allergy

Researchers mine tweets in search of health trends

The explosion of social media has given researchers a lot of data to mine and trends to identify, but two computer scientists at Johns Hopkins University say they've developed sophisticated filtering software that is attracting particular attention from public health officials.

Twitter, which launched five years ago, has already been used by computer scientists to try to track the flu.

But when Johns Hopkins University computer scientists Mark Dredze and Michael Paul devised a method to filter and categorize health-related tweets, they weren't sure what they might find. So they decided to sort the tweets (they filtered 1.… Read more

Inside CNET Labs 42: Yes, my hardships include allergies and insomnia...

UPDATED at 12:05 on May 13: The RSS feed has been fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.

It's an odd day in the studio this week as Dong attempts to end his honeymoon with President Obama by complaining about not being about to refinance his house. This of course leads him to take out his frustrations on black people. Namely, me. I play the world's smallest violin while he does this.

When is it OK as a 50-something man to stalk 20-something girls on the Internet? Before you answer, listen to what Dong and I have to say … Read more

Hay fever bots warn public about pollen

Allergies are probably the most obvious way nature tells you it doesn't want you around. I know this love/hate relationship very well because it's spring and I've been sneezing in fits. What I don't always know, however, is how much nature hates me and just when it'll show it.

Fortunately, there are robots to help you with just that--if you live in Japan, that is.

According to NTDT TV, Weather News, a Japanese weather information company, has produced 500 globe-shaped robots that change color depending on the amount of allergy-causing pollen in the air. … Read more

The 404 108: Where Caroline McCarthy loves to Tumble

Veteran 404 guest Caroline McCarthy of News.com makes a guest appearance on today's borderline indecent show. We touch on Hello Kitty fetishism, Pork and Beans, Reggie Love, the perils of softcore Youtube porn, and our secret pickup tactics. This episode is rated R, recommended for adults and pubescent adolescents alike. EPISODE 108 Download today's podcast

New Mexico group lobbies to ban Wi-Fi in public buildings

A group of "electro-sensitive" Santa Fe residents has asked the city government to ban Wi-Fi from public buildings. The group's members attribute a range of symptoms, such as chest pains and headaches, to the electric fields produced by Wi-Fi routers and cell phones.

The citizens claim that Wi-Fi networks in libraries and other civic buildings constitute discrimination as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city attorney is looking into the matter and expects to make a legal recommendation by the end of the month.

This isn't the first report of a so-called "gadget … Read more

The Master Chief of vacuum cleaners

Even in the dead of winter, some of us at Crave suffer the worst of allergies--and, when spring rolls around, we'd be better off in a bubble. That's why we're always on the lookout for anti-allergy technologies, even when we're in the car.

Naturally, Samsung's "Silencio" uber-vacuum cleaner got our attention, as Appliancist says it has a "suction power rating" of 360 air watts that exceeds its conventional counterparts. (We also like its name, as well as the blue LED lights.)

The bagless Silencio automatically adjusts the settings of its two-chamber … Read more

Lean, mean allergy-fightin' machine

It's the height of summer, and for some of us that means allergy hell. Even our fortified caves and vehicles can't keep out all the offensive particles that make life miserable. So it may seem like desperation to you lucky non-sufferers out there, but we're sorely tempted to invest in this "Pro-Aqua" air-cleaning system, which sounds like a combination of a "Scooba" and one of those industrial-strength mosquito machines.

The indoor system improves air and climate quality through wet and dry cleaning mechanisms, including "wet vacuuming, air washing and scenting, inhalation, bed … Read more

Researcher develops allergy-free peanuts

People with life-threatening allergies to peanuts might be able to rest easy at their friendly neighborhood Thai restaurants soon, if research announced this week proves true.

A release from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University says researcher Mohamed Ahmedna has developed whole, roasted peanuts in which the allergen is completely inactivated and that serum from people with severe peanut allergies did not react to the processed peanuts at all. The university paper does not explain the process at all. However, it claims the technique inactivates peanut allergens without degrading the taste or quality of treated peanuts.

Between 1.5 … Read more

Got allergies? Tiny discovery nothing to sneeze at

I don't have an image to show you of fullerenes (gotta love that name), but they are small. Too tiny for my digital camera. Each fullerene is a nanoparticle also known as "buckyball" and it contains about 60 carbon atoms. Those are arranged to form tiny hollow cages.

Now nanotechnologists at the Virginia Commonwealth University have used fullerenes to stop allergic reactions--not just treat allergy symptoms but prevent them and leave you with a clear head, which is more than you ever hoped for. The little carbon cages interrupt the basic process of the mast cells. … Read more