There’s evidence you can will yourself to wake on time, too. Sleep scientists at Germany’s University of Lubeck asked 15 volunteers to sleep in their lab for three nights. One night, the group was told they’d be woken at 6 a.m., while on other nights the group was told they’d be woken at 9 a.m.. But the researchers lied-they woke the volunteers at 6 a.m anyway.
And the results were startling.
We wake up before our alarms quite precisely if we’re used to sleep and wake up at the same time. Quite interesting study.
There’s evidence you can will yourself to wake on time, too. Sleep scientists at Germany’s University of Lubeck asked 15 volunteers to sleep in their lab for three nights. One night, the group was told they’d be woken at 6 a.m., while on other nights the group was told they’d be woken at 9 a.m.. But the researchers lied-they woke the volunteers at 6 a.m anyway.
And the results were startling.
Why Airline Food Sucks
Apart from the obvious reason that the food is not served fresh, there is a surprising aspect to the lack of flavour in airline food:
“When you travel at a high altitude, your sense of taste isn’t the same as it is in a restaurant,” says Peter Wilander, managing director of onboard services at Delta. The reasons for this primarily have to do with humidity … or, rather, a lack thereof.
Why is that?
The cabins of airplanes are pressurized with an extremely low humidity level of just 4%, largely to reduce the risk of internal corrosion; the only humidity in an airplane cabin comes from other people’s breath. The problem with low humidity, though, is it causes our sinuses to close. This is why you always feel as if you have a slight cold when you fly. Simultaneously, the low humidity dries your food out quicker than it happens on the ground.
Another reason is the expectations management; flying is boring (except if you are the pilot, probably). So you are waiting for food as a cure to boredom as well as hunger. Your expectations are too high for the reality and, as everyone knows: happiness = expectations - outcome.
When there’s nothing else to do but sit in a chair and look at the back of someone’s head, meals become something to look forward to. But their faults also become something to scrutinize. The result is that even the best airline meals have a hard time holding up to the critical eye of bored, stuffed-up passengers at 30,000 feet.
What will solve this problem?
Technology:
It is technology that is most likely to improve the experience of in-flight dining. New planes like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner feature improved cabin pressurization systems that not only make passengers feel healthier, but improve cabin humidity up to 15%. That’s a fourfold improvement in humidity that makes it all the more likely that your sinuses will stay open in-flight. Simply put? On newer planes like the 787, food will just taste better.
Fascinating article over at FastCo design.
Why Airline Food Sucks
www.fastcodesign.com/3021924/t…
Apart from the obvious reason that the food is not served fresh, there is a surprising aspect to the lack of flavour in airline food:
“When you travel at a high altitude, your sense of taste isn’t the same as it is in a restaurant,” says Peter Wilander, managing director of onboard services at Delta. The reasons for this primarily have to do with humidity … or, rather, a lack thereof.
Why is that?
The cabins of airplanes are pressurized with an extremely low humidity level of just 4%, largely to reduce the risk of internal corrosion; the only humidity in an airplane cabin comes from other people’s breath. The problem with low humidity, though, is it causes our sinuses to close. This is why you always feel as if you have a slight cold when you fly. Simultaneously, the low humidity dries your food out quicker than it happens on the ground.
Another reason is the expectations management; flying is boring (except if you are the pilot, probably). So you are waiting for food as a cure to boredom as well as hunger. Your expectations are too high for the reality and, as everyone knows: happiness = expectations - outcome.
When there’s nothing else to do but sit in a chair and look at the back of someone’s head, meals become something to look forward to. But their faults also become something to scrutinize. The result is that even the best airline meals have a hard time holding up to the critical eye of bored, stuffed-up passengers at 30,000 feet.
What will solve this problem?
Technology:
It is technology that is most likely to improve the experience of in-flight dining. New planes like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner feature improved cabin pressurization systems that not only make passengers feel healthier, but improve cabin humidity up to 15%. That’s a fourfold improvement in humidity that makes it all the more likely that your sinuses will stay open in-flight. Simply put? On newer planes like the 787, food will just taste better.
Fascinating article over at FastCo design.
Humans need roughly one hour of sleep for every two hours they are awake, and the body innately knows when this ratio becomes out of whack.
Very interesting compilation of articles and research about sleep over at Farnam Street.
Humans need roughly one hour of sleep for every two hours they are awake, and the body innately knows when this ratio becomes out of whack.
Coin looks like a promising idea: store all your credit cards into one.
But it is not free of shortcomings, mainly its dependency on a smartphone.
As Christopher Mims pointed out for Quartz:
It sounds like a great idea… until you realize that the price of replacing a handful of plastic credit cards with a single one is that your ability to pay for anything becomes entirely dependent on the battery life of your smartphone. That’s for security reasons: If it loses contact with your phone for a user-specified period of time, from one to 10 minutes, Coin deactivates itself.
They will probably come up with some kind of solution for this problem at some point. Something else would be how Coin will ever going to be able to circumvent the regulatory maze of mobile payments outside of the US.
Coin looks like a promising idea: store all your credit cards into one.
But it is not free of shortcomings, mainly its dependency on a smartphone.
As Christopher Mims pointed out for Quartz:
It sounds like a great idea… until you realize that the price of replacing a handful of plastic credit cards with a single one is that your ability to pay for anything becomes entirely dependent on the battery life of your smartphone. That’s for security reasons: If it loses contact with your phone for a user-specified period of time, from one to 10 minutes, Coin deactivates itself.
They will probably come up with some kind of solution for this problem at some point. Something else would be how Coin will ever going to be able to circumvent the regulatory maze of mobile payments outside of the US.
Was Snapchat right in refusing the $3 billion offer from Facebook?
Was Snapchat right in refusing the $3 billion offer from Facebook?
Michael Carney writing for PandoDaily:
The answer boils down to your belief about whether the company can defy the odds and stay hot within the notoriously fickly teen and young adult demographic. Because that’s what this valuation is all about: teens. Facebook is losing its grip on young social users; SnapChat has them in spades.
What will Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy come up with to make teens stick to the service? How will they monetise?
The real problem here is that if teens just change their mind about Snapchat, or suddenly find Facebook attractive again, the trend will fade away. There needs to be constant innovation in terms of stickiness (making people want to use the app and especially come back) and the Snapchat team should not be resting on the sight of exponential user growth.
Was Snapchat right in refusing the $3 billion offer from Facebook?
Michael Carney writing for PandoDaily:
The answer boils down to your belief about whether the company can defy the odds and stay hot within the notoriously fickly teen and young adult demographic. Because that’s what this valuation is all about: teens. Facebook is losing its grip on young social users; SnapChat has them in spades.
What will Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy come up with to make teens stick to the service? How will they monetise?
The real problem here is that if teens just change their mind about Snapchat, or suddenly find Facebook attractive again, the trend will fade away. There needs to be constant innovation in terms of stickiness (making people want to use the app and especially come back) and the Snapchat team should not be resting on the sight of exponential user growth.
Malta Passes Bill Giving Citizenship to Foreigners for Payment
Malta Passes Bill Giving Citizenship to Foreigners for Payment
Non-European Union citizens with €650,000 ($873,000) to spare can now buy Maltese citizenship thanks to a new plan approved by the Mediterranean island’s parliament on Tuesday.
According to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the program’s goal is to raise revenue for the country and attract “high-value” people who will invest there.
Making citizenship a priced good makes it a commodity not different from chocolate or boats. Some things should not be for sale. (The link redirects to an excerpt of the book by Michael Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy. Very well written, concise and easy to understand.)
Malta Passes Bill Giving Citizenship to Foreigners for Payment
Non-European Union citizens with €650,000 ($873,000) to spare can now buy Maltese citizenship thanks to a new plan approved by the Mediterranean island’s parliament on Tuesday.
According to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the program’s goal is to raise revenue for the country and attract “high-value” people who will invest there.
Making citizenship a priced good makes it a commodity not different from chocolate or boats. Some things should not be for sale. (The link redirects to an excerpt of the book by Michael Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy. Very well written, concise and easy to understand.)
In this GIF, you quickly come to understand that cars are not very space efficient.
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In this GIF, you quickly come to understand that cars are not very space efficient.
Indeed, Clooney and DiCaprio once ran into each other in Cabo and struck up a conversation based on their common interest in basketball. They each have ongoing games, and their ongoing games have attained a celebrity of their own. Clooney suggested they might play someday. DiCaprio said sure, but felt compelled to add, “You know, we’re pretty serious.”
On George Clooney teaching Leonardo DiCaprio a lesson about basketball (and some other deep stuff).
Indeed, Clooney and DiCaprio once ran into each other in Cabo and struck up a conversation based on their common interest in basketball. They each have ongoing games, and their ongoing games have attained a celebrity of their own. Clooney suggested they might play someday. DiCaprio said sure, but felt compelled to add, “You know, we’re pretty serious.”
What Happens If You Go Without Water? This is indeed water week here on Warston.
What Happens If You Go Without Water? This is indeed water week here on Warston.
Why you should drink more water
Why you should drink more water
Water aids in digestion, makes your skin look healthier, helps you feel more full so you don’t overeat, keeps your kidneys healthy (so they can properly flush out toxins), and contributes to regular healthy bowel movements. You lose out on those benefits if you don’t stay hydrated.
Also, it helps keeping you alive.
Why you should drink more water
Water aids in digestion, makes your skin look healthier, helps you feel more full so you don’t overeat, keeps your kidneys healthy (so they can properly flush out toxins), and contributes to regular healthy bowel movements. You lose out on those benefits if you don’t stay hydrated.
Also, it helps keeping you alive.