Secondhand smoke can cause harm in 20 mins

Researchers have waned that heavy concentrations of secondhand smoke, such as those found in smoke-filled bars and cars, can lead to airway restriction for bystanders within minutes of exposure. A study showed that after 20 minutes of exposure to highly concentrated secondhand smoke, participants experienced near immediate physiologic changes, including airway resistance and impedance.
    "Bars and cars are places where high concentrations of fine particles usually occur because of smoking. Nonsmokers are then forced to inhale extreme amounts of particulates directly into their lungs,' said Panagiotis Behrakis, of the University of Athens, Greece. "The observed short-term effects of secondhand smoke tell us that even a short exposure is indeed harmful for normal airways."
    Although exposure to secondhand smoke appears to be slightly less harmful than direct smoking, Behrakis believes secondhand smoking should be recognised as a global health issue.

BLUETOOTH SUNGLASSES LET YOU TAKE CALLS

Japan's eyewear maker Masunaga displays a pair of sunglasses with bone-conduction speakers, a microphone and Bluetooth unit for hands free phones at the international Optical Fair in Tokyo on October 22, 2012. The new sunglasses will go on sale in early 2013.

Hands on the Hitman: Absolution game

It's been six and a half long years since we've seen a game starring Agent 47. While 2006's Hitman: Blood Money was a solid entry to the franchise, it was too familiar to what the series already had to offer. This time around though, Absolution is proof that the developers are going for the jugular.
    The first thing that hit us during our preview is how good the game looks. Barring a few jagged edges, the graphics look spectacular. From the characters to the environments, everything looks fantastic. Aside fom this, the missions are a lot more diverse this time around. Our lengthy romp through this decisively film noir world of shadowy conspiracy was peppered with choice.

    Similar to last year's Deus Ex: Human Revolution and this year's Dishonored, there's a lot of ways to play each mission. You can end up massacring everyone or you can end your missions with just the necessary kill. The choice is yours. The game does penalise you.
    One of the most interesting features is Instinct which helps you navigate the variety of mansions, seeds hotels and crowded market palces you'll be infiltrating. A click of a button renders the world in monochrome wherein you can view alternate routes and possible hostiles. With enough Instinct you can indulge in Point Shooting. This lets you take down a slew of enemies with your guns in cinematic fashion similar to Splinter Cell: Conviction's Mark and Execute mechanic. 
    All in all, Absolution is turning out to be a solid stealth game oozing with options. The game should hit the shelves by November 20

SILENT KILL

A sandbox assassination game that's a perfect blend of stealth and action

    Playing as an assassin usually means you have to get some blood on your hands. Games like Hitman and Assassin's Creed use various tools and skills to minimise collateral damage and to keep your kills limited only to the assigned targets. In Dishonored too, you play an assassin. But here you can get through the whole game without killing; if you have the patience for it.
    Your protagonist Corvo is victim to a setup, where the queen, who is also his lady love gets killed, and he gets framed for the murder. After an assisted escape from prison, Corvo becomes an important part of a rebellion, set out to restore the royalty to the rightful heir and bring order to the land.
    The game consists of nine main missions, which in turn have a number of side objectives. Your main objective would mostly be an assassination. You could be a non-thinking palyer and kill your way through the game, eliminating the need for side missions and extended plot, but that's just one of the ways you can play the game. What you're encouraged to do is carefully analyse the scenario and look at all the alternative ways you can complete the mission. Not leaving a body count also rewards you with a better ending, while becomig a maniacal killer will result in more guards, more lethal plague rats and a much darker ending. Though it doesn't handhold you through any of the missions, it does provide you with a number of useful skills and upgrades to keep it interesting.
    Dishonored is also a visual delight with gorgeous landscapes and a well planned world, where nothing seems to be out of place. It is like fine wine that should be sipped gently, exploring all the flavours in every sip. Chugging is possible, but not the best experience. Take your time with the game.

Robot suit to help nuclear workers

Brain wave-controlled robot suits that allow wearers to don heavy radition protection without feeling the weight were unveiled in Japan.

     Researchers showed off the latest incarnation of HAL, the Hybrid Assistive Limb, a full body suit that could eventually be used by workers dismantling the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. HAL has a network of sensors that monitor the electric signals coming from the wearer’s brain.

    It uses these to activate the robot’s limbs in concert with the worker’s, taking weight off his or her muscles. Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor of engineering at the University of Tsukuba, said this means the 60-kilogram tungsten vest workers at Fukushima have to wear is almost unnoticeable.

     He said the outer layer of the robot suit also blocks radiation, while fans inside it circulate air to keep the wearer cool, and a computer can monitor their heart-rate and breathing for signs of fatigue.

     The robot is manufactured by Cyberdyne, a company unrelated to the fictional firms responsible fo the Terminator in the 1984 film of the same name. HAL was on display as part of Japan Robot Week, which also featured small robots that run on caterpillar tracks designed to move across difficult terrain and gather information in places where it is not safe for humans.

Playing games before bed can disrupt sleep

Teenagers should steer clear of prolonged video gaming before going to bed if they want a good night’s sleep, new research from Flinders University show. The study – conducted by Daniel King – found that prolonged video gaming immediately before bed caused significant sleep disruptions in a group of teenage boys, even when they fell asleep at their usual bedtime. The 17 participants played a violent video game for either 50 or 150 minutes on two different nights in a lab.

     Child sleep psychologist Michael Gradisar, who supervised the study, said there was a 27-minutes loss in total sleep time after 150 minutes of gamong based on the polysomnography tests and a 39-minute delay in sleep onset according to the participants’ sleep diaries. “The REM sleep, was reduced by 12 minutes among the teens whoplayed for over two hours,” he said.

     “This may not seem like a significant reduction but REM plays an important part in helping us remember content we learnt that day so for adolescents in their final years of school who are revising for exams, winding down at night with a video game might not be the best idea.”

       Gradisar said the teens who played for 50minutes had almost no trouble falling or staying asleep, yet significant disruptions were reported after 150 minutes of game time.