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Propolis (or ‘bee glue’) is a sticky, brown mixture that honey bees make from their saliva and the resin of tree bark for repairing damage to their hive and sealing it from invaders. Unlike beeswax, which is used to seal larger open spaces, bees tend to reserve propolis…

People who suffer from symptoms of depression have yet another way to deal with it that does not involve taking dangerous antidepressant drugs. A new study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry has found that practicing mindfulness, a meditative routine…

First, let’s discuss what good sleep is and its effect on the immune system. In 2005, the National Sleep Foundation conducted a nationwide poll and determined that the amount of nocturnal bed time average in America was just under what’s considered normal, eight hours…

Pediatrician and pro-vaccine advocate Dr. Paul Offit has spoken out repeatedly against vaccine religious exemptions. For example, in one speech (http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org ), he implies that since the Old and New Testaments and the Qur’an predate vaccines, these…

Buycott is a word that defined as “the opposite of boycott,” so rather than focus on the negative act of boycotting a company, it seems the Buycott folks want you to Buycott a company. What does that mean exactly? Buycotting a company means to support a company that…

President Obama’s second term thus far has been consumed in scandal, including new revelations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has, for years, targeted key conservative constituencies including Tea Party-related organizations for political considerations. But…

The criminality and illegitimacy of the federal government continues to grow, this time with the disclosure that a former U.S. attorney intentionally released a document aimed at discrediting a whistleblower in the “Operation Fast and Furious” scandal. A new report…

If there’s one thing monopolists hate, it’s competition. That’s probably why the U.S. government shut down Liberty Reserve yesterday, charging seven men with laundering $6 billion for over one million clients. Calling Liberty Reserve a “bank of choice for criminals,…

The brain neurotransmitter dopamine activates the metabolism helping the body establish a healthy weight. Additionally, dopamine helps the brain generate sufficient energy to run the body. It stimulates the heart, regulates the flow of information through our brains…

If you’re looking for ways to improve the health of your heart, don’t overlook the dramatic impact of two simple nutrients: vitamin B6 and CoQ10. In a controlled study published in the journal Nutrition Research in October 2012, researchers from Chung Shan Medical…

It is no secret that the number of people with either gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, the latter of which is often diagnosed as Celiac disease, is on the rise all across the world. But what is commonly misunderstood about the difficulty or inability to digest…

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-5) is coming under scrutiny. Thomas Insel, The director of the US National Institute of Mental Health, is questioning the manual’s validity, pressing scholars and scientists to shift…

Seventeen of the nation’s largest insurance companies are now reporting that insurance premiums are set to spike anywhere from 100 percent to 400 percent for many Americans in 2014. These insurance companies, including the likes of Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and…

Feeling sluggish with perpetual brain fog? What about weight gain, depression and hair loss? If suffering from these ailments, a lethargic thyroid may be the culprit. Modern lifestyles and toxins as well as gluten can wreck havoc on the gland and, in turn, health. Yet…

Self-confidence comes naturally when certain elements in your psyche line up. Self-confidence is not something you have to try for. It is a result. How do you produce the desired result? Check out the following five elements of natural self-confidence:1. Know…

Last year when Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage at D10, it occurred to me that he had probably the hardest job in American business: certainly the hardest job in technology, following in Steve Jobs’ shadow. This year at D11, it’s clear Cook is up to the job; but he needs something new to talk about to move Apple firmly into the post-Jobs era.

It’s been ages since the last Apple public event in September 2012 to introduce the iPhone 5. Since then, one of the premier sources of showmanship in the tech industry has kept a very low profile, surfacing only to deflect pesky questions about taxes and wax poetic about the magic of Apple for a network television audience. Those aren’t exactly the kinds of topics that have made Apple events and appearances must-see theater for going on six or seven years.

And despite Cook’s best efforts to explain his thinking about how Apple works, he covered well-trodden ground Tuesday evening at the exclusive Terranea Resort just outside Los Angeles:

• Cook isn’t worried about Android’s market share. He’s more fixated on stats that show iOS users actually seem to use their devices way more than Android users.
• Cook isn’t worried about the scrutiny over Apple’s taxes. The U.S. tax system is ridiculous, and Apple navigates it the same way any multinational corporation does.
• Cook isn’t worried about TV. “Many of us agree there are things about the TV experience that could be better,” he said, but believe it or not, he didn’t have a TV to talk about.
• Cook isn’t worried about Google Glass. “I would say that the (wearable computers) that are doing more than one thing, that there’s nothing … great out there that I’ve seen. There’s nothing that’s going to convince a kid that’s never worn glasses or a band or a watch to wear one.” Is Apple making a wearable computer? Maybe … “It’s ripe for exploration.”
• Cook isn’t worried about making a lower-cost iPhone. Apple once made a bunch of different kinds of iPods, but “those products all serve a different person. And so on the phone, that is the question: are we now at a point to serve enough people that we need to do that?”

You get the picture. For two straight years at the highest profile executive conference in the tech industry, Cook has been unable to talk about anything relatively new or exciting for Apple. Obviously no CEO worth a damn is going to preannounce a consumer electronics product at a show like D11. But Apple’s crown jewels are old news in a tech industry that moves at light speed: the iPhone will be six years old this summer, and the iPad just turned three. Six years before the iPhone was introduced, the personal digital assistant represented the vanguard of mobile computing.

We know the story of those products. They’re still growing strongly despite shipping in immense volumes, they’re still the favorite of mobile software developers, and they still (for the most part) set the standard by which all other mobile devices are measured.

Cook is talking about mature products and mature businesses when he takes the stage on behalf of Apple. That’s a weird place for a company that has always prided itself on being outside the mainstream to be, and it shows. Ours is an industry that is always searching for that next big thing, and for many years, Apple has been a reliable source for that item.

In mid-2013, we’re in a collective lull. Mobile is old news, dominated by Apple and Android. The Mac/PC market is in freefall, even if Apple is still doing better than the competition. And with apologies to Samsung, the next big thing — disruptive TV, wearable computing, the internet of things, or robot butlers that make drinks and crack jokes — is not here yet.

The Apple that will attempt to shape that next era has yet to show its hand, leaving Cook in a holding pattern talking about the strategies of the past and present while buying time until Apple’s wizards figure out how they’re going to put their stamp on the products of the future.

Let’s be very clear: should these next-generation products Cook has teased for years actually exist somewhere in a secretive lab in Cupertino, this is a blip in time for Apple. We’re simply between breakthroughs as an industry, searching for something that will galvanize a generation of technologists the way the iPhone did. Apple produced the last breakthrough, and people naturally expect that it will produce the next one given that so much of the company remains intact despite the loss of Jobs.

That may or may not happen. But until then either Apple or someone else produces that breakthrough, Cook’s public appearances grow less and less important: if all he’s going to do is cover ground he’s covered before without a new story to tell, the need to pay attention to Apple’s every word becomes less and less important.

Let’s hope that next breakthrough comes soon. Technology is a more interesting subject when we’re all watching something new and exciting bloom.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Flash analysis: Steve Jobs
• Mobile Q2: Smartphone growth surges; iPad’s rule continues
• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era

Apple has hired former EPA Chief Lisa Jackson to oversee environmental activities at Apple, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at AllThingsD’s D11 conference on Tuesday night. Jackson stepped down as EPA head in January, after serving under the Obama administration.

Cook said that Jackson will be reporting directly to him and will be in charge of Apple’s environmental policy. Cook made the announcement following a shout-out to Apple’s data center in North Carolina, which has a huge solar farm and fuel cell farm next to it, and used the data center as an example of how Apple can turn around public scrutiny.

Over the past several year’s Apple’s attention to environmental concerns has grown significantly. Once targeted by advocates like Greenpeace over toxic chemicals, batteries that can’t be easily replaced, and poor conditions of its manufacturers’ employees overseas, Apple now often times receives high marks around its attention to the environment. Apple has been increasing its dedication to running its data centers off of clean power, to lowering its carbon footprint, and to reducing waste and toxic chemicals from its devices.

Even so, Apple has still stumbled over environmental regulations. A year ago, Apple, newly led by Cook, decided to walk away from certifying its computers for the green electronics method EPEAT, but then later reversed that decision, calling it a mistake. Cook can now take a cue from a leader, Jackson, with a long history with environmental regulations and metrics.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Analyzing the wearable computing market
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• Confused about the wireless markets? Here’s a breakdown

Earlier today, we showed you the new Google Chrome Experiment game “Roll It” which virtually lets you play SkeeBall on your phone through your PC. “RACER,” which we first saw at Google I/O and has now launched, might be even cooler. “RACER” lets up to five smartphone or tablet users virtually race cars on a track that is built depending on how many users are playing.

“RACER” is built on HTML 5, so any device with Chrome (iOS or Android) can play. To set up, all you need to head to the source link, sync up your devices, and you’re ready to race. Gameplay is incredibly easy, and quite fun – the only thing you need to control is pressing on the screen to accelerate.  The color on the top of the display indicates which car the device is controlling.

You can check out yourself through the video and source link after the break. Enjoy, and happy racing!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Chrome RACER

Come comment on this article: Google debuts RACER, another Chrome cross-platform game

This video is definitely NSFW, so heed the warning if you aren’t in a safe place. If you are, then enjoy the stinging humor of this video that pokes fun at a problem plaguing us today. What will happen to the world if everyone was ‘Samesies’? The video shows a prehistoric community who runs into a problem, as they love samesies, but more people can’t be created. Hilarity ensues.

You’re welcome for the laughs, and enjoy.

Politicians who are involved in actual scandal could take some notes from President Obama, who explained lipstick on his collar before others could use their imagination.

The POTUS was speaking at a White House reception for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, when he noticed a red mark on his collar. He jokingly explained to the audience who the culprit was, and it just so happens to be someone related to an American Idol runner-up. Jessica Sanchez’s aunt to be precise.

“I just want everybody to witness. I do not want to be in trouble with Michelle. That’s why I am calling you out right in front of everybody.”

Enjoy the humorous and well played moment by our President below.