Overheard at GMM HQ
"It's called the 'no one likes a crummy website phenomenon'." – Valerie discusses how user experience impacts SEO in our latest blog.
WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS BUZZING ABOUT
BUT THEY MAKE COOL BALLOON ANIMALS
The FDA announced a plan to ban the majority of powdered gloves in the United States, stating they pose an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury to healthcare providers, patients and other individuals who are exposed to them. Rewind. Aren't gloves supposed to protect us?!
JUST BECAUSE IT FITS, DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD WEAR IT
The powder occasionally used by surgeons and nurses to make gloves easier to take on and off can cause serious respiratory allergic reactions. No es bueno.
THE 411
The FDA determined that the wide availability of similar, non-powdered gloves meant a ban would have little, if any, impact on medical practitioners. Let the (powdered) balloon animals commence!
THE EYES HAVE IT
A contact lens that enables telescopic vision was unveiled at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Jose, California. Step aside, Google glass.
WINK, WINK. NUDGE, NUDGE.
The futuristic lens is 1.5 mm thick and uses small mirrors that bounce light around to create a very thin telescope that, in combination with compatible "smart glasses," responds to the users winks to zoom in and out. Jason Bourne may or may not have been on the testing team.
THE 411
The new contact lenses, a more advanced model of a prototype introduced in 2013, are made with a rigid lens known as a scleral lens— larger in diameter than the more familiar soft contacts, but useful for special cases. Don't expect to see these bad boys at your local LensCrafters any time soon.
MONKEYING AROUND
Researchers at Duke University recently demonstrated that a monkey can control a wheelchair—with just its mind.
THIS SH*T IS BANANAS. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
The monkey was placed in a wheelchair a short distance away from a treat while researchers listened to their "thoughts" via electrodes measuring brain activity. Once a pattern was detected, researchers programmed the wheelchair to respond to that pattern of electrical signals. Mind blown (literally).
THE 411
The study represents a huge leap in the field of "brain-machine interfaces" that hope to utilize similar technology for quadriplegics and others who have lost the ability to voluntarily use their muscles.
GOOD TO KNOW
Meldonium, a medication for lack of blood flow in heart failure patients, is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's no-fly list. But don't take our word for it, just ask Maria Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned substance at the Australian Open. Oops. #backhanded
