3 Tips for online shopping
It is tempting to save banking details and passwords for the sake of convenience. But a data leak could cost you. Follow these tips to help safeguard your data and devices.
1) Securing your Wi-Fi network. To ensure preliminary security, change the default password and username. Avoid using personal details.
2) Configure privacy settings. Block auto cookie and location tracking. Disable auto-download and auto-run of Flash and take a Google security checkup.
3) Keep social media private. One place that we often flaunt our information is on social media. Social engineers may carry out targeted attacks by extracting such information about an individual from their digital footprint.
Lost sleep after death of a spouse
The death of a spouse is a devastating event that can affect many aspects of the surviving partner’s life. Researchers evaluated sleep quality, as well as health and demographic information at the three and six month marks in widows. Not only did they find a link between sleep disruption and increased inflammation but realized that less educated people were more impacted than those with higher levels of education.
Stop the car!
Driver reaction time is important in an emergency situation. Check out this stopping distance data:
• Caffeine had the biggest positive impact on reaction times, with a 23.92m reduction in stopping distance when travelling at 70 mph.
• Women responded 690 milliseconds faster than men in study (21.48m reduction in stopping distance).
• Listening to rap music led to a 15.49m reduction in stopping distance, while listening to R&B led to a 4.24m increase in stopping distance.
• Sound of noisy children caused a 13.49m reduction in stopping distance.
Always look on the bright side
Happiness might lead to better health, but does it help you live longer? Researchers in Jerusalem determined there was a correlation between a positive outlook and a longer life. In fact, elderly participants (aged 85-90) with a high optimism score had a 20% higher rate of survival. This number jumped to 25% in the 90+ age bracket. The study also found that men, in general, were more optimistic than women.
Did I leave the oven on?
According to Lifehacker, there’s an easy fix to resolve the question of whether or not you left the oven on—as you make your way out of the house, step into the kitchen, and snap a photo of your oven on your phone. That way, whenever your brain decides to interrupt your afternoon siesta with a panicked thought about the state of your burners, you can put your mind at ease by simply flipping to the photo of your stove, looking to see that, yes, all the burners and the oven were left in the off position, and then hopefully going back to your nap.
This little trick isn’t just for ovens, either. Snap a photo of your air conditioner, your fireplace, the lock to your back door, the garage, the upstairs windows, or anything that might cause you to wake up in a useless panic in the middle of the night. Once you have photographic proof that you left everything in its proper place, hopefully you can go back to enjoying your vacation.
5 surprising benefits of walking
You know that any physical activity, including walking, is great for overall health, but walking in particular comes with a host of benefits. Here’s a list of five that may surprise you.
1) It counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes.
2) It helps tame a sweet tooth.
3) It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.
4) It eases joint pain.
5) It boosts immune function.
Nap time
Peak efficiency for learning and retaining information is first thing in the morning or just after taking a quick nap. A study done by German researchers for participants who took a nap break remembered roughly 80 per cent of images and patterns vs 60 per cent of those who stayed awake during the same time period.
Vision loss may become weight loss?
Cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and other eye conditions, combined with the natural reduction of sense of taste and smell that comes with aging, can seriously affect how people perceive food. Vision loss can also make it difficult to shop for and prepare nutritious meals.
TIP: Select healthy, colourful food and separate each part of the meal so it’s clearly defined on the plate. Try using dishes that contrast with the food colours and vary daily plate presentations
to keep mealtimes interesting.
Daytime sleepiness
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is linked to one of the most important genetic markers for longevity, a little section of DNA found on the end of chromosomes called a telomere. The shorter your telomeres the drowsier you’ll get.
