Tag Archive for Blue light

| December 31, 2020
Comments Off on 10 Step 2020 Detox

10 Step 2020 Detox

10 Step 2020 DetoxI think we can all agree that 2020 sucked. Covid-19, Trump, COVID deniers, a plummeting economy, TP hoarding, Australia burning, U.S. wildfires, police shootings, civil unrest, anti-maskers, a derecho, murder hornets, 5,000 pets killed, and the fly. Now that 2021 is here it is time to detox from 2020. Here are some steps to take the help you welcome 2021.

Write it down – Review the events of 2020 the good, the bad, and the ugly. Write the highlights and the lowlights down on a piece of paper. Identifying the good as well as the bad brings them all to mind.

Let go – Let go of the good and bad with a fire ceremony. If you can, give thanks first. Summarize the challenges and then burn the lists. Or if you live in NYC the Times Square Alliance offers an industrial-strength shredder to detox the unpleasant 2020 reminders are printed and shredded.

industrial-strength shredder to detox the unpleasant 2020 remindersHome Cleansing – You may need a little extra help getting the 2020 bad juju out of your home. In Feng Shui, clearing is healing. So, cleansing our spaces is important to replace old or stagnant energy with positive and new energy. Cleansing will impact your physical and mental well-being activating the positive feelings and emotions we are looking for in 2021. Practitioners of Feng Shui believe clearing the energies at home brings peace, and connects you with your home so that together you can achieve your 2021 goals. New energies support and nurture each person who lives and spends time at home.

How to perform a 2020 cleansing

Step 1: Open the windows to allow the energy to move freely.

Step 2: Start the cleansing process from the back of the house to the front. Light a sage bundle and start walking from the back of each room to the front. Walk around the room covering as much of Light a sage bundleit as you can. Using a hand fan, waft the sage smoke into the corners of the room up to the ceiling. Make sure to go into every room as you move from the back of the house to the front. When you’ve reached the front, walk out the door and smudge sage around the door and frame.

Step 3: Sounds also clear up energies. Ring a bell to remove stagnant energy behind furniture, under the bed, and hidden spaces.

Digital detox – Technology dominates the way we live our lives. It is not hard to see how people are unable to go a few hours without using their phone or tablet. On average, a person in the US spends almost 5.4 hours on their smartphone while kids and teenagers spend 5.7 hours. A typical user taps, touches, or swipes their spends almost 5.4 hours on their smartphonephone a staggering 2,617 times per day. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania recently published research linking the use of social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram to decreased well-being. The results revealed that limiting social media use decreased symptoms of depression and loneliness. A digital detox is a way to stop being so dependent on technology, taking steps to cut out how often you check your phone or use it. Here are some key ways to detox yourself from your tech.

Step 1: Turn off push notifications – Turning off push notifications cut-down how frequently people check their phone. You won’t receive notifications from apps. Cutting out some parts of social media at the start of the detox can be crucial later when you only allow yourself certain times to check social media sites.

Invest in an alarm clockStep 2: Invest in an alarm clock– Most people use their mobile phone as their morning alarm. They have their phones in the bedroom with them every night. How many times do you check your phone through the night? Scrolling through Instagram at 3 am rather than getting 40 winks, is surely not the best way to spend the early hours of the morning.

Step 3: Delete social media apps – Uninstall the apps that you check most. Only check your favorite site from another device, or in a web browser. Schedule social media time that suits you, and stick to the schedule to cut down on how often you use them.

Step 4: Make your phone screen grayscale – Many phones offer the choice to have a color screen or not. Set it to grayscale. Colors can make you more likely to check apps and look at your phone. Sites purposely use blues in their design because the color communicates trust. Blue light is used to boost attention and moods. At night they can lead to lack of sleep and even bad skin. As simple as it sounds, switching your phone to black and white can stop you from using it so often!

Step 5: Designate phone-free times during the day – Start with one hour a day, at mealtime or before bed. Leave your device somewhere instead of carrying it around. Or turn it off. The more time you spend away from your device, the more likely it is that you will stop depending on it. There are simple ways around not using your phone for tasks like checking the time.

Welcome 2021

 

Stay safe out there!

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Holidays | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| July 3, 2020
Comments Off on What You Need to Know About Blue Light on Your Screens

What You Need to Know About Blue Light on Your Screens

What You Need to Know About Blue Light on Your Screens CNN reports that Americans spent up to seven hours and 22 minutes on screens each day in 2019— not including screens used for school work.  That was before the pandemic, which pushed people’s social lives onto Zoom video chats.  There are risks in all that screen time.  One common concern is the blue light that emanates from digital devices.

PrismAll visible light falls on a color spectrum based on the wavelength frequency and energy levels each color produces.  Blue light is a short wavelength, high-energy, visible (HEV) light.  Darker colors, like blue, are the closest to more dangerous UV wavelengths and strength.  Lighter colors, like red, are on the opposite end of the spectrum, with longer wavelengths and lower energy levels.

Light spectrum

Blue light can be harmful.

Blue light can be harmful, like too much salt in our diet.  Our bodies are naturally adept at absorbing and dealing with blue light exposure, but too much can be harmful.

We are surrounded by blue light in our natural environment our whole life.  We tend to only worry about blue light coming from display screens.  It also comes from:

  • Naturally, from the sun,
  • Fluorescent lights, and
  • LED light bulbs.

LED RGB pixelsMost computer monitors, cell phone screens, and flat-screen TVs are additional sources of blue light.  HP explains this is because white light LEDs combine with blue LEDs to create a solid-state light that uses significantly less energy and power than alternative light sources, making it ideal for electronic devices.  It These digital devices cause excess blue light exposure, and there are concerns.

Our skin doesn’t have much of a problem dealing with blue light, but our eyes don’t have the same level of adaptation.  Because the wavelength of blue light is short and powerful, it can penetrate past the cornea to reach the retina, which is the most light-sensitive part of your eye.

Digital eye strain

Parts of the eyeOne of the most common side effects of blue light exposure is digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome.  It is caused by staring at a computer screen for too long and may lead to dry, sore, red eyes and blurred vision.  HP warns that with prolonged exposure, blue light can harm your eyes and lead to macular degeneration.

You can take some easy steps to avoid permanent damage to your eyesight.  Here are several suggestions to control your blue light exposure.  Our bodies are naturally conditioned and programmed to fall asleep when it gets dark and wake up when exposed to light.  Harvard Medical School found that it is essential to limit your screen time because blue light suppresses melatonin for about twice as long as green light and shifts circadian rhythms by twice as much.

The same Harvard study found that green light may be as hard on your eyes as blue light.  The researchers warn that the two lights are similar in strength, and there are few remedies for green light exposure.  Limiting screen time—even if you use a blue light filter is important. 

Get your eyes checkedIt’s not just blue light that can affect your vision.  As we age, the lens inside our eye can lose flexibility, resulting in the inability to change focus from far to near.  Regular comprehensive eye exams are important to maintaining eye health, no matter how much time you spend in front of screens.

If you already have prescription glasses, move to multi-focal lenses and have your optometrist add a blue light filter.  If not, “cheaters” from the drugstore may be enough—for a while. 

Blinking

Blinking is our body’s natural defense.  It lubricates and cleans our eyes.  Typically, we blink 10 to 20 times per minute.  However, studies have shown that our blink rate drops when we concentrate.  We only blink 3 to 8 times per minute when reading, watching TV, or looking at a computer screen.  Dry eyes are irritated eyes. 

Take time to rest your eyes every 20 minutes.  Look away from the computer and focus on something distant—like out a window.

  1. the average person blinks 10 to 20 times per minuteClose your eyes gently,
  2. Squeeze and hold them shut for a moment,
  3. Open and relax them.

Remember to blink more often in between, and when you are thinking, instead of squinting at the screen, turn away and blink a few times. 

A blue light filter can be a physical barrier or an application that blocks out blue light.  Physical blue light filters block short, high-frequency waves and allow long, low-frequency ones.  HP says physical blue light screen filters are the easiest and best way to reduce your blue light exposure.  Some are just a clear piece of plastic material that covers your monitor. 

Blue light filtering glasses

blue light filtering glassesWearing blue light-filtering glasses for 3 to 4 hours before bedtime is the easiest way to keep your melatonin levels in check and your retinas protected.  An inexpensive over-the-counter pair online can cost $10.00 and up to $80.00.  The original Blue Blockers cost $19.95 back in the day.

Many prescription and over-the-counter cheaters have blue light filters in the lenses.  However, if you regularly wear prescription glasses, investing in a physical blue light filter may be a waste of money.

Windows 10

You can also reduce your blue light exposure by adding an app to many of your digital devices.  Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 10 has a built-in Night Light feature to control blue light.  To use Windows 10’s app:

  1. Microsoft logoClick the Start button,
  2. Go to Settings,
  3. System,
  4. Display,
  5. Toggle the Night light switch to turn the feature on.
  6. Click the link for Night light settings where you can:
    • Set a schedule that controls the lighting on your computer screen,
    • Setting the screen temperature allows you to adjust the levels of blue light reduction.  Warmer colors filter out more blue light—experiment with settings to see what works best for you.

Apple

If you are an Apple (AAPL) Mac user, Apple’s built-in blue light filter app Night Shift requires macOS Sierra 10.12.4 and specific systems.  If you can, follow these steps to enable Night Shift:

  1. Apple logoChoose the Apple menu,
  2. System Preferences,
  3. then click Displays,
  4. Click the Night Shift tab.

On your Apple iPhone or iPad, go to

  1. Settings,
  2. Display & Brightness,
  3. Tap the Night Shift setting. 

As with all things Google (GOOG) Android, the availability of a built-in blue light filter depends on your specific device and version of Android.  To see if this feature is on your Android device, go to:

  1. Goggle Android logoSettings,
  2. Display,
  3. Look for an option for a Night Light or Blue Light filter. 

If your Android does not have a blue light filter, consider using Grayscale mode, an accessibility setting for most smartphones.

F.lux is a popular third-party blue light filter application with apps for Windows, Apple, Linux, and Phillips Hue lighting system apps. 

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Please be aware that all these blue light blocker apps require you to turn on Location Services to get the automatic schedule.

Blue light-blocking apps can diminish the quality of your viewing experience.  HP says that compared to blue light filter applications and physical blue light blockers, physical devices diminish picture quality and color far less than apps.

Try one of these solutions to save yourself the discomfort and strain caused by blue light.

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005.  You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.  Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Health care | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| January 26, 2019
Comments Off on Don’t Be SAD

Don’t Be SAD

Don't Be SADThe holidays are in the rear-view mirror. You drive to work in the snow. You have to dodge potholes in the dark on the way home. And we have 8-10 more weeks of winter. The likelihood of a getaway to the sun and sand is pathetically low. No wonder your mood sucks. It is SAD.

Seasonal Affective Disorder SADOfficially it’s Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD includes feelings of fatigue, depression, and anxiety that occur every winter. Experts say SAD impacts over two million people. SAD is rooted in several factors. The lack of sunlight in winter can throw off your circadian rhythms your biological clock. This cut levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin (a brain chemical that regulates your mood) and melatonin (a chemical that regulates sleep and mood). This can lead to a rough few months. Fortunately, there are ways to beat back SAD while at work.

Manage your stress. Stress management is a natural treatment option for SAD.

Catch some rays. Get outside breath in some fresh air every day. Studies confirm that spending time outside can relieve stress and fight SAD. At the office. open the shades and let as much sunlight in as possible.

Clean your cube.  Give your workspace a thorough cleaning. Getting rid of things you don’t need. Straightening up your everyday items can give your space a more peaceful feeling. A fresh desk can be what you need to help keep SAD at bay.

Get a desk plant. Instead of waiting around for Spring to roll around to experience signs of life, take matters into your own hands and invest in a plant for your desk.

Takea pant to workCut carbs. Avoid slurping on comfort foods like chips and cake. Carbohydrate-rich foods can actually be counterproductive for fighting the blues. The happiness delivered is short-lived, as the spike in blood sugar levels will leave you feeling worse after.

Eat asparagus. Use your lunch break to help combat SAD. Add asparagus to a salad or use it as a side to reap the benefits. Asparagus has heaps of tryptophan, an amino acid that is essential to producing serotonin.

AsparagusEat dark chocolate. Keep a bar of dark chocolate at your desk. It can do more than satisfy your sweet tooth. It can also elevate your mood. Studies show that dark chocolate promotes the release of endorphins that give an instant boost to happiness. Dark chocolate is also rich in serotonin.

Try some tech. Use technology to block blue light. Blue light suppresses serotonin making it harder to fall asleep. Of course, there is an app for that. You can try Night Shift on your Apple (AAPL) product, Twilight on your Google (GOOG) Android or f.lux on your PC to cut blue light. Or try blue light blocking glasses.

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Of course, I’m no doctor so consult with a health care professional. But it is nice to know you can manage your SAD symptoms by eating chocolate-dipped asparagus at your sunny clean desk.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| June 5, 2014
Comments Off on Sears Converts Stores to Data Centers

Sears Converts Stores to Data Centers

-Updated 07-12-16- Data Center Frontier reports that Sears ultimately decided to spin off its Sears and Kmart stores as a real estate investment trust (REIT) rather than converting them into data centers.

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Sears Converts Stores to Data CentersThe blinking blue lights of servers soon fill the aisles that previously offered the Blue Light Special according to an article in Data Center Knowledge by Rich Miller. Sears Holdings (SHLD) has formed a new unit to market space from former Sears and Kmart retail stores as a home for data centers, disaster recovery space, and wireless towers.

Ubiquity Critical EnvironmentsWith the creation of Ubiquity Critical Environments, Sears hopes to convert the retail icons of the 20th century into the Internet infrastructure to power the 21st-century digital economy. The article says Sears Holdings has one of the largest real estate portfolios in the country, with 3,200 properties spanning 25 million square feet of space. That includes dozens of closed Sears and Kmart stores. Sean Farney, the COO of the newly formed Ubiquity believes the firm has a great asset on its hands he told DCK.

It’s an amazing real estate portfolio … The goal is not to sell off properties. It’s to reposition the assets of this iconic brand. The big idea is that you have a technology platform laid atop a retail footprint, creating the possibility for a product with a very different look to it.

SearsCOO Farney is an industry veteran who previously managed Microsoft’s huge Chicago data center, and then ran a network of low-latency services for the financial services firm Interactive Data. He told DCK, he sees an opportunity to build three lines of businesses atop the Sears portfolio: data centers, disaster recovery sites and “communications colocation” in which Ubiquity leases rooftop space to wireless providers.

Ubiquity will be able to leverage real estate at both closed stores and some that are still operating, depending on the opportunity. The first step has been to evaluate the portfolio and identify properties that could work as data centers. The article reports that Chicago engineering firm ESD has conducted “data center fitness tests” on promising properties to size up their power, fiber, and risk profiles. Ubiquity is also working with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank to market the portfolio to the brokerage community.

Data centerThe first Ubiquity project will be a Sears store on the south side of Chicago, nestled alongside the Chicago Skyway. The 127,000 square foot store will be retrofitted as a multi-tenant data center. Ubiquity’s Farney says he already has a commitment for the first tenant at the site on East 79th Street, which has 5 megawatts of existing power capacity and the potential to expand. “It’s a building that’s lit very well, from both a fiber and power perspective,” Mr. Farney told the author. “It’s going to be great data center building.”

Mr. Farney acknowledges that many of Sears’ mall-based retail locations aren’t viable for data center usage. “I don’t think the industry is yet ready for a mall-based data center,” he said. “That may take some time. The stand-alone location is optimal.”

Cell towerUbiquity has those stand-alone facilities, along with distribution centers and some parcels of vacant land. ”There are closed Kmarts that are stand-alone, 200,000 square-foot properties with good fiber and power and 10 acres of parking,” said Mr. Farney. “These are owned assets.”

The article cites the COO who says Ubiquity has flexibility in how it works with tenants. It could finance a buildout and then hand over a wholesale data center to an enterprise or managed hosting provider or could opt for a powered shell solution for a tenant, depending on the customer’s needs.

After initially focusing solely on data centers, Ubiquity has expanded its strategy Mr. Miller explains. Although mall-based stores may not be right for data centers, they could be ideal for disaster recovery facilities, Mr. Farney said. That includes mall stores that have closed, as well as those that have downsized to a smaller retail footprint. In either scenario, a separate workspace could be created with an exterior entrance to restrict access, while still allowing employees to take advantage of nearby stores and eateries. Mr. Farney believes this makes sense for the client.

Disaster recovery sitesThere are compelling reasons why this is a great model … It used to be the business continuity centers were located in an industrial park. The customer has evolved to the point where they want a sexier location, where they can have access to a Starbucks and other retail, because it’s possible they may be there for weeks or months. Sears and Kmart stores are located in just such retail locations in major malls.

The COO also predicts that customers are ready for a more distributed approach to business continuity.

In the past, customers had a single monolithic recovery center … Now, after (Hurricane) Sandy, there’s a need for multiple locations, because you don’t be tied to one location in a regional disaster. There’s a desire to have multiple locations spread costs across multiple areas. The Sears footprint really fits that.

Then there’s wireless, which the article says is the most exciting opportunity. Mr. Farney says that seventy percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Sears or Kmart store.

When malls were being built, they gravitated to the intersection of freeways and highways, and Sears got entry to all of them … These rooftops have proximity to the greatest mass of consumers available. As wireless users grow, the size of the cell is shrinking, creating holes in coverage. Having rooftop access to the cars and pedestrians around the malls is important. The Sears portfolio can capture that … There’s tons of interest. I will put as many of the rooftops in play as I can.

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This is a rather innovative and out-of-the-big-box thinking and smart use of space for a company with a huge real estate portfolio. 

Sears’ solution to the problem of now-vacant retail buildings isn’t to sell them off for scrap and hope for the best but to hang on to its assets and find a way to make them more profitable. Every struggling company and town in this country could learn a lesson from Sears.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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