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Lego Company announces there are too many Legos out there
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The Lego Ninjago Movie is now on Blu-ray, DVD and various streaming sites. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Mar 7, 2018, 1:09 PM
Parents, youre not alone. Lego admitted this week that it has created way too many bricks.

The company said this week that its sales have fallen for the first time in 13 years, adding that too much stock might be the reason, according to CNN Money.

The company said that its annual revenue dropped 8 percent in 2017. This happened after the companys long stretch of rapid growth following a new amount of Star Wars-themed toys and the release of The Lego Movie.

Lego Group CEO Niels Christiansen said there isnt a quick fix for the company and it might take some time to rebuild since Lego is so large and spans the globe.

"Overall we are not satisfied with the financial results," he said. "There is no quick fix and it will take some time to achieve longer term growth," he added.

The toymaker also said too much stock, along with drops in sales, led to a poor performance in 2017.

"There wasn't enough room to get 2017 toys into the stores, and the toy trade is driven by newness," a Lego spokeswoman told BBC.

In fact, toy analysts Matthew Hudak told CNN that the companys continued success may have led to less demand, which led to a drop in sales numbers.

"Households can have too many Lego products and not want more each year," Hudak said.

In September 2017, Lego cut 1,400 jobs after suffering from weak demand over a new Batman toy line, according to Bloomberg. The company said at the time it was heading toward its worst decline in a decade.

Lego said at the time that it would reduce its companys workforce by 8 percent, despite a run of success that ballooned its workforce to more than 18,200 employees.

Were losing momentum and were losing productivity, Chairman Jorgen Vig Knudstorp told Bloomberg at the time. We have built an increasingly complex organization. This could ultimately lead to stagnation or decline.

Lego will continue to make products, though. The company announced a new sustainable, plant-based toy that will be made from sugarcane, according to CNBC.

The company said it hopes to have all sustainable products by 2030.
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.