Your Next Car Will Be Smarter Than You Are

When my family made its epic pilgrimage across the country last month, our cars — a reliable Honda Fit and a mid-1990s I-can’t-believe-it’s-still-running Honda Odyssey van — did not make the journey with us. 

We figured life in a new home in a new state deserved a new car. So we’ve been trying a few out, and it’s been an education on wheels.

The 2015 Ford Edge comes standard with a passel of driver-assist technologies — like adaptive steering, collision braking, and a 180-degree front camera — for around $32K. (Ford) 

It’s been six years since we went shopping for a new car, but it feels more like 60. Automobiles are a lot smarter than they were just a few years ago, thanks to a raft of safety features that rely on cameras, radar, and other sensors built into the body of the car, as well as sophisticated software algorithms that can make lightning-fast decisions on your behalf.

Some of this technology is with us in cars this year, but in the next model year, these features will be entering the mainstream in a big way — inching us ever closer to the self-driving car that many of us clamor for.

Tech yo-self before you wreck yo-selfThe safety tech goes by a variety of names, and the exact features vary depending on the car maker, but they generally fall into the following categories:

• Adaptive cruise control. When you’re zooming along the highway at 70+, this will automatically detect if a car ahead of you is traveling more slowly than you are and ease off the accelerator before you’re on top of it.

• Collision avoidance. Similar to adaptive cruise control, this is the “Oh my god we’re going to crash” sensor, which will either preset the car for maximum braking performance or do the braking for you, allowing you to stop before you plow into that stalled car that appeared to drop out of nowhere.

• Tailgating warnings. Sensors calculate the speed you’re traveling and the distance to the next car’s bumper, and then alert you via the dashboard when you’re getting too close. (They’re also a handy way to prove to one’s spouse that you don’t tailgate nearly as often as she claims you do. Just saying.)

• Blind-spot alerts. This was one of my favorite features of the Buick Enclave we drove across the country last month. Whenever a car entered the Enclave’s blind spot, an indicator in a corner of the side mirror would turn red. This removed much of my anxiety while changing lanes at 75 mph.

• Lane correction. Cameras detect lines on the road and warn you if you start to change lanes unexpectedly when traveling at freeway speeds. Some models will nudge the car back into place if you’re drifting or starting to fall asleep at the wheel.

• Cross-traffic warning. Instead of merely displaying what’s behind you on the rear-view camera, this alerts you if an object — like someone pushing a baby stroller — is about to enter the frame. With a Cadillac ELR we recently tested, the driver’s seat would vibrate if a barrier loomed into its view. (My wife kept saying, “The Cadillac is grabbing my butt again.” I think that’s one of the reasons she liked it so much.)

Safety at a priceWhat’s the catch? Money, of course. Odds are you’ll have to pay at least $30,000 for a car that comes with these features, says Ed Hellwig, executive editor at Edmunds.com. But you may be able to add a safety package to midrange cars for anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the model. Ford, for example, is offering many of these features as an option for 80 percent of its 2015 fleet.

Over time, Hellwig notes, many of these optional features may become standard or even required, just as rear-view cameras were once a high-priced option and are now required by the National Highway Safety Administration to be part of every new car starting in 2018.

“These features are much more common than most people realize,” notes Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor of Cars.com. “You can even get blind-spot monitoring in a Dodge Dart. We’re sure to see this technology spread to more models, and cheaper ones.”

Cruising the infobahnAnother way cars are getting smarter is via the Internet. Audi, Hyundai, and GM have all announced 2015 models that are rolling WiFi hotspots, some with 4G cellular connections you can share with up to seven devices.

You’ll pay extra for this, too, of course, though not as much as you might think. GM is offering data plans (via AT&T) starting at $5 for 200 MB of data a month and up to $50 for 5 GB. If you’re already an AT&T subscriber, you can add your car to your plan for $10 a month.

GM claims you can get better reception in your car than you can with your phone, thanks to a more powerful radio than what your handheld has, and a larger roof-based antenna. Well, maybe. I recently drove a 2015 Buick Regal with a 4G LTE connection, and the results were mixed. In areas where coverage was bountiful, I was able to smoothly watch a movie on a WiFi-enabled iPad while rolling down the highway. When we got to the coast where 4G was spotty, however, that iPad might as well have been an Etch A Sketch.

Your car, your selfCar makers are only just getting started with mobile technology. Vehicles that fully integrate Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Windows in the Car will probably arrive sometime in late 2015, Hellwig says. That could lead to a lot more auto-centric apps and make communicating with your car’s computer as easy as tapping a smartphone,

Further out, Toyota is working on cars that use facial recognition to identify drivers and adjust their settings accordingly, says John Hanson, a spokesman for the Japanese car maker. A car will also learn your habits — for example, it will know you typically drop the kids at a daycare center before heading to work in the morning — and then provide relevant information about the route, traffic, or weather. But a car might also learn what kind of driver you are. If you tend to burn rubber and slam on the brakes, for example, it may adjust the antilock braking system to compensate for it.

In the future, the car will no longer be just a thing you operate, Hanson says; it will be a teammate — one you trust to take over when it sees things it can do better than you can.

Questions, complaints, kudos? Email Dan Tynan at ModFamily1@yahoo.com

 

 

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13 Tricks For Falling Asleep Faster

 

 

Research shows that being continually sleep-deprived makes you dumb, irritable, distracted, unhappy, and fat — among other terrible things.

But knowing that sleep is necessary, and the science behind why, just makes the feeling of lying awake at 3 a.m. worse.

To help the night owls among us get some rest, we gathered the best practices from sleep science.  The experts call it "sleep hygiene." Here's a crash course.

1. Get into a bedroom routine. 

Do the same relaxing things before bed every night — the ritual clues your mind and body that it's time to get to bed. Go-to exercises include hot baths and deep reads, which Bill Gates, Arianna Huffington, and other high-achievers swear by.

2. Arrange your bedroom for maximal sleepability. 

Sleep to Live Institute director Robert Oexman tells Business Insider that you should keep your room cool (between 65° and 68°F) and dark. Get some blackout curtains if outside lights are an issue. 

3. Don't use your phone as an alarm clock.

Lots of us rely on our iPhones to wake us up in the morning. The only problem is that if you can't sleep, you'll get the itch to fuss with your phone, which is loaded with app-based stimulants. 

Don't let that happen to you. 

"Your bedroom should be reserved for sleep, sex, and nothing else," Oxeman says. "There's no excuse — if your cellphone is your alarm clock, then buy a $5 alarm clock and solve the problem."

4. Practice deep breathing.

Putting a little intention into breathing deeply is a way of signaling to your body that it's safe to relax. 

Family therapist Vikki Stark walks through the technique on Psychology Today: 

"On the inhale, visualize the clean, fresh air coming into your lungs, traveling around your body and cleansing all your cells. On the exhale, imagine all the toxins and negativity being safely expelled into the atmosphere, leaving your body restored. Focus on this steady, calm inhale-exhale, and I guarantee that you will start to feel more peaceful and relaxed. But it's not going to happen the first time you try it. It's an exercise so you need to practice it to get the best effect. Keep going till you feel your body let go."

5. Relax the muscles in your toes.

To release the workday stresses that have made a home in your muscles and tendons, use "progressive muscle relaxation" when you're lying in bed.

It's pretty simple: You tense — then release — a muscle group, and then move on to another one.  

Catherine Darley, director of the Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine in Seattle, advises focusing this progressive relaxation technique on your toes.

"Curl your toes tightly for a count of seven, and then relax," she says in Health.com. "Repeat through each muscle group, working up from your toes to your neck."

6. Occupy your mind with a mental exercise.

Counting sheep is so last night. The better option: Sleep expert  Dr. Vicky Seelall  says to try counting backwards from 100 in multiples of three.

The rhythm of counting can lull you into a sleepy state, and counting in multiples of three has a bit of a challenge to it, so that you'll actually have to pay attention. 

7. Get out of bed. 

Harneet Walia, a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic's Sleep Disorders Center, says if you can't fall asleep after 30 minutes of lying in bed, you should get up. 

"You're basically training your body not to sleep in bed, but to lie there and not sleep," Walia tells US News. "And your mind can get conditioned to that."

So avoid a screen and do something calm, such as reading a book, listening to music, or even doing the dishes.

8. Get your worries out of your head.

If your mind keeps babbling about what might happen tomorrow, next week, or next year, get it out. 

Walia suggests you try "jotting down all your worries on a piece of paper so it's out of your head," which sounds like good advice, given that "expressive writing" has been found to be an awesome approach to soothing anxiety. 

 

 

9. Get your alarm clock away from you. 

One of the worst parts of sleeplessness is the mounting awareness that you're not getting enough sleep.

To avoid that, exile your clock.  " No clock watching, " Walia says , " That ' s a big no-no. Turn the clock around. "

10. Try visualizing a beautiful experience.

If you keep ruminating over something that happened today, occupy your mind elsewhere.

Here's a suggestion, care of Cosmo: 

"Picture yourself in a place that's unrelated to whatever's dominating your thoughts, and focus on the specifics of the scenario ... For example, relive a favorite vacation, such as that trip to Mexico, and call to mind sensory details such as the feel of the water on your skin, the colors of the fish you saw while snorkeling, and the taste of the margaritas you sipped at sunset."

The vividness has a helpful side effect: It distracts you from what you'd be thinking of otherwise.

11. Get enough exercise during the day.

Your body isn't going to feel the need to rest if you haven't given it any work during the day. 

"If you're sedentary all day, your sleep will suck," Lifehacker reports. "The more active you are, the better your sleep will be." 

12. Get a better pillow.

Pillow research (it's a thing) has shown that a medium-firm pillow brings the best improvement to people's sleep. Why? Because a pillow should support your head and neck.

Also, Oprah magazine says to pick up a non-allergenic pillow if you think you might be allergic to down. Then get a dust mite protector to keep those mites from messing with you.

13. See a doctor.

If sleeplessness is a chronic problem, the experts all recommend talking to a professional. 

 

   COURTESY YAHOO NEWS  

The car seats which detect when drivers are falling asleep

Car seats which detect when drivers are falling asleep at the wheel are being developed by Nottingham Trent University

The dangers of falling asleep while driving may soon become a thing of the past with the development of car seats which can detect when a driver is beginning to nod off.

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University are set to begin how to embed an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor system into the fabric of car seats in an effort to save lives. Driver fatigue is a contributory factor in one in five motorway accidents, according to a study by the Department for Transport.

The sensor system can be used to detect heart signals which indicate a driver is beginning to lose alertness, and trigger a warning to pull over. Should the driver choose to ignore the alerts, active cruise control or lane departure technology could be deployed to gently guide the vehicle. The information could also be sent over a wireless network to a control centre to take further action.

COURTESEY THE TELEGRAPH

Help this Baby born with female, male sex organs...

When little Success Chisom Aniekwe was born one year ago, joy filled the hearts of his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Emmanuel Aniekwe, from Anam Community, in Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State. He was a chubby baby, full of life.However, the baby’s birth took a twist about eight days thereafter, when it was discovered that he had two sex organs, male and female. Ever since, pain has become a constant companion of the baby.

Now frail, with constant pain, especially when urinating, which comes through what would pass for female private part, under a little penis, the baby has been in and out of hospital, where tests and surgeries have been recommended.

Recounting her predicament, mother of the baby, Mrs. Chekwube Aniekwe, told Daily Sun that the scan she did, while pregnant, showed that the baby was a girl. She, however, stated that her confusion started when the woman, who gave the baby its first bath said the sex organ was not pronounced. The confusion increased when the mother moved to circumcise the baby, as the family wanted to circumcise its female children.

“Eight days of the baby’s birth, we went for the circumcision, when the woman noticed that my baby had both male and female organs. When the woman wanted to cut her clitoris, she said the baby was not a girl. She advised us to go back to his hospital of birth,” she stated

The confused mother of three explained that she went back to the hospital, where the medical director examined the baby.

She said: “When the doctor looked at the baby’s case, he quickly referred us to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. When we got there, we were made to understand that we needed to do some tests before surgeries could be done to correct the anomaly. At the hospital, a pharmacist directed us to Isolo General Hospital. On getting to there, they said they could not handle the case.”

The parents’ quest for solution did not stop there, as they also went to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.

Mrs. Aniekwe said: “When we got LUTH, we were told surgeries were needed but would come only after some tests. We have not been able to do the tests because of lack of finance.”

“The last time we went to LUTH was in December 2013. At that time, one of the specialists told us that there would likely be two surgeries. We were also asked to do a hormone test to know whether the baby has womb, to know if another surgery would be added.”

Unfortunately, the couple has not been able to raise money for the necessary tests and, therefore, have not made further moves to save the situation.

“We made several attempts to raise money for the necessary tests but we could not and that is why we have not gone back to the hospital till now. Presently, we do not know what it would cost us to do the tests and the surgeries,” she stated.

The woman further explained her baby’s condition has caused the family a lot of pain and embarrassment. “I am being embarrassed by the problem of the baby. Everywhere, I go, people get confused, as to whether the baby is a boy or girl. Initially, I used to dress the baby like girl. I also pierced the ears and put earrings. But as time passed, the baby’s look changed to that of a boy. People tell me my baby resembles a boy.  Within me, I know that there is a problem. It was when the face started changing to a boy that I started giving him a hair-cut and dressing him like a boy, even when the ears are pierced,” she stated.

Her husband, Emmanuel, described the case as a very serious challenge that has confronted the family. He, however, expressed optimism that surgeries, as doctors have recommended, would remedy the situation.

“I will be very grateful if I could be assisted financially, so that the surgeries would be done. The baby is always in pains and too tender to be undergoing such. We have been blessed with a baby and, therefore, should be happy parents,” he stated.

The Aniekwe family, therefore, appealed to the government, corporate bodies, religious groups, non-governmental organisations and well-meaning individuals to assist them to raise fund for the surgeries.   They would want all assistance to be made through Mary Jane Onyeulo, UBA Account Number: 2015879064 or call 08032398135. 

According to Wikepedia, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female.

“Historically, the term hermaphrodite has also been used to describe ambiguous genitalia and  gonadal mosaicism in individuals of gonochoristic species, especially human beings. The word  intersex has come into preferred usage for humans, since the word hermaphrodite is considered to be misleading and stigmatising as well as “scientifically specious and clinically problematic,” it stated.

Sequential hermaphrodites can be divided into three broad categories: Protandry: Where an organism is born as a male, and then changes sex to a female; and Protogyny: Where the organism is born as a female, and then changes sex to a male.

There’s also Bidirectional Sex Changers: Where an organism has both female and male reproductive organs but acts as either female or male during different stages in life.

 

Courtesy of the Sun 

FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICER GRADE II (SGL 8 -13)

FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICER GRADE II (SGL 8 -13
METHOD OF APPLICATION

 

Qualified candidates are to apply on-line via Federal Civil Service Commission’s web portal at https://vacancy.fedcivilservice.gov.ng

 

Only On-line application through the above Website will be processed.

 

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, APPLICATION PROCESSING IS FREE. ANY APPLICANT VIOLATING THIS INSTRUCTION DOES SO AT HIS/HER OWN RISK.

 

Key actor in Chibok abduction arrested –DHQ

The military has recorded a breakthrough in the investigation relating to the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, with the arrest of a businessman believed to have participated in the operation. In a press statement yesterday, Director, Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said the suspect, Babuji Ya’ari, headed an intelligence cell of Boko Haram and actively participated in the abduction of the Chibok students, whose whereabouts are still unknown.He stated that the suspect camouflaged as a member of the Civilian JTF in Borno State and also participated in the murder of Emir of Gwoza.

The defence spokesman also revealed that a lady, Hafsat Bako, who coordinated the payment of Boko Haram terrorists, has also been arrested. Also arrested is another female suspect named Haj Kaka, an armourer and spy for Boko Haram.

He stated that troops in Yobe State engaged in fierce battle with the insurgents at the weekend, resulting in casualties.

The statement read in part: “A terrorists’ intelligence cell headed by a businessman, who participated actively in the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok has been busted by troops.   The man, Babuji Ya’ari, who is also a member of the Youth Vigilante Group popularly known as Civilian JTF, which he uses as cover while remaining an active terrorist, also spearheaded the murder of the Emir of Gwoza.  His main role in the group is to spy and gather information for the terrorists group.

“Babuji has been coordinating several deadly attacks in Maiduguri since 2011, including the daring attacks on Customs and military locations as well as the planting of IEDs in several locations in the town.

“The arrest of the businessman, who is known to deal in tricycles, has also yielded some vital information and facilitated the arrest of other members of the terrorists’ intelligence cell who are women.  One of them, Hafsat Bako, had earlier escaped to Gombe State to avoid suspicion but was tracked and arrested.  Prior to her arrest, Hafsat coordinated the payment of other operatives on the payroll of the group.   In her confession, she disclosed that a minimum of N10, 000 is paid to each operative depending on the enormity of his task.

“Another female suspect named Haj Kaka, who doubles as an armourer and a spy for the terrorists group has also been arrested.  Until their arrest, all the suspects actively operated a terrorists’ intelligence cell in collaboration with others still at large.

“In another development, troops deployed in Goniri, Yobe State, over the weekend, had an encounter with terrorists, resulting in casualties on both sides after the attack was successfully repelled.”

 

Courtesy of The Sun....

Porsche's New Super Car

Last week, Porsche released the greatest car ever made by God or Stuttgart, the 918 Spyder, into the wild. The Spyder produces nearly 900 hp, 286 of them from electric motors paired to the finest V-8 engine on earth. It maxes out at a mild 217 mph and is the only production car with factory-fitted tires to ever run the Northern Loop of the Nurburgring in less than seven minutes. Also, it gets 67 miles to the gallon, a number that even the world hypermiling champion, driving a Prius C around a grocery-store parking lot, couldn’t achieve. The car has universally and rightly been proclaimed as a miracle of engineering, and maybe the savior of an entire industry.

Also, it is a convertible. You’d think it wouldn’t be too hard to sell.

But it costs $865,000. And they're building 918 of them, unlike the more exclusive LaFerrari (499) and McLaren P1 (375). You can’t exactly slap a zero-percent financing sticker on it and put up TV ads for a 4th of July sale. Getting the Spyder in the hands of people who both can afford it and appreciate its majesty has been a multi-year process. Porsche has done everything it can, short of performing the Dance Of The Seven Veils, to seduce its potential buyers.

Every one of those 918 will be pressed to order and for those who signed up early, the wait is over. “Ralph Lauren got his car,” someone from Porsche told me. “Penske got his car. Seinfeld got his car.”

But there are still plenty available. In order to move their stock of The Greatest Car Ever Told, Porsche has been sending invitations out to people in its VIP program, potential customers who are either already high-end Porsche owners or owners of other supercars. This program is called “Porsche Exclusive,” though it used to be called “Special Wishes.” The name got changed, for obvious reasons. If wishes were Porsches, rich people would ride.

These are the kinds of customers who travel to Germany to consult on specs, or go to a dedicated Porsche design office in Beverly Hills. If they pay, they get whatever they want. One buyer is waiting until car number 666 rolls off the bespoke production line. I’m hoping its Ozzy Osbourne, though no names were revealed. (The top exhaust pipes would make terrific devil horns).

 Of late, exclusive customers have been getting access to track days at five locations around the country, which includes a walkaround of a pre-production Spyder, plugged into a wall unit like an ordinary Chevy Volt, some light catering, a couple of runs around the track in a quotidian 911 Turbo, and, finally, a few laps in the Spyder itself. The appointments are spaced out 45 minutes apart, to give the illusion of exclusivity. Everyone is allowed to bring one guest.

Porsche set up shop earlier this month for a couple of days at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin. There, I met David Donohue, former champion of the GT2 class at the 24 Hours Of Le Mans. As of now, he’s also Porsche’s in-house 918 Spyder consultant, available at all times to any owner who needs his help and advice. “When these customers call,” he said, “I can’t say, ‘sorry, I’m on a race weekend.’”

Donohue has a long history working with Porsche, but he says he was drawn to the Spyder not only because of its performance, but also because of the technological advances it represents. The fact that it’s the fastest consumer car in existence, and also the most fuel-efficient hybrid, represents good news for car lovers who are feeling buffeted by the winds of climate change. “CAFE regulations and environmentalists are making us drive neutered cars,” Donohue told me. “And this is how Porsche responds.” It is sweet revenge.

I spent several hours at COTA, watching VIPs stagger around in shock after driving the Spyder, and did my own share of staggering after taking my laps. Shelby on a Popsicle stick, what a car. But that didn’t mean they were flying off the virtual lot. Most everyone else seemed exist in “I have to think about it” mode. They were wealthy, but not Jay Leno wealthy. One guy sat a table, looking through colored leather samples as desultorily as though he were picking out a new couch.

But I did meet one bona fide 918 Spyder owner. Dean Rogers, retired from the recording-studio business, had come down to Austin from Santa Fe, N.M., along with his garage manager, who helps maintain his dozen cars of various vintages. Rogers put down his deposit three and a half years ago, the day Porsche announced the Spyder on Dec. 3, 2010. “What they were claiming at the time seemed totally impossible,” he said. “It was a leap of faith. No one had ever done it before. But if you’re gonna have faith in a car company, have faith in Porsche.”

 

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Looking for a Job? learn The Worst Things You Could Write in a Cover Letter

 

 

By Dominique Rodgers
Monster Contributing Writer

Cover letters are tricky. On one hand, you want to sell yourself and show how you’re better than other applicants. On the other hand, you can’t come across as too arrogant or you’ll be seen as a jerk. You want the hiring manager to know you’re excited about the position, but if you become too effusive, you’re a desperate sycophant. It’s a tightrope act, for sure.

The best tack is usually to keep your cover letters simple and effective. Convey your interest in the position and show how you can help your prospective employer with some of its pain points. Be specific. And whatever you do, don’t include any of these items.

Arrogant Superlatives

This is to be avoided at all costs. If you come across as brash and overconfident in a cover letter, people will fear having you sitting in the cubicle next to them acting that way in real life.

“Avoid phrases such as ‘best candidate’ and ‘perfect fit’ when describing your capabilities. You are really not in a position to make that assessment and it comes across to the reader as arrogant. You want to be positive and confident but cocky is a turn off,” says Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at the D'Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.

Generic Objectives

Oh really? YOU’RE the guy who wants to “find employment in a stable organization with great opportunities for advancement”? No. Everyone wants that, so wasting space on your cover letter to announce it is pointless.

“Employers aren't interested in what you want -- they want to know that you are the right person to solve their current problems and make the company successful,” says career coach Mark Sieverkropp His advice? Make the cover letter less about you and instead about how you can help the employer.

“I Left My Last Job Because…”

A cover letter is a place to get your prospective employer excited about reading your resume. It should be about the future and how you can help make it a bright one for the employer.

If you say you left because the old company was awful, then you’re speaking badly about a former employer, which is always unprofessional says Donna Lubrano, professor of business communications and international business at Newbury College. If you say you left to work on the great American novel, and your former employer didn’t give you enough flexibility to write, you send a clear message that you put your needs before your employer’s, she warns.

Even if all that’s true, the circumstances of your last job ending are going to come off as negative no matter how you frame them, so don’t talk about it until you’re asked.

Overused Buzzwords

“A cover letter that says you are a ‘team player,’ a ‘hard worker’ or want a job that will ‘allow me to use my full potential’ will get tossed immediately,” says career coach Jackie Jones. The goal of your cover letter is to stand out, and these phrases are not only tired and generic, but they’re also the ones plenty of other applicants will use.

Jokes

Jones also advises against making attempts at humor. You should demonstrate that you’re taking the process seriously, not trying to lighten the mood at all. Plus, “most folks are not as funny as they think they are and jokes and witticisms often don't translate well in writing -- especially in formal correspondence.”

 

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