Are flexible work arrangements a discretionary perk or the backbone of a modern company? How should productivity be measured? And how should it be balanced against less tangible priorities such as innovation and collaboration?

These are just some of the issues bubbling to the surface in the wake of news that struggling media company Yahoo is eliminating its work-from-home policy.

First reported Friday by All Things D, the leaked internal memo emphasized the spontaneous interactions between employees that occur in an office and that that all remote workers will be required to report to an office. The new policy has sparked a vociferous debate about the importance of telecommuting and whether CEO Marissa Mayer made the right call.

But we'd like to hear your thoughts. How does your company handle flexible work arrangements? Is it more important to facilitate creativity and interaction or encourage productivity in whatever form it takes? How often do you work from home and what schedule would you prefer? Take our poll below and share your experience in the comments.

Do You Work From Home?
Image via iStockphoto, bonniej































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Google Glass isn't even out yet, and people are heralding the part-camera, part-mobile device as the future — a revolutionary product that will surely change the way we use (and view) technology.

But some vision specialists are worried the high-tech specs, which you'll be able to wear on your head, could lead to health issues, including eye strain, headaches and neck pain.

"While Google Glass is a brand new interactive heads-up display (HUD) technology, there are some things we can presume based on the information Google has released," said Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford, a VSP optometrist for Bright Eyes Family Vision.

"Consumers may experience a physiological impact while wearing these glasses, such as increased eye-strain and dry eyes from reduced blinking," he added. "This could ultimately cause headaches and neck pain and are the symptoms of computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain."

Most people who spend long hours in front of the computer or mobile devices know the discomfort associated with prolonged eyestrain. That could also be compounded by the fact that Google Glass will be extremely near the eye, increasing the chances of irritability.

"The glasses themselves are too close for the eyes to focus, so the display alters the light so that the perceived image is located up and to the side, about two feet away from the user," said Warford, adding that despite the effect, it will still cause straining.

A Google spokesperson told Mashable that the company has studied design comfort and safety very closely, and hasn't found a cause for concern. They said it plans to continue to watch this area carefully.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Ehrenhaus of New York Cornea Consultants believes eyestrain isn't going to be as much of a concern as the distraction it can cause users on the street.

"We still need to learn more about the technology and what exactly people will be seeing, but there may not be a lot of eye straining at all," Ehrenhaus said.

"The bigger issue is that you don't want to fall into a manhole while trying to look at an image in the glass."

Research has been conducted on pilots and drivers in the past reveal that when a person is mentally focused on the HUD, they are not paying attention to the world around them.

Warford agrees, noting clinical studies will eventually evaluate concentration factors, as well as visual skills and ocular physiology before and after extended use of Google Glasses to see its impact.

"For now, we can extrapolate what we know about visual processing of HUD data, the eye movements needed to use the glasses and the effects of prolonged digital screen usage," he added. "Consumers should also keep in mind the experience will not be like the original concept video or the holy-grail of augmented reality. It will be more like a phone you can see without having to hold."

What do you think about the possible health concerns surrounding Google Glass? Would you be nervous to give it a try or can you not wait to get your hands on it? Let us know in the comments.

Google Glass: How It Will Look"

OK, Glass..."

More than a catchphrase, "OK, Glass" is how the wearer will engage the headset, enabling it to listen to commands.



Taking a Photo

One of the most basic things Glass will be able to do is capture photos of whatever the wearer is looking at.



Recording Video

Similarly, the onboard camera will also be able to record videos.



Quick Communication

Here's how it'll look to receive a message.


Flight Alert

Location-based or timed alerts will appear on Glass like so.



Navigation

Showing maps based on the users point of view is potentially one of the most useful features of Google Glass.



Google+ Hangout

Glass will be able to share the wearer's POV via Google+ Hangout.



Brooklyn Bridge Query

The wearer can call search Google for answers to questions verbally.



Brooklyn Bridge Answer

Answers to queries appear similar to how voice search in Google Now works -- giving the user the one answer that they're looking for rather than a series of links.



Translation Query

Google envisions that fast translations of single words or phrases will be a common query for Google Glass.



Translation Answer

Here's how the answer will look, accompanied by an audio pronunciation.








































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Smartphone cameras are great — except, usually, for zooming in, lighting and producing high-quality photos.

Researchers at MIT, however, have developed a processor chip that they say can instantly convert mobile device snapshots into professional-looking pictures.

The chip, pictured here, integrates into any mobile device or digital camera, and can be used to improve lighting, apply effects and kill low-light background noise. Plus, researchers say, it uses significantly less power than full computer processors or video cards.

One of the chip's tasks enhances low light photos. "Typically when taking pictures in a low-light situation, if we don’t use flash on the camera we get images that are pretty dark and noisy," Rahul Rithe, a graduate student in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, says in a press release. "And if we do use the flash we get bright images but with harsh lighting, and the ambience created by the natural lighting in the room is lost."

So, to avoid photos turning out like this, the chip takes two images — one using flash, one without it — and combines only the most desirable parts of both photos into a composite image.



It's unclear when the processor will come to market. The group presented their findings at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, which wrapped up today.

Does this sound like something you'd use?

To learn more, and read the official release here.

6 Apps for Editing Photos

5. Filterstorm

Filterstorm offers many of the same features you might find in a powerful desktop photo editor on your mobile phone. The app can support up to five layers at a time, and allows you to make adjustments to the image including brush, gradient, color range, vignette or selecting opacity. You can work with the brightness/contrast in a photo, the temperature, exposure, and saturation as well as crop a picture how you would like and specify a specific aspect ratio you’d like the final image to be.



Photoshop Express

Who says you need a computer to use Photoshop? Adobe Photoshop Express is a free, lightweight version of the popular photo editor that allows you to do things like crop and straighten your photos, as well as apply filters, effects and even borders to your prints.

The free app comes with a number of basic features. With a number of other filters, effects, and more available as in-app purchases.



1. Camera+

Camera+ is an app designed for not only editing your photos, but for taking them as well. The app has a built-in stabilizer for steadying your camera while taking pictures, a 6x zoom for getting close to your subject, and as well as a grid to help you line up your shot perfectly.

Once you’ve taken a photo, Camera+ has some built-in editing tools as well as a ton of built-in effects for giving your picture a finishing touch, as well as built-in borders. Finished pictures can be shared instantly on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr from directly within the app.



2. PicsPlay Pro - FX Photo Editor

PicsPlay Pro for Android has over 200 professional presets, allowing you to customize your photo on the fly. The app has several built-in themes such as HDR, Blur, Vintage and Black & White, and has real-time opacity control on those presets, allowing you to customize each one to best fit your own personal needs.
Photos edited using the app can be instantly shared with others on a variety of different services, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.


3. Pixlr-O-Matic

With more than 100 effects, 280 overlays and almost 200 different borders Pixlr-o-Matic lets you customize your pictures quickly and easily to give them a seemingly endless array of different looks. In addition to editing photos already stored on your phone, you can also use the app to take new pictures. Finished photos can be shared with friends via Facebook, or saved to your phone as high-resolution files that you can then print out or use in other projects.



4. PicSay Pro

Ever wish your dog could talk? Anything is possible with PicSay Pro. The Android app has a number of traditional photo editing features such as the ability to remove red eye and crop and straighten photos, and adds to it special effects like the ability to add tech and word balloons to your pictures or make just a small portion of a black-and-white photo color.


Thumbnail image via iStockphoto, PeskyMonkey; post image courtesy of MIT


















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