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Around The Web

Flu Virus And Humidity

This is a pretty interesting article about the Flu virus and humidity:

the researchers found the virus survived best at humidity below 50%, similar to the conditions found indoors in “a really heated building,” says Dr. Marr. “The virus is happy if the mucus droplet completely evaporates and leaves it floating around” in the air.

“It’s also fine in humidities above 98%, which you find in the rainy season in the tropics,” she says, where the conditions outside resemble the environment the virus finds in the body. “But in between, in a humidity of 50% to 98%, the virus doesn’t survive very well.”

If offices, schools and other places where people congregated were to install humidifiers and keep a closer eye on building humidity, would flu’s be less problematic? In theory it could actually save a business money to pay attention to the humidity in the building and keep employees from getting sick.

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Around The Web Audio/Video

23 And 1/2 Hours

23 and 1/2 hours

This is a pretty interesting presentation on the health benefits of being active. It doesn’t take much to get the benefits. Interestingly my non-city working friends have always looked down upon my 10 minute walk to and from the office like it’s a burden (when they drive right up to their office). Ends up that’s a very healthy way to commute.

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In The News Security

Pacemaker Firewall

If you have a pacemaker or a defibrillator you may want to consider getting a firewall at some point in the future. They could potentially be “hacked“:

But hackers could transmit the same radio signals — causing a defibrillator to shock or shut down, or divulge a patient’s medical information — without needing a programmer, researchers found in a laboratory test of one model from Medtronic.

I’m surprised there’s no authentication at all on these things. Considering it’s implanted, it should at least require it’s own serial number to be sent back to it to suggest the sender is authorized (presumably because they have the serial number of the implanted device). By not responding to commands for 10 minutes after 3 wrong guesses, it would take a long time to hack. That’s pretty basic, and not foolproof (what about a mistyped serial number during an emergency?), but a start.

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Funny In The News

Not So Cool Whip

The cool guys over at Wired decided to dissect the ingredients of Cool Whip. The real fun facts are that it shares ingredients with hemorrhoid cream and sexual lubricants. Oh yea, the major ingredients are water and air.

The real stuff just contains something that came from a cows nipple. How is that for a natural alternative?

[Hat tip: Consumerist]

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Funny In The News

Shaving linked to stroke risk

A BBC article points out a possible link between shaving, and having a stroke. I guess that’s just one more reason why Chuck Norris is invincible.

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Personal

Sick

Not feeling good.

Being Sick Sucks.

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In The News

And how you you sleepy?

Good read.

Damn interesting. I don’t know what to make of it. But pretty interesting.