Mereja

Author: Serkadis

  • Government admits using ‘professional actors’ to play the role of victims in terror drills

    The U.S. government has, since at least 2004, used “professional actors” to depict victims in terror drills that simulate large-scale attacks. According to this ABC News article from 2004, “professional actors will play the roles of victims.” In addition, a “virtual…

  • Texas reintroduces bill to criminalize invasive TSA pat downs

    Living up to a promise he made last fall, Representative David Simpson of Longview, Texas, has once again reintroduced a bill that would reign in the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its flagrantly unconstitutional abuses at Texas airports. As reported…

  • Fourth Amendment threat CISPA slips quietly through House while media busy covering Boston bombing

    Media coverage of late has focused primarily on the Boston Marathon terrorist attack, gun control, immigration “reform” and little else. Few outlets have paid much attention at all to a piece of legislation that essentially tears the heart out of the Fourth Amendment…

  • Teen who ate almost nothing but ramen noodles for 13 years has health of 80-year-old

    Since she was about five years old, Georgi Readman from the Isle of Wight in the U.K. has been eating primarily ramen noodles and nothing more for virtually every meal. And now the 18-year-old girl is suffering the health consequences, as reports indicate that her persistent…

  • Govt. paranoia gone wild: Merchants told to ‘call the police’ if people buy beauty products

    In the latest example of government overreach and outright paranoia following the Boston Marathon terrorist attack, a New York Republican congressman is actually calling for a measure that would require retailers to inform cops when customers buy innocuous items that…

  • Questioning the study: Carnitine compound found in red meat and energy increases heart disease risks

    An earlier NaturalNews article by this author featured mainstream media’s (MSM) reports of the red meat study with a similar title to this article. It drew some strong disagreement from commenting readers. Since then, more information from reliable alternative media…

  • Daily beetroot juice intake can lower blood pressure

    According to a new study conducted by an Indian researcher, daily intake of beetroot juice can help lower your blood pressure. Hypertensive people who took an average of 8 oz of beetroot juice on a daily basis, saw their blood pressure drop by about 10 mm Hg. Researchers…

  • Ten delicious health benefits of eating more avacado

    Would you believe that the avocado is considered by many nutritional experts to be a perfect food? It’s considered a superfood by many. Surprise, it’s not really a vegetable, it’s a fruit. In areas south of the border, it’s often called the alligator pear because…

  • New research: Eat grapes to reduce body-wide inflammation and organ damage

    Research just presented at the Experimental Biology conference held in Boston this week reveals that grapes contain powerful health promoting properties. Specifically, natural components known as polyphenols appear to protect against organ damage associated with the…

  • Stage-4 bone marrow cancer reversed naturally

    Imagine your family being told you “may not wake up in the morning” – because of a failed attempt to remove cancer from your brain. As if that isn’t enough, you actually do wake up and are told that you have bone marrow cancer that spread to your brain and there is no…

  • Woman gives birth in hotel bathtub after being turned down by hospital: Is this the future of socialized medicine in America?

    If Michelle Booth’s recent experience with the socialized health care system of the U.K. is any indication of the quality of care that will soon be delivered under Obamacare in the U.S., then Americans are in for a very rude awakening. According to the U.K.’s Daily Express…

  • Johnson and Johnson’s new diabetes drug causes vaginal yeast infections and other unlabeled health conditions

    The FDA has recently approved Johnson and Johnson’s new type 2 diabetes drug Invokana. This drug, although deemed safe by the government, has been found to cause debilitating side effects including Candida yeast infections and a host of unlabeled risks. An advisory…

  • JPMorgan Chase adds to its revenue stream every time an American signs up for food stamps in 23 states

    The same corporation that received tens of billions of taxpayer dollars back in 2008 as part of the massive corporate bailout swindle is now reaping hundreds of millions of dollars every year from the federal food stamp program, according to little-known reports. For…

  • Free online Lifeforce yoga/breath class with world renowned instructor Amy Weintraub

    This week’s episode of Mental Health Exposed is a free LifeForce Yoga class with author and instructor Amy Weintraub. Join my wife, Hope, therapist Sherry Rubin and me as we follow Amy’s step-by-step instructions in light movement yoga and breath work. If you download…

  • Alert: New York City Mayor Bloomberg says the US Constitution will ‘have to change’

    As the smoke clears from the Boston Marathon bombing, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is wasting no time. In a press conference Monday, Bloomberg came right out and said that the country’s interpretation of the Constitution will “have to change” to allow for greater…

  • Live! from! Yahoo! it’s! Saturday! Night!

    So, is Yahoo trying to become a media company again? It’s question to ask as former Googler and current CEO Marissa Mayer snags an exclusive distribution deal for Saturday Night Live. Late last night, Mayer announced the agreement, with Broadway Video, which starts September 1.

    “The partnership gives Yahoo users exclusive access to the entire 38-year archive of SNL content as well as clips from the current season”, Mayer says. However, current season, which will be 2013-14 when the deal begins, will be “non-exclusive”.

    Mayer is Yahoo’s eighth CEO, and she bears the burden of trying to reinvent one of the oldest and iconic dot-coms. During the Noughties, Terry Semel turned the Internet services giant into a media company, direction a string of successors tried to change. Carol Bartz, who was unceremoniously fired by phone in September 2009, took a hatchet to Yahoo, cutting services, pulling back media emphasis and creating an identity crisis inside and outside the company. Despite Bartz’s heavy hand, Yahoo’s brand remained surprisingly resilient, though tarnished.

    Mayer stepped into the executive office in July 2012. Google employee #20 promised to be the CEO who would when so many others couldn’t. In her short time at the helm, Yahoo is more focused, its brand reviving and the stock price rising. Since August 31 through market close yesterday, Yahoo’s share price is up 69 percent.

    Yahoo is on a buying spree, this year acquiring Alike, Snip.it and Summly. In December, photo-sharing site Flickr, which had long languished, got a major makeover.

  • Forget touch screens or voice recognition, Thalmic Labs’ UI uses muscle movements

    The more places we add computing, the more tired keyboards, mice and even touchcreens look as interfaces, which is why the latest video from Thalmic Labs, showing off its MYO arm band is so cool. The MYO armband uses muscle movements to figure out what gesture the wearer is making, and then relays that back to software. The video shows people playing Tetris by waving their hands and playing with a Sphero waving their arms.

    The startup, founded last year and based in Waterloo, Ontario, reminds me of the Leap Motion guys, who are building a gesture-interface for PCs and laptops using sensors. Both are taking the relatively “flat” methods of motion-based input, such as touch or mice, and making them 3D. Now you can move not just left and right, but also above and below a plane.

    So far, the MYO bracelets will ship at the end of the year for the first 25,000 people who pre-ordered the armbands, with another batch coming in 2014. They cost $149, which is pretty compelling if even a few decent apps are available. Games are a good entry point for this type of gesture-based control with the MYO sold as an accessory of sorts.

    But if the company makes is SDK available, I can imagine it as a controller for a variety of things, including the connected home. Imagine wearing one of these armbands and using gestures to control your stereo from across the room or even as a way to lock the doors with a motion as you leave the house. Of course, that assumes a device that you’d wear constantly, which then gets us into the thorny UI issue of how to tell the device when you want it to pay attention and take action based on a motion, as opposed to when you are just scratching your nose or waving hello to a neighbor.

    For a taste of the device and possibilities, check out the video below:


    Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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  • Google Launches New AdSense Ad Size

    Google announced the launch of a new ad size for AdSense ads today: the 970×90. This is a newly adopted IAB standard known as “super leaderboards”.

    “This larger ad size is another visually impactful placement for advertisers to promote their products and services even on wider screens,” says Google AdSense software engineer Omer Gimenez and AdSense product manager Johan Land in a joint blog post.

    AdSense ads get bigger

    “Please note that since the 970×90 unit is new to our network, you’ll currently see mainly text ads appearing in this format,” they say. “The new super leaderboard ad unit can show up to four text ads organized in a column layout but, as with other ad sizes, the number of text ads per unit may vary per impression. When enabling image and rich media ads for this unit, display ads in the size of a 728×90 unit will be displayed initially. Over time, we expect that the inventory of image and rich media ads for the 970×90 will grow and you’ll see more full-size display ads being served.”

    Back in November, Google introduced the 300×600 ad unit to positive feedback. Those who wanted larger ad sizes are truly getting their wish.

  • Samsung reportedly readying ruggedized Galaxy S4 variant

    Samsung reportedly readying ruggedized version of the Galaxy S4
    Samsung’s Galaxy S4 hasn’t even launched yet in the U.S. and there are already rumors suggesting that a new version of the phone is currently in the works. Middle Eastern tech blog Techview.me attended Samsung’s recent Galaxy S4 press conference for the region. During a question and answer session following the presentation, the site reports that Samsung Gulf president Young Soo Kim was asked why the company hadn’t launched a new waterproof smartphone recently. In response, the executive reportedly stated that a new ruggedized dust and water-resistant version of the Galaxy S4 is in development, though he did not indicate when it might launch. Samsung is also reportedly developing a smaller version of its new smartphone — the Galaxy S4 mini — that will be released this summer.

  • T-Mobile USA struts out HTC One

    HTC One gets no respect, and that’s not right. We’ve written stories up the river and down to the sea about Samsung Galaxy S4, and little about its rival. My colleague Mihaita Bamburic posts about the smartphone’s arrival on T-Mobile USA next week, for example. But HTC One is available there today. We shouldn’t mention the one and ignore the other.

    HTC One is available in Glacial Silver color for $99.99 upfront, plus 24 $20 monthly payments, or $579.99 outright. For a limited time, buyers get a free car dock with their purchase. AT&T’s upfront price is $199.99, or $599.99 outright. Sprint charges the same upfront, or $99.99 for those bringing a number from another carrier. Otherwise: $549.99.

    Last month, T-Mobile switched to no-contract plans where buyers pay full price for phones rather than subsidized and locked, with 2-year commitment and hefty data fees. The carrier passes savings to customers in cost for data plans and charges less upfront. I cut my family’s monthly bill by nearly a third switching from AT&T.

    HTC One’s big competitor is the S4. They’re both mighty Androids with 1080p screens. T-Mobile sells the 32GB phone, while AT&T also offers the 64GB model.

    HTC One specs: 4.7-inch Super LCD3 display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 468 pixels per inch; 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor; 2GB RAM; 32GB storage; 4-megapixel front-facing and 2.1MP rear-facing cameras; 1080p video recording; 4G: LTE; HSPA+ 42Mbps; WiFi N; GPS + GLONASS; Bluetooth 4; NFC; DLNA; ambient-light and proximity sensors; accelerometer; digital compass; gyroscope; 2300 mAh battery; Android 4.1.2 with HTC Sense. Measures 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm and weighs 143 grams.

    Galaxy S4: 5-inch Super AMOLED with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 441 pixels per inch; 1.9GHz quad-core; 2GB of RAM; 16GB storage (expandable up to 64GB with microSD card); 13MP auto-focus rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras; 1080p video recording; 4G: LTE HSPA＋ 42Mbps (850/900/1900/2100 MHz); WiFi N/AC; GPS + GLONASS; NFC; Bluetooth 4; IR LED; MHL 2; accelerometer; barometer; gyroscope; geomagnetic, gesture, proximity, RGB light and temperature & humidity sensors; 2600 mAh removable battery; and Android 4.2.2 with TouchWiz UI. Measures 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and weighs 130 grams.

    The One comes with a slightly higher pixel density and twice the storage as the S4, which storage can be increased with microSD card and battery swapped. Aesthetically, I prefer HTC’s phone. What would matter to me, and might not to you, are the cameras. Samsung packs in 13 megapixels to HTC’s 4MP. But don’t be fooled. Sensor and intelligent software and controls matter more. I expect the One to be the better shooter, but the S4 to offer cooler tricks (like removing your spouse’s mother from the photo).

    Other features include HD Voice, which T-Mobile also offers for iPhone 5. BlinkFeed is HTC’s feature for consolidating social feeds — get them all on one screen. There are also front-facing speakers.

    I’ll probably haul down to my local T-Mobile store today for a looksee. And you?