Silicon Valley Technology Companies Tout Healthy Websites and Healthy Bodies

     Silicon Valley - After twenty-something billionaires like Dustin Moskovitz and Mark Zuckerberg gained the Facebook 15 (15 pounds) a nutritionist was hired and health foods became the normal cuisine at its Silicon Valley headquarters.  Things like ergonomic treadmill workstations that allow you to work while exercising, a seven person bicycle that provides an alternative to piling into conference rooms  for meetings, food that implies healthiness, and tricky new gadgets that measure performance  are all helping to increase creativity and productivity in the digital fitness age at some Tech firms in Silicon Valley.  See also, www.wired.com. 

"The Martian" Provides Entertainment and Sparks Intellectual Debate

      Washington, D.C. -  Ridley Scott's science-fiction smash hit, "The Martian", led the box office for almost a month,  presented an American can-do spirit, and brings up the topic of whether an entirely STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is really all you need to attain success.  Some politicians in a recent presidential debate made it sound, to some viewers, as if studying liberal arts and humanities is a threat to national prosperity or national security.
     In "The Martian" astronaut Mark Watney, portrayed by Matt Damon, must survive on meager resources until the next humans arrive, possibly years away.  Some politicians and policymakers have made talking about the value of a liberal arts and humanities education versus STEM seem almost like a sport.  Throughout the movie astronaut Watney, his crewmates, and the scientists back on Earth display ingenuity, insight, and innovation to conquer seemingly impossible odds.  But Watney also has a philosophical side to his STEM side.  The astronaut begins to realize a rescue mission will cost  hundreds of millions of dollars.  He reflects on why they are going through with the rescue mission, at all.
     Most of all the movie shows, according to The Washington Post, that we need high-tech wizards that create with human values in mind, otherwise science itself will lead us off course.  "The Martian" shows us we really need high-tech workers, that are broadly educated and that have the ability to adapt their learning to a variety of jobs and occupations.  See also, www.washingtonpost.com. 

The Weekend - Can't Feel My Face

Virtual Reality Getting Better

      New York - Video-game players (gamers) love to put themselves into virtual-reality gaming worlds. Virtual-reality (VR) devices are sold mainly for video-games 3-D immersive video puts you on stage with Cirque de Soleil.  Strap on a headset and you are in three-dimensions (3-D
). Screen and graphics technologies have finally gotten good enough to give you a realistic and responsive gaming experience.  See also, www.samsung.com. 

Gwen Stefani - Rich Girl ft. Eve

Cell Phone Part Makes Good Car Part Too

     Washington, D.C. -  Traditional windshields are made of two layers of heat-treated glass,  with a plastic layer in between.  This, so-called, annealed glass, forms a spider-web pattern when it breaks, and the pieces are designed to stick to the plastic layer to prevent injury to passengers.  Now, automakers are turning to a new product that will increase vehicle fuel efficiency.  Corning Inc.'s Gorilla Glass is used in the screens on billions of mobile phones, carmakers can use the automotive version to improve fuel efficiency.  Gorilla Glass has been used by the consumer products industry since 2007.  BMW was the first automaker to use Gorilla Glass in 2014, when it used Gorilla Glass on the material forming the inner panel for its i8 Hybrid sports car.  According to Ford Motor Co., Ford will be the first car manufacturer to use Gorilla Glass for a windshield on it's pricey $400,000 Ford GT.  See also,  www.caranddriver.com. 

Adele - Hello

Department of Dronerized Vehicles

       Washington, D.C. - Drone owners may have to put a registration number on their drones, kind of like a license plate.
     In recent months, drones have crashed into the White House and the U.S. Open, have obstructed forest fire rescues, and have come too close to commercial airliners.  A drone registration process will help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figure out who was responsible in any drone-related accident, and it could deter people who would otherwise do something silly with a drone if they know their name is on file with the government.  Another safety measure is location-tracking, called geo-fencing, this technology stops drones from getting to close to buildings to better protect United States citizens.  According to Quartz magazine, not everyone is a fan of the FAA's registration proposal.  Jonathan Rupprecht, an attorney that handles laws on drones and drone registration, thinks registration alone is impractical, "Registration points you to who might have caused the incident, geo-fencing can help prevent it, says Rupprecht.  See whole story, www.qz.com.       

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Ride - Universal Studios - Or...

Fantasy Footbal Halted in New York

      New York - At issue is whether fantasy sports are a game of skill or gambling.  For now, a New York court, has required that daily fantasy sports companies Fan Duel and Draftkings stop operating in the state of New York.  If other states follow suit, it could be the death nail in the coffin for Fan Duel and Draftkings.  $100 million in entry fees from New York alone came in this year.  State lawmakers in California will also meet to discuss the issue of gambling, tax revenue, and protecting the consumer.  See also,  www.foxbusiness.com. 

Six Plays in 24 Hours

       New York - '24 Hour Plays' is a one-night-only show that benefits The Urban Arts Partnership, an organization that brings arts education to New York City classrooms. Two dozen actors, teamed with six writers, and six directors; write, rehearse, and perform half-a-dozen plays during a 24-hour period. This is the events 13th year. The plays were performed in front of a live audience and raised $500,000 for the charity. See full story, www.nytimes.com.

Smart Watches Getting a Little Smarter For The Holidays

     Smart phones do the heavy work such as downloading apps and loading full web pages.  But smart watches may can now act like assistants to the smart phones.  Smart watches can now stay in contact with your smart phone and serve as a representative of the telephone to the outside world,  monitoring traffic between your smart telephone and other wireless devices.  Sony's SmartWatch2 uses a bigger screen and is water resistant.  For 2013 a smart watches main function is to act as a handy second screen for your smart phone.  The premise is to allow users to dismiss useless phone notifications and allow you to only grab the handset when absolutely necessary.  Smart watches linked to operating systems, like Android for example, will receive alerts for texts, calls, and social media updates while on the wearers wrist.  Smart watches will also be able to control your phones music player, so you won't have to reach into your purse or pocket to change volume or skip to the next track.  And, ultimately at the cash register, near field communication (NFC) is a natural component that allows a relatively secure way to pay bills, by simply waving your smart watch wearing wrist at   NFC enabled cash registers, while leaving your smart phone in your purse or pocket.  See also, www.sony.com.          

Companies Provide Online Automobile Insuurance Quotes

       New Haven - Those surveyed were asked to perform various tasks online and rate them.  After interpreting the numbers J.D. Power says it came up with several findings, including:  all shoppers are most likely to buy from an insurer with the lowest quote (39%), or had a better looking website that wasn't a hassle to move through (38%), and the overall appearance of the website.  J.D. Power also evaluated the buying and service experiences provided by 20 insurance companies.  Cost is a huge factor when buying car insurance.  However,  this J.D. Powers study suggests younger drivers are more swayed to websites they can "cruise" through, finding useful information along the way.  J.D. Powers says in its "2014" Insurance Website Evaluation Study" that 35% of both Generation X and Generation Y consumers are likely to buy a policy based on price when they compare insurance companies.  47% of Boomers want the lowest monthly premiums they can get.  29% of Generation Y drivers rely on thorough coverage information in their decision-making, with 36% saying it needs to be "conveyed in a clear and intelligible way," on a companies website and when communicating with a companies agents.  A large number (40%) of shoppers from both Generation X (those generally  born in the early 1960s to the early 1980s) and Generation Y (born during the 1980s and early 1990s) said they would likely purchase a policy from companies with easier website navigation.  The younger generations preferences to use websites can improve insurance companies sales, if they have an "Understanding of the preferences of different generations, particularly Generation Y consumers, is of utmost importance to ensure that shoppers are having the best experience possible," Jeremy Bowler, J.D. Powers' senior director of its global insurance practice says in a written statement.  AMC Mutual, Esurance, Farmers, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, and Travelers all performed well, according to the J.D. Powers research.  See also, www.cnn.com.