What would you do if you found a smartphone on the subway or at a coffee shop? If you’re like most Americans, you’d rummage through the phone looking for photos, emails and even private banking information. And the chances are only 50-50 that you would try to return the phone.
Symantec researchers intentionally lost 50 smartphones in cities around the U.S. and in Canada. They were left on newspaper boxes, park benches, elevators and other places that passers-by would quickly spot them. But these weren’t just any phones — they were loaded with tracking and logging software so Symantec employees could physically track them and keep track of everything the finders did with the gadgets.
To spice up the test, the phones had an obvious file named “contacts,” making it easy for any finder to connect with the phone’s rightful owner. But the phones also offered tempting files, with names like “banking information,” and “HR files.”
Some 43 percent of finders clicked on an app labeled “online banking.” And 53 percent clicked on a filed named “HR salaries.” A file named “saved passwords” was opened by 57 percent of finders. Social networking tools and personal e-mail were checked by 60 percent. And a folder labeled “private photos” tempted 72 percent.
Collectively, 89 percent of finders clicked on something they probably shouldn’t have.
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The whole idea of daylight saving time is to grab that extra hour of daylight as the days begin to get longer. It’s mankind’s attempt to ‘fool’ nature, which we know never really works, but we still try to outsmart it.
Setting up the Tentsile isn’t as easy as hanging a hammock—you’ll need three sturdy trees and the wherewithal to loop straps around their trunks high above the ground. But when all is said and done, the 5, 8, or 12-person temporary shelter should provide a safe perch above wildlife and mother nature. It also means you don’t need to find a clearing to set up camp.
Just keep in mind that the largest 12-person version weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 pounds when it’s collapsed and packed away. So it’s not ideal for backpackers. And while pricing information isn’t forthcoming on their website, it’s safe to assume it’s a bit more expensive than a regular tent.
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Men were rated more highly when they shaved their beards off, a study found. Being bearded also made them seem older and more aggressive.
Science gives us various theories as to why men are able to grow beards, from protecting the delicate facial skin from sunlight to buffering blows to the jaw in a fight.
It is even suggested that a beard is a sign of a strong immune system. The theory goes that disease-carrying parasites thrive in body hair and so if a man can sport a beard without getting ill, he must be extra healthy.
Women are supposed to be drawn to strong, healthy men but previous research into whether beards are attractive has produced mixed results, so scientists from New Zealand and Canada decided to conduct their own research.
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What would you do for simple gas to cook, or heat your home during the winter? Would you be willing to fill a giant bag full with natural gas and carry it into your home, at the risk of, well, exploding? Because that’s what villagers in the Shandong Province of China are doing.
The villagers come to the oil extraction facility to fill the massive gas bags because they’re too poor to afford other means of heating and cooking gas, and they aren’t allowed to connect lines to the oil field. So instead they carry around the giant bags of explosion. According to people who live in the area, they last for about five days before they have to be refilled.
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Inside one of Shane Dussault’s backpacks is a laptop, a small bag of tools, a bag of electronics, and an ultra-absorbent compressed towel the size of a washcloth. In the other is a kettle, food supplies such as olive oil, fruit, cheese and bread, and a bag of toiletries. His other three possessions are a down mat, a sleeping bag, and a “bivy bag,” which is a large Gore-Tex sack.
Shane is a U1 Philosophy student at McGill, and has been homeless since July. He lives on campus, using its facilities like most of us use different rooms in a house. He eats his meals in student lounges and does push-ups in the library. He showers at the gym and stashes extra socks in convenient hiding spots. He won’t say where – he guards his possessions closely.
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