Toasted Skin Syndrome.. Watch where you keep that laptop...

 

NEW YORK (CBS 2/AP) – Have you ever worked on your laptop computer with it sitting on your lap, heating up your legs? If so, you might want to rethink that habit.
Doing it a lot can lead to “toasted skin syndrome,” an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure, according to medical reports.
In one recent case, a 12-year-old boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.
“He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position,” Swiss researchers reported in an article published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Another case involved a Virginia law student who sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg.
Dr. Kimberley Salkey, who treated the young woman, was stumped until she learned the student spent about six hours a day working with her computer propped on her lap. The temperature underneath registered 125 degrees.
That case, from 2007, is one of 10 laptop-related cases reported in medical journals in the past six years.

In this undated photo provided by the journal Pediatrics, a 12 year-old boy is pictured with evidence of "toasted skin syndrome" on his left leg caused by exsposure to high temperatures while spending a great deal of time playing video games with a laptop resting on his legs. According to recent medical reports, exposing skin to the high temperatures created by laptops can lead to tss, an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure. (AP Photo/HO via Pediatrics)

The condition also can be caused by overuse of heating pads and other heat sources that usually aren’t hot enough to cause burns. It’s generally harmless but can cause permanent skin darkening. In very rare cases, it can cause damage leading to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel. They do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but suggest, to be safe, placing a carrying case or other heat shield under the laptop if you have to hold it in your lap.
Salkey, an assistant dermatology professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that under the microscope, the affected skin resembles skin damaged by long-term sun exposure.
Major manufacturers including Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell warn in user manuals against placing laptops on laps or exposed skin for extended periods of time because of the risk for burns.
A medical report several years ago found that men who used laptops on their laps had elevated scrotum temperatures. If prolonged, that kind of heat can decrease sperm production, which can potentially lead to infertility. Whether laptop use itself can cause that kind of harm hasn’t been confirmed.
In the past, “toasted skin syndrome” has occurred in workers whose jobs require being close to a heat source, including bakers and glass blowers, and, before central heating, in people who huddled near potbellied stoves to stay warm.
Dr. Anthony J. Mancini, dermatology chief at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he’d treated a boy who developed the condition from using a heating pad “hours at a time” to soothe a thigh injured in soccer. Mancini said he’d also seen a case caused by a hot water bottle.
He noted that chronic, prolonged skin inflammation can potentially increase chances for squamous cell skin cancer, which is more aggressive than the most common skin cancer. But Mancini said it’s unlikely computer use would lead to cancer since it’s so easy to avoid prolonged close skin contact with laptops.

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Google makes it official: Phone calls now in Gmail

Personally as a Gmail user I find this awesome!

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Japan develops 'touchable' 3D TV technology

Japan develops 'touchable' 3D TV technology

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Searching the United States of Anthony

If you run your own website...

...you most likely have some sort of metrics to see how your site is performing. One of the things I look at is specifically how people end up at the United States of Anthony. Just as anyone has found a site, others have found my site by doing a search. I can see what search terms they used to end up at the blog.

I want to address those search terms..

"marijuana levels"

Yes folks, that's a search term. I would guess someone is doing research on the level of THC in marijuana, probably. They ended up at Grinders & Glass: Four Levels of Marijuana Smokers which is more about the "grade" of marijuana user from the newbie to the professional.

If you're looking for levels of THC, I believe Skunk is the highest with 20% tested by independent researchers in Amsterdam (I think). Police in the US would have you believe the highest recorded was 35%. It's not true, not from a plant. Hash on the other hand can be as pure as 99% in the form of bubble hash. But, expect about 70% if you're not making it yourself.

"sweet bitch girl"

I guess it's pretty obvious what this person was searching for. Actually, it isn't! LOL. I hope they found whatever it was by clicking on Sweet Bitch Slap to Local Police which refers to a Supreme Court case in which local California police tried to play federal agent by snitching on a marijuana dispensary that was operating legally in California.

The local police don't like it when you compete with them for any kind of drug dealing. What? You think they care about the people? HA!

"dirty cops"

Well this is obvious. They found just what they were looking for at Stupid Dirty Cops Got Caught which is when former #1 Texas drug cop Barry Cooper caught Odessa, TX police lying on search warrants... AGAIN!

"is marijuana listed as more dangerous than cocaine?"

Oh yeah this person must have read my blog already or got word from someone else because they landed right on DEA thinks cocaine is safer than marijuana! which they do. Read the post for yourself. I think I make some completely valid points about twisted and wrong Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

"marijuana economy boost"

People are still reading up on this one. We're all big on the economy right now and marijuana as a savior is a hot topic. If someone thinks marijuana will boost the economy, I am sorry to burst your bubble with Reality Check: Marijuana won't boost economy. A little common sense goes a long way.

"apple sucks"

You would be surprised at how many times that actual search term shows up in a given hour. I count 4 "apple sucks" in the last 18 hours and they all click on Oh so that's why Apple sucks.. which just pokes fun at Steve Jobs. I hope he's ok tho.

"used Dristan nose hurts"

Hey everyone gets sick including the President. And, we all have our stuffy nose remedies. But, some people don't have a problem getting more advice so they land on Pres. Anthony Severly Stuffy Nose Advice. Unfortunately, this person probably used entirely too much Dristan at one time which is why they are looking up that pain. I've been there. Yes, it burns the hell out of your sinuses if you use too much. Get well soon!

"how much weed can i expect from a 12 inch marijuana plant"

Surprisingly, search terms like this lead to the United States of Anthony all the time. Those people end up looking at Growing Marijuana: Managing Small Plants. Truth is, a lot of people are interested in growing marijuana. However, they want to do it safely. Safely means not having some sissy with a gun and a badge breaking down your door with his girlfriends.

So, having small plants, under 2 feet tall, is the way to go for many people. But, it's not easy growing small plants. To answer the question, expect only a few grams at the most from a 12 incher. However, with the current grow methods (supercropping), you'll be pulling ounces out of that small grow box.

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Oh so that's why Apple sucks..

Hormonal Imbalances

It seems Steve Jobs has some kind of hormonal imbalance.

"My doctors think they have found the cause -- a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy," Jobs said.
[link | link | link]

If you don't understand how that can affect you, I'll use my ex-girlfriend as the perfect example of someone with a hormonal imbalance. See, in the year of our Lord 2001, I think, this chucklehead decided that she would break up with me three times in a seven-day period. I left that heffa alone.. like.. "GO AWAY CRAZY!" She'd be angry one minute and cool the next. I am a young guy used to stable mental states in other people so I didn't know what was going on. I had to be like Mobb Deep when they were good, pre-50, and Get Away even when she was cursing me out over the phone because I wouldn't get back with her a fourth time.

A year later, we reconnect and she told me why she was acting all Disney's Goofy on me. Something went wrong with her lady parts causing that hormonal imbalance. Basically, her brain chemistry went all haywire and she ended up buggin' out (on me) like Yosemite Sam on a meth trip.

It all makes sense

Now, I can understand why Apple sucks. Steve Jobs has gone Looney Toons. Sure, the Mac, iPod, and iPhone look nice and cute but they're toys. Don't get me wrong. Those toys don't do much very well. I'll give them that. But, they rely on what I call "couture" pricing. Basically, that's taking shitty subpar items, then slapping a cute brand name on them, and finally jacking up the price to the point that people can feel they're exclusive, or special, when they purchase their cute, well known brand name piece of shit.

It's like Nike sneakers. We all know they're made by pre-pubescent Taiwanese girls and boys in sweatshops for $3 a shoe, $2.95 for the raw materials. Then, they ship those sneakers to the US, advertise them on TV and sell them for $150. It's the same thing with Apple's gimmick toys.

The Mac

Imagine the only thing a Mac is known for is running graphic software. And, it can run Microsoft's Office and Windows, go figure. Oh yeah, supposedly, it's virus-free. That's the biggest joke of all. The only reason Macs don't get viruses is because no one really uses them. Think about it. If you were a hacker and you wanted to write malicious code that will affect millions of people, do you target Macs or PCs? The answer to the question has been obvious for years. If Macs were so virus-free, why would McAfee and Symantec create antivirus programs for the Mac OS? Virus-free my ass.

iCrap

Then, you've got the iPod. Questi0n: How in the hell did Apple actually set the standard LOWER than what was available on the market? Back in the day, I had an iRiver H120 [CNET Review | Specs]. Of course it's an mp3 player, therefore it had the ability to play mp3s. But, why was it the best thing on the market at that time?

• FM radio - in case you actually want to hear something else
• Drag and Drop ability - so you're NOT enslaved to some iTunes-like program
• Inline remote control w/screen - so i don't have to be bothered with pulling out the whole device
• Optical/Audio input/output - so you can hook it up to your top of the line sound system
• Built-in Microphone - so you can record straight to the device
• Audio format support - so you can play more than just mp3s
  
• Accessories - leather case, earphones, external microphone (which I still use), and other stuff

What did the iPod offer back then? None of what that iRiver offered in any way, shape or form. Although, the H120 was a brick, that was the best thing about it. You could kick that thing against a brick wall and it'd be cool. I dare anyone to try that with their iPod. In fact, I witnessed an iPod fall 18 inches and saw it's face crack like an egg. Seriously, people coveting the iPod is like a potential Bentley Continental GT owner opting for a similarly priced green and orange plastic big wheel. Then you have to buy $200 in accessories just to get it up to par. It's just a sad, pitiful device.

iBullshit

And the iPhone. The best thing about the iPhone is its multitouch technology, developed by another company. But, what is the iPhone really? It's a cross between the medocrity of an iPod, shitty cellular reception, and a gimmick: multitouch. Ask yourself, what exactly do you get out of multitouch that's so special?

*listening to the answers*

Come on. Is that it? So, basically, you've got an iPod you can barely talk on because it can't hold the reception every other phone gets.

iConclude: Apple sucks...

...because Steve Jobs is going through menopause.

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Blogging From My BlackBerry/Music Industry Stuff

Ever since I got this BB Bold, which I've dubbed the BB Anthony since it's all customized now, I've been testing the hell out of it. Besides the BB being a very fickle and picky, call it 'ficky', the battery life isn't that great when you're using it constantly. The last time I was out it did well but yesterday I was out for a few hours and the battery was basically dead. The difference was my usage. Before I wasn't really texting and emailing. I was just running the mp3 player. However yesterday I fielded calls and was heavy on emails, texting, and the messenger.

Also, I ordered an 8GB memory card for 37 ($29.99 + 6.99 s+h) from tigerdirect.com. That's my favorite site for computer stuff. When I was building computers, I'd get everything from there - aluminum case, motherboards, processors, memory, and so on. I thought I'd share that since many of us are broke and that's the lowest price I could find. I still plan to get the Sansa View 32GB mp3 player. I'll probably use the 8GB card in that player. Yup, 40GB. Plenty of room for my mp3s and even a lil video *wink wink*

Speaking of mp3s, I read in the news that the RIAA is not going to continue pursuing individuals for downloading music. Instead, they'll ID people by their IP address and send a note to the ISP who may have the option to just disconnect you. I remember my friend saying, people will just get another service and do it again. Unfortunately, there aren't that many highspeed or broadband carriers in a specific area. For example, in NYC there's Verizon and AceDSL. Verizon owns all of the specific wiring in NYC. So, AceDSL basically leases service from them. In other words, you may see options but don't assume there are that many.

Aside from that, I've basically ID'd two problems. First of all, many people who share music, like myself at one point, don't do it online. You gotta go to friends. My friend and I shared GBs of music doubling both of our collections in minutes. We did this in person, external hard drive to laptop. That's really where folks get their music. And, no one can stop it nor track it.

The second problem is an issue of personal security. No, I don't mean people stealing your music, which I'm sure we've experienced from thieving friends and family. I am specifically referring to people jacking you WIFI connection. I could come into your neighborhood and if I see an open connection, connect to it and download as I please. I especially look for Linksys users because I know the password for the device is always "admin" and never has a username. Once in Boston, I found such a connection. I was there for a week. I used this person's connection as I pleased and then put a password on it and changed security settings. I think I named the connection "nosecurity" or something. And, I did this to teach a lesson. It could be worse. I could have been downloading music and movies making that person a target for RIAA not unlike my other friend.

Learn to use your WIFI security settings. My own WIFI is a Linksys as well and my security is tight, down to the WEP security and MAC address filtering which is set to PERMIT only certain MAC addresses. You'd have to be way more 1337 than little ol' me to get through that. LOL

And this concludes my first blog post from my BB Anthony.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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Cali Kush and the BlackBerry Bold

First thing's first, I am sorry for being late with this post. I was BAKED all of Sunday and into wee morning hours. Wooooooooooo. Baked off of some...

Cali Kush

It's been quite a while since I've had some marijuana that put me on my ass. While I've had Cali Kush before, I don't quite remember it being this damn good. It was me and two other friends. The plan was to order a large pie from Ray's Pizza, real pizzeria, watch tv and smoke up while we wait on the pizza. My bright idea is to roll a good size blunt so we could get truly baked. I ended up rolling this SLUG of a blunt. See here:

Needless to say, we were awesomely baked.

Also, I finally upgraded my phone to the...

BlackBerry Bold

Normally I am a Sony Ericsson man. In fact, I'd go so far as to drop the Sony but it is what it is. Although my first phone was a Nokia (free), every phone since then has been a Ericsson, or Sony Ericsson, phone. I loved their phones because they were strong, sturdy, and did what they said they do. But, it was time to upgrade to something more functional for me. I wanted that PDA feeling back that I had with my Toshiba E800 and I knew the PDA/Phone hybrid market was finally getting it done the right way - near seamless convergence between the PDA and the Phone.

I was awaiting the SE Xperia X1 or SEX1 phone. However, no carrier picked it up. The unlocked price of that phone is $800 which I can't do. Besides I am worried about the phones abilities when not made to function on a specific network. The nearest option with the exact same features was the HTC Fuze. But, I know the Fuze was a knockoff of the SEX1. I couldn't bring myself to buying a cheap knockoff.

So, my only option was the BlackBerry Bold. On day 1, it was just fine. I synchronized all my info and personalized it as much as I could, officially dubbing it the BlackBerry Anthony because it was mine. Days 2 and 3 are a different story. It stopped syncing with the computer, had errors, etc etc etc. I looked online for help for "909 errors" and "connector" problems. I called tech support and the woman couldn't even help me with it. So, I took it back to the store. They did a master reset and asked me to give it a few more days. When I got home, it still didn't sync. Basically, I learned:

1. Get a memory card. keep the device memory free of anything or don't clog it up too much.
2. When uninstalling, check those registry entries and make sure there's nothing to delete.
3. Check your contact folders (on Vista) when synchronizing and make sure information isn't corrupt

BlackBerry devices are very fickle and picky.
This is really one of the reasons why I didn't want to get anything other than an Ericsson phone. I know that these other phone companies make devices that aren't always up to the specs or expectations of specs. For example, the BlackBerry Bold has bluetooth but it's connectivity is not complete. With my old Ericsson phones, I could pair it up with anything. When I send a file in whichever direction, it works. The phone inteprets the file and if it can't figure it out, it puts it in a folder for shit it can't figure out. SIMPLE. But, as it's been the case with many other non-Ericsson phones, I can't even get the BlackBerry to connect with the computer outside of the program. I'd really appreciate that level of connectivity. That way I can just send files, contacts, and so on. If the phone can't figure it out, put it in "that" folder. If it can, put it in the proper location.

But, I expected these limitations in functionality when I signed up so I am not fully annoyed by it. While at the AT&T store, two of the clerks there were having a conversation. The guy was saying, "I hooked it up the the Desktop Manager" and was cut off by the woman as she said, "STOP STOP STOP. The first mistake you made was hooking it up to the computer!" I think that says it all for me.

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Pissed Off: AT&T and (Sony) Ericsson

Loyal AT&T Customer

I've been an AT&T customer since 2000; I survived faux Cingular buyout which I already knew was going back to AT&T.

Seriously, AT&T is a telecommunications company; not having a wireless business is like a person not having arms. Sure you can function but how do you wipe your ass? See my point.

The truth of the situation is that the service has been good. While I hear about the horror stories from AT&T and other companies, it's the other companies that scare me the most. I can seriously say that I've never had a serious problem with AT&T. My last call to customer service was in regards to double charges. Without question, I got a full refund plus credit on my account for other things. I simply can not complain.

Loyal Ericsson Customer

I started out with a crappy Nokia918 as a free offer. Since then, I've had exclusively Ericsson cellular phones. I've always upgraded my phone at the end of the one-year contract. In fact, I still have some of the cell phones from those days, one with the thick, stubby antenna and yellow/green monocrhome screen.

I've stuck with Ericsson for many reasons. They are at the forefront of it all. In fact, everytime you use Bluetooth technology, get on your knees and give thanks to Ericsson. Beyond that, if you've ever had an Ericsson phone, you already know you won't have functionality problems. It just works.

At any rate, I don't think anyone on this planet can say that I don't know anything about loyalty. Loyalty is specifcally why I will keep Sony in parentheses when referring to Ericsson.

Problems with Loyalty

Currently, I am working with (Sony) Ericsson w810i. The phone is great. I have had it for two years now and I still get "compliments" on it such as, "I hate that you have FM radio on your cell phone." However, it's a year longer than I intended on keeping this phone. I really want another Sony Ericsson phone but I don't see any decent models being offered by AT&T. And, the other services are looking much much better, except for Sprint. Sprint still sucks.

I do keep track of Ericsson phones and there have been some killer models, namely the w960i which has a touch screen, direct competition for Apple iPhone at the time. Unfortunately, it came out in China even though the specifications seem prime for the US market under AT&T. Now, (Sony) Ericsson has a new phone which completely merges everything that I've wanted in a phone, the Xperia X1 also referred to as SEX1. And, yes it is SEX. However, it seems to be the same problem with w960i. This phone is being released elsewhere in the world and it's supposedly going to be released in the US in early 2009 although it had a late 2008 date.

And this is why I am pissed

First of all, what's with the crappy line up of AT&T phones. The best thing they've got now is the Apple iPhone and let's be honest, that's a cheap toy. When it comes to my "shiny things" I don't care for cheap toys. The other phones simply suck. I've seen the level of their functionality and their bricks in my opinion. Even the bare (Sony) Ericsson options are weak compared to the phone I've already got. To choose from the current line up of AT&T phones would be a downgrade. I simply can't see myself downgrading while signing up for another 2-year contract.

To make matters worse, a few months ago, my phone took a shallow bath. As I was driving, my phone was in the cup holder and hooked up the stereo playing mp3s. There was drink in the other cupholder. I didn't see it tip over and it spilled just enough to leave my phone in some trouble. I was able to dry it out effectively enough to save it. The only problem that I have with it currently is that I can't hear anything when I talk on it. I have to use either the speakerphone or Bluetooth. Now, I need a new phone or I really really want a new phone.

Here are my options:

1. New phone, carrier
   
2. New (Sony) Ericsson phone, same carrier
3. Any new phone, same carrier
   
4. Unlocked phone, same carrier
   
5. Continue waiting, same carrier
   

Honestly, I am stuck between options 3, 4, and 5. Although I've been looking at other carriers, I just don't see the difference when all of the device options are either the same or pretty much suck. And, the service and price of other carriers isn't exactly doing much to make me want to switch.

Solution: I will wait. I will wait until one of two things happens:

1. I will be getting a Blackberry Bold which is supposed to come out under AT&T.
   
2. the SEX1 announces a specific date of entry into the US market that is REASONABLE.

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