f.lux Update Helps Your Tired Eyes While Looking at Computer Monitors at Night

flux update health somegadgetguy screen clor brightness temperature (1)f.lux is one of my favorite “lifehack-y” finds, and it gets installed on every computer I use. Basically it changes the color temperature of your display based on time of day. At night, instead of pure bright white light hitting your face, it’s softened to a warmer orange-y glow. It’s really nice, and it’s helped me tremendously with late night eye strain. It also helps take some of the edge off my internal clock as it gets closer to bedtime. My eyes aren’t being bombarded with sunlight grade light right before I shut off the light and try to sleep.

Well this little body science piece of software is getting a pretty robust update. Users can now customize an even wide range of color temperatures, and new hot keys allow for quick adjustments. Old f.lux would only disable color adjustments for an hour. Now you can manually engage or disable changes, or program in time periods to disable if you’re doing work on color sensitive things like photos and videos.

Best of all this is still a free software tool. It’s jarring the first couple times your screen colors change, but if you stare at glowing rectangles late into the evening like I do, your eyes will thank you for it.

Grab it now at http://justgetflux.com, or hit the jump for more info.

flux update health somegadgetguy screen clor brightness temperature (2)

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Liftware Launches Hardware Stabilized Utensils for Those Suffering from Tremors

spoonInHandPlantTech can do some pretty cool things. Sometimes grand things like giving a voice to the voice-less. Sometimes it’s something as small as making a meal easier.

Liftware makes something really niche, but kind of cool. Using a battery and gyros, they’ve made a hardware stabilized eating utensil. Something we able-bodied folks might take for granted, but for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, or any other disorder which might result in tremors and shaking, meals can be frustrating or embarrassing.

Liftware compensates for some of that shake, and it might make enjoying a nice bowl of soup a less trying endeavor. The company has released a launch video to show off the new stabilizer, and for more info check out: http://www.liftlabsdesign.com/

Liftware Launch Video from Lift Labs on Vimeo.

The world’s craziest toothbrush cleans your teeth in six seconds and is 3D printed

This somehow looks even more torturous than our normal dental care instruments…

Pledge to reduce distracted driving! #ItCanWait ‘Drive 4 Pledges Day’ – September 19th!

it_can_wait_logoDistracted driving is becoming one of my primary technology “cause” issues. As tech becomes more fashionable, as we integrate data into more and more of our waking day, we’ve still yet to completely crack the user experience of interacting with technology while operating a motor vehicle. Some day we’ll have better solutions like heads up displays and eye pieces, probably used in conjunction with driver-less cars, but that day has not yet arrived.

Over 100,000 crashes a year involve distracted drivers. We can do better. We need to do better.

Backed by all four major carriers, the It Can Wait campaign will be sponsoring events all around the country on September 19th. During the Drive 4 Pledges Day, communities will be hosting pledges drives, encouraging their neighbors to sign the pledge to not text (or use your phone) while driving. I’ll be attending the Los Angeles pledge event to show my support.

For those of you who want to participate, but wont be able to attend community events, check out ItCanWait.com for other ways to support the cause. it only takes a moment’s indiscretion for someone’s life to be irrevocably changed.

If you haven’t yet, I would also recommend watching the documentary From One Second to the Next, directed by Werner Herzog. It’s available for free on Youtube, and I have it embedded after the break.

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Bionic Vision Australia performs 1st successful implant of prototype artificial eye.

bionic-eye_0SCIENCE!

I hate to say it, but someday, probably within my lifetime, this will be an elective surgery and I’m TOTALLY on board.

Researchers at Bionic Vision Australia have implanted a prototype “Pre-Bionic” in a patient who suffered severe vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa. Using a device implanted behind the retina connected to a series of 24 electrodes, this first unit is capable of generating pulses of light. This is a crucial first step in understanding how our “wetware” might interface with our current hardware.

Future bionic eyes will incorporate more electrodes which should result in higher quality information being fed to the brain. We’re cresting that push into true cyborg territory, and I love it!

(via Scientific Wizard)

Coming Soon: The Netatmo Urban Weather Station

netatmo urban weather station preview somegadgetguyWe recently moved, and we live closer to a highway now. We’re not in one of those areas being studied by scientists thankfully, but I’m still concerned about the effects of roadway pollution on our air quality.

Plus we moved to a hotter part of the Valley. Yikes.

I’m really curious to see how the netatmo Urban Weather Station performs. On the surface it’s a handy little way to see what the weather is like without all that pesky “opening a window” nonsense, but deeper than that it carries sensors to track air quality, humidity, CO2, and the audio level in side your home.

Handy weather and air quality reports tailored exactly to your home via a computer, Android, or iOS device.

Will report back once I’ve put it through its paces!