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The Atlantic asks: Is MoviePass here to stay?
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As Bloomberg reported, MoviePass, which helps feed peoples film habits by giving them movie theater passes for a monthly fee, recently dropped its monthly subscription price to $9.95... - photo by Herb Scribner
Is MoviePass around for the long-term?

Thats the question writer David Sims of The Atlantic asks in a recent article, wondering if the subscription service has the staying power and audience to survive long-term.

MoviePass, which offers subscribers one movie ticket per day for $9.95 a month, made headlines earlier this week when it revealed it will no longer cover tickets at 10 different locations, most of which are in wealthy areas in New York City, including Empire 25 in New York City, the Universal City Walk, AMC Loews Boston Common and the AMC Century Plaza.

MoviePass doesnt offer tickets at high-priced theaters already.

Our No. 1 goal as a company is to provide an accessible price-point for people to enjoy films the way theyre meant to be seen: on the big screen, MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said in a statement emailed to the Deseret News.

Similarly, Ted Farnsworth, chairman and CEO of Helios and Matheson, which owns a majority stake in MoviePass, said the company isnt theater loyal, and that they will continue to seek out theaters that offer value prices for customers. AMC, he said, doesn't offer value tickets.

AMC has often questioned the longevity of MoviePass, saying that the company is a small-fringe player, showing that AMC isn't cooperating with MoviePass.

Farnsworth said in a statement to Deadline that the company will no longer tolerate AMCs lack of cooperation.

As weve grown our subscriber base, weve seen a dramatic increase in movie-theater attendance among our subscribers, which proves to us that MoviePass is working to revitalize a declining industry, Farnsworth said in a statement. Other theater companies have seen this attendance resurgence and have approached MoviePass to collaborate. Since the get-go, AMC has not been interested in collaborating with MoviePass a move that is not in the interest of our subscribers and AMC theatergoers.

According to The Atlantic, MoviePass is exhibiting a show of force and doubling down on its subscribers, who represent 62 percent of AMCs income, according to the company.

But theres still no guarantee MoviePass will be around for the long-term.

The $9.95 price point is so ludicrously low that it surely cannot be sustained forever, even if MoviePass starts getting a cut of ticket sales, according to The Atlantic.

But, as The Atlantic reported, people have stuck with the brand, which could be a troubling sign of things to come for theater chains like AMC. If enough subscribers stay around, MoviePass would disrupt the industry.

It seems the cinephiles are already on board, and casual viewers are coming in droves, too. If this trend keeps up, AMC and other chains are going to have to respond with more than a shrug, according to The Atlantic.
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.