Techxly Blog

Why Technology Is Bad - Danger To Your Health

2020-04-17T23:39:00.002-07:00

One should not abuse good things. Technology is certainly very useful for keeping in touch with our loved ones, but we have to think about disconnecting from time to time. Intensive use of these new technologies has harmful effects on our physical and mental health. Which ? What are the dangers of technology for our health? How to avoid them?

TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH

New technologies are slowly changing our brains. Numerous studies have shown that technology affects our mental and physical health. This is why technology is bad to your health.

COMPUTER AND BACK PROBLEM

A study by surgeon Kenneth Hansraj has shown that spending time on your smartphone (checking social media or texting) can lead to back problems. The study showed that tilting your head 60 degrees forward to look at your phone was almost 30 pounds of pressure on your neck muscles. Other studies have found that sitting at your computer all day can affect your posture.

OUR PHONES AND THEIR BACTERIA

In addition, our phones are a real nest of bacteria (worse than the bowl of our toilet!). And where do these bacteria go? On our face! This can cause acne or eczema attacks.

LAPTOPS AND MALE FERTILITY PROBLEMS

Other studies have shown that men's semen, when exposed to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones over WiFi for four hours, exhibits genetic abnormalities and reduced motility. By placing their laptop on their lap or by storing their cell phone in their pocket, men are exposed to radiation levels that can reduce sperm count.

PHONES AND SCREENS CAUSE MUSCLE TENSION, TENDONITIS, EYESTRAIN AND MANY MORE

Any repeated motor activity, such as shaking your phone or sending too many text messages, can cause muscle tension or exacerbate problems like tendinitis. It can also cause pain in the forearm or wrist. The screens damage the eyes. Staring at a screen for too long tires the eyes and causes vision problems and dry eyes. In addition, by staring at a screen for too long, eyestrain can cause headaches or spasms in the temples. Spending too much time in front of a screen promotes a sedentary lifestyle and can lead to weight-related problems. Lack of physical activity promotes obesity but also cardiovascular disease.

INTERNET DISTURBS OUR SLEEP OR THE CONSEQUENCES OF TECHNOLOGY ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH

Screens can cause sleep disturbances. Excessive use of technology, especially just before going to bed, can have a negative effect on our sleep cycles due to the high brightness of our screens. This is especially true for young adults, who often need help the most to get long enough nights.

FACEBOOK AND THE FEAR OF OFFENDING OTHERS

A study by the University of Edinburgh Business School has shown that excessive use of social networks is a stressor. She suggests that the more friends you have on Facebook, the more anxious you become because the potential to offend someone is greater. Facebook can also cause a feeling of loneliness. Social networks are associated with feelings of loneliness and a decrease in satisfaction and well-being. Misuse of the Internet can lead to much distress and suffering.

INTERNET ADDICT

Technology is addictive. Regular Internet users experience a similar lack of addiction when they are not connected. However, cyber addiction includes different addictions (addiction to pornography, online games, social networks, etc.) and each of them does not necessarily have the same causes.

INTERNET IS BAD FOR OUR MEMORY

According to a study by Columbia University, the fact of knowing that information is accessible would push us not to memorize it. On the other hand, our spatial memory, that is to say our ability to analyze and memorize objects in our environment, to determine where they are and where we are in relation to them, would be better thanks to the time spent online . In addition, video games would promote deductive intelligence and the spirit of analysis.

INTERNET LITERALLY CHANGES THE WAY WE THINK

Incredible but true: technology has developed a new form of disease, the "Cyberchondria". These are people who tend to make a medical diagnosis themselves by educating themselves on Google. They self-diagnose for the smallest health problem. But according to specialists, this self-diagnosis can generate considerable anxiety.

EIGHT PRECAUTIONS TO MINIMIZE THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF TECHNOLOGY

Make sure to clean and sterilize your smartphone as often as possible to remove bacteria. Use a hands-free kit whenever possible to avoid sticking your phone to your face.
Reading black characters on a bright screen may cause spasms in the temples. To reduce pain, adjust the contrast of your screens.
Turn off your screens at night to avoid sleep disturbances and negative waves from your technological tools. Do not leave your phone on or being charged within 50cm of your head.
Disconnect from time to time and define rules related to the use of screens (example: from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays).
Watch your children. Take them out, make them do regular physical activity.
Don't let your kids do their homework in front of the TV or on their phones. There is a time for everything.
Avoid keeping your phone in your pants pocket. Avoid keeping your mobile phone near the genitals, heart, armpits and hips.
Limit the number and duration of your calls. On average, no more than 6 calls per day which will not exceed 3 minutes each. The ideal is to respect an average time of 1h30 between each call.

Google Stadia Pro's "Cloud Gaming" Service Is Free For Two Months

2020-04-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Another digital service provider for free products in order to help social distancing in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

This time Google announced that its cloud gaming service , the Pro version of Stadia , was released from a subscription fee for two months, starting on April 8.

Google Stadia Vice President and GM Phil Harrison said that this was done to help entertain people who were forced to stay at home to reduce the risk of contracting the corona virus.

Exemption from Stadia Pro subscription fees applies to new users and existing customers. "If you have subscribed to a paid service, we will not charge you for the next two months," Harrison said in a post on the Google Blog.

After the free period of two months has passed, Stadia Pro customers must again pay a fee of 9.99 US dollars. However, subscriptions can be canceled whenever you want.

In addition to free subscription fees, Stadia Pro customers will also get nine games that can be played for free, including Destiny 2: The Collection, GRID, Gylt, and Thumper. In addition to Stadia Pro, Stadia is now also available in a "basic" version which can be accessed free of charge. The only requirement is to have a Gmail account.

Previously, enthusiasts of this service had to buy the Google Stadia Premiere Edition bundle for 129 US dollars (USD 2.1 million) which included a Chromecast Ultra device, and a wireless Stadia Controller. It should be added that Google only eliminates Stadia in 14 countries, including the US, Canada, Britain and 11 other European countries. This service is not yet widely available in the world because it requires a high-speed internet

Apple Secretly Register AppleCoronaVirus.com Domain

2020-04-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Apple reportedly just registered a new domain name secretly. Domain with the address AppleCoronaVirus.com was officially managed by Apple on Friday (10/4/2020).

The news was obtained from the WHOIS Record, which shows that the domain includes the name Apple Inc. as a registrant organization . That is, Apple is the party that legally owns the domain and has the right to manage the domain in full. Based on WHOIS Record records, the domain is valid for one year until April 10, 2021.

AppleCoronaVirus.com address is registered by Apple through CSC Corporate Domains, a company that protects domain names for large companies like Apple. The domain was registered by Apple shortly after the tech giant announced its partnership with Google in an effort to deal with the spread of Covid-19.

However, It is uncertain what Apple's goal is to "secure" the domain. Not long ago, Apple and Google agreed to work together to work on technology that could be used to track the spread of Covid-19 to reduce the ever-expanding numbers. Apple and Google cooperation was announced by the CEO of the two companies, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai through their respective Twitter accounts on Saturday (11/4/2020).

For information, the Covid-19 tracking system designed by the two tech giants will utilize Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connections on cellphones.

Read: Google Reveals How It Will Install COVID-19 Tracking On Android Devices

Users will also be given instructions on what steps to take if they are ever close to a positive patient Covid-19. Users who tested positive for Covid-19 were also advised to update their status on the application, so the system could provide notifications to other users who had been close to it. The data collected by the API can be utilized by health agency applications in each country. This API is planned to be released in mid-May 2020.

Google Reveals How It Will Install COVID-19 Tracking On Android Devices

2020-04-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

After the surprise announcement of the partnership between Apple and Google to develop a system for tracking COVID-19 , some questions remained in the air, especially on Android and its known version fragmentation. Google clarified that the process of installing the resources for the system will happen in a transparent manner, without requiring the development of a traditional system update.

The announcement was made by a company representative in an online interview. Google will use Play Services to install the tracking features, which eliminates the bureaucracy to provide a complete update to each device, a process that involves testing manufacturers and operators for certification.

The use of Google Play Services will allow even devices that are no longer supported by manufacturers to receive the tracking feature, provided they use Android 6 (Marshmallow) or higher.

For Android phones that do not use Play Services, as is the case with most devices sold in the Chinese market, Google plans to offer the tools for local manufacturers to integrate the same system into their notebooks.

Bluetooth tracking

Apple and Google are not developing an application itself, but the resources necessary for them to work. The plan of the companies is to provide technologies compatible with each other that use the Bluetooth feature of the devices.

The function will register which cell phones were close to each other and exchange information creating a network of contacts in an anonymous and decentralized way. If one of the links voluntarily reports that he was diagnosed with the disease, cell phones that were nearby will receive a notification.

The feature will be available on iOS and Android in the coming months and can be used only by official apps from health authorities. Despite the mandatory installation, the use of the feature will depend on the user's consent, according to Apple and Google.

10 Essential Tech Tools For Journalists

2020-04-08T06:06:00.001-07:00

Journalism is one of the most dynamic areas of activity and requires energetic, attentive and versatile professionals, who can deal with information in the way it is generated.

To honor journalists, Techxly Blog created a list of 10 indispensable tools for professionals in the field. Check out!

1. Otter Voice Meeting Notes

Otter Voice Meeting Notes is an app for voice transcription (in English) into text. With it, it is possible to transform meetings, lectures, interviews, audios of videos, among others, into editable text, all automatically. It can also be used to generate subtitles.

The app is available for Android and iOS and can be used free of charge for 600 minutes per month.

Source: Play Store

2. Advanced Google search

Google's search , although quite efficient, can still be improved with the use of some tricks, such as "operators". To learn how to use them, click here and access the complete guide.

Source: Ahref

3. Advanced Twitter search

Like Google, Twitter supports the use of operators that help users find information even more effectively, as we can see in the image above.

Source: Twitter

4. TinEye

TinEye is a great online tool to check the source of images. This resource can be exploited by anyone who wants to know if an image is associated with a true event or if it is the result of false news. To do this, simply enter the TinEye website , upload the image to be verified and analyze the results.

Source: TinEye

5. InVID

InVID is a platform that allows users authorized by media outlets to capture and upload videos about different events, at the moment they are occurring. These videos are analyzed and enriched with extra information, time, location and device metadata.

After being considered trustworthy, they are passed on to news agency content management systems, so that they are included in your news flow.

Source: InVID

6. StoryMap

As the name implies, StoryMap is a tool that allows the creation of stories, based on locations highlighted on a map. You can use slides for each location, as well as links to numerous websites and social networks.

Source: StoryMap

7. Hunter.io

Hunter.io is a tool that allows you to search for email addresses in any domain. The feature is very useful, as it can save you several minutes of searching on a corporate website, when looking for the contact of a specific person.

Source: Hunter.io

8. Recorder

Google Recorder is an app that allows you to record meetings, lectures, rehearsals and all kinds of events. The app transcribes the recorded content automatically, giving the user the possibility to find the most interesting parts in an easy way.

Source: Play Store

9. CrowdTangle

CrowdTangle is a tool used to track the dissemination of content on the internet, performing performance measures on social media and identifying digital influencers.

Source: CrowdTangle

10. Google Dataset Search

Dataset Search is a Google search tool designed to help researchers find free online data available for use. It collects data sources across the internet, and displays, along with the results, publication dates, authors and data set providers.

Source: Google Dataset Search

Turn Your Photos Into Pictures Of Famous Painters With This Google App

2020-04-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Google Arts & Culture app has added a new feature that turns your photos into pictures by famous painters in a few clicks. We tell you how you can use it to transform your photos into classic works of art.

A few years ago, an app called Prisma became fashionable and gained popularity because it was able to convert any photo into pictures of different pictorial styles. Now, the Mountain View company has rescued this concept through a new function to Google Arts & Culture, an application that allows you to visit online exhibitions, expand works of art and discover content related to art and culture.

Through a publication on its official blog, Google has announced the incorporation of a function called Art Transfer into this app . "From the bold spinning movement in Vincent van Gogh's paintings to Frida Kahlo's confident and surreal brushstrokes, many famous artists have instantly recognizable styles , " writes Michelle Luo, Product Manager at Google Arts & Culture. "Now you can use these styles to transform your own photos. With Art Transfer, a new feature in the Google Arts & Culture app, you can apply the familiar painting features to your own images . "

Converting your selfies and other photos into paintings by famous painters couldn't be easier. All you have to do is download the app on your iOS or Android mobile , open it and select the Art Transfer option.

Here you have the possibility to take a selfie or choose a photo saved on your reel , and then you can choose the style you would like to apply, either to the entire image or just to a section. You can see the result in a still photo or in a GIF that shows the transformation.

In total you have 23 pictorial styles to choose from , including Leonardo Da Vinci, Kandinsky, Warhol or Munch, in addition to those mentioned a little above. When you apply the style, click the Share button to download the photo or GIF, or post the result on social media.

China Creates Nanomaterials that could end Coronavirus

2020-03-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

China claims to have produced nanomaterials capable of deactivating 96.5% to 99.9% of coronaviruses in an infected person's body. The announcement was made by the Global Times newspaper on Sunday and could be the hope of nearly 600,000 patients worldwide - 165,000 have already been cured with other treatments, while 37,000 have not resisted infection.

The testing of the new material was conducted by chemical engineer Thomas Webster and carried out in a laboratory in Anhui province, which is a branch of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. The results show that practically all the coronaviruses that cause covid-19 were absorbed and deactivated by nanomaterials.

This technological army is up to 100 thousand times smaller than the thickness of a hair and has the characteristic of enzymes. Once inside the body, nanomaterials bind to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and interrupt its structure through infrared light emissions. It is not yet known, however, when human trials could be initiated.

At the same time that technological forms are being studied to fight the pandemic, other scientists are racing against time in search of a vaccine. The most optimistic estimates believe that we will have an effective treatment only in the beginning of 2021. Until then, patients with covid-19 are treated to relieve symptoms, especially those that cause breathing difficulties.

Crowded on Instagram, What Is Until Tomorrow Challenge?

2020-03-30T06:28:00.003-07:00

Instagram is being enlivened by the presence of a new hashtag named #untiltomorrow. This hashtag is a form of challenge called Until Tomorrow Challenge . To follow the Until Tomorrow Challenge, you just like the other user's posts that include the Until Tomorrow caption . Then, the other user will send a message via Direct Message (DM). The message will instruct you to upload photos in a funny or embarrassing style.

The message that will be received roughly reads, "So, you have liked my post , then you are also required to upload embarrassing photos by only including the caption 'until tomorrow'. You are also required to tag me in that post ". As compiled by Techxly Blog from the New York Post ,When accepting this challenge, there are special rules where you are not allowed to delete the uploaded photos for the next 24 hours ( until tomorrow ) there are currently more than 1.2 million posts with the hashtag #untiltomorrow scattered on Instagram.

Until Tomorrow Challenge was apparently present to address the boredom of Instagram users while staying at home due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Although it is crowded on Instagram, it seems that Twitter users do not participate in the new challenge . Most of them even claimed to have been bored with this "strange challenge".