LIFE

‘Humans Are Awesome’ Video Celebrates Daring Adventure

In his video “Humans Are Awesome,” YouTube user Gerry B. put together his favorite GoPro action shots in a dazzling tribute, showing the lengths to which people will go to have fun and live life to its fullest.

Not only does Gerry’s video show what those tiny, go-anywhere GoPro video cameras can do, but it’s a kickass showcase of this editor’s tremendous aesthetic sense. Notice his tasteful use of slow- and fast-motion, his cuts in just the right places, and the expert way he synchronizes the video to that triumphant music (“Time” by Luckner, featuring Sophie Louise).
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TECHNOLOGY

Google Wants You to be its Street View Trekker

If you work for a tourism board, a university, government agency or research organization, Google wants your help in fleshing out its Street View photo library.

The company announced on Thursday a pilot program that lets third-party organizations borrow its high-tech Street View Trekker equipment and contribute imagery to its mapping platform. This is a smart way for Google to expand its coverage while minimizing costs.
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3D-printed Foot Helps Buttercup the Disabled Duck Walk Again

This duck is so high-tech, he even has a Facebook page
In this story, Buttercup is a duck (not a princess…). Sadly, Buttercup was born with its left foot turned backwards, which prevented it from walking properly and caused him great pain. Enter our hero, Mike Garey of Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary. He adopted Buttercup and decided to do something to stop the pain and bring the duck back to as close to a normal life as possible.
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HEALTH

Is Obesity a Disease?

You’ve probably heard that the American Medical Association recently classified obesity as an official disease. I’m still mulling the whole deal over, and I’m not quite sure what to think about the decision. First, what exactly is a disease?

A disease is defined thusly:

A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, esp. one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
A particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people.
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LIFE

See How PRISM May Work — in This Infographic

Thanks to documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, we learned last week about a secret NSA program called PRISM. The program allegedly allows the U.S. government to access the data of foreign users using services like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo. But how does the program really work?

Initially, as reported by The Guardian and The Washington Post, it seemed like the NSA had direct access to the company’s servers and could get the data they needed without intervention from the Internet companies. That notion was strongly denied by almost every company mentioned in the the NSA powerpoint presentation that revealed PRISM. And further reporting has revealed that PRISM isn’t as evil as we initially thought.
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HEALTH

Salt: What Is It Good For?

Other than saturated fat, I can’t think of a nutrient that’s been so universally maligned and demonized as salt. All the experts hate it and recommend that we get as little of it as possible. They even all seem to have their own little anti-salt slogans. The American Diabetes Association recommends between 2300 and 1500 mg of sodium per day (“Be Sodium Savvy“). The American Heart Association wants you eating less than 1500 mg per day (“Shaking the Salt Habit“) and claims that 97% of young people already eat way too much salt. The other ADA – the American Dietetic Association – also recommends between 2300 and 1500 mg, but their slogan is far inferior (“Slice Your Sodium Intake“). It’s quite the pile-on, isn’t it? Read more here.

Healthy chickpea salad with roasted cumin and lime [Vegan]

I’m always looking for great salad recipes that can be made up on a Sunday and eaten for lunches throughout the week. The three requirements for me are that it has to be easy to make, healthy, and improve in flavor as the days go by. This salad fills all those requirements. From start to finish, this salad doesn’t take more than about 20 minutes to make. You can put it in individual containers for grab-n-go lunches that will last all week long. And best of all, you’re doing your body a favor by eating this, thanks to the protein in the chickpeas and the healthy fats in the olive oil.
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ENVIRONMENT

Sustainable modular buildings open along New York’s beaches

Designed and built at a breakneck pace, prefab comfort stations by Garrison Architects opened this weekend in time for Memorial Day. The restrooms, lifeguard stations and offices were designed to replace structures washed away by Hurricane Sandy in October.

Despite a construction fence and yellow tape, a steady stream of beach goers strolled the ramps to the new restrooms at Coney Island. Reminiscent of a 1950’s vacation trailer, the buildings’ retro-feel seems at home on a beach that has been a leisure destination for generations.
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