Month: January 2020

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In the US, suicide is a major public health issue, with double-digit percentages of the preventable deaths for adults under 45. And, disconcertingly, the rates have been rising over recent decades. But recognizing this as a source of preventable deaths is very different from actually figuring out how to prevent them.

One of the challenges is that a variety of factors feed into the depression and stress that are associated with suicide, so identifying which ones play the most significant roles, and figuring out how to address them, is a challenge. A number of studies, however, have indicated that financial stressors are a significant contributor. And a few recent studies have suggested a public policy that can reduce financial stress does seem to have an influence on suicide rates: the minimum wage.

Now, researchers from Emory University have followed those up with a comprehensive look at the correlations between suicide rate and minimum wage laws. They find that the correlation does hold up, but only among those with a high school education or less, and only during times of high unemployment.

Enlarge / At 73mm long, the 8Bitdo Zero 2 controller, like its predecessor, is shorter than a standard Amiibo figurine. The reason we're reviewing it? It turned out to be serviceable in a pinch. (credit: Sam Machkovech)

Over the years, we've become frequent users of 8BitDo game controllers, particularly the company's "legacy" line. You won't find a much better maker of unofficial gamepads made for classic consoles' ports (NES, Genesis, Super NES), and those models also come in Bluetooth-equipped flavors, ready to run on modern consoles and PCs.

Between its classic and modern gamepads, 8BitDo clearly favors the SNES's controller as an archetype, and that goes for the company's "Zero" series as well. Hence, if you see a Zero gamepad in a photo by itself, you may wonder what's so special about it.

That's probably why people photograph the 8BitDo Zero series next to tiny objects for scale. At 73mm long and 36.5mm wide, it's barely bigger than an adult's thumb and dwarfed by an average GI Joe figurine. After receiving and unboxing my very own 8BitDo Zero 2 gamepad (the newest model, introduced one month ago to retailers), I laughed incredulously. Seriously, 8BitDo? Who in the world do you think would play games with one of these?

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  2019 was the year that Mazda Motorsport finally saw victory with the RT24-P. The car lost none of its speed in the offseason and set a new unofficial track record in preseason testing at Daytona. There are even rumors of a third Mazda joining some rounds of the series, but it's all unconfirmed as of now. [credit: Mazda Motorsport ]

Motorsport doesn't have much of an offseason these days. That's particularly true for IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, North America's main endurance racing series. After wrapping up 2019 in late October, the series has already conducted its big preseason test—called "the Roar before the 24"—and is gearing up for the first and one of its biggest events of the year, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which takes place at the end of January. With that in mind, let's take a look at what storylines might be bubbling up for 2020.

IMSA's series has been in fine form the past few years, with strong interest from manufacturers and teams eager to prove their prowess in each of the different classes that all compete on track at the same time. 2020 is going to be somewhat of a transition year for the sport. Entries are down, and fans of Nissan and Ford will have to find new teams to cheer for as both OEMs are ending their factory-backed participation.

But it's not all bad. A new boss is running things, the highly anticipated new mid-engined Corvette makes its racing debut, and everyone's starting to think about possible convergence with the new set of technical rules being written for Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship.