I Don't Know Where To Put This, But...

[SubGod22]

New thread for things that probably aren't worth their own thread but I need to share for one reason or another. I don't know what to think about this new invention. Is it genius? Is it just weird? Is it both? Is it pointless? Is it some weird combination of all of those questions and more? I may need more time to process it.

These 'Moonwalker' Shoes Let You Walk at the Sped of Your Run

This summer, a pair of strap-on shoes will be available that allow you to walk at the speed of a run.

Aptly titled, “Moonwalkers” a set of eight wheels per shoe move your feet as if you were on a moving walkway at an airport.

The obvious question is, ‘how is that different from a rollerskate?’ with the answer being that the wheels move only when you do, and only when you reach a regular walking stride.

On stairs, entering or exiting public transit, or in crowded areas, the wheels won’t move a millimeter.

Designed by an American tech start-up called Shift Robotics, they accelerate normal walking pace to around 6.8 mph, around the clip of a comfortable run. Their crack team from the Carnegie Mellon Institute consisted of jet propulsion engineers, race car technicians, and running shoe designers.

“I asked myself why I never walked to work – and it’s not just me, a lot of people don’t rely on walking, which is surprising considering it’s much safer, easier and more convenient, plus it’s better for the environment,” Zhang Xunjie, founder of Shift Robotics, said in a statement.

There's a video that shows them in action. I may need to watch it when I can listen to it as well. Maybe there's a little more in that to help me grasp this as a whole.

[RoyalShock]

I'm going to need a lot more space to reach 10000 steps during those workplace wellness challenges!

[Kung Wu]

I'm gonna go with "these moonwalker shoes are badass".

[SubGod22]

Here's an interesting story. I didn't even know this was a thing.

4 Brothers Are Close to a World First, Nearing End of Epic 3000-Mile Row Across Atlantic-Raising 80k for Charity

The twins each complete 2-hour rowing sessions before rotating into the cabin for rest and recovery.

They consume around 6,000 calories a day of freeze-dried food and make their own drinking water from a solar-powered desalination unit.

The brothers are completing the challenge in aid of three local charities, and have so far raised a whopping £82,000 for the cause.

The charities are CHAT, a vital service for those struggling with housing issues in Mid Devon; the Drive Forward Foundation, which enables children and young people with experience of foster or residential care to achieve their full potential; and Friends of Kiwoko Hospital, a charity set up to support the work of the Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda.

It apparently takes about a month to row across the Atlantic. This was an interesting read and I can't even imagine what it would be like. Though I could also see how cool it would be to spend that kind of time in the middle of the ocean and who knows what kind of marine life you'd see along the way. All though, flying fish are apparently a concern.

[SubGod22]

Didn't feel that this was quite sliver of hope material, but it's a good story nonetheless.

Man Finally Meets Family That Hid Him During Nazi Holocaust 80 Years Ago - And Visits the House

An elderly Belgian man was able to meet the descendants of a neighbor who saved him from the Holocaust after his perseverant son and a helpful geneticist managed to track down his grandchildren.

The meeting was organized in the same house where a 5-year-old David Rossler was hidden along with his mother. Now 85, Rossler had a chance to thank the grandchildren for what their grandfather, Georges Bourlet, had done.

Mr. Bourlet lived in Auderghem, Brussels with his four adolescent children, Paul, Jacques, Anne-Marie, and Christiane. Together they gave shelter to Rossler and his mother towards the end of the war in 1944 after Rossler’s uncle and grandfather had already been seized and sent to Auschwitz.

In the present day, David Rossler’s son Lionel has tried for years to find the family that hid his father and grandmother. Thanks to social media and genealogist Marie Cappart at MyHeritage, he was able to track down Anne-Marie’s son Xavier.

“After browsing records and cross-referencing data, Marie found an Anne-Marie Bourlet, born in Auderghem in 1929,” said Lionel. “She discovered that Anne-Marie married someone with the surname Dedoncker and had five children—all of them possibly still alive.”

[SubGod22]

Something about this story made me want to share it. I almost didn't even click on it, but something about it made me curious.

Cheerleader Competes By Herself At State Competition, But Crowd Doesn't Let Her Feel Alone

A cheerleader competed alone at the Nebraska State High School Cheer & Dance Championship in Grand Island.

That's when something remarkable happened.

Two weeks before the competition, Morrill High School cheerleader coach April Ott broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad after three girls quit for personal reasons.

Ott told Katrina they could still go and enjoy the experience even though they would not compete.

But Katrina decided she had nothing to lose. She told Ott she was going -- and she was competing by herself.

And that's exactly what she did.

There's video of her performance at the bottom of the article. I can't hear it at work.

Gotta give this young lady props though for going out and doing something like this on her own. Even without anxiety issues, that can't be an easy task at a state level competition.

Plus she finished 8 our of 12 in her division. So there were four teams that she apparently outperformed. Maybe she's a future Creighton cheerleader.

[SubGod22]

I know we've previously had some discussion over video games and mental health. Essentially studies have found no negative impacts and that gaming can help in some cases. Obsessive behavior is the exception, but that's not a gaming thing as much as it is an internal thing that would most likely manifest itself one way or another.

But here's another study on cognitive impacts amongst kids.

Video Games Are not Associated with Harming Preteen Brains, According to a New Study

Showing that scientific work so often disproves intuitive rationalization, a recent study found that video games are not damaging children’s brains, but also that games aimed at helping children build healthy brain skills don’t actually work either.

Researchers from the University of Houston claimed that despite parents’ widespread fear, even spending 4.5 hours on a console like the Playstation or Xbox doesn’t impact kids’ brain functions.

The experts warned time spent gaming could take kids away from homework, but even that made very little impact on their brain skills versus their peers.

Professor Jie Zhang, working on curriculum and instruction at the University of Houston’s College of Education, said the study revealed no links between what video games were played, how long they were played for, and how well children performed on cognitive tests.

“Our studies turned up no such links, regardless of how long the children played and what types of games they chose,” said Dr. Zhang. “The study results show parents probably don’t have to worry so much about cognitive setbacks among video game-loving children, up to fifth grade.”

“Reasonable amounts of video gaming should be okay, which will be delightful news for the kids. Just keep an eye out for obsessive behavior. At least now we understand that finding balance in childhood development is the key, and there’s no need for us to over-worry about video gaming.”

Just make sure kids are still doing their homework and socializing to some level and I think they'll be okay.

[Shockm]

I know we've previously had some discussion over video games and mental health. Essentially studies have found no negative impacts and that gaming can help in some cases. Obsessive behavior is the exception, but that's not a gaming thing as much as it is an internal thing that would most likely manifest itself one way or another.

But here's another study on cognitive impacts amongst kids.

Video Games Are not Associated with Harming Preteen Brains, According to a New Study



Just make sure kids are still doing their homework and socializing to some level and I think they'll be okay.

Overall, I agree with your assessment. There is a lot of research that agrees with what you said, including this study. There is no study that says that all kids respond to screens the same way.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_risks_of_too_much_screen_time_for_teens

Parents, today, are more aware than ever that they need to at least be aware of the screen time that their teens are having. I think that a majority of parents today understand that they can't allow their children to use their screens as a baby sitter, and I would suspect that Social Media is likely more harmful to a teen than playing games.

If you have kids, SG, then you already know what I'm talking about because a lot of parents (maybe most) don't take chances with these issues and monitor them more now than did parents did 10-15 years ago because we know more than we used to when phones/computers became one device..

Since I don't have any kids in my household, I will refer to my adult children who are parents. They've chosen not to allow a phone with internet to their pre-teens so they can successfully monitor their kids use of the internet. The kids can call and text friends, but they don't have internet access. This compromise seems to be working for them. Their kids can't be on the internet (by themselves)without them knowing it. We all know that kids will find ways around it with friends, etc. but they (as parents) are comfortable with it.

[SubGod22]

I find this kind of cool. Not a practical home for everyone, or everywhere, but I really like the concept and can see the value of it in the right setting for the right people.

'Sliding Home' Wichita Flexible Design Can Open to Glass in Summer and Enclose for Cozy Winter (WATCH)

This $1 million ‘sliding home’ might have the perfect solution for temperamental weather—it adapts to the changing seasons by exposing its glass structure in summer and closing back up for a cozy winter.

The unique three-bedroom property in the English countryside of Suffolk, is covered by a moving ‘wooden casing’ that has been wowing house hunters since it went on the market April 5.

Footage shows the glass-fronted conservatory area sheltered by its innovative shell until the walls and roof slide backward to fully expose it to the sun.

The six-minute transformation also reveals an open-air bathroom on the first floor and a previously covered courtyard.

It ends its solar-powered retraction over a detached annex containing the third bedroom and another living area.

The architect behind the design, Alex de Rijke, described the moving shell as ‘like wearing a puffer jacket’ that can be retracted to let heat into the home and reinstated to trap it in.

The unusual home, which won Grand Designs’ ‘Home of the Year’ award upon its completion in 2009, was listed for sale at £1million on Rightmove earlier this month.

They also say it doesn't need power from the grid as it has its own solar and wind generation that powers the home. I really do like this concept. I'm just picturing having it rolled back and enjoying a good Kansas thunderstorm rolling through and being able to fully appreciate the wind and rain and more importantly the lightning.

[SubGod22]

This I found interesting and it actually makes sense. Social creatures need to be social.

Captive Parrots Are Video Calling Each Other And It's Making Them Feel Less Lonely

The findings are drawn from more than 1,000 hours of video observations of 18 pet parrots' behaviour over the course of the three-month study.

The birds learned how to call each other with the support of their human caretakers, who also took careful notes on their pets' experiences.

"I was quite surprised at the range of different behaviors," said Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a co-author of the study. "Some would sing, some would play around and go upside down, others would want to show another bird their toys."

In the wild, parrots live in large flocks. As pets, they tend to be kept alone. Video calling could reproduce some of the social benefits of living in a flock.

In total the birds made 147 calls.

There's a video in the link if you want to see it.

[SubGod22]

I almost put this is the Sliver of Hope thread, but I'm not sure if that's the right place or not. So here we are. A beautiful story that hits close to home, because it involves one of our own.

WSU - Shocker grad begins the next chapter in life with a diploma and a shiny new liver

At just six weeks old, Alissa was diagnosed with Alagille’s Syndrome — a genetic disorder that affects the liver by causing a reduction in the number of bile ducts, which can lead to liver damage and impaired liver function.

“She was very jaundiced, and her eyes were yellow, her stools were white, and she itched a lot,” said Alissa’s mother, Susan Haddock. “There was a lot of uncertainty about whether she would survive the disease. One doctor indicated that there was nothing they could do for her and be prepared for possible death.”

During surgery, doctors found that her liver was green, and her bile ducts weren’t functioning correctly. The doctor flushed out her liver and gall bladder and got her tiny body working again. But living with Alagille’s Syndrome, she was on a clock.

“The liver disease caused me to itch when I was really little,” said Alissa, a senior in graphic design. “It would itch so bad that I would have sores all over myself.”

Her family worked as a team to make life as normal as possible for Alissa despite the difficult circumstances.

“We used humor to overcome the obstacles,” Susan said. “As parents, we were always in awe by her resilience. She very rarely complains, even when she is uncomfortable or hurting. We talk, laugh and deal with her problems. We just deal with what’s in front of us and carry on.”

Over the years, there were dietary adjustments (including expensive baby formula), a handful of medications every day, and many trips to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. As she grew, Susan said it became apparent that she was very small for her age, and she needed growth hormones for several years to boost her growth.

“In growing up with the disease, what was normal to Alissa was a far cry from her friends,” Susan said. “She had to deal with looking several years younger than her friends, while often she was the oldest. She had to deal with eating properly, the itching, administering her own medication, and a constant lack of sleep. As her disease progressed, she also had swelling, food restrictions and a feeling of nausea.”

At 10 years old, she started to develop cirrhosis, and at 22 “her liver was about destroyed,” Susan said.

The constant health issues took a toll on Alissa’s mental health, too.

“I really felt like I just couldn't feel like I could do much with my life with all my liver problems. I just felt like I couldn’t move on to the next steps,” she said. “I was very aware about how I was feeling, so I would look for any kind of symptom that could possibly mean liver failure. I was a little paranoid.”

[WstateU]

I almost put this is the Sliver of Hope thread, but I'm not sure if that's the right place or not. So here we are. A beautiful story that hits close to home, because it involves one of our own.

WSU - Shocker grad begins the next chapter in life with a diploma and a shiny new liver

Uplifting story, thanks!

[WstateU]

[WstateU]

[WstateU]