By Susie Burrell First published: March 13th, 2011

More

• Foods that make you feel good
• Eat yourself happy
• The dark seduction

 

We reveal the top 10 "happy" foods.

Who doesn't want to know how they can improve their mood by eating certain foods? Before you run out and grab yourself a packet of gummy bears for an energy hit, here are some scientifically proven mood lifting foods which may be much better options.

1

Atlantic salmon

One of the richest natural food sources of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; DHA and EPA, a single 200g serve of Atlantic salmon provides you with your entire daily requirement of these essential fats. These fats have a powerful role in improving the body's cells ability to take up essential hormones, including those involved in mood regulation.

2

Walnuts

The unique thing about walnuts is that they are the nuts richest in the essential fats known to improve cell health. Just 10 walnuts each day helps to optimise cell wall composition and has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels, which will also help to improve blood flow around the body.

3

Eggs

Eggs are a good source of the vital nutrient choline. Choline has been shown to have a number of vital functions including optimal cell membrane function and neurotransmission thought to be related to mood and energy levels.

4

Grain bread

Choosing low GI carbs is one of the most important things we can do on a daily basis to help regulate blood glucose levels which in turn will help maintain our energy levels and ultimately our mood.

5

Red meat

One of the most common causes of fatigue in women aged 24-35 years is low iron. Meat eaters need to consume red meat, in small amounts 3-4 times each week to get all the iron they need for optimal energy production.

6

Green tea

On a day to day basis, drinking green tea will help to regulate your blood glucose levels, keep you alert and hydrated and anecdotally help to mange the dreaded sugar cravings after lunch.

7

Dark chocolate

Who would argue against the belief that chocolate improves mood? As dark chocolate is made with a high proportion of cocoa it also contains high amounts of the antioxidant molecules the flavonoids and the phenolic phytochemicals known for their positive health benefits.

8

Coffee

Starting the day with a "proper" coffee is a daily habit of many as we look for the stimulatory effects of caffeine to get our brain and our body moving. Enjoy a cup or two a day of milk based coffee for the joint benefit of some low GI carbs for energy regulation as well as a caffeine boost.

9

Seaweed

Seaweed is one of the richest sources of iodine, the mineral that is required for optimal thyroid and metabolic function, which are in turn crucial for optimal energy and mood.

10

Legumes

The humble bean whether it be kidney, borlotti or soy offers the benefit of containing slowly digested carbs which will help to regulate the mood enhancing neurotransmitter serotonin.

By Charmaine Yabsley First published: March 13th, 2011

More

• Grapefruit can help weight loss
• Celebrity diet fads
• 3 exercise and fat myths

 

What happens if you swallow gum? And does eating at night make you fat? Separate fact from fiction.

Confused by all the health advice you hear? Charmaine Yabsley sorts the wheat from the chaff.

1. You should have a bowel movement once a day

Half truth.

"Everybody has a different bowel rhythm, based on their diet and exercise," says Body and Soul's Dr Cindy Pan. "If you have become more or less regular, have constipation, diarrhoea, black stools, or blood in the bowel movement then you need to see your GP."

2. Urine should be almost clear

Half truth

"If you're drinking enough water, your urine will be clear," says Dr Pan. "Taking vitamins or medication will change the colour of the urine. The first wee of the day will be darker, as you're not drinking through the night. If there's a major change, unexplained blood, or is very, very dark, speak to your GP."

3. Use the highest SPF and you won't get burned

False

"Sunscreen does not offer 100 per cent protection against UV radiation and should never be the first line of defence against the sun's rays," says Cancer Council Australia's CEO, Professor Ian Olver. "Sunscreen with an SPF of 30-plus, filters about 97 per cent of UV radiation and must be reapplied every two hours. You can still get burnt, so wear a hat, sunglasses, clothing and seek shade as well."

4. Antiperspirants cause breast cancer

False

"The reason that there are more breast cancers in the upper outer quadrant of the breast is that there is more breast tissue there," says Professor Olver. Age, family history and genes, poor diet, inadequate exercise and excess alcohol consumption can contribute to breast cancer risk.

5. Vitamin C, Echinacea and zinc help to prevent colds

True

"Vitamin C and zinc are very important nutrients for boosting immune function and preventing colds and flu," says naturopath Lisa Guy. "Echinacea stimulates the overall activity of immune cells making them more efficient in attacking bacteria and viruses."

6. Eating grapefruit burns calories

True

"Grapefruit helps reduce insulin levels which can promote weight loss," says Guy. A recent study has also found that an antioxidant found in grapefruit can stimulate the liver to burn more fat, rather than store fat.

7. Eating at night makes you fat

Half truth

"It's the amount of calories you eat over the whole day that affects weight," says Accredited Practising Dietitian Lisa Renn. "Eating at night won't make you fat unless your choices of food at night are high in calories and exceed your daily energy requirements."

8. Drinking beer before spirits makes you sicker

False

"If people are combining spirits or wine with their beer, it usually means they're increased the amount they've drunk," says Accredited Practising Dietitian Trent Watson. Avoid a hangover by sticking to the one choice and keep your intake down.

9. Don't swallow your gum!

False

"Chewing gum is made out of pretty indigestible stuff," says the authors of Don't Swallow Your Gum!, Dr Aaron Carroll and Dr Rachel Vreeman (Penguin, $24.95). "Your stomach absorbs the sugar and sweeteners. However, your digestive system keeps moving the gum along until ends up in your toilet one to two days later."

10. Reading at night harms your eyesight

False

"There is simply no evidence proving that reading in the dark will ruin your eyesight forever," says Carroll and Vreeman. "Although it can cause eye strain, with temporary, negative effects, it is unlikely to cause a permanent change."

By Alyssa Rose First published: March 6th, 2011

 

Harness the power of colour to fulfill your everyday desires.

Want to loose weight? Attract a partner? Land that perfect job? Scientists are continuously exploring the psychology behind colour and discovering the powerful influence it has on our mood and emotions.

Here are some colourful facts on how to make the spectrum work for you:

Blue

If it's a dream job you're after, blue is best. Studies show navy blue is the best colour to wear to an interview as it is confidence inspiring, friendly and connotes loyalty. Not only that, women are drawn to men wearing blue as they come across as more stable, faithful and trustworthy.

Want to loose weight? Dieticians suggest eating off a blue plate as it's a natural appetite suppressant.

Red

An aphrodisiac and symbol of lust–set hearts a flutter with red. Recent studies suggest men are more attracted to, and are likely to spend more money on women wearing red.

However red is best in small doses – it physically makes the heart beat faster, is a sign of strength and power, and evokes a primal sexual response in men.

Yellow

It seems innocent enough but don't be fooled by yellow. Psychologists have found babies cry, and partners argue more in bold yellow rooms. The reason is light reflects at a higher intensity off bright colours, making yellow an eye irritant.

On the other hand, yellow has been shown to stimulate metabolism, improve memory, invigorate mind and spirit, and in small doses can promote happiness.

Green

If you've ever wondered why many hospitals choose a green colour scheme, it's because the majority of people feel it has healing energy. It's associated with growth, recovery and is refreshes the spirit.

It's the easiest colour for the eye to take in and researchers have also found text printed on green paper increase reading speed and comprehension.

Pink

Although similar in appearance, pink has the complete opposite effect of red. Research on bubblegum pink found it to lower heart rate and have a tranquilizing affect. So much so, football stadiums in the US used to paint their visitor locker rooms pink in the hope it would pacify and physically weaken their opponents.

Purple

The most spiritual of all the colours, purple takes awareness to a higher level of thought and contemplation. Some psychologists have discovered purple to be beneficial in problem solving and meditation as it encourages concentration.

However purple is the great divider–there are those who love it and those who hate it. Purple is known to be regal and luxurious, however in the wrong shade, it can communicate cheap and tacky faster than any other colour.

 

Le is not the only one with a digit surplus ... British tot Samantha Evans was born with 12 fingers and 12 toes.

Source: News Limited

FROM almost the moment Le Yati Min was born, her mother knew the girl had a little something extra.

"I asked the nurses whether my kid was born complete with hands and legs," says her mother. "They replied that the baby even has more than she needs."

Born with 12 fingers and 14 toes, Le may be the most "digitally enhanced" person in the world. Now, the 16-month-old girl's family in impoverished Burma is seeking a Guinness World Record to prove it.

A neighbour is helping her mother apply to claim the record hearing that a boy from India currently hold bragging rights for the most digits, with 12 fingers and 13 toes.

Polydactylism - being born with an extra finger or toe - is fairly unusual, but it is even more rare for someone to have spare functional digits on both hands and feet, as Le does.

Le lives with her family in a small wooden house on the outskirts of the Southeast Asian country's former capital of Yangon, where she runs around with seven toes on each foot.

Proud mum Phyo Min Min Soe, 26, said Tuesday that she'd be happen to see Le gain a world record, but even without that, her daughter already has a happy life, and even some natural advantages.

"She seems to have a stronger grip on things - so she doesn't drop things much," she says, as Le plays nearby with a mobile phone.

According to the Guinness World Records website, the record for most fingers and toes for a living person is currently held by two people in India, who have 12 fingers and 13 toes each.

Targeted ... Google Android phones. Photo: AFP

A powerful virus targeting smartphones in China running Google's Android operating system may represent the most sophisticated bug to target mobile devices to date, security researchers said.

Anti-virus firm Lookout Mobile Security estimates that the number of phones that have been infected by the virus, dubbed Geinimi, ranges from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

Researchers said that the virus has yet to wreak havoc, though, and that they were unsure what its authors were seeking to accomplish.

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"It is not clear to us what the purpose of it is," said Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer for Lookout. "It could be anything from a malicious advertising network to an attempt to create a botnet."

A botnet is an army of enslaved computers that its controllers can compromise for identity theft, use to launch attacks to shut down websites or turn into spam email servers.

Still, the emergence of Geinimi underlines concerns that hackers are shifting from focusing on attacking PCs to targeting mobile devices as sales of the powerful handheld computers take off and users increasingly put sensitive data in their pockets.

Phones become contaminated with Geinimi when users download software applications that have been repackaged to include the virus, according to researchers from Lookout and Symantec Corp.

Tainted programs include versions of the video games Monkey Jump 2, President vs. Aliens, City Defense and Baseball Superstars 2010, according to Lookout.

Lookout researchers said that so far they have only found the tainted software at third-party apps stores targeting the Chinese market. Legitimate versions of the applications in the official Android market appear to be safe, they said.

Compromised phones call back to a remote computer for instructions on what to do at five-minute intervals. Then they transmit information on the device's location, its hardware ID and SIM card back to the remote computer.

So far the remote computers have been collecting data but have not issued any other orders to the infected phones, Mahaffey said.

Liam Murchu, a research manager with anti-virus software maker Symantec, said that infected devices could be ordered to make calls, send text messages and download other malicious software onto the phones.

Reuters

Fat payout ... McDonalds compensates employee for weight gain.

A Brazilian court has ordered McDonald's to pay a former franchise manager $US17,500 ($18,000) because he gained 29kg while working there for 12 years.

The 32-year-old man says he was forced to sample food products each day to ensure that quality standards remained high because McDonald's hired "mystery clients" to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.

The man also says McDonald's offered free lunches to employees, adding to his kilojoule intake while on the job.

MILLIONS of Facebook and Twitter users risk having private accounts hacked into after the release of an insidious new computer program.

Strangers can now use ``Firesheep''   freely available on the internet  to access the private accounts of anyone using unsecured wireless networks like those at hotels, cafes and libraries.

The alarming development means online hacking of private information is no longer the domain of computer experts... at the click of a button, anyone with a grudge or malicious intent could do it.

The Sunday Mail tested Firesheep last week and within 20 minutes had accessed 15 Facebook accounts and a Hotmail email account.

The first they knew that their private Facebook, Twitter and Hotmail accounts had been hacked was a tap on the shoulder.

``Oh my God,'' said Austrian backpacker Carina Schmeissl, when approached by The Sunday Mail in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley mall last week.

``It's awful. I am shocked  that is really scary.''

An insidious new computer program  freely available on the internet  is putting millions of users of social networking sites such as Facebook at risk.

At the click of a button, ``Firesheep'' can access the personal accounts of anyone using an unsecured wireless network like those available at hotels, cafes or libraries.

For the first time, online hacking is no longer the domain of computer experts  now anyone with a grudge or malicious intent can target account holders.

The Sunday Mail downloaded Firesheep last week and tested it in public areas where nearby computer users had no idea that their security had been breached.

Within 20 minutes at the State Library of Queensland our computer had access to the Facebook accounts of 15 people plus a Hotmail email account. Unsuspecting student Anna Westrin was stunned when showed how easy it was to access her profile.

``I think it's really scary that it's so easy, especially if you can just press one button,'' the 23-year-old student said.

``I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it for myself. I'll definitely be a lot more cautious from now on.''

Ms Schmeissl and her Austrian backpacker friend Melanie Mayr were using the free wireless internet at a McDonald's outlet in Fortitude Valley, when we showed them how easy it was to hack into their Facebook accounts.

Firesheep, available as a free add-on to the popular internet browser Firefox, can break into 26 major websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Hotmail (Windows Live) and Amazon.com.

More than 200,000 people downloaded it in the first three days after its release. The online program is outside the reach of legal authorities, but Detective Superintendent Brian Hay from Queensland's Fraud and Corporate Crime Group said anyone using Firesheep could be committing an offence.

He acknowledged the program meant computer crime had entered a whole new era.

``What was once the domain of people who were highly skilled on computers is now available to anyone through the click of a button,'' Supt Hay said.

``If someone has a nefarious intent, the opportunity they have to harvest vast quantities of personal information is there and the more information we put out there the more insecure we're going to be.

``If you use unsecure wi-fi you have to go in with the mindset thatensomeone is accessing your computer at all times.''

Firesheep will also be of great concern to the increasing number of businesses using  Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Malicious messages from their sites by hackers could expose businesses to lawsuits from customers or suppliers.

A Facebook spokeswoman said the social network was ``hoping''  to provide protection against such attacks ``in the coming months''.

``Be careful about the information you access or send from a public wireless network. To be on the safe side, you may want to assume that other people can access any information you see or send over a public wireless network,'' she said.

Seattle-based software developer Eric Butler said he released Firesheep to show the dangers of using public wi-fi networks which do not have password protection.

Mr Butler said websites had ignored their responsibility to protect users for too long.

``The real story here is not the success of Firesheep but the fact that something like it is even possible. The same can be said for the recent news that Google Street View vehicles were collecting web traffic. It should not be possible for Google or anybody to collect this data,'' Mr Butler wrote on his blog.

A Microsoft spokeswoman said all Hotmail accounts would soon be protected against Firesheep attacks by full-session SSL encryption.

Mozilla, which controls the Firefox browser, said it would not block the add-on from being used.

``(Firesheep) demonstrates a security weakness in a number of popular websites, but does not exploit any vulnerability in Firefox or other Web browsers,'' Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox, told computerworld.com.

Backpacker Emma Lambeth, who was using the public wi-fi while on holidays, said she could have been emailing bank details or any personal information.

``You don't know what people could have looked at. They (websites) need to do something about this.''

What you need to know

 

How does Firesheep work?

 

If you're using an unsecured wireless network to surf the internet, anyone can use Firesheep to intercept the communication between your computer and a website and then log in to your account.

Are all websites vulnerable?

 

Firesheep only attacks 26 major websites, but this list includes Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Flickr, Windows Live, Amazon.com and Twitter.

How do you stop this?

 

If major websites, like Facebook and Twitter, adopt end-to-end encryption  so that cookies and not just usernames and passwords are protected  the problem would be solved

OK, but what can I do?

 

Several things. Avoid public Wi-Fi networks but if you cant do that subscribe to a virtual private network (VPN) which will encrypt all traffic between your computer and the internet or download the HTTPS-Everywhere add-on for Firefox. This tool encrypts communication between your computer and a number of major websites, including Facebook and Twitter.

I want to learn more

 

Watch this video by the man who created Firesheep

Gadget stores like Apple should provide hand sanitiser to customers, a health expert says. Photo: AP

A leading Australian expert in infectious diseases says people who use display iPads and iPhones at Apple stores are risking serious infections and the company should do more to maintain hygiene.

The call by Professor Peter Collignon, the director of infectious diseases and microbiology at the Australian National University, follows research that found a higher risk of transmitting pathogens from glass surfaces like iPads to human skin.

"You wouldn't have hundreds of people using the same glass or cup, but theoretically if hundreds of people share the same keyboard or touch pad, then effectively that's what you're doing," Collignon said in a phone interview.

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"The germs we transmit via our hands can frequently have germs that can cause anything from the flu to multi-drug resistant diseases."

Scores of people visit Apple stores around the country every day to play with the company's latest gadgets.

Earlier this year an investigation by the New York Daily News found that, of four iPads swabbed in two Apple stores, two contained harmful pathogens. One contained Staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause of staph infections, while another registered Corynebacterium minutissimum, a bacteria commonly associated with skin rash.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology cautioned people against sharing their devices, as there was a higher risk of spreading germs from glass surfaces.

"If you're sharing the device, then you're sharing your influenza with someone else who touches it," the study's co-author, Timothy Julian of Stanford University, told The Sacramento Bee.

A separate test of a sample of 30 mobile phones, conducted by a hygiene expert at Britain's Which? magazine, found that the average handset carries 18 times more potentially harmful germs than a flush handle in a men's toilet.

Collignon said Apple and other gadget stores with touchscreen devices on display should make hand hygiene products "more readily available on counters".

"It doesn't have to be anything fancy it just has to be a 70 per cent alcohol solution," he said.

Collignon added: "Maybe the various computer stores can make a more frequent effort to clean their equipment."

He said that in modern ages people tended to think that new gadgets were exempt from the basic rules that our mothers and grandmothers taught us.

"If you want to protect others then preferably don't share but if you do make sure your hands are clean before you touch it and afterwards," Collignon said.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

'Skylifter' sends air freight up

The proposed 'Skylifter' balloon could carry freight up to 150 metres and change the way we transport goods.

An Australian company is developing a giant flying saucer that can transport buildings for long distances anywhere in the world.

The airship, dubbed the "SkyLifter", would be able to lift up to 150 tonnes - more than seven times the weight that helicopters are able to carry.

Creators English-Australian Jeremy Fitton and Englishman Charles Luffman hope to power it using bio-diesel fuel and solar panels.

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The Skylifter can pick up 190 tonnes.

"There is a massive need for this," said SkyLifter's investor relations partner Sam Mokhtari in a phone call from London.

Potential uses for a successful commercial model of the SkyLifter include moving aid or even portable hospitals to remote areas - such as rural regions or disaster zones - that have limited or no available infrastructure such as roads, Mokhtari said.

The company hopes it will one day also become part of the tourism market, where travellers can fly slowly above landscapes from one destination to another, as they currently do on cruise ships.

Hospitals can be flown in and dropped in crisis-hit areas.

"One hundred years ago, airships were the rage. [This technology] needs to be brought up to date. People want a greener product and ... we are looking at alternative forms of transport."

Mokhtari said the company had so far built "Betty", a three-metre mini-SkyLifter, and "Vikki", an 18-metre wide tethered version of the airship, and plans to construct an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) prototype in the next two to three years.

"Lucy", the 150-metre prototype, is expected to be completed in about six to seven years, he said.

An artist's impression of the Skylifter in operation.

The airship, which will be made using "strong laminated fabric", harnesses aerostatic lift - meaning it is able to fly using lighter-than-air (LTA) gases that keep it buoyant - rather than aerodynamic lift.

Unlike heavier-than-air (HTA) fixed or rotary-wing aircraft such as aircraft and helicopters that use aerodynamics to fly, the SkyLifter would be able to move using propellers attached to a small control pod suspended from a rod below the main saucer-like blimp. Its top speed is expected to be about 45 knots for a maximum travel distance of about 2000 kilometres.

Mokhtari would not speculate on the cost of building such airships, but added that, while it has been a "slow process of building the case" of the SkyLifter, the company had "made miracles happen in a year" and had many interested parties keen to invest in the technology.

Aerostat technology featured in the headlines this week after a $8.9 million helium balloon was used during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Commercial uses for aerostat craft have not always taken off.

In the mid-1990s, a German company tried to build a heavy-lift airship called the Cargolifter, but fell into insolvency in 2002, leaving behind millions of dollars of debt and a massive hanger in Brandenburg that was converted into an artificial indoor tropical resort.

The first rigid airship that became commercially successful was the Zeppelin, built by Count Zeppelin in the early 20th century and used by the Germans for military missions during World War I.

Passenger-carrying airships using both helium and hydrogen were developed in the following years, although the explosion of the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg airship in the US in 1937 eventually ended such modes of travel.

Today, airships are more likely to be used as an alternative form of aerial advertising.

But the US government is also reviving its interest in airships as surveillance tools, with the department of defence reportedly investing about $US1.7 billion into researching and developing unmanned aerial vehicles last year.

How often should I change passwords?

September 15th, 2010

Security issues hound everyone–from world leaders commissioning defense budgets to the small kid hiding his playthings in a rundown shed and locking the door with a piece of string. And what do Internet prowlers do protect their machines and accounts? They change their passwords often. The debate is still on on how often to change your password.

There are passwords for email accounts, at shopping sites and subscription-based websites. Most sites store confidential data like your credit card number and so are the hotbeds of cyber crimes like identity thefts and phishing. These crimes have increased over the years because hackers usually target these sites for their malicious activities.

 Do not be fooled into thinking that these sites are secure; the hackers are smarter and they strike with deadly ferocity and they strike often. Be a step ahead of them; alter your passwords and login information more frequently. Computer pundits and online security experts advise changing your Internet passwords and account login details every three months to six months. You may relax this timeframe a bit but it entirely depends on where and how you browse the Internet.

The computer stores your browsing history up to some days and this includes the passwords that you had keyed in at different websites. If your Internet activities are confined to your PC at home, you can afford not to change the passwords every three months to six months. But if you access the Internet mostly on public computers, then you should change your passwords more often than this. Even a password that is a hash of alphabets, numerals, and special characters cannot guarantee your safety.

How often to change your passwords also depends on the kinds of websites where you have provided them. It is a wise idea to change the passwords to banking and shopping sites that store your credit card and other sensitive financial details.

If there is a password policy in place at your organization, you have no choice but to change your passwords as often as specified by the policy. Some policies require you to change passwords every 90 or 180 days. You have to come up with really strong and unique passwords because in most instances, these policies prevent from choosing one that is almost similar to some earlier versions.

Changing your passwords too often may feel cumbersome, but it is a practice that is imperative to guaranteeing your online security.

Posted in Internet Security