Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Whole-Grain Foods Not Always Healthful: Scientific American
Whole-Grain Foods Not Always Healthful: Scientific American
- ?whole grain? refers to any mixture of bran, endosperm and germ in the proportions one would expect to see in an intact grain?yet the grains can be, and usually are, processed so that the three parts are separated and ground before being incorporated into foods. (Refined grains, on the other hand, are grains that have been stripped of their bran and germ.) For a food product to be considered whole grain, the FDA says it must contain at least 51 percent of whole grains by weight. Compared with intact grains, though, processed whole grains often have lower fiber and nutrient levels
- One problem with the current definition of ?whole grain? is that it doesn?t account for fiber?and many whole grain products on supermarket shelves contain very little
- Individuals also absorb the sugars from some processed whole grains more quickly than they do those from intact whole grains, triggering blood sugar spikes that can ?possibly increase hunger, lead to overeating and increase the risk for diseases related to insulin resistance, like diabetes and heart disease,?
- If one clear piece of advice is emerging about whole grains, it is that individuals should buy whole grains that are high in fiber: All of the diets that reduced disease risk in the ASN?s review were high in fiber or fiber-rich bran, and Ludwig and his colleagues found in their 2013 study that whole-grain foods with a ratio higher than one to 10 of fiber to total carbohydrate also contained less sugar, sodium and trans fats than other whole-grain products. People should consider cooking with intact whole grains, too, such as whole-wheat berries or spelt. And when in doubt, consumers should always trust their nutritional instincts. ?If it?s a whole-grain cookie, you probably don?t need it,? Slavin says. Deep down, most people already know that.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
British news site offers ‘Republican’ option for readers sick of royal baby news
it may be one more filter bubble - but at least it's up front.
British news site offers ‘Republican’ option for readers sick of royal baby news
British news site offers ‘Republican’ option for readers sick of royal baby news
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Top Free To Play Monetization Tricks
Gamasutra: Ramin Shokrizade's Blog - The Top F2P Monetization Tricks
From Behavioral economics of Free to Play games (Cory Doctorow)
(http://boingboing.net/2013/07/09/behavioral-economics-of-free-t.html)
- Ramin Shokrizade's "Top F2P Monetization Tricks" shows how the free-to-play world deploys practical behavioral economics to convince players to spend more than they intend to, adapting to players to hook them and then pry open their wallets wider and wider. I was very interested to learn that some games look for behaviors that mark out "spenders" and convert themselves from "skill games" (win by being good at them) to "money games" (win only by spending):
From Ramin Shokrizade's Paper
-Premium Currencies : Research has shown that putting even one intermediate currency between the consumer and real money, such as a ?game gem? (premium currency), makes the consumer much less adept at assessing the value of the transaction. Additional intermediary objects, what I call ?layering?, makes it even harder for the brain to accurately assess the situation, especially if there is some additional stress applied.
-Reward Removal : The technique involves giving the player some really huge reward, that makes them really happy, and then threatening to take it away if they do not spend. Research has shown that humans like getting rewards, but they hate losing what they already have much more than they value the same item as a reward. To be effective with this technique, you have to tell the player they have earned something, and then later tell them that they did not. The longer you allow the player to have the reward before you take it away, the more powerful is the effect.
-Social Layer : In money games that contain a social layer, this social layer is used as an added incentive to show off your ?skills? to other players that may still not realize they are in a money game. This is the purpose of the mini-leaderboards in Candy Crush Saga, to make it look like you need to try harder to beat your more ?skillful? friends.
From Behavioral economics of Free to Play games (Cory Doctorow)
(http://boingboing.net/2013/07/09/behavioral-economics-of-free-t.html)
- Ramin Shokrizade's "Top F2P Monetization Tricks" shows how the free-to-play world deploys practical behavioral economics to convince players to spend more than they intend to, adapting to players to hook them and then pry open their wallets wider and wider. I was very interested to learn that some games look for behaviors that mark out "spenders" and convert themselves from "skill games" (win by being good at them) to "money games" (win only by spending):
From Ramin Shokrizade's Paper
-Premium Currencies : Research has shown that putting even one intermediate currency between the consumer and real money, such as a ?game gem? (premium currency), makes the consumer much less adept at assessing the value of the transaction. Additional intermediary objects, what I call ?layering?, makes it even harder for the brain to accurately assess the situation, especially if there is some additional stress applied.
-Reward Removal : The technique involves giving the player some really huge reward, that makes them really happy, and then threatening to take it away if they do not spend. Research has shown that humans like getting rewards, but they hate losing what they already have much more than they value the same item as a reward. To be effective with this technique, you have to tell the player they have earned something, and then later tell them that they did not. The longer you allow the player to have the reward before you take it away, the more powerful is the effect.
-Social Layer : In money games that contain a social layer, this social layer is used as an added incentive to show off your ?skills? to other players that may still not realize they are in a money game. This is the purpose of the mini-leaderboards in Candy Crush Saga, to make it look like you need to try harder to beat your more ?skillful? friends.
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Economist: Where do you stand? (June 2013) | Benedict Pringle
The Economist: Where do you stand? (June 2013) | Benedict Pringle
"One poster questions whether government investment is best directed at the old or at the young in society. A second looks at whether booming Chinese investment in Africa is good or bad for the lives of ordinary Africans. And a third asks whether Germany’s de-facto leadership of the EU is sinking or saving it."
"One poster questions whether government investment is best directed at the old or at the young in society. A second looks at whether booming Chinese investment in Africa is good or bad for the lives of ordinary Africans. And a third asks whether Germany’s de-facto leadership of the EU is sinking or saving it."
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The future of fertility: is it really too late for a baby?
For decades women have been told that their fertility falls dramatically through their 30s – knowledge that affects their choice of career and relationship. But the biological clock doesn't run as fast as we've been told
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/14/future-fertility-too-late-baby
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/14/future-fertility-too-late-baby
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Jesse Owens : “Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me.
From Quora : http://www.quora.com/Olympic-Games/What-is-the-most-phenomenal-moment-in-Olympics-history.
I definitely think at school I learned of the Hitler snub, but definitely also never learned of the FDR one.
I definitely think at school I learned of the Hitler snub, but definitely also never learned of the FDR one.
Andy Lee Chaisiri, Writer. Artist. History fan.
1886 votes by Shirley Lu, Hongwan Liu, Viki Saigal, (more)
1936, Berlin.
'A Black American athlete defies Adolf Hitler's propaganda of the Aryan ideal'
Jesse crosses the finish line in first. Arch-racist Hitler is so infuriated that he storms out the stadium, refusing to greet him. A bold tale of personal heroism triumphing over hatred, Freedom overcoming Tyranny.
That is what the newspapers reported.
But... that is not the account Jesse gave:
In recognition of his gold medal performance, Hitler sent Jesse Owens a commemorative photograph of ... himself (I guess narcissism comes with being a ruthless dictator)
'A Black American athlete defies Adolf Hitler's propaganda of the Aryan ideal'
Jesse crosses the finish line in first. Arch-racist Hitler is so infuriated that he storms out the stadium, refusing to greet him. A bold tale of personal heroism triumphing over hatred, Freedom overcoming Tyranny.
That is what the newspapers reported.
But... that is not the account Jesse gave:
"Hitler had a certain time to come to the stadium and a certain time to leave". "It happened he had to leave before the victory ceremony after the 100 meters. But before he left I was on my way to a broadcast and passed near his box. He waved at me and I waved back. I think it was 'bad taste' to criticize the man of the hour in another country".
"When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either."
“Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.”
In recognition of his gold medal performance, Hitler sent Jesse Owens a commemorative photograph of ... himself (I guess narcissism comes with being a ruthless dictator)
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