The Ready Shower is a revolutionary shower created by Sabra Wilson, founder & CEO. It enhances your bathing routine and has the remarkable ability to dispense hair shampoo and body wash from the showerhead using two dispensers that are placed behind the wall. You can select to use the shampoo or the body wash. Homemade or specially made body washes and shampoos can also be used.

“We have a refill so that you can refill your canisters from home,” said Wilson. “We also have a refill cap so that you can use your own body wash or your own shampoo products.”

And exactly how did Wilson come up with this invention?  She was sitting at home watching TV, and a Dove commercial came on. The commercial showed the shower running and a bottle of Dove body wash sitting on the counter. The commercial flashed from the running shower to the bottle of Dove body wash sitting on the counter. She wondered what was getting ready to happen. To her surprise, the commercial went off and nothing happened.

“I thought that maybe the body wash was going to come out of the showerhead,” said Wilson. “I said if the body wash would come out of the showerhead, that would be a great thing.” She immediately began working on the innovative idea by putting it all together and thinking about her next steps.

The first step was to obtain a patent. She hired an attorney and presented her idea to a group of individuals. She conducted a patent search to find out if there were presently any products on the market or in society that were similar or did the same thing that her invention did. Fortunately, there were no products like hers, and it took her about a year to obtain the patent on January 5, 2021. She had to pay $2,500 for a patent search and then applied for a utility patent that costs $7,000.

“The process is very lengthy, it takes time to do it, and you have to focus,” said Wilson. “It was very challenging, and I made monthly payments for $550 to $600 in order to obtain my patent.”      

Wilson is confident The Ready Shower will be a huge success and has never seen a product like it. She explained, “I’ve traveled a little bit and I have been to Germany and other places, and I have never seen anything that comes out of the showerhead where I don’t have to physically take the washcloth and lather it with the soap or body wash. I can actually push a button or turn a knob and it comes out of the showerhead to cut down on germs.”

These showerheads can be installed in hotels, nursing homes, and prisons to help curtail the spread of germs. We are living in the time of COVID-19, and everyone is being careful about what they touch and how they use things. Wilson is a former hotel supervisor and observed a great amount of soap, shampoo, and conditioners being wasted and left in the rooms.

“They would often be smashed, and the wetness would dissolve them so that you could not use them anymore,” said Wilson. “My invention helps to conserve these products and helps to cut down on the spread of bacteria and germs.”

The installation of The Ready Shower will be an easy process. She said, “During our prototype process, we were trying to put it where it would be plumber friendly so that consumers can go to the store, purchase it, and install it themselves. In the bigger facilities it will have to be installed, but we are trying to do it both ways so that it will be plumber friendly so that it won’t be so hard to install it by yourself.” 

The CEO is currently in the process of finding a manufacturing company who will make the product.

“We have been speaking with several companies, and we are waiting on calls to see what opportunities may be available, and hopefully we will receive some good news on moving forward,” said Wilson.

Wilson is a single mother of three: two girls and a boy, and she has two beautiful grandchildren.

Her favorite pastime is spending time with her family, and she loves to love, laugh, and live life to the fullest. She works as a Customer Service Representative for Alaska Airlines and Avelo Airlines at the Raleigh-Durham airport. She was the #1 hairdresser in Columbus County and is presently a member of a nonprofit organization called H.A.I.R. (Having Aunties In Reach).

“We have many events throughout the year for the children in Columbus County city limits and also in Wake County,” said Wilson. “We basically have back-to-school events like braiding or styling all of the kids’ hair for free for the first day of school.”

She added, “We do Valentine’s Day, Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, and everything we do for them is free of cost, and all the students have to do is show up.”       

Some of the challenges that she has faced during the invention process have been the passing of her father, the passing of two step-kids, and living in an area where a lot of violence is happening. In spite of dealing with life’s hardships, she continues to persevere and not give up.

“I have been working so hard on this for years and I tell my children and grandchildren this is for them,” said Wilson. “I have been working so hard, and I have not been able to give them a lot during the years, but I know God has given me this idea and it will be a blessing.” 

Her ultimate vision is for The Ready Shower to be in hotels, prisons, new homes, overseas, nursing homes, amusement parks, Lowe’s, Walmart, and hardware stores everywhere. When the product becomes available for purchase, she has plans to establish an online store.

If you are interested in The Ready Shower, the ultimate showering experience, and would like to become a potential investor or form a partnership, visit www.thereadyshower.com or email info@thereadyshower.com.

The metaverse is a concept created and developed by Meta (formerly Facebook) and based on Virtual Reality (VR) technology. VR technology utilizes headsets that are worn by users that project a completely fabricated 3D environment around them. This 3D environment can be interacted with via the use of handheld controllers, which are projected into the world and act as ‘hands’. Essentially, imagine the Holodeck from Star Trek but with headsets and controllers instead of a giant room hologram.

Using VR headsets, Meta is attempting to create virtual spaces wherein people can work, shop, and entertain themselves. In the Metaverse, at least as Meta has marketed it, people will be able to create avatars of themselves and socialize, work, and perform leisure activities in a whole new way. A user in San Francisco could watch a movie with someone in London and have their friend right next to them in the virtual space. Or you could virtually shop in a grocery store without actually leaving your home. However, Meta’s primary focus seems to be on virtual workspaces.

Since 2020, there has been a heavy shift towards remote work in many sectors and professions. The Metaverse seems to be trying to straddle the middle-ground between in-person workspaces and completely remote work. Using the Metaverse, employees could theoretically work with one another ‘in-person’ without having to leave a home office. Meetings could be had from different continents, but everyone is sitting at the same table in a virtual meeting room.

Conceptually, the Metaverse is attempting to make the science fiction concept of a completely virtual world a reality. It is trying to blend real life experiences with technology while providing a service that movies and shows have teased us with for decades. However, it remains to be seen if a virtual universe is actually something anyone wants. So far, the response to the Metaverse outside of Meta itself has been decidedly lukewarm. Some may see it as a novelty but may quickly lose interest once it’s no longer new. Some may find the Metaverse to be another in a long line of tech ideas that try to fix things that aren’t broken. Whatever anyone’s view may be, it seems that Meta truly believes in its creation, so we’ll surely see more of it the next few years.

In the end of 2021, Engineered Arts had revealed an Ameca robot, a humanoid machine that’s presented to look and express itself like a human. For over 12 years of development, Ameca was made using its robotic predecessors, Mesmer (a robotic look-alike of an individual) and RoboThespian (a robotic actor), to convey human emotions during its conversations.

The major central system that helps EA’s robots be expressive is called Tritium, a main component that gives the robot faster response times, quick decision-making, become multilingual, and remote control for a human user. In the beginning of January 2022, Ameca was presented to the public in Las Vegas at the CES 2022 (Consumer Electronic Show) for a chance to make normal conversations. Though it didn’t answer every question correctly and can’t walk yet, it gave out huge first impressions for the people and its possibilities for improvement seem to only grow further from the results.

Having robots live with humans seem like a dream come true, but not without some potential consequences. The Ameca robot appears very similar to the robots in “I-Robot,” a 2004 sci-fi film which showcased a future of humanoid robots being incorporated into human life. Unlike the movie when the robots became hostile with their distorted logic, the Ameca robot is built with a system to prioritize specific demands and conflicts when faced with a difficult choice. What’s still concerning about the conflict resolution system is being forced to face a machine with glitched or hacked programming. Science isn’t always perfect, at first. Another worrisome consequence for robots becoming more prevalent is allowing humans to do so little. While it does sound great to earn more free time, it also diminishes independence while greatly increasing high security with machines. Allowing robots to do more simple tasks for people would influence sloth, similar to what affected the humans in Wall E, a 2008 film which involved humans being forced out of a polluted Earth. While waiting for Earth to be safe to live again, the humans stayed in space with advanced technologies serving their every need. Having their desires easily fulfilled by machines blinded their own senses, making every human become overweight and lazy without ever realizing their conditions.

The future for human life with humanoid robots is drawing ever so closer. People shouldn’t become highly dependent on advanced machinery. People should continue being productive by working alongside the machines rather than forcing them to improve humanity themselves.

In this article, we’ll show you how to assist a buddy in locating a missing Android smartphone. When using the official Google service, Find My Phone, this tip comes in handy. 

How to help a friend find a lost Android smartphone? 

It’s quite simple. We’ll utilize the smartphone for this because we don’t have access to a notebook or PC in this scenario: 

1. From any other device, open a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge Chromium, etc.). 

2. Use Chome’s private browsing mode (for example) by navigating to the top menu and selecting private browsing mode from the available options. 

3. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/ and enter the Google account information for your misplaced phone (email address and password). 

4. Next, go to Security > Your Devices and select Manage Devices from the drop-down menu. 

5. All devices that are currently logged in with that Google user account will be listed here. When you click on a lost model, the most recent information about it will surface, including the last time it was used and the last position recorded. 

6. You can use the command to activate the phone’s audible alarm and locate the device. The smartphone will ring at full volume even if it is on silent or do not disturb mode. You’ll know if it’s lost within your house or apartment this way. 

7. When you’ve finished searching, click the Log Out button next to Account Access. 

What can you do from your smartphone or computer to help your friend? 

When looking for the phone, it’s a good idea to jot down the address and check whether it’s that simple to find. If your friend’s phone has been taken (and it is in an unknown place), you should take the following precautions: 

1. Immediately lock your phone. You can do this with any other device. 

2. Call the phone, since if someone found it and is a trustworthy person, they may be able to assist in its return. 

3. If you log out of that device, no one will be able to access your account. 

4. If you’ve determined that the phone is unrecoverable, contact your mobile provider and have the sim card deactivated. 

5. The most extreme option: remotely erasing all missing phone data. 

You’ll need to access your device’s location function and input your account password again for all of the actions specified in the previous part. And best of luck in your search for your phone. 

I’m hoping everything works out in the end.

When I think of science, I think of medicine, space, beakers, and the biology class in school I hardly passed. But it’s so much more than that – science is such a profound instrument we need today. Obviously, there are so many varies types of science, that it’s hard to keep track of what new breakthrough has recently come to pass. What we need to remember with science breakthroughs is that it doesn’t happen overnight. It could take years to experiment and perfect something, but even then, there could be kinks that need to be banged out.

My favorite discovery happened last year, and I think it’s something that will really make a difference in our oceans in 2019. A company called Ocean Cleanup created a device that is supposed to remove fifty tons of plastic from the Great Pacific Ocean. How do we have that much plastic?

All the marine life we love so much is dying every day because of it, and if we keep going the way we are going, you are not going to see the beautiful sight of dolphins swimming close to shore when you’re on vacation, sipping your coffee on the balcony. That’s my favorite part of going to the beach!

This device is revolutionary. It could really change the health of our massive oceans. As human beings, it’s important that we go to the doctor and remain healthy, but our oceans don’t have that option. We are their doctors; the people that it counts on to make it better. The device, like the volleyball in Cast Away, is nicknamed Wilson. Pretty ironic, considering the Wilson drifted off to sea too. Uh, spoiler alert.

Wilson is around 2,000 feet long with a 10-foot skirt hanging below it. In September, 2018, it was sent off to sea in the Pacific, since that part of the ocean has the biggest waste patch, to help clean up garbage for the next five years. How did it come to be? A brilliant teenager named Boyan Slat devoted his mind and life to figure out how to help the ocean and came up with this system! He received millions of dollars in non-profit funding, and scientists helped him create Wilson. It works with the natural currents and waves of the ocean, gathering the plastic, but it also pushes the water against the net, allowing fish or any other marine life to be pushed under the ten-foot net, allowing them to just keep swimming.

Sounds great, right? But like all science experiments, sometimes it fails. They found that Wilson wasn’t holding as much plastic as it was supposed to. Apparently, the U-shape device is designed to be pushed with the wind and waves, so it can move faster than the plastic floating; therefore, trapping the plastic effectively so trash boats can come and remove the waste. But the system is moving too slowly, allowing plastic to escape and drift back out in the beautiful abyss. Scientists are working hard to figure out why it isn’t working and have towed it back.

They knew that the first go around that there would be some hiccups. This is something that has never been done before, so the only way to know if it works is to test it.

It is still in the beginning stages while the scientists work out the kinks. A big part of 2019 will be concentrated on making the ocean healthy again. Either with Wilson, or another company called 4Ocean. They do something a little different. With every bracelet that’s purchased (which is made from the plastic they collect from the sea), a pound of trash is removed by hand.

Here’s to Wilson, 40cean, and any other amazing company making the ocean healthy again for 2019! Cheers! Let’s keep swimming.

The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” (example shown at left) or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight. Refer to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers (link is external) page for a list of manufacturers and authorized dealers of eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers verified to be compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for such products.

• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
• Always supervise children using solar filters.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
• Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
• Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
• If you are within the path of totality (https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe (link is external)), remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases.
• Outside the path of totality, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the sun directly.
• If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.

Note: If your eclipse glasses or viewers are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard, you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through them for as long as you wish. Furthermore, if the filters aren’t scratched, punctured, or torn, you may reuse them indefinitely. Some glasses/viewers are printed with warnings stating that you shouldn’t look through them for more than 3 minutes at a time and that you should discard them if they are more than 3 years old. Such warnings are outdated and do not apply to eclipse viewers compliant with the ISO 12312-2 standard adopted in 2015. To make sure you get (or got) your eclipse glasses/viewers from a supplier of ISO-compliant products, see the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers (link is external) page.

An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole projection (link is external). For example, cross the outstretched, slightly open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other, creating a waffle pattern. With your back to the sun, look at your hands’ shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, showing the sun as a crescent during the partial phases of the eclipse. Or just look at the shadow of a leafy tree during the partial eclipse; you’ll see the ground dappled with crescent Suns projected by the tiny spaces between the leaves.

A solar eclipse is one of nature’s grandest spectacles. By following these simple rules, you can safely enjoy the view and be rewarded with memories to last a lifetime. More information:

This document does not constitute medical advice. Readers with questions should contact a qualified eye-care professional.

Additional Safety Information

An eclipse is a rare and striking phenomenon you won’t want to miss, but you must carefully follow safety procedures. Don’t let the requisite warnings scare you away from witnessing this singular spectacle! You can experience the eclipse safely, but it is vital that you protect your eyes at all times with the proper solar filters. No matter what recommended technique you use, do not stare continuously at the sun. Take breaks and give your eyes a rest! Do not use sunglasses: they don’t offer your eyes sufficient protection. The only acceptable glasses are safe viewers designed for looking at the sun and solar eclipses. One excellent resource on how to determine if your viewers are safe can be found here:  https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/iso-certification (link is external)

Viewing with Protection — Experts suggests that one widely available filter for safe solar viewing is welders glass of sufficiently high number. The only ones that are safe for direct viewing of the Sun with your eyes are those of Shade 12 or higher. These are much darker than the filters used for most kinds of welding. If you have an old welder’s helmet around the house and are thinking of using it to view the Sun, make sure you know the filter’s shade number. If it’s less than 12 (and it probably is), don’t even think about using it to look at the Sun. Many people find the Sun too bright even in a Shade 12 filter, and some find the Sun too dim in a Shade 14 filter — but Shade 13 filters are uncommon and can be hard to find. The AAS Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page (link is external) doesn’t list any suppliers of welder’s filters, only suppliers of special-purpose filters made for viewing the Sun.To find out more about eyewear and handheld viewers go to https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/eyewear-viewers (link is external).

Telescopes with Solar Filters – Eclipses are best viewed directly when magnified, which means a telescope with a solar filter or solar telescopes. These will give you a magnified view that will clearly show the progress of an eclipse. Never look through a telescope without a solar filter on the large end of the scope. And never use small solar filters that attach to the eyepiece (as found in some older, cheaper telescopes.) https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/optics-filters (link is external)

Pinhole and Related Projection Methods (link is external) — Pinhole projectors and other projection techniques are a safe, indirect viewing technique for observing an image of the sun. These provide a popular way for viewing solar eclipses. One viewing technique is to project an image of the sun onto a white surface with a projecting telescope. This is explained further here: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/05/stars2.html (link is external)

The Exploratorium demonstrates how to view a planet in transit or an eclipse safely by projecting the image with binoculars: http://www.exploratorium.edu/transit/how.html (link is external).  There are commercially available projection telescopes as well.

Besides eye protection during solar eclipse viewing, one needs to pay attention to their personal needs and surrounding.  Below are some additional safety tips for eclipse observers before, during and after the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.

Graphics-Only Solar Eclipse Safety Flyer

Car Safety
Planning to Drive the Eclipse (link is external)
https://www.ready.gov/car (link is external)

Camping Health and Safety
https://www.cdc.gov/family/camping/ (link is external)
http://www.recreation.gov/recFacilityActivitiesHomeAction.do?goto=camping.htm&activities=9 (link is external)

Heat and Children in Cars 
http://www.safercar.gov/parents/InandAroundtheCar/heatstroke.htm (link is external)
http://www.safercar.gov/parents/InandAroundtheCar/heat-involved.html (link is external)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (link is external) – Are You Ready
Food and Water Safety (link is external)
Hazards to Outdoors Workers (link is external)
Heat and Hydration (link is external)
Hiking Safety (link is external)
Large Crowds Safety (link is external)
Personal Safety (link is external) – At Home, On the Street, While Traveling
Sun Safety: (link is external) Save Your Skin

SOURCE:National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

DURHAM, N.C. – Sprint customers have a new way to provide more information to the Durham Emergency Communications Center when they send a text to 911 – they can now attach a photo.

Beginning January 19, 2017, Sprint customers now have the ability to send a photo to the Durham Emergency Communications Center as an attachment to their 911 text. Since 2011, texting to the Durham Emergency Communications has been available for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers. However, Sprint is the first national carrier to enable its customers to have the ability to attach a photo, making the Durham Emergency Communication Center the only center in North Carolina to offer 911 texting service with photo attachments for Sprint customers.

According to Durham Emergency Communications Center Director James Soukup, sending a photo with a 911 text is encouraged if it aids in a response to an incident. “During a traumatic event, it is often difficult to remember a license plate number, vehicle description, suspect descriptions, and so forth,” Soukup said. “This technology will allow Sprint customers to send a picture with a 911 text to help in these types of incidents.”

According to Soukup, callers should remember that a phone call is still the fastest method to enable a public safety response, but a photo can also be sent as well. “If a photo is available a caller can simply advise they are sending a 911 text with a picture to the 911 operator during the voice call,” Soukup said. “Then, we’ll pass along all of that information during dispatch, which helps the responding public safety agency be prepared for what they will encounter, or need to look for, upon arrival at the scene.”

Texting technology is specifically designed for two types of emergency scenarios – to help potential victims who don’t want to be heard making a 911 voice call as well as for deaf or hard-of-hearing residents who may be unable to speak to a 911 operator. Sprint customers in Durham should keep the following in mind if they send a text and attach photo to 911:

• Customers should use the texting and attached photo option only when calling 911 is not an option. It can take longer to receive a text message because someone must enter the text, the message then goes through the system, and the 911 operator must read the text and then text back. Picking up the phone and calling 911 is still the most efficient way to reach emergency help. Texting is not always instantaneous, which is critical during a life-threatening emergency.
• Providing location information and the nature of the emergency in the first text message is imperative since the 911 operator will not be able to access the mobile phone location or speak with the person who is sending the text and photo.
• Text abbreviations or slang should never be used so that the intent of the message can be as clear as possible.
• Do not use emoticons or emojis since this will scramble text messages.
• Customers must be in range of cell towers in Durham County. If customers are outside or near the edge of the county, the message may not reach the center.
• Sprint customers must have mobile phones that are capable of sending text messages and taking photos. Any text message to 911 will count either against their messaging plan or be charged in accordance with their wireless plans.
• The texting function should only be used for emergency situations that require an immediate response from police, fire, or emergency medical services. Non-emergency issues should be communicated to the Durham Emergency Communication Center’s non-emergency line at (919) 560-4600.

At this point, Sprint is the only national carrier to offer this service to its customers. According to Soukup, he hopes the other national carriers, such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, will soon follow. Customers of non-participating carriers should contact their service providers directly to request this service be provided in their area. To learn more about Durham’s text-to-911 service, email Soukup or call him at (919) 560-4191.

About the Durham Emergency Communications Center

The Durham Emergency Communications Center is the primary public safety answering point for the City and County of Durham. Guided by the City’s Strategic Plan, the center helps to ensure that Durham is a safe and secure community by providing around-the-clock 911 access and services to the residents and user agencies in and around Durham County. Services include emergency and non-emergency requests for assistance; dispatch of police, fire, and emergency medical services; and other city/county support agencies. The geographic service area encompasses 296 square miles with approximately 250,000 residents. The center has earned the internationally recognized APCO Project 33 Certification from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, Inc.; Emergency Medical Dispatch Accreditation by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch; and accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement  Agencies. To learn more, visit the department’s Web page or like on Facebook.

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ANNAPOLIS, MD, April 20, 2015 – For boaters, the best things in life are free – the serenity of open water, a breeze filling a sail, or a fishing hole that beckons. And best yet, even the BoatUS Foundation’s online state Boating Safety Course won’t cost you a penny. As boating season begins, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water encourage boaters to take a no cost boating safety education course as part of the Spring Aboard Campaign which starts today running through April 26. The Foundation offers online courses approved for 34 states.

“It’s central to our mission that boating safety education be accessible to anyone, so offering this free course is vitally important to what we do,” said BoatUS Foundation Director of Education, Amanda Pérez. “The Spring Aboard Campaign is a great way to raise awareness.”

Over one million boaters have taken the Foundation’s courses since 1997. Pérez added, “We realize that the costs of our passion can add up quickly and we want to do what we can to make it easier for boaters to get on the water.”

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About the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water:

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. Funded primarily by donations from the over half-million members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the non-profit provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways and keeping boating safe for all. A range of boating safety courses – including 34 free state courses – can be found at BoatUS.org/courses.