All posts tagged: problems

Excel’s dynamic array functions made me realize I’d been solving problems the hard way for years

Excel’s dynamic array functions made me realize I’d been solving problems the hard way for years

Published by skeptic

Most Excel users I know learned formulas the same way I did — one function at a time, stacked on top of whatever they already knew. Dynamic array functions don’t replace those skills; they just make a lot of the workarounds unnecessary. I’ve been running my self-updating top-five lists with TAKE and DROP for a while, and the same shift has happened with the four functions below. Each one reduced a multi-step routine I used to perform reflexively to a single formula. Related Excel finally fixed its biggest data entry problem, and it’s a lifesaver One click in the Data tab can catch almost all issues. FILTER replaced an entire ritual of helper columns and array formulas One formula now does what multiple functions used to split between them Screenshot by Yasir Mahmood Pulling matching rows in older Excel meant building a nested INDEX, MATCH, SMALL, and IFERROR formula and entering it with Ctrl + Shift + Enter. It worked, but maintaining it later was a problem. The other option was to apply AutoFilter, copy …

Heavy substance use in early adulthood predicts memory problems decades later

Heavy substance use in early adulthood predicts memory problems decades later

Published by José Betancourt

Young adults who frequently drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use cannabis might be putting their future cognitive health at risk. A new study reveals that heavy substance use in early adulthood predicts poorer memory performance decades later. The research, published in the Journal of Aging and Health, highlights how habits formed in youth can create lasting consequences for brain health in late midlife. As people grow older, they naturally experience changes in how their brains process and store information. Some individuals develop dementia, which is a severe impairment in cognitive abilities that affects daily life and independence. In the United States alone, millions of older adults are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. Early memory problems are often one of the first warning signs of future cognitive decline. Identifying the lifestyle factors that contribute to these memory issues is a major priority for public health experts trying to slow the progression of these diseases. Past scientific literature firmly links heavy alcohol, cannabis, and cigarette consumption to decreased memory function. Substances like …

Doctor Explains '3-3-3' Rule That Could Explain Your Sleeping Problems

Doctor Explains '3-3-3' Rule That Could Explain Your Sleeping Problems

Published by Sam Flores

!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’);t.display=’none’,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’);c.src=”//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js”,c.setAttribute(‘async’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src=”https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb”;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({“playerId”:”8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb”,”mediaId”:”3d7f33ce-11d3-448e-9be3-813e90d14595″}).render(“69e766f6e4b0dc1990b60e44”);}); Having the occasional bad night’s sleep isn’t anything to worry about in and of itself, the NHS says.  But if the issue lasts a long time or starts to affect your day-to-day life, it could be worth speaking to a doctor, as this might be down to conditions like insomnia. Still, those terms can be a little tough to navigate. How long is “a long time”? It feels like everyone complains about feeling tired – how can we tell “normal” fatigue from sleep-disorder-level exhaustion?  Here, doctor and Fellow at the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Dr Sunny Nayee, shared the “3-3-3 rule” he uses to tell bad sleep from a more lasting issue.  What is the “3-3-3 rule”?  “If you experience disrupted sleep at least three nights a week for at least three months, medical practitioners no longer regard it as lifestyle related but in the realm of insomnia,” Dr Nayee said. He encourages those concerned to ask themselves three questions:  Do you experience poor sleep for a minimum of three nights? Have …

Can you best a math Olympiad? Test your skills with the world’s largest database of problems.

Can you best a math Olympiad? Test your skills with the world’s largest database of problems.

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In 1959, countries around the world sent their most talented students to Romania to compete in the first-ever International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Ever since, the rules have remained simple, even if the problems are not: over two days, each team works to solve a total of six math problems. After nearly 70 years, contenders from the United States, China, and Luxembourg have achieved a perfect score in various years. But while each year’s competition focuses on only six problems, there has long been another side to the IMO. “Every country brings a booklet of its most novel and most creative problems,” explained Shaden Alshammari, a mathematician at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). “They share the booklets with each other, but no one [has] made the effort to collect them, clean them, and upload them online.” Alshammari and her colleagues have finally changed that with MathNet, the world’s largest repository for proof-based math problems. With over 30,000 …

The new Lord of the Rings has no Viggo Mortensen. But the problem’s bigger than that

The new Lord of the Rings has no Viggo Mortensen. But the problem’s bigger than that

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter What made the Lord of the Rings trilogy so good? A quarter of a century after The Fellowship of the Ring hit cinemas, it often feels as if everyone’s still puzzling this out, like one of those Einstein theories that took decades for scientists to be able to prove correct. Peter Jackson’s JRR Tolkien adaptations seemed to do the impossible, transforming nerdish high fantasy into blockbuster fare that was both critically acclaimed and widely popular. Most every subsequent attempt to do the same – barring, perhaps, the front-loaded Game of Thrones phenomenon – has failed to bottle that same lightning. This is the big problem facing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a new film set in Jackson’s version of Middle Earth. Neither prequel nor sequel, the film squeezes itself into an ellipses in the original Fellowship, and …

China Rejects ‘Baseless Smear’ It’s Sending Weapons To Iran After Trump Warned Of ‘Big Problems’

China Rejects ‘Baseless Smear’ It’s Sending Weapons To Iran After Trump Warned Of ‘Big Problems’

Published by Jenni Sidey

China has dismissed reports that it supplied or plans to supply weapons to Iran as “baseless smears,” after multiple outlets cited US intelligence accusing Beijing of potentially entering the war indirectly. “China has always adopted a cautious and responsible attitude towards the export of military items, implementing strict controls in accordance with its own export control laws and regulations and its international obligations. We oppose baseless smears or malicious association,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated at a regular briefing on Monday. Source: Alma Reports first published by CNN and later cited by Reuters and The New York Times said US intelligence assesses that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within weeks, citing three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments. CNN reported indications that Beijing is working to route the shipments through third countries to conceal their origin. The report said China is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, while citing unnamed sources. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington also addressed the claims, seeking …

Streamflation Could Cause Problems for Netflix and YouTube

Streamflation Could Cause Problems for Netflix and YouTube

Published by Daniella Wilson

Right as the biggest players in entertainment are turning streaming into a viable business, there is growing concern that a wrench could be thrown into the entire sector: Consumers are grappling with rising prices everywhere they look, and there are signals that their willingness to keep paying more might be nearing a breaking point. Gas, groceries, and, yes, streaming services, are rising in price at a cadence that most people would acknowledge is faster than they would prefer. It isn’t hyperbole: U.S. government inflation data, released in January by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said that “Subscription and rental of video and video games” saw inflation of 19.5 percent in December. That is a category that includes subscription streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+. Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max, all launched price increases late last year, and last month Netflix hiked prices across all of its plans. On Friday, YouTube Premium raised prices across all of its plans for the first time in three years. Inflation isn’t new, of course (in fact, it seemed to be …

Why Marvel’s problems don’t end on screen…

Why Marvel’s problems don’t end on screen…

Published by Daniella Wilson

For many people, the flipping pages in Marvel Studios’ opening graphic are the only comic books they’ve ever engaged with. What you probably don’t realise is that Marvel Comics editors have been working tirelessly to change that for nearly two decades – but may actually have done some damage in the process. Ask a regular reader about today’s comic book landscape and you’ll likely get the same response: DC is on a winning streak, Marvel is in a creative slump, and both find themselves dwarfed by the booming popularity of manga. There’s a lot to say about all three topics, but today, we’re focusing on the oft-stated decline of Marvel Comics and its connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s own fading fortunes; both are the wounded victims of their own success. But how did we get here? And more importantly, how do we get back? Let’s reminisce for a moment about a lovely little year called 2012, when the first The Avengers film hit cinemas and surpassed expectations in every conceivable way. The audacious idea …

Politics Home Article | Polanski Says Greens Should Be Braced For Candidate Vetting Problems

Politics Home Article | Polanski Says Greens Should Be Braced For Candidate Vetting Problems

Published by Sam Flores

(Alamy) 4 min read1 hr Zack Polanski has acknowledged that the Greens may face issues when it comes to vetting candidates due to the speed of the party’s growth. Speaking to PoliticsHome at the party’s local elections campaign launch on Thursday, Polanski said that the party was dealing with an “immense amount of people very quickly” in its bid to field candidates in Scotland, Wales and council areas across England next month, adding: “I won’t be surprised if we have the odd candidate where we have to distance from them.” The Greens launched their local elections campaign in London, where the party is expected to make significant gains next month, particularly at the expense of Keir Starmer’s Labour. After dealing a seismic electoral blow to Labour by winning the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, the Greens are hopeful of seizing control of Lambeth, Islington, Southwark and Hackney councils when voters go to the polls on Thursday, 7 May. The Greens have surged in the opinion polls since Polanski became leader in September, and now the party is tasked with finding people …

Maternal exposure to short-chain PFAS causes persistent memory problems in adult rats

Maternal exposure to short-chain PFAS causes persistent memory problems in adult rats

Published by José Betancourt

Exposure to supposedly safer alternatives to traditional forever chemicals during pregnancy and nursing causes lasting memory and learning problems in adult rats. The animal research suggests that early contact with these synthetic compounds interferes with normal brain development. The study was published in Frontiers in Toxicology. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, universally known as PFAS, are highly stable synthetic chemicals characterized by extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds. Manufacturers have used them since the 1940s to make products resist heat, oil, and water. These functional properties make them highly useful in nonstick cookware, food packaging, and waterproof clothing. Because they break down very slowly, they accumulate in the environment and inside the human body. Older versions of these chemicals are typically composed of molecular chains featuring eight or more carbon atoms. Epidemiological studies have repeatedly linked prenatal exposure to these long-chain PFAS with adverse developmental outcomes, altering cognition and behavior in children. In response to health and environmental concerns, manufacturers largely phased out these long-chain variants. They replaced them with short-chain varieties, which contain fewer carbon atoms and …