6. Interesting Reads
“Children should not be given fruit juice before they are 1 year old unless it’s advised by a doctor, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The group had previously advised parents to wait to offer juice until a child reached 6 months old but decided to make the change based on rising rates of obesity and concerns about tooth cavities.”
(CNN)
“Air pollution may harm your sleep, researchers say. “Prior studies have shown that air pollution impacts heart health and affects breathing and lung function, but less is known about whether air pollution affects sleep,” said lead author Dr. Martha Billings. “We thought an effect was likely, given that air pollution causes upper airway irritation, swelling and congestion, and may also affect the central nervous system and brain areas that control breathing patterns and sleep,” added Billings, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Washington.”
“NASA is preparing to conduct a spacewalk on Tuesday, May 23, to replace a computer component mounted on the International Space Station that failed Saturday morning. The multiplexer-demultiplexer (MDM) is one of two redundant data relay boxes used to control the solar array systems, radiators, cooling loops, and other hardware aboard the station. The backup MDM is functioning properly and the astronauts on the ISS are in no danger, according to a press release from NASA.”
“At Google I/O this past week, I got my first taste of the next version of Android and I enjoyed almost everything about it. Android has gotten to the stage where improvements come in only incremental steps, and Google is mostly making the right ones with its annual updates. But I have an underlying worry about where this is all going: as Android grows more proactive and assistive, I fear it might end up alienating its more technically inclined users.”
“Facebook has a massive challenge when it comes to dealing with disturbing content like revenge pornography and “sextortion.” How big? The world’s largest social network has to deal with nearly 54,000 cases of this type of sex abuse — each month, according to The Guardian. The number underscores the challenge Facebook faces in stamping out pornography — and not a surprise given there are more than 1 billion users who log on each day. The company still employs people to find these cases, but the content is overwhelming. Facebook told The Guardian that it was using tech like “image-matching” software to help get the content off the site.”
(CNET)
“One of China’s biggest online retailers, JD, announced plans Monday to develop drone aircraft capable of carrying a ton or more for long-distance deliveries. The company said it will test the drones on a network it is developing to cover the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi. It said they will carry consumer goods to remote areas and farm produce to cities. JD, headquartered in Beijing, says it made its first deliveries to customers using smaller drones in November. Other e-commerce brands including Amazon also are experimenting with drones for delivery.”
“Microsoft has showed off new techniques it’s using to bring holographic projection to a less cumbersome and socially awkward form factor than today’s VR headsets. Microsoft Research has developed a prototype of a pair of normal-looking glasses that can project holograms onto the lens. The “crude prototype” creates a display with an 80-degree horizontal view, a width that usually requires headsets or helmet-sized displays.”
(ZDNet)
“If you are looking for a phone that won’t crack after you press the power button a bit harder, then check out this list of best rugged smartphones of 2017. Back in the days, regular mobile phones were less prone to damage. They were tougher and I’ll dare to say, built from more quality materials. It helped also that there were not as many weak spots as it is the case with modern phones. Now, the phones are thinner and have larger screens, but that made them more vulnerable to almost everything. We have all been there at some point in our lives as smartphone users.”
“If you are one of many people concerned with weight loss, then read our list of 6 weight loss pills that work fast and cheap. Weight is a common problem in modern society. With 9 to 5 jobs that make us sit in the office all day, and our bad eating habits; it is almost impossible to stay in shape all the time. At least it sounds impossible, right? We are confused in choosing between our desire to be healthy and eat whatever is there and just go to bed because we are exhausted from work. Day by day, pounds pile up and we find ourselves fat and unhappy. Overweight has become a major issue nowadays, with more than 2 in 3 adults in the U.S. being overweight or obese.”
