It’s that time again…..the weekend begins and your favorite feature is out and waiting for the clamor of replies to come.
Locally….we had a little over 6 inches of rain….good but that means we still have 22 inch deficit for the year….cooler temps at least for now….but if you do not like the weather i9n South Mississippi wait a day and it will change.
Now time for the big stories of the past week….
One of life’s huge problems has finally been solved….
Doritos is helping out some of the brand’s biggest fans: gamers who like to snack. Crunching on chips sounds pretty irritating over microphones, which gamers use to chat while playing—and anyone who’s been on a Zoom or phone call with a loud chewer can relate. Using noise-canceling technology, the brand has created an app that cancels out the sound of you chomping on chips called Doritos Silent, reports the Washington Post. When wearing headphones that run the software, other gamers’ crunching sounds will cancel out. “That’s always been a distraction for me,” the app’s lead developer and avid gamer Dylan Fashbaugh tells the Post. “I’ll lose my focus when one person starts eating.”
While gamers might seem like a pretty specific group to target, PepsiCo marketing chief Fernando Kahane says Doritos’ connection with the gaming community is “undeniable,” per Delish, adding, “Doritos Silent recognizes this bond and demonstrates the brand’s continued commitment to … elevating the experience for gamers.” Fashbaugh says they started the project by reviewing different types of noise-canceling technology, then conducting more than 3,000 interviews with gamers across the globe. Some 90% of the cohort from the US said they like to snack while gaming, and they largely agreed that crunching sounds over the mic are annoying.
To cancel out the crunch, the company recorded 500 people eating chips, recording 5,000 different types of munching sounds. Next, they mixed in conversation around the chewing so that AI could pick up the crunch sounds between talking. While they recorded people specifically eating Doritos, the app cancels out the crunching of all types of chips. This isn’t the first time Doritos addressed the chips’ crunchiness. In 2018, PepsiCo’s former chief exec Indra Nooyi claimed the company was making a “chip for women” that was “low crunch” and had less orange dust residue, but the company quickly backtracked after backlash.
I know I shall sleep better knowing this nagging problem has been solved.
On the food front….
I enjoy avocados….as a former chef in a Mexican eatery I spent a lot of time with the fruit and have come to appreciate its buttery taste.
But there is a problem brewing in Central America thanx to the popularity of the fruit.
The evils of avocado toast are back for more scrutiny—only this time because of an environmental nightmare. Illegal deforestation in avocado-growing regions of Mexico is on the rise, the New York Times reports, as chunks of forests are being burnt to make room for the profitable plant. Along with the loss of trees in two avocado-growing states, Michoacán and Jalisco, there’s a rise in violence as people try to stop illegal land seizure. “My people should not die to satiate the world’s appetite for guacamole,” photographer and filmmaker Axel Javier Sulzbacher writes in an op-ed for the Washington Post. He notes that once cartels saw dollar signs in the avocado industry, violence over farmlands erupted, eventually making Michoacán’s once docile Uruapan the third-ranked deadliest city in the world in 2020.
Those who come forward say they’ve been intimidated, and in some cases, beaten or kidnapped. Landowner Donaciano Arévalo told the Times he was threatened by armed men after he reported squatters on his land. “I felt my heart pounding in my chest,” he recalls. “And I said, ‘These guys are going to kill me or they’re going to disappear me or they’re going to hand me over to the criminals.'” Climate Rights International notes that the Mexican government prohibits forest “land-use change” to agricultural production without express authorization, but a mix of local corruption, criminal influence, and the incentive of the cash the crop brings have slowed down action.
While Mexico’s forests, essential for mitigating climate change, are being razed to grow more avocados, the crop is creating a water crisis for local farmers. Illegal growers divert water sources to feed the thirsty plants. Not long after a forest catches fire, wells pop up, connected to an elaborate setup of underground piping that redirects water to a new orchard. In order to thrive, one mature avocado tree sucks as much water as 14 mature pines. “You’re putting in deciduous forests of a very water hungry tree and tearing out conifer forests of not so very water hungry trees,” Jeff Miller, author of Avocado: A Global History, said. “It’s just wrecking the environment.”
How about music?
You are what you listen to….
Your taste in music may reveal more about you than you think. A recent study published in PLOS One has found that the songs you love can provide insights into your moral values. Researchers explored the connection between people’s moral principles and their musical preferences, uncovering intriguing patterns that shed light on the relationship between our minds and melodies.
Prior studies had already delved into the connection between personality traits and musical tastes, but this study aimed to go beyond personality and delve into the realm of moral values. Moral Foundations Theory, developed by psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Jesse Graham, provided the theoretical framework for this exploration.
Music preferences and moral values: New study uncovers surprising connections
Apparently I have individualized values.
Could climate change be the reason we are having a rash of animal attacks?
Human-driven climate change is increasingly shaping the Earth’s living environments. Rising temperatures, rapid shifts in rainfall and seasonality, and ocean acidification are presenting altered environments to many animal species. How do animals adjust to these new, often extreme, conditions?
Animal nervous systems play a central role in both enabling and limiting how they respond to changing climates. Two of my main research interests as a biologist and neuroscientist involve understanding how animals accommodate temperature extremes and identifying the forces that shape the structure and function of animal nervous systems, especially brains. The intersection of these interests led me to explore the effects of climate on nervous systems and how animals will likely respond to rapidly shifting environments.
A new statement on the ‘afterlife’….
Numerous books have delved into the subject. Various films have depicted the boundless potential. And religions have been established to offer definitive explanations. Yet the inquiry still lingers: does life continue after death? According to a scientist, the answer is an unequivocal “No.” So why do we keep referring t the ‘afterlife’?
Sean Carroll, a cosmologist and physics professor at the California Institute of Technology, has asserted that life after death is ‘impossible.’ According to him, human consciousness is not separate from our physical bodies, and no scientific evidence suggests that consciousness can exist outside the human body.
Carroll argues that the laws of physics that govern everyday life are well-understood and do not permit for any information stored in our brains to persist after we die. Carroll said: “The laws of physics underlying everyday life are completely understood.”
He cites Quantum Field Theory as proof of no afterlife, as quantum tests have discovered no ‘spirit’ particles. Thus indicating that there is no existence beyond death. Dr. Carroll continued. “Claims that some form of consciousness persists after our bodies die and decay into their constituent atoms face one huge, insuperable obstacle.”
Scientist says the existence of an afterlife is impossible
This revelation should get tongues a waggin’.
Finally I recently wrote about some ‘new’ disease that was effecting dogs….some new information….
A wave of canine respiratory illness across at least 16 states has many people concerned about a “mystery” ailment affecting dogs—but experts who spoke to the New York Times say the explanation could be a lot more simple. There’s little to no evidence of a “new highly transmissible pathogen,” according to one expert who’s been monitoring disease patterns, though one team of scientists is looking into the possibility of a newly discovered bacterium playing a role. Experts say it could actually be a number of common viruses and bacteria causing the outbreaks—it’s not clear whether all the affected dogs are even infected with the same illness. Hundreds of dogs have been affected, and some have died, USA Today reports.
And then there’s the fact that during the COVID pandemic, many Americans adopted dogs, and many dogs stayed away from other dogs, thus possibly leaving them with little immunity to canine ailments, the experts add. The current outbreaks seem to be linked to crowded settings such as doggie day cares, boarding facilities, kennels, and dog parks. In addition, canine vaccinations went down during the pandemic when it was more challenging to take animals to the vet, so some dogs may have even less immunity to common pathogens. To protect dogs, owners are advised to get them up to date on vaccines and avoid areas with a large number of other dogs.
Keep your friend safe….
I believe that is enough for this Saturday….I would not want to overload that mind of yours.
Have a wonderful Saturday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”