Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Bring the outdoors inside with elements of nature in your container garden. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)

Whats not to love about Colorado fall weather? Warm days and cool nights are perfect for checking out the changing colors in the high country. Pack a lunch, hike some trails and let nature inspire your creative plantophile side.

Then, when you are back home in your apartment or house, get your green thumb going with some imaginative indoor plant gardens.

Before getting started with an indoor garden, can you continue growing outdoor containers that have been on your deck or patio all summer by moving them inside? Absolutely, and right now is the best time to bring back outdoor vacationing house plants, herb containers, cactus and succulent containers, and any other plants that can work in your indoor spaces.

Only bring in healthy plants, and check for disease and insects. If any are detected or leaves are sickly from something (even if you cant identify the culprit), just toss the plant, since problems spread quickly among house plants.

Since apartments and houses usually have less light than outside conditions, shade-loving annuals like begonias, fuchsia, caladiums, ornamental peppers and coleus are some of the easiest to grow indoors. Consider taking cuttings from outdoor plants to grow new plants.

Growing plants indoors is becoming as popular as baking your own bread. Both go hand in hand, since there is nothing like noshing on a toasty hunk of artisan bread while admiring your latest green works of art. Invite friends over to join in the planting fun (and ask them to bring additional plant supplies and some jam for the bread).

Planting in a container or dish is super easy. A container garden can be any type of grouping, including indoor foliage and blooming plants, culinary herbs, cactus and succulents, fairy gardens and whatever else inspires you.

Light matters with indoor plants; some need more light than others. Read the plant tag and locate dish gardens and other indoor plants as recommended. Light intensity is often measured in foot-candles, which is the light illuminated on a 1-square-foot surface from the light source such as a window. Colorado State University has a guide for distances from windows for high, medium and low light conditions.

Supplemental artificial lighting such as an LED grow light on a timer can help plants tremendously. Check local garden centers and specialty indoor plant stores for lighting supplies.

Just like when planting outdoor containers, use the tried-and-true rule for a mixed dish garden. Combine thriller (tall), filler (round around the middle) and spiller plants (edging). Smaller dish containers may need just one of each, with more for larger dishes. You dont have to follow this three-tiered rule. Single-plant specimen containers (like the tiny ornamental peppers) are fun, fun, fun (and come in assorted colors). Go for bright colors on house plants and various shades of green. Toss in variegated leafed plants to kick it up a notch. The key is to plant the plants closely so they look filled in on planting day.

The short list of more traditional foliage and blooming plants to consider for mixed containers include:

Popular single-specimen plants include:

Herb plants can be grouped in one dish container or planted individually. Popular indoor herbs include:

Succulent and cactus dish gardens can be a mix of varieties, heights and textures. Popular plants include:

Divisions and potting up are long-term maintenance tasks with indoor plants but thats an article for another time.

The first and best choice is to use containers that drain through a hole in the bottom. Many types of containers work, including terra cotta, glazed, concrete, metal and glass. If using a non-draining container, be very careful not to overwater, which is the No. 1 cause of indoor plant death. Make sure the plants are shorter in their original growing container than the depth of the dish youll be planting them in.

Use new, sterile, general-use potting soil and a tiny bit of slow-release granular fertilizer to keep the plants happy. Cactus and succulent dishes require a sharp draining potting mix labeled for their purpose; that is sold at garden centers.

The plants you choose, sold in 2- to 4-inch pots, will be planted in the dish with soil. Larger potted plants (1 gallon) could work, but youll need to use large containers. Another option is to simply place plants closely together in the dish container; no need to remove plants from the pot they came in from the store. (Replace plants if they outgrow the dish space, or plant in soil.)

Once you have the container and plants, place the plants in the empty dish while still in their containers to see what look you like and how they can be arranged. When youre satisfied, remove the plants from their containers and plant one at a time (I start with the middle plants). Start with a shallow layer of soil on the bottom, then fill in soil around each added plant. Continue placing plants next to and near each other. No need to be super gentle with the root ball unless the roots need a little teasing to break them up if they are girdled or in a circled mess from being in the container too long.

Cactus and succulents will be in a coarse material that often falls away when removed from the container. This is OK, since they are shallow-rooted and will establish quickly. Fill in soil where there are gaps, using a teaspoon for hard-to-reach places and tongs, and protective leather gloves or oven mitts when handling cactus. Leave a good inch to 1 inch from the top of the container so soil and water do not overflow. When complete, gently water the foliage dish or herb plant grouping. Wait a few days to water the succulent or cactus group to give their roots time to heal and adjust to their new home. You can top the soil with small decorative rock, pebbles, moss or simply let the foliage be the show. Keep plants away from cold windows during the day and night.

These are for young gardeners and are an excellent activity for the home-bound. Small plants are planted directly in the soil, along with placement of tiny fairy characters and accessories that add to the story you create. Independent garden centers specialize in fairy garden supplies.

Planting a small, attractive indoor garden under glass can be done on any budget and in a short amount of time. Styles, sizes and plant ideas can fit in decors from traditional to modern. First, choose your look and gather the materials. Use covered glass containers or something with an open top, such as an oversized brandy snifter, chic glass cylinder, fishbowl, fish tank or wide-mouthed jar. Shop craft or thrift stores and garage sales for bargains. There might already be the perfect container on a shelf in your closet or basement.

Covered glass containers will need less watering: every two weeks or so with regular lid opening to allow ventilation. An open top allows air circulation, so will need watering about every 10 days or when the soil appears dry.

Materials include drainage items for the bottom of the glass (1 to 2 inches deep) such as glass beads, aquarium gravel or pebbles. Next, sprinkle a handful layer of horticulture charcoal chips (sold in garden centers).

Depending on the size of the container, place a 2- to 4-inch layer of fresh potting mix over the charcoal chips.

If quarters are tight in the container, use a small spoon, tongs or chopsticks to nestle and position the plants. A small paintbrush can be used to gently brush off excess soil on the plants.

Plant choices vary from dwarf, slower-growing houseplants that do well in low light and high humidity. Look for bold colored foliage to add contrast and vary the plant sizes to lend interest.

The genustillandsia is the ultimate in unique, easy-care indoor plants. No soil is needed, ever. In time, they will even bloom. All they need once a week is a 15- to 30-minute soak in a bucket of water (misting now and then generally isnt enough). Give them bright light, but no more than an hour a day of direct sun from a window. Display tillandsia (one or more) on sand or decorative rocks in a pretty bowl, hanging glass bubbles or a creative sculpture.

Local, independent garden centers sell terrarium and dish garden plants, air plants, plus cactus, succulents and herbs for making indoor dish gardens. Have fun putting together your own design or sign up for an online class or when in-person classes resume where the supplies and plants may be included in the fee.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

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How to plant an apartment-friendly container garden for the fall - The Know

Apple's new iOS 14 software includes some changes to the Home app.

Apple's Tuesday event brought new Apple WatchandiPadhardware, theApple One service bundle-- and software updates, includingiOS 14,iPadOS 14,TVOS 14andWatchOS 7. The software updates went live Wednesday, and I, like so many other folks, continually refreshed my phone to get iOS 14 as soon as possible.

iOS 14 adds a variety of changes to your iPhone, but I'm focusing on the Home app updates here.

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The Home app is Apple's landing page for its smart home platform, HomeKit. Different from Alexa and Google Assistant's comparatively open platforms, HomeKit has fewer product partners and integrations by choice. That has held HomeKit back in some ways, but others point to its focus on security and privacy as signs of a superior smart home platform.

iOS 14 added a few updates to the Home app that I decided to test out along with the HomeKit-enabled Eufy Indoor Cam 2K, a $40 indoor home security camera I'm currently reviewing (full review forthcoming).

When I first opened the Home app after installing iOS 14, a screen popped up listing "what's new in home," including that the app would now recommend smart home automations, automatically adjust any HomeKit-compatible lighting products and use people tagged in your iPhone photos for security camera facial recognition.

Apple also redesigned the layout of the Home app with iOS 14 and added activity zones to compatible HomeKit cameras. I can't speak to the lighting updates, since I don't currently have any HomeKit-enabled lights at home, but I'll address the other changes using the Eufy camera.

Inside the automations tab in the Home app.

Possibly because I currently only have two devices in my Home app -- an Apple TV and the Eufy camera, I don't notice any major design or layout differences. Fortunately, I thought the Home app was relatively straightforward to navigate before iOS 14 and it appears that Apple has continued that trend with this software update.

I also deleted and then reinstalled the Eufy camera on the app after updating to iOS 14 -- and didn't receive any pop-up messages suggesting potential automations. However, the app does provide automation prompts in the automations tab and in the Eufy camera settings in the Home app, such as, "people arrive/people leave/a time of day occurs" and other suggestions.

While the layout of the Home app is fairly minimal, it has historically been overly complicated to add new features and settings with HomeKit. Unfortunately, that was also true with the new face recognition and activity zone features.

In order to get facial recognition to work, click on the home icon on the top left of the home screen, select "home settings," and then "cameras and doorbells." From there you should see a list of your cameras -- in my case, the Eufy cam -- and below that something that says "face recognition." Click on face recognition and toggle it on if you want to enable this feature. You'll need to have iCloud Photos enabled to use face recognition in the Home app. (It sounds easy, but I had to do a lot of digging to find those steps.)

If you don't see the face recognition option, make sure your Apple TV or HomePod (whatever device you're using as your HomeKit hub) is also up-to-date. I didn't see the face recognition option in the app at first, even after getting iOS 14, but then I installed TVOS 14 on my Apple TV and it immediately appeared.

I also don't have iCloud Photos enabled on my personal phone and when I tried to enabled it, a pop-up told me I had to pay for an iCloud storage upgrade in order to turn on iCloud Photos (an upgrade costs $1 per month for 50GB storage, $3 per month for 200GB or $10 per month for 2TB). I have about 70GB of saved photos and videos right now (I clearly need to clean out my phone), so that means I'd have to start paying $3 per month for iCloud Photos in order to use (or even try out) the face recognition feature in the Home app. Frustrating.

It seemed straightforward at first, but devolved from there.

Activity zones are supposed to appear in your camera's settings in the Home app but it didn't appear in the Eufy settings. In fact, in the Eufy app when I set up the camera (after the iOS 14 update), I got a pop-up that said, "According to the Apple guidelines when HomeKit is enabled: Activity zones will be disabled," along with a list of other Eufy camera features that will not work with HomeKit.

I've reached out to Apple for clarification on the activity zone issue and will report back when I learn more. Overall, I'm unimpressed with this update since the two most substantial changes -- facial recognition and activity zones -- were either unwieldy and required a fee (and a total overhaul of the photo and video storage on my phone) or didn't appear as options at all in the app.

Stay tuned for my full review of the Eufy camera; I'll hopefully have more answers on my HomeKit complaints by then.

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Apple iOS 14 hands-on: Testing the Home app and Eufy's Indoor Cam 2K - CNET

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LED & OLED Displays and Lighting Product Market(Covid-19 Updated) scrutinized in the new analysis - SG Research Sphere

Spraying down the plants can help get rid of any pests that may be lurking. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

In addition, I also spray the foliage (soft spray dont blow it away!) in order to knock potential pests from the foliage. This will help with spider mites and aphids, but not scale.

Check the foliage thoroughly. If leaves are infested, hand pick and remove the leaves. If there is scale on the stem, either use an insecticide or take a cotton swab and dip in alcohol and wipe off. This takes time but will clean up the stems.

You can also use an insecticidal soap on the foliage (read the label to make sure its safe for the plant) to kill any insects that might be hiding. Make sure the pests are also listed on the label.

If you have a major problem with soil insects, as mentioned above, you can re-pot the plant, using new potting soil. Or, identify the specific pest, use an insecticide labeled for the pest and the plant, and allow it to dry before bringing indoors. Not all pesticides are labeled for indoors.

As always, READ the LABEL!

The other thing to keep in mind is that these plants are slowing down in growth. Shorter day lengths, cooler nights lead to slower growth. Therefore, they wont be using nutrients or water as much as they do during the summer.

Cut back on watering and dont fertilize until sometime in the late winter unless they need fertilizer.

Light inside will be lower than what plants had outdoors, even if they were in the shade. Therefore, expect some grumbling from the plants. They may drop foliage or look a little puny until they adapt to the indoor environment.

Some recommend to slowly expose them to the indoor environment by taking them to a very high light window for a week or 10 days and then moving them to a lower light. This helps them to get used to the lighting.

I, on the other hand, subject them immediately to their new digs. They dont always like this and drop leaves and droop for a while, but eventually they get used to it.

Unfortunately for my plants, I dont baby them. If they arent tough enough to take my slight abuse, they wont make it!

Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.

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Its time to bring the houseplants inside - Hamilton Journal News

Between the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts destroying the Paseo Baseball Stadium field, Typhoons Dolphin and Mangkhut damaging the lights, and the coronavirus pandemic putting a halt to nearly all sporting events, the past four years have been trying times for Guams sluggers.

In 2015, Typhoon Dolphin hit and damaged Paseos stadium lights. The following year, FestPac events held on the baseball diamond rendered it unplayable for many months. In 2018, Typhoon Mangkhut tore through the island and destroyed more of the arena's operable lights.

And although the baseball field is overgrown and the island remains in Pandemic Condition of Readiness 1, as brought on by a government-mandated lockdown, newly appointed Department of Parks and Recreation Director Roque Alcantara is busy making sure the field will be playable once restrictions are lifted.

At a reported cost of $84,000, Triple K Construction is currently replacing the baseball stadiums fixtures, lights and other related electrical hardware.

Its in progress right now, Alcantara said.

"Hopefully, within the two weeks, well be done," he added.

Theyre replacing all the light fixtures and replacing all the lightbulbs, he said. There are about 66 lightbulbs that need to be replaced. There are 54 fixtures that are really bad, they are all corroded and all of that. We have to change all of those.

Alcantara said that before the contract is signed off as complete, the entire system will be inspected and tested.

There are some areas there that are dark, said Alcantara, referring to large sections of the field that receive very little illumination because of inadequate and misdirected lighting, citing one reason for repairing the facility. Before we finalize this contract, were going to have a night-vision (test) where were going to set the lights where they are supposed to be.

In years past, insufficient lighting prompted players to lodge complaints to Alcantara, who is also the commissioner of the Guam Major League.

The complaint from the players is, its so dark out there, Alcantara recalled.

Guam greatness that few people saw

Apart from illuminating a dark playing field, the new lights may lead to additional revenue for DPR, and the players not feeling the heat.

Nobody wants to play during the daytime because its so hot, Alcantara said. Once we get the lights working, Im pretty sure were going to have a lot of revenue because a lot of teams will be participating in whatever event is going to happen there.

In January 2019, in two events, Guam showed the region it was a baseball powerhouse when a group of elite teenage athletes won the 15U Oceania Qualifier tournament, and Guams Mens National Baseball Team claimed gold at the 3rd annual Micronesian Baseball Classic.

By winning the U15 tournament, Team Guam earned its place in the World Baseball Softball Confederation U15 Baseball World Cup.

The men, after their victory run, climbed to No. 36 in the World Baseball and Softball Confederation world rankings.

Just a decade ago, these wins may not have happened.

The players that we have, in Guam, are almost the same caliber of players as the ones in the other countries or in the U.S.," Alcantara said. "I can attest to that because I take the players for regional competition and were always up there.

"Before, maybe, 10 years back, other countries didnt feel that we were competitive. Now, they look forward to our participation," he added.

While the two tournaments helped put Guam baseball on the map, because all games had to be played during the day due to a broken lighting system, the mid-week, morning and afternoon games were relatively unattended.

"They were both affected because there were no lights, they had to play during the daytime, Alcantara said.

There was hardly any revenue at all because it was all during the day, he added.

Guam sports get a face-lift

Alcantara, who has occupied the directors chair for just over 50 days, sees the position at DPR as an opportunity to help revitalize the island. Alcantara, overseeing several construction projects, will help update DPRs assets as it crawls out from under PCOR1.

There are a lot of renovations that are going on right now, thats really why I am here, Alcantara said. The tennis court in Agana is being renovated right now.

"The fences are all done. The resurfacing, and all that, were just waiting for the contractor to start. Im trying to also get some funding for the restrooms there.

In the meantime, the restrooms at the swimming pool will be available, but its kind of far, he said.

Once I get funding, Ill address the restrooms, he added.

A sinking situation

But with no solution to the communitys swimming pool woes, the Hagta pool sinking, the Dededo pool in need of repair, and Southern High Schools Olympic-size disaster made inoperable immediately after it came online in 1999 for the South Pacific Games, the islands water warriors are left without a solution.

During a Sept. 9 oversight hearing, Joann Camacho, the deputy director for GEDA, who is also a member of the governments new pool task force, said that she may have found a funding source and the task force's findings will soon be reported to Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero.

Alcantara, who confirmed that a decision is close to being made for a new pool, said that Leon Guerrero may announce the plans as soon as later this week.

Mr. Alcantara has indicated that building a new Olympic-size pool next to the Dededo pool is probably the best and most cost-effective option, said Clayton Duvall, a pool expert with more than 40 years experience. I agree.

If you are going to spend the money, start new in a location that is not in a swamp, said Duvall, who assessed the Hagta pool and made his recommendation to Camacho.

Camacho told The Guam Daily Post that Masoud Teimoury, the chief planner at the Department of Public Works, was also on hand for the assessment.

"The only practical solution to the 50-year-old Hagta pool - built on aswamp - is to fill it with dirt and make a playground out of the area, Duvall said.

Spending one more penny to try and rehabilitate the pool is a fool's errand, he added.

Alcantara said the Hagta pool will be filled with dirt and converted into either a beach volleyball facility or a skatepark.

That will probably be the best thing that happens there, he said.

I think this would be a great idea, especially now with the addition of the high school beach volleyball leagues. said Chris Shepherd, St. Johns School Knights indoor and beach volleyball coach.

"Im here to help the sports community," Alcantara said.

Amid the pandemic, besides juggling multiple projects, Alcantara will also have to report to Sen. Kelly Marsh, chairperson of the Committee on Heritage and the Arts, Parks, Guam Products, Hagta Revitalization, Self-Determination, and Regional Affairs.

In the Sept. 9 virtual meeting, Marsh asked Alcantara to contact the attorney general's office and look into recouping money from Canton Construction, the contractor that won a two-year covenant to maintain the Hagta and Dededo pools.

In February 2020, GovGuam terminated the contract but not before it had paid the underperforming contractor $500,000 of the $660,000 deal.

"The past leadership was very disappointing and Im seeing the outcome of it. I inherited a mess," Alcantara said.

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Paseo Baseball Stadium gets new lights, DPR projects in the works - The Guam Daily Post

A "striking piece of architecture" will form part of the new Swansea arena development, housing a pavilion cafeteria.

Planning documents submitted by Buckingham Group Contracting, on behalf of Swansea Council, show how the pavilion-style attraction will stand close to Swansea's eagerly anticipated new 3,500 capacity indoor arena.

And officials say its "curved skin" that will be illuminated by more than 70,000 programmable LED light bulbs.

The building, with a "timber frame and strong green credentials", will have an area of outdoor seating under canopies so guests can fully enjoy the experience of being in the 1.1-acre coastal park. There will be indoor seating too.

Its position and height, around 6m above Oystermouth Road on top of a two-deck car park, will allow views of Swansea Bay and the sea in the distance and the Swansea cityscape.

Plans for the oval and wedge-shaped building include a 94 sq m caf-restaurant, a kitchen plus internal and external toilets.

The designs feature wood, local stone, stainless steel, aluminium and a solar roof. Natural lighting and ventilation will be used wherever possible. Bosses also promised that lighting will be low-energy and light pollution will be minimised.

It will be positioned "to allow covered external seating beneath canopies to fully enjoy and be part of the park experience" and the pavilion's position and height will also "allow distant views out to sea, and over the townscape to the north and west", the plans stated.

Planning documents read: "This is a very large building so the main glazing and views out of the Pavilion will be to the west and south.

"This will give the best views out over the landscaped roof park, and views out towards the sea.

"The pavilion cafeteria is designed to act as a striking piece of architecture within the roof top park, without creating a dominant feature vying against the arenas architectural form.

"It will be fabricated using offsite methods as far as possible, with a sustainable shell structure, renewable energy generation, and green interior climate management, to minimize its environmental footprint."

A glimpse into Swansea's future...

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Swansea Council leaderRob Stewartsaid: The pavilion is another striking addition to the citys dramatic 1bn regeneration story. Its designed to be welcoming and will be publicly accessible to all.

It will add a dramatic focal point to this area, the first major new parkland in Swansea since Victorian times.

The pavilion will complement the arenas architecture and will benefit from its own renewable energy generation and green interior climate management to minimize its environmental footprint.

The plans form part of the 135m Swansea Central Phase One scheme, a catalyst for wider development on the citys ongoing 1bn regeneration.

As well as the parkland, parking for around 1,000 cars and arena, phase one includes a landmark bridge now being constructed on site, homes and commercial units.

Funding sources include the council, Swansea Bay City Deal and the Welsh Government.

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'Striking' cafe pavilion planned next to new Swansea arena - Wales Online

My kid's daily screen time has jumped from roughly 20 minutes per day to upward of three or four hours, a frustrating turn of events following years of being told by pediatricians and child-psychology experts to limit my child's exposure to TVs, iPads, laptops, and cell phones like it was akin to hand, foot, and mouth disease.

There's simply no disputing the fact that, despite schools around the nation using screens to run their classrooms, the medium is a dangerous one for kids of all ages. Nevermind developmental issues that stem from prolonged screen time (researchers report that it is linked to poorer progress in communication skills like expressive speech, problem solving, and social interactions among young children over time), there are the potential physical effects, too. Excessive screen time can cause eye strain, headaches, blurry vision, bad posture, dry eyes, difficulty sleeping . . . the list goes on.

And to combat many of those problematic side effects, I've noticed a sudden trend of parents buying expensive "computer glasses," otherwise known as blue-light-blocking glasses, to combat the apparent shorter, blue-light wavelengths that are emitted from digital screens.

I've seen these glasses on the market for years, and I even splurged on a pair for myself a few years ago when I was starting to get midday headaches. They didn't make much of a difference, at least nothing beyond a placebo effect, so I stopped wearing them, and I never considered paying top dollar for kid versions until now.

Once hard to find, the demand for child-size versions of these specs is exploding. It now takes two clicks on Instagram to order a pair of brightly colored nonprescription frames. But do they really make a difference, and are they worth the expense when parents are already strapped financially thin? Or is this another case of "do what's best for your child" fearmongering? The answer isn't as straightforward as I'd like, but after digging into the research and speaking to several eye experts, including my child's own ophthalmologist, I know whether or not I'll be buying them for my child and what other techniques I can use, free of charge, to help offset the physical strain caused by screens.

It's easy to see why parents may feel the need to buy blue-light-blocking glasses or fancy screen protection covers. Contradictory advice often drives parents to take the path of extreme caution, and scientific jargon can leave them feeling confused. For instance, research in medical journals alludes to how these shorter light waves pass through the cornea and lens, but what does that really mean?

Dr. Scott Edmonds, an optometrist, told POPSUGAR that children's "still-developing eyes generally allow for more high-energy blue light to reach and potentially damage their retinas" and that excessive blue-light emissions "may produce oxidative and phytotoxic damage to cells in the cornea and retina of the eye."

He also noted a study published in BMJ Open Ophthalmology that computer-specific glasses with progressive lenses may help people maintain eye health. But even that study acknowledged a lack of "strong evidence" that what is potential correlation between blue light and eye strain is the same as causation.

In fact, Edmonds noted that blue light which is said to keep people alert isn't only emitted via screens. Blue light is, frankly, everywhere. It's in LED and fluorescent lighting, and most notably, it's sourced from the sun. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), people get 10 times as much blue light from the sun during any given day as they do from a computer screen.

"While exposure to blue light from the sun during the day is normal, the heath concern is from increased exposure to digital displays, especially during the evening," Edmonds said.

According to Dr. Purnima Patel, that very factor the use of screens in the evening hours is the actual source of harm with regard to blue lights, not eye damage. (Patel is the clinical spokesperson for the AAO, and she noted that ophthalmologists are actual medical doctors who specialize in eye and vision care.)

"Blue light is associated with and contributes to our body's circadian rhythm our natural waking up and sleeping cycle," Patel told POPSUGAR. "Blue light, especially for people looking at their iPads or phones at night in bed, can disrupt their ability to sleep. From a circadian rhythm standpoint, it does have an effect. We do not think it is damaging their eyes."

She believes this is why there is so much conflicting evidence about the root of blue light's harm.

"There's no scientific evidence to suggest that blue light from our screens or devices are damaging our eyes or our children's eyes," she said, a statement for which my child's eye doctor adamantly concurred. "That's why the American Academy of Opthalmology does not recommend blue-light-blocking computer glasses."

So if blue-light exposure isn't an issue, and if we aren't letting our kids watch the iPad at bedtime, why is there still universal concern that screens cause what the ophthalmology community calls "visible eye strain"?

Patel points to increasing rates of myopia, otherwise known as nearsightedness, worldwide.

"There is a genetic component to nearsightedness, but there is increasing evidence that there's an environmental component as well, and more and more studies are showing fast-rising numbers of myopia in children, especially in Asian countries," she said. "They're linking it to this rise in doing 'near work.' In the evolution of humans, we've transitioned from doing more agrarian work to this industrialized work that all takes place at 'near.' We're looking at computer screens, we're filling out forms. A lot of our work is all done at this level versus centuries ago when people were farmers working more in the distance."

Further, "far work" is easier on eyes, whereas one's eyes have to work harder to see anything at the near level, which is generally less than arm's length.

Considering that 80 percent of what children learn is visual versus, say, auditory or tactile and that this past decade has seen an ever-increasing allotment of daily screen time for toddlers and young children, it's not surprising that more and more children are developing the common symptoms associated with myopia, namely blurry vision, dry eyes, and headaches.

"These are the more common symptoms people experience from just staring at the screen for longer than we're used to, especially our children," Patel said.

Obviously, limiting screen time is the most effective solution to limit visible eye strain and the risk of developing myopia, but even if I cut my child's school day in half, she's still exceeding the official American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that young children ages 2 to 5 should have no more than one hour of screen time per day.

What else can parents do? Patel and Edmonds offered a handful of techniques that, if they become habitual, may make a sizable difference in eye health.

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Why Parents Don't Need to Buy Into the Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses Trend - POPSUGAR

Sony has apologized for the quite messy method it dealt with PS5 Pre-orders over the previous few days and has promised that extra consoles will likely be made obtainable for pre-order within the coming days.

The PS5 pricing and launch date have been lastly revealed earlier this week throughout Wednesdays PS5 showcase, and whereas pre-order particulars werent shared through the occasion, Sony later confirmed that pre-orders would go reside someday later. A number of main retailers, nonetheless, kicked off pre-orders shortly after the showcase and each the usual and digital mannequin offered out immediately.

Most Ps 5 Consoles Shipped This Vacation Will Be the Commonplace Version

The day after, on September 17th, numerous different retailers went reside with their pre-orders. As might need been anticipated, pre-order shares solely lasted for roughly 10 minutes at a number of retailers. Scalpers have already been noticed promoting pre-ordered PS5 consoles for twice the retail worth.

On Twitter, Sony has now apologized for the best way pre-orders for the PS5 have been rolled out. Along with promising that extra pre-order models will likely be arriving within the coming days, the corporate additionally confirmed that extra PS5 consoles will likely be made obtainable via the tip of the yr.

Lets be sincere: PS5 preorders might have been rather a lot smoother, Sony writes on Twitter. We really apologize for that.

Over the subsequent few days, well launch extra PS5 consoles for preorder retailers will share extra particulars.

Sony added, extra PS5s will likely be obtainable via the tip of the yr.

PS5 24Okay Gold Version Pre-Orders Open This Week, If You Occur to Have 7999 to Spare

As coated yesterday, early information means that the overwhelming majority of pre-orders consoles would be the customary version.

My guess is well see much more digital consoles available on the market finally I doubt it is a long run factor, impartial business analyst Benji Gross sales wrote on Twitter. However yeah, [for] these wanting a Digital Solely PS5 it is likely to be way more tough to get ahold of than the Disc over the subsequent a number of months.

Did you handle to get your pre-order in? Hit the feedback down under.

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Sony Apologizes for PS5 Pre-Order Mess and Promises That More Consoles Will Be Up for Pre-Order In the Coming Days - Best gaming pro

This week, I acquired to speak about vaccines and vaccine data with Natalie Dean, and The Verges Nicole Wetsman and Nilay Patel on The Vergecast. It was a terrific dialog with Dean, whos an assistant professor of biostatistics on the College of Florida and an skilled in infectious illness epidemiology who has labored on designing vaccine trials.

After the podcast, I acquired to ask one thing that had been on my thoughts: how did she an individual who works with scientific information on daily basis really feel in regards to the flood of early variations of scientific research being posted on-line? And the way a lot consideration ought to most people be paying to them?

Earlier than we get to her reply, lets take a fast step again to speak about what these early research are. Scientists name them preprints, and theyre research that get posted on-line earlier than theyve been printed in a scientific journal. They havent been absolutely vetted by different specialists (a course of known as peer evaluation). Preprints are useful to scientists as a result of they shortly put information out into the world that might be helpful to different researchers.

The draw back? Theyre basically first drafts, and conclusions may change after the researchers get suggestions. Balancing the necessity for fast information with the necessity for reviewing work earlier than it goes public is particularly tough in the course of the pandemic and each the tempo of publication and a spotlight to preprints has positively amped up up to now a number of months.

There already had been these preprint servers earlier than, however theyve by no means been used to this diploma, Dean says. For a very long time, prestigious journals would refuse to publish a paper if it had been posted elsewhere, which meant scientists stored their analysis underneath wraps till theyd their closing draft.

Thats began to vary over the previous couple of years as journals have loosened their restrictions. Now theres a flood of coronavirus-related papers out there on-line, and a few can appeal to numerous consideration and confusion. Not all of that spotlight is an efficient factor, as Kelsey Piper wrote for Vox back in May:

The newer, quicker tempo may imply that badly flawed pre-prints get extensively shared and lined within the media, fueling the unfold of misinformation and forcing different scientists to waste beneficial time by publicly debunking papers that might ordinarily be rejected within the peer-review course of.

Piper identified that there have been loads of benefits to preprints, too they power information to maneuver at 21st-century speeds as an alternative of staying caught within the 19th century, and when plenty of specialists are actively collaborating within the course of, they will lower out a ton of pointless downtime.

Thats very true in a pandemic. My feeling is the advantages outweigh the dangers within the scenario the place time is of the essence, and were all studying from one another, Dean says. And the tempo of educational publishing is so gradual, that I simply dont suppose its nonetheless viable.

However theres nonetheless that one huge drawback. Scientists know how one can consider the restrictions of preprints. But it surelys difficult for the general public to take action, Dean says.

Shes acquired a very good tip to assist readers begin assessing information tales about preprints: search for the restrictions. A narrative that tells you what the examine doesnt is useful. This doesnt simply apply to preprints, both: its good recommendation for any story a few scientific paper. All research have limitations; good reporters inform you what theyre.

In different phrases, search for the peer evaluation in a information story, particularly in relation to a preprint. Search for it on Twitter, the place Dean and different researchers have thrown chilly water on extraordinary claims. Search for it in devoted volunteer efforts, like Johns Hopkins 2019 Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium which actively assesses papers that get numerous media consideration. Search for it at Rapid Reviews: COVID-19, an open-access journal explicitly dedicated to peer-reviewing COVID-19 preprints. And most of all, as we preserve wading by a flood of knowledge, take a beat to look skeptically on claims that appear unbelievable.

The extra excessive a end result appears, the extra proof we have to assist that, Dean says.

Right heres what else is occurring this week:

Round 2 p.c of Pink Cross blood donors have COVID-19 antibodiesSolely a small variety of blood donors had antibodies to the coronavirus, a examine from the Pink Cross discovered. That signifies that only a few folks in america have been uncovered to the virus thats ravaged the nation, Nicole Wetsman experiences.(Nicole Wetsman / The Verge)

Coronavirus May Increase Premature Births, Studies SuggestNew research from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention discovered some proof that coronavirus infections in pregnant girls may improve the speed of untimely births, however different specialists say much more data is required. (Roni Caryn Rabin / The New York Instances)

Two Pharma Companies Released Their Coronavirus Vaccine Blueprints In A Bid To Regain Public TrustThis week, each Moderna and Pfizer launched their blueprints for his or her respective medical trials. The paperwork cowl how the businesses have mapped out their trials, they usually present a window into the vaccine improvement course of at a second when belief in that course of is waning. (Stephanie M. Lee and Dan Vergano / BuzzFeed)

How to Ship a Vaccine at 80C, and Other Obstacles in the Covid FightTo prepare for a vaccine rollout, FedEx and UPS are putting in freezers at hubs world wide. Additionally, theres a dry ice scarcity. (David Gelles / The New York Instances)

Lillys Covid-19 antibody helps some patients rid their systems of virus sooner in early analysisEarly information from a remedy examine involving manufactured antibodies had some promising early outcomes. However the outcomes are very early and have not been peer reviewed.(Matthew Herper and Damian Garde / STAT)

Pandemic isolation has killed thousands of Alzheimers patients while families watch from afarIn an effort to guard sufferers from the coronavirus, nursing properties have closed their doorways to guests. Its been a devastating highway for households attempting to look after sufferers with Alzheimers or dementia. (William Wan / The Washington Publish)

I Am Not a Brave Person. I Am Also Patient 1133.Author Molly Jong-Quick writes about her expertise as a volunteer in Pfizers vaccine trial and why she selected to take part within the first place:

Im a traditional, un-brave individual. Im additionally part of historical past now, a part of a small group that could be shielded from the lethal virus, or who is probably not, however whose expertise can have one thing to show others. I not really feel Im merely ready round to get sick.

(Molly Jong-Quick / The New York Instances)

To the greater than 30,316,394 folks worldwide whove examined constructive, could your highway to restoration be easy.

To the households and mates of the 948,367 individuals who have died worldwide 198,306 of these within the US your family members arent forgotten.

Keep protected, everybody.

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Coronavirus studies: why it's important to look for their limitations - Best gaming pro

The Journey to Batuu expansion for The Sims 4 has added a ton of new Star Wars-themed items to the game. There are plenty of items to build and buy, but it is hard to sort through all of them and choose what is best and worst to add to your home.

To help you decide, we have created a list of the 10 best and worst items now available to build or buy for your home. We based the list on which items are the most useful and most versatile. Because of this criterion, items like the Speeder and the Lightsabers didnt make it onto the best side of the list, even though we really love having them in the game.

This is a nice wall decoration that comes with a few variations. The banners would be good for a young adult or teen room, but they can also act as a nice trophy or piece of memorabilia for your sims. The banner has a lot of different variations, including the Batuu flag, stormtrooper helmets, first-order banners, and a lot of others that would look nice on your wall.

Like everything else in this pack, this booth seating is a bit on the chunky side. Luckily, you can use it to fill in that corner you cant seem to do anything with. The item is a comfortable 90-degree bench seat that your sims can interact with. It can also function as an actual booth; just chuck down any table you like and it will be grouped with the seat. Between the available color swatches and the choice of table, you can use this item in just about any build with relative ease.

The pack includes a lot of bar pieces but our favorite is the curved cantina bar. The cantina bar set comes in a few different appealing colors, but the covered one has the benefit of breaking up the normally straight and blocky silhouette of bar pieces. You can create a large wrap-around bar in the middle of a room, or use it outside to go with a fire pit. There are a lot of options for use here.

The new pack added four new floors each with two different variations. The variations of the Made of Stone and Made With Stones flooring sets were a bit underwhelming, but overall, they can be very useful in just about any build. The floors can do well both indoors and outdoors regardless of the theme you are going for with a build.

The new pack has a large variety of indoor lighting to choose from. It is hard to pick just one of the new lights as the best, and none can really be called the worst given what has been added to the game in some of the other packs. All of the lights can be used somewhere in any theme. They would look perfect in any steampunk or Star Wars-themed construction, but they can also be used in a normal build as well with little issue.

An item like this has been needed for a long time. It is essentially a nice rustic picnic table. It will go great outside in a yard, or inside a rustic log cabin-esque home. There are a lot of possibilities for this table. It also includes a few different variations, including one where someone has carved the symbol of the Rebel Alliance into it.

Two usable sabacc tables are part of the game pack. The sabacc tables look good in most modern settings as well as in a sci-fi setting. Your sims can interact with the tables and play sabacc, but there are variations available that do not include the game if you dont want it. One of the tables also has a light on it that will keep the room dimly lit.

There are a few different ship and droid replicas available, including ones for the Millenium Falcon and R2-D2. These are small replicas that can be placed on a desk or table. They are nice playful pieces that work well as decorations in any room. They can be used in modern, Star Wars-themed, and even post-apocalyptic builds without having to put too much work into making them fit. You can also increase the size of these replicas if you would rather have a lawn ornament over a desk ornament.

This is a decorative item from the pack that is easy to love. It is a circular floor decoration with a few different patterns that will fit into a lot of different builds both inside and out. The default stone circle can look good in a garden or yard as a nice mosaic piece. The painted decals would be good in a young adult or teens room. Really, this can be used in a lot of different themes from modern to punk and sci-fi. It is also designed to match some of the new floorings, including the new curved flooring, which will give you a ton of new options for building.

Interestingly, the wall coverings added to the game dont look like they have come from a galaxy far, far away. Each of the four new wallpapers comes with four variations. The walls will fit in well in just about any build, regardless of theme. We found that some of these walls seem to work particularly well in Steampunk-themed buildings.

This would be a lovely yard piece if it didnt look so much like the Star Wars version of the gaudy pink flamingo ornament. It could be useful for a rustic theme, but there are already enough decorations available for that.

This is the barback for the bartenders in the Batuu Cantina. It works well in a rustic cantina on a faraway planet, but that is the only place it would really look good in. Some of the barback pieces have little creatures in containers on top of them, which doesnt exactly seem sanitary. You could possibly use this in a steampunk build as a bar or maybe in a chemist or apothecarys shop, but not much anywhere else. This thing screams Star Wars too much to be really useful in other builds.

This piece is great if you are recreating a cantina, and thats about all it is good for. The Cantina Ceiling Centerpiece is a huge ceiling decoration that looks like the hanging decor behind the Mos Eisley Cantina in the original series. It is a bit of an eyesore, and if anything, it just gets in the way if you arent using it for a Star Wars-themed construction. All of the individual pieces are available for use, so you can make a custom one of these from spare parts.

The new pack has added a ton of new decorative storage pieces including a lot of crates. Why more crates were necessary for this game is yet to be seen, but someone on The Sims team seemed to think we didnt have enough already.

What exactly is the point of this piece? This isnt very decorative and has no function. There was an opportunity to make this into a mirror or a window that would have been usable and decorative, but that isnt the case. It can be useful if you are trying to recreate Batuu, but not really necessary past that.

These are nice if you are building a First Order bunker, but not really useful outside of that. You could possibly use these if you have a character that is a Star Wars superfan, but that is about it. They are really only usable in a Star Wars build. Also, given how often our sims manage to set things on fire, it is probably a good thing the flamethrower cant be interacted with.

This is another eyesore that just doesnt work in most builds. It is a big circular metal decoration with a few variations that dont really change it enough to be useful. The decoration will be fine if you are trying to build a Star Wars-themed building, but cant really be useful outside of that.

If you like having torn up rugs in your home, we wont judge. There really isnt anywhere to put this where it will look good, outside of a ruined or post-apocalyptic themed build. The rugs look like they lost a fight with a tiger and the metal flooring looks like they would make a ton of noise when you walk across them.

This is a nice light for a post-apocalyptic or just run-down looking sci-fi build, but that is the only appeal it has for us. It is blocky, rusty, and doesnt really fit into any other type of build.

The window selection in this pack was a bit underwhelming. There are two new windows with a few different variations, but they all look more like something you would expect to see in a prison. They may work in some kind of punk build, but otherwise, it is better to just stick with what youve got.

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The best and worst items in The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu - Gamepur