The case against e-readers: Why reading paper books is better for your mind.

You got an e-reader over the holidays. What should you load it up with?

Beach reads? Sure. “Ulysses”? Probably not.

We know a lot about the pros and cons of reading a hard-copy book vs. reading electronically. The problem is, many of us refuse to listen.

Don’t get me wrong: Digital reading has some real advantages. Ask people what they like most about reading on digital screens (a question I’ve put to several hundred university students in the United States, Germany, Japan and Slovakia), and you hear over and again about convenience: “easy to carry” and “compact.” We also know electronic texts (especially when they are open-access or donated) are vital for democratizing learning opportunities. Just look at projects like the Digital Public Library of America or Worldreader.

More points for digital reading: e-books tend to be cheaper than print versions (though outside America, tax structures sometimes complicate the comparison). There’s also the environmental argument. Think of the trees!

Yet the soundness of this case is arguable. The earth metals we’re using up to build e-readers and tablets are not just rare but highly toxic. And think about all that energy needed to run servers and cooling fans. And remember, trees are a renewable resource.

Then, there’s the appeal of a hard copy. What fascinates me is how many people – from teenagers to millennials to those of a certain age – prefer print when reading both for pleasure and for school or work. Drawing examples from my own research, some of the reasons are aesthetic (“charm of actually turning pages” and “scent of a new book”). Others involve a sense of accomplishment (“able to see how much I read”), ease of annotation (“I can write on the pages”), and navigation (“easy to locate where I was”). In contrast, I hear abundant complaints about eye strain and headaches when using screens.

Much of what students liked about reading print involved their minds. They said “it’s easier to focus,” “my spatial memory works best,” and “feel like the content sticks in my head more easily.” Some also acknowledged they took more time with printed text and read more carefully – not really a surprise, since digital screens encourage scrolling and hasten us along to grab the next Web site or tweet.

But the real nail in the coffin for one-size-fits-all electronic reading is concentration. Over 92 percent of those I surveyed said they concentrate best when reading a hard copy. The explanation is hardly rocket science. When a digital device has an Internet connection, it’s hard to resist the temptation to jump ship: I’ll just respond to that text I heard come in, check the headlines, order those boots that are on sale.

Readers are human. If you dangle distractions in front of us (or if we know they are just a click or swipe away), it’s hard not to take the bait.

Which brings us back to question of what sorts of readings it make sense to do onscreen and which to reserve for paper. If digital interruptions don’t threaten your enjoyment or understanding of a text (but here, you have to be honest), then medium may not matter. Casual reading like Baldacci? If you break to check sports scores, little harm done. Just don’t expect to understand much of Joyce this way.

Ontario store nets 'absurdly rare' $30Gs Gibson guitar

A 92-year-old Iowa man recently realized the guitar he bought for $35 when he was 19 and never played is now an extremely rare collector's item worth "more than a lot of cars."

Mark Stutman, who owns Folkway Music in Waterloo, Ont., said the man's kids found it when they were helping their father clean out his home. When they realized what they had their hands on, they took to Google and found Stutman's shop, globally renowned for trading and refurbishing vintage instruments.

Stutman flew to Iowa to pick up the mint-condition cherry edgeburst J-35 Gibson, which he estimates is worth some $30,000.

Stutman said he has come across a handful of these Depression-era instruments before, but nothing of this calibre.

Back when it was first sold, it was cheap and run-of-the-mill.

"It was a guitar for the masses. So they weren't really treated with the reverence that something valuable would have been treated with. This one was an under-the-bed special," he said. "He played it a little tiny bit and then got dragged off to the war. He never played it again."

What's more, he said, its cherry edgeburst finish is extremely hard to find. In 15 years of working with vintage guitars, he's only seen one other like it — and that was just in a photograph.

"This particular kind of sunburst that's on this guitar, from a collector's point of view, is absurdly rare. So the combo of absurdly rare and absurdly perfect makes it a really prized instrument."

Stutman has already received inquiries about the guitar and said it's "essentially sold."

Despite its value, he doubts it will be locked away for another seven decades.

"It will get played, albeit exceptionally carefully. It's not a guitar the buyer is going to take out to a campfire," he said. "It does sound great and it plays perfectly."

Cat Declawing May Be Outlawed In NY State

The State Assemblywoman behind the bill prohibiting humans from tattooing their pets made another good move for the animals recently by introducing legislation that would ban cat declawing.

The Daily News reports that Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal's bill, which has not yet been formally introduced in the state Senate, would prohibit declawing except if it were deemed medically necessary. Cat declawing is a highly controversial practice, with American veterinarians recently agreeing to label it an "amputation" that "should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents an above normal health risk for its owner(s)," according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

PETA, the ASPCA, and the Humane Society are all strongly opposed to declawing, with the latter referring to the procedure as "like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle." Declawing can also negatively affect a cat's ability to walk properly, and can contribute to paw irritation. Alternatives to declawing include providing domesticated cats with scratch posts, trimming claws, and gluing soft plastic caps to cats' nails to prevent them from roughing up furniture.

The bill has been backed by the Humane Society and anti-declawing group The Paw Project. Neither Rosenthal nor the Humane Society could be immediately reached for comment.

Update 1:24 p.m.: In an interview today, Assemblywoman Rosenthal told us she hoped the proposed declawing legislation would call attention to what she described as inhumane. "There's no reason to do it unless the animal has infection that is never going away, or if there is a cancer or tumor-related issue in the claw," she said. "It's basically done because humans want it done, and I don't think it's our right to mutilate our animals for our own satisfaction."

She noted that New York would be the first state with a declawing ban in place, should the legislation be enacted. "Nobody's stepped up to do it, that's why I'm doing it. People talk about it a lot, but many people still do it, and they have veterinarians who agree to do it, so that has to change. Just like there are some surgeons who will keep performing plastic surgery on their clients as long as they keep paying. It's the same sort of thing, but I think it's totally unethical to perform these kinds of amputations on cats."

The Humane Society of the United States's New York director, Brian Shapiro, offered support for Rosenthal's legislation in a statement provided to us:

People often mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a harmless "quick fix" for unwanted scratching. They don't realize that declawing includes amputation of the claw and bone to which it is attached, and can have behavioral impacts that make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite. Declawing also deprives cats of their natural defenses and can cause lasting physical problems for your cat. Instead of declawing learn how to prevent inappropriate scratching at www.humanesociety.org/catanswertool.

 

Photos by Cedar of #kitkitteh

Batman v. Superman

Over the weekend, we had the crazy rumour (one pretty much immediately quashed) that Batman v. Superman would be split into two films. It's not to be, but let's have a bit of a thought experiment - what if we did get the split movies? Honestly, I think it might have been better for DC's fledgling cinematic universe.

Look, I know, I know, before we get out internet pitchforks ready - movies suddenly becoming split two-parters is one of the most annoying trends of current Hollywood. Sometimes it works, but then others it means we get too much fluff, or two average movies instead of a single great one. But the more we've heard about Batman v. Superman, the tidbits that have come out of filming rather than the wacky rumours (and there's certainly been a whole hunk of those) just makes it seem like there's so much going on in this film that it's either going to be a completely over stuffed nightmare or a hojillion hours long. It's not just the growing feeling about there being too much going on into one movie that makes me think having two separate Batman v. Superman movies -  one more Batman focused, one Superman focused - might have been a better idea.
First off, it would've let Warner Bros. have its cake and eat it and get a whole new Batman movie out of this. We're already seeing so much of Ben Affleck's new Batman in BvS - even his parents' murder - that it sort of feels like a Batman movie featuring Superman even now, but a standalone would've let WB get the Bat-mania out of their system. As I said when WB revealed their DC movie slate, making Batman the lynch pin of the DCU could be a big mistake. Yes, Bats is by far the most popular DC hero in the mainstream audience's eyes, but making him the focus at the expense of the rest of the Justice League feels like a missed opportunity, and sort of against the point of introducing a cinematic Justice League anyway. Poor Supes is getting his own name reduced to second running in his own sequel already, for god's sake! But a separate movie for the Dark Knight could've given Warner their moment of Batman-madness again, and given space for the other characters due to show up in BvS in a movie of their own. At that point, we would've gotten to know this new incarnation of Batman already, and in turn he could've been the sort of audience viewpoint - this human hero we've seen in action and how he came to be, thrust into the world of gods and legends like Superman. As it is - and obviously this comes with the caveat that we know so little about the movie outside of questions and speculation - it feels more like we're getting a Batman movie with Superman as an ancillary character. He feels like he's the focus already, so why not let him run off into his own film before being part of Superman's story? It would've made a lot of sense.
The perceived Bat-focus is a shame too because I feel like Henry Cavill's Superman needs more time to himself. I'm not going to completely vilify Man of Steel, but it definitely had issues in its approach to both of Kal-El's personas - but above all of those problems, it feels like we barely know this Superman. Giving him a bit more breathing room away from the spotlight on Batman showing up could've given us more time with him and his relationships with the rest of Man of Steel's cast, before he's cast into the wider world of heroes and the Justice League. More time to form, and solidify into his position before we get to the interesting part of Bruce/Batman coming in and challenging his approach and world view. Going from his solo movie straight into the team movie feels like going from 0 to 100 far too quickly (although counterpoint to that, it worked for several of Marvel's cinematic heroes already!) - now that the origin retelling is established and out of the way, this could've been a great opportunity to focus on Superman and solidify the character in a way that he could then go into the team-up in a much better place. Would splitting BvS have given us that? Not necessarily, as naturally Batman would've shown up in the second movie anyway - but it would've given the separate movie a little breathing room for Clark.

But above all, the one thing that got me exited when this rumour emerged was the potential to get a movie with (the potential for) more time for Wonder Woman in it.

If Superman feels like the second banana in his own sequel, then at the moment Wonder Woman feels like the most distant third wheel. Outside of Gal Gadot's casting and the costume reveal it feels like Wonder Woman's presence is barely a drop in the ocean of Bats/Supes mayhem planned for Batman v. Superman. Giving Batman his own movie to play around in, and a second to give over to more time with Clark, there could've been the opportunity to equally expand her role in the second half of the story so she feels more like an equal to the two titular stars. Plus, the idea of exploring Superman and Wonder Woman together as characters without having to give over focus to Batman could've yielded some interesting character stuff that we might simply not have time for in one big movie. Who knows what more time between her and Clark could've brought in a BvS duology? They're a natural partnership, especially as they share sort of similar 'stranger in a strange land' parallels - Clark being Kryptonian, Diana being an Amazon - in their backstory, and it would've been interesting to see more from them without necessarily having Bruce fully on the scene yet. Yes, she's getting a standalone movie to flesh her character out, but dammit 2017 is ages away, and Diana's introduction to the DCU should be bigger than being the third wheel in a movie.

Only time will tell if Batman v. Superman can pull off everything it wants to in a single sitting - but it'll be interesting to see the movie now with this quashed rumour at the back of my mind, wondering what might have been. We might look back on it in hindsight and be glad it was false but for now, it still feels like an idea that could've done the DCU's big kick off a little more justice than what we're getting. We'll have to wait and see how it all pans out next year.

Nintendo's New 3DS XL will arrive in the U.S. in February

Nintendo's beefed-up handheld, the New 3DS XL, will be available in the United States starting on Feb. 13, the company announced Wednesday.

The New 3DS XL has been available in Japan since October. It offers several upgrades, including improved processor, more buttons and improved 3D functionality.

The New 3DS XL will come with an additional, smaller analog "nub," called the C Stick, above the face buttons on its right side. The face buttons have been colored to match the old-school SNES controller colors. There will also be two new shoulder buttons on the handheld's backside that sit next to the current L and R buttons.

The handheld will have a more powerful CPU, as well as an NFC chip compatible with the amiibo figures, which will use NFC to communicate with games such as Super Smash Bros. and the upcoming Ace Combat and Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. titles.

Microsoft has also upped its glasses-less 3D game; the New 3DS XL can also now account for head movement, giving a greater degree of viewing angle to the 3D images. This version improves the field of view to a wider angle and tracks your head.

Get To Know: ELI ESCOBAR (NYC) - Coming To The Lodge This Saturday

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By Marcus K. Dowling

It's with absolute certainty that we suggest that your favorite DJ at your favorite local nightspot loves Eli Escobar. Representing New York City, he's 20 years into a career that's seen him release a ton of well regarded tracks as a producer, but it's when he spins those tracks (and numerous others) live as a DJ where he's truly succeeded. 

2012's DC-area Redbull Threestyle DJ competition champion, Escobar's opener Spinser Tracy has quickly established himself as a DJ who is adept at seamlessly blending top-40 radio cuts and underground party favorites. A fan of blurring lines between genres, seemingly incomparable tracks have ties thatbecome readily apparent in the midst of his exciting live sets.

Here's three amazing reasons to check out Eli Escobar at The Lodge at Red Rocks...

a) He's not likely to play too many cuts with which you're not completely aware, as he's remixed a truly diverse set of artists and pop favorites including (but not limited to) Diplo, M.I.A., Britney Spears and Chromeo.

b) Unlike every other DJ you'll probably hear and see of late, Eli Escobar is truly a man of the people in that he absolutely loves requests. Regarding this, he says: "I like requests. Being a DJ and complaining about requests is like being a secretary and complaining about typing."

c) Eli Escobar's long-running Night People NYC party has spawned a similarly named record label. Night People (the party) is currently held at Output in Brooklyn, which for the purposes of DC dance fanatics is yes, the spot that is currently home to Nadastrom and DJ Sabo's NYC version of U Street Music Hall's vaunted Moombahton Massive events. A club described by Resident Advisor as "open to anyone, but is not for everyone" and "[valuing] the communal experience of music over cameras and bottle service," it perfectly describes the vibe of an Escobar DJ set.

It's a quite easy-to-argue statement that Escobar follows in a line of New York City's established standard of excellence that starts somewhere around the early 70s iconic Fire Island discos, navigates its way through The Loft, Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage. In unquestionably keeping that legendary disco and house legacy alive (with a flair for knowing how to seamlessly weave in modern styles, too) Escobar spinning a set at The Lodge at Red Rocks on Saturday January 17th is an absolute must-attend affair. More event details HERE.

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Spinser Tracy Photo by Gokateshoot.com

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How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers

Just outside Havana, in the childhood bedroom of illustrator Edel Rodriguez, a washing machine engine welded to a boat propeller has become a makeshift fan. This kind of cobbled-together contraption is common in Cuba. So are stoves that run on diesel from trucks, satellite dishes made of garbage can lids and lunch trays, and taxi signs consisting of old fuel canisters.

Cubans are masters of invention. They have to be. In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower slapped the first trade embargo on the country, and in 1961, just before leaving office, he broke off diplomatic relations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the loss of oil imports, shortages got worse. The country lost about 80 percent of its imports, and the economy shrank by 34 percent.

So Cubans learned to make do. When something breaks, they patch it up. When something doesn’t work, they fix it. And when something is altogether lost, they invent it. They grill meat on metal chairs. They seal the bottoms of cars, transforming them into boats. From the suffering of 30 years of isolation has sprung a generation of amateur engineers, inventors and welders.

“A market started with people who can rig things up,” said Rodriguez, who was born and raised in the small Cuban farm town, El Gabriel. In 1980, at age 9, he fled to Miami with his family on the Mariel boatlift, and he now lives in New Jersey. “It’s what Cubans have been in the last 60 years – just really inventive with things.”

Ernesto Oroza, a Cuban-born designer who now lives in Miami, said several factors played a role in the DIY phenomenon. A high percentage of Cubans had engineering degrees, thanks to a system of free education. Many became intimately familiar with the mechanics of the standardized socialist products found in most homes — the Soviet-designed Aurika washing machine, for example, and the Orbita fan. Plus, no one was untouched by the crisis.

“Musicians, medical doctors, workers, homemakers, athletes and architects all had to dedicate themselves to making their own things and meeting the emerging needs of the family,” Oroza wrote over email in Spanish. “The Cuban home became a laboratory for inventions and survival.”

Oroza, who has spent decades collecting, studying and writing about these objects, has a name for the phenomenon: “technological disobedience.” Cubans, he said, weren’t deterred by complexity or scale, and they learned to disrespect the “authority” of objects. That meant rethinking their original purpose and life cycle.

People scoured the city for plastic objects and industrial discards and swiped garbage from city dumpsters, which they’d grind up and inject into molds to make toys, dishes, electrical switches and footwear. The magazine Popular Mechanics was a hot commodity on the island.

“Industrial products were tinkered with and examined by hand,” Oroza said. “Cubans dissected the industrial culture, opening everything up, repairing and altering every type of object.”

Washing machine motors were especially sought after. With the warm weather in Cuba, people could do without the dryers. So they found other uses. These motors powered fans, lawnmowers, shoe repair tools and key copiers.

They were used to chop vegetables and, below, to shred coconut.

In 1992, The Cuban military issued a book called “Con Nuestros Propios Esfuerzos” (With Our Own Efforts) that detailed crowdsourced ideas on manipulating, repairing or reusing everyday objects. Among them was a recipe to turn grapefruit rind into a “steak” by marinating it with lemon juice, onion and garlic and frying it up on a pan.

With rations so scarce, much of the average Cuban day is spent hunting for the basics, said Rodriguez, who has returned several times since he left to visit family in Cuba.

“You get up at 7 in the morning, and say, ‘Where is there bread? Where do you get milk? Do you know anyone who has this?’ There’s no food in the government stores. Everything has to be hustled by connection, by someone you know or farmers. And most of it can’t be had by legal means.”

Cars, buses and other transportation vehicles are also scarce, and many Cubans illegally convert bicycles into makeshift motorcycles called rikimbilis by attaching small motors. The bikes make a “deafening noise,” Oroza said, and riders seek alternative routes through cities to avoid traffic police. Large boxes welded to trucks become buses and the bottoms of old cars are sealed shut and refashioned as boats, used by defectors.

Parents also reinvent old plastic containers as toys like helicopters, cars and puppets.

“These are people that live with objects that are always disemboweled, the electronic guts exposed, while others keep things as if they were palimpsests, scraped clean of their prior functions,” Oroza said. “And both of these practices essentially lead to a dismantling of the object’s identity.”

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2015 WILL be like Back to the Future: Nike confirms it will sell Marty McFly's self-tying power lace trainers before the end of the year

They are among the most famous trainers in film history - and according to Back to the Future, are available in 2015.

During Back To The Future II, Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, puts on a pair of Nike High Tops that automatically tighten and adjust to fit his feet - using so-called power laces.

Now, Nike has confirmed it plans to release the real thing this year.

Aside from the time travelling Delorean and coveted hoverboard, the Back To The Future franchise featured another simpler, yet equally futuristic design - self-tying laces.

Nike released a limited range of McFly's Nike MAGs with manual laces in 2011, and now designer Tinker Hatfield has revealed the power laces will arrive in 2015.   

Hatfield made these comments because 2015 was the year Back To the Future II was set in. 

Without giving a release date, Tinker confirmed that his team is working as hard as possible to deliver the Nike MAG in 2015 with Power Laces, but also reminded us all that we still have '11 and two-thirds months left in 2015″, according to Nice Kicks.

'Are we going to see power laces in 2015? To that, I say yes.'

Rumours about the technology have been circling since 2010 when Nike applied for a patent for 'automatically lacing trainers.'

It said: 'The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper.

'The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper.'

The Back To The Future-inspired Nike MAG range was then launched in 2011.

Only 1,500 models of the High Tops were made, and every pair was auctioned off on eBay.

A total of $6million (£3.5million) was raised from the sales of these shoes, and all the proceeds went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

San Francisco-based inventor Blake Bevin has already created her own self-tying laces, a prototype which she says will 'tide you over until Nike comes out with something more polished.'

Using an Arduino microcontroller, Bevin fitted a sensor to a Nike High Top.

When a person steps into the shoe, a force sensor reads the pressure of their foot and activates two servo motors, which apply tension to the laces, tightening the shoe.

A touch switch can be used to reverse the servos.

‘Back to the Future’ hoverboard fantasy becomes reality

A technology company in California is turning fantasy into reality.

Hendo Hover has created a real life ‘Back To The Future’-style hoverboard, known as the Hendo. It uses a magnetic force to float 2.5cm off the ground.

Four dinner plate-sized hover engines on the bottom of the board create a magnetic field. This, in turn, creates a secondary magnetic field which, when used over a conductive surface such as metal, enables the board to hover.

The 40kg prototype moves slowly and, according to those who have tested it, is easy to ride.

Kyle O’Neil is one of the engineers working on the project.

“Some people say it’s like snowboarding. Some say it’s like how I imagined a hover board is supposed to be, which is kind of an interesting response because no one’s ever ridden one before”, he outlined.

At the moment, the Hendo can run for around 15 minutes before it needs recharging and it only works over metal surfaces.

The developers dream about creating parks – much like skateboard parks – where people would be able to rent floating boards and ride up and down ramps. The company is also offering developer kits, so independent engineers can find new ways of using the technology.

Co-founder of the company Greg Henderson highlighted the adaptability of the technology used in the Hendo.

“The technology can go in anything. Wherever there’s a wheel, there’s an opportunity.”

The company plans to develop magnetic technologies and licence patents to builders, engineering firms and anyone else who might want to make something hover.

In the future, the creators envision their technology someday being used for trains, transporting large containers and even to raise buildings off the ground during earthquakes.

Apple Watch will launch in MARCH: Apple 'finishing up' software for $349 timepiece

So far Apple has refused to reveal exactly when it will be released, although a statement made to Apple employees suggests the release will be in 'the spring.' 

It has previously been claimed that suppliers were struggling to make enough screens and processors.

However, breakthroughs have been made in the number of successful yields for the watch's display and processor, according to Taiwan's United Daily News late last year. 

Now 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman says Apple Store employees are set to be trained in February.

'One or two representatives from many Apple Stores in the United States, depending on store and market size, will be sent to Apple offices in either Cupertino, California or Austin, Texas to learn first-hand about the Watch,' he claims.

'These training programs will take place between February 9th and February 16th.'

The employees will then train the rest of their store's staff, it is believed. 

Unveiled on September 9 at Apple's iPhone 6 launch event, the Apple Watch is the company's foray into wearable computers.

Samsung, LG, Motorola and Microsoft have already launched their own smartwatches, but Apple is expected to face unprecedented demand for its watch.

Quanta, which is building the watch, has upped its number of workers from 2,000 to 10,000 and is ultimately aiming for 20,000.

The initial round of shipments will be 3 to 5 million watches. 

Apple anticipates a total of 24 million watches to be shipped during 2015, G for Games said. 

According to 9to5Mac, Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of retail and online stores hinted at the release date when she told staff: 'We’re going into the holidays, we’ll go into Chinese New Year, and then we’ve got a new watch launch coming in the spring.'

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook unveiled the watch at a launch event in September. 

He didn't announce exactly when the watch would be available, but said it would go on sale 'early next year.'

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE APPLE WATCH

Built-in is a 'taptic engine' that responds to a subtle vibrations users feel on their wrist for notifications

The watch has a completely new user interface, different from the iPhone, and the 'crown' on the Apple Watch is a dial called the 'digital crown.'

Users can turn the crown to zoom in and out on a map, or scroll a list. The crown can also be pressed to take the user back to the home screen.

Different areas on the watch face can be customised with taps and swipes, and force touches.

The Glances feature shows info users would like to see, similar to Google Now, and is accessed by swiping the screen up from the bottom.

Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch.

Built-in is a 'taptic engine' that responds to a subtle vibrations users feel on their wrist for notifications.

It understands questions in messages and then offers pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone.

Users can also talk to the watch and send a voice reply, or have it transcribed to them.

There is no keyboard on the watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji.

Siri also is built into the Apple Watch. 

A 'source close to Apple' told The Information last month that the firm 'would be lucky to ship [the watch] before Valentine's Day'. 

Chinese New Year falls on 19 February next year, so Ms Ahrendts comments push it at least beyond this date. 

Despite the range of impressive features unveiled by Mr Cook, there was something he failed to mention: battery life.

The telling omission suggests the watch’s battery life will be the Achilles Heel of the device when it eventually does go on sale. 

Apple is said to be unhappy with the watch's battery life, and the long lead time before the $349 (£216) product ships could mean the device will be more functional once it's released early next year.

Most existing smartwatches on the market, such as Pebble and MetaWatch, tend to last up to a week on a single charge.

The closest Cook came to talking about the battery life for the Watch was saying that users would ‘charge it at night.’

During an interview in Bloomberg Business Week, Apple's senior vice president of operations Jeff WIlliams said: 'We want to make the best product in the world.

'One of our competitors is on their fourth or fifth attempt, but nobody is wearing them.'

The company's chief executive added that the Apple Watch ‘can be worn all day, for any occasion,’ but hourly figures were notably absent.

A source said Apple is unhappy with the watch's battery life, according to Re/Code. Another source confirmed to the technology site that that the battery life ‘is about a day now.’

A spokesperson for Apple declined to provide battery details to MailOnline and said they will be revealed closer to launch next year.

Like many of Apple’s other products, the Apple Watch appears to have a sealed back, which means the battery cannot be replaced. 

This suggests that the entire $349 (£216) device will have to be replaced, once the battery eventually deteriorates from constant charging and use.

Another concern is the launch of the health and activity-tracking apps on the Apple Watch, which will rely on adequate battery life for round-the-clock monitoring.

Companies including Fitbit and Withings have health trackers that are designed to be worn at night too, monitoring sleep patterns through movements.

However, if the Watch has to be charged at night, vital health signs could be missed by the gadget which Apple says will ‘motivate people to be more active and more healthy.’

Apple did, however, spend some time talking about the Watch's charging system, which combines Apple’s MagSafe technology with inductive charging. 

Apple’s silence on battery life suggests the company is still working to improve the feature. 

The success of the device could hang on whether or not it manages to do it in time.

LG launches a fridge WITHIN a fridge: Innovative design means you can hunt for snacks without wasting energy

The ultimate fridge for grazers has been unveiled by South Korean group LG.

The 'Door-in-Door Mega-Capacity' refrigerator has shelves built into the first set of doors, which then open around a second set of doors, and the main fridge compartment.

Called Model LPXS346C, the new Door-In-Door fridge model has 34 cubic feet of space, and LG claims it stops up to 47 per cent of cold air escaping each time the fridge is opened. 

The latest 'Door-in-Door Mega-Capacity' refrigerator is an upgrade to LG's existing 'Door-in-Door French-door' refrigerator.

It also features LG's Smart Diagnosis technology, which is designed to help LG's call centre staff to identify any problems that arise with the fridge remotely.

An Android smartphone app also allows users to 'record and analyse signals from the refrigerator'. 

The fridge was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas this week, and will be available later this year. There is currently no information on its cost.

The South Korean company also unveiled a washing machine with two washers that lets people save time and energy by cleaning double the amount of clothes simultaneously.

Homeowners can control the temperature and length of cycles, and set them to start, while they're out of the house using an app. 

It is powered by the mini washer, which LG calls the 'world's first compact washer in a hide-away pedestal, generating a whole new set of washing options.'

For example, muddy gym wear can be separated from whites, or silk underwear can be washed at the same time as towels on a hot wash.

When not in use, the mini washer acts simply as the pedestal for the main washer, but it can also be combined with any of LG's front loading washers. 

The system is Wi-Fi and NFC enabled and is fitted with LG's SmartThinQ technology.

This means users can program cycles using an app, including the temperature and length, while they're at work, or on their way home.

While the NFC tagging technology, means users can download pre-programmed wash cycles to their smartphones, and start them by touching the phone on the machine. 

It also has a Smart Diagnosis feature that helps users to quickly identify issues and faults.

Meanwhile, the South Korean tech giant used the event to announce its next-generation flexible phone, called G Flex 2.

It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core processor, with 2GB of RAM.

The 5.5-inch full HD curved display with a 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution and a 403 Pixel Per Inch density.

It runs Android Lollipop and the whole device is said to be 30 per cent more durable than the original model. 

Rob Kerr, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, told MailOnline: 'From an ergonomic point of view, you can see why a phone with a bend would be more comfortable when making a call, curving from ear to mouth, or when slotted into your back pocket. 

'Ultimately, though, the curved body is more a gimmick than a standout feature. Fortunately, the updated specs mean this smartphone has plenty more to shout about.'

CDC: Middle-aged white men binge drinking not just sad, its deadly

WASHINGTON — America’s binge drinkers are fueling an average of six alcohol-poisoning deaths per day and the rates are highest among non-Hispanic white, middle-aged men, according to a new government report.

Women who have four or more drinks on an occasion and men who have five or more are considered binge drinkers by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But nearly every week, more than 38 million people report consuming an average of eight drinks during one episode, or binge, the CDC found.

That kind of heavy drinking over a short period, such as two to three hours, can prove fatal.

When large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time, blood-alcohol levels rise sharply, overwhelming the body’s ability to respond. Excessive alcohol intake can shut down parts of the brain that control breathing, body temperature and heart rate.

“If we could eliminate binge drinking, we would dramatically reduce the risk of alcohol poisoning,” said Bob Brewer, who heads the alcohol program of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC.

The CDC report is the first in a decade to tally alcohol poisonings for the entire U.S. population. Most previous analyses looked at certain groups, in particular young people.

“Most previous studies have looked at college kids and young people, but the problem is bigger than that,” Brewer said. “It was surprising that the number of deaths was so concentrated among middle-age adults.”

Most of the estimated 1.5 billion binge-drinking episodes each year involve Americans 26 and older, Brewer said. But CDC researchers were surprised to find that people ages 35 to 64 accounted for three-fourths of America’s roughly 2,200 alcohol-poisoning deaths each year from 2010 to 2012.

“Contrary to conventional wisdom, there’s a lot of binge drinking that’s going on by people who are post-college age,” Brewer said Tuesday.

While binge drinking with hard liquor is more common among younger adults, middle-aged people typically binge on beer.

The CDC analysis, which studied alcohol-poisoning deaths among those 15 and older, found that alcoholism was a factor in 30 percent of the deaths. Almost 70 percent of the deaths from 2010 to 2012 occurred among non-Hispanic whites. American Indians and Alaska Natives, however, had the highest death rates from alcohol.

With 46.5 deaths per 1 million residents, Alaska had the nation’s highest death rate from alcohol poisoning, followed by New Mexico, Rhode Island and Arizona. Alabama had the lowest rate, at 5.3 deaths per million residents, followed by Texas, Illinois and Virginia. Washington state had 8.1 deaths per million residents.

States with the highest death rates were located mostly in the Great Plains and western United States but also included two New England states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

“Alcohol-poisoning deaths are a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers of excessive alcohol use, which is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Ileana Arias. “We need to implement effective programs and policies to prevent binge drinking and the many health and social harms that are related to it, including deaths from alcohol poisoning.”

U.S. prosecutors ask Poland to extradite Roman Polanski

WARSAW, Poland -- An official says that Poland has been asked to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski to the United States, where he is wanted on 1977 charges of sex with a minor.

Spokesman for the prosecutor general, Mateusz Martyniuk, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the request from Los Angles prosecutors was being forwarded to Krakow, where Polanski's case is handled.

In October, Krakow prosecutors refused a U.S. request to arrest Polanski, 81, but questioned him and obliged him to turn up on every summons. He is to film in Poland in the spring.

Martyniuk said that as a rule Poland does not extradite its citizens.

Paris-born Polanski spent his childhood and youth in Poland but lives in France. He holds Polish and French passports.

In 2010 Switzerland refused to extradite Polanski.

Cleaner air con in cars thanks to innovative high-tech device

Breathing cleaner air inside your car – who hasn’t wished for that, especially when standing in a traffic jam?

Through the condensation of water, air-conditioning systems in cars create an ideal environment for the development of fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms, causing allergic reactions in motorists.

Biochemical engineers in Poland have developed a prototype which they say removes contamination in air conditioning units inside cars using the photo catalysis of titanium dioxide to oxidize oxygen.

“The device is installed in the air-conditioning channel in this way. The radiator is outside. Inside, there is a titanium plate where, due to the electrochemical process, nanotubes appear. Thanks to that, the UV diodes lighting the titanium surface with the nanotubes cause a chemical reaction, which leads to the creation of active forms of oxygen that get rid of all the microbiological and odor contamination,” says biotechnology engineer Dawid Sobczak.

The device has been tested in a lab, using a radiator and air channel. According to preliminary tests, it eliminates up to 98 per cent of fungi, bacteria and viruses in the car’s air vents. Its designers say it is so small it can be installed in any type of car.

According to its inventors, similar systems were attempted before but the use of mercury made them too dangerous to be applied in passenger cars.

Diabetes: could bacteria provide a cure?

“When you are diabetic, you have to check your blood sugar levels. The doctor tells you to do it four times a day. So you prick your finger. A tiny drop of blood appears. You put it on the tester and within five seconds you get the result,” says Timothée, who suffers from diabetes.

Normally, it’s the job of the pancreas to control the levels of sugar in the blood by producing a hormone called insulin. Insulin is normally secreted by the so-called beta cells, but in people with diabetes, these cells are either attacked and destroyed by the immune system or unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin.

“Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the immune system attacks the beta cells. The cells die and the production of insulin stops altogether. In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells are present in the pancreas but they don’t function properly and no longer produce enough insulin,” says diabetologist Myriam Cnop from the Université libre de Bruxelles.

For the past thirty years, researchers around the world have been trying to reproduce these cells in laboratories in order to study and understand beta-cell dysfunction.

Today, a team led by Professor Raphaël Scharfmann at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) may have found the answer.

“We managed to obtain beta cells from a small piece of human fetal pancreas transplanted onto mice, but the quantities were too small,” he explains. “So we added an immortalising gene to the cells, which then grew inside the mouse. We were then able to remove them from the mouse and put them into a Petri dish. These cells will now be very useful both in order to understand how these beta cells are destroyed or become dysfunctional in some diabetic patients, and maybe one day to help develop new drugs for different types of diabetes.”

Most diabetics today suffer from type 2 diabetes – a disease linked to being overweight or obese, which has grown into a true epidemic and a national health problem in some developed countries.

But help could be at hand thanks to a bacteria called “Akkermansia muciniphila” according to Patrice Cani from the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium.

“We found this bacteria completely by chance,” he says. “There are some 100,000 billion bacteria inside the human intestine, and we’ve known for a long time that these bacteria help digest food, for instance. Here, in this precise case, we were able to show that the akkermansia was able to exchange with our human cells and alter the way our organism uses sugar, to help combat type 2 diabetes.

“So we are currently studying the possibility of giving this bacteria to patients suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes. And we hope that in a few years’ time we will have the answer to the question: can we give this bacteria in addition to a treatment to combat type 2 diabetes?,” he hopes

London is the most reviewed city in the world on TripAdvisor, but not everyone leaves happy

World-famous attractions, Michelin-star restaurants, “loads of hot sex” (if you ask Michael Gove) – London has it all for visitors. So it comes as little surprise that the British capital was the most reviewed city in the world in 2014 on TripAdvisor, the online travel site.

But not everyone is impressed. A look at reviews that place attractions in the lowest quality category – one out of five stars – has revealed a seething underbelly of discontented, angry and, frankly, grumpy visitors. This community of ‘one-starrers’, as we shall term them, have misery as their default setting, and seem to visit attractions just so they can complain about them.

Dr Johnson famously declared that “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”, and these people are no exception.  

The London Eye was the UK’s most-reviewed attraction by domestic visitors, and gained five stars from most TripAdvisor users. You can see why – the broad sweep of the Thames, set against the backdrop of the Palace of Westminster, and the towers of Windsor Castle glinting in the distance. ‘Ahem, hold on’, said the one-starrers. “Very boring, waste of time, and expensive”, wrote one.  “It’s just so boring I’m lost for words”, said another.

Then we come to the Shard, which houses the UK’s most reviewed restaurant, the Aqua Shard. This received a similar backlash, despite attracting overwhelmingly positive feedback. The one-star reviews went from the philosophical, to the absurd. One person commented that the building was “just pieces of glass”.

Another one-starrer apparently had an epiphany mid-review, questioning why he had ever visited the building in the first place. “What is so appealing about seeing the Houses of Parliament or the Millennium Wheel at a greater height and it being smaller?” he asked. Then, to round it off, one visitor had a moment of sheer genius: “Did not enjoy the view – there’s glass in the way”.

Coachella 2015 lineup unveiled: AC/DC, Drake, Jack White will headline

AC/DC is on a highway to ... Coachella.

After shaking off retirement rumors last year, the veteran rock band will headline the California music festival in April — sans guitarist Malcolm Young who left the group in 2014 due to a debilitating illness. Joining AC/DC as headliners are Drake and Jack White.

Organizers debuted the two-weekend lineup on Twitter on Tuesday. Tickets for the April 10-12 performances as well as the April 17-19 shows go on sale Jan. 7 at 12 p.m. PT.

Compared to previous years' lineups — particularly last year when Outkast, Muse, Arcade Fire, Lorde, Pharrell, Beck, NAS and Ellie Goulding performed — the 2015 roster is a bit lackluster at first glance. That crew even brought in surprise guests Beyoncé, Jay Z and Justin Bieber.

Aside from the three headliners, bright spots in the lineup include Ryan Adams, David Guetta, Hozier, Kiesza, alt-J, Florence and the Machine, St. Vincent, Tyler the Creator, FKA Twig, Run the Jewels, Kygo, Azealia Banks and Alabama Shakes.

AC/DC will have new material to showcase, as the band's 17th studio album, Rock or Bust, arrived in December. Young's nephew, Stevie, filled in for him for the album's 11 songs, and he'll continue playing rhythm guitar on the band's upcoming tour and at Coachella.

This Is What Happens When You Let People Buy All The Frozen Yogurt That Fits In A Cup For Five Bucks

A Menchies frozen yogurt chain in Dublin, California, made an offer that Roselatte and four of her friends couldn’t refuse: “Come in tonight to Menchie’s between 5-10pm and fill your cup as high as you can for only $5! We can’t wait to mix it up with you!”

And mix it up they did. Roselatte and friends walked away with an all-you-can-jam-in-a-cup haul that would make Ron Swanson himself proud (if it were meat instead of froyo). The final tally was 58 oz ($26) of frozen yogurt for $5.45 after tax. The $100 bill is there for scale, as it was the only bill in one of the friends’ wallets (Christmas money) rather than an attempt to say, “Oh, look how rich we are with our hundies and our froyo mountain.”

And don’t worry about the store. The employees reportedly loved the stunt, giving the five friends a couple of free waffle bowls for structural integrity and asking them to put the picture on Facebook to show their boss later. Now that the picture’s going viral, the store has definitely gotten their twenty-one dollars worth.

Roselatte says, “Yes we ate it all.” She added in a separate post, “And yea, while building it, we never felt more American.”

Girl Scouts unveil new cookies (and ditch others)

Taking cues from one of today's hottest food trends, the Girl Scouts are adding three new cookies to their lineup this year.

For the first time, most councils will sell gluten-free cookies nationwide. The new gluten-free options are Toffee-tastic, a buttery cookie with bits of toffee, and Trios, which mixes peanut butter, chocolate chips and whole grain oats.

The third new cookie, the Rah-Rah Raisin, incorporates another trendy item: Greek yogurt. The item is made with chunks of the tart flavor, whole grain oats and raisins.

In total, there are 12 varieties this year, though not all of them are available in each market.

Some cookie fans will be disappointed by this year's lineup. The group axed three varieties as part of the overhaul: a gluten-free pilot cookie, the Chocolate Chip Shortbread; the Dulce de Leche; and the Thank U Berry Munch cookie.

This year also marks a major tech leap for the cookie sales. Customers can now order Girl Scout Cookies through its "Digital Cookie" program, through either personalized websites or a mobile app that takes credit cards and lets people ship the cookies directly to their home.

The annual cookie sale is a big business for the Girl Scouts with sales of about 200 million boxes each year.