D G

Batman sleeve done by Ian at Ian Ink Tattoo. Click on the image to enlarge.

Send your nerdy tattoo pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.

(via FYT)

New research states that an antioxidant called resveratrol counteracts exercise benefits, especially in older men.

Resveratrol, a natural antioxidant compound found in red grapes and wine, blocks the cardiovascular benefits attained through exercise. This was seen primarily in older men, according to the Journal of Physiology.

The finding contradicts recent similar research that suggests the health benefits of exercise could be acquired in a pill made with high concentrations of resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a type of phenol, an antioxidative substance produced naturally by several plants. It is primarily found in both red grapes and in the roots of the Japanese Knotweed, from which it is extracted commercially.

To clarify, an antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell.

Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions, and are thought to aid in maintaining the integrity of cells.

The effects of resveratrol are currently under study in numerous animal and human trials. However, the anti-aging and health effects of the antioxidant have been controversial. Resveratrol shows different results in various organism models.

In mouse and rat studies, resveratrol has shown positive health benefits against cancer, inflammation, blood-sugar, and improved cardiovascular response. In humans, however, while reported effects are generally positive, resveratrol may have lesser benefits.

New research at The University of Copenhagen suggests that eating a diet rich in antioxidants may actually counteract many of the health benefits of exercise, including reduced blood pressure and cholesterol.

Researchers studied 27 healthy, physically inactive men around 65 years of age for eight weeks. During the eight weeks all of the men performed high-intensity exercise training. Half of the group received 250 mg of resveratrol daily, whereas the other group received a placebo pill. A placebo is a pill that contains no active ingredient.

“The study design was double-blinded, thus neither the subjects nor the investigators knew which participant that received either resveratrol or placebo,” according to Lasse Gliemann, a PhD student who worked on the study – quoted in Science Daily.

The results revealed that exercise training was highly effective in improving cardiovascular health. But resveratrol supplementation attenuated the positive effects of physical training on blood pressure, plasma lipid concentrations, and maximal oxygen uptake.

Ylva Hellsten, who led the project, said in Medical Xpress, “We were surprised to find that resveratrol supplementation in aged men blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health parameters, in part because our results contradict findings in animal studies.”

This research adds to the growing body of evidence questioning the assumed positive effects of antioxidants.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Antioxidant, Resveratrol, Counteracts Exercise Benefits In Older Men is a post from: The Inquisitr

The shoes were a bit tricky for little Xavi

The post OMG boy trips at wedding appeared first on Say OMG - omg videos,omg photos, omg news, omg images, omg movies on say OMG.

House cats explore the new guest, a stuffed bobcat!

[Daily Picks and Flicks]

The post OMG cats VS stuffed bobcat appeared first on Say OMG - omg videos,omg photos, omg news, omg images, omg movies on say OMG.

Photo: Matthew Graham Wilkinson

You know what don't mix? Koala and water, as this photo over at The Telegraph clearly shows:

This koala was sleeping in a tree when it was rudely awakened by a gardener who decided to water his trees. Matt Wilkinson said: "There was a heatwave in Adelaide recently and temperatures reached up to 40C. We use the sprinklers and garden hose to wet the house and surrounding trees when it's hot to avoid a bush fire but when I watered one of the trees, this koala got a bit of a soaking. It was a boiling hot day so i'm sure it helped the koala cool down."

Link

Netflix stock just keeps going up, and reviews for Orange Is the New Black are more than just the icing on the cake of an impressive awards season for the streaming service: They cement Netflix’s place as a real player in the paid programming world.

Dylan Matthews of The Washington Post calls Orange Is the New Black “the best TV show about prison ever made,” and compares it to lauded dramas like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Nora Grenfell of Mashable dubbed the show “the series Netflix was made for,” and cited it as proof of concept for Netflix.

She says it’s “a new kind of show that thrives under the streaming programming model rather than being compromised by it.”

Netflix started wading into the waters of original programming last year with its highly-publicized ad star-laden House of Cards, which managed to cinch pretty good reviews. They followed-up with the lackluster Hemlock Grove and a fourth season for Arrested Development, but it wasn’t until last week’s Emmy announcements that Netflix managed to elbow its way in among the greats at HBO, Showtime and AMC.

TV fanatic though I am and avowed believer in the Netflix model as the “future” of television, I haven’t gotten to Orange Is the New Black yet. It’s sitting in the instant queue alright, but after the high of House of Cards, the low of Hemlock Grove, and the happy in-between of Arrested Development Season 4, I just didn’t have the energy for a new Netflix show at the now.

But as we speak, I’m firing up the Playstation 3 and am about to press “play” on episode one of Orange Is the New Black just as soon as I hit “publish” here. Why? Because of Maureen Ryan.

“I don’t want to watch them,” The Huffington Post TV critic says of the last two episodes of Orange Is the New Black. “Actually, I do want to watch them, very much, but if I watch them, I’ll be done with the season. If I finish, there will be no more new episodes. I won’t get to spend any more time with the inmates of the Litchfield prison, and leaving that place has become a terrifying idea.”

That’s exactly how we all feel about that special show that changed your life, isn’t it? How many feel that way about Firefly, or how many fewer feel that way the obscure Bruce Campbell vehicle Brisco County Jr.?

In less than one year, Netflix managed to skate past awkward original content launch and into the big time with Kevin Spacey, a Vampire Diaries clone, a little help from the Bluths, and now a visit to the big house. The content will continue to be discussed, but perhaps not as much as Netflix itself, what it means for television and perhaps, in the near future, film.

Rightly so, I say. Off to watch Orange Is the New Black. Happy Monday!

Orange Is The New Black Reviews Cement Netflix’s Place Among TV Greats is a post from: The Inquisitr

(frankieleon)

We can’t imagine how horrible it must be to have a famous person in your store and not even know. All that potential spending power, just being wasted on regular customer service efforts. Which is why one bit of software exists — so high-end stores can identify exactly when they have a wriggling, big-spending fish in their nets.

According to the Sunday Times (via NPR) a company called NEC IT Solutions is touting its VIP-identification technology to prevent the loss of a sale from a potential deep-pocketed customer. The company is already in the business of providing similar services to identify terrorists and criminals.

Here’s how it works: A camera takes footage of people’s faces when they enter a store, measuring those noggins and checking the resulting numerical code, a face template, against  database.

The database for high-end stores would consist of famous people and other valued customers. When there’s a match in the database, the software alerts staff via a smartphone or other device. Perhaps with a loud “kaching!” noise and a flashing image of money bags?

Thus far the technology is still being tested out in unidentified stores in the UK and Far East, but it’s likely to face a bit of a privacy backlash before it goes mainstream. Customers aren’t even comfortable with stores like Nordstrom tracking them through Wi-Fi signals on phones, so it’s not a leap to guess that getting your face scanned to see if you’re worth extra effort might be an undesirable shopping experience.

Computer to shop staff: VIP approaching [Sunday Times]
High-End Stores Use Facial Recognition Tools To Spot VIPs [NPR]

Happy Music Monday! Around this time of year, everyone begins to think of only one thing: the end of the world. What? Are WE the only ones who do that? Anyway, Scott's put together the usual five-song playlist and picked out some enjoyable end-of-the-world songs that you might want to close out your existence with. Here's the first one… IF THERE'S TIME!!!

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes - Annihilation Mix

You have to hand it to the British, nothing America ever produced could be as simultaneously chilling and helpful as the words "Mine is the last voice you will ever hear." Add in that beautiful synth-bass and you've got a track that prepares you to dance, right up until the bombs land. Bonus: I think that might be Rimmer from Red Dwarf doing the Reagan voice!

See you after the jump. Jump like your life depends on it!

Now, don't feel that all apocalypses have to be global. One can be doomed on a local scale too.

Billy Joel - Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)

When Billy Joel did this song, New York had pretty much been abandoned by the government. There was unemployment, crime, and Escape From New York didn't seem implausible. And yet, it was still considered to be a heart of music and entertainment, and there were still people who just wouldn't leave. Billy Joel's tribute to the last days of the Empire State wasn't just about saying good-bye, though, because it was partially a reminder. Even when things end, they're never totally gone.

Skeeter Davis - End Of The World

Hey, the end is the end. And when a love affair is over, not even a bomb shelter will help you escape from the pain. If that's not an apocalypse, what is?

Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash went out a dark and sinister figure, which is no mean feat from a guy who once recorded a song like this. But this story of the Biblical end of the world is pretty powerful in its simplicity. It's no wonder that Johnny Cash is as famous now as he was when he was alive.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell

Naturally, when the world ends, there's only one place left for most of us. But, hey, at least all the coolest people will be there too, right? Maybe one can take some comfort from that as the eternal fires of damnation lap at one's delicate toes.

Before it's all over, throw your own end of the world songs into the comments, then hit up our Turntable.fm room and the regular Music Monday enjoyment. Also, let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use.

Whether you’re Game Boy or a Game Girl, you need a new beach towel. You know you do. Especially if it looks like this. Inspired by the classic Nintendo Game Boy, ThinkGeek’s Beach Boy towel is the perfect thing for geeks having fun in the sun.

Of course, looks are about where the similarities with an actual Game Boy diverge. Not only does this thing not play games, it won’t fit in your pocket either. Still, it’s pretty great, and you don’t have to worry about getting this Game Boy wet or full of sand while playing a round of Beachtris.

So slather on a bottle or two of lotion and head on over to ThinkGeek, where you can get the Beach Boy/Game Boy towel for $19.99(USD).

[via GameFreakz]