Trends & Innovations - Wednesday
Meth not hard to find, teens say
One in 4 teens said it would be “very easy” to get methamphetamine, a study by The Meth Project found. Also, about 25% of teens said there are benefits to use meth. The survey found 24% of teens agreed that meth “makes you feel euphoric or very happy,” while 22% said meth “helps you lose weight” and “helps you deal with boredom.” Meanwhile, 76% of surveyed teens still expressed strong disapproval with trying meth. The study questioned some 2,600 students ages 12-17.
Cybercrimes overtake drug trade
The world of online crime is now a $105 bil business, making it larger than illegal drug trafficking, according to cyberdefense company McAfee. It said part of the problem is that many people, companies and officials don’t take the risk seriously. McAfee added that the punishment for those that are caught often doesn’t match the severity of the crime. To fight this, companies are protecting the data rather than just blanketing the whole network. That should help, as 70% of data breaches are done from insiders.
Lefties have been gaining ground on their right-handed peers in terms of population size during the past few decades, according to a British study. It says that since the early 1900s, lefties have grown from 3% to 11% of the total population. The researcher said it’s noteworthy because there may be a cause for why a variable trait like handedness is changing.
Airports across the country are getting upgrades in order to handle flyers who want to recharge their portable devices between flights. The electrical charging stations, which are often kiosks, are covered with advertising. Some airports have even installed credit-card-ready pay stations where fliers can buy an hour’s worth of charging for $4.50.
One language dies every 14 days. Most of these come from northern Australia, where 153 Aboriginal languages are at a risk. Other hot spots include Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, where 40 languages are spoken by Native Americans. Only five elderly members of the Yuchi tribe, for example, were fluent in their language as of 2005.
