Selective Hearing

Hearing aids today are much better than they used to be, but one thing that can still be challenging for many users is picking out a single voice in a room full of others that are just as loud. Scientists refer to this as the “cocktail party problem.” Now researchers at Columbia University are trying to help fix that problem by means of a brain-controlled hearing aid that analyzes brain waves to select which voice the hearing system should amplify, rather than amplifying all of them. Research has shown that individuals’ brain waves show a “signature” that indicates who they want to be listening to in a crowd. The new approach could lead to better hearing technology, including hearing aids, assistive listening devices and cochlear implants. So far, the approach has only been tested on four people and will require further testing before the hearing aid can released for use. With more than half of people 75 and older living with disabling hearing loss, it’s an important problem to be doing basic scientific research on.

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Driver Filmed With Soccer Net on Top of Car

Police in Hertfordshire in the UK shared a video on social media, showing a driver pulling onto a road with an unsecured soccer net on top of the car. “While this clip may have made you laugh (or gasp!), there’s a serious side,” read the post. Police went on to point out that the net was not secured properly and could have caused an accident. According to the police, the driver had 3 points added to his license and was ordered to pay a £120 ($161) fine and £48 ($64) victim surcharge.

 

 

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Dangerous Expired Condiments Hiding in Your Refrigerator

If you haven’t checked the expiration dates of your food lately, it might be time to take a look inside your refrigerator. That’s because a handful of common household condiments can become dangerous after their expiration dates. Aside from an unpleasant taste and potentially foul odor, condiments that have been opened and sitting in your refrigerator for too long can cause illness. These are the most threatening condiments to consider going through before you accidentally make a sandwich with an expired condiment.

 

Due to their heavy raw egg bases, allowing mayonnaise or any mayo-based product to sit at room temperature or remain in your fridge longer than the given expiration date increases the risk of contracting a foodborne illness, such as Salmonella. Unopened mayo has a shelf life of around 3-4 months and should never be frozen.

Like mayonnaise, salad dressings have a life of up to two months after the seal has been broken. If a salad dressing smells off, that’s also a sign that it’s past its prime. Homemade salad dressings will spoil faster than store-bought varieties.

Many store-bought sauces like ketchup, barbecue sauce and cocktail sauce are made with sugary preservatives that help give them a longer shelf life. Unopened sugary sauce products can last up to 12 months in your pantry, but once opened, they have about 6 months before they start becoming moldy. Keep and eye (and nose) out for discoloration, odd smells, and a fuzzy-like mold growth.

A variety of condiments in your refrigerator are likely made with some variation of vinegar. High-vinegar-content sauces, including mustard and Worcestershire sauce, can last up to 3 years in the pantry, but only about 12 months once the seal is broken and you've begun refrigerating. Before using, be sure to monitor odd smells and tastes as you would with any other condiment.

Like vinegar-based condiments, soy sauce has a longer shelf life than other common go-to sauces. Unopened, soy sauce can be safe to have on stock for up to 3 years. Once soy sauce has been opened, that 3 years drops to one year. Beware of stale smells, as there’s still a chance for bacteria to grow, regardless of the salty base.

 

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Thie Robin Family That Turned An F-250 Into a Wheely Good Nest

The contract has been signed and the down payment made, but the owners of a new Ford F-250 pickup truck can’t move it off the Olathe Ford lot in Kansas City, Kan. The truck, which costs $90,000, has great features, including more than 500 horsepower in its engine, contains a quality Bang & Olufsen sound system, a two-tone paint trim, and 34-inch Bridgestone tires. However, its most notable feature is the nest resting on top of the front passenger-side tire, where four robin chicks are maturing. After the nest was discovered, the dealership’s marketing manager, Sammi Dodson, took to the Internet to see what to do. She learned that birds nests are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to destroy or interfere with a nest that has eggs or chicks in it. Dodson called Operation WildLife for help and was told by Diane Johnson, the center’s executive director, that if the truck’s buyers were getting antsy, the nest could be moved to the tire of another pickup truck. Although there was another truck parked right next to the one housing the nest, the buyer — a construction company that didn’t want to be publicly named — was content to let nature run its course. It takes about six weeks for robin eggs to hatch and for the fledglings to leave the nest. On the traditional windshield sign the dealership displays on a car to show it was sold, Olathe Ford listed the customer’s name as “ROBIN” and the date of expected delivery “TILL THEY FLY.”

 

 

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