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Instagram Ventures Into Shopping With New Mobile Features

Business

November 1, 2016

Instagram Ventures Into Shopping With New Mobile Features

Instagram releases a new shopping feature that allows users to purchase items without ever leaving the social media photo sharing application.

On Tuesday, Instagram released a new shopping feature in association with 20 different retail brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, Coach, Kate Spade, Macy’s and Michael Kors.

Instagram will release start testing as early as next week. According to a statement released by Instagram, the new feature works by enabling special Instagram shopping posts, also known as shoppable posts, to have a “tap to view” icon on the bottom left of the photo. When a user taps the icon, a tag will appear showing all the shoppable products in the post. At the moment, a brand can include up to 5 different products in a single photo. Users will then be able to see the prices of each item. After a user selects the tag of a specific product, a detailed description of the production will appear along with a “Shop Now” button directing a user to the brand’s website.

While the feature is currently available only to iOS users, retailers can tag products in their photos, and then allow users to buy those items on the Instagram app.

This new Instagram features provides new shopping benefits for companies and Instagrammers, by allowing for product pages to load quicker on the app without making users leave the website to a slower loading application, this would in theory lead to higher conversion shopping rates for businesses. If users do not feel like buying the product, they can easily swipe back and enjoy their news feed.

At the moment, Instagram is not planning on taking a percentage of the purchases but, the social photo sharing platform plans on using the new feature as a new type of advertisement product. In the future, Instagram plans on allowing other companies to showcase products to users who do not currently follow them. It is important to point out that Instagram currently has nearly a half million different advertisers buying advertisements.

According to a study run by Instagram, 60 percent of people who use Instagram say they learn about products and services on the app, while 75 percent say they take actions like visit websites, search, or tell a friend after being influenced by a post seen on the social media platform. In addition, e-commerce studies have shown that the fewer steps it takes for someone to buy a product online, the higher the revenue a company earns. In fact, Amazon’s patented one-click buying system has translated to billions of dollars worth of revenues and e-commerce shopping, according to recent studies.

Meanwhile, Twitter’s video sharing application Vine, a former competitor to Instagram, announced it was coming to an end after Twitter executives announced plans on increasing revenue by cutting nearly 10 percent of their workforce.

While Vine is closing up shop, new fashion designers and businesses will soon be able to showcase their products to people all over the world via Instagram.

People Who Recieve and Accept Facebook Friend Requests Live Longer, Study Finds

Business

Brent Edward

October 31, 2016

People Who Recieve and Accept Facebook Friend Requests Live Longer, Study Finds

New research suggests people who receive and accept new friend requests are more likely to live longer than people who do not.

Published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”, researchers argue that people who received many friend requests were less likely to die over the course of two-years than those who did not.

Researchers analyzed Facebook activity and mortality rates of registered California voters and discovered these results. Senior author James Fowler, a social scientist at the University of California – San Diego, wanted to study the relationship between health and social media.

Researchers examined 12 million Facebook users and matched their user profiles to the California Department of Public Health records in addition to voter registration database. The scientists found that there was no correlation between how many friend requests people sent to other people and how long they lived. However, people who received and accepted friend requests were 34 percent less likely to die in the next two years than those who received and accepted fewer friend requests.

The study also found that people who posted several photos with real-world interactions also had a lower chance of dying.

facebook-friend-request — RUSSIA, KAZAN, 10 february 2015: Heart sign in the status bar social network Facebook, February 14, Valentine’s Day (Anton Watman / Shutterstock.com)

Scientists involved in the study argued that real-life social interactions and meeting other people are essential to a person’s health. Lead researcher in the study, Williams Hobbs, argued that “We’ve known for a long time, for decades now, that offline social networks, especially social integration, [were] related to longer life. But we didn’t know if that extended to online interactions too.”

Researchers have long tried to research the impact social media has had on health. Recently, scientists found a correlation between happiness and selfies. Published in the journal of “Psychology of Well-Being”, a study following 41 college students found who took selfies felt more “mindful, reflective, and appreciative.” In addition, students who sent photos to other people felt more connected to that person.

With that being said, researchers at Western Illinois studied nearly 300 college students and found people with more friends on Facebook were more likely to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder – a psychological disease that makes people they are more important than they really are.

Scientist Reveal The Impact Space Can Have on the Nervous System

Business

Megan Diane

October 31, 2016

Scientist Reveal The Impact Space Can Have on the Nervous System

NASA astronauts usually spend four to six months in a space on missions. However, some Astronauts experience back pain while in space. The University of California-San Diego recently announced research results that provided new insight about prolonged spaceflight and the impact space can have on the nervous system.

According to the study’s results, researchers found astronauts on extended missions did not experience any changes in spinal disc height however, the muscles that support the spinal cord did weaken.

According to Dr. Douglas Change, the lead researcher in the study, “These findings run counter to the current scientific thinking about the effects of microgravity on disc swelling. Further studies will be needed to clarify the effects on disc height, and determine whether they contribute to the increase in body height during space missions, and to the increased risk of herniated discs. However, it’s information like this that could provide helpful information needed to support longer space missions, such as a manned mission to Mars.”

nasa — Stock Photo: Space Center CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA. Kennedy memorial next to the Nasa globe. (Ingus Kruklitis / Shutterstock.com)

Scientists also believe astronauts experience problems with their back due to lack of weight carried by the lower back. In fact, MRI scans of the astronauts back region reveal significant atrophy of muscle mass during time in outer space. In order to fix this issue, Dr. Chang suggested yoga might a solution to address spinal stiffness and reduced mobility, which typically affects astronauts.

Researchers have long discovered that time in space alters the human body. In fact, the lack of gravity helps those in space gain a two inch increase in body height. In addition, researchers recently at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine found astronauts traveling to Mars may suffer brain damage.

However, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk announced a mission to send people to Mars and colonize the planet. Musk announced that he is planning on moving 100 people to the red planet But, as entrepreneurs, governments and researchers plan additional missions to Mars, this new research illustrates another problem potential astronauts may experience in space.

Twitter Shuts Down Video-Sharing App Vine

Business

Jonathan Antonio

October 27, 2016

Twitter Shuts Down Video-Sharing App Vine

Twitter announced on Thursday that they would dismantle and shut down the video-sharing mobile app Vine.

Twitter’s decision to discontinue Vine comes as the company announced they will cut 9 percent of their workforce in order to keep costs down.

In a statement published by Twitter and Vine, the social media company said that the Vine app would stay live after the mobile app is discontinued in order to give users the opportunity to download and save any old videos.

“We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made,” Vine explained in a statement. “You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.”

Twitter released Vine two years ago as a way for users to share small video clips that were six second or less. By August 2014, the app was used at least once a month by nearly 4 percent of all Android mobile users. However, that number has quickly dropped. Current estimates suggest less than one percent of users visit the Vine app once per month.

Vine has helped launched the careers of regular men and women and turned them into “Vine Stars” including Nash Grier and King Bach (Andrew Bachelor). Since then, both Vine Stars have had successful movie and book deals. In fact, King Bach was able to land a recurring role on Showtime’s House of Lies and MTV’s comedy series Wild N’ Out.

It is important to point out that Vine was once in direct competition with Instagram. At the peak of Vine’s success, Instagram released a 10-second video sharing feature, which later caused usage of the Vine app to decrease by 70 percent.

Twitter also announced on Thursday that they will cut 9 percent of their workforce worldwide and focus on increasing growth in order to increase revenue. The cost cutting is good news for a company that suffered a loss of over $100 million for a third quarter.

So what is next for Vine? As the company announced in a statement, they are working on a solution. “We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way.”

Meanwhile, the founder of the Vine app went on Twitter revealing that he regretted selling Vine, saying, “Don’t sell your company!”

Don’t sell your company!
— Rus (@rus) October 27, 2016

New Study Aims to Discover the Connection Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Inuslin

Business

Megan Diane

October 24, 2016

New Study Aims to Discover the Connection Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Inuslin

Researchers that focus on Alzheimer’s Disease have recently taken interest in brain insulin resistance. In April 2016, researchers at the Mount Sinai Health System discovered Alzheimer’s patients were more likely to develop diabetes. Published in the journal “Alzheimer’s and Dementia” researchers argue that diabetic patients are not more likely to develop diabetes but, the Alzheimer’s disease negatively impairs the portion of the brain that controls metabolism making a person more likely to develop diabetes. With that being said, a new study is looking to determine how insulin, the brain and Alzheimer’s disease work within the human body.

Bracket, a clinical trial technology company, announced they are partnering with Massachusetts General Hospital, in order to complete an a new study that measured the amount of insulin resistance in the brain among Alzheimer’s patients using an Insulin Clamp. The study will use Bracket’s CDR System, which assesses cognitive functions.

The goal of this study is to determine how hyperinsulinemia, or high blood sugar, affects brain physiology, brain electrical activity, and brain performance among patients that have Alzheimer’s Disease.

“This is an important study that could clearly establish the presence of an abnormal brain insulin response in Alzheimer’s Disease, and may provide useful tools for current and future treatment research in this very common disorder,” Aaron Koenig, Assistant in Psychiatry, at Massachusetts General Hospital announced in a statement.

Current studies from autopsy and animal research have shown that in Alzheimer’s Disease, neurons are resistant to insulin. This new technology developed by Bracket aims to examine the amount of cognitive function using advanced neuroimaging techniques, something that was not easily accomplished in the past.

“Using advanced neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and cognitive testing methods from Bracket’s CDR System, we are comparing the effects of experimentally-induced high insulin levels on the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and healthy older adults,” Aaron Koenig said.

Following the news of Bracket’s new Alzheimer’s study, researchers may have discovered a prostate cancer treatment may be causing patients to develop Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers at Stanford University analyzed medical records and found patients receiving medications that lowered testosterone were 200 percent more likely to develop dementia than patients who did receive that particular treatment.

There are 3 million cases of Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States per year. The life-long disease starts when brain cell connections die, eventually destroying memory and important mental and brain functions. At the moment there is no cure to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Government Announces New Auto Cybersecurity Recommendations

Business

Jonathan Antonio

October 24, 2016

Government Announces New Auto Cybersecurity Recommendations

U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announce for new cybersecurity recommendations to protect cars from hackers.

On Monday, U.S. regulators said automakers should provide some sort of electronic cybersecurity protection against malicious hackers. The cybersecurity guidelines were released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and, at the moment, are only recommendations and not rules. However, this is the first step towards establishing guidelines that car manufacturers should follow in order to protect car owners from hackers.

Some of the cybersecurity recommendations from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include conducting tests of vehicle systems in order to see if hackers can penetrate the layers of security. Their test results should then be analyzed and documented.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which includes General Motors, Ford Motor Company and several other auto manufacturers, support the new recommendations by the NHTSA.

However, Democratic U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the new cyber security regulations fall short of protecting U.S. citizens.

“If modern day cars are computers on wheels, we need mandatory standards, not voluntary guidance, to ensure that our vehicles cannot be hacked and lives and information put in danger,” the lawmakers said in a statement Monday.

This news comes after a Jeep Grand Cherokee was hacked by a cybersecurity researchers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek. The two hackers were able to remotely manipulate the air-conditioning, radio and even shut down the car’s transmission.

Last March, the FBI and the Department of Transportation issued a joint public service announcement warning car owners about the susceptibility of newer cars and how consumers can protect themselves. The announcement asserted that anyone who believes their car may have been hacked should immediately contact the car manufacturer, National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration and the FBI. In addition, new legislation called the Security and Privacy in Your Car Act of 2015 (SPY CAR ACT) would ensure cars sold in the U.S. meet a certain level of protection against hackers and protect the data stored by the vehicles.

In addition, the SPY CAR ACT would enforce automakers to place a “cyber dashboard” informing consumers about the amount of protection the automobile has against hackers.

“NHTSA must also conduct a rulemaking to require the fuel economy labeling that manufacturers attach to motor vehicles to display a “cyber dashboard” with a standardized graphic to inform consumers about the extent to which the vehicle protects individuals’ cybersecurity and privacy beyond the minimum requirements.”

Despite being introduced to the Senate in 2015, the SPY CAR ACT is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Doctors Suggest New Screen Time Limits for Kids

Business

Brent Edward

October 23, 2016

Doctors Suggest New Screen Time Limits for Kids

American Academy of Pediatrics announced this week that parents should limit the amount of TV children are watching.

Researchers are concerned over the amount of time spent using digital media, also known as screen time. In San Francisco, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discussed new health recommendations for 2017. Among their health recommendations including a new initiative to limit the amount of screen time. Previously, two hours a day for children under the age of two was the recommended limit. Now, researchers argue that a “blanket statement” of two hours is no longer a good idea.

Dr. Yolanda Reid Chassiakos, lead author of the “Children and Adolescents and Digital Media Technical Report” argued that, “It doesn’t make sense to make a blanket statement [of two hours] of screen time anymore.” She added, “For some children, two hours may be too much.”

The AAP suggests that infants aged 18 months and younger should not be given any screen time. Chassiakos argues that eliminating screen time for infants can have a huge impact on brain development and will help foster healthy relationships between children and their parents. “The noise and activity of a screen are distracting for a child,” she explained.

Chassiakos also argued that the distractions caused by screen time eliminate the personal interactions between a mother and her children, which could affect brain development social skills including making eye-contact with others. Children could later develop behavioral issues, Chassiakos argued. “It’s much better to talk to a child or read from a book.”

The AAP asserts kids, ages 2 to 5 years old, should be limited to only one hour per day. But the type of screen time should include interacting with others such as Facetime. Chassiakos argues that having screen time conversations with others or including children in video conversations can promote healthy development in kids. It can also serve as an educational tool by asking kids to reiterate what was said in the video conversation.

However, parents can determine their own limits and restrictions for kids over the age of 6 but, more attention should be spent on monitoring the types of content children are watching.

Overall, the academy argues that screen time should never replace social or healthy activities such as sleep, exercise or social interactions. In a statement Dr. Jenny Radesky explained, “What’s most important is that parents be their child’s ‘media mentor.’ That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn.”

Hexagonal Clouds May Solve Mystery Behind the Bermuda Triangle

Business

Jonathan Antonio

October 23, 2016

Hexagonal Clouds May Solve Mystery Behind the Bermuda Triangle

Satellite meteorologists say they may have solved the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle.

Vincent Gaddis first called the area the Bermuda Triangle in a magazine article in 1964. The area between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda has been riddled with disappearing ships and planes. In fact, the Bermuda Triangle is responsible for at least 1,000 lives over the past 100 years. Many of those disappearances remain unexplained or dismissed as a coincidence.

Some conspiracy theorists and UFO believers argue that aliens, the devil and the city of Atlantis are to blame for the plane crashes and missing ships.

Now researchers, using satellite images of cloud patterns, argue that high powered winds of up to 170 mph are the cause of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. Dr. Steve Miller, a satellite meterologist at Colorado State University, explained hexgonal clouds create “air bombs” forcing planes to go down and ships to flip.

“They are formed by what are called microbursts and they’re blasts of air that come down out of the bottom of a cloud and then hit the ocean,” he explained.

Miller continued by saying, these hexagonal clouds “create waves that can sometimes be massive in size as they start to interact with each other.”

Miller is not the first scientist to solve the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle. Last March, researchers at the Arctic University of Norway discovered underwater craters releasing giant bubbles of methane gas in Norway. Researchers explained that these large bubbles of methane gas could possibly sink a ship when they reached the surface and could help explain why so many people disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

While both explanations seem convincing, however, it is important to highlight the fact that the Bermuda Triangle is one of the most traveled shipping routes in the world. Boats travel through the area in order to reach ports in North and South America along with the Caribbean islands. In addition, researcher Lawrence David kusche argued that the number of ships and aircraft reported missing in that area was not significantly greater than in any other part of the ocean. Ultimately, many researchers and historians argue that there is nothing mysterious about the Bermuda Triangle anyway.

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Discuss Private Foundations During Final Debate

Business

Reginald Edward

October 20, 2016

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Discuss Private Foundations During Final Debate

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump openly discussed each other’s charitable foundations during the final U.S. Presidential debate.

Controversy has surrounded both the Clinton Foundation and the Trump foundation and it reached a tipping point during the final debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both candidates exchanged jabs at each others charitable organizations.

Trump called the Clinton Foundation a “criminal enterprise” and Hillary Clinton mocked Donald Trump’s Foundation for buying a giant portrait of himself with charity funds.

Hillary Clinton praised the group’s work with making HIV treatment available to millions of people around the world.

However, Donald Trump argued that the Clinton Foundation has received charitable donations from countries that do not support gay or women’s rights.

“It’s a criminal enterprise,” Donald Trump said. “You talk about women and women’s rights. These are people that push gays off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly and yet you take their money.”

Clinton responded by saying that her Clinton Foundation spends 90% of their donations on charitable programs. In addition, Clinton asserted that the Trump Foundation took charitable donations and “bought a six foot portrait of Donald. I mean, who does that? It just is astonishing,” she said.

Clinton added, that Trump cannot prove he has given money to charity because he has not released his tax returns. “There’s no way we can know if any of that is true,” she said.

The Trump Foundation has been ordered to stop raising money in New York because the organization was not properly registered. However, while Hillary Clinton served as the secretary of state, there were possible conflicts of interests with Clinton Foundation’s charitable donors.

It is important to note that before the United States was formed charitable giving was typically done by churches and the aristocrats in Europe. However, there were no rules or laws that insisted they do any giving, whatsoever. But as the United States instituted Federal taxes to support a growing military, charitable giving became a standard deduction on federal taxes that U.S. citizens file every year.

Charitable donations is a deduction that is is unique to the United States. Tax codes now layout in detail the different ways individuals can give and get a write-off. However, according to the IRS and tax laws, there are rules and regulations that private foundations should adhere to. These rules include limits on their holdings in private businesses, provisions that investments must not jeopardize their exemption status, and restrictions on self-dealing between private foundations and their contributors. Ultimately, the arguments between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump highlight the issues surrounding private foundations.

Facebook’s New Feature Allows Users to Endorse Politicians

Business

Jonathan Antonio

October 20, 2016

Facebook’s New Feature Allows Users to Endorse Politicians

Facebook has announced a new feature that allows for their billion users to endorse a political candidate.

Hours before the last Presidential Debate between Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, Facebook has allowed their users endorse a certain politician.

Any politician with a Facebook page can now enable an “Endorse” button. The new feature extends not only to men and women running for president of the United States but, also U.S. senators, representatives, state representatives, and city council members.

The new “Endorse” button allows for politicians to use your endorsement and promote your message on Facebook for anyone to see. If you keep it visible to only your Facebook friends, it will show up as a post on your Facebook page and will become visible on your friends’ news feeds. In addition, your friends will be able to see your endorsements on your Facebook page.

This is the latest move by Facebook to add new features to the social media platform. The company has worked with the Ad Council to encourage people to vote. But, most importantly the new feature can allow for the politicians to use Facebook endorsements as a way to reach undecided voters.

This news comes after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defend Peter Theil’s place on the company’s board. Peter Thiel is a venture capitalist and hedge fund manager. Thiel founded PayPal alongside Max Levchin and Elon Musk. In addition, Thiel was one of the first outside investors in Facebook, with 10.2% stake in 2004 and now sits in the company’s board of directors. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg wrote that keeping Theil, a known supporter of Donald Trump, helps increase the company’s diversity.

“I want to quickly address the questions and concerns about Peter Thiel as a board member and Trump supporter,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. “We can’t create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half the country because they back a political candidate. There are many reasons a person might support Trump that does not involve racism, sexism, xenophobia or accepting sexual assault.”

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