Category: technology

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Scientists Discovered a Way to Treat Burns Using Fish Skin

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: a team of Brazilian scientists has figured out how to treat burns using fish skin. This is absolutely insane, and more than a little creepy and also… who in the world even comes up with an idea like that?!?

Ok, in all seriousness, it’s actually a really cool invention!

Researchers at the Federal University of Cearà in Brazil came up with this innovation. They use tilapia skin, which is high in collagen (a healing protein) and moisture. It reportedly speeds up healing and reduces the need for pain medication.

In modern medicine, burns are often treated with grafts of human or pig skin, both of which transfer collagen to burn victims’ healing skin. The alternative is to use burn creams and gauze strips that have to be changed out frequently, which involves a lot of pain for victims.

But in Brazil, it’s not easy to get human or pig skin for grafts. Thus, the foray into fish skin. Fish skin works similarly to other tissues — and it may even be MORE effective.

“We got a great surprise when we saw that the amount of collagen proteins, types 1 and 3, which are very important for scarring, exist in large quantities in tilapia skin, even more than in human skin and other skins,” said Dr. Edmar Maciel, a burn specialist at the José Frota Institute.

Even better, tilapia is a cheap, abundant fish. It costs 75% less than the burn cream used in Brazil. While it’s still under study and has yet to catch on mainstream, it has been used experimentally in the US on bears.

And yes, it does look really bizarre. But the tilapia skins are sterilized first, so it’s totally safe.

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15 People Share Their Generation’s Version of Trusting Technology

You know how, in this day and age, someone saying “I don’t use a computer” would literally make you stop in your tracks? Well, even though the world has changed and technology has advanced like crazy, it turns out that every generation has had their hold-outs – and below are 15 examples of what the “cool” kids might not have been doing along with everyone else.

#1. The mark of the beast.

I’m not an older generation, but my grandparents are very old-fashioned for their generation, if it counts.

My grandfather worked as a grocery manager for years. He finally quit when his small Mom & Pop store buckled down on bar scans and electronic cash registers.

He was convinced that bar codes were going to be the “mark of the beast” from Revelations, and that if people use computers to access porn, then all computerized items must be banned. So there’s that.

#2. Ice was a luxury.

My grandmother drinks only hot decaf coffee. 95 degrees with 100% humidity? Hot decaf coffee. Feeling parched after a day of hard work? Hot decaf coffee. And what to drink with your hamburger and French fries? Hot decaf coffee. Every meal, every day.

“When I was growing up, we never had ice. That was a luxury. Cold drinks aren’t good for your stomach.”

Edit: Grandma’s from the States. Grew up during the Depression.

#3. I get paid by check.

I am the web designer for a local organisation. Their treasurer refuses to accept card payment via their website. People have to print out forms, fill them out and post them with a cheque. I also get paid by cheque with a handwritten note. They would be a much more popular and successful business if they just modernised a little!

#4. Such an amazing sentence.

When remote control TVs came out, I suggested that my father buy one, and he said said, “It will be a cold day in Hell when I’m too lazy to tell one of you boys to get up and change the channel.” It was such an amazing sentence that I committed it to memory, and I still remember it word for word 50 years later.

#5. People thought they were unnecessary.

When I was a kid (late 50’s early 60’s) seat belts in cars were an option. Lots of people thought they were unnecessary and refused to pay extra for them

Heaters and windshield defoggers were likewise optional (my parents bought a new 1964 Plymouth Valiant and didn’t get the option).

#6. She didn’t want to mess up her hair.

My dad once told me a story about his grandmother refusing to fly in planes because she didn’t want to get her hair all messed up from the wind.

#7. The forward pass.

My dad is 65. He remembers old folks complaining about the forward pass in football.

#8. I was given a typewriter.

My grandparents laughed at the idea of a mobile phone or sending messages through the phone line when fax machines were a thing. My grandparents didn’t like computers they still had a typewriter or wrote by hand. I was given a typewriter as a kid but by then I was using windows 95.

#9. She wouldn’t use it.

Back in the 80s I knew an old lady who used one of those really old toasters that could only toast one side of the bread at a time. As a present, we went out and bought her a modern pop-up toaster, but she wouldn’t use it. She preferred to use her old one.

#10. He called them machines.

My grandmother is 89. When she was a kid, she had an uncle who hated cars. He called them machines and refused to drive one. It could’ve been job security though, her whole family worked for the railroad.

#11. They were laughing.

Some people still had outdoor toilets and were laughing at those who had them installed inside because “they are shitting their own houses”.

#12. A depression-era baby.

My 89 yr old mom pays for cable but insists on watching only PBS and occasionally NBC, CBS or ABC. The other channels are too much technology to find on the remote. She also buys multiple boxes or cans of food, dates them in sharpie marker, records the price (less coupon or sale special) and has a rack of all her finds. She will never eat all the oatmeal or beans in our collective lifetimes. But she was a depression era child so I get why the urge to stock up on food is strong.

#13. A time when literacy wasn’t a given.

My grand-aunt still believes that 15 is the age of adulthood, that schooling isn’t necessary beyond that point. She grew up in a time when literacy wasn’t a given.

#14. The age of answering machines.

My grandparents refused to get an answering machine.

My mother, who has a smartphone and uses email, still refuses to communicate via text messages.

#15. She got promoted.

My mom was just telling me about when answering machines were new, and how people were so fearful of them and refused to leave a message.

She got promoted at a job because she didn’t mind calling clients and leaving messages.

Hipsters, man. I guess they don’t know there’s nothing new under the sun.

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Bluetooth technology is named….

Bluetooth technology is named after Harald Bluetooth, the 10th-century king of Denmark who united various Danish tribes into a single kingdom. The symbol is a combination of the runes representing his initials.

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8 Awesome Facts That’ll Make You Seem Like The Smartest Person in the Room

I think it’s pretty important to learn something new every day. It makes you a better-rounded person, and also makes you a much better partner in a conversation.

So, enjoy these 8 facts that’ll make you feel smarter right away!

1. Hmmmm

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Obese pharaohs

Photo Credit: did you know?

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3. Gay griffons

Photo Credit: did you know?

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4. I notice this all the time

Photo Credit: did you know?

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5. Just in case

Photo Credit: did you know?

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6. Oh, great!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. Xennial

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8. Panic in the streets

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Say it again, “I did not know that!”

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This Passenger’s Conversation with Jet Blue Airline Is Absolutely Terrifying

Are you the type of person who believes in conspiracy theories and doesn’t trust 90% of what the government says? Then you may not want to read about this conversation between airline passenger MacKenzie Fegan and Jet Blue Airlines.

She went to the airport and was in line to board her flight, ready with her boarding pass in hand. But it turned out she didn’t need it – all she had to do was look into camera. No one asked her for her pass. No one asked her if she wanted to opt out or in to whatever was going on, and MacKenzie went along, because that’s what we do when we’ve been trained to keep the line moving and people are waiting.

She started to think about it later, though, and sent the company a tweet.

The ensuing thread should make each and every one of us wonder what’s ours, what can the government claim without asking, and how will things like our images be used without our consent.

Not that there’s anything we can do about it, apparently, but…the more you know?

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21 Seniors Give the Hilarious Reasons Why Their Generation Doesn’t Trust Technology

The question on reddit was this: Older generations of Reddit, who were the “I don’t use computers” people of your time?

But it wasn’t just the older generations of reddit that answered. Over 19,000+ peeps decided that they wanted to share, and so we get these 21 amazing answers as to what people think is just too much technology.

1. Adulthood

My grand-aunt still believes that 15 is the age of adulthood, that schooling isn’t necessary beyond that point.

She grew up in a time when literacy wasn’t a given.

2. Digital clocks

They’re lazy!

My grandfather insists that if you can’t tell time by the minute and hour hands, it’ll make you dumb.

Okay grandpa…

3. Optional car features… like life.

When I was a kid (late 50’s early 60’s) seat belts in cars were an option. Lots of people thought they were unnecessary and refused to pay extra for them

Heaters and windshield defoggers were likewise optional.

My parents bought a new 1964 Plymouth Valiant and didn’t get the option.

4. The “web”

My senior year of high school, I had a series of newspaper articles in the local paper explaining how the web wasn’t a fad, and wasn’t going away.

Nobody but one guy at the paper believed it. It was 1995.

5. Hot decaf coffee

My grandmother drinks only hot decaf coffee. Every meal, every day.

95 degrees with 100% humidity? Hot decaf coffee.

Feeling parched after a day of hard work? Hot decaf coffee.

“When I was growing up, we never had ice. That was a luxury. Cold drinks aren’t good for your stomach.”

6. Why u no Insta?

I’m 22 and people definitely think something’s odd when they ask for my Snapchat or Instagram and I say I don’t have one.

WHY ARE PHONE NUMBERS SO FORMAL ALL OF A SUDDEN?

7. The times have changed, and so has mom…

My mother (now 80) was practically a Luddite.

She didn’t want an answering machine for the house phone for years “if it’s important they will call back”.

Now she has an iPhone and surfs the net nonstop on the Linux pc I set up for her.

8. This is amazing!

When remote control TVs came out, I suggested that my father buy one, and he said said, “It will be a cold day in Hell when I’m too lazy to tell one of you boys to get up and change the channel.”

It was such an amazing sentence that I committed it to memory, and I still remember it word for word 50 years later.

9. Fresh food only!

An acquaintance of mine told me her grandmother doesn’t own a refrigerator because refrigerators are harmful and for lazy people that don’t want to cook fresh food.

That must have been one busy grandma!

10. She is always listening…

I’m still 100% against having an Alexa in my house.

I just think as it as bugging my house.

Can’t trust anyone now a days.

11. This is insane!

My mother told me some old people from her neighborhood in the 60s didn’t have washing machines because they said those were for lazy women.

Decent women wash by hand on a rock by the river!

12. Sexy computers…

I have a coworker about 52 yo.

He absolutely refuses to use a computer because he caught his wife sexting in a chat room on their computer.

So he destroyed it.

13. The reading conspiracy

“I don’t read novels.”

My grandfather thought they were a plot by the elites to both ruin our eyesight and keep us locked away in a fantasy world.

14. Frickin lasers!

My grandmother didn’t like to use the remote control for her television, because she was afraid it would break somehow and function as a laser dangerous enough to set things on fire.

15. She doesn’t know how planes work…

My dad once told me a story about his grandmother refusing to fly in planes because she didn’t want to get her hair all messed up from the wind.

16. Color TV

When they became common in the mid-60s a lot of older people believed they emitted harmful rays.

When Mom finally got one circa 1972 it was kept in her bedroom and we were ushered in to watch it only on special occasions.

And we had to sit at least ten feet away.

17. Adorable!

My Mother In Law.

When she wanted me to look something up for her, she would ask me to check “your friend, the net.”

18. Shitting inside

Some people still had outdoor toilets and were laughing at those who had them installed.

Why?

Because “they are shitting their own houses”.

19. Calculate this!

I was told constantly in school that I “won’t have a calculator around all the time”.

20. Bold prediction!

I never wanted touchscreen phone because I thought they’re unreliable and will break easily.

One of those things was true.

21. That’s cold…

My grandparents refused to get air conditioning.

They were convinced it would only make people sick.

Fast forward 30 years and their daughter ended up in the hospital for weeks with legionaries disease from an a/c unit.

What tech do you think is going too far?

Personally, I think it’s cloning.

Not because of any spiritual thing, I just think DNA can’t be replicated without retaining the age of the DNA. So the clone is likely to suffer a much shorter lifespan, which isn’t fair to them.

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3D-Printed Casts Are the Future of Healthcare

Have you ever broken a bone before? If so, you’re undoubtedly familiar with how long and uncomfortable the recovery process is in that heavy, clunky cast.

But two entrepreneurs from Latvia might have changed the game in a great way. Sigvards Krongorns and Janis Olins launched their startup company Castprint to improve the comfort of modern casts. The company uses 3D printing to build personalized, lightweight casts out of plastic. They utilize a web-like composition that helps stabilize and support broken bones.

Posted by Castprint on Monday, June 18, 2018

The casts are designed to be comfortable (what a revelation that would be), and they can easily be taken on and off, which means people can start rehabilitation earlier if they need to instead of having to wait for a traditional plaster cast to be cut off.

Another plus: people can wear Castprint casts in the water, so swimming is still an option and showering doesn’t have to involve the hassle of taping a plastic bag around your arm or leg.

Posted by Castprint on Monday, July 16, 2018

The idea for the company came when co-founder Janis Olins broke his elbow and found his injury interfered with his regular job as an auditor. None of his suits would fit over his cast, and he couldn’t go meet clients in person. In 2016 (while still in his cast), Olins was growing interested in 3D printing technology, so he and his partner Krongorns began working with a designer to come up with a potential prototype for a 3D printable cast.

Say goodbye to the old fashioned and heavy plaster casts!

Posted by Castprint on Monday, October 30, 2017

Olins said, “We interviewed doctors, clinic management, nurses, insurance companies and regulator representatives in order to find out more about fracture treatment and the processes involved.”

CastPrint now has partnerships with 7 clinics in Latvia where personalized casts are made for each patient. Olins said that originally many doctors were skeptical of their product, but as time went on and they saw how successful the casts were, they’ve gotten on board.

UZMANĪBU Castprint atbalstītāji un sekotāji! Easm iekļauti @Arctic15 TOP30 inovatīvāko jaunuzņēmumu sarakstā. Lai…

Posted by Castprint on Thursday, May 3, 2018

Olins and Krongorns are looking to expand past Latvia, and their first international partners are in Finland.

Olins added, “We envision, and hope, that with our work we can bring healthcare services and 3D printing technology closer together. Because of the simplicity and ease of our service, there is more potential, and we can fundamentally change the way fracture injuries are treated in the world.”

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10+ Things That Introverts Absolutely Love

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? We’re all a mix of both, but everyone tends to be more dominantly one or the other.

An easy way to figure it out is to think about your preferred way of spending time on a Friday night. Do you want to go out until the wee hours and party, party, party, or would you rather stay in with a good book and/or just a few close friends?

No matter what type of introvert you are, these tweets are sure to turn you on.

1. Endless possibilities.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @Anythingpork

2. Finally…

Photo Credit: Twitter: @Frogerta

3. When the roomies are out of town.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @TKComedy2013

4. A wave is worth 1,000 words.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @HeyJake____

5. The three best words in the English language.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @ohhsquirrel

6. No one to steal your seat.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @Brinettieee

7. You feel like a genius.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @Brinettieee

8. Oh, boy. This list has us all hot and bothered.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @GoldenGirls85

9. It’s like it just magically appears.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @Anythingpork

10. Anything is just a click away.

11. Truly meditative.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @ToniQueene

12. Party of one, please.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @LackingStock

13. I’m undefeated.

Photo Credit: Twitter: @AminamAmbien

Ok, that’s all the excitement I can take for today. Time to go be alone for a while.

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Boston Dynamics’ Robot Dogs Have Start Working Together, and I’m VERY Concerned

We previously brought you an article about ONE robot dog from Boston Dynamics that appeared so lifelike it gave all of us the heebie-jeebies.

Well apparently that was just a warm-up.

Because Boston Dynamics recently released a video of 10 of the company’s robot dogs pulling a truck, so you can view at a slightly unsettling vision of what the future might look like.

Not only is the visual pretty frightening, but the thud-thud-thud of the 40 robotic dog legs pounding the pavement adds to the creepiness.

Photo Credit: YouTube

Boston Dynamics said, “These Spot robots are coming off the production line now and will be available for a range of applications soon.” Uh oh, now I’m really scared.

Watch the video below and FEAR FOR THE FUTURE.

Life is turning more into a sci-fi movie by the day…

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In 2002, Fujitsu made a device…

In 2002, Fujitsu made a device called the “iPad,” and Apple had to pay over $4 million to Fujitsu to buy the trademark rights. A Brazilian electronics company is legally allowed to call their phone ‘iPhone’ because they trademarked the word in 2000, 7 years prior to Apple’s iPhone. The phone runs on Android.