Ebooks Improve Vision

Trade your print book for an eBook and you'll read faster!

For people with eye diseases like macular degeneration, digital tablets increased reading speed by as much as 42 words per minute, compared with that of print books or newspapers, so where the findings in a recent study at Robert Wood Johnston in New Jersey.

Why it Works

"The illuminated screens of tablets computers offer sharper resolution than printed materials and help readers discern words more easily," says Daniel B. Roth, MD, study leader.

Tablet Tips

Set brightness to maximum, avoiding places with strong back-ground glare (such as fluorescent lighting or sunshine). And increasing font size.

Happy Reading!

 

Star Trek Tech

Since the pop-culture phenomenon premiered 46 years ago, Star Trek has offered a glimpse of our tech future.  On TV in the 1960s, Captain Kirk used a personal digital assistant, looking remarkably like today's tablet, and Mr. Spock talked to the ship's computer just as we do our smartphones. 

3-D printers bring to mind the replicator that processed food and other items in the 80s and 90s Star Trek "The Next Generation".  Designers of the first portable cellphones credited Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry's, vision.  "it became the flip phone."  While Scandu sensor will read temperature  and heart functions ( remember Dr. McCoy's tricorder?).

Google Glass glasses will let those with sight see more by keeping their heads up, rather than glued to a smartphone screen.  It will be available later this year.

And Microsoft is taking the first experimental steps to put a holodeck in your home.   

It appears that the 23rd-century is materializing at warp speed!

Hair Loss on Your Feet Can Spell Heart Trouble

Really?
Dr. Oz shared this intriguing red flag for heart disease:

• Losing hair on your feet or toes is actually a red flag for vascular disease, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. 
• Beneath the skin, hair follicles are kept alive by the blood flowing through your veins and arteries.  When you gain weight, over time your cholesterol level rises and plague builds up in your arteries, clogging them up and cutting off the blood flow.
• As a result, the blood vessels under the skin die off, killing hair follicles.  So shiny, hairless skin on your feet may indicate plaque buildup, which could eventually lead to a deadly heart condition.
• But you can often stop or even reverse the buildup of plaque in your arteries with proper diet and exercise.  Be sure to consult with your doctor if you suspect a plague problem.

(I am assuming this applies to men.  I was unable to find an 'female' specific finding by Dr. Oz for this blog article).

When I Grow up I Want a Pony

        After a few inquisitives nuzzles at my pockets to make certainall the carrots pilfered from the garden were gone, Tulsa rested her chin on mybare shoulder. The bristles under her muzzle were thick and warm, tickling my skin.

   I watched her nostrils twitch, and her breath was white in thecold mountain air. She gave a soft whinny, patting her long lashes fringing herdark expressive eyes. I glanced over the wooden fence and out into the distance.

#

     I have found women and horses have a connection that most cannotexplain. It often begins when we are little girls and grows and grows. I recallan old quote, "The falling hooves are my heartbeat and free my soul tofly."
     Yes, this explains the way a girl, or woman, feels when sherides her horse.
     And sometimes, in the stillness of a warm afternoon, I willrecall those sun soaked days and long for the comfort of Tulsa's warm breathupon my neck. Or the soft nickers she made when she watched me toss alfalfainto her stall each morning.
     I remember. And I smile.

     Thank you for blogging with me.  Cassandra G, Ontario Canada was the winner of my Coffee TimeRomance Contest!

     Watch for Brede, Romance Book 2.

      Happy Reading,

      Connie Vines

Interview with Lynx Maddox, Professional Bull-Rider

Interview with Lynx Maddox, Professional Bull-Rider

Click to see Connie's interview with Lynx Maddox.

Cowboy Kisses (Lynx, Rodeo Romance Book 1)

Cowboy Kisses (Lynx, Rodeo Romance Book 1)

I am blogging hourly at Coffee Time Romance today.
Please drop by when you have a moment or two.
Life too busy today?  No problem, my blog posts will be available for viewing for the next nine days!

Connie Vines

E-book Reading on the Rise Amoung Young People

E-books may finally be catching on with the toughest of customers: young people.

A report commissioned by children's publisher Scholastic Inc. finds that 46 percent of respondents aged 9-17 had read an e-book as of 2012, compared to just 25 percent in 2010.

And around half of those who have not read an e-book say they want to do so.  But the appeal of paper remains.

Around 80 percent of kids who read an e-book still read print books, according to Monday's report.

While e-books are believed to comprise around 25 to 30 percent of the total book sales, the number has been much lower amoung children.

The rise of the iPads and other tablets has helped vastly expand the availability of picture books and other children's books in electronic format.

On a personal note, my granddaughters ages: 8 - 14 all have an e-book reader.  My youngest grandson: age 8 months is already familar with the colorful storybooks on his mama's iPad.

I expect the e-reader will be common place by the time he starts school.

Hopefully, he won't be carrying a backpack loaded with 10 lbs of textbooks in middle school and high school.