If you’re sitting down, don’t sit still, new research suggests

 

Fidget for your health. Scientists found no increased risk of mortality from longer sitting times, compared to more active women, in those who considered themselves as moderately or very fidgety. Credit: © Rawpixel / Fotolia New research suggests that the movements involved in fidgeting may counteract the adverse health impacts of sitting for long periods. In a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a team of researchers, co-led by the University of Leeds and UCL, report that an increased risk of mortality from sitting for long periods was only found in those who consider themselves very occasional fidgeters. They found no increased risk of mortality from longer sitting times, compared to more active women, in those who considered themselves as moderately or very fidgety. The study examined data from the University of Leeds' UK Women's Cohort Study, which is one of the largest cohort studies of diet and health of women in the UK. Study co-lead author Professor Janet Cade, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds said: "While further research is needed, the findings raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such simple movements are beneficial for our health." Even among adults who meet recommended physical activity levels and who sleep for eight hours per night, it is possible to spend the vast majority of the day (up to 15 hours) sitting down. The study builds on growing evidence suggesting that a sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health, even if you are physically active outside work. Breaks in sitting time have previously been shown to improve markers of good health, such as body mass index and your body's glucose and insulin responses. But until now, no study has ever examined whether fidgeting might modify an association between sitting time and death rates. The University of Leeds' UK Women's Cohort Study gathered information on a wide range of eating patterns of more than 35,000 women aged 35 to 69 who are living in the UK. The new study analyses data from a follow-up survey sent to the same women, which included questions on health behaviours, chronic disease, physical activity levels and fidgeting. More than 14,000 responses were received. Study co-lead author Dr Gareth Hagger-Johnson from UCL, who conducted the data analysis, said: "Our results support the suggestion that it's best to avoid sitting still for long periods of time, and even fidgeting may offer enough of a break to make a difference." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Leeds.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Gareth Hagger-Johnson, Victoria Burley, Darren Greenwood, Janet E. Cade.Sitting Time, Fidgeting, and All-Cause Mortality in the UK Women’s Cohort Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2015 DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2015.06.025

$30,000 Turntable Makes Your LPs Sound Like a Million Bucks

 

Click to Open Overlay GallerySpiral Groove If you’re looking for some exciting high-end audio gear to trick out your weekend bungalow on Maui, you should give the new Spiral Groove turntable a look-see. The new SG1.2 turntable is a redesigned version of the Berkeley, California company’s award-winning SG1.1, a model that came out in 2007. In the world of audio products, “high-end” is code for expensive: Each of the new SG1.2 turntables costs $30,000. If you invested in one of the older SG1.1s a few years ago and you’re feeling burned right now by the shiny new business, take a breath: Spiral Groove will upgrade your SG1.1 with all the new tech for just $6,000. What’s new? The turntable is 20 pounds heavier, with a newly redesigned platter (the part where you place the record) seeing the most dramatic change. More weight was also added to the aluminum main platform of the turntable, and the feet have been retuned (with the new design borrowed from Spiral Groove’sStrange Attractors feet) to provide more vibration damping and isolation. The addition of all that weight and vibration damping is crucial for noiseless playback. Because a stylus vibrates in the groove of a vinyl record to produce noise, any additional vibrations will also be picked up by the needle, muddying up the sound. A heavier (and better-isolated) turntable will vibrate less when you walk around the room or crank up the volume, so the records you play on them will sound better too. One more nice design detail: The tonearm assembly is attached to the body of the turntable by a bayonet mount, and you can pop it off with a push of a button. This lets you keep several tonearms, each pre-balanced and mounted with a unique stylus, at the ready for different styles of music you may want to listen to. So, you can use your Oracle SME V tonearm mounted with a Linn Troika cartridge for your 1971 pressing of Tago Mago, then use your Rega with a Grado Prestige for that copy of The Ramones’ Rocket to Russia you found in the dollar bin.   www.wired.com

Cool friendship between cats and dogs

 

Montagem do modelo SLR - MBenz–imagens antigas > +/- 2006

 

Small Burton Peninsula Home

 

A 480 square feet cottage built over the water on the tip of Burton Peninsula in Vashon, Washington.

 

http://smallhouseswoon.com/small-burton-peninsula-home/

The Mill House

 

 

Mon Reve

Dog Salon/Home

 

 

Advanced winglet on show as Boeing 737 MAX heads to final assembly

 

The 737 MAX team remains on track to roll out the first completed 737 MAX by the end of the year and fly it in early 2016 (Credit: Boeing) Image Gallery (4 images) In June, Boeing’s new 737 MAX single-aisle airliner began wing assembly in Renton, Washington. Since then, the first fuselage arrived from Wichita, Kansas, and is now undergoing final assembly, which includes installation of a new advanced winglet designed to improve fuel efficiency. The fuselage arrived by rail on August 21 and after installing flight systems and insulation blankets the mechanics have moved on to attaching the wings to the body of the first test aircraft. This assembly is more than just a milestone in the building of a new class of passenger aircraft. It also acts as a testbed for new assembly methods that, if proven, will be introduced at two other Renton assembly plants as 737 MAX production expands. In addition, the first 737 MAX sees the introduction of Boeing’s new Advanced Technology winglets, which the company says increase fuel efficiency by 1.8 percent over conventional winglets by capturing more air as it flows off the tip of the wing and turns it into lift. An in-house design exclusively for the 737 MAX, it's based on the blended winglet used in the 737 NG and the raked winglet of the 777. Instead of a much larger winglet, it splits the area into two to create a dual-feather design. This allows for greater efficiency without greatly increasing the size and weight of the winglet. Boeing says the design has undergone wind tunnel tests in Farnborough and Seattle with positive results and this first test aircraft will see the winglet fly for the first time. The 737 MAX is scheduled for rollout later this year, with the first flight in 2016 and the first customer delivery in 2017. Boeing reports that it has orders for 2,869 of the aircraft from 58 customers. Source: Boeing   http://www.gizmag.com/boeing-737-max-final-assembly-winglet/39471/

Haiku bike computer is geared towards commuters

 

Haiku displays small arrows for navigation to guide you through the streets Image Gallery (4 images) Bike computers are certainly practical for more serious cyclists who are looking to gain an edge wherever they can. But most of us don't need fancy fitness or altitude data to get from A to B. French startup Asphalt Labs has developed a gesture-controlled ride assistant that brings some basic but useful functions, like navigation and call alerts, to the handlebars of commuters. After installing a mount on a bike's handlebars, Haiku can be clipped into place and held in position with magnets that are claimed to be strong enough to prevent the device from bouncing out when riding over bumpy terrain. From here it communicates with a paired smartphone over Bluetooth 4.0, pulling data for turn-by-turn navigation, message and call alerts, along with displaying speed. They screen remains blank while in standby mode, but an LED along the left edge changes in color to indicate what information can be accessed. A small wave with a hand or finger will bring up the bike computer when the light is green, while blue represents a call or message alert. Yellow will pull up the ongoing navigation, though this also pops up automatically when within 100 m (109 yards) of a turn. You will need to enter your destination in your smartphone before hopping aboard for the navigation to work, but from there small arrows will be displayed to guide you through the streets. It is possible to configure Haiku to upload your rides to Strava, and it also works with Google Fit and Apple's HealthKit. The casing is also claimed to be rated IP65 weatherproof, so it won't be affected by rain. The computer is charged via Micro USB, with each charge providing 12 hours of use. It is compatible with the iPhone 4s or later, and the Samsung S3, Motorola G and the Nexus 5 or later. The company has turned to Kickstarter to raise funds and bring Haiku to market. Pledges of €70 (US$78) are available at the time of writing, with shipping slated for May 2016 if all goes to plan. Source: Haiku   http://www.gizmag.com/haiku-bike-computer/39527/

Trinity portable wind turbines switch between vertical and horizontal blade settings

 

The portable Trinity 50 is the smallest of the Trinity line and weighs 1.4 lbs (0.65 kg) Image Gallery (12 images) Think of wind turbines and massive blades spinning above Kansas prairies or off Danish coastlines are probably what comes to mind, but Minnesota-based Janulus has developed something a little more portable. Having found crowdfunding success in 2014 with its 12-inch (30 cm) cylindrical vertical axis (Savonius) type Trinity wind turbine, the company is now returning to the well for an updated version that is available in four different sizes and switches between horizontal and vertical axis form factors. Last year’s Trinity 50 wind turbine included an internal 15-watt generator with USB ports and would generate enough power in one hour from a 10 mph (16 km/h) breeze to charge a cell phone. Janulus (previously known as Skajaquoda, which proved too difficult for many to pronounce) has now redesigned the Trinity 50 to convert into a three-blade, horizontal type wind turbine with 50-watt generation that sits alongside three new additions – the Trinity 400, 1000 and 2500. These are basically larger versions with increasing size and levels of power generation, and which also convert from horizontal to vertical axis turbines. The Trinity 2500, the largest of the line, is especially compelling for its power generation and portability. Standing at 39 inches (100 cm) without its 40-inch tripod stand unfolded, the unit weighs 42 pounds (19 kg) and comes with a 2,500-watt generator that charges a 300,000-mAh lithium-ion battery pack. According to Agust Agustsson, vice president of Janulus, the Trinity 2500, "generates and stores power to run small appliances or to charge your home, electric car and laptop, phone or other gadget." Folded up in its cylinder tube carrying case, each Trinity fits easily in the trunk of an electric car. Besides portability, other features of the Trinity wind turbines are their ease of use and low cost. Inverter, batteries and controllers are built in to the unit, while the wind turbine is essentially plug-and-play. This allows the Trinity to plug into a wall socket and convert the power it generates and stores to provide power to all other outlets – no electrician is required. The unit also switches automatically between charging devices from the battery or directly from the turbine, depending on how much electricity is being generated. "We come from a country that is completely run on renewable energy," said Agustsson of his native Iceland. "After spending a few years in the USA we witnessed both the high cost of electricity and the harmful effects of the carbon fuels used to create it. We built our first wind turbine to lower the energy bill and that was the beginning of the development process of the Trinity. We wanted to design a portable product that gave people easy access to sustainable energy." Wind turbines are especially advantageous for the company’s home in the upper Midwest of the U.S., with its long, cloudy winters and higher than average wind speeds. The minimum speed for the Trinity to work is 4 mph (6.5 km/h). Once speeds reach 25 mph (40 km/h), the turbine can be converted to the vertical setting. The Trinity also comes with a smartphone app, which allow users to monitor the battery level, turn the blades on or off, see how much electricity is being generated as well as the historical data of wind and energy generated. Agustsson expects the Trinity to begin shipping at the beginning of 2016 if all goes to plan. Pledge levels range from US$399 for the Trinity 50, to $5,999 for the Trinity 2500. Sources: Janalus, Kickstarter   http://www.gizmag.com/trinity-portable-wind-turbines/39522/