Thursday, November 27, 2014


The Inquisitr

Scientists Discover An Invisible Shield Surrounding Earth, Baffled At How It Formed


Invisible Shield Protects Earth

Scientists have discovered something truly remarkable in the Earth’s atmosphere. An invisible shield is located approximately 7,200 miles above Earth that scientists are likening to “force fields on Star Trek.”
According to Front Line Desk, the shield was discovered in the Van Allen radiation belts, two doughnut-shaped rings above Earth that are filled with high-energy electrons and protons. Held in place by Earth’s magnetic field, the Van Allen radiation belts swell and shrink in response to incoming energy disturbances from the sun. The Van Allen radiation belts were first discovered back in 1958. However, scientists only discovered two belts, an inner and outer belt extending up to 25,000 miles above Earth’s surface.
However, last year, Professor Daniel Baker from the University of Colorado Boulder and his team used the twin Van Allen Probes launched in 2012 to discover a third, transient ‘storage ring.’ According to their research, the third belt is located between the previously known inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts. This belt is different in that it seems to come and go as space weather changes.
The purpose of the ring was quite clear to the researchers — the ring is used to block killer electrons from entering deeper into the Earth’s atmosphere. These electrons can be extremely devastating at their near-light speed and have been known to threaten astronauts, fry satellites and damage space systems.
Beta Wired notes that Baker likened the invisible shield to Star Trek force fields. The Earth’s magnetic field holds the belts in place, but the scientist says that the electrons in these belts — which travel at nearly the speed of light — are being blocked by some invisible force that reminded him of the kind of shields used in television series like Star Trek to stop alien energy weapons from vaporizing starships. However, in the case of Earth, the invisible shield is being used to stop killer electrons from entering the atmosphere.
Prior to the invisible shield discovery, scientists assumed that electrons making it into the upper atmosphere of the planet would be dispersed by air molecules, but it looks like these particles don’t even get that far thanks to Earth’s invisible electron shield.
Now that the scientists know the invisible shield exists, they are trying to determine how it was formed and exactly how it works.
“It’s almost like these electrons are running into a glass wall in space. It’s an extremely puzzling phenomenon.”
[Image Credit: NASA]

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1638338/scientists-discover-an-invisible-shield-surrounding-earth-baffled-at-how-it-formed/#xWkEf8UQzuLMu2go.99

HP Sprout Review: You Have Never Touched a PC Like This

 https://www.yahoo.com/tech/hp-sprout-review-lets-just-admit-it-the-desktop-103667461034.html

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Pro tip: Fix Android data sync issues

Pro tip: Fix Android data sync issues
For the most part, Android just works. But unlike the competition, when it doesn't work, you won't have to visit a "Genius" to get it fixed. Instead, Android allows you to be a genius and solve your own problems.

One such issue is a loss of data sync. This can be in the form of your calendar or contacts not syncing or even your Gmail. When that happens, what do you do -- toss your phone to the ground in a raging tantrum? 

You could. You could also drown the device in a bucket of your own tears. But neither would solve the problem. So, let's fix this issue.

Believe it or not, solving the sync issue can come in one of two forms -- a quick, easy fix or a less quick, but still easy fix. 

Let's go with the quick fix first.

What you have to do is turn off Mobile Data, wait a moment, and turn it back on. To do this, first make sure you're on a wireless network and follow these steps:
  1. Open up settings
  2. Locate the Mobile Data entry
  3. Tap the ON/OFF switch to disable
  4. Wait about 30 to 60 seconds
  5. Tap the ON/OFF switch to enable
That's it. Hopefully, you should see data start appearing. If, however, that doesn't work, the next choice isn't quite as quick -- but it's just as easy. What you have to do is delete your Gmail account and re-add it. It sounds crazy, but fortunately, this is all very much cloud-based, so you won't lose data. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open up Settings
  2. Go to Accounts
  3. Locate and tap your Google Account
  4. Tap the menu button
  5. Tap Remove account
  6. Tap OK
Once it's removed, you have to re-add the account. Just tap Add account, tap Google, and go through the account wizard. Once the account is re-added, your sync problems should go away.
That's it! Your syncing issues should be resolved.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Battle of the best browsers: IE vs. Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Safari vs. Opera

The era when Google Chrome was head and shoulders above the competition has ended. Today’s popular browsers compete on a level playing field. Internet Explorer 11 — the oft overlooked Microsoft standby — has blossomed into a lean and fast browser for Widows 8. Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome continue to ramp up their version numbers, and Safari tenaciously scuttles along as the under-appreciated byproduct of Apple’s quest for global domination. Gone are the days when choosing a browser for all your Internet perusing needs was a no brainer. Today, with all the competition, choosing the right browser has become a something of a tough decision. Fortunately, you can’t really go wrong with any of the popular browsers anymore, but there are a few things here and there that give each its own competitive edge over the others.
Related: Our favorite Google Chrome extensions and Firefox add-ons

Installation, updates, and compatibility

Installation across the five browsers is inherently the same. Users can download them from their respective websites if they aren’t built into your operating system already (i.e. Safari comes preinstalled on Mac OS X and IE 11 on Windows 8), and each will typically download in under 30 seconds depending on your Internet connection. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer will force you to fully reboot your machine, likely due to the increased hardware acceleration and several updated features. The rest of our lineup doesn’t require a reboot, only a quick browser closure.

Below is a list of browser compatibility.

Google Chrome: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
Mozilla Firefox : Windows, Mac OS X , and Linux
Internet Explorer (32 and 64-bit): Windows
Safari: Mac OS X
Opera: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux

When it comes to updates, Opera, Firefox, and Chrome have the advantage. They install silently, quickly, and transparently download updates in the background and automatically apply the new software when you relaunch the programs. What’s more, the third-party browsers update most frequently, every few weeks, so any major problems are likely to be fixed quicker than with IE and Safari. Users can also manually install updates on Firefox if they would like to have greater control over the browser or prefer to use an older version for whatever reason. Keep in mind that turning off automatic updates is more likely to put your computer at risk, though, since each browser is continuously adding security fixes and other key stability updates.

Design and ease of use

If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the current trend in browser design is for the browser to disappear entirely. IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome all attempt to be as minimal as possible, offering next to no actual text and small, monochromatic buttons that discretely blend with the aesthetic design of operating systems like Windows 8 and Mac OS X. Overall, all five browsers appear to achieve their goals fairly well. Below we compare and contrast browser design.
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Chrome 38
Chrome 38
Google Chrome offers a lean address bar configuration, stripping everything down into a simple tab layout and address bar configuration that also doubles as a search bar Google calls the “Omnibox.” Like most browsers, the window can get incredibly cramped with 15+ tabs open, but it still does a fantastic job of delivering content whether you have the browser fully expanded or slightly minimized for the sake of space. Adjacent to the omnibox is Chrome’s simple standard navigational features (i.e. back, forward, refresh, home) by default, but you can easily slim down the window by customizing the toolbar and deleting any buttons you deem invaluable. Chrome’s single-click bookmarking method, done by simply clicking the star located on the right side of the address bar, also makes bookmarking your favorite webpages a breeze and hassle-free experience.
Mozilla Firefox 30
Mozilla Firefox 33
Mozilla Firefox features a similar, yet useful layout when compared to its competitors, placing the tab bar above the address bar. Despite reaching version 33 of the software (it skipped versions 18 and 11 through 16, apparently), it still slightly feels like the bulky predecessors of the software, refusing to unite the address and search bars in a single unified field like all of its peers. However, this is more of an aesthetic issue than a functional one — you can search within the address bar or the accompanying search bar to its right. The browser offers the same kind of single-click bookmarking that Chrome does — all you have to do is click the star located in the address field — but there isn’t much else that separates it from the rest of the pack. Instead of sporting a gear or similar icon button for its settings, Firefox opts for an orange “Firefox” button in the upper-left corner in Windows version of the browser, taking up a tiny bit of space that could otherwise be used by the tab bar.
Internet Explorer 11
Internet Explorer 11
Internet Explorer Technically, IE 11 is the most minimal Internet device of the four, with less “chrome” than Chrome. IE 11 features a single bar that simultaneously functions as the browser’s address and search bar. The space at the top places your open tabs to the right of the address-search bar, making it somewhat more cluttered than some of our other picks given the amount of space the search field takes up, but it typically isn’t worrisome unless you’re really stacking up a high volume of tabs. Other notable design features include the single-click bookmarking star now widely adopted by almost all other prominent browsers.
Related: How to delete IE and how to run IE on Mac OS X
Safari 8
Safari 8
Safari  The browser that has traditionally attracted criticism is now a serious competitor to the likes of Google and Firefox. The newest version of Apple’s innate software is fairly minimalistic in design, but retains enough familiarity for old users of the browser to feel at home. Like its peers, Safari offers the address-search bar hybrid. Updates to Safari 8 include a share icon embedded to the right of the search field. The sharing feature serves as a way to bookmark pages, post to social networks, and share via native Apple platforms (iMessage, Mail). The updated Safari is worth a shot for any OS X users. Mac users running the most recent operating system can even launch the browser in full-screen mode, essentially expanding the window and for the ultimate viewing experience.
Opera 25
Opera 25
Opera embraces Google’s chromium search engine while retaining signature features that distinguish the browser from the rest. Opera has a single hybrid address-search bar like Chrome, but the alternative browser also sports Opera’s signature features, stash and speed dial. Speed dial allows for easy bookmarking and functions like “the most visited page” on Safari. Stash is similar to Pocket, allowing you to quickly store pages for future browsing. The bottom line, it’s a clean design with innovative features that holds its own against the rest of the competition.

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Benchmark Tests Compared

Most of the browsers are compatible with Web standards and handle speed with relative ease. A casual user probably won’t notice a difference in the Web page rendering speed between browsers. All five browsers are much faster and leaner than the browsers of a few years ago and become even more so with each new build. Below are our benchmark results for the five browsers, bold text indicates the winner for each category.
Browser
Acid3
Sunspider Kraken JavaScript Octane 2.0 HTML5 Compliance
Chrome 35 100 195.1 ms 1366.7 ms 25863 508/555
Internet Explorer 11 100 95.6 ms 2171.2 ms 14775 372/555
Mozilla Firefox 30 100 178.4 ms 1254.0 ms 24207 471/555
Safari 8 100 294.2 ms 3384.0 ms 10616 425/555
Opera 22 100 194.8 ms 1423.4 ms 25882 504/555
Google Chrome bested the HTML5 compliance benchmark, the test that indicates how “future-forward” a browser is. Even so, Chrome underpreformed when it came to overall processing speed, as indicated in the Sunspider benchmark test. Internet Explore, though ranking rather low in the HTML 5 Compliance benchmark tests, managed to outpace the competition in speed-gauging Sunspider benchmark. Naturally, Firefox bested the competition in it’s native Mozilla Kraken Javascript test, the test that benchmarks rendering time. Surprisingly, Opera performed the best in the Octane 2.0 test, which measures how your browser will preform under the stress of games or highly interactive webpages. Take note, test results can fluctuate at any given time, but all five browsers are worthy contenders when it comes to sheer speed and Web standard compatibility.

Extras

Features are what truly separate one browser from the next given that speed and compatibility are no longer really an issue. That being said, each browser does have its own slate of differentiating features, from expansive app stores and add-ons to various extensions and tools, that makes it shine in its own light.
Chrome Web StoreChrome differentiates itself through its constant updates, but also through its extensive Web Apps Store, which offers apps that blur the line between Web and local apps in some unique ways. Much of this philosophy comes from Chrome OS, Google’s desktop operating system based on the Chrome browser. Still, we like the idea and Chrome remains the most integrated software for accessing anything Google related (i.e. Gmail, Google Drive). If Web apps and seamless dashboard features are important to you, check out what Google has to offer.
Check out the mobile versions for Android and iOS devices while you’re at it.
green puzzle piece Like Chrome, Firefox is on a six-week update schedule, and sports a strong catalog of extensions. Developers will have to retool many of these to support Firefox 33, but some user refuse to leave Firefox solely because it offers unique extensions that have become essential to their browsing experience. Most other browsers support add-ons, but Firefox may have a lead in mindshare here (for now). The built-in PDF viewer is incredibly handy, as is the browser’s support for Macbook Retina displays and grouped tabs, and Firefox remains the most customizable in terms of interface and display out of the five on our list.
Currently, Firefox only offers a mobile version of its browser for Android devices.
Safari ExtensionsSafari may not have the admirable extension catalog to rival its peers, but it does have offer a good deal of extensions and utilities for productivity and organization. Unlike Firefox and Chrome, though, the third-party extensions are rather bland and aren’t as integrated into the software as they probably could be. The bulk of them also lack the “fun” factor found on other browsers, but hopefully Apple will take a cue from the current market and work more accessible and entertaining extensions into the Safari Extensions Gallery. Other awesome built-in extras include the ad-free Safari Reader, which lets you view solely text without all the unnecessary clutter, and comprehensive iCloud integration for syncing pages across all your devices.
Safari’s mobile version comes preinstalled on iOS devices.
Internet Explorer Add-onsIE11 sports heavy integration and optimization for Windows 7 and 8. Many functions, like turning tabs into new windows, are much easier with Microsoft’s new browser. It retains some of the unique features introduced in IE10, like individual tab previewing from the task bar and a new feature called site pinning, which lets you ‘pin’ a website to the Windows 8 task bar like you would a normal application. However, unlike an ordinary taskbar shortcut, pinned websites can offer customized “right click” menus. For example, pinning the Facebook toolbar will let you right click and auto browse to different sections of the Facebook site like News, Messages, Events and Friends. In addition, when you open a pinned site, the IE11 browser customizes itself to resemble the site you’re viewing. Currently, this only means the icon in the upper-left corner will change along with the colors for the back and forward buttons, but we like the idea.
IE’s mobile version comes preinstalled on Windows devices.
oprea add on 2Creating a browser that can compete with the browser giants is an an uphill battle for Opera. Though, the decision to embed Chromium has proven to pay dividends for the Scandinavian company. Opera’s add-ons library utilizes Chrome’s major apps, including mail and pocket. Thankfully, Opera doesn’t attempt to beat Google at its own game. Sure, the extensive Web-app store offers a variety of mostly-free apps, but Opera’s extensions are centered around the browser’s signature tool, Speed Dial — a touchscreen-optimized homepage. Each extension can be tacked to Opera’s Speed Dial homepage. The simplicity of having your Gmail account stored next to a dependable news aggregatior on your homepage is hard to pass up.
Opera offers mobile versions for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Security and Privacy

The most valuable tool for secure browsing is user discretion. Sure, every browser has encountered security broaches in the past. And Internet Explorer and Chrome’s reputation for protecting users’ security and privacy credentials is spotty at best. Chrome, Safari, and Firefox rely on Google’s Safe Browsing API to detect potentially dangerous sites. Thanks to constant updates, Mozilla, Chrome and Opera all make constant security updates. But Chrome takes security a bit further by also scanning for potentially harmful downloads. There’s also encryption ad-ons currently in the works at Google. All browsers offer a privacy session option. Private sessions prevent the storage of history, temporary Internet files, and cookies. For example, Internet Explorer 11 features a security measure called Tracking Protection. Only Internet Explorer goes so far as to to block trackers completely from communicating with your browser. What’s more, according to a 2013 NSS study, only Internet Explorer blocks trackers used on more than 90 percent of potentially hazardous sites.
Related: How to stop Facebook from using your browser history

Popularity

StatCounter-browser-ww-monthly-201311-201410 According to the latest numbers from StatCounter, Chrome was the top browser for October 2014, garnering more than 45 percent of the global browser market share and steadily solidifying its spot as top dog. IE and Firefox continue to be popular, holding roughly 20 and 18 percent, respectively, but seem to be leveling out as the IE hype tapers off. Safari and Opera round off the top five, fixed at around 10 percent and 1 percent, respectively. On the mobile side, Chrome wins out but Opera’s touch-screen optimized browser holds an impressive mobile browser market share (12%). Another recent study shows different results, with Internet Explorer holding a firm grasp on the top spot.
Related: IE, Firefox, and Safari all have fewer desktop users, but Chrome gained some

Which browser is best?

Good question. For now, Chrome is the best browser on the market. Google’s proprietary browser boasts the largest and most useful selection of apps and extensions, along with a frequent update schedule. Other browsers, however, are upping their game. Opera and Firefox now offer a similar update frequency and IE 11 out-performs Chrome on Sunspider’s benchmark standards. The bottom line is this, we’re in an era where the most minimal and modular browser reigns supreme. Chrome remains the most nimble and most app-ready browsing experience. IE, Firefox, and Opera have narrowed their lead significantly, each offering new features to better accommodate the needs of some users.

Update November 25, 2014 by Joe Donovan: Updated article to reflect the most recent versions of each browser as well as an instructional video. Staff Writer Brandon Widder contributed to this article.


This article was originally published on March 31, 2013.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/the-best-browser-internet-explorer-vs-chrome-vs-firefox-vs-safari/#ixzz3K9lBGQEO
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Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Race to 5G – Wireless Carriers Today and Where They’re Going


The Race to 5G – Wireless Carriers Today and Where They’re Going

By Dr. Paul Carter | Business 2 Community – 1 hour 21 minutes agoon 11.23.2014

With most wireless carriers in the United States providing comparable service offerings (voice, data, unlimited texting, unlimited minutes, etc.), they need to constantly devise new ideas and advantages to maintain a competitive edge, retain current subscribers and attract new customers to their networks. Because these service offerings are so similar, carriers need to focus on improving the quality of their services by expanding and improving networks while listening to consumer demand.

As time and technology evolve, and as we approach the inevitable era of 5G, carriers will have to get creative in their approach to the industry and focus on differentiating themselves from their competitors. Every carrier offers smartphones and a data plan—with this commonality, what are carriers doing today (and what are they planning for tomorrow) to establish themselves as outright industry leaders and consumer favorites? And how can consumers know if their service offerings are top quality?

Going Where No Carrier Has Gone Before

Coverage is king and while Verizon Wireless has long held the title for most reliable network, AT&T is now staking claim to the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network. Currently, consumers expect to be able to connect to the Internet and use their mobile devices all the time, regardless of location, and it’s frustrating when they can’t. While direct competition in these markets is unavoidable, some network carriers are getting creative and going where no others have a presence: to the air. Planning for a late 2015 launch date, AT&T is still aiming to launch its own 4G in-flight broadband service to satisfy frequent flyers traveling across the continental United States. Current in-flight connectivity is akin to 3G speeds and inconsistent, rendering it capable of only email and basic web browsing. Carriers must be bold and make smart infrastructure expansions to keep an edge over competitors, and AT&T’s plan to aim for the skies is doing just that.

Operators Amp up Their LTE Networks

Currently, each major US operators has extensive network projects underway. Major carriers are actively deploying LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network features that will result in faster data speeds and improved network capacity beyond the capabilities of LTE networks already in place. For instance: earlier this year, AT&T deployed an LTE-A network in Chicago, while Verizon has been rolling out XLTE networks across the nation, promising faster speeds and greater capacity. In addition, Sprint has been introducing Sprint Spark, resulting in network improvements and further approaching carrier aggregation (an LTE-A feature set that combines spectrum bands).

Keeping it all in Check

Carriers expanding their networks and upgrading their infrastructure means great news for subscribers, but there is only one true method in knowing whether or not these enhancement programs have any real impact on performance, and that’s through rigorous standardized benchmarking procedures. By testing network performance both before and after upgrades, carriers are able to glean, with actionable data, where their improvements are going and which key quality metrics are being affected. Without detailed, independent, controlled and published network test programs, how are consumers to know which carrier is best for them? How can they make educated decisions without concrete performance data? Benchmarking validates and enables marketing claims and gives consumers the information they need to know which network may be best suited for their needs.

Where Networks Are Going Next

With major wireless providers constantly bidding for consumer attention, from network expansion to new service additions, it’s becoming increasingly clear that major players in the industry are in a constant state of enhancement. What will network providers do next? Fully covered subway stations and rail routes in major cities? Expanded in-air services for transoceanic routes? It will be exciting to see how wireless providers take on the industry as our technology evolves and as all carriers race to the next generation of mobile communications.

UPDATE: Since this article has run, AT&T announced in early November that they’ll be abandoning their plans to bring in-flight LTE network services to airlines in 2015.

This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: The Race to 5G – Wireless Carriers Today and Where They’re Going

Saturday, November 22, 2014

11 Everyday Chemicals That May Be Hurting Our Children

11 Everyday Chemicals That May Be Hurting Our Children
A glass of cold water. Your comfy couch. A fresh supply of dry-cleaned clothes. All around us, every day, we’re exposed to chemicals that can damage the brains of unborn and young children — causing things like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and lost IQ points.

This is the stark reality according to two globally renowned doctors in an article published recently in the journal Lancet Neurology. Doctors Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and Philip Landrigan of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City argue that chemicals should be better tested before allowed on the market, and are calling for a global prevention strategy.

This is not the first time these prestigious researchers have sounded the alarm — between the two of them they have hundreds of studies and decades of collective evidence to substantiate their fears.
Co-Founders Jessica Alba & Christopher Gavigan meet with children’s health advocate and long-time Honest supporter Dr. Philip Landrigan.

We’re listening and heeding the warnings as best as we can. Here’s how you can too — by avoiding the 11 chemicals outlined in Grandjean and Landrigan’s article. To help, we’re sharing the main sources of exposure to these chemicals so you can easily protect your family.

First, always follow these three easy steps to reduce exposure not only to many of the chemicals listed below, but a slew of others too.
  1. Take off your shoes at the door to avoid tracking contaminated dust and dirt into your home.

  2. Wet mop and dust regularly. Many chemicals cling to dust, so keeping a clean house is more important than ever.

  3. Wash hands frequently. That despicable dust inevitably ends up on our hands. For little ones, hand to mouth behavior is a significant exposure route. And, even for us big guys, if we’re not washing before eating or snacking, we’re ingesting dust.
Now, here’s how to significantly reduce your exposure to the 11 brain-draining chemicals highlighted by Grandjean and Landrigan.

Lead. If you live in a home built before 1978, have your home tested for lead. If you’re pregnant or have a small child, ask your family doctor to check your blood lead level.

Methylmercury. Eat safer fish. Avoid swordfish, tilefish, King mackerel, and shark. The U.S. EPA and FDA advise eating up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury like shrimp, canned light tuna (not albacore), salmon, pollock, and catfish. Check out Seafood Watch for more tips, a pocket guide, and a handy app.

Arsenic. The main source of exposure to arsenic is typically our diets. A recent study from Dartmouth College identified the highest levels of arsenic in people who drank beer and white wine and who ate a lot of Brussel sprouts and dark meat fish, which include tuna steaks, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish. That’s not to say you shouldn’t eat any of these things, you should just enjoy them in moderation.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Again, our diets are the main source of exposure to PCBs and the major culprit is fatty fish — especially sportfish caught in contaminated waters and bottom feeders like carp.

Toluene. This solvent is used in a wide variety of products with the highest levels in gasoline fumes and exhaust, conventional paints and finishes, nail polish, and some cleaners and adhesives.

Manganese. Manganese is kind of an oddball in this list because it’s a natural element that’s vital to healthy nutrition. But too much can be a bad thing. Watch your consumption via supplements and fortified foods.

Fluoride. The damning evidence against fluoride is at high levels found in drinking water that caused problems in China. The low levels in the U.S. are presumably safe, but it would be prudent to assess your family’s cumulative exposure from water and oral care products.

Chlorpyrifos. Choose organic apples and sweet bell peppers to avoid ingesting this pesticide. (Check out Pesticide Action Network’s “What’s on My Food” database to find more foods that may have this residue.)

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). This pesticide was banned in the 1970s, but it persists in the environment and contaminates animal fats. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meats and fish.

Tetrachloroethylene (PERC). PERC is a solvent often used in dry cleaning, so opt for professional wet cleaning or liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). This class of flame retardants has been almost entirely phased out as of December 2013, but their widespread usage in furniture, electronics, and other furnishings means you likely have it in your home. The best way to reduce exposure is by wet mopping, dusting, and washing your hands frequently.

We know it may seem overwhelming and scary, but a few simple tweaks to your diet and cleaning habits will go a long way towards protecting your family. Take it one step at a time and remember that spending quality time with your little ones — reading, crafting, playing, cuddling — all do wonders for boosting brain potential, too!