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'Theories of Forgetting' may not be meant to be understood
Theories of Forgetting may not be meant to be understood
"Theories of Forgetting" is by Lance Olsen. - photo by University of Alabama Press

"THEORIES OF FORGETTING," by Lance Olsen, University of Alabama Press, $22.95, 367 pages (f)

It’s not surprising that “Theories of Forgetting” is a story worth forgetting.
Lance Olsen’s novels tells three stories in a wacky, offbeat and ridiculous way that bring the reader down, around and through a rabbit hole of confusion. One story is of Alana, a filmmaker, another is of her husband, Hugh, and the last one a series of margin notes by Aila, Hugh’s daughter. And it doesn’t get any easier to understand from there.

The main problem with Olsen’s book is that there’s no easy way to begin reading. Both covers are the same, and page numbers start at both ends of the book, too. And while Hugh’s story is written on one of the page with Aila’s notes right beside, Alana’s story is written on the opposite side of the page, causing the reader to flip the book entirely to read that story.

And while the layout is confusing in its own right, the stories, too, are unreadable. Hugh disappears from the world he’s known, but he also brings up ideas from the world he has known, so there’s no true understanding of where he is. Aila’s tale is readable, since she’s only writing notes, but even her notes don’t always connect with the story. Alana’s journal-like story is the best of the bunch, but ultimately it starts to get more and more confusing toward the end.

Olsen does save himself by adding some memorable quotes — like “Somebody will always be waiting for you who doesn’t know he or she is waiting for you” — and does do well to show a familial connection.

But the book is hard to understand and keep up with to make it an enjoying read. There’s a fair amount of curse words, too, and it does touch on some heavier themes that might be too deep for such a lightly written and off-beat novel. It’s no question if Olsen settled on one of these stories and developed it more, then this novel would be fantastically done.
That might be the point of this, though. Life is a confusing and unsorted mess. And like Olsen’s story, maybe we’re not meant to understand it all.

Email: hscribner@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: herbscribner

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.