Sleep deprivation makes us appear unattractive & sad

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/sleep-deprivation-makes-us-appear-unattractive-and-sad/279239/ / research health healthy wrinkles wrinkled fine lines paler pale less intelligent unhealthy health more droopy corners of the mouth droop look sleep-deprived sleep deprived tired University of Stockholm unhealthy less attractive researchers researcher academic journal Sleep doctoral candidate Tina Sundelin team photographed photograph research subjects two separate occasions once after eight hearty hours sleep after 31 hours awake forty people then rated photographs scales fatigue sadness ten metrics of physical appearance perceived sleep deprived sleep-deprived subjects as being sadder having paler skin more wrinkles wrinkle fine lines droopy corners of the mouth Discovery Health recently ran article called 10 Signs You May Be Deprived of Sleep believe Mood swings swing medical problems problem relationship troubles trouble diminished motor skills poor decision making vision problems increased appetite inability to concentrate poor memory inability handle stress practical implications faces contain information which humans base interactions fatigued a person appears may affect how others behave toward them Sundelin press release part innate sense of empathy go easy on this tired person ability identify exploit weakness weaknesses /

Samsung unveils Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Credit: Samsung/ Time

Samsung has just announced their Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Do you need one?

My take after a few months of using a Pebble is that a smartwatch can provide a useful extra information channel to help take advantage of a smartphone without it getting in the way:

• Incoming calls when the phone is on silent, in another room, or in a noisy environment.

• Is that SMS, email or calendar reminder important enough to interrupt whatever is happening?

• Who's calling?

Inherent in all this extra functionality is shortened battery life, compared to a conventional watch (dumbwatch?) — 10 days plus in the Pebble. Unfortunately, Samsung's Gear has this problem in spades — 1 day of battery life (sic) is a deal breaker for me. YMMV.

Other problems:

• At the moment, it only works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 & yet to be released Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. There is a question mark over future integration with other phones.

• Price? $300!

More at:

http://techland.time.com/2013/09/04/samsungs-galaxy-gear-is-a-very-samsung-smartwatch/ / big gaudy packed with fancy hardware loaded software features useful usability never use Samsung Galaxy Gear company’s company first attempt modern smartwatch with everything 1.63-inch 1.6 inch AMOLED display 320-by-320 resolution 800 MHz processor 512 MB RAM 4 GB internal storage 1.9-megapixel camera 1.9 megapixel speaker built into wrist strap microphone on board making calls Bluetooth smartphone connection glanceable notification machine informing inform incoming calls texts messages alerts clever integration Samsung’s smartphones so when you take the phone out of your pocket messages instantly appear big screen built-in microphone Samsung’s S Voice virtual assistant dictate text messages set alarms create calendar entries hands free hands-free speakerphone voice connection safety assistance feature sends user user’s location trusted contact within 1.5 meters paired smartphone allows user bypass the phone’s phone lock screen bad news /

10 things your spouse won’t tell you

Lots of surprising information here, such as:

"Nearly one in four Americans say honesty about money is more important to them than honesty about an affair."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-your-spouse-wont-tell-you-2013-08-23/print?guid=AEC4CB50-0C1B-11E3-B473-00212876B3FC / spend more on my lover than I do on you 15% married Americans admit extramarital affair rate stayed relatively steady past couple decades General Social Survey tracks extramarital affairs married couples cheating spending hard earned hard-earned cash on their lovers your hubby’s husband mistress likely spend $125 on her holiday gift compared with just $60 on yours according survey AshleyMadison.com matchmaking site for married individuals looking for affairs women are less likely to buy pricey gifts for their lovers tend to be more cautious about leaving behind evidence affair, says AshleyMadison.com CEO Noel Biderman secret bank account Bernie Madoffs secret bank accounts 15% fifteen percent married people couples joint finances bank account they keep hidden from their partner 2011 National Endowment for Financial Education Forbes study survey reasons secret account innocent enough opened account before they were married haven’t gotten around to closing it yet others intentions far more nefarious married people sometimes like to keep secret bank accounts in the event of divorce pursue expensive hobbies other interests Tina Tessina, a psychotherapist based Long Beach California author Money Sex and Kids Stop Fighting About the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage more common with men may secretly spend on things like like gambling or drugs women keep secret stashes money gifts for the children going out with friends shopping for accessories for themselves home secret account secret-account holders beware most of the time the spouse finds out usually by accident opening a letter from the bank Lisa Helfend Meyer founder law firm Meyer Olson Lowy Meyers Los Angeles fallout can be serious including divorce separation harassment office spouse she remembers your birthday she even knows about the marital troubles your parents are having catch she’s not your wife one in three people has an office spouse colleague he or she is close to platonic survey career site Vault.com role serves working partners someone share office secrets exchange support companions on the job often relationship relationships completely harmless especially when individuals open spouse spouses source of immense jealousy partner thinks spouse sharing too much co-worker psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo author of Happy You Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness women, it may be even worse study published 2010 journal Psychological Science both sexes experience jealousy emotional infidelity women tend to view it as an even worse betrayal than sexual infidelity pretend I never bought cost nearly 35 years Wilmington Syble Solomon educator who helps people deal with financial issues kept many purchases secret from her husband misled him about what they cost Solomon buy new blouse often hide her dresser for weeks husband asked when she finally wore it had it forever growing up mum mom Don’t tell your father not telling one in 10 people say misrepresented cost purchase partner American Express survey motivation avoid conflict partner spouse won’t approve item cost results lying disastrous emotionally financially advised multiple clients felt compelled file divorce discover discovering series secret purchases purchase earn more than you bread winner traditional role depend dependent satisfaction breadwinner /

“How can they be so good?”: The strange story of Skype

Skype went live on 29 August 2003, & revolutionized the world of telecommunications.

Recently, the organization was claiming 250 million users monthly, & one third of all international telephony.

http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/09/skypes-secrets/ / Skype millionaire Jaan Tallinn Tallinn, Estonia technology is 10 years old eternity Internet Age five children, sixth care about his creation August 29 2003 Skype went live for the first time 2012 Telegeography Skype accounted for 167 billion minutes cross border cross-border voice video calling year 44 percent % growth over 2011 increase in minutes more than twice that achieved all international carriers world combined is to say Skype today serious threat largest telcos planet made Jaan Tallinn other early Skypers rich something changed along the way no longer upstart refused to put signs on its offices dodged international lawyers kept kiddie pool boardroom real story how global brand truly began more detail than ever before by those who launched it encrypt compress algorithm communication /

Griffin PowerDock 5 Charging Station review

Credit: The Gadgeteer

If you have a lot of devices to charge & need to keep it tidy, this could be for you, but you'll need to stump up $100, plus provide all your own cables.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/09/01/griffin-powerdock-5-charging-station-review/#more-138801 / gadget gadgets charge everything dock docks market charge multiple gadgets Apple products Android gadgets mixture various operating systems OS phone phones tablet tablets Bluetooth headset headsets surge protector USB chargers gadget gadgets laying everywhere charge PowerDock 5 Griffin offers solution store your gadgets neatly charge from single power source box charger iPad iPhone iPod actually work any USB-chargeable gadget USB charging cables included charging station iOS devices Griffin included couple 30-pin 30 pin cables supply your own cables huge problem since gadgets come with charging cables this price couple cables power brick separate cable US style US-style plug other international plugs included cable to attach them to the power brick plugs have identical ports on the back cable included for them base made hard plastics black top white sides no status lights product branding charging base one side five standard USB jacks technical specs specification specifications jack jacks provide 5V at 2.1A Volt Amp Ampere enough power charge iPad Griffin port ports work with most USB-chargeable devices caution device devices may charge slower than normal expect more power Leah Hallet’s Asus TF101 tablet need needs needed more power Eagle Tech Neptor Battery pack recently reviewed could provide little groove in the bottom right side for the power cord to fit through upper left jack for the power supply pegs middle apparently to control extra length of the power cable review PowerDock 5 store your devices charge package contains 5 clear plastic plate plates snap groove grooves top dock form backrests charging devices device identica groove furthest away from the power cord channel special panel embossed with Griffin’s Griffin logo backplates in place between backplates room accommodate most iPad cases Martian Watches G2G smart watch gathered up cables everything devices fit into their spaces plug plugs socket sockets USB jacks worked power gadget gadgets simultaneously simultaneous lightning bolts battery icon icons o iOS devices charge charging red LED G2G watch charging screen went dark case cased iPhone nice compact setup charging multiple tablets phones other devices main problem charging dock little 4″ 4 inch Amazon’s Basics Lightning cable attached to the iPhone with the lighted screen just long enough plug phone cables are unsightly clutter Amazon Basics Lightning buying more cables /

Evolution of G (infographic)

1G, 2G, 3G, next G, 4G (5G?)

http://bgr.com/2013/08/31/wireless-technology-evolution-infographic/ / Wireless carriers process transitioning 3G 4G from fake 4G to 4G chatter surrounding eventual transition 5G carriers CommScope infographic history of cellular communications data VoIP perspective The evolution of the G infographic details history cellular networks starting 1G Japan 1979 modern 4G wireless networks 4G networks until the ITU International Telecommunication /

Can software ever be an invention?

Apparently, not in New Zealand.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/08/in-historic-vote-new-zealand-bans-software-patents/ / patent bill passed vote New Zealand's Parliament five years of debate banned software patents relevant clause patent bill states computer program not an invention get around the wording of the TRIPS intellectual property treaty requires patents available for any inventions products or processes in all fields of technology processes patentable computer program merely way implementing patentable process patent claims that cover computer programs not allowed some leeway computer programs directly tied to improved hardware bill includes example better washing machine improvements are implemented with a computer program the actual contribution new improved operating washing machine gets clothes cleaner uses less electricity patent awarded Member of Parliament deeply involved debate Clare Curran quoted head heads software firms complaining patenting process allowed obvious things patented in general software patents are counter-productive quoted one developer near impossible software developed without breaching some of the hundreds thousands patents granted around the world for obvious work heavyweight heavy weight heavyweights new economy in software development head of New Zealand's Institute IT Professionals Paul Matthews celebrated passage bill tweeting "Software patents are now disallowed in New Zealand #Historic #Awesome #Yay Matthews new law new patent applications existing software patents continue apply stand New Zealand open question other countries will take up New Zealand's example outright ban on software patents in the US seems unlikely given the large corporation corporations tech oppose unprecedented concern about patent trolls six bills introduced Congress addressing issue in last several months. /