Studies show that people find female voices to be more helpful and understanding than their male counterparts. BY JESSI HEMPEL Ask Siri if she’s a woman. Go ahead; try it. She’ll tell you she’s genderless. “Like cacti. And certain species of fish,” she might say. So is Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, Samsung’s S Voice, and Google Now. But, man, do they ever sound a lot like women. Culturally, we think of them as ladies too. (In Old Norse, Siri translates to “a beautiful woman who leads you to victory.”) We assign female pronouns to them, and, in turn, they fold feminine turns of phrase into their robotic and occasionally inane answers to our requests. If we prize gender diversity in other areas of daily life, why does our tech sound so female? It would be easy to credit—or fault—male designers, perhaps influenced by science fiction. (Interesting fact: In the original Star Trek TV series, the voice of the Federation’s onboard computers was supplied by creator Gene Roddenberry’s wife, Majel Barrett.) But the biggest reason for the female phone fixation rests in social science. “Research indicates there’s likely to be greater acceptance of female speech,” says Karl MacDorman, an associate professor at Indiana University who specializes in human-computer interaction. MacDorman and his team played clips of male and female voices to people of both genders, then asked them to identify which they preferred. The researchers also measured the way participants responded to the voices. In a 2011 paper, they reported that both women and men said female voices came across as warmer. In practice, women even showed a subconscious preference for responding to females; men remained subconsciously neutral. Why the bias? Stanford University communications professor Clifford Nass, who coauthored the field’s seminal book, Wired for Speech, wrote that people tend to perceive female voices as helping them solve their problems by themselves, while they view male voices as authority figures who tell them the answers to their problems. We want technology to help us, but we also want to be the boss of it, so we are more likely to opt for a female interface. This inclination suggests that companies will make a better impression on a broader group of customers with a woman’s voice. But not just any voice. It has to align with a brand’s personality. For help with that, companies often turn to Greg Pal, vice president of marketing, strategy, and business development at Nuance Communications, which licenses its library of more than 100 voices. Pal insists that some brands choose male speakers. He turned on his iPhone and pulled up the Domino’s Pizza app, which has an assistant, Dom. He sounded like my high school English teacher—educated and helpful but not overbearing. That’s about right for a brand attempting to appeal to guys ordering pies before the big game. As voice technology improves, though, designers say diversity will too. Many devices already let you customize a voice interface. Homer Simpson can tell you where to take a left on your GPS device. And Siri can become a sir, if you take the time to reprogram. Want to know how to do it? Ask her. She’ll tell you in her uniquely warm, helpful—and female—tone.
Today’s swim goggle was born from motorcycle goggles. The first known swimmer to use them in this way was Tom Burgess, an enterprising Channel-crosser who strapped on a pair of motorcycle goggles and what appears to be a world-class banana hammock while swimming breaststroke from France to England in 1911. The overall shape and design—two big sockets and an elastic band around the head— hasn’t really changed much since then. The materials, size, colors and marketing, on the other hand, absolutely have. In 1935, buoyed by the rising popularity of scuba diving and the need for better masks and goggles, inventor Walter G. Farrell patented an “underwater eye protector” designed to help divers swim around that grandfathered many of the current goggle designs. In 1968 the modern swimming goggles was first introduced to the competitive swimming masses with limited enthusiasm. The “clear view” goggles were advertised in Swimming World Magazine—at only $2 a pair—and promised to help swimmers forgo the eye irritation that was common with extended bouts of training in chlorine infested pools. While they seem like a no-brainer now, at the time many swimmers had a hard time keeping them on their heads while performing starts and turns (caps also weren’t that popular then either), and simply found them not to be comfortable on their heads. In modern competition it was the breaststroker David Wilkie of Great Britain (a huge inspiration of the late Victor Davis, as it were) who put on a pair of goggles (and a cap!) at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. They were by no means an overnight sensation, with many swimmers continuing to swim though the 1970’s and 1980’s without them, not the least of which was Mark Spitz, who won 7 Olympic gold medals in 1972 at the Munich Olympics with no goggles, but a devastating mustache. As swimming gear became more profitable, more and more companies began offering swim goggles, helping fuel an ever-growing swimming apparel business that does billions of dollars annually.
IT’S HARDER TO CONTROL YOUR DIABETES
Elderly people are particularly likely to be lonely. Here's how to tell if social isolation is causing health problems.
High levels of stress hormones make it harder to control blood sugar, which could explain why loneliness is linked with high blood sugar. Complications with diabetes might make it harder to get out and move, but you should still make a point of seeking social interactions. “People who are lonely and isolated can’t move around as much, and their diabetes are not as much in control,” says Dr. Lentz.
MARISSA LALIBERTE
YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE ISN’T STABLE YOU DON’T BOTHER CHANGING OUT OF YOUR PAJAMAS If you aren’t planning to leave the house during the day, you might be tempted to skip your shower or stay in your pajamas. “Because they’re not seeing anyone, they’re not getting dressed up to go out,” says Melinda Lantz, MD, chief of geriatric psychiatry at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “They no longer have that motivation to do what we would do if leaving our homes every morning.” Even if you don’t have any appointments, she recommends acting as if you were going out. Get out of bed, get dressed, and stick with your usual routine—or add these tricks for a happier morning. YOU NEVER GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP Lonely people tend to doze off during the day—sometimes without realizing it—so their sleep cycles are off once bedtime rolls around. Plus, people who aren’t satisfied with life or experience boredom don’t hit the deep stages of sleep they need to feel fully rejuvenated, says Dr. Lentz. “In the morning, they don’t feel as refreshed, so the loneliness and worry feeds into the next night,” she says. YOU FEEL DOWN IN THE DUMPS People with depression might be inclined to isolate themselves, but loneliness itself can also lead to low mood and sadness. Social support acts as a reminder that other people care about you. But when you’re isolated, you might lose self-esteem, thinking no one values you anymore. “A lack of contact with other people makes people go into a spiral of feeling hopeless and less important and less engaged and less functional,” says Dr. Lentz. Don't miss these things psychologists want you to know about depression. YOU CAN’T KICK YOUR ANXIETY Stress hormones like cortisol start raging when you’re lonely, which could turn into daily anxiety if you’re alone often. Lonely people often complain more about anxiousness than depression, says Dr. Lentz. “They feel isolated and feel anxious and afraid that something will happen and they’ll be alone and no one will know,” she says. Try using these phrases that can instantly calm anxiety
Blood pressure fluctuations are common in people who spend a lot of time at home alone, says Dr. Lentz. “Blood pressure can be lower when you’re inactive, but stress can cause the heart rate to increase and cause blood pressure to be less stable,” she says. With chronically high blood pressure, you could also be at higher risk of heart disease and heart attack. Keep your heart healthy by giving these natural remedies for high blood pressure a try. YOUR MEMORY IS ESCAPING YOU Without much social interaction, you could experience cognitive decline earlier— and the decline will be faster, says Dr. Lentz. Getting social stimulation can guard against that risk of dementia. “The more you’re talking, the more your mind is working,” she says. “Even for people with mild dementia, doing stimulating brain activities helps.” YOU ALWAYS CANCEL APPOINTMENTS Once you start spending a lot of time alone, it can be hard to break out of the routine and force yourself out. Despite the health problems associated with loneliness, socially isolated people are less likely to keep their medical appointments, says Dr. Lentz. “The more time you spend isolated in your home, it becomes very selffulfilling,” she says. “It feeds on itself. It leads to another day inside and can become a negative routine.” THE WEATHER IS KEEPING YOUR INSIDE Wintertime means harsh weather. Not only might you experience signs of seasonal affective disorder, but leaving the house could also get harder if you need assistance taking stairs or walking. “We want people to get out and get air and sunlight, but some days are too cold. It’s unsafe to leave the apartment,” says Dr. Lantz. Plus, with the sun going down earlier, you might have a smaller window of time when you feel safe being out of the house, she says.
CHINESE ROLLETJIES (SPRING ROLLS) BESTANDDELE Vulsel: 2 blikke (185 g elk) tuna 1 blik (400 g) pitmielies gedreineer 250 ml (1 k) gerasperde mozzarellakaas 80 ml (1∕3 k) mayonnaise sout en peper Filo: 1 rol filodeeg 45 ml (3 e) botter, gesmelt METODE Voorverhit die oond tot 200 °C. Vulsel: Meng al die bestanddele. Geur met sout en peper. Filo: Verf ’n vel filodeeg met gesmelte botter en plak nog een bo-op. Sny die filo in 3 stroke en plaas van die mengsel op elke strook. Rol die deeg een keer om, vou die kante in en rol verder op. Herhaal met die res. Verf met die botter en bak 15 minute. Sit voor met soet rissiesous. Bron: Huisgenoot
Turns out, piles of trash are life lessons in the making. BY BILL STECKMAN Every day like clockwork, Mr. Nagel would walk by our house in Salamanca, New York, and I’d walk with him as far as I was allowed to go. One special day in the 1930s, when I was 8 years old, Mr. Nagel was on his way home from the city dump, where he was in charge, and stopped to give me an unused paintbrush and an unopened can of paint. I excitedly asked Mom where I could use my new treasures. She gave me a coat hanger and said, “Now, let’s see how well you can paint!” I believe I spent more time painting that coat hanger than I would spend painting a garage door today. I actually still have that coat hanger in a closet, though the paint has begun to flake off. One day Mr. Nagel asked Mom if I could go to the dump with him. She thought about it a spell, gave her blessing and then gave me a lecture on the theme of “Don’t do this and don’t do that.” Mr. Nagel’s shortcut to the dump sent us through some woods, over a railroad crossing and past a deep swimming hole that also served as a spa and laundry. I remembered Mom’s instructions to hold Mr. Nagel’s hand near certain spots and to look both ways before crossing the tracks. The wind was blowing our way as we neared the dump, and I’d never smelled anything like it. There was trash of all kinds, and many rats. I had a white rat as a pet but didn’t know they came wild—and in different colors. We saw two men picking glass, rags, and metal from the trash. Mr. Nagel said they lived at the dump year-round, showing me the shacks they’d built from doors, scrap lumber and metal. The men smashed the glass into small pieces and put it in bushel baskets, since the scrap man wouldn’t buy it any other way. Near the dump was a place we called hobo alley, where transients lived under and near the railroad bridge. At night we could see their bonfires. Back then we had three railroads passing through town, so there were many hoboes—a lot of good fellows who were just down on their luck and rode the rails. They sold most of the so-called “goodies” they collected, but not the cigarette butts. The larger butts they smoked, and the smaller ones they broke apart to use for pipe tobacco. After I got back home, Mom asked, “What did you learn today, Bill?” Proudly, I told her how many wine bottles it took to make a bushel of glass, and that Mr. Nagel called the stuff the hoboes ate “junk food.” It wasn’t long before Mom heated a kettle of water on the stove and brought the laundry tub into the kitchen. Boy, did she scrub me down! And to this day I have not eaten any junk food.
Whether you're a Type A like me or you just need some help chillaxing, lavender may be the drug-free solution you've been waiting for. BY NICHOLE FRATANGELO I have a Type A personality. I make endless checklists. I have just about every detail of my day planned out, starting from the moment I open my eyes. And most important, I need things done now, if they weren’t already done yesterday. If you suspect that this leads to a lot of self-induced anxiety, and maybe one or more glasses of wine per night, you’d be right. So when a close family member recommended I try essential oils to help relieve stress, I assumed it was a waste of time. But with a little coercion, I was convinced to purchase a bottle of lavender essential oil. Let me just say, it works. For one thing, I take a deep inhalation when I smell the lavender, and that alone reduces feelings of anguish, studies show (so does rubbing it on your temples). Then there are the known stress-decimating properties of this botanical oil. The concept of using essentials oils for stress relief and other medicinal purposes has been around for centuries, giving people an alternative, holistic approach to treating various issues. For lavender, in particular, essential oils are extracted from the flowers of the lavender plant and put in little bottles or roller balls, like the one I purchased (with a healthy dose of skepticism) at my local Whole Foods. I first tested it for myself as a sleep aid, during a restless night, where I was left staring at my bedroom ceiling and stressing about the next day’s activities. I reluctantly reached for the bottle of lavender at my bedside, took a deep whiff and laid back down. Something immediately happened, though, I’m not sure what. Was it just an expectation in my head, or did that one sniff fully relax my mind and body? It certainly was the latter, because soon enough, I wasn’t able to fall asleep without it, and went so far as rubbing a few drops of the oil on my pillow so I could keep smelling it throughout the night. To infuse your bedroom with essential oils—lavender or the oil of your choice, check out Art Naturals Essential Oil Diffuser, a portable device that sprays a fine mist of pure essential oil into the air, kind of like an aromatherapy humidifer. I started carrying the lavender with me wherever I went to conquer spontaneous bouts of stress. During long days at work, or after an intense meeting, nothing helped calm my nerves and relax my mind quite like this fragrant aroma. Lavender has been shown to also help with various skin irritations, headaches, and irregular blood sugar count. Though my Type A personality may be here to stay, the uneasy feelings and sleepless nights are certainly not, thanks to a few drops of purple magic.
BUSHMANLAND AREA Bushmanland is a vast and sparsely populated area located in the north eastern parts of Namibia, underneath the Caprivi Strip. Although not as lush as the more northern parts, the area does not lack in abundance of game, flora and bird species. One can easily lose yourself in the expanse of space and wonderment as nature paints some of its most beautiful scenes. With wildlife ranging from elephant to wild dogs and laying claim to the name of birder’s paradise, Bushmanland also exhibits a rich cultural element in the form of the indigenous San communities traversing its heart. Terrain ranges from pans and stony plains to dunefields and open woodland. Stretching 9,000km² in size, the area is dotted with tiny villages that house around 6,500 members of the !Kung San community.
Hoba Meteorite, discovered in the 1920s, is the largest known meteorite in the world and situated 20 km from Grootfontein. The meteorite is approximately 80 000 years old and its weight is more than 50 tons. There is a large amount of artillery and ammunition that was dumped by retreating German forces in 1915 on the bottom of the Otjikoto lake which is located 20 km north -west of town Tsumeb. A number of extracted cannons, machine guns and other weapons can be seen in Tsumeb museum and in Alte Feste Museum in Windhoek. The Namib Desert is regarded as the oldest desert in the world. The Giants' Playground - site littered with huge balancing basalt boulders and Quiver Tree Forest can be seen approximately 14 km north-east of Keetmanshoop near Quiver Tree Forest Camp. Namibia has the largest freeroaming cheetah population in the world - an estimated 2 500.
Most lipstick contains fish scales. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. A crocodile can't move its tongue and cannot chew. Its digestive juices are so strong that it can digest a steel nail. Money notes are not made from paper, they are made mostly from a special blend of cotton and linen. In 1932, when a shortage of cash occurred in Tenino, Washington, USA, notes were made out of wood for a brief period.
In the heart of Sunnyvale, California (USA), you’ll find the man who’s made every child’s dream come true with an incredible super-sized toy gun. Mark Rober has blasted his way into the new Guinness World Records 2017 Blockbusters! book for his massively awesome creation: the world’s Largest Nerf gun. The 36-year-old mechanical engineer and YouTuber spent several weeks developing the 1.82 m long gun, which shoots foam bullets at 40 mph. His inspiration for building the Nerf gun? His work colleagues. Mark explains: “Everyone in the office has Nerf guns and they shoot each other with them. I started thinking about how to one up my fellow engineers. I had a few different ideas but eventually decided to go big or go home.” In fact, his biggest challenge in constructing the Nerf gun was the logistics behind harnessing the power of a paintball pressure tank to shoot a dart built from a pool noodle and a toilet plunger. Besides constructing enormous toys, Mark is also an avid YouTuber. A video of his record-breaking accomplishment posted on his channel has received nearly 14,315,534 views to date. For Mark, who collected Guinness World Records books as a youngster, his new title is a dream come true. “It’s really cool to make it into the Guinness World Records 2017 Blockbusters! book. I never thought I would get one but it’s always been a secret bucket list kind of thing. I now have the official certificate hanging in my office.” Mark has placed a target on other Guinness World Records titles with plans to make more attempts, but is keeping them a secret for now. When he isn’t playing with his Nerf gun with his family or colleagues, or working on mechanical engineering projects, Mark enjoys making engaging and educational YouTube videos on his channel (Mark Rober at onemeeeliondollars) and spending time with his family.
Bulbinella is a herb that is indigenous to Namibia and South Africa. The drought-resistant bulbinella herb has many medicinal uses, making it a useful plant indeed. The leaves of the bulbinella are long and resemble chives or garlic chives. Although the leaves are long, they are also fairly thick and round and contain a natural healing sap. This sap contains glycoproteins, which have soothing and protective qualities. The sap of a bulbinella leaf is clear and can be rubbed onto parts of the human body to ease the pain, irritation and itching of mosquito bites. Relief is almost immediate. If you have not taken measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes in the first place, the bulbinella herb is a handy herb to have around. It is very easy to extract sap from a bulbinella leaf. Just crush or break the leaf, and rub the entire crushed or broken leaf back and forth over the affected or painful area. Why sit scratching mosquito bites when you have a soothing gel "growing" nearby? It’s like having a pharmacy in your garden. Bulbinella not only helps treat mosquito bites, but is also excellent for treating any area of the body stung by a bee, wasp or hornet. It grows quickly and easily, and should be kept close to the house, or even indoors near a sunny and breezy window. Although bulbinella is an excellent plant to add to a dry area or rockery anywhere in your garden, growing it near the house means that you can quickly dash out and break off a leaf when you need it. There’s no reason not to have bulbinella growing in more than just one spot, of course. Plant the herb quite deep to avoid it growing off to one side or flopping over when the leaves are fully grown. The flower stems grow quite a bit taller than the rest of the plant, and this could cause the plant to topple over. It needs a deep and strong foundation to help prevent this. The next time a loved one takes a tumble, gets a minor cut or bruise, or gets bitten by mosquitoes, use bulbinella! Bulbinella is also excellent for helping to:
Slow down bleeding Dry up acne Soothe cold sores, chapped lips and cracked heels Soothe sunburn Get relief from eczema symptoms
If you like using natural herbs and other home remedies to treat your family’s aches and pains or bumps and scratches, bulbinella is a herb your family should not be without. This herb can save you money otherwise spent at the pharmacy, and even has attractive yellow or orange flowers. It’s a plant that not only brightens up an area, but that brightens up how you’re feeling too. What a pity it is that bulbinella won’t grow nicely in your bathroom medicine cabinet, as it’s a handy all-in-one first-aid kit!
NAMPOL TRAFFIC NUMBERS WALVIS BAY SWAKOPMUND HENTIES BAY KARIBIB OMARURU CITY POLICE
081 333 0449 081 202 8391 081 657 0704 081 711 9482 081 657 0703 061—302302
OTHER EMERGENCY NUMBERS LIFELINK NAMIBIA E-MED RESCUE ST GABRIELS COM AMBULANCE EAGLE CHRIST. AMBULANCE WINDHOEK STATE AMBULANCE SWAKOPMUND STATE AMBULANCE WALVIS BAY STATE AMBULANCE
085 900 081 924 085 955 085 933 061-2033282 064-4106000 064-216300