Most of us use screens in our professional lives as well as during leisure time in large quantities. For as long as this has been true, new studies have been published connecting our screen time to some plethora of health risks. Most recently, as explained by Popular Science, “researchers at the University of Toledo have begun to parse the process by which close or prolonged exposure to… ‘blue light’ can trigger irreversible damage in eye cells.”

Blue light, produced by our screens, can apparently cause a damaging chemical reaction in our eyes. Study author and chemistry professor Ajith Karunarathne found that, “In the lab, when cells from the eye were exposed to blue light directly—in theory, mimicking what happens when we stare at our phone or computer screens—the high-intensity waves trigger a chemical reaction in the retinal molecules in the eye. The blue light causes the retinal to oxidize, creating ‘toxic chemical species’… The retinal, energized by this particular band of light, kills the photoreceptor cells, which do not grow back once they are damaged.”

In case none of that makes sense to you, here is the point. Blue light “can kill photoreceptor cells” in your eyes. And “murdering enough of them can lead to macular degeneration, an incurable disease that blurs or even eliminates vision.”

Of course, you might be thinking, doesn’t blue light occur naturally in sunlight? Yes, it does. But as Karunarathne says, we are usually told to avoid looking at the sun, and listen to that advice. The same can’t be said for our screens.

This information, Karunarathne thinks, can lead to positive technological developments to aid our ocular health. He told Popular Science, “Who knows. One day we might be able to develop eye drops, that if you know you are going to be exposed to intense light, you could use some of those… to reduce damage.”

The research out of the University of Toledo was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Source: popsci.com – Screens are killing your eyeballs, and now we know how
Published: August 10, 2018

If you’re one of the few people who doesn’t have enough to do on the internet, Mozilla Firefox has just the new extension for you. Almost. According to The Verge, the browser is “launching a new experimental browser extension called Advance, which recommends new websites and articles based on what you’re currently reading and your recent browsing history.”

Advance works in two separate parts. There is a “Read Next” sections, which recommends articles based on your current tab, as well as a “For You” section, which amalgamates all your recent browsing history to make more general recommendations.

The Verge explains, “Firefox said that when browsing, say, a list of popular restaurants, Advance could recommend other, similar eateries to make it easier for you to compare them.”

Advance is powered by Laserlike, a machine learning startup that specializes in recommendations. For user safety, if you download the Advance extension, you will have full control over when it is running, and you will have access to see what browser history Laserlike can see. If you are unhappy with certain data, you can request its removal.

You can sign up to install Advance early as a part of Firefox’s Test Pilot program, where the company gets users to “test new features for users who want to try them before rolling them out to the main app.”

Source: theverge.com – Firefox’s latest experiment recommends stories based on your browsing history
Published: August 7, 2018

A study done by market research institute Nielsen has revealed that an overwhelming amount of Americans who travel by air – 89 percent in fact – would prefer to keep their flights disconnected from cell service.

“A total of 8,150 individuals, aged 18 years and older who have flown with an airline company in the last two years were surveyed in an online poll. Respondents from China, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, the UAE, the UK and the US participated in the survey from February 16-26, 2018.”

The American participants of the survey mainly cited “nuisance, disturbance” as the most important reason to keep flights cellphone free. This belief represents a trend that has been on the incline since 2015, according to eTurboNews.

However, Americans were not in the majority on this matter. Although Nielsen found the global average to be 51 percent, “the rate of passengers in favor of allowing mobile phone usage in flight is significantly higher in India (73%), China (70%), and the UAE (63%).”

Source: eturbonews.com – 89 percent of American flyers don’t want cell phone service in-flight
Published: July 25, 2018

Previously, when someone said they own a BMW, your first thought might be of a luxury sports car. Now when someone mentions their BMW, they might just be talking about the one on their wrist.

BMW has partnered with Fossil Group to “collaborate on development of a new range of watches and smartwatches sporting the former’s brand,” according to TechRadar. The end products will be distributed by both BMW and Fossil.

So far there is no release date and both BMW and Fossil are being secretive about the design. But, what we do know is that Fossil designs smartwatches for brands like Diesel, Emporio Armani, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors – perhaps looking at those watches will give us better insight into what we can expect from BMW?

Chairman and CEO of Fossil Group, Kosta Kartsotis, said in their announcement July 30^th that “BMW is one of the most iconic brands in the world. We look forward to bringing our watch design expertise and smartwatch capabilities to BMW enthusiasts around the world.”

The two companies signed a deal to collaborate until 2023.

With the rise of self-driving and IoT connected cars, is BMW looking to break further into the tech game? Will these smartwatches be somehow compatible with BMW vehicles? Time will tell!

Source: You’ll be able to buy an official BMW smartwatch in 2019 – techradar.com
Published: July 30, 2018

Every country, and many professions, have different standards regarding tipping. Of course, your waitress may be more than happy to break your bill to make some change for you, but what about the increasing amount of people who don’t carry cash? How has that trend in North America, and elsewhere, changed tipping?

For one thing, payment processing machines often suggest a tip amount that can be anywhere between fifteen and 30 percent. This seems normal at certain business establishments, but some are wondering if the option to include the suggested tip amount is prompting some businesses to ask for tips where previously leaving one was not expected. Take for instance, over-the-counter coffee shops.

Torontonian and etiquette expert Lisa Orr told Calgary’s Chronicle Herald that she’s seeing suggested tip amounts “everywhere now” partly because “it’s so easily built into our payment gateways.” Despite the rise in this technology, Orr believes, tipping etiquette does not require leaving a tip of “fifteen percent or more” at to-go restaurants.

“The use of digital payment terminals encourages consumers to be more generous than they would be if they were using cash,” Orr suggested.

A lot of this can be traced back to payment processing companies like Square Inc., a San Francisco based entity founded in 2008. Square Inc. allows retailers to process payment on smartphones, tablet, etcetera. It’s the kind of service you might use if you needed to process payments at a food truck, or some other smaller-scale operation. Square Inc. also allows its retailers to choose whether or not they prompt for tips.

The Chronicle Herald explains that “Nearly 90 percent of retailers that enable tipping rely on the company’s ‘smart tip amounts’ feature… When consumers spend less than $10, they can choose between no tip, $1, $2, or $3. When they spend more than that, they can choose between no tip, 15 per cent, 20 per cent or 25 per cent.”

Square Inc. spokesperson Leslie Jackson told the Chronicle Herald in an email that retailers can also choose to input custom amounts, and that the highest amount chosen in Canada was a 30 percent tip option.

Company data suggests that so far in 2018, “Canadians tipped an average of 13.4 per cent using Square at food and drink sellers…. That includes an average 13.7 at coffee and tea shops, 13.1 at food trucks, 12.9 at bakeries and 11.9 at quick service restaurants.”

Orr believes that tip prompts make customers feel guilty about if they choose not to tip at to-go restaurants. Do you think that electronic payment processing has changed the way we tip?

Source: thechronicleherald.ca – Cashless consumers face tipping quandary for over-the-counter service
Published: July 26, 2018