Labels Shed Light on Your Perfect Bulb

Labels Shed Light on Your Perfect Bulb 

(NewsUSA) - In today's health-conscious times, chances are you read the labels of grocery items at the store before tossing them into your cart. And if you've ever accidentally shrunk a favorite sweater, it's a safe bet you check clothing labels before putting them in the washing machine. But when was the last time you checked the label when purchasing light bulbs?

"The labels on light bulb cartons are mandated by the Federal Trade Commission, and like food labels, they are designed with the consumer in mind," says Terry McGowan, director of engineering and technology for the American Lighting Association (ALA).

Light bulb labels answer the question: What kind of performance should you expect from this light bulb when you buy it and install it in your light fixture? In addition to factors like brightness, energy costs and wattage ratings, bulb labels also focus on the light's appearance, which is described in words such as "warm" or "cool" and also in Kelvins.

Kelvins Count

The color you see from light bulbs involves two components.

"The first component," says McGowan, "is what you see when you look at the bulb itself -- that's the overall tint or tone of the light. You might look at the bulb and say that it looks 'cool' or 'warm.' That color characteristic is called 'chromaticity,' and for bulbs used for residential lighting, chromaticity is expressed in Kelvins, such as a bulb of 2700 Kelvins, or 2700K.

"The second component is color rendering," says McGowan, "which is more subtle than chromaticity because it involves much more human judgment about what the eye is seeing. Color rendering, expressed as a number using the Color Rendering Index (CRI), describes how lifelike or natural people and objects appear."

Natural daylight and standard incandescent bulbs have a CRI of 100, with all other light sources being measured against them. For example, if a bulb has a rated CRI of 80 or 90, that means the light from that bulb will not render the colors of objects or people as well as if they were in natural daylight.

New bulb technology, particularly with LED bulbs, means bulbs are available in myriad brightness levels and colors.

An ALA retailer can help you select the perfect light bulb to provide the best color and ambience for your home. To find your closest ALA-member store, go online to americanlightingassoc.com.

High Tech Pearls Are Captivating the Younger Jewelry Consumer

High Tech Pearls Are Captivating the Younger Jewelry Consumer

(NewsUSA) - Pearls are the perfect, malleable medium for today's ever-changing fashions. But don't mistake some of today's modern pearls with Grandmother's simple strands. Add a little tech, color and carvings, and you take that classic right into the 21st century. Yes, it's true: Today's pearls are appealing to a new generation that is discovering their beauty and luster while enjoying some amazing new characteristics.

Think pearls can't be high tech? Think again! One designer in California, Chi Huynh of Galatea Jewelry by Artist, is known for creating numerous variations on the cultured pearl. His latest invention (patent pending) is called the Momento Pearl. To make it, Huynh inserted a tiny NFC chip into a cultured pearl. When you use it in combination with the company's proprietary Galatea App, you can upload voice and text messages, images and web links. Simply tap the pearl against an Android phone to hear the voice message and see what you've uploaded.

How about a little color in your pearl? Huynh has also patented a cultured pearl with a colored stone bead inside. When the pearl exterior or nacre (pronounced "nay-ker") is carved, the color is revealed. Described as one of the greatest developments in pearl culturing since Kokichi Mikimoto invented the process in the early 1920s, the "Galatea Pearl" is one of the rarest pearls in the world. They are available as pendants, earrings and rings in 14k gold.

Why not carve pearls like marble to make miniature sculptures? Hand-carving pearls have always been a hallmark of Huynh's Galatea jewelry designs. More than 75 percent of the company's jewelry use carved pearls rather than the more traditional smooth-surfaced pearls. Normally, pearls are valued for their color, luster (the "shine" on its exterior), uniform and blemish-free surface. Huynh revolutionized traditional beliefs about cultured pearls, calling his carved pearls, "Pearls without Boundaries." They may not be for pearl traditionalists, but that's what makes them so appealing to a younger audience.

And speaking of that younger audience, the company's "King Pearls" are large, dark Tahitian pearls with unique carvings depicting dragons, dolphins, crosses and other modern designs.

All in all -- with pearls on center stage with fashionistas -- pearls are a jewelry mainstay whose time it is to break out of the box. And Galatea is just one company that has proven this to be true.

For more information, please visit www.galateausa.com.

Remote Possibilities: Where Mobility and Productivity Meet 

(NewsUSA) - There is a revolution that has been taking place for quite some time in the business world, and it's changing the way workers use the telephone and companies do business.

Chances are you've heard of it. It's called Internet telephony, and experts agree that, among other things, it has made office PBX systems obsolete while increasing employee productivity by allowing a very mobile workforce to stay connected to their business lines, no matter where they're working from or which device they're using.

In short, this not-so-new technology is making the phone system digital in a way that takes advantage of the Internet and of any phone or computer attached to it.

To that end, Switch, a San Francisco-based communications company, is taking the cloud-based business phone concept to the next level by creating a system that can be integrated with Google Apps and, most recently (and notably), Microsoft Office 365.

"Work is a thing you do, not a place you go," said Craig Walker, CEO of Switch Communications. "We understand the value of mobility and giving people control over the tools they need to be productive, and Switch is designed with them in mind."

For Office 365 users, this latest development by Switch can accelerate employee productivity by integrating with Outlook mail, Outlook calendar and LinkedIn. Users can log in with their Microsoft credentials, have their Outlook contacts instantly synced, have their calendar and email integrated so they can see the most recent shared emails and appointments when on a Switch call, and have instant access to the always-current corporate directory.

Ease of administration is critical for a business of any size. Switch's design makes it easy to sign up in less than a minute using dropdown menus to let you set up a virtual receptionist for your company, set business hours to keep your cell phone from ringing at night or on holidays, record custom greetings, add department lines and more.

"Regardless of productivity suite, platform or size -- your business can be an enterprise or a three-person shop -- with Switch your phone system and your experience is and should be the same: easy-to-use, scalable and with the flexibility of a true cloud service."

The cost for companies of any size is a mere $15 per month per employee, including a free company number and unlimited domestic calls and texts.

"Switch makes sense for anyone who realizes their business phone system that serves a desk is broken," says Walker.

Visit www.switch.co or call 844-9-SWITCH to learn more.

Colonoscopies Get a Lot Easier Thanks to Technology

Colonoscopies Get a Lot Easier Thanks to Technology 

(NewsUSA) - Turning 50 seems to come with its own set of challenges, unlike any other age -- be it mental, emotional or physical. It's also when your doctor is likely to start urging you to get a colonoscopy even if you do not have any symptoms.

But what used to be an unpleasant, albeit necessary and routine procedure, has now become much less invasive, thanks to new technology. The "virtual colonoscopy" (or CT colonography) is now an option for most people who can't or don't want to get a standard colonoscopy. It's being embraced by many doctors and insurers nationwide.

Like its traditional counterpart, the virtual colonoscopy entails drinking a laxative 24 hours prior to the procedure. Unlike the traditional colonoscopy, which involves a long camera-tipped tube, the virtual exam inserts only about a two-inch soft tube that sends small puffs of gas to fill the colon so that a low-radiation dose computer-assisted CT or "CAT" scan can produce two- and three-dimensional views of the colon. The entire procedure takes about 15 to 20 minutes, so you don't need to be put to sleep and you can go right back to daily activities.

"It's very good in screening, and the patient's downtime is less," Dr. Guy Barat, a radiologist at Community Hospital in New Port Richey, Florida, told the St. Petersburg Times in an interview.

Some diehard traditionalists opine that you still would need a traditional colonoscopy to remove anything found by a virtual colonoscopy. However, the vast majority of exams don't find anything wrong, and the virtual test has been shown to dramatically increase screening rates. The virtual colonoscopy is an American Cancer Society-recommended screening exam. Even President Obama opted for a virtual colonoscopy over the standard test.

Experts say that the new technology can detect polyps the size of small blueberries, as well as cancer and other diseases. For the more than 140,000 Americans that are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year, with nearly 50,000 dying largely due to late detection, this screening is vital.

The exam has been FDA approved since 1995, and major insurers, including Cigna, United Healthcare, Unicare, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and others, now cover their members for virtual colonoscopies to screen for colon cancer.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) says the last obstacle to tackle is to somehow get Medicare to cover beneficiaries for this life-saving exam so that seniors can have the same screening alternative as those with private insurance.

Currently, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force is examining virtual colonoscopies. A "passing" grade from the USPSTF could lead directly to Medicare coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

For more information, please visit RadiologyInfo.org.

Reading Program Is 'Changing Lives One Student at a Time'

Reading Program Is 'Changing Lives One Student at a Time' 

(NewsUSA) - While parents may understand the importance of reading to their kids at an early age, not all children are born bookworms.

In fact, according to a report released last year by Common Sense Media, adolescents aren't reading for fun much anymore and their reading achievement hasn't increased for more than two decades.

Among the findings: girls tend to read 10 minutes longer than boys; and adolescents read more than teenagers.

And yet, one high school is challenging and exceeding this research by promoting and using a reading program that is not only helping its students understand and comprehend literature, but motivating them to read more.

Reading Plus (www.readingplus.com) is an online reading program that changes how, what, and why students read, and according to Jayne Ellspermann, the 2015 National Principal of the Year at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla., is helping her students to develop a confidence in reading that wasn't there before.

"We have students who have mastered their basic needs, but what we really appreciate about Reading Plus is the opportunity for students, once they're empowered, to exceed what we would have thought was their potential as they progress through this program," says Ellspermann.

"As they are empowered, as they increase their reading potential, we are able to leverage Reading Plus to allow these students to become college ready, to increase their ACT and SAT scores, so that the possibilities for our students are limitless."

The program targets specific skill gaps and helps to push students to meet their goals. In addition to developing basic proficiency, the program can help students move beyond grade-level reading and advance toward college-readiness.

Ellspermann hopes that through the use of the Reading Plus program, students will be empowered and inspired to pick up a book prior to National Reading Day on January 22 (http://national-reading-day.org).

"Reading Plus is changing lives one student at a time every single day," says Natasha Murphy, the 2014 Florida Reading Association High School Reading Teacher of the Year "I'm able to see this change in my students daily. And it's an amazing thing."

For more information, visit www.readingplus.com.

BrainStormers: Backyard DIY Inventors Tackle Weather, Test Ingenuity

(NewsUSA) - For over 30 years, The Weather Channel has inspired viewers to explore, investigate and appreciate how it's amazing out there by providing the latest weather information for the modern era. The network continues to explore this connection with its newest original primetime series, "BrainStormers," where weather will be both the teacher and the enemy.

The series follows three backyard inventors, Rob "Poppy" Parker, Ryan Parker (a father, son duo) and Bill LeVasseur (Ryan's best friend), who channel their inner MacGyver by building and testing inventions that either fight inclement weather or harness its power for everyday use -- while on a budget.

From their Colorado-based workshop, the three men test their ingenuity and tackle weather issues by repurposing what some may consider junk. Sometimes the builds required our BrainStormers to start from scratch, and other times they were called upon to help other backyard inventors improve their projects. Every build comes with its own unique set of challenges, from creating a homemade mosquito trap or solar water heater to fixing a nearby town's wind generator.

Here are some of the creative inventions you can expect to see on "BrainStormers":

* A beer can heater. A Denver friend needs a low-cost fix to make her drafty bedroom warmer. So, the team decides a solar heater could work, but would require expensive aluminum tubes to transfer the sun's radiation to heat. What to do? Use beer cans, of course. By using rows of black-painted beer cans in a sealed wooden box, the team finds a solar heater can be built for pennies on the dollar.

* A snow maker. If you think living in Denver means enough snow for even the most die-hard snowboarder, think again. This is the issue for Seth Hill, a pro-snowboarder who wanted to make practice runs near his house when he's not on tour. He enlists the BrainStormers team to build an inexpensive snowmaking machine by using a junkyard power washer.

* A "swamp bucket cooler." An Arizona housewife can't take the high temperatures in her kitchen, and the family is tired of ordering takeout. They enlist the BrainStormers for a portable and low-cost way to cool the kitchen. The BrainStormers determine that an evaporative cooling system would work best for Arizona's high heat and low humidity, but how do you make it so it is small and inexpensive? Well, you'll just have to watch to find out.

For more information, visit www.weather.com/tv.

How to Protect Yourself From Cyber Attacks

How to Protect Yourself From Cyber Attacks  

(NewsUSA) - When business giants Target, Home Depot and Sony got hacked, and personal information was compromised, data security, once again, became a hot topic and household word.

Sure, you know you need to do more to shield your identity, but let's face it, you can only do so much to protect yourself, and even that is reliant on other people or companies. Unfortunately, these same entities can clearly be careless.

When people aren't careful, the Internet can become a playground for criminal activity. Whether you're checking your email, banking information or doing some online shopping, you have already put yourself at risk of having your identity stolen.

Criminals have developed several ways to obtain personal data from innocent Internet users. According to the United States Department of Justice, cyber criminals can take over an individual's identity to conduct a wide range of crimes. Criminals like to make fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts because victims usually don't become aware of the criminal activity until substantial and irreversible damage has already been done.

Enter Gabriel, a set of secure communication apps derived from a U.S. Department of Defense project and created by VirnetX, an Internet security software and technology company.

Gabriel transmits information using automatic virtual private networks with military-grade encryption. Think Cryptograms.

"Gabriel has been designed and built with personal privacy and security as a foundational principle," says Dr. Robert Short, VirnetX Chief Technical Officer and Chief Scientist. "As a result, Gabriel provides uncompromising data security? users do not have to transmit data to, or store data with, any third party, including VirnetX. Users can therefore rest easy that their data is stored only on their devices."

Other benefits from using Gabriel include:

* Making free voice or video calls or sending instant messages to other Gabriel members in your network.

* Receiving spamless e-mail.

* Allowing for person-to-person messages that disappear once the session has ended.

* Sharing pictures or files with other trusted Gabriel users in your network directly from your personal device.

All of the above is done with other members of your network with the assurance that the transmissions are secured with end-to-end encryption.

Simply put, Gabriel makes your online communications invisible. Think of it this way: if the bad guys can't see you, they can't attack you.

Gabriel is free to try. For more information, please visit www.gabrielsecure.com.