Saturday, January 13, 2007
0 comments 0 commentsSpicey food may help fight cancer
The chemical in chillies that makes them hot to taste could be used to combat cancerous tumours, a new study has found.
Dr Andrew Westwell, a senior lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, said the chemical compound capsaicin, that gives spicy food like curry its kick, could hold the key to the next generation of anti-cancer drugs that will kill tumours.
He was an adviser in a study, published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, that has proven for the first time that capsaicin can kill cells by directly targeting their energy source.
Dr Andrew Westwell, a senior lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, said the chemical compound capsaicin, that gives spicy food like curry its kick, could hold the key to the next generation of anti-cancer drugs that will kill tumours.
He was an adviser in a study, published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, that has proven for the first time that capsaicin can kill cells by directly targeting their energy source.
Video games may help you get a job
Mathematics, science and video games? A U.S. university professor is urging schools to consider using video games as tools to better prepare children for the work force.
For although many educators scoff at the idea of video games in schools, the U.S. military has titles that train soldiers, teenagers with cancer use a game to battle their illness virtually and physically and some surgeons use video games to keep their hands nimble.
David Williamson Shaffer, an education science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says schools should use games to prepare children to compete in the work force, where juggling technology is a daily requirement.
For although many educators scoff at the idea of video games in schools, the U.S. military has titles that train soldiers, teenagers with cancer use a game to battle their illness virtually and physically and some surgeons use video games to keep their hands nimble.
David Williamson Shaffer, an education science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says schools should use games to prepare children to compete in the work force, where juggling technology is a daily requirement.
Going to college may cause memory loss
Going to college is a no-brainer for those who can afford it, but higher education actually tends to speed up mental decline when it comes to fumbling for words later in life.
Participants in a new study, all more than 70 years old, were tested up to four times between 1993 and 2000 on their ability to recall 10 common words read aloud to them. Those with more education were found to have a steeper decline over the years in their ability to remember the list, according to a new study detailed in the current issue of the journal Research on Aging.
The meaning of the results is less then clear, however.
Participants in a new study, all more than 70 years old, were tested up to four times between 1993 and 2000 on their ability to recall 10 common words read aloud to them. Those with more education were found to have a steeper decline over the years in their ability to remember the list, according to a new study detailed in the current issue of the journal Research on Aging.
The meaning of the results is less then clear, however.
Beckham set to play in U.S.
David Beckham is set to become the first modern footballer to have a stake in the football club he plays for - and share in its profits.
"Golden Balls" - as the tabloids call him - may not have a golden share but he will make money from LA Galaxy, possibly as much as $10m (£5.14m) a year in profits.
Insiders I have spoken to have painted a fascinating picture of the astonishing $250m (£128m), five-year deal he has signed with the Los Angeles team.
"Golden Balls" - as the tabloids call him - may not have a golden share but he will make money from LA Galaxy, possibly as much as $10m (£5.14m) a year in profits.
Insiders I have spoken to have painted a fascinating picture of the astonishing $250m (£128m), five-year deal he has signed with the Los Angeles team.
R.I.P. Iwao Takamoto
Iwao Takamoto, the animator who created the beloved character of Scooby-Doo and directed the cartoon classic "Charlotte's Web," has died. He was 81.
Takamoto, whose career spanned more than six decades and who learned the craft while in a Japanese-American internment camp, died Monday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Warner Bros. spokesman Gary Miereanu said.
Takamoto assisted in the designs of some of the biggest animated features and television shows for Disney and the Hanna-Barbera animation team. They included "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp," "101 Dalmatians," "The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones."
Cisco sues Apple
Cisco Systems, with Chief Executive John Chambers, sued Apple Inc. in federal court on Wednesday, claiming that Cisco owns the iPhone trademark. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the long awaited Apple iPhone at the MacWorld trade show in San Francisco on Tuesday, but Cisco claims that Apple does not have the right to use the name 'iPhone'.
In spite of some reports yesterday to the contrary, the matter of the high-profile product's naming had not been resolved behind the scenes between two of the biggest names in Silicon Valley.
In spite of some reports yesterday to the contrary, the matter of the high-profile product's naming had not been resolved behind the scenes between two of the biggest names in Silicon Valley.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
0 commentsIn case you live under a rock
iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
0 comments 0 comments 0 commentsSounds like a good movie
Somewhere out there – possibly reading this very article – are the members of a most exclusive fraternity. These people (I think there may be three of them) may not know each other. They may not know they belong to such a tiny club. But they played a pivotal role in movie history: these people helped the Tom Sizemore and Katherine Heigl-starring movie Zyzzyx Road reach an astonishing 30 dollars at the domestic box office.
That’s not a typo. I didn’t mean 30 million dollars. Or 300,000 dollars. Zyzzyx Road, released on February 25th of 2006, was released in one theater, where it played for six days and earned 30 dollars total. That would be an average of five dollars per day, although Box Office Mojo tells us that the film actually made the bulk of its money – twenty bucks – on the opening weekend.
That’s not a typo. I didn’t mean 30 million dollars. Or 300,000 dollars. Zyzzyx Road, released on February 25th of 2006, was released in one theater, where it played for six days and earned 30 dollars total. That would be an average of five dollars per day, although Box Office Mojo tells us that the film actually made the bulk of its money – twenty bucks – on the opening weekend.
Don't mix alcohol and energy drinks
That midnight kiss on New Year's Eve may not have been the only thing that took your breath away. Those who celebrated the night with a few drinks may, next time, think twice about what they order once they hear about the health risks associated with mixing alcoholic beverages with energy drinks.
Popular energy drinks such as Red Bull, Full Throttle, Rockstar and Monster are a common choice of "mixers" for alcoholic beverages, but may pose health risks. And that's no bull.
"You can hinder your respiration," said Roger A. Clemens, of the University of Southern California's School of Pharmacy. "From a public health perspective, you should not mix stimulants with alcohol."
Popular energy drinks such as Red Bull, Full Throttle, Rockstar and Monster are a common choice of "mixers" for alcoholic beverages, but may pose health risks. And that's no bull.
"You can hinder your respiration," said Roger A. Clemens, of the University of Southern California's School of Pharmacy. "From a public health perspective, you should not mix stimulants with alcohol."
Gas cooker accident blows up half of island
This was the astonishing scene after a faulty gas cooker exploded in a timber-framed shack — and devastated a tiny Caribbean island.
The blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than 10 minutes to sweep across half the shanty town-style community.
As gas cylinders in more wooden homes exploded, many of Soledad Miria’s 1,014 inhabitants dived into the sea or took to fishing boats to escape. More than a third — 348 — were injured but, amazingly no one died.
10 gadgets that changed the world
The wheel. The plow. The gun. The electric light. The radio. The chip. The untidy march of human ingenuity and innovation has led you here, to our list of the 10 most life-altering devices of the modern era.
