Natural Setting and Tech Break Boost Creativity

Robert Frost famously wrote: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep."But such natural settings may offer more than just beauty. They might also foster creativity. A recent study suggests that a backpacking trip can substantially increase just how inventive your brain can be. The finding is in the journal PLoS ONE. [Ruth Ann Atchley, David L. Strayer and Paul Atchley, Creativity in the Wild: Improving...

Read More..

R.I.P.: 10 Products That Were Discontinued in 2012

1. Apple White MacBookAlthough actually discontinued in 2011, 2012 was the year the white MacBook got the official "End of Life" status. Popular with students, the white MacBook had been the budget option for Apple users since 2006. Image courtesy of AppleClick here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: 2012′s Biggest Winners and Losers]This year, quite a few products disappeared from the market,...

Read More..

Top Comments: Mashable Readers React to Instagram's Terms of Service

Readers had varying reactions to Instagram's updates. Some felt that they were fair: If you don't like the terms of service, argued some users, you have the option not to use the service. Others were far more outraged.Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Why xkcd Is Wrong About Instagram]This week, the top comments on Mashable brought into focus both the state of the world around us...

Read More..

Russian parliament wants winter time restored

MOSCOW (AP) — On the darkest day of the year, Russia's parliament is pleading with the government for a little more light.The Duma on Friday formally asked Speaker Sergei Naryshkin to query the government about abandoning year-round daylight-savings time.The 2011 decision by then-President Dmitry Medvedev to keep Russian clocks set as if the country enjoyed perpetual summer was one of the least popular...

Read More..

Cold weather kills 61 people in Poland since Oct.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police in Poland have appealed to residents to dress warmly and look out for elderly and homeless people, after saying that 61 people have died of the cold weather since October.Another 41 have been killed by carbon monoxide inhalation from coal or other ways of heating their homes since temperatures started falling.The Interior Ministry said Friday the death toll from sub-freezing...

Read More..

French leader honors troops home from Afghanistan

PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande on Friday declared "mission accomplished" for French combat troops in Afghanistan, hailing their 11-year military commitment even as the fight goes on for France's NATO allies.After his election in May, Hollande announced a fast-track pullout of French combat troops from NATO's mission in Afghanistan by year-end — a goal now achieved. Increasingly, France has...

Read More..

Russian parliament passes anti-US adoption measure

MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of the Russian parliament on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban adoption of Russian children by Americans, sending the controversial legislation a step closer to President Vladimir Putin's desk.Putin hasn't said whether he will sign the measure into law if it passes its next stage of being approved by the upper house.Some top government officials including...

Read More..

UK doctor stripped of license over death of Iraqi

LONDON (AP) — A British doctor was stripped of his medical license Friday for misconduct and dishonesty over the death of an Iraqi man who was beaten and killed while in the custody of British troops.The latest fallout from Britain's troubled occupation of Iraq came as defense officials confirmed they have paid 14 million pounds ($23 million) to settle claims of abuse from more than 200 Iraqis.Dr....

Read More..

proAV captures slice of surging video wall market

As forecasts of a dramatic rise in the global video wall industry continue to be met, proAV has confirmed the pioneering multidisplay technology has dominated its sales in key vertical markets throughout 2012.(PRWEB UK) 22 December 2012As forecasts of a dramatic rise in the global video wall industry continue to be met, proAV has confirmed the pioneering multidisplay technology has dominated its...

Read More..

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site and Day & Night Solar – Making History Together

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site continues to make history. It was the first NPS site in the Midwest Region to switch to buying wind and water power. Now it is making history again by installing solar power.St Louis, MO (PRWEB) December 22, 2012Nestled in South St. Louis County is the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Ulysses S. Grant was known as the victorious Civil War general who...

Read More..