the doctor is in.

  • Nokia is cool again.  Brilliant ad of Nokia taking a shot at iPhone and Galaxy users. 

nasdaq: Apple’s data centers now use 100% renewable energy, including solar, wind and geothermal energy — the company no longer powers any of its operations with coal or other fossil fuels. In fact, last December, Apple powered up a 100-acre solar farm adjacent to a North Carolina data center. Using fuel cells made by Bloom Energy Corp., which generates energy from biogases, Apple is able to generate 60% of all the energy it needs to run the data center onsite. Read more about it from Bloomberg, here. 

nasdaq:

Apple’s data centers now use 100% renewable energy, including solar, wind and geothermal energy — the company no longer powers any of its operations with coal or other fossil fuels. In fact, last December, Apple powered up a 100-acre solar farm adjacent to a North Carolina data center. Using fuel cells made by Bloom Energy Corp., which generates energy from biogases, Apple is able to generate 60% of all the energy it needs to run the data center onsite. Read more about it from Bloomberg, here. 

wiredinsider:

We are thrilled to announce The Connective, a digital magazine written by you, edited by us, and created in 48 hours. The Connective is a digital magazine written by you, edited by us, and created in 48 hours. 

Have a great story idea (from 140 characters to 4,000)? A knack for inforgraphics, illustrations, or photography? We’ll announce the theme of this special issue at 3PM PST on Friday, April 26, and you’ll have 24 hours to submit your content to us for consideration. A limited selection will make their debit in The Connective.

It begins on Friday, April 26th. Visit http://the—connective.tumblr.com/ for the first hint or watch the video above!

The Connective is presented by WIRED and brought to you by Cisco.

neurosciencestuff: Autistic Children’s Love For Video Games Could Lead To New Treatment Options Kids and teenagers suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to use television and video games and less likely to spend time on social media than their normally-developing counterparts, claims new research set for publication in a future issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Micah Mazurek, an assistant professor of health psychology and a clinical child psychologist at the University of Missouri, recruited 202 children and adolescents with ASD and 179 of their typically developing siblings for the study. Those with ASD spent more time playing video games and watching TV than spending time on physical or pro-social activities (including spending time on websites like Facebook or Twitter). The opposite was also true: typically-developing children spent more time on non-screen-related activities than they did watching shows or playing on the PS3 or the Xbox 360, according to the soon-to-be-published study. “Many parents and clinicians have noticed that children with ASD are fascinated with technology, and the results of our recent studies certainly support this idea,” Mazurek said in a statement. “We found that children with ASD spent much more time playing video games than typically developing children, and they are much more likely to develop problematic or addictive patterns of video game play.” In a separate study of 169 boys with ASD, excessive video game use had been linked to oppositional behaviors, such as refusal to follow directions or getting into arguments with others. Mazurek said that the issues will need to be further examined in future, closely-controlled research. “Because these studies were cross-sectional, it is not clear if there is a causal relationship between video game use and problem behaviors,” she said. “Children with ASD may be attracted to video games because they can be rewarding, visually engaging and do not require face-to-face communication or social interaction. Parents need to be aware that, although video games are especially reinforcing for children with ASD, children with ASD may have problems disengaging from these games.” Despite those issues, Mazurek also believes that autistic children’s love for video games and television could be used for beneficial purposes. The professor believes that discovering what makes these screen-related pastimes so attractive to kids with ASD could help researchers and medical experts develop new treatment options. “Using screen-based technologies, communication and social skills could be taught and reinforced right away,” Mazurek explained. “However, more research is needed to determine whether the skills children with ASD might learn in virtual reality environments would translate into actual social interactions.”

neurosciencestuff:

Autistic Children’s Love For Video Games Could Lead To New Treatment Options

Kids and teenagers suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to use television and video games and less likely to spend time on social media than their normally-developing counterparts, claims new research set for publication in a future issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Micah Mazurek, an assistant professor of health psychology and a clinical child psychologist at the University of Missouri, recruited 202 children and adolescents with ASD and 179 of their typically developing siblings for the study.

Those with ASD spent more time playing video games and watching TV than spending time on physical or pro-social activities (including spending time on websites like Facebook or Twitter). The opposite was also true: typically-developing children spent more time on non-screen-related activities than they did watching shows or playing on the PS3 or the Xbox 360, according to the soon-to-be-published study.

“Many parents and clinicians have noticed that children with ASD are fascinated with technology, and the results of our recent studies certainly support this idea,” Mazurek said in a statement. “We found that children with ASD spent much more time playing video games than typically developing children, and they are much more likely to develop problematic or addictive patterns of video game play.”

In a separate study of 169 boys with ASD, excessive video game use had been linked to oppositional behaviors, such as refusal to follow directions or getting into arguments with others. Mazurek said that the issues will need to be further examined in future, closely-controlled research.

“Because these studies were cross-sectional, it is not clear if there is a causal relationship between video game use and problem behaviors,” she said. “Children with ASD may be attracted to video games because they can be rewarding, visually engaging and do not require face-to-face communication or social interaction. Parents need to be aware that, although video games are especially reinforcing for children with ASD, children with ASD may have problems disengaging from these games.”

Despite those issues, Mazurek also believes that autistic children’s love for video games and television could be used for beneficial purposes. The professor believes that discovering what makes these screen-related pastimes so attractive to kids with ASD could help researchers and medical experts develop new treatment options.

“Using screen-based technologies, communication and social skills could be taught and reinforced right away,” Mazurek explained. “However, more research is needed to determine whether the skills children with ASD might learn in virtual reality environments would translate into actual social interactions.”

neurosciencestuff: Video games: bad or good for your memory? After the horrific shooting sprees at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in 2007, players of violent video games, such as First Person Shooter (FPS) games, have often been accused in the media of being impulsive, antisocial, or aggressive. Positive effects However, the question is: do First Person Shooter games also have positive effects for our mental processes? At the University of Leiden, we investigated whether gaming could be a fast and easy way to improve your memory. Develop an adaptive mindset Indeed, the new generations of FPS (compared to strategic) games are not just about pressing a button at the right moment but require the players to develop an adaptive mindset to rapidly react and monitor fast moving visual and auditory stimuli. Gamers compared to non-gamers In a study published in Psychological Research Journal, Dr. Lorenza Colzato and her fellow researchers compared, on a task related to working memory, people who played at least five hours weekly with people who never played video games.   More flexible brain The researchers found that gamers outperformed non-gamers. They suggest that video game experience trains your brain to become more flexible in the updating and monitoring of new information enhancing the memory capacity of the gamers. Video about the research

neurosciencestuff:

Video games: bad or good for your memory?

After the horrific shooting sprees at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in 2007, players of violent video games, such as First Person Shooter (FPS) games, have often been accused in the media of being impulsive, antisocial, or aggressive.

Positive effects

However, the question is: do First Person Shooter games also have positive effects for our mental processes? At the University of Leiden, we investigated whether gaming could be a fast and easy way to improve your memory.

Develop an adaptive mindset

Indeed, the new generations of FPS (compared to strategic) games are not just about pressing a button at the right moment but require the players to develop an adaptive mindset to rapidly react and monitor fast moving visual and auditory stimuli.

Gamers compared to non-gamers

In a study published in Psychological Research Journal, Dr. Lorenza Colzato and her fellow researchers compared, on a task related to working memory, people who played at least five hours weekly with people who never played video games.  

More flexible brain

The researchers found that gamers outperformed non-gamers. They suggest that video game experience trains your brain to become more flexible in the updating and monitoring of new information enhancing the memory capacity of the gamers.

Video about the research