Year: 2015

Marketers have been predicting that mobile Internet use will surpass Internet access from laptop and desktop computers for years. And it's finally happened in at least one major country: the U.K. According to research published in Ofcom's yearly Communications Market Report, "Smartphones are now considered the most important way of staying connected by 33% of Brits, with 30% preferring their laptops." Just last year, the majority of Brits (40%) used laptops to browse the Web, while smartphones lagged behind at 22%. Similarly, smartphones are "the most widely owned web-connected device, with a presence in 66% of [British] households compared with a 65% figure for laptops," Engadget reports. A drop in prices for 4G services and faster load times are a big part of the shift. Mobile Int...

If you've been lazy about washing and replacing your bedding, it's time to kick that bad habit. A recent study has shown just how much your mattress, sheets, and pillows can affect your quality of life. According to the Daily Mail, the bed specialists at Dreams conducted a scientific study of eight-year-old mattresses to determine how much bacteria a bed can absorb over the course of its lifespan. The results, to say the least, are quite unnerving. Researchers said that every single mattress they studied was riddled with high levels of bacteria, and part of the study was learning why they tend to get so germ-infested over time. "As mattresses tend to get warm during the night, molds, yeasts, and bacteria -- which thrive in humid conditions -- can build up to worrying levels," said...

Texas health officials have filed a motion in the state appeals court to request that the state override a ruling by District Judge Tim Sulak who, this past September, stopped health officials from cutting payments to a pediatric therapy program. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is hoping to have Sulak’s decision overturned and it’s arguing that Sulak “overstepped his bounds,” says the Texas Tribune. GOP Senate leaders have been trying to reduce Medicaid spending in Texas; earlier this year, they ordered the state’s health commission to reduce state funding by $100 million. According to Chron.com, the proposed cuts could result in the loss of $200 million of federal funds as well, since the federal government matches state contributions. The majority of funding cuts ...

In Denver, a 156-foot, 155-ton crane recently collapsed in the River North district, mildly injuring a construction worker. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there was an average of 82 crane-related deaths between 1997 and 2006. Although no one was killed in the Denver incident, it highlights the danger faced by many construction workers. The construction industry couldn't function without the operation of cranes, from mobile "cherry pickers" to massive industrial cranes. Not only is construction one of the most important trades in North America, it's also one of the most dangerous. And as the most visible piece of equipment at most construction sites, crane failures often receive the most media attention. "Ground conditions, including underground hazards, soil composition,...

By now, it's a well-worn cliche that young people are too busy playing Minecraft and using Snapchat to read books anymore. At the same time, reports that young students' math and reading test scores have dropped recently are filling many parents with anxiety. According to the Nation's Report Card (officially known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress), average math scores for students in fourth and eight grade declined from 2013 to 2015. While average reading scores for the nation's fourth graders remained unchanged, eighth graders' reading scores also dropped. Not only that, but the achievement gap between poor and wealthy students stayed the same. The results are all the more disappointing because they follow years of rising test scores. Still, Peggy Carr, the head of...

"Blow-dryer anxiety is a thing..." So says Allure Associate Beauty Editor Lexi Novac on the magazine's Daily Beauty Reporter blog. She goes on, "See, I have curly hair, and since most of the top dryers don't come with a diffuser attachment, they leave my hair a sad, stringy, stretched-out mess. Well, I say enough with the silky-straight oppression." And while oppression might seem like a hyperbolic choice of words for a discussion about curly hair, it no doubt rings true for 11-year-old Makayla Fallaw. The Texan pre-teen was reportedly kicked off her cheerleading squad for her curly hair. Rather, she was allegedly kicked off the squad after she refused to straighten her curly locks, as per her team's competition guidelines. Makayla has been participating in cheerleading since she ...

The Coleman Company Inc. is arguably the largest camping brand in the world. With an annual revenue of over $1 billion coming from thousands of products, they are now hitting reset on their infamous brand. The company says that in addition to the 100 new products they introduced this year, they will be adding another 130 in 2016. Many of the new products integrate new technology with camping gear. “Our short-term plan is to surprise people,” said Emily Donahue, a Coleman product line manager. In interviews with Gear Junkie over the last month, Donahue and Mike Otterman, Coleman’s VP of global marketing and merchandising, talked about Coleman's brand reboot and how it will move forward. They say that big changes are coming for the company and its products. Basically, rather than...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CTS Corp., a manufacturer of sensors and electronic components, have been at odds over one of the company's Superfund sites that's been seeping pollutants into the surrounding Asheville, NC, area for years. They might be headed for a lengthy legal battle, though, after a public meeting to address and discuss what the EPA will mandate for environmental remediation efforts found many people are in favor of a more complete project than what the company already has planned, according to the Citizen-Times.com. Craig Zeller, the EPA's project manager for CTS of Asheville, said that the current proposal the company has for cleaning up the contaminated site doesn't go far enough. One of his main points of contention is combating the source of the ha...

According to a recent warning from Consumer Reports, Americans are being urged to rethink their decision when shopping at an online pharmacy. Although nearly two million consumers are currently using online pharmacies, government investigators have continued to uncover cases where counterfeit prescriptions are sent out -- some of which even cause serious harm. The majority of prescription drugs in the U.S. are still procured at brick-and-mortar stores, said ABC 7 News. These stores use pharmacy software which allows government authorities to monitor product quality and drug sales, thereby ensuring that each prescription is legitimate. However, the pull of online pharmacies may be too strong to ignore -- especially for anyone who is dealing with expensive medications or is trying t...

A disturbing epidemic of mold growing in public housing apartments throughout New York City has prompted local legislators to take action and propose a bill that would impose new standards of mold remediation. According to the Observer, the bill is in response to a growing number of reports from public housing residents that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is hiring unlicensed parties to perform mold removal at low prices. The NYCHA is accused of sending in unskilled workers to deal with mold remediation, an important and complex task that can lead to a host of health effects if performed improperly. Experts say that the presence of mold has been linked to coughing, throat irritation, and the development of asthma in children. "Anytime building materials are affected b...