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Scribble in 100,000 colors with new pen
Scribble Pen
The Scribble pen. - photo by Courtesy of Scribble
Natalie Crofts
Deseret News National
Updated: Jun 17, 2014, 3:00 PM
Published: Jun 16, 2014, 3:19 PM

CALIFORNIA — Have you ever struggled to match a color for a project?

A new pen aims to eliminate that problem. The Scribble pen, soon to be launched on Kickstarter, claims to allow doodlers and designers alike to pick any color they see and then use it to draw on paper or a screen almost instantly.

“The Scribble color picker pen will make copying an exact color, any color from any object, an absolute breeze,” a company spokesman said in a statement.

The pen has a color sensor at the top that can detect the exact shade of the object you point it at, whether it be a flower or a painted wall, according to the company. Then it processes the information and mixes ink from refillable cartridges to let users write in the object’s color.

More than 100,000 colors can be stored in the pen’s internal memory, according to the company. It said the cyan, magenta, yellow, white and black ink cartridges can be mixed to create more than 16 million unique colors.

The pen could theoretically be used for a variety of purposes ranging from art to home decor. CNET writer Michael Franco said he hopes it could be used to match the exact color of the 100-year-old red door to his home, so he could buy paint in the correct shade to fix a chip.

The company also plans to sell a Scribble stylus that detects colors, but instead of producing ink, it only draws on devices like a smartphone. Both the pen and stylus can be connected to computers for digital design projects by using Bluetooth technology or a micro USB.

The Scribble pen is listed at $149.95 and the Scribble stylus is listed at $79.95. People who are interested in the pen can sign up for product launch notifications online.
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.