jump to 0:56 for the final result of his work, so far.

 

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Analysis, Health & Fitness, Science & Technology News

Dead-end Job is Worse for Your Health Than Being Unemployed

dead end job

Having a dead-end job is bad for your health.

There are some who don’t need an excuse to skip a day’s work – but this could be a good reason to quit your job altogether.  A badly-paid or temporary job can be as bad for a person’s mental health as none at all, researchers claim.

 

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Analysis, Latest Trend

Sharp Decline in Marriage But Family Remains Resilient

single-mom

The decline of marriage has not knocked family life off its pedestal.

The transformative trends of the past 50 years that have led to a sharp decline in marriage and a rise of new family forms have been shaped by attitudes and behaviors that differ by class, age and race, according to a new Pew Research Center nationwide survey, conducted in association with TIME magazine, and complemented by an analysis of demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

 

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Analysis, Business, Latest Trend, Report, Science & Technology News

State of the American News Media 2011: Report

 network

Why do networks still do news?

By several measures, the state of the American news media improved in 2010.

After two dreadful years, most sectors of the industry saw revenue begin to recover. With some notable exceptions, cutbacks in newsrooms eased. And while still more talk than action, some experiments with new revenue models began to show signs of blossoming.

 

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Analysis, Health & Fitness, Science & Technology News

Propecia and Avodart May Cause Irreversible Sexual Side Effects

hair loss

Propecia and Avodart linked to irreversible sexual side effects.

Drugs frequently prescribed to treat hair loss or an enlarged prostate may contribute to irreversible sexual dysfunction in men, new research finds.  Use of dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar and Propecia) were linked to erectile dysfunction, depression and loss of libido in a review of existing studies.

 

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Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Internet, Latest News

Get Paid to Teach Anything With New Online Education Platform

learning_platform_photo

Name: Learnable

Quick Pitch: Learnable allows anyone to create and charge for online courses.

Genius Idea: Many schools have started to take online education seriously. By 2006, 66% of postsecondary learning institutions included in federal financial aid programs were already reporting that they offered some form of Internet learning, and a 2009 report from the U.S. Department of education found that those students who studied in online learning environments performed modelstly better than peers who were receiving face-to-face instruction.

This is very much along the lines of what Futurist Thomas Frey predicted in his 2007 paper on the Future of Education.

It’s great news for people who are looking to work toward a college degree, but there are few affordable parallels for people who just want to pick up a skill. Where does one go for affordable online lessons on homepage design? Javascript programming? Guitar? the Irish Whistle?

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Analysis, Birth, Crazy Stuff, Entertainment, Food, Health & Fitness, Human Behavior

10 Weird Pregnancy Facts No One Tells You About

9 strange pregnancy facts 782

So many things happen when you are pregnant

Strange things happen to your body when you are pregnant. Since new mothers tend to worry, experienced women and medical professionals tend to gloss over the things you shouldn’t worry too much about. Oddee tells you some of the things that might surprise you. For example…

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Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News, Space

In Lasers We Trust: NASA Researches 5kW Galactic Trash Disposal System

3-14-11-nasa-laser-junk-removal

Dealing with space junk.

Space junk is a growing problem — 200,000 pieces and counting — and as the amount of earth’s orbital debris increases, so does the chance some satellite will be involved in a cosmic collision. As this would cause much gnashing of teeth and woe for the affected terrestrial parties, some researchers from NASA’s Ames Research Center have pitched the idea of removing said junk with a laser — once again proving that everything’s better with lasers…

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