6. Interesting Reads
“Much of the national debate over marijuana concerns keeping it out of children’s hands — and for good reason. There are many indications that weed can impair the developing adolescent brain, and some researchholds that the sooner kids start smoking, the more problems they’ll have down the line. But what does cannabis do to the elderly brain? The question is far less explored, though given the expanding access to marijuana for medical reasons and a noticeable uptick in the number of older marijuana users, scientists have begun to turn their attention toward this age group.”
(Mic.com)
“Injuries related to cotton tip applicators sent more than a quarter of a million children to emergency rooms over about two decades, according to a new study. About 34 children were treated at ERs daily for such injuries between 1990-2010, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found. Kris Jatana, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study, said this is the first report that points to the national problem and it might not even show the full scope of the issue.”
“An ancient species of human, that sparked global headlines when it was discovered two years ago in South Africa, is much younger than originally thought. In a series of papers published in the journal eLife on Friday, a global group of scientists say Homo naledi roamed the grassland of Southern Africa near modern-day Johannesburg between 335,000 and 236,000 years ago.”
(CNN)
“Google currently has two operating systems out in the wild, Android and Chrome. But we keep hearing that a third OS is in the making — one that might replace Android at some point in the future, and maybe even replace Chrome as well. Up until now, we only heard rumors about this third Google OS, but it looks like the first images of Fuchsia OS have leaked, showing the new user interface Google has been working on. Found by Ars Technica and compiled to run on an Android device as an application, Fuchsia OS shows what Google is looking to achieve with the new system. For starters, Google’s Fuchsia is built using Google’s own microkernel called Magenta. Google clearly wants to dump Linux, which is part of both Android and Chrome OS.”
(BGR.com)
“By the end of May, you’ll be able to get your hands on a Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus in the US without dealing with a carrier or their preinstalled apps. As of today, you can preorder the two phones exclusively through Best Buy, its retail site or Samsung.com completely unlocked from US carriers. Both are expected to be in store and online on May 31 and can be used on most US and international networks. The phones, which launched in late April, cost $725 for the 5.8-inch S8 and $825 for the 6.2-inch S8 Plus. Samsung is offering financing for the unlocked devices through its site for qualified buyers, the Galaxy S8 for $30.21 per month or $34.38 per month for the S8 Plus. Trade-in programs are available as well through both Best Buy and Samsung.”
(CNET)
“Amazon may have flopped with the Fire Phone, but don’t count it out of the telephony game just yet. Alongside Amazon unveiling its newest Echo device earlier today — the Echo Show with a seven-inch video screen — the company also announced Alexa Calling, free voice calls and messaging services that you use through all Echo devices (not just the Show), as well as users of the Alexa app for smartphones. There is no specific word on when the new feature will actually launch — it’s just “coming soon” according to the Alexa Calling product page. We’ve asked Amazon for more details about this.”
“In today’s age of personal freedoms, it is hard to believe that there are still 8 countries where religion is illegal. In the last century, we have come a long way when it comes to personal freedoms, including freedom of religion. Throughout human history, persecution based on religious beliefs was a norm, with few exceptions. Rare were the rulers who didn’t feel the need to enforce their religion on its subject and even neighbors, guided by the Latin expression “Cuius regio, eius religio” (Whose realm, his religion). One of them was Indian King Ashoka, who permitted all religions in his realm. The other one was Genghis Khan. Surprisingly, one of the most ruthless rulers in history and creator of the second largest empire mankind has ever seen was very tolerant when it came to religion.”
“Which are the countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world. It is never easy to write about these things, since researching about them does not simply include basic facts, definitions, and statistics, but also coming across certain personal stories which can be quite hard to read. Similarly as people with cancer and other terminal illnesses, people with AIDS still hopefully wait for the doctors around the world to find a solution and cure for their medical condition. Until now, unfortunately, everything they tried was unsuccessful. Before I go deeper into the issue, I would just like to make sure that everyone understands the difference between HIV and AIDS, since I have noticed that somewhere they are used to describe the same condition, which is definitely not correct.”
“Imagine riding a motorcycle that’s almost impossible to fall off, or watching a world champion racer eat the dust of an android rider tearing up the track at 200kph. Advances in self-drive tech have so far been the domain of cars, but now their two-wheeled counterparts are coming up on the outside – and fast. Earlier this year Honda unveiled its self-stabilizing concept motorbike. It features a computer that automatically takes control when the bike drops below 3mph.”
(T3.com)
“Snapchat‘s going to infinity, and beyond. The camera now lets you send an endless loop of video, one of four new editing tools found in the messaging app. Although Snapchat used to let you replay snaps after viewing, a looping video option under the timer repeats the snap ad nauseam on the recipient’s end. The same feature also applies to photos. Limitless snaps keeps a photo on your friend’s screen until they tap it away. Then, the snap deletes as usual. Snapchatters can draw with emoji, or use a magic eraser tool that appears to work in a similar way to the clone stamp or healing brush tool in Photoshop. When scrubbing out a selection, the app replaces the blank space with background fill.”
(CNET)
