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Here's how to fool your child on New Year's Eve
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Last Hurrah is the new celebration for the new year. The free event replaces EVE WinterFest, and will be held at The Gateway on New Year's Eve. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Dec 25, 2017, 1:09 PM
Netflix just made it easier to fool your children on New Years Eve.

For the fourth year in a row, Netflix will publish a slew of videos that offer a countdown clock to midnight. These videos can be played at any time.

Netflix encourages parents to share these videos with their children before midnight, giving youngsters a chance to join in on the New Years Eve festivities and still get to bed on time.

This years videos will include characters from True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Larva, Pororo, Beat Bugs, Word Party, Puffin Rock, Skylanders Academy, All Hail King Julien, and Trollhunters.

Heres a sample of one of the videos.



Parents can also search New Years Eve Countdown or Countdown to locate these videos.

Netflix will provide quick access to these videos, offering them under the "Kids" row on the Netflix menu.

Last years edition of the videos included countdowns with the casts from Fuller House, Trollhunters and Puffin Rock, according to the Deseret News.

Netflix first shared these videos in 2015. The peak time families used the videos hovered around 8 p.m., according to USA Today.

Netflix is all about giving members the freedom to decide when and how to watch, and the New Years Eve Countdowns do just that, Andy Yeatman, the director of kids content for Netflix, told USA Today. They put families in charge of the holiday, whether that means celebrating at nine and then lights out, or ringing in the New Year over and over again. I have three young daughters, so for us, that means celebrating three times with three different countdowns they each get to choose.

Netflix data showed that 58 percent of parents like the idea of putting their child to be earlier in the evening. About 98 percent of families said they planned to spend the New Years Eve night with their families.
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
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
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.