A first look at Disney+

via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2ZrPqEV

Vape lung has claimed its first victim, and the CDC is investigating

A person has died from what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speculate is a vaping-related condition. Nearly 200 other cases of varying severeness have been reported nationwide, described by the CDC as “severe unexplained respiratory systems after reported vaping or e-cigarette use.”

No information was provided about the deceased other than that they were an adult living in Illinois, and that they had died of some sort of pulmonary illness exacerbated or caused by vaping or e-cigarette use. Others affected in that state have been between 17-38 and mostly men, the CDC doctor added on a press call earlier today.

As little is known for sure about this growing problem, the team was hesitant to go beyond saying there was good reason to believe that these cases were all vaping-related, although they differ in some particulars. They have ruled out infectious disease.

The CDC’s acting deputy for non-infectious diseases, Dr Ileana Arias, explained on the call after expressing their condolences:

CDC is currently providing consultations to state health departments about a cluster of pulmonary illnesses having to do with vaping or e-cigarette use… While some cases appear to be similar and linked to e-cigarette product use, more information is needed to determine what is causing the illnesses.

In many cases patients report a gradual start of symptoms, including breathing difficulty, shortness of breath and/or hospitalization before the cases. Some have reported gastrointestinal illnesses as well… no specific product has been identified in all cases nor has any product been conclusively linked to the illnesses

Even though cases appear similar, it isn’t clear if these cases have a common cause or if they are different diseases with similar presentations.

An FDA representative on the call said that his agency is also looking into this, specifically whether these are products that fall under its authority. It’s possible they were imported, for example, or sold under the table.

Everyone involved is still in the information-gathering phase, as you can tell, but it’s apparently serious enough that they felt the need to make this announcement. Meanwhile they are asking doctors to report cases they suspect might be related.

“Right now states are leading their own specific epidemiologic investigations and we’re providing assistance as needed,” explained the CDC’s Dr. Josh Schier. “CDC is working on a system to collect, aggregate, and analyze data at the national level to better characterize this illness.”

As the mechanism is unknown, it’s unclear what the actual danger is. Is it some byproduct of the nicotine cartidges, or THC ones? Is it the vapor itself? Is it only at certain temperatures or concentrations? Is it directly affecting the lungs or entering the bloodstream? No one knows yet — all they’ve seen is an sudden uptick in respiratory or pulmonary issues where the sufferer also uses vaping products.

The CDC’s Dr Brian King went into a bit more detail on the possibilities, explaining that while no specific chemical can be said to be the problem, that’s more for a want of study, not a want of potentially harmful chemicals.

“We do know that e-cigarettes do not emit a harmless aerosol,” he explained. “There’s a variety of harmful ingredients identified, including things like ultrafine particulates, heavy metals like lead and cancer causing chemicals. And flavoring used in e-cigarettes to give it a buttery flavor, diacetyl, it’s been related to severe respiratory illness.”

“We haven’t specifically linked any of those specific ingredients to the current cases but we know that e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless,” King concluded.

He also suggested, in response to a question why we were suddenly seeing lots of these cases, that the problems have been occurring all this time but only recently have hospitals and other organizations done the due diligence as far as linking them to e-cigarette use.

Few studies have been done on vaping’s potential health effects, and none on long-term effects, since the devices only recently gained popularity — well ahead of the possibility of regulation and years-long studies.

Research published just last month from Yale found that Juul vape pens produced chemicals not listed on the package, some of which are known to be irritants.

“People often assume that these e-liquids are a final product once they are mixed. But the reactions create new molecules in the e-liquids, and it doesn’t just happen in e-liquids from small vape shops, but also in those from the biggest manufacturers in the U.S.,” said Yale’s Hanno Erythropel in a news release.

That vaping works as a way to quit smoking — which we know is absolutely disastrous to your health — seems clear. But it remains to be seen exactly how much less of a risk vaping offers.

If you use vaping products and have been experiencing coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, or chest pain, tell your doctor.

from Gadgets – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2MA5MZM
via IFTTT

Can I use a meat thermometer with Joule?

Best answer: You can indeed use a meat thermometer when you're cooking with your Joule. It's a super-smart way to ensure proteins are cooked thoroughly. You simply need to pick up some sous vide sealing tape to protect the integrity of your vacuum-packed food.

• Bathtime: Joule Sous Vide ($199 at Amazon)
• Sticky subject: Julabo Sous Vide Adhesive Sealing Tape ($32 at Amazon)
• Probing: ThermoPro Thermocouple Meat Thermometer ($20 at Amazon)

Flesh it out

A probe-style meat thermometer is something all ambitious home cooks should own. Using a thermometer when cooking roasts, ribs, steaks, chops, chicken, and fish is a great way to ensure your food has reached the correct temperature inside. While you can enjoy beef rare, no-one in the world wants to find out their chicken is still pink. Sous vide cooking, when you vacuum seal food and cook it slowly in a water bath, is a classic case for needing a thermometer as you can't easily access the food to check for "doneness."

Check your sous vide

You can use a probe when cooking via sous vide, but first, you need to apply a small length of sous vide sealing tape to the side of your bag and use the thermometer through the taped off section. When you remove the probe, this specialist tape will then expand to cover the hole you've made in your bag. Once you've removed the food from the water bath and plastic bag, you can use the probe meat thermometer again in the more traditional way of inserting it directly into the food to double-check the temperature is what it should be.

Water baby

Joule Sous Vide

$199 at Amazon

Sous vide loca

Connected, small and sleek, you can manage the Joule sous vide wand via an Apple or Android device to whip up perfectly cooked dishes.

Tale of the tape

Julabo Sous Vide Adhesive Sealing Tape

$32 at Amazon

Penetration protection

Safe for use with all types of food and FDA compliant, this tape will protect your vacuum-sealed food when you use a probe or needle style meat thermometer.

Poker ace

ThermoPro Thermocouple Meat Thermometer

$20 at Amazon

High steaks

This thermometer will give you an accurate to half a degree reading on its easy to see the display in three seconds. When you're not using it, stick it to your fridge with its magnetic back.

from iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog https://ift.tt/30tWGkG
via IFTTT

Apple launches beta of redesigned iCloud website

What you need to know

• Apple has released a beta version of its redesigned iCloud website
• You can now access Account Settings to manage your Apple ID, storage, and devices
• Some users report having access to the new Reminders app

Found by Federico Viticci, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, and reported on by 9to5Mac, Apple has released a redesigned iCloud website. It is currently in beta and can be found by going to Apple's iCloud beta website.

The new iCloud website is much more minimal than its predecessor, forgoing the dynamic, bubbly wallpaper with a flat, black and white design.

The homescreen icons are much smaller than before and now sit under your Apple ID photo, a welcome message, and a quick link to your Account Settings.

The first section of the Settings page give you a link to manage your Apple ID as well as the ability to set your preferred language and time zone. Below that, you can get a glance at your iCloud storage and your registered devices, with some basic security options for those devices like removing Apple Pay cards or marking a device as lost or stolen.

Some users report being able to use the new Reminders app in the beta, however we were not able to do so. This could be limited to those currently enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, leaving the rest of us to use the current Reminders app from iOS 12. For those who do have access to the new Reminders app on the beta website, they report seeing a "Coming Soon" message for the Reminders app on the current iCloud website.

One thing that is missing, besides that wallpaper, from the beta is the launchpad icon when you are in an app. Right now there is no way to go back to the homescreen from an app besides clicking the back button on your browser or changing the URL back to beta.icloud.com.

Of course, this is because this is a beta, and the final release will have more enhancements. It is, however, nice to see a sneak peek at what Apple's plan is. The iCloud website has long been overdue for a refresh, so the new look is a welcome one.

from iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog https://ift.tt/2Zhitip
via IFTTT

South Korea pulls out of intel sharing pact with Japan amid trade dispute

Withdrawing from an intelligence sharing agreement with Japan alarmingly expands the scope of their trade dispute beyond being political and economic, making it also about security.

from Latest news https://ift.tt/2TVoDzk
via IFTTT

Best gaming chairs we've sat in for 2019 - CNET

Thick, slim, short or tall, we tried gaming chairs for all.

from CNET https://ift.tt/33LbPjE
via IFTTT

What Amazon Web Services security certification is doing for government

The Australian government is now getting its hands on new technologies to improve citizen experiences.

from Latest news https://ift.tt/2MwZTNe
via IFTTT