After a friend's suicide last year, Zach Schleien sought some answers through an online discussion forum. He was riveted by the people who shared their pain, such as the 19-year-old woman who never left her room and the man with schizophrenia trying to manage the warring voices in his head. Schleien started wondering whether there was something he could do to help alleviate such suffering. His solution turned out to be simpler than he expected: A Slack channel, a private online community for people in life-or-death struggles reaching out in real time to save one another. Schleien, who works in business technology in New Jersey, called the channel 18percent for the 18 percent of the U.S. population living with mental illness. Launched this year by a nonprofit that Schleien founded with David Markovich, an internet marketing consultant, the channel has about 150 members who have sent more than 11,000 messages.Someone who might "feel alone and isolated can reach out at 2 a.m. and find … [Read more...] about From apps to avatars, new tools for taking control of your mental health
New school for music study
Solar Panels Power New Schools—and New Ways of Learning
Dressed in pastel pink and green for an early spring day, second-grader Katherine Cribbs was learning about energy on a virtual field trip—to her own school. With a flurry of touch-screen taps, she explored the “energy dashboard” of Discovery Elementary in Arlington, Virginia. On her tablet, she swiped through 360-degree views of her school, inside and out. She clicked on icons embedded in the virtual classroom to learn about energy-saving features such as LED lights and super-insulated exterior walls made of concrete-filled foam blocks. Exploring the virtual school kitchen, she could read about how the lack of a deep fryer means less energy is needed for venting grease from the air. Another swipe whisked her up to the school’s roof, where about 1,700 solar panels spread out before her. After a few minutes, she looked up from her computer to explain her progress in a confident voice that rose above the second-grade din. “I learned that our solar panels … [Read more...] about Solar Panels Power New Schools—and New Ways of Learning
Mobile apps could be a new resource for amputees
Wayne McDonald is one of the roughly 4 million people in the world who does CrossFit. He goes to classes not far from his home near Akron, Ohio, a few times a week and works with a coach who helps him with the rigorous fitness program that combines elements of running, weight lifting, gymnastics and more.For anyone, CrossFit can be grueling. For McDonald it's something of an achievement, since he lost his left leg above the knee in a motorcycle accident back in 2007."[It's] been interesting and exhausting and everything else because with two legs I would not have been particularly good at it," laughed McDonald, who created a website called Amputee Guy about his experiences.McDonald might not have summoned the courage to start CrossFit if not for the help of a fitness app called Fitness for Amputees, designed for lower limb amputees. Fitness for Amputees is just one in a budding group of mobile apps that've sprung up to help speed the recovery process for people who've lost a limb. … [Read more...] about Mobile apps could be a new resource for amputees
Best Apple Watch apps for your smartwatch in 2018
Best Apple Watch apps for 2018 The Apple Watch is onto its third generation now, and the aptly-named Apple Watch 3 is proving pretty popular - so that's why you're probably here checking out the new apps.In fact, it's one of the best smartwatch options out there, and now we're at the third generation it's becoming a particularly accomplished smart option for your wrist.The number one question we hear from new Apple Watch owners is, "what apps should I download first?" To make answering that query easier, we devised a thorough list of the best Apple Watch apps. With the right choices, your new digital timepiece will become so much more.Before you get into that though, remember to head into the Apple Watch main app on your iPhone - that's where you'll see a list of the apps already installed on your phone that can also be transferred to your Watch. If you see any you like the look of here, you'll need to download them to your iPhone first.Make sure you tag the apps you want on your … [Read more...] about Best Apple Watch apps for your smartwatch in 2018
Taryn Southern’s new album is produced entirely by AI
Taryn Southern Music has been made on computers for decades, but the technology has traditionally been much more utilitarian than collaborative when it comes to the music-making process. In recent years, however, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved to a level where it can help artists actually create music for 50-piece orchestras and even help craft Billboard hits. Singer-songwriter and YouTuber Taryn Southern has decided to push the limits of AI composition, putting the sound of her new album into the “hands” of four AI programs: Amper Music, IBM’s Watson Beat, Google’s Magenta, and AIVA. Aptly titled I Am AI, the album will be the first of its kind to be fully composed with and totally produced by AI when it releases in May. While each AI program is unique, they generally create music by following certain parameters (genre, tempo, style). Artists input music for the programs to analyze, and the machines learn the structure … [Read more...] about Taryn Southern’s new album is produced entirely by AI