Beware of Snap-Map! Snapchat's GPS

From the same people who brought you Snapchat, Snap has created a new "Snap Map" feature that has some parents concerned. When the feature is not disabled, an Avatar representing the one posting is placed on their location on a map for their friends list to see. While it is true that only your friends see it, but there have been more and more scams over the years of fake accounts that this new feature poses a serious threat. The accuracy is so good, that it is easy to glean workplaces, addresses, and school locations from those who post. Snap assured the public that you can turn the feature off at any time, but there was no large announcement when the feature went online explaining in detail how it worked. The name of the game now is awareness, and double-check you children's devices before they go playing on social media, otherwise they might just be at risk.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40509281

IKEA's Snap-Together Furniture

Do you move a lot? Or possibly you just hate trying to fit your furniture in and out of the door when you purchase a new piece. Either way, IKEA might sell something to solve the problem. They are in the process of creating "snap-together" furniture, that requires no special tools, and no glue. They use a wedge dowel, which has a series of ledges that snap together, but can still be done by hand, and has been used  since 2014 for simple storage and cabinets; but now, they are working to expand its application, and put them in your home!
Source:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/design/a25572/ikea-made-their-furniture-as-easy-to-setup-as-a-jigsaw-puzzle/

Using Machine Learning to Help Cancer Patients

Depending on where you go to get treated and tested for cancer, there are different options made available based on the equipment offered at that particular location. It is common to pursue a lower cost option, however, it is common to switch treatment methods multiple times before they find the best option for that particular patient. Regina Barzilay, along with students from MIT, are working to have computers join the fight to find the best treatment possible for patients. Reading similar patient files is one major advantage. Although this is done now, a computer can do this at a much faster pace, and can collect more information than any one team of researchers could in the same amount of time. Similar symptom patterns, genetic makeups, and other factors can be grouped up into what was most helpful for who.
Additionally, computers can better analyze minuscule changes in scans of tumors - some that the average eye would have missed - and better predict how it will change in the future, setting a more accurate time table.
Hopefully this new technology will improve success rates of those with various cancers, and help get them the care they deserve.
Source:
http://news.mit.edu/2017/putting-data-in-the-hands-of-doctors-regina-barzilay-0216 

A New Use for the 360 Degree Camera?

You have seen viral videos, virtual reality videos, and much more with the use of a 360 degree camera, but a new use for this technology is starting to take off. They are beginning to come up with better versions of this camera, so that the picture you see is almost seamless, and just as clear as if you were there yourself. This opens up a way to use this artistically. By taking a 3D picture, you can let others experience that instance as well. This can be applied to capturing a city square, to taking a "groupie" with more people than your average selfie stick can capture.
Source:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603496/10-breakthrough-technologies-2017-the-360-degree-selfie/

Blue Light! What Can You Do, And What Can It Do To You?

Blue light blocker glasses are all the rage, and an increasing number of people are buying them in order to preserve their eyesight; but, is saving eyesight the only thing these glasses can help with? Blue light messes with your brain, and forces your eyes to believe it is the "awake time", even after dark. Our internal clocks run off of the light wavelengths sent, and looking at various screens, or even having a light on, can mess this clock up. By using blue light blocking lenses, you can actually improve your sleeping pattern and quality. On top of this, using these glasses can improve your mood, and has been known to help those with Bipolar Disorder. This is due to the large role that light plays in our hormones and electric signals in our bodies.
Most blue light blocking glasses are yellow in tint, but there has been some new designs where virtually clear lenses provide the same coverage with minimal color distortion. All in all, these things are pretty cool!
Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/08/11/blue-light-blocking-glasses.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030543
http://www.zennioptical.com/beyond-uv-blue-blocker

Paying with Face Scanners?!

In China, it has been discovered that high resolution cameras from multiple points of reference have been stationed in multiple institutions. It scans your face as you walk in, and can recognize you for access into specific rooms, areas, etc. However, some don't stop here at the use of facial scanners and recognition. Millions of Chinese people use Alipay, an app that only uses facial recognition as credentials. In addition, it is possible to station a scanner in your car, so that only "authorized people" may drive it away, which would help to prevent theft. But is this an invasion on citizens privacy? The technology is certainly impressive, but the thought of constantly being watched by a lens can be highly uncomfortable. What say you?
Sources:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603494/10-breakthrough-technologies-2017-paying-with-your-face/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2113176-chinese-tourist-town-uses-face-recognition-as-an-entry-pass/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/64636/china-introduces-atms-face-recognition

Google tests sugar levels with eye contacts

Over the years I've noticed that technology created to aid those with diabetes has plateaued in its research and development. Luckily, Google has broken this streak with their promising research. They have submitted a patent for digital contact lenses used to monitor sugar levels. A micro sensor determines the sugar levels of the individual, and a wireless antenna smaller than a strand of hair sends the data to a Bluetooth device. What makes this invention so wonderful, is that when the person's sugar reaches dangerous levels, it alerts the user via alarm through their application, and advises medical attention when necessary!
Source:
http://medicalfuturist.com/googles-amazing-digital-contact-lens-can-transform-diabetes-care/