Apple approves Epic Games Store in Europe, but not without some drama first | Mashable

July 8, 2024July 7, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Epic Games Store is coming to Apple devices in Europe, but as usual, it couldn’t just happen without some minor fighting between Apple and Epic first.

Apple announced the EGS would get the green light in Europe on Friday, per Reuters. However, that only came after Epic took to X to publicly accuse Apple of slow-rolling the submission by rejecting the app for seemingly trivial reasons. For instance, Epic said Apple’s regulations found that the EGS app’s “Install” button was too similar to Apple’s “Get” button.

Drug store chains pushed out independent pharmacies. Here’s why they’re now closing too | CNN Business

July 3, 2024July 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Walgreens said Thursday that it plans to close a “significant” number of its roughly 8,600 stores in the United States. Around 25% of Walgreens’ stores aren’t profitable, and the chain will look to close stores that are right by one another or struggling to hold down theft, CEO Tim Wentworth said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Walgreens and other retailers have been hit by shoplifting and resorted to locking up items or closing high-theft stores since the pandemic, but Walgreens’ problems are much deeper, including competition and failed growth strategies. Walgreens admitted last year it “cried too much” over the business impact of shoplifting.

The latest closures are part of a larger downturn, not just for Walgreens, but for other drug store chains, too, after years of expansion. Walgreens said in 2019 it would close 200 stores and last year announced an additional 150 store closures.

Tesla sales fall again as more automakers crowd electric vehicle market | CNN Business

July 3, 2024July 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Tesla sales fell for the second straight quarter. It marks the first time in the company’s history that sales declined from the previous year for two quarters in a row.

Tesla’s sales for the quarter came in at nearly 444,000 cars, down about 5% from a year ago. That’s less than the 8.5% drop the company saw in the first quarter. But Tesla, and its share price that has made CEO Elon Musk one of the wealthiest people in the world, has been built on a history of growing auto sales.

The drop in sales demonstrates the increased competition within the market for electric vehicles. While overall sales of EVs continue to grow, the pace of industrywide growth has proved to be less than expected, resulting in investors clamoring for each car sold to be more profitable than before.

Why do people feel like they’re being watched, even when no one is there? | Live Science

July 2, 2024July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You’re alone and suddenly have the sneaking suspicion that someone’s there. Maybe you watched a scary movie or read the latest thriller novel and wonder if there’s a killer lurking in your room. You look around and open the closet door, but no one’s there. So why does your mind make you feel as if you were being watched?

According to Leslie Dobson, a clinical and forensic psychologist, there are a number of reasons why someone may feel as if they are being watched. These causes span a broad spectrum, including exposure to scary books, movies or news; hypervigilance following a stressful or traumatic event; and serious mental health conditions.

“In more extreme cases, a person may experience paranoia and hypervigilance, often related to an underlying mental health condition or physical brain ailment,” Dobson said in a written message.

Why genetic testing can’t always reveal the sex of a baby | Live Science

July 2, 2024July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Gender reveal parties are best known as celebrations involving pink and blue, cake and confetti, and the occasional wildfire. Along with being social media hits, gender reveals are a testament to how society is squeezing children into one of two predetermined gender boxes before they are even born.

These parties are often based on the 18- to 20-week ultrasound, otherwise known as the anatomy scan. This is the point during fetal development when the genitals are typically observed and the word “boy” or “girl” can be secretly written on a piece of paper and placed into an envelope for the planned reveal.

Now there is a new player in the gender reveal game: genetic screening.

Solutions: Stuck in the Daily Grind | LifeHack

July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re a driven professional juggling work, family, and personal responsibilities, you know the struggle of procrastination all too well. It’s that nagging feeling of putting things off until the last minute—whether it’s an important work project, a personal goal, or simply making time for yourself.

That was the situation 29-year-old John found himself in. As a talented freelance graphic designer with ambitious plans to grow his business, procrastination was holding him back from operating at his full potential.

On paper, John seemed to have it all together. He’s a creative guy with a solid education and an array of interests like playing guitar and exploring new design technologies. But behind the scenes, a persistent pattern of procrastination left him delaying projects until the eleventh hour, derailing his productivity and growth.

CRM Software and HIPAA | businessnewsdaily.com

July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a healthcare provider, ensuring patient data security and privacy is as crucial as delivering medical care itself. Patients have a legal right to data security and privacy, which are protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This law governs all devices containing or transmitting protected health information (PHI), including customer relationship management (CRM) software.

While CRM software offers significant benefits to healthcare organizations, the CRM system you choose must be properly secured and monitored. Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks, with approximately 374,000 healthcare records breached daily in 2023, according to The HIPAA Journal. Below, we’ll explore CRM usage in healthcare and the importance of finding a HIPAA-compliant CRM to safeguard patient data.

Kenya’s catastrophic flooding highlights why it’s time to rethink aid delivery | Fast Company

June 27, 2024June 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

My mother and I were climate refugees. When I was a baby, we left our drought-stricken rural home for Nairobi, hoping the city would offer stable work and secure a better future for our family. With few options, we landed in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, living on the edge of survival without enough food to eat and without access to clean water, healthcare, or formal education. We scraped by on sheer will and survival instincts.

In recent months, torrential rains and floods have been the most catastrophic in Kenya in decades, killing 300 and displacing 300,000. The majority live in slums, crowded into metal shacks on land that quickly turns to mud. There are no government services and no safety net, even when crisis hits. Rivers have become clogged with waste, leading to the outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera; food insecurity has surged; and homes have been destroyed. The damage will be felt for years to come—and the problem is quickly accelerating. More than 110 million people in Africa were affected by climate-related hazards in 2022, and 700 million people will be displaced due to food and water scarcity as a result of climate-related events by 2030.

In rural Alabama, an underground mine threatens to blow up the homes above it. Officials don’t care | Fast Company

June 27, 2024June 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Lily Spicer felt the energy of the explosion surge through her body.

She was talking to her daughter on the phone when the boom came. Her family was accustomed to the occasional blasts that would sometimes shake their windows, she said. But this was different.

“The only way I can describe it would be a direct hit with a lightning bolt, a massive explosion, and an earthquake, all in one,” she said.