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LED backlights add style, reduce eyestrain

LED backlights add style, reduce eyestrain

Attention all people who work with computer monitors or televisions in low or reduced-light conditions: do you find you frequently suffer from headaches as your shift moves on? The reason may be eyestrain.

The bright lights and colors emitted by the screen take more energy for your eyes to process when compared to the dim lighting or the dark walls in your environment, and could thus cause the strain leading to headaches. The simple answer is to try and fill your line of vision with some soft light to at least balance the contrast. This can be achieved with a cheap desk lamp set behind the monitor.

One drawback to the desk lamp option is the heat the extra bulb or bulbs may put out. This was the case in my small home, where I had a three-bulb lamp providing ambient light behind our TV, which was giving me headaches during my primetime viewing. The solution was relatively cheap and adds a fun splash of color.

WEATHER BLOG: Spotty showers return

WEATHER BLOG: Spotty showers return

By Jeff Castle

After a wet start to May, we've been on a dry stretch for most of the last 2 weeks.  Rain chances make a return over the next few days, but don't get too excited about being able to shut off the sprinklers.  Shower coverage looks sparse at best through Friday.  Here's WAFF 48 Pinpoint Predictor this afternoon.

 

Jackson Co. administrator's job in limbo

Sandra Erickson (right) was in attendance for the commission meeting Tuesday afternoon but said she doesn't know why she was placed on leave with pay last week.

JACKSON COUNTY, AL (WAFF)- The fate of Jackson County's administrator remains uncertain despite a commission meeting earlier on Tuesday.

Sandra Erickson was in attendance for the commission meeting Tuesday afternoon but said she doesn't know why she was placed on leave with pay last week.

The commission went into executive session before coming out and voting on the chairman's recommendation, although details of the recommendation aren't known.

The meeting was recessed until next Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Copyright 2013 WAFF. All rights reserved.

Parents injured in overnight house fire

SCOTTSBORO, AL (WAFF)- Two people were injured in an overnight house fire in the Swearengin community.

Officials said the fire broke out at a mobile home at 2236 Horseshoe Bend Road around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The son was able to pull his father, Jason McGehee, out of the fire. The mother, Kim McGehee, also made it out alive. Jason suffered burns and smoke inhalation. He was flown to Huntsville Hospital, but he is listed fair condition.

Kim was taken to Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Copyright 2013 WAFF. All rights reserved.

YouTubery: 'Grill Skill'

Of all the training videos I've watched online, Wendy's has a track record of well-established weirdness. There is an epically long video about closing procedures set up like an old Matlock rerun, which I'll get to on a future missive. Right now, however, we're going to enter a world of glitz, glamour, glitter and garish, singing raw beef patties.

'Grill Skill' is a training video from the early 1990s teaching new hires about the grilling procedure on the back lines. It is one of many videos of the era to involve a dream sequence with outlandish characters who rhyme, sing, and patronize to a certain degree, all in an effort to help make the learning process less of a chore. Think of it like 'Schoolhouse Rock' but for fast food.

Gift cards and closing stores: what to do

Gift cards and closing stores: what to do

A bankruptcy court judge ruled on Wednesday that the holders of some $210 million in Borders Books gift cards were out of luck: too much time had passed since the September 2011 retailer's shuttering to force its liquidators to reimburse the value of over 17 million cards that went unspent.

Whether the claimants in the lawsuit claimed ignorance or not, it would be hard to argue that the gift card holders didn't have a chance to be notified about Borders' bankruptcy or to spend their cards. Borders announced the bankruptcy in the early summer of 2011, and the last store shut its doors in late September of that year. 

Stream it: 'Reading Rainbow'

Stream it: 'Reading Rainbow'

What can be said about the brilliance of Reading Rainbow, the television show that kept kids interested in books since 1983. Now, on the thirtieth anniversary of the show's premiere on PBS, host LeVar Burton has made it his mission to continue providing the show's positive literacy impact through to the digital age.

A series of 25 classic Rainbow episodes is available for purchase on Amazon, with Prime subscription holders given free access. The episodes span the show's entire original run. My personal favorite of this list, if you're interested, is "The Life Cycle of the Honeybee," with the title book read by Get Smart's Barbara Feldon.