Is Angelina Jolie's 'Cleopatra' A Good Idea?

For years now, we've been hearing rumors of a film to be titled Cleopatra, produced by and starring Angelina Jolie. It's always seemed like a perfect role for Jolie given that her exotic beauty and natural cat eyes seem to fit right into our semi-contrived vision of an ancient Egyptian queen. Although, the actress already made use of that natural fit during her bizarre turn as Alexander the Great's mother in Alexander (300 years and the Mediterranean Sea separate Alexander from Cleopatra, but there's likely very little difference between the two settings and eras through a Hollywood lens).

Regardless of the seemingly natural fit, Jolie's Cleopatra has gone through a lot of turmoil in its early development. It was a victim of the infamous Sony hack, ran into various conflicts regarding the script and a potential director, and possibly fell victim to a lack of public interest. And with no firm confirmation on when, or even if, the project will still be made, it's now fair to wonder if it's even a good idea.

Can Jolie Get Over The Sony Hack?

The so-called "Sony hack" that leaked countless studio emails and damaged the reputations of half the people in Hollywood produced a lot of dirt regarding Jolie's back-and-forths with studio executives regarding the production of Cleopatra. The worst of it was that one email described Jolie as a "minimally talented spoiled brat," but the overall impression was that Amy Pascal (then the co-chairman of Sony Pictures) and producer Scott Rudin were having a hard time prioritizing the project the way Jolie wanted them to. In particular, there was a great deal of conflict over Jolie's insistence on David Fincher as the director (though judging by Gawker's account of the leaks she also offered to "get on a plane and beg" Martin Scorsese to do it).

Just last month, a report at Guelph Mercury indicated that Jolie is over the Sony hack, and it appears that her relationship with Pascal hasn't been damaged. Jolie and Pascal have both implied that they're too used to scrutiny and criticism to be bothered by email leaks, and Jolie claims her first instinct upon news of said leaks was to make sure Pascal was okay. All of that seems to bode well for a renewed effort to get Cleopatra made. But that may not be the whole story.

Do People Care About The Subject Matter?

Cleopatra sounds like a box-office draw because a lot of historical epics have made a lot of money and Jolie is a big name, but one has to wonder if ancient Egypt is in the midst of losing some of its allure. Just last year Exodus: Gods and Kings had a humiliating release despite the star power of Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. And next year's Gods Of Egypt with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gerard Butler is already the subject of "whitewashing" criticism and mockery over a goofy preview.

Then again, the actual figure of Cleopatra still seems to inspire interest as one of history's most fascinating queens. Only a few years ago Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff produced a book called Cleopatra: A Life, which The New York Times praised as a more accurate and less mythological look at the character. And online, the Egyptian queen has turned into a popular subject for casino and arcade games. At Gala Bingo, alongside a number of different deposit promotions that attract new users, the games themselves succeed by way of interesting themes. The presence of titles like Cleopatra and Cleopatra's Chest indicates the queen still serves as a popular theme, if in a fictionalized manner.

Has Angelina's Box Office Clout Subsided?

Angelina Jolie is still one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and we almost take it for granted that her name on a poster can sell a film. That said, it seems as if she's cooled off a little bit in recent years. So what do the ticket sales say?

Judging by Box Office Mojo's records, Jolie's most recent film—By The Sea, which she wrote and directed, and starred in alongside husband Brad Pitt—was a pretty huge flop. Working with a $10 million production budget, it was more of an artistic project than an intended money maker, but with a worldwide gross just under $2 million, it would be understandable if studios were a little hesitant to work with Jolie. Then again, 2014's Maleficent earned over $750 million with a $180 million budget, and 2010's Salt made about $180 million despite mediocre reviews. It's worth noting that both films are expected to have sequels. Overall, it's a little dramatic to suggest Jolie doesn't still attract an audience, though she may not be quite the sure thing her reputation suggests.

All things considered, it seems there's still pretty good potential for this project to be made. We don't know who will direct or when it might be made, but Jolie still has a relationship with Sony, Cleopatra still interests people, and the box-office potential is there.

Read More

Bright Ideas for Lighting: Innovative Outdoor Technology

Since Thomas Edison invented the first commercial light bulb in 1879, the concepts involved in the illumination of one's home have progressed at, well, at the speed of light, if you will. The days of incandescent light being the standard option of illumination are long gone, and have made way for newer, more innovative means of producing light, and more aesthetically-pleasing means of presenting it. Here are three cutting-edge, designer lighting options for a modern home that would knock Edison's suspender socks right off...

Manufactured Moon Light

Manufactured by Night Light, Inc., these outdoor lights create the facade of a full moon-lit night. The lights are placed in high trees, and the higher the better for a believable effect and for obscuring the lights from the unsuspecting eye. Aim for a height of 30 feet or higher to generate a natural look. Optimal for a woodsy outdoor area, moon lights provide such ample illumination that no path lighting features are required.

Surface-Mounted Luminaries

Light Nodes, a new series introduced by U.S. Architectural Lighting, are compact luminaries that mount to the wall. These lights are ideally paired with high efficiency lamps and LEDs. Designed to endure wet, damp locations and still provide shielded illumination, Light Nodes come in a wide spectrum of colors, temperatures, and beam patterns, and can accommodate lamp sizes up to PAR20, A19, and R20.

New Wave Pool Lights

Chill Lites are LED lamps that are rechargeable, cordless and resistant to water and chlorine. They are ideal for floating atop a pool — making a dip in the water all that more inviting — or lining a pool border for a touch of elegant decor. The LED bulbs are available in glowing blue, red, white, and green, and are offered in unique shapes including: balloon, bubble, cube, and globe. Chill Lites were featured as one of the most exciting examples of outdoor lighting in an article by IntheSwim.com, which has more examples of creating a dramatic pool or patio ambiance.

Solar Flare

These Imperial II Solar Lanterns sit atop three-inch poles and add flare to your backyard, garden or patio. They come fully loaded with more than 20 LEDs, delivering 350 lumens of power to improve visibility. These uniquely designed lanterns boast reflector boosts to the lighting power, are composed of weather resistant, cast-aluminum, and house an 8-watt solar panel made of tempered glass that allows the lantern to run for up to 12 hours if it is fully charged. When the sun sets, the solar lanterns activate on their own, generating automatic ambiance for your outdoor enjoyment.

Technology has brought our race unfathomable advances in science, medicine, communication, and yes, even simple exterior lighting. These examples of attractive and innovative lighting options with light that lasts for days, and devices that harness the power of the sun, would have been considered witchcraft in the 1800s, but today they are our modern conveniences. If Edison could see us now ... he'd see us much more clearly, and in much better light.

Read More

EDM Fans and the Allure of the Electric Dance Music Movement

DJ and record producer Kascade said, "A lot of people see electronic music as a flavor of the week, but it can be more than that — has to be more than that." The American musician may have been more correct than he realized when he first uttered these words. Electronic Dance Music (EDM) has become much more than a music flavor in the past ten years, and it has evolved into a kind of modern lifestyle.

So what has given this flavor of the week staying power? Quite possibly, it's the fans. As part of one of the fastest growing sub-sects in music fandom, EDM fans encircle their lives around the music, social media and live events of EDM.

The Music

So, what's the big deal with EDM? That's a difficult question to answer since there are so many sub-genres that fall under the EDM umbrella: techno, house, trance, garage, drum and bass, dubstep, trap, grime, juke, moombahton, hardstyle, downtempo and breakbeat. And each of these sub-genres have sub-styles, unique artists and specific target audiences.

Different genre fans sport different trendy attire, from the PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) girls in their short skirts and florescent bikini tops to the Skrillex fans draped in black and wearing charcoal eyeliner. It's complicated to distinguish one sub to the next, and the fans of each genre like to keep it that way.

Social Media

The bloodstream of the EDM movement and crux of the rapid development of the EDM community is social media. EDM fans, Kandi Kids and ravers can't get enough of their social platforms, mainly using posts to communicate with each other about when and where shows will take place and as a means of chronicling their adventures.

According to a 2014 Eventbrite study, EDM fans on Twitter tweeted almost six times more than a standard Twitter account user. These findings are not surprising considering that many in the EDM community likely prefer cellphones with advanced mobile device features, like easy social media apps and the slo-mo video recording capabilities that shoot at a mind-blowing 240 fps on the iPhone 6 Plus. These features enhance the EDM fans' ability to share and communicate.

The Experience

The Evenbrite study also determined that compared to fans of other music genres, EDM fans' tweet content discussed concerts 30 percent more than any other genre's fans, suggesting that sharing the experience of an EDM live show is an imperative for these concert-goers. Plus, more than 39 percent of EDM Twitter and Facebook conversations highlight the love for EDM as the main focus of the post.

To its fans, EDM is not just something you listen to, it is something you experience live. With such a positive vibe created through the music and the followers of this movement, it is no wonder EDM has grown its fan base and taken the music world by storm.

As the prophetic Kascade hypothesized, EDM is not a flavor of the week. It's not a flash in the pan of music history. For the Kandi Kids and PLUR girls, the ravers and more, EDM has become a way of life.

Read More

Film vs. Broadway: A Look at 3 Favorite Stories

When a beloved book is turned into a movie, there are always people who love the adaptation and those who feel the story should have stayed on paper. The same is true for movies that are turned into Broadway shows; while many of our favorite classic stories translate well onto the live stage, there are limits to what the actors can do. To illustrate this point, check out the following popular movies and how — or if — they were able to translate onto the stage:

Aladdin

In 1992, Disney released "Aladdin" as its 31st animated film. The movie was an enormous hit with people of all ages, who loved the adaptation of the Arab folktale of “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.” The movie was filled with lively and catchy songs and great voice actors, including the late Robin Williams as the Genie. The movie has earned over $217 million in the United States and has won a number of awards.

In March of 2014, Disney Theatrical’s version of "Aladdin" opened on Broadway in the New Amsterdam Theatre. While there are some slight changes to the story, it’s close enough to the movie to please purists who want to see the animated version brought to life. All of the songs in the movie are in the Broadway version, as well as four new ones and three that were cut from the original movie. While Genie doesn’t change shapes like the animated version, actor James Monroe Iglehart has enough moxie combined with lighting and pyrotechnics to nail the character.

Matilda

The Roald Dahl story of a brilliant little girl who learns how to deal with nasty parents and a terrifying principal has warmed our hearts in book and movie form for decades. The 1996 movie version of "Matilda" received positive reviews overall. Mara Wilson’s acting as the title role was spot on and Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman play her parents with clueless nastiness.

More recently, the Tony-Award winning "Matilda The Musical" delights sold-out audiences who find themselves rooting for this extraordinary young girl. In both the movie and theater version, the characters translate well from the book. However, the stage version seems more like a live comic strip at times.

Sister Act

Like "Aladdin," "Sister Act" also came out in theaters in 1992. The popular movie stars Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer who has to disguise herself as a nun and hide out in a convent after seeing a murder.

The Broadway version of "Sister Act" is set in Philadelphia instead of San Francisco, but the overall story line is the same. What the stage version is noticeably missing, though, is the familiar songs, like "My Guy," that the nuns transform into hymn-worthy numbers. While the songs have been replaced with new numbers, audiences may find themselves missing the old standards. However, the Broadway version does include plenty of choral songs to keep audiences entertained, and the chemistry between the actors is apparent, making for a great show.

Read More

3 of the Most Vulnerable Security Aspects of Your Smartphone

Hackers and other cyber criminal miscreants have migrated their projects to the newest venue for their fraud – smartphones. Smartphone users are often confronted with significantly more risk simply by using smartphones intended applications. According to the February 2012 Identity Fraud Survey Report by Javelin Strategy & Research, smartphone users are 35 percent more likely to experience fraud than the average consumer. While the greatest tech developers on the planet are constantly at work to create more secure apps and operating systems, there are still some big threats looming for smartphone users.

Mobile Wallets

With the aid of near field communications, the time is coming soon when you will be able to simply wave your smartphone at a register to pay for goods and services. Mobile wallets, in which your credit cards, bank information, coupons, loyalty cards and even boarding passes are held digitally, may very soon become standard in many places. While it may seem futuristic, it is already becoming common. Identity theft protection company Lifelock points out that services like Google Wallet and Apple Passbook already allow users to tap their phone against a near field communicator terminal to pay for something, and mobile commerce seems sure to follow. The risk for users currently lies within the security of NFC technology, but there are steps you can take to prevent your information being compromised. Creating a password for your phone, closing open apps rather than letting them run in the background, choosing to download apps from trusted sources and never posting your phone number online are all steps that you can take to insure that your data isn't being put at unnecessary risk.

Certifi-Gate

Perhaps one of the biggest smartphone vulnerabilities right now is the Certifi-gate vulnerability. This vulnerability is widespread – according to CSO Online, more than 70 percent of LG Android phones have a plugin installed that creates this vulnerability, as well as 18 percent of Samsung devices and nine percent of HTC devices. Many phones come installed with pre-loaded technical support apps that allow a support technician to take control of the phone remotely, and this is where Certifi-gate creates risk. While running the software remotely takes very high privileges, the app features an authentication problem that allows unauthorized access. Once a hacker has that unauthorized access to your phone, they can perform a frightening number of malicious acts – screen scraping, key logging, and extracting your personal information are just a few.

Currently, the only solution is for manufacturers to push updates out to their users that fix this authentication issue, but manufacturers have been slow to do so. Mobile carriers are equally guilty of not pushing for a solution to be distributed, and there is little users can do other than only choose apps from trusted companies and reach out to their phone manufacturer and carrier and demand the vulnerability be addressed.

Text Attack

The scariest vulnerability is one that you cannot prevent by being responsible – such is the case with the Android text attack vulnerability. The text attack doesn't require you to accidentally download malware or click on a corrupt link, instead only requiring ta hacker to know your phone number. The way that it works is that a hacker creates a short video, places the malware code within it, and texts it to you. Since Android messaging app Hangouts pre-loads videos when they arrive instead of asking for permission, the malware is invited in by your operating system without approval from you. Currently, the risk this vulnerability creates is listed as “high” according to the Android dev teams security risk hierarchy. While an update is coming, it is dependent on your carrier and manufacturer to get it to you. In the meantime, don't share your phone number online or in social media and you will reduce your risk of being targeted dramatically.

Read More

'Mississippi Grind' Could Be A Hidden Gem

Look at a list of films still to come in 2015, and a number of titles with blockbuster potential jump out at you: Spectre, The Hateful Eight, The Revenant, and the seventh Star Wars installation, to name a few. And that's without even getting into some of the award contenders that will trickle out during the fall season. The clutter is familiar, as the final third of the year is usually the busiest for good cinema, and more often than not a few hidden gems tend to get lost in the shuffle. This year, one such gem might just be the road trip gambling flick Mississippi Grind, which is due for a limited release in late September.

Written and directed by the filmmaking couple Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, best known for their collaboration on the critically acclaimed 2006 drama Half Nelson, the movie stars Ryan Gosling and Ben Mendelsohn in what looks to be a fairly traditional addiction story. Looking a little deeper, however, there are a few reasons to believe Mississippi Grind could be refreshing in its own way, and perhaps even a surprise hit. Here are some points in its favor.

This Is Ben Mendelsohn's Time

Despite some popularity in Australia and a lengthy career full of appearances in noteworthy projects, Ben Mendelsohn has never really emerged as a big time actor in the U.S. That may be about to change, which makes the timing of a lead role in what could become a popular film pretty interesting. Mendelsohn broke through in a big way earlier this year by stealing the show in the Netflix original drama Bloodline, which also starred more established actors including the likes of Kyle Chandler and Sam Shepard.

As reported by Daily Mail earlier this summer, Mendelsohn scored his first Emmy nomination for his work in Bloodline, and as it turned out that was only the beginning of a busy summer for the actor. Just recently, Hollywood Reporter posted the first photo of the main cast for Star Wars: Rogue One, one of several Star Wars spinoffs being engineered by Disney, and Mendelsohn looks to be a key character alongside Felicity Jones and others. It doesn't get much bigger than that for an emerging actor, and at this point it's only natural to expect Mississippi Grind to be a continuation of his hot streak.

... And Maybe Ryan Reynolds' Too

Ryan Reynolds has had an exceptionally rare and unique career, in that he's gotten more chances than just about any actor out there. For every immensely charming appearance such as his turn in Definitely, Maybe, there's a piece of comedic nonsense like The Change-Up; for every glimpse of true talent like he displayed in Buried, there's a widely panned flop like the recent Self/less; and for every bit of raw, infectious fun like Safe House, there's something like R.I.P.D. that makes you wonder why he hasn't fired his agent yet.

At the end of the day, Reynolds appears to be too much fun for us to quite write off, and it almost makes sense to expect a breakout one day. Moviefone even speculated a year ago as to whether or not the actor could pull off a "Matthew McConaughey-esque Reboot" in the next phase of his career. Really, Reynolds works pretty consistently so it's hard to chop things up into phases, but it feels as if he may be ready for bigger and better things. The trailer for his upcoming Deadpool film (which we posted here) got a lot of people talking, and frankly Reynolds seems perfect for the role. On top of that, the minor but positive early buzz on Mississippi Grind is that Reynolds is terrific. So make that two actors ready for a breakthrough, starring together.

The Gambling Is Old School

Gambling films have always been intriguing to certain audiences, but in recent years the makers of such movies have faced the difficult challenge of catering to younger moviegoers who don't really know poker and casino games the way previous generations did. Where once the words "gambling" and "casino" called to mind velvety tables, bright lights, and smoke-filled rooms, they're now associated just as popularly with major online sites that cater to players all over the world. Even in the U.S., where online gambling is largely illegal, American moviegoers are familiar with online platforms. Betfair's poker site has already journeyed overseas from the U.K. to get a stake in New Jersey (where online gambling is legal). And thus, the appeal of gambling, for many, has already been translated to a sleek, easy, and all-inclusive live online site.

Modern gambling movies have tried to deal with this gradually shifting perception in a few different ways. 21, the blackjack movie about card counting students from M.I.T., seemed to try to make Vegas so grand, beautiful, and sexy that it was irresistible to any generation. Runner Runner, meanwhile, embraced the idea of online poker at the core of its subject matter, but instead of portraying it in a normal fashion, it turned the whole industry into a shady criminal front. From the look of the trailer, Mississippi Grind won't be employing these tricks; instead, it's back to the basics. Mendelsohn and Reynolds appear to be traveling down the Mississippi River region looking for small casinos and back room games, and the ultimate effect is more of a Rounders-ish approach than a modern gimmick. That's probably a good sign, given that Rounders is still one of the most popular gambling films ever made.

Critics Love It

I mentioned some early buzz, and looking at Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear the critics are going to like this movie. Interestingly, most of them refer to it as a road trip movie (as opposed to a poker or gambling one). But they praise the performances and the structure of the film in elevating the familiar premise. The early reviews are a great start for a movie that's starting to look like a hidden gem.

Read More

Movie Villain Schemes That Could Actually Work

The bad guys almost never win and when they do, the audience is so enamored by their characters, we can't be sure they were ever bad guys at all. The best example is Keyser Soze in "The Usual Suspects" (spoilers ahead). An innocent-acting Kevin Spacey leads detectives through a maze of lies and the audience is completely oblivious to his deception until the very end, when it's too late  —  Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze.

Most villains are not so cunning. They fall victim to the most classic movie cliches  —  they talk too much when the hero is in their sights, leave calling cards during their crimes, and other boneheadedness that leads to their ultimate demise. Even the smartest villains like the Joker leave holes for Batman to save the day.

But real life isn't as kind to the heroes and bad guys are out there winning every day. If Hollywood wants to paint up some realistic scenarios were villains triumph, then truth is stranger than fiction:

1. The Hackers Are Winning

Hackers in movies are an interesting trope, because they're some of the most brilliant villains who just can't help themselves from doing something stupid and vulnerable, leading to their inevitable death or capture. In "Skyfall," Javier Bardem's character pulls the old "gets caught on purpose" gimmick to get inside the MI6 agency in London and wreak havoc. At this point, he's won, but he can't resist coming after Bond at his old home (named Skyfall) — where he ultimately meets his demise.

Real hackers wouldn't dare set foot in the country they're hacking, let alone come after a hero and risk death. Hackers from China recently breached U.S. government computers and stole Social Security numbers from 21.5 million Americans. That's huge, but it's almost guaranteed we'll never see their faces or know their names. The villains won in this instance.

2. A Villain Who Doesn't Talk

Imagine that, a villain who has his hero in the sights and pulls the trigger without saying a word. It's a cliche seen over and over. The hero is tied to a chair or incapacitated in some way, the villain has the gun pointed, ready to shoot — but he or she just can't resist spilling the master plan before pulling the trigger. Of course, by the time that happens, the hero or sidekick has saved the day and the villain is ruined. Imagine the collective shock if the bad guy took the shot before uttering a single word.

3. A Villain Who Stays Away From the Hero

One of the all-time biggest downfalls for villains: They find a way to make it personal. It's an eye-rolling cliche, because so often the villain's primary objective is not killing the hero, but because they get in the way, a hero "must be killed."

Think about all the evil dictators America has dealt with over the centuries. It's very possible the United States wouldn't have entered World War II when they did if the Japanese didn't attack Pearl Harbor in 1942. But because the Empire grabbed the rattlesnake by the tail, it was only a matter of time until the Axis powers fell at the hands of the Allies.

But then again, that's how movies work — at least, not when it comes to movie villains. A villain who does not encounter the hero doesn't make for much of a story. And that's why the bad guys just don't find a way to win on screen.

Read More

Make Your IRL Car as Fly as Your GTA Ride

Cruising around Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5 in your sweet ride can be a lot of fun, but it’s a bummer when your own real-life car isn’t as fly as your digital one. Wouldn’t it be awesome to pimp your real car just like you’ve done in GTA 5? You may not be able to sport a 9F Cabrio or a Carbonizzare that features a Ferrari California front and V12 Zagato rear, but you can add some bells and whistles to your own vehicle to give it some extra personality on the road.
Here are some tips and tricks to make your own car as exciting to drive as the one you use in GTA.

Rims & Tires

Rims not only look great, they can also help your car handle better on the roads. When selecting rims, think about the color scheme you’ll be carrying throughout your vehicle's interior and exterior. This can determine not only what style of rims you choose, but also whether you'll go for chrome, painted, or flat metal rims. Name brands like Brembo, Ultra, and Enkei have established their quality over the years, and provide multiple series of high performance, racing, and tuning rims.

While rims can improve the handling of your car, beyond that, they are mostly for show. High performance tires, however, can really change the way your car drives. From off road, to all season, and high performance sport, Nitto makes a variety of tires that can improve your car's performance. For a vast selection of high-performance tires, take a look at TireBuyer.com to find a set that best fits your needs.

Body Kits

Body kits can be found online, however, it’s important that the one you choose fits your specific vehicle. Body kits can be expensive and aren't universally compatible. Once you get your hands on one, take it to a cosmetics shop for installation and to verify it's the right fit.
Unless you really know your way around under the hood and work on your vehicle regularly, don't opt for the DIY installation route.

Decals

From brand decals, to custom graphics, you can either hire an artist to make a design, make your own, or pull one from your favorite video game, book, or movie. Some people opt for custom paint jobs rather than decals, but paint can also be more expensive.

A paint job may last forever, while decals typically last between five to seven years. If your tastes change, this might work out perfectly so that you aren’t stuck with the same graphic on your car for eternity.

Decals are relatively easy to install, but you can also have them installed by a professional at a sign, body, or graphics shop. Vinyl decals won’t damage your car as long as they are properly installed. If you do decide to install them yourself, set aside some time — a proper application takes three hours, on average.

Read More

Technologies That Will Change the Manufacturing Industry

Today’s automated and software-driven industries can churn out products with the push of a few buttons. It takes mere seconds to create something that would have previously taken weeks or months of employee hours. The advancement of technology in such areas as 3-D Printing, the Internet of Things, and next generation robotics are leading major paradigm shifts in manufacturing that were unimaginable even five years ago. Not only do these technologies cut costs, they also decrease the time of production, which means more can be made for less. Let’s take a look at some of these innovative technologies that are changing the way products are made.

3-D Printing

One of the most exciting advancements in manufacturing technology has been the ability to ‘print’ 3-D objects. In December 2014, the International Space Station’s 3-D printer completed its first print job from a design file that was transmitted from NASA’s offices on Earth to the ISS in orbit. The tool produced by the printer was was a ratchet wrench.

Automotive manufacturers like Ford are now using 3-D printers to build prototypes and make product testing more efficient, while o-ring and rubber seal manufacturer Apple Rubber recently integrated the MakerBot Replicator 3-D printer into its business ops. 3-D printing has captured the imaginations of the general population and the manufacturing community alike, and it has evolved quite rapidly over the last five to ten years that it’s now possible to produce almost any object using metal, plastic, rubber, mixed materials and even human tissue.

Next Generation Robotics

Advancements in robotics technology are rapidly realizing the vision of full collaboration between humans and machines. As sensors improve and become much cheaper, robots are becoming more agile and precise when interacting with their environments. Meanwhile, improvements in GPS technology now allow robotic technology to do more than work on an assembly line, as these devices can now roam free to work in industries such as precision agriculture to control weeds and complete the harvest. While some have worried that robotics may take the jobs of human workers, it’s much more likely that next-generation robotic devices and machines will collaborate with workers instead of replacing them, and there’s still many a large portion of industries that haven’t even begun to adopt robotics. As Henrik Christensen, Executive Director of the Institute for Robotics, told MIT Technology Review, “In the past, robots have penetrated 10 percent of the industry. There’s still 90 percent of the industry, and that’s where you need collaborative robots.” Even when you take into account more advanced design and potential breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, human ingenuity and intuition will be difficult to replicate and will be necessary to lead most manufacturing endeavors.

The Internet Of Things (IoT)

A major technological breakthrough, the Internet of Things allows electronic devices to connect with each other via the existing Internet infrastructure so they can communicate without receiving commands from humans. This technology is growing at such a rapid rate, it’s estimated that approximately 26 billion objects will be linked together on the Internet by 2020. The major implication of IoT is we will start to see more small machines meant for specialized tasks, rather than large ones that can take on multiple duties. Since devices will be able to ‘talk’ with each other, they will be able to spread notifications in real time. For example, if one device finds a defect or failure, all the other computers will be notified instantly so the issue can be resolved. This refined form of communication will result in less downtime, increased quality, minimal waste, and lower costs overall.

Read More

The Scientific and Meditative Impact of Plants and Flowers

When you pick out a flower bouquet or evergreen plant and place it on the countertop or in a corner of your home, you may not realize how this simple action will positively affect your mood and overall wellbeing. What is behind this phenomenon? Researchers from the National Institute of Health attribute this mood enhancement to biophilia, the theory that humans have a special affinity for natural and living things, also called nature connectedness. The same scientists also emphasized that adding nature to your personal environment reduces stress, boosts attention and is generally beneficial for overall human health.

What is the impact of biophilic design in an environment?

By adding a plant or flower in your home or workspace there is a restorative effect that cannot be duplicated by manmade decor. As early as the 1950s, Abraham Maslow studied the impact of biophilic design in the workplace, documenting that the presence of natural elements in an employee's space could duplicate the same effects as an outdoor environment. Additionally, employees reported a 13 percent increase in wellbeing and productivity with the nature friendly design in their offices, per a study by Human Spaces. Although the theory is relatively new, evidence supporting the positive impact of nature-friendly indoor environments is growing.

Which specific plants and flowers boost your wellbeing?

According to a study in Psychology Today, houseplants help lower anxiety, decrease blood pressure, raise productivity at work and influence perceptions of space in a positive way. Specific plants that especially create this feeling include snake plants, Chinese evergreen and peace lilies. A snake plant filters the air by eliminating toxins and is a relatively easy to maintain; the Chinese evergreen also detoxifies the air and, with time, actually becomes more detoxifying. The peace lily is not only a beautiful plant, but it topped NASA's list for removing the common damaging elements of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. Be advised that these plants might be difficult to find at a grocer, so call local nurseries or, more conveniently, order from an online flower retailer.

Other flowers with health benefits include roses (emit a calming scent that combats depression) and lavender (eases insomnia).

Does a biophilic design influence your ability to meditate?

Plants also have the potential to help the practice of meditation. People who meditate say that, because of larger surface areas, houseplants absorb noise and increase your clean oxygen intake. So instead of just one plant or flower, having a meditative garden in your space not only nourishes your mental state, but also improves your physical wellbeing. A meditation garden is an indoor sanctuary to the stresses from the workplace and many look at growing these gardens as a way to enhance nurturing aspects of their personalities by caring for something that will blossom.

We cannot underestimate the impact of biophilic design on our environments. In a hustle-bustle society of screens, everyone needs a place to retreat in a where there are flowers and plants to remind us of the peace and quiet found in nature.

Read More

What Makes a Commercial Memorable?

Storytelling has existed for centuries, but modern storytelling, like the stories we see in television commercials, was born in the early 1940s. The first paid ad to air on American television was a 10 second spot purchased by Bulova, a watch- and jewelry-making company. The first commercial was short, shaky and it didn’t reach many viewers.

Today, television advertising is a healthy business and it seems to be resistant to the ever-growing amount of online advertising. eMarketer predicts that television ad spending will increase to $75 million by 2017. But what makes a commercial memorable?

Effective Commercials

According to Market Share, people cited humor as the number-one factor that makes a commercial memorable. Others remembered the product tagline or company jingle — there are some jingles that we can never forget, no matter how hard we try, like the Kit Kat or Meow Mix jingles. Some people even remember commercials because of the iconic characters, for example, Flo from Progressive and the Oscar Mayer Kid. Effective TV advertising comes down to satisfying the viewer’s needs; whether it’s rational, emotional or both.

Play the Emotions

Brands take different approaches when they’re creating commercials. Apple, for example, makes its messages as clean and simple as possible. Apple ads typically feature a lineup of the newest products and devices but the ads also play to the emotions of the consumer. A 60-second iPhone 5 ad featured iPhone users face timing their loved ones and families. The message is extremely simple and it’s easy to understand. Other brands, like Budwiser, use experiences, sometimes featuring adorable puppies, which trigger our emotions.

The types of commercials that appeal to our emotions are saved in our memory for long periods of time just because we had an emotional response. Advertisers play to our eight basic emotions: joy, anticipation, surprise, fear, acceptance, anger, disgust and sadness. Ads with the most success appeal to all eight emotions. The higher the degree of emotion featured in an ad, the longer lasting the memory of the commercial.

Call to Action

No matter how emotional the story, television ads, and ads in general, always have a call to action (CTA). The CTA typically appears at the end of the ad. The CTA has evolved from a company’s address or location, to phone number and contact information, to today, in the form of hashtags. Have you noticed that dozens of brand include the company name or fun slogan in a hashtag during the final seconds of the commercial? That’s the call to action. It's natural, it's relevant and it works.

Learn More About Commercials

If you want to learn more about the advertising that you’re consuming while you’re watching your favorite television shows, do a little research online.

iSpot, a real-time TV advertising metrics resource, measures paid ad effectiveness and lists the most-viewed commercials on its website. The website also offers users the opportunity to “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” commercials and offers social sharing so users can share their favorite commercials with their social networks. There’s a wide range of companies featured on the iSpot website, from identity theft protection service LifeLock to Adobe Photoshop. Each company has its own “profile” which displays metrics including airing rank, number of spots, national airing and more.

Read More

How Gamers Can Reduce the Effects of Eyestrain

There are currently over 34 million gamers in the United States that play video games for an average of 22 hours a week, according to BGR. With so much time spent in front of a screen, digital eyestrain is a common problem experienced by many gamers. According to Mayo Clinic the symptoms of eye fatigue are sore or irritated eyes, dry or watery eyes, blurred or double vision, increased sensitivity to light, difficulty focusing and pain in the neck, shoulders or back. If not treated properly, eyestrain can lead to recurring headaches and migraines.

WebMD says that computer-related eye symptoms may be responsible for up to 10 million primary care eye examinations each year. So, what can you do to ensure you don’t suffer from eyestrain? Consider the following precautions:

Position of Screen

The first thing you can do is ensure that the distance from your screen is a proper length away so you eyes don’t have to work too hard while you play. For a PC gamer, this means that the monitor should be directly in front of you at an arm’s length away, which is about 18 to 28 inches. Next, the top of the screen should be just below eye level. For a console gamer, the distance you sit from your television should be twice the length as the size of the screen. So, if you play on a 50-inch screen, you should sit a little over 8 feet away.

20-20-20 Rule

Mayo Clinic recommends adhering to the 20-20-20 rule, which states a person should look away from their screen every twenty minutes for at least twenty seconds at an object that is at least twenty feet away. This helps the eyes refocus and recharge during periods of extended use and helps your blinking cycle return to a regular rate.

Remember, the rule is a general guideline, so find what works for you. Stopping every thirty minutes instead of twenty will still be much more beneficial for your health than playing for four hours straight.

Blue Lights and Glare

Blue light comes from computer screens, mobile devices, indoor lighting and even from the sun. Blue light is on the low end of the visible light spectrum, meaning it has a shorter wavelength and produces a higher amount of energy than colors higher on the spectrum. Exposure to blue light could cause damage to a person’s eyes after extended periods of time, states Blue Light Exposed. Medical professionals also recommend staying away from blue light 2 to 3 hours before going to sleep as it can promote insomnia, according to WebMD.

One way PC gamers can deal with blue light is to install a program that changes the color of the light coming from your monitor. For instance, the program f.lux slowly shifts the color of your screen depending on the time of day. Another solution for blue light is to purchase blue light blocking glasses.

You'll also want to make sure the room you game in has the proper amount of light. If your screen or monitor is the only light in the room, add another light source to the mix by allowing natural light to come through a window or turning on a lamp. However, if the light from the window produces glare on your screen, install shades that reduce the glare without blocking out the sun.

Taking a Break

Even if you observe the 20-20-20 rule, it’s important to stop and take a break after extended periods of game time. Stand up, walk around, get a glass of water or walk outside for a few minutes. There are many apps that remind you to take breaks. One of the more popular ones is called Awareness, which works for both Mac and PC. Awareness reminds you to take a break based on time increments you set and even monitors your app and browser usage during the predetermined breaks to keep you honest.

If you try all of these tips and still experience symptoms of eyestrain, contact your doctor to seek professional advice.

Read More

Silver Screen Talent Who Made the Jump to Broadway

Universal Studios is turning films like "Animal House" and "Back to the Future" into Broadway musicals, even while stage productions like “Rock of Ages” and "Wicked" are moving to the big screen. You already know that these productions mean big business, but what about the talent behind the scenes? Hollywood’s biggest directors and stars are making their Broadway debuts or keeping a foot in both industries.

Mike Nichols

Best known for directing the Oscar-winning film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Graduate," Mike Nichols took the stage to direct "Barefoot in the Park" and "Death of a Salesman." He has worked successfully in both areas and is one of the few directors to have won an Oscar, Emmy and Tony.

Jennifer Hudson

The American Idol 6th runner up has carved out a name for herself as a Grammy-award winner for her 2008 debut album. She landed the role of Effie White in the film adaptation of "Dreamgirls" and won both a Golden Globe and Oscar for her talents. She then went on to act in blockbusters like "Sex in the City" and "The Secret Life of Bees." In 2015, Hudson makes her Broadway debut as Shug Avery in "The Color Purple." She received the role after producer Oprah Winfrey heard her sing "I'm Here" from the production at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

"South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker took their controversial cable cartoon to the big screen with "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut" and later directed the movie "Team America: World Police." Even with their television and movie successes, most people would never have expected Stone and Parker to become Tony-award winning Broadway directors. However, their original play “The Book of Mormon" grossed $19 million dollars a month in 2013 alone. The duo also launched a $300 million production company to take their Broadway play to the big screen.

Julie Taymor

Julie Taymor made a name for herself in theater after designing puppets and directing “Juan Darien.” The success landed her on the set of “The Lion King” where she directed and designed lavish puppets and sets and even contributed lyrics. Today, her body of work includes lavish films like "Titus," "Frida" and "Across the Universe." She returned to Broadway to work on a musical adaptation of “Spider-Man” with Bono and The Edge from the band U2.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks holds a long list of film credits, including "Forrest Gump," "The Green Mile," "Cast Away" and "Catch Me If You Can." He also worked with writer and film director Nora Ephron on several movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You’ve Got Mail." In 2013, Tom Hanks made his Broadway debut with Nora Ephron’s play “Lucky Guy,” playing the late Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Mike McAlary. Although Hanks hasn’t returned to the stage since he finished this play, he continues to act in films like the upcoming "Inferno."

Read More

Increase Your Concentration (How To Declatter Your Mind And Maintain Focus)

In this day and age of amazing technology and multi-tasking mania, it probably seems as if we should be able to get more done than ever before. But as the Huffington Post notes, technology can actually be more of a distraction than a tool to help us focus. If you feel as if you’re losing your mental edge and that your memory isn’t what it used to be, the following tips and suggestions might help you to regain your clarity:

Limit Outside Stimuli

Although many people pride themselves at being masterful multi-taskers, trying to do more than one thing at once has a negative impact on our ability to concentrate. To improve your ability to pay attention, turn off the TV and any loud music. Eliminate the constant beeping your phone makes when you get a new text by setting it to Do Not Disturb mode when you need to focus on something important.. Focus on one thing at a time. By reducing the amount of sensory input you are receiving, you will be able to bolster your ability to accomplish more things.

Walk Instead of Caffeinate

Interestingly, if you are a major coffee fan who loves your mid-morning or (and?) afternoon latte fix, you might actually be training your brain to rely on caffeine in order to concentrate. While you can certainly still enjoy your java in moderation, consider cutting back on your caffeine intake and boost your daily exercise. Even a brisk walk around the block has been found to improve your ability to concentrate — both for short and long stretches of time.

Exercise Your Brain

As Psychology Today notes, mental challenges like puzzles and games can help to keep everything firing away inside your noggin. Choose puzzles that you enjoy, but also require you to sit down and really concentrate in order to solve them. The iWin website features several Sudoku games that are challenging and fun at the same time, as well as other games that can help to boost memory and concentration. If crosswords are your thing, you can pick up a book of puzzles at your local grocery or bookstore and try to complete one every day during your lunch hour. Trying to learn a foreign language is also a terrific way to give your gray matter a workout. To really focus on what you are doing, set a timer for 20 minutes and work at the new language until the timer dings.

Snooze

If you regularly get less than seven hours of sleep a night, your ability to concentrate will be one of the first things to go. As research has found, skimping on sleep means that you are missing out on spending time in the delta phase of sleep, which can lead to challenges in focusing and a lack of concentration. Do what you can to get at least eight hours of sleep a night for at least 10 days in a row. You'll notice its affect in your ability to focus.

Meditate

When it comes to improving concentration, meditation is an amazing tool. You can either check out a book at the library that teaches some basic meditation techniques, or watch instructional videos online. There are many audio tracks available that provide guided meditation. When you are meditating, focus on your breathing. Breathing alone will teach you how to concentrate on just one thing at a time. As you monitor your breathing, it will naturally slow down, leading to a peaceful yet focused state.

Read More

Now You Know: 3 Common Movie Stunts Explained

Stunt car drivers need years of training and experience. Their lives depend on it. They have to know the mechanics of their vehicles, have excellent hand-eye coordination, know how much movement is needed, and be able to focus on precision driving. They can do amazing things like flip a car, perform a cannon roll, do a pipe ramp stunt, and create realistic and hair raising car chases. Ever wonder how they do it?

The Cannon Roll

To make a car roll over while driving and appear as if the driver has lost control actually takes a lot of control. Before the Cannon Roll was introduced, stunt drivers used tilted ramps to toss the vehicle off the surface and make it roll over. Now the more common method is to push or jump the car with a cannon mounted somewhere under the vehicle, timed to explode and roll the vehicle to look like extreme loss of control.

The cannon roll was invented by pioneering stuntman Hal Needham for the film “McQ” starring John Wayne. He built a 16-inch diameter cannon with walls almost two inches thick and stuffed it with gun powder. The stunt worked, but Needham was badly injured in the stunt, including a broken back, punctured lung, broken ribs, and missing teeth.

The Astro Spiral Jump

One of the greatest car stunts ever, the Astro Spiral Jump, was filmed in the 1974 James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun,” with Roger Moore as James Bond. The difficult stunt involved jumping a car off one ramp into a 360-degree barrel roll across a river, then landing it on another ramp to drive off without any damage. There was no computer generated imagery.

The stunt was developed at Calspan Corporation at Cornell University by Raymond McHenry using a computer simulation. He calculated how to twist the ramps, how to center the weight in the vehicle, and what speed the car would need to be driven during trials before actually performing the stunt at a show in the Houston Astrodome in 1972, before it was done in the film. It has not been filmed since.

Long Jump

When you see those cars in the air in movies, after coming to a construction site where the road is out or perhaps an earthquake that splits the earth’s surface, it may look like the driver is just going for it at high speed. But the reality is that it’s done with ramps.

In film, ramps can be hidden or disguised so the high speed jumps seem to be happening on a city street. The vehicles are modified as well, including centering the weight of the vehicle and tightening the shock casing oil valve to slow the rebound of springs on impact and modifying the hood for better aerodynamics. Stunt drivers need to outfit vehicles with things like quality tires from retailers like TireBuyer to be better able to complete stunts safely and legally.

While legendary stuntmen like Hal Needham gained most of their expertise on the job and by doing things that others wouldn’t, today’s training for stunt work takes place before stuntmen ever get in front of a camera. In the U.K., the British Action Academy trains risk-takers and the British Equity Stunt Register certifies them, usually after time as film extras. In the U.S., apprenticing with experienced stunt people, joining the Screen Actors Guild and working as an extra on movie sets are the normal routes, although there are places like the Stunt Academy that will train people on the basics and specifics of stunt work, according to HowStuffWorks.

Read More

Four of the Most Recognizable and Iconic Movie Lines of All

There are many things that define a great movie, from outstanding acting and special effects to a really exciting, funny or moving plot. Parts of the movie’s dialogue can also elevate a film from forgettable to special. If you find yourself quoting a main character for months after you saw a movie, it’s probably because it movie contains a classic quote. The following four lines are among the most famous, well-known and iconic words ever uttered on the big screen:

“You've got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

For fans of both Clint Eastwood and Dirty Harry movies, it’s probably not surprising that this classic quote made Esquire’s list of “Best Manly Movie Quotes.” The 1971 movie was the first in the Dirty Harry series, and featured Eastwood as an inspector for the San Francisco Police Department. Fans loved it and even broke out in applause when Eastwood’s character cornered a bad guy and practically growled “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

“Hasta la vista, baby”

This quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s title character in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is so famous, it’s got its on Wikipedia page. The line quickly caught on as a catch phrase and is still being used today by everyone from kids playing video games to adults who loved the movie.

Schwarzenegger even used the line again during his political career; during the 1992 Republican primaries, he suggested voters figuratively tell Pat Buchanan “Hasta la vista, baby” by voting for George Bush. Die-hard Terminator and motorcycle fans who want to look the part as they try to imitate Schwarzenegger’s accent and famous line may want to find some serious accessories that will help them bring out their inner Ah-nold.

“Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore”

In AFI’s list of the top 100 movie quotes from the past century, this gem that was spoken by Judy Garland’s character Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz" came in at number four. The 1939 movie is chock full of plenty of other quotable moments — after all, it’s virtually impossible to say “lions, tigers and bears” without at least one person responding “oh my!” — but this iconic line is especially classic.

“You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”

As Xfinity notes the most famous quote from “Jaws” wasn’t even part of the script. Actor Roy Scheider apparently improvised this great line the first time he saw how enormous his aquatic nemesis was. In classic Steven Spielberg style, the trio of shark hunters — who also included Richard Dreyfuss’s character and a World War II vet played by Robert Shaw — were on the prowl for the menacing shark that had not yet been fully seen by the audience. When Scheider’s character, police chief Martin Brody, finally got a full glimpse of the shark, he ad libbed the frequently quoted line, all while keeping his cigarette firmly between his lips. The line is still used today by people who may not have even seen the movie, but appreciate the meaning behind the words.

Read More

Bedtime Blues: Suggestions for Better Sleep

When was the last time you found yourself in the middle of a 1 a.m. Netflix binge on a Tuesday? Finished your last cup of coffee at 4 in the afternoon? Ate a big dinner after 7 p.m.? If you answered recently, but not regularly, you’re probably OK. If you answered every day this week, it’s time to admit you have a problem. Your daytime habits affect your nighttime abilities to fall asleep and stay asleep, so kick the bedtime blues by following any of these three suggestions:

Get Into a Routine

As humans, we like to form habits. Whether it’s reading the news with your breakfast or taking the same route to work, we all have our daily routines. While your mornings may be consistent, how do you spend your evenings? Do you bounce back and forth between late nights at the office and early nights in? The first step to starting a healthy habit is cutting out activities that often lead you astray. Consider investing in an activity tracker to document your movements and see how they affect your overall sleeping patterns. When you see that on nights you walked the dog you got better sleep than on nights you watched extra hours of TV, it will most definitely fuel your habit-changing fire.

Lose the Light

From harsh street lights to blinking computer screens, most types of light can threaten your good nights’ sleep by suppressing the secretion of melatonin. Additionally, according to a 2012 Harvard health study, blue light emitted from electronics and energy-efficient bulbs may be especially damaging. Blue wavelengths are great for helping boost our mood, focus our attention and increase our reaction time, which obviously are the reasons why blue light is bad for our brains right before bed.

To better manage nighttime light, control your bedroom environment. Do any last-minute email checks or Facebook updates outside the bedroom door. Invest in custom curtains that can block any outside light pollution. Keep the TV in the living room. Once you succeed at getting unwanted light out, think about bringing appropriate light in. For example, consider a bedside clock that uses light to simulate the sun and gradually gets brighter before your alarm is set to go off.

Set the Mood with Music

There are several stages of sleep your body must travel through before reaching REM sleep, which is the most restorative and relaxing stage of sleep. If you’re like most insomniacs, the first stage, or the first five to 10 minutes you lie with your eyes shut, is the hardest.

If you can’t relax or clear your head, start the night right with soothing sounds that allow you to concentrate on something other than your stressful day. Apps like Relax Melodies allow you to choose from nature-sound playlists like thunderstorms or winding rivers. If you need something more, try the self-hypnosis meditation app Relax & Sleep. Featuring British clinical hypnotherapist Glenn Harrold, this app offers 27 minutes worth of free audio clips. If you consistently set the mood with music, soothing sounds will remind your mind that it's time for some shut-eye, which guarantees you a better night of sleep.

Read More

How Science is Changing Motorcycle Helmet Technology

The name Stephanie Kwolek might ring a bell for some people, but for motorcyclists, it should mean a great deal—especially those who wear protective head gear. Kwolek, who died this year at the age of 90, was a scientist with the DuPont Company in the 1960s. She researched polymers and, more importantly, steered the way toward the creation of Kevlar. The light, synthetic fabric was found to be so strong that it became the main ingredient in a variety of protective gear, including bulletproof vests and motorcycle helmets. The breakthrough in Kwolek's work has proved to be ever-changing as scientists continue to find ways to improve motorcycle helmets.

Improving Kwolek's Technology

Kevlar is a fiber that, ounce for ounce, is five times stronger than steel. It has improved helmet safety standards tremendously, yet scientists are still working to improve on Kevlar helmets. Why? Because our brains are delicate gobs of goo. As tough as Kevlar is, it can't fully protect in a motorcycle crash.
Our brains are surrounded and protected by three layers called meninges, which are made up of pia, arachnoid and dura mater, with the skull being the hard, outer capsule keeping it all in place.

Gradually, scientists have learned that our brains float inside the skull like a sailboat at sea. You can make a sudden stop with your head, but inside, the brain is in fluid motion, stopping like a sailboat would in rough waters. Thus, sudden, violent stops can cause the brain to crash into the inner walls of the skull, causing the brain to shear, bleed or swell.

Because of this, helmets had to include some sort of inner lining to cushion the blow of a sudden, violent stop, absorbing the impact by flexing within the outer shell. Check out the variety of helmet designs available today—there are a number of different liner designs that help absorb that impact energy. The lining consists of expanded polystyrene or the same kind of material in beer coolers and packaging material.

Types of Designs We See Today

Though it is optional to wear a helmet in many states today, many motorcyclists choose to protect themselves, which has proven to reduce the risk of being killed in an accident by 37 percent. There are plenty of trendy designs from which to choose: the Skully P-1 comes equipped with standard safety material, but also has mobile technology. It features built-in heads-up display, which enables the rider to access GPS and Bluetooth, and even email can be set up to display a live feed from a 180-degree rear view camera. Using technology like this, manufacturers are further encouraging motorcyclists to embrace the helmet movement.

Helmet design companies like Riddell, known or making football helmets, are working to understand the science behind the brain's reaction to highly violent impacts, which is highly common in the sport of football. Riddell's 360 design has become the standard helmet for many teams, proving to improve concussion prevention in players. Its hexagonal liner system inside the helmet helps reduce incoming energy from frontal impacts. Riddell's work is similar to other helmet companies are working on to improve headgear.

Swedish company Hövding is experimenting on an airbag helmet concept, which removes the use of a traditional helmet altogether. Though intended for bicycle riders, the inflatable device is worn on the collar around the neck and triggered by sensors, resembling a ballooned pillow around the rider's head. There's even a helmet design that activates a chemical packet after a crash that supposedly cools the rider's head to prevent brain swelling.

Today's standard motorcycle helmets come in all shapes, sizes, colors and features. Nearly all options are made of Kevlar or some type of polycarbonate plastic or fiberglass, and interlined with a cushioned material to lessen the impact in a crash. Science, led by Kwolek's work, has given motorcyclists many options to choose from, and which helmet a motorcyclist chooses depends on the rider himself. Be assured, however, that whichever modern helmet a rider selects, includes a long history of evolved science behind it with one ultimate goal in mind—protecting that precious brain.

Read More

Tiny Size, Enormous Impact: Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed History

If Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001 version of mankind is true, then without the big monolith, we would still be picking fleas off of our fuzzy neighbors. Whether it is because of benevolent space aliens or simple human ingenuity, there was a flash of brilliance where a bone became a tool and the world changed in response. Over the past hundred years, these technological breakthroughs have come fast and furious. These innovations are changing the world so quickly that children cannot comprehend a time without them and futurists question where they may lead us.

The O-Ring

It is just a little piece of rubber, but it played a big part in the industrial revolution, the space race and World War II. In 1936, Denmark born inventor Niels Christensen created the first O-ring as a seal for automobiles. Before that, cars had a tendency to leak fluids, which severely limited the amount of power possible. However, it did not become widely used until the United States purchased the patent during World War II and used it as the primary seal for its aircraft. Additionally, the importance of O-ring manufacturing was emphasized during the Challenger disaster when the SRM Joint failed, breaking the O-ring and causing the ship to crash.

Flash Drives

In the 1980s and '90s, computer technology was moving so rapidly that a new personal computer was obsolete before you got it out of the box. In 1980, a one gig hard drive cost around $40,000 and weighed 550 pounds, states PC World. By 1991, the same storage capacity weighed 2.2 pounds. In that decade, we also went from floppy disks to CDs. And now, the flash drive and its magical parallel, the cloud, allow a person to carry and share a lifetime of work, memories and theories. Where once we had a tattered leather notebook, now we have the flash drive.

Remote Control

The best reason for a 1970s parent to have children was so that they had someone to change the channel. For you younger folks, there was a time when people actually had to stand up to put on a different show. It was Edison’s contemporary and rival Nikola Tesla that patented the first radio controlled device in 1900, claims PBS. However, it was not until the 1980s that the TV remote as we know it was developed for common commercial use, and now we have smartphones and devices that control our TV. TiVo tells us what to watch, and we can play Mario Bros while watching football on the small screen in the corner. Tesla was such a brilliant futurist that he predicted some of this technology as far back as 1901.

The Electron

Technically people did not invent the electron, but what we did with it in the last hundred years is world changing. In your fifth grade science book, the atom would be described as having protons, electrons and possibly neutrons, and the electron would be described as a negatively charged particle. Today’s definition of the electron is a probability weighted, possibility structure in potentia. This change in meaning has lead us from technology where we plug in our toaster to the possibility of artificial intelligence. Using the quantum mechanical definition of an electron may give us quantum computers and AI, worm holes and faster than light travel. Elementary school science class didn’t tell us any of that.

Read More

The Good News About Video Games: Health Benefits Of Video Games And More

Hardcore gamers may have the last laugh yet, or at least the best vision. Studies conducted at McMaster University in Canada recently concluded that first-person shooter games such as Electronic Art's Medal of Honor are capable of improving the eyesight of people with vision impairment due to cataracts.

The study, led by Daphne Maurer, director of the Visual Development Lab at McMaster, believes her research proves that the vision-for-action movement of first-person shooter games like MOH actually helps rewire how the sensory brain functions. The majority of test participants reported seeing improvements in the following:

• Direction of Motion
• Lower-Contrast Images
• Smaller Details

Maurer has announced taking her research a step further as she works to develop a non-violent video game that doesn't require blood, guts and gore to help stimulate and improve vision.

Additionally, gamers who go on and on for marathon sessions can find relief through extended life contacts and cleaning solutions. These type of aids work to reduce the protein deposits that build up on contact lenses kept in the eye for long periods of time. They keep eyes comfortable and clear longer. Good news for gamers and everyone else who don't have time throughout the day to baby their contacts. You'll find products like these easily available at VisionDirect.com and other online retailers.

Other Benefits of Gaming

Improved vision isn't the only well-researched and documented benefit of playing video games. There are at least four more areas scientists have found in which indulging in game play has its advantages.

• Improvements in Children With Chronic Illness: In 2012, researchers at the University of Utah announced findings that video game playing helped improve the resilience of children suffering from a variety of conditions like Parkinson's disease and autism. The games were found to stimulate positive emotions that helped the children better cope with day-to-day struggles.
• Quicker Reaction Times: Researchers at the University of Rochester in NY credit games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2 with improving the reaction time and decision-making skills of gamers over non-gamers. Participants who played the games at least five hours a week over a year's time were able to outperform non-gamers in tests that required quick reactivity.
• Happiness in Your Senior Years: Studies conducted at North Carolina State University concluded that seniors who engaged in video game activity at least once a week, or even just on occasion, reported greater levels of overall happiness than those who didn't game at all. Of the 140 people over age 63 questioned, 61 percent said they played on occasion. Of these, 35 percent played a minimum of once a week.
• Pain Management: Innovative doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, found that the distraction of playing video games during painful burn-wound cleansing actually worked better for patients than morphine. The experiment, headed by anesthesiologist Dr. Christopher Maani, used the virtual reality game SnowWorld to keep patients engaged as they underwent excruciating treatments to treat massive burns incurred in battle. As patients concentrated on throwing snowballs at penguins and mastodons to the accompaniment of soothing music, they were better able to endure the physical pain involved in treatment.

Read More