Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

Most new cameras have something called “red eye reduction” for flash photos. It’s a feature that keeps folks looking like regular human beings and less like they’ve been possessed by Lucifer. But what causes red eye in the first place? And how do new cameras keep eyes looking normal?

The aptly named “HowStuffWorks.com” explains why people get red eyes in flash photos. The red eyes get their color “from light that reflects off of the retinas.” So, “what you see is the red color from the blood vessels nourishing the eye.” If not for the blood vessels, the light would bounce back as white.

A blog entry from Strange Questions goes into a bit more detail. Apparently red eye is more frequent among people with “light blue eyes, light skin, and light hair.” Additionally, compact cameras are more likely to cause red eye. The smaller the camera, the closer the lens is to the flash. And the closer the lens is to the flash, the more likely you are to get red eyes.

Fortunately, many cameras have “red eye reduction” that helps people look a bit more normal in flash photos. HowStuffWorks.com explains that in order to make this feature work, the camera fires off two flashes. The first flash, which goes off right before the photo is snapped, causes the pupils to contract. That reduces red eye. The second flash goes off when the shutter opens.

There are other ways you can limit red eye. If the flash is detachable, try holding it away from the lens. Another method, according to HowStuffWorks, is to try aiming the flash at the ceiling and rely on reflected light. Thanks to digital cameras, you can always snap another photo if these methods don’t work.

Got any of your tips for taking better photos? By all means, leave a comment below. I just got a new camera and it has more settings than my TV has channels. I could use all the help I can get.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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The next time you log into Yahoo! Answers you may notice things look a little bit different. We’re rolling out a new homepage and navigation over the next few days. Don’t worry: if you don’t see the new changes just yet, you will soon.

We’ve made quite a few changes to the homepage, so to make navigation a bit easier, we’ve broken things down for you by section, so let’s get started.

New Answers Homepage

1- New Navigation

You may have noticed that atop the Answers banner, there are four new, navigation tabs: Home, Browse Categories, My Activity, and About. Each of these tabs (as well as the green Answers banner) will stay with you throughout your experience on the site, making it easier for you to get to the places on Answers you care about most.

New Navigation

Home: This brings you back to the main page of Answers, where you can see the Best of Answers rotating module, the link to the Answers Blog (which is now on the right hand side, as well as the most recent questions posted on the site.

Browse categories: more about this below

My activity: From here, you can go directly to your Answers profile, view your network, your network activity, and even edit your preferences.

About: Learn all about Answers, revisit the Community Guidelines, check out the leaderboard, Suggestion Board,  and visit the Answers Blog.

2 – Browsing categories

New Category Browse

On the old Answers homepage all of the categories were permanently displayed on the left hand column, hogging up homepage space that could have been used for valuable questions. We’ve decided to tuck the categories away under the top hide-away menu where you can easily access them any time, or, if you want to view them all at once, just click on the browse category tab to be taken to the “All Categories” page. From here, you’ll be able to peruse all of the questions that are: open, resolved or in voting on the site.

3- An updated look and feel

Over the past few years we’ve heard from quite a few of you that you love the Answers green but it’s just a little too green. So we’ve taken your feedback to heart and have toned down the green just a bit and have replaced the white background with a light blue that is a little easier on the eyes. Our smilies (4) have also received a facelift and look a bit more polished throughout the site.

Additionally, you’ll notice that the page feels a bit wider—one thing we heard from you when we introduced the new category pages several months back was that you liked the extra space. This extra space allows us to display even more questions on the homepage, making it easier for you to jump right in.

But wait, there’s more!

This release doesn’t just include cosmetic changes—we also included quite a few backend bug fixes, as well as a few feature requests, like updating the category leaderboards much more regularly. Starting today, category leaderboards will update on a daily basis instead of weekly.

Please note they will NOT be real-time, but will update at the end of each day (PST).  This means at 2pm PST on Thursday, your points total will show as it was at 23:59 PST on Wednesday.

Tell us what you think

Once you’ve given the new homepage a test drive, tell us what you think! We’ve started two threads on the Suggestion Board for the new homepage—one for questions and one for comments – and we’ll be checking them regularly.  Additionally, you’re always welcome to use the “Tell us what you think” link found at the bottom of every Yahoo! Answers page.

You’re also welcome to leave your comments here, on the blog.

Thanks, and we hope you like it!

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Some of the most commonly asked questions on Answers relate back to dreams, dream interpretations, and meaning.  Each day, tons of Answers users ask questions about their nightly visions, hoping to peek into their psyche. But where does this practice come from, and, how can you be sure to ask your dream interpretation questions in a way that is both knowledge seeking and, appropriate?

Here are a few tips about this practice, and, a bit of history.

History

It is believed that interpreting dreams dates back to the Ancient Egyptians and the Greeks, and that in some cultures, dreams are closely related to divinity. This means that through dreams you may have a closer tie to your religious affiliation, or, that through dreams, you may receive a message from the gods.

However, modern theorists, like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and others had a more practical approach to dreams: they believed dreams represented symbols within life, and encouraged patients to keep dream journals.

A combination of the Egyptian, Grecian and modern approach has led to a modern amalgamation, which allows for dream interpreters to create “dream dictionaries,” which are often used to help decipher one’s dreams.

Deciphering your dreams on Answers

When asking about your dreams on Answers, it’s important to keep the Community Guidelines in mind, and, if you’re helping decipher someone’s dream, please be respectful.

To get the best results from the community, please  provide as much detail as possible, and be sure you post your question in the appropriate category: dream interpretation.

So, what are your dreams telling you? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Hey Guys,

I’ve been driving the same car for several years, but whenever I have to fill up at the gas station, I somehow forget which side the fuel tank is on (mental note to self: it’s on the passenger side). Part of the problem is that the car I used to have had the tank on the driver’s side. Last night, as I stood at the gas station, struggling to pull the fuel hose around to the other side of the car, I could feel an Ask Mike coming on…

So, why are some fuel tanks on the passenger side while others are on the driver’s? A seemingly simple question, but one that has baffled many a car nut. Car Talk’s Click and Clack wrote about this back in 1998, and offer up several theories. According to the boys, there is no universal standard for placement of the gas filler, but “the exhaust system has to go down one side of the car, and the gasoline filler tube generally goes on the other.” I don’t know if this is true for 100% of the cars on the road, but it seems to be the most credible theory available.

Some believe it has to do with the car’s country of origin, but that theory has been disproven. (Heck, not even all Fords have the fuel tank on the same side.) Another theory: It’s a safety issue. For example, say you run out of gas on the side of the road. You’d want your gas tank to be on the passenger side when pour in your gallon of gas, so you’re not in danger of being hit by passing cars. Obviously, that theory totally ignores the fact that a large number of cars have the gas tank on the driver’s side…

It could be that car manufacturers mix it up at random so gas stations can handle more cars. That makes sense to me, but I was unable to find any definitive proof. In the end, this may be one of life’s mysteries that can’t be solved, like the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa or the enduring popularity of “Saved By the Bell” reruns.

Do you guys have any theories for why the placement of the gas tank isn’t standardized? Please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to include a link or two to support your claim.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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Photo by simplistic.designs

There aren’t many people in the world who can say they’re: an Olympic athlete, 6-time NBA champion, has their own line of shoes, oh, and is labeled one of the best basketball players (and some argue one of the best athletes) of all time. Some even say he revolutionized the game of basketball.

That’s because there’s only one Michael Jordan—who happens to be celebrating his 47th birthday today, and is rumored to buy the Charlotte Bobcats.

With so few athletes reaching this level of excellence in their career, it begs the question of, what does it take to become a champion? And, who is a champion in your book? Is it an Olympic athlete? Do you consider your parents champions? What about your teacher? Tell us by leaving a comment below!

For more information on Michael Jordan’s career highlights go here

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