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Facebook allows users to manage digital afterlife
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Facebook added a "legacy contact" feature this week, which finally gives users a chance to manage their digital presence after death. - photo by Chandra Johnson
For years, it's been a painful and difficult process to manage a loved one's Facebook account after death.

As writer Julie Buntin wrote in a piece for the Atlantic last summer, losing a high school friend was difficult enough, but having her friend's account in stasis after her death was like reliving her death over and over through old messages and other profile features refreshed with site updates.

"Its been five years since my best friend from high school passed away, but her death happens over and over online," Buntin wrote. "Facebook has made her death a sort of high-concept horror movie. How many more times will I grieve her?"

Much of the problem with stories like Buntin's is that, without a password, the profiles of the deceased were more or less doomed to stay up, almost as a painful reminder of a person's life. Persistant familiy members could petition to have it taken down or request that the profile be frozen and locked as a memorial.

Now, with Facebook's new legacy contact setting, control is back in the user's hands. Legacy allows users to designate a Facebook executor, someone to take control of the account in the event of a user's death. Users can also choose to have their account deleted after death.

While Facebook is tactfully choosing not to promote the new feature, users can access and designate a legacy contact under settings>security>legacy contact.

Slate's Will Oremus applauded Facebook's decision.

"It would be nice to see more tech companies follow its lead in thoughtfully addressing what happens to users data when they die," Oremus wrote.

But not everyone is happy about Facebook's new move. The Christian Science Monitor reported that many estate specialists advise caution.

"While I really dont think this will become a major issue, theres no accounting for what people may do, attorney Anthony Handal told the Monitor. However, if youre not careful and you have one heir as the executor of your estate but put someone else in charge of your digital media it can cause conflict that nobody needs during the grieving process.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.