sleep

One of the major issues surrounding the iPhone 4 release this summer was the proximity sensor failing during phone calls, resulting in muting, conference calling, and other inadvertent touch input. Despite the promise of relief in the iOS 4.1 update, many users, including myself, are still having proximity sensor issues.

A forum thread on the Apple Support Discussions addresses a functionality of the sleep/wake button (the one on the top of the iPhone) that could help users experiencing proximity sensor problems, if Apple would adjust the code in iOS slightly.

Currently, the sleep/wake button, when pressed during … Read more

I have long felt guilty about the extent to which I indulge in sleep. As a former and chronic insomniac (from kindergarten through college), I appreciate it so much I can hardly go without eight or even nine hours a night. And, as someone who knows lots of new parents, I consider this a guilty pleasure of the most luxurious variety.

But the fact that I slept three to five hours a night for so many years could mean I have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, according to an analysis of six years of … Read more

I woke up at 2 this morning to the red glow of the Netflix end-of-movie screen again. To my own peril, it seems.

New research out of the University of Haifa shows a clear link between light at night and cancer in mice, with the suppression of melatonin playing a key role.

Earlier studies at Haifa demonstrate that, of people living in areas with higher nighttime illumination, men are more susceptible to prostate cancer and women to breast cancer than those who live in darker areas.

In this study, which involves many of the same researchers, the team wanted to … Read more

It happens periodically that our computer shuts down, restarts, or hibernates when we really don't want it to. It's true that we could adjust the settings for these actions, but we don't always think to do that. Don't Sleep is a simple utility that blocks computers from performing these and other actions. It really doesn't do anything that you can't do on your own in Windows, but it is handy to have all of these controls in one easy-to-access interface.

The program's design is utilitarian, just a small gray rectangle with a few … Read more

The time of year has come for Toshiba to update its lineup of consumer laptops, and it's as imposing and multiform a lineup as ever. Spanning across A, M, L, C, and T lines, it has more letters than the NYC subway map. We'll focus on a few highlights from a diverse portfolio of offerings that caught our eye from the lineup we glimpsed a few weeks ago.

Toshiba's 3D laptop: the Satellite A665 3D Edition is a 3D-ready laptop in the vein of the Asus model we saw last year, with a 120Hz 15.6-inch display … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature where we answer questions e-mailed to us by readers. This week, we have questions troubleshooting flash that is not working on a single account, a PowerMac G5 starting up on its own during the night, and a feedback suggestion for managing playlists in iTunes.… Read more

Every now and then, people report that their MacBook or MacBook Pro's screen has turned blank. Sometimes this happens in the middle of working, but other times when the screen will not turn on after a restart or when waking from sleep. There are several reasons as to why this can happen, some of which are software-related, and others that have to do with the hardware.… Read more

We need to talk.

Some of you have obviously been a little restless lately. You've been leaving comments that betray your irritability. You've been lobbing misspelled accusations about my sexuality that might affect my ability to be nominated for the Supreme Court.

So I'd like you to consider whether this fractiousness might just be the fault of your new iPad. It seems that the revolution that's only just begun might one of the culprits behind something of a REMolution that appears to be preventing so many from enjoying a good night's sleep.

According to CNN, … Read more