Fatigue in Children

Mummy, don’t wake me up, let me sleep a bit longer. I’m very tired and don’t feel like going to school…. Sounds familiar? If your child doesn’t want to wake up in the morning and go to school or has lost interest in studies and other activities, he may not have become lazy as you think. Chances are that he may be tired and suffering from fatigue.

Fatigue can be classified into two types –. Physical and mental fatigue. Physical fatigue is also defined as lack of energy or strength and is triggered due to muscle weakness. The affected individual tends to suffer from weakness and seems exhausted, most of the time. On the other hand, mental fatigue is referred to as being drowsy all the time. This condition is known as somnolence and the person tends to feel sleepy and is unable to concentrate on any task. Due to an unhealthy life-style, almost everyone suffers from fatigue, both mental as well as physical. Nowadays even children are being affected by fatigue. Lack of proper nutrients in the diet, consumption of junk food and no exercise can lead to a child feeling lethargic. Some other reasons that can cause fatigue in children are improper sleep cycle, stress or psychological problems, inactivity, etc. If this condition isn't diagnosed in time, it can lead to severe or chronic fatigue syndrome. Let’s see more about this disorder along with its causes, symptoms and treatment options.

Causes of Fatigue in Children

Owing to different activities, starting from going to school, playing, completing assignments and homework, a child tends to get tired. This phase can affect children from time to time, especially in their growing years. But if your child is overwhelmingly tired even after getting adequate rest, then he may be fatigued. This may also be an indication of some underlying health issue.

Anemia: One of the main reasons for fatigue is anaemia. Children who are anaemic often complain of being tired due to lack of iron in the blood. As there is a reduction in the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain due to anaemia, children are easily fatigued.

Lack of Exercise: A child may show inactivity or experience tiredness due to lack of proper exercise.

Lack of Proper Nutrition: Inadequate or improper nutrition is another reason for a child feeling low in energy. Children are more addicted to junk food like French fries, burgers and pizzas that make them ignore proper home cooked food. Eating fast food doesn't provide the required nutrients thus, leading to intense tiredness. It can also make the child obese.

Stress: Contrary to the popular belief that only adults suffer from depression, children also get stressed due to a number of reasons. Stress and depression are also major factors resulting in lethargy in children.

Genuine Joe Anti-Fatigue Mat, Beveled Edge, 2 by 3-Feet, Black

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Surprise, Samsung Also Has Cost Disadvantage With Exynos And Its Modems

Samsung Electronics has had a tough going lately. They’ve been losing smartphone market share to Apple at the high end and to local heroes at the lower end. It’s not all doom and gloom though, as their chip business, which had been losing lots of money, has been doing well recently. A lot of that had to do with memory and manufacturing Apple’s A8 SoCs in my backyard, Austin, TX. I believe more challenges are ahead, though, as Samsung has created a new set of cost issues with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, which could impact their smartphone competitiveness in the future. A little background first…

There has been a lot written lately about Samsung’s use of their own Exynos applications processor (AP) and modem in their latest crop of smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge.  The news factor here was big, particularly because Samsung Electronics previously used Qualcomm for APs and modems in their hero phones.  While Samsung routinely moves suppliers in and out of products, and in fact, had already used their own APs in other phones, that this was happening in North America at AT&T was viewed as a big deal.  Qualcomm’s CEO directed attention to it as well, when he publicly announced they had lost a very large customer.  I think many thought there would be a big cost savings moving away from Qualcomm for the AP and modem.

Last week, Arik Hesseldahl at Recode penned an article on an IHS teardown study on the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. It said that Samsung added $34 of cost to the Galaxy S5.  IHS was quoted saying that, “The bottom line is that this phone costs less than an iPhone to buy, but it costs Samsung more to build.” That was a surprise to just about everyone. The S6 edge is a big improvement, but to cost more than the iPhone 6 is astounding.  Within this IHS revelation is that not only is the phone more expensive to make, but so are the home-grown Exynos SoC and modem. One would have thought that would have been a savings, right?

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (White, 32GB)

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Open Sales for the OnePlus One, Forever

OnePlus has announced that invites would no longer be required for the till recently very hard to grab flagship killer OnePlus One. The announcement coincides with anniversary of the One. The blog from OpePlus quoted.

This week marks a very special anniversary for OnePlus. Exactly one year ago this Thursday, April 23rd, we announced the OnePlus One to the world. Since then, we’ve been travelling down an exciting road; one with a few bumps, yes, but also one that has ultimately led to amazing things. We look at the OnePlus One and the community that has grown around it, and we feel proud.

Since the early days, our company has changed quite a lot. We’ve grown to over 700 employees and have sold over one million OnePlus Ones worldwide. We’ve also learned an immeasurable amount from all of you. We pour over your comments on our forums and social media and soak in the feedback you give us at events all around the world. We try to not just listen, but also act on these lessons. Your feedback has resulted in a wider range of accessories, better logistics options and an evolution from invites to pre-orders to Tuesday Open Sales. Now, we’re taking it one step further.

Starting today, the One will be available without an invite. Forever.

That’s right. In our first big celebration of the One’s successful year, we are opening up sales globally for everyone, every day of the week. We have always wanted to put great products into the hands of more people. And, we now feel confident that we have matured enough to handle the increased complexity that comes along with opening up sales completely.

OnePlus also commented on the OnePlus Two as:

With the experiences we’ve gained with the One, we will be far more prepared to make the same transition with the OnePlus 2. Yes, the 2 will initially launch with invites. We’re committed to maintaining razor-thin margins in order to give as much value as possible back to our users, and this drastically increases our risk. The OnePlus 2 will bring the challenges that come along with a brand new product, and initially, our invite system will help us to manage that risk. It also helps us to be sure that every OnePlus 2 user gets the amazing experience that they deserve.

The blog post from oneplus regarding this announcement can be found here.

The marvel named Garden by the Bay

I recently had an opportunity to visit Garden by the bay located near Marina Bay in Singapore.

The garden has  over 500,000 plants. The two cooled conservatories the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, feature rare and unique plants from around the world.

The Garden has an amazing collection of flora and fauna. The beautiful flowers are just astounding. The architecture of the domes them self are superb. 

Flower Dome

The Flower Dome replicates the cool and dry Mediterranean climate and shows off nine different gardens including Baobabs and Bottle Trees, Succulent Garden, Australian Garden, South African Garden, South American Garden, California Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Olive Grove and the Changing Flower Field Display from 5 continents namely Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The dome has a Footprint of 1.2 hectares (approx. 2.2 football fields). It has an overall surface area f 16,000 m² and is built by 3,332 glass panels of 42 varying shapes and sizes. The Height of the structure from floor to top is 38m and the volume is 195,000 m³ (approx. 75 Olympic swimming pools). The temperature inside the dome is 23°C to 25°C and humidity is maintained at 60% to 80%. The dome has a capacity of 1,400 people.

Cloud Forest

The Cloud Forest, is entirely different from the Flower Dome. A 35-meter tall mountain covered in lush vegetation shrouding the world’s tallest indoor waterfall showcases plant life from tropical highlands up to 2,000-meters above sea level.

You can ascend to the mountaintop by lift before descending via two walkways in the clouds for an aerial view of the canopy and mountainside below. 

The dome has a Footprint of 0.8 hectares (approx. 1.5 football fields). It has an overall surface area f 12,000 m² and is built by 2,577 glass panels of 690 varying shapes and sizes. The Height of the structure from floor to top is 58m and the volume is 153,000 m³ (approx. 60 Olympic swimming pools). The temperature inside the dome is 23°C to 25°C and humidity is maintained at 80% to 90%. The dome has a capacity of 1,200 people.

The complete gallery of my photographs shot there can be found here on Google plus and here on Facebook.

It’s time for Google to throw ‘open’ Android under the bus

Europe has been investigating Google Search for so long now, that the filing of formal antitrust charges last Wednesday was almost anticlimactic.

But there was one part that stuck out. In addition to filing formal charges related to Google Search, the European authorities also said they were launching an investigation into Android. 

This is new

European authorities are looking at three things:

Did Google force or incentivize Android phone and tablet makers to “exclusively pre-install Google’s own applications or services”? 

Did Google prevent smartphone and tablet makers who wanted to install Google applications and services on some devices from shipping “modified and potentially competing versions of Android (known as ‘Android forks’) on other devices”?

Did Google tie or bundle certain Google applications and services that shipped with Android devices, with other Google applications, services, and APIs? 

Cyanogen is using the AOSP to build a viable version of Android that’s out of Google’s control.

This sounds complicated – and it is – because there are really two Androids.

There’s the Android Open Source Platform, or AOSP — let’s call it “open” Android.

Open Android provides a fully functional mobile operating system and some scaffolding to build certain types of apps. Google develops open Android and publishes the code under an open source license, meaning anybody can take it and do whatever they want with it. 

Amazon used this platform to build the Kindle Fire and Fire Phone. Many Chinese handset makers like Xiaomi use it to build smartphones and tablets. Cyanogen is using it to create a separate version of Android that Google doesn’t control.

Google makes no money from these versions of Android, which don’t include any Google apps or links back to Google services (or Google ads).

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Mortal Kombat X: The Most Violent Video Game Ever?

With its gruesome symphony of spine-ripping fatalities, the tenth (!) installment in the Mortal Kombat video game franchise is gory as hell—but is it any good?

Jax grabs his opponent’s arms, holds them up over their head, and then—with a squish—he jams them all the way into their body so only the hands are visible. He takes a moment to light a cigar. He grabs his opponent’s mouth and rips the head in half. He puts out his cigar on the tongue as blood gurgles out.

Jax wins. Fatality.

Even if you haven’t heard of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), you’ve seen their work. Before every game commercial, a big letter comes up “Rated E for Everyone,” “T for Teen,” or “M for Mature.” Their ratings can be found on every single game box in the lower right hand corner. When the original Mortal Kombat was released back in 1992, the ESRB had not yet been created. Its release was one of the reasons it was.

Mortal Kombat is one of the most infamous game franchises of all time. It’s pretty simple, really: Two characters hit each other until one of them dies. Rinse, repeat. Fighting games don’t get much simpler than that. But what made Mortal Kombat stick out was its “realistic” depiction of violence. The characters were digitized versions of real actors so each punch looked, sort of, like one person actually punching another one. It wasn’t a cartoon, and censors were not pleased.

But what really stuck out, then as now, was the “Fatality” system. When a player has truly beaten his opponent, the victor has the chance to make the victory just a little bit sweeter. And by sweeter, I mean bloodier. “FINISH HIM!” the announcer booms. Press the right combination of buttons and you’ll be treated to a jaw-dropping display of virtual violence.

I witnessed a character’s testicles literally pop under the pressure of an uppercut—and that was in only my second fight.

Sub-Zero freezes his opponent’s torso with a frozen punch. He follows it up with a regular punch—one that leaves a gaping hole in their body. Only its spine remains, but not for long. He reaches in and snaps the spine in two. Then he lifts the body up, rips it in half, and drops the pieces to the ground.

Sub-Zero wins. Fatality.

Though Mortal Kombat X is the tenth official iteration in a series with many more spinoffs and side projects, the “X” is a letter, not a number. Mortal Kombat 9 was just called “Mortal Kombat,” one of those reboots that’s so popular with games these days. Mortal Kombat was a step forward for the series, and many critics and fans hailed it as such. I didn’t play Mortal Kombat. Not the 2011 one, anyway. I did play Mortal Kombat in the arcades when I was young, though. It wasn’t a good game, really, but it was definitely fun to punch off my friend’s digital head.

Mortal Kombat X

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