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New Study Once Again Links Cell Phone Use to Brain Tumors


The debate over cell phone's relationship to cancer continues to rage. Some scientists steadfastly claim that cell use can cause cancer of the brain, eye, and salivary glands, while others adamantly argue the opposite. As if the public weren't already aware of the proclaimed dangers, an organization known as the International Electromagnetic Field Collaborative (IEFC) has released a new 44-page report on the matter, we've learned from eWeek.

With the report, the IEFC is attempting to dismiss previous studies that found no link between phones and cancer -- particularly ones that may have been funded in part by communications providers. The Collaborative also proposes protective measures, specifically the implementation of cell restrictions at schools, citing one Swedish study that determined teens and children as being much more susceptible to cell phone-related illnesses than adults.

Lloyd Morgan, the lead author of the Collaborative paper, reportedly told PC World that he fears "we will see a tsunami of brain tumors," unless governments take corrective action. John Walls, a spokesman for the trade group CTIA - The Wireless Association, countered, "The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk." So, there you have it. Cell phones are dangerous. Or, they're not. Either way, you can expect another study soon. [From: eWeek]

Video Games

Gamers Game for Life, Report Suggests

Once a gamer, always a gamer. That's right, you'll be blasting noobs on 'Halo' or banging on those 'Rock Band' drums till the day you die, at least according to a recent report from the Entertainment Merchants Association.

The 2009 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry states, "Older gamers continue to be engaged by video games, rather than dropping out and being replaced by a new generation." While the EMA didn't offer any numbers to back up this finding, it did say that 68-percent of all households in America play video games. So, it's safe to expect there's some grandmas and grandpas included in this number. This news comes on the heels of a recent Nielsen study that found more people are playing now more than ever, despite the recession.

Mass appeal titles, like 'Guitar Hero' and 'Wii Fit,' have certainly helped push video games into the mainstream. We admit we'd rathe get pwn3d in 'Halo' by a grandpa with years of fragging experience than some punk 8-year-old hopped up on soda and candy. [From Industry Gamers, via Joystiq]

Web

Cheap and Easy: Online Therapy for Insomnia


Insomnia and the Internet seem to be good bedfellows; just ask anyone browsing the 'tubes at 3 a.m. But researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have decided to combine the restlessness of insomniacs and the accessibility of the Web, creating an online program that gives advice and plays games with people who have trouble sleeping.

Based on the assumption that cognitive therapy can help those with sleep disorders, Sleep Healthy Using the Internet (or, cleverly, SHUTi) helps users to keep a sleep diary and suggests specific bedtimes, trying to give specific instructions per sufferer. Co-author Frances Thorndike told Fox News, "This is a very interactive, tailored, personalized program." Out of the 45 individuals participating in a study of the program's efficacy, the 22 that used the program slept (and stayed sleeping, six months later) better than the 23 members of the control group.

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Cell Phones

Cell Phone Ringtones Can Be Harmful to Memory, Study Finds



According to the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology claims that ringtones can have a damaging effect for memory retention, especially in the classroom. Apparently, distractions, such as ringtones, can have the most impact on the memory during times when the mind is absorbing new information (during a class, business meeting, or while studying, for example). The study, conducted in part by WUSTL postdoctoral psychology fellow Jill Shelton during her time at LSU, is titled: 'The distracting effects of a ringing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom setting.' No longer just an everyday nuisance, ringtones are apparently now memory blockers, too.

One of the experiments included having a cell phone ring loudly for 30 seconds in a classroom while a group of students listened to a lecture. Later tested on the material, that group of students scored 25-percent worse than another, non-distracted group that had listend to the same lecture. The case also observes that certain auditory distractions are worse than others. Shelton told WUSTL, "Depending on how familiar people are with these songs, it could lead to an even worse impairment in their cognitive performance." In other words, the more you know a song, the more distracted you will be.

Maybe it's just that a blaring polyphonic version of 'Single Ladies' reminds students of better times gone by. [From: Washington University, via Textually]

Cell Phones

When It Comes to Viruses, Smartphones Can Be Dumb

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), computers could cease being the only technology susceptible to viruses. Researchers at Northeastern University suggest that, as mobile networks continue to develop, cell phones could become the next mass-market to be targeted. Marta Gonzalez, one of the study's authors, told the NSF, "We haven't had a problem so far because only phones with operating systems, so-called 'smart phones', are susceptible to viral infection." That being said, such a problem could be just beyond the horizon as the NSF points out that smartphone usage is experiencing a 150-percent annual growth rate.

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Car Tech, Cell Phones

Study: 60% of Teens Drive While Texting, Despite Knowing Dangers

Another day, another study -- it seems like every time we turn around, there's another body of research revealing that, even though they know it's dangerous, stupid, and should be illegal, teens still text-message while driving.

The latest study paints a slightly rosier picture than the last one we saw (which said that 85-percent of teenage girls and almost 60 percent of boys were guilty of driving-while-texting).The survey -- conducted by research firm Toluna on behalf of voice-recognition company Vlingo -- found that 60-percent of teens admitted to texting at the wheel. It's not just kids that are guilty, though, since 26-percent of all users surveyed said that they do it too.

83-percent of respondents agreed that driving-while-texting (or, DWT, as many people are calling it) should be illegal. Whether it's legal or not, DWT is obviously very dangerous. Sadly, if these studies are any indication, it's clear that people probably wont stop tapping out messages while they're switching lanes. Maybe we'll start taking the train to work. [From: Live Science]

Computers

America Has More High-Speed Citizens Than Any Other Country

The US is the most wired country in the world, according to a new study of industrialized counties that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. With 80,071,074 people connected to DSL, cable, or fiber (as of December 2008), America has nearly as many high-speed surfers as the next four countries combined (Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and France).

But tech patriotism may fade a bit when you consider the plight of average Americans. On a per-capita basis, the U.S. ranks a dismal 15th -- behind Canada and most of northern Europe -- with just 27-percent of its population hooked up to fast pipes. Surprisingly, that still puts the U.S. ahead of cyber-fantasyland Japan, which has a 24-percent connection rate, as well as other wealthy counties, including Australia, Austria, Spain and Italy.

The whole mix may change radically in the next few years, however. In the U.S. the FCC is currently developing a plan to foster universal broadband access for all Americans, backed up by $7.2 billion in funding from the Stimulus Plan legislation. (The FCC will deliver its plans to Congress in February 2010.) And Australia recently announced a $30.6 billion plan to wire the entire continent. [From: The Guardian]

Computers, Web

Forgotten Password Questions Too Easy to Crack, Study Finds


Remember when Sarah Palin's e-mail account was accessed by a 20-year-old student who guessed the answer to her Yahoo! security question (where she and husband Todd first met)? Well, the former VP candidate is just one of many whose "forgotten password" questions are way too easy for others to guess, according to a new study published in the Technology Review..

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Microsoft found that 28-percent of 130 participants had their security questions correctly answered by people they know and trust. Another 17-percent were vulnerable to people they knew, but didn't trust. The problem, it seems, lies with both users and the ineffectiveness of the security method itself.

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Cell Phones

'Sexting' Not Just About Sex, Study Finds

According to a new study, 'Sexting' may have less to do with sex than its titillating title implies.

Susan Lipkins, a psychologist from Port Washington, NY, found that people who sent sexually explicit messages were more focused on attaining power and control than people who didn't send explicit messages.

Have you ever sent a sexual text message?


According to USA Today, Lipkins polled 323 people, of which a surprising 66-percent admitted to sending some type of explicit messages. Although participants ranged in age from 13-72, most were 26 and younger. (A nice little side-stat for you: 6-percent said that they started text messaging at age 9.)


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Web

Are You an 'Emailaholic?'



Despite recent research from Nielsen suggesting that we're moving much of our online activity to social networks like Twitter and Facebook, e-mail still takes up a significant part of our day. We've written about discomgoogolation, a deprivation anxiety resulting from lack of e-mail access, but, until now, we haven't heard too much about how people actually use e-mail in the course of a day, month, or even over several years.

Are you addicted to e-mail?



A new study from Yahoo! Research looked at the daily e-mail habits of about 125,000 people over the course of two years. The researchers found that people can be categorized into two types of e-mail use groups. First, they identified "day laborers," which use e-mail throughout the workday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), but rarely during off-hours. The other group, "emailaholics," use e-mail throughout the day's waking hours (9 a.m. to 1 a.m.).

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Web, Social Networking

Update on Facebook Much? You Might Be a Jerk, Study Says


We all know dozens of people who feel it's necessary to use Facebook and Twitter to update the world about every tiny insignificant detail of their lives. As Christopher Muther of the Boston Globe discovered, the constant mindless updates are enough to make you come to a painful realization -- your friends, they're boring.

There is a reason that we jest about people updating their status with what they're eating for lunch: because everyone does it. And you know what? We couldn't care less about how great that sandwich was, or how you switched things up and got feta instead of cheddar in your omelet. Another painfully annoying trend that Mr. Muther spotted is constant updates regarding gym habits. We agree with him -- we're all very glad you've decided to get in shape, but the world does not need to know every time you run a mile on the treadmill.

Muther went as far as blocking several friends' updates on his Facebook news feed, and we've stopped following a few people on Twitter because, frankly, they annoy us.

Muther's conclusion that Twitter and Facebook turn us into a bunch of self absorbed narcissists was given the guilt trip by author Hal Niedzviecki, who wrote "The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors." Niedzvieki argues that our constant updates are actually anti-narcissistic attempts to reach out to others and return to a "more communal time."

He might be on to something with that theory, but it wasn't enough to convince Muther to re-add his blocked updaters, and we're not about to re-follow our annoying Twitter pals. Sorry mom, not even for Mother's Day. [From: Boston Globe, Via: FARK]

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Computers

FAA's Air-Traffic Networks Susceptible to Hackers

Air travel just became even more stressful, as a recent government study reveals that the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air-traffic control system faces significant threats from cyber-terrorists. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FAA plans to modernize its control systems over the next 15 years, thanks in part to $20 billion of funding, but the technological adaptations are apparently exposing vulnerabilities to hackers.

The FAA uses two technical support systems -- an administrative system, primarily used for corporate purposes, and an operational system, which is used for air-traffic control. Although FAA spokesperson Laura Brown told the WSJ that one network cannot be used to access the other, security tests revealed 763 "high risk" administrative weaknesses.



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Video Games

Video Game Addiction a Real Affliction? Survey Says: Maybe



What is the latest dangerous and corrupting movement plaguing youths around the world? Is it that rock 'n' roll? What about death metal or rap? The Internet? Nope, once again it's video games, or rather, kids' addiction to them. Parents, be warned.

This month, GameSpot Australia published an in-depth look at game addiction that attributes unhealthy preoccupations with video games to a natural release of dopamine in the brain. This chemical is responsible for that feeling of euphoria we get when we accomplish something difficult, like finishing a project, or saving the princess. We're not sure if we buy in to GameSpot's dopamine verdict, since the chemical stimulation can come from any positive accomplishment, and it seems that the American Medical Association (AMA) isn't convinced either. The AMA investigated prolonged gaming, but opted to not officially recognize it as an addiction disorder.

For longtime gamers like us, it can be frustrating to see the media bash games like 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'World of Warcraft.' Why blame video games? As with any endeavor, we think that moderation is key. According to researchers from the University of Wisconsin, gaming can improve problem-solving skills, dexterity, scientific reasoning, and even eyesight. Douglas Gentile, an Iowa State University psychologist, told IT News that "games are not 'good' or 'bad,' but are powerful educational tools." We couldn't agree more. Hello? McFly? Is anyone listening? [From: GameSpot AU]

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Web

Microsoft Says 97% of All E-mail Is Spam


Katie, bar the door! By Microsoft's count, spam accounts for 97-percent of all e-mail! This is up from the 94-percent figure given recently by the New York Times, but we still couldn't be less surprised.

This annoying news comes from a new security report issued by Microsoft. The biggest culprit, as usual, was pharmaceutical companies, whose unwanted crap mail was responsible for nearly half of all detected spam.

Microsoft's findings differed from other firms, though, which found spam percentages to be significantly lower. Security company MessageLabs Intelligence found that spam accounted for about 75-percent of all e-mail for the month of January. It's true that spam numbers dropped when known spammer McColo Corporation went under in November 2008, but it appears that the aggravating practice has rebounded.

Whatever the real percentage is, it's absurdly high. Now excuse us while we reply to an email from John, who swears he has just found the best male enhancement pill ever.

Sweet. [From ArsTechnica]

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Audio/Video, Computers

91% of Americans Want the Ability to Copy DVDs Onto Their PCs, Study Finds


This morning, the National Consumers League released a statement claiming that 90-percent of PC-owning, U.S. consumers want the ability to save DVDs, as they would CDs, on their computers. The study was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation, and drawn from a survey of 1,000 consumers of varying ages.

This should come as no surprise to those who have witnessed the gradual digitalization (moving away from physical products and towards computer files) of music, songs and albums. Just as many music fans now use their computers as their primary sound systems, 69-percent of those surveyed attested to watching DVDs on their computers. Is it any surprise, then, that they'd want the ability to save the disc on their video player of choice? It shouldn't be, particularly when you consider that nearly 40-percent of the respondents claimed to have, at some point, repurchased a DVD due to loss or damage.

For the most part, folks in the "biz" aren't too fond of this trend, since importing media onto a computer renders computer files that are more easily pirated than are physical discs. That being said, with the economy in such dire straits, and folks' once disposable income becoming increasingly indispensable, DVD sales have suffered (55-percent are purchasing fewer DVDs than they were last year). That being said, 40-percent of the respondents said that the ability to import DVDs onto their computers would stimulate their purchasing of the discs.

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