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This tool blocks shooters from their 15 minutes of fame, but not everyone is pleased
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A new extension for Google's Chrome browser takes perpetrators' names and photos out of news stories about mass shootings. But even the advocates against killer notoriety are split about it. - photo by Chandra Johnson
To help address the growing debate over whether the news media should reduce its mentions of perpetrators in mass shootings, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has created an online tool that helps users focus on what the group thinks is most important: The victims.

Called Zero Minutes of Fame, the plug-in is available for download as a Google Chrome extension. The group hopes that its plug-in will help prevent future shootings in the wake of waves of media coverage that typically follows the events likely inspiring copycat events, some research suggests.

While some media outlets have balked in the past at the suggestion that they not name a shooter at all or name he or she only once, Poynter Institute ethicist Kelly McBride told Newsweek she's in favor of the plug-in.

"It gives power to the people who want to support that, but it still gives responsibility to the newsmakers, the news creators, it gives them the ability to do their job as well," Newsweek quoted McBride.

Ironically, one of the biggest critics of the plug-in is a pioneering advocate of the movement to deny shooters any fame. Tom Teves, who founded the group No Notoriety with his wife after losing their son Alex in the Aurora, Colorado, shooting in 2012, says the tool doesn't hold the media accountable enough.

"Its counterproductive because it then gives the media an opportunity to say, Well, just use the plug-in if you dont like it,'" Teves told Newsweek. The shooters arent going to use the plug-in. What youre trying to do is stop the shooters.
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.