SMART DEVICES TO HELP AT HOME

Smart-home products are often marketed for their convenience, but the technology also can help people with disabilities become more independent. Smart-home products are objects connected via Wi-Fi or a different technology to other things in the home; they can be controlled remotely by a touch panel or an app on a device. Smart-home technology remains a nascent category, but some consumer products include functions that previously were found in assistive devices. Smartphones, tablets and Wi-Fi-connected homes made the overlap possible, said Stephen Ewell, executive director of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation. Apps use smartphone accessibility features, such as voice commands or touchscreens, opening interaction with various home technologies. The consumer market's economies of scale can make smart home products cheaper and with better technology than assistive devices, he said. Attractively designed smart-home products also remove the stigma some people with disabilities feel when using a clinical-looking device, Ewell said. "What I hear more and more from the disabled community is that they really are looking for the same devices that the general consumer market is looking for," he said. The people with disabilities and product manufacturers are just starting to realize the empowering potential in these products, said Cristen Reat, co-founder of BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston. One of the top smart-home devices is Amazon's Echo line, which use Amazon's Alexa voice service, said Reat and Alexander Glazebrook, director of training and technology for Older Adults Technology Services in New York. The Echo Dot ($49.99) is Amazon's voice-activated speaker, and the newest product is the Echo Show, ($229.99), which has video-call integration. Reat said Echo can be used for audiobooks and voice shopping, and it even picks up communication devices used by nonverbal people. "Voice shopping is tremendous for people with disabilities. Someone with a cognitive impairment can be taught to order things," she said. Reat said she was very impressed that Echo recognized robotic voice commands. "That's a huge impact for people who cannot speak for themselves and rely on technology to speak for them," she said. Glazebrook said the senior citizens his group works with enjoy interacting with Echo, and he sees a lot of promise that the Echo Show's video capability could reduce the feeling of isolation in the elderly. Smart locks and smart doorbells offer convenience and safety for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Popular lock brands include August Smart Lock (starting at $149) and Schlage (starting at $199), while a top smart doorbell is Ring (starting at $179). "Smart doorbells are good for all ages. Ring has a video camera on the doorbell, and you can see on your computer (or phone) who it is and communicate through the doorbell, even if you're not at home," Glazebrook said. Reat said smart locks make it easier for people with disabilities to enter and exit the home, and caregivers don't have to run home to let someone in or give out permanent keys, since they can control entry from their phone. Some higher-end smart locks have video cameras. Reat said smart ceiling fans, such as the Signal line from Hunter Fan ($349), combine safety and comfort. Especially in hot areas, ceiling fans help with circulation, but manual fans can be difficult for people with disabilities if they require standing to switch speeds or direction. Money can be a problem for people with disabilities, as many cannot work, Reat said. An inexpensive way to add smart technology is with smart switches, such as those from iDevices (starting at $29.95) or Belkin's WeMo (starting at $34.99). Users plug manual objects into the smart switch, and the object can be controlled from their smartphone. Smart light bulbs, such as Philips Hue ($99.99 for a starter kit), are energy efficient and come in color palates, Glazebrook said. Not only can users control them remotely, they can change the colors if they're sensitive to lights. "I love that product. I've had it close to four to five years, and they've not gone out," he said. 

TIME OF INJURY AFFECTS HEALING

Nighttime skin injuries heal about 60 percent slower than daytime skin injuries.  

Be careful of things that go bump in the night, especially if those bumps lead to skin injuries: A new study from England finds that skin injuries that happen at night heal more slowly than those that take place during the day. Nighttime skin injuries heal about 60 percent slower than daytime skin injuries, according to the study, published today (Nov. 8) in the journal Science Translational Medicine . The reason for this may lie in the circadian rhythms of the skin cells, which, like nearly all cells in the body, operate on a 24-hour cycle and go into a bit of a lull at night. But the researchers were even more surprised that not only does the healing process slow down at night, but also that the time of the injury completely determines how fast the injury will heal. "What we found is that how well you can heal depends on the time when you got injured," said lead study author Ned Hoyle, a molecular biology researcher at Cambridge University in the U.K. "The speed of the healing depends on how fast certain cells can get to the wounded area in order to repair it, and that depends on their micro-architecture, which is controlled by the biological clock. To study the timing of wound healing, the researchers first looked at skin cells called fibroblasts that were grown in lab dishes over the course of several days, Hoyle told Live Science. These cells are found in the deepest layer of the skin, called the dermis. When an injury occurs, the fibroblasts travel up to the surface, where they're tasked with synthesizing and building the structural support of the new skin, which includes the so-called extracellular matrix and collagen. But depending on the time of day, the speed at which the fibroblasts move up to the skin's surface varies, thanks to a protein found in the cells called actin, the researchers found. Actin is a protein that forms an important part of the cytoskeleton - the supportive structure that gives the cell its shape. When the cells are told by their biological clock to "sleep," the shape of the actin proteins changes. "We found that during daytime, the actin has mostly the form of long filaments, while at night, the majority of it is in a globular form," Hoyle said. "We know that the actin filaments are very important in allowing cells to move. 

DRIVERLESS SHUTTLE

close Self-driving shuttle involved in collision on day of debut An automated driverless shuttle bus debuts in Las Vegas and on the same day a semi-truck backs up into it. An automated driverless shuttle was involved in an accident hours after it debuted in the streets of downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday. Those involved in the conception of the project have said the shuttle was not at fault. "The exciting thing is that the vehicle did exactly what it was programmed to do. This is a really good real-world case of how the technology actually works, said John Moreno, a spokesperson for The American Automobile Association (AAA,) who is a sponsor on the project. "So the shuttle came to a complete stop, a semi-truck driver was backing up and unfortunately continued to back up and may not have seen the shuttle and grazed the front bumper of it," Moreno added, "The shuttle recognized that the semi-truck was backing up and as it's programmed to do, it stopped. The shuttle suffered minor scrapes after the collision (Fox News) AAA and transportation company Keolis conducted a review of the all-electric, eight-seat Navya ARMA vehicle and found the shuttle did everything it was designed to do in the incident. The shuttle did have to pause service for the remainder of the day so the review could be done, but it was still operational and drove away from the scene. There was slight cosmetic damage to the vehicle. No one was injured in the collision, but spectators and the curious flocked to see the unfortunate occurrence. In a statement, the City of Las Vegas said, "The autonomous shuttle was testing today when it was grazed by a delivery truck downtown. The shuttle did what it was supposed to do, in that it's sensors registered the truck and the shuttle stopped to avoid the accident. Unfortunately the delivery truck did not stop and grazed the front fender of the shuttle. Had the truck had the same sensing equipment that the shuttle has the accident would have been avoided. Testing of the shuttle will continue during the 12-month pilot in the downtown Innovation District. Metro Police cited the driver of the delivery truck. The pilot program will run for a year and it is free to ride. It travels in a 0.6 mile loop in the central downtown of Vegas, their so-called "Innovation District" that has been testing new integrated technologies that are compatible with city living. A human attendant remains on the shuttle in case there are kinks in the new technology that require him or her to manually steer itwith a remote-control like console. "This is the future and having an opportunity to be the first to be able to ride something like this is just like getting a brand new phone, everyone wants to be first one with the brand new iPhone, says Maurice Bell, Vice President of Mobility Solutions for Keolis, the operator of the shuttle. Highlighting the unique nature of the technology, Bell added, "It's the first of its kind in the United States that's integrated with street signals. The shuttle knows when the street signals are going to change from one color to the next.

VETERAN'S DAY

THIS IS VETERAN’S DAY

 

Today is Veteran’s Day and we all should take a moment to be thankful for our dedicated veterans.  All the members of our military deserve our appreciation and gratitude.  They have and do sacrifice a lot for this nation.  For this we all benefit so:

 

THANK YOU

 

For all you have done to keep this nation safe and free.   May God bless you for all you do.

 

DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity? 

Why does a round pizza come in a square box? 

What disease did cured ham actually have? 

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage? 

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours? 

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground? 

Why do doctors leave the room while you change?

They're going to see you naked anyway...

Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him? 

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's

face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window? 

Why, Why, Why

do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead? 

Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four 

billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why do they use sterilized needles 

for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses 

are not on sale?

Why do they put an expiration date on sour cream?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a thread a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the

vacuum one more chance? 

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light 

fixtures?

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over? 

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

 How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

 

LAUGHTER-GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Being Prepared
A lady lost her purse while shopping. It was found by an honest little boy and returned to her. Looking in her purse, she commented, "That's funny. When I lost my bag there was a $100 bill in it. Now there are 100 $1 bills." The boy quickly replied, "That's right, lady. The last time I found a lady's purse and she didn't have any change for a reward."

The Visitor

There was this lady who was visiting a church one Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on forever, and many in the congregation fell asleep. After the service, she walked up to a very sleepy-looking gentleman, extended her hand in greeting, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn." And the gentleman replied, "You're not the only one, ma'am, I'm glad it's done too!!"

Imponderables

• How do "Stay off the Grass" signs get there?
• How come wrong numbers are never busy?

Sign Language

A Florida officer pulled over an eighty-six-year-old woman because her hand signals were confusing. "First you put your hand up, like you're turning right, then you wave your hand up and down, then you turn left," said the officer. "I decided not to turn right," she explains. "Then why the up and down?" asks the officer. "Officer," she sniffs, "I was erasing!"

Sorry, Dad

When we moved cross-country, my wife and I decided to drive both of our cars. Nathan, our eight-year-old, worriedly asked, "How will we keep from getting separated?" "We'll drive slowly so that one car can follow the other," I reassured him. "Yeah, but what if we DO get separated?" he persisted. "Well, then I guess we'll never see each other again," I quipped. "Okay," he said. "I'm riding with Mom."

DON'T RESTRICT THAT SNEEZE

When you hold in a sneeze, air and pressure can travel up your Eustachian tubes-small passageways linking your throat to your middle ear-and cause your eardrum to rupture.  

It's always the worst time when that urge to sneeze hits-a quiet movie theater, an elevator packed with people, or right before you lean in you kiss your date goodnight. There are just some times when you don't want to spray snot all over the place. So is it safe to hold in a sneeze? We checked in with experts to find out what's exactly behind your sneezing, and what can happen to your body if you try to snuffle one. Why do we sneeze in the first place? Sneezing is a complex physiological reflex. It occurs when you breathe in an irritating substance or particle, which passes through your nostrils into the lining of your nose. This triggers a release of histamine, irritating the nerve cells in your nasal lining that travels from your trigeminal nerve-which provides sensation to your face-to your brain, explained Dale Amanda Tylor, M.D., M.P.H., otolaryngologist at ENT Associates of Santa Barbara. (Nasal congestion or allergies can spark the release of histamine, too.) FDA WARNS ON 'POT CURES CANCER' CLAIMS When your brain gets the signal, it activates your throat muscles, and tells your lungs to release a powerful burst of air through your windpipe, she says. This release of air occurs to push out the particles that are irritating your nose. "Sneezes are so powerful that [your snot can] travel the dimensions of a room and land up to 6 to 8 meters away," said Erich Voigt, M.D., clinical associate professor in the department of otolaryngology at NYU Langone Health. What happens if you hold in a sneeze? All that pressure has to go somewhere. "If you keep the mouth or nose closed, the generated pressure will back up into your head (sinuses), nasal cavity, or down the throat back into the chest," said Voigt. "Suppressing the sneeze by holding the nose or mouth leads to a noticeable increase in pressure, about 5 to 24 times of that during a normal sneeze. Still, snuffling a sneeze is so quick, so that rise in pressure is over fast. That means it can't be harmful, right? Well, not exactly. "It's kind of like saying that when Floyd Mayweather punches you, his glove is in contact with your face for only a fraction of a second," said Ahmad R. Sedaghat, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School. "But because the force/pressure during that fraction of second is so high, it can do real damage. What are the health effects of holding in a sneeze? That trapped pressure can be the reason that holding in a sneeze can be dangerous, he said. For one, your ears can be at risk. When you hold in a sneeze, air and pressure can travel up your Eustachian tubes-small passageways linking your throat to your middle ear-and cause your eardrum to rupture. BOY'S CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS LEAD TO TUMOR DIAGNOSIS "In the more severe case, instead of the air rupturing the ear drum, it leads to rupture of the delicate structures of the inner ear causing permanent hearing loss," Sedaghat said. The pressure of holding in a sneeze can also cause you to pop a small blood vessel in your eye, nose, or eardrum, but that's very rare, said Tylor. It's also extremely rare, but holding in a sneeze can cause the rupture of aneurysm, a condition where part of your artery wall weakens, causing a bulge. "With an aneurysm, a weak part of [a blood vessel in the brain] could rupture at any time, or never rupture at all-but a sudden change in intracranial pressure could cause it to rupture," said Tylor. "That would probably less common than getting struck by lightning. And before you freak out, the people most at risk of the serious injuries generally have health conditions that leave them more susceptible, like abnormal blood vessels, or have had recent sinus, vascular, or brain surgery, or a head, neck or chest injury of some kind, said Voigt. Bottom line: Should you hold in your sneeze? Let them rip: The function of the sneeze is to allow a release of pressure. If you hold it in, not only are you not allowing your body to do its job-clear out those nasal irritants-but you're also putting your body at risk by containing that pressure. Still, if there is a time when you really don't want to sneeze, you can try to stimulate your other sensory nerves, which can help block your sneeze reflex, said Tylor. By blocking it at that step, you wouldn't be trapping any pressure.  You can sometimes prevent it by blowing the nose, or pressing on the region of the lip just below the nose, or rubbing the nose," she said. And if you do sneeze, make sure you follow proper sneezing etiquette when it comes to spreading germs. "Covering with a hand, which most of us were taught as kids, is now considered outdated advice," said Tylor. "The name of the game now is sneeze into your elbow (which you don't use to touch things like doorknobs or tablet screens or keyboards) or to sneeze into a tissue and then wash your hands right after. It's not that this method diminishes your spray of saliva and mucus, but since you don't touch a lot with your elbow, you're essentially protecting others from viral or bacterial particles in your sneeze.