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Netflix launches low-cost plan for mobile phones

Netflix is an online streaming platform which offers all sorts of movies, series, and other types of audiovisual content. If you want to enjoy the privilege of watching unlimited videos you can choose between three payment plans: basic, standard and premium, for respectively, 7,99€, 11,99€ or 15,99€.

Most people opt for the latter, and choose to share costs with other 4 people. This results in a pretty affordable price per person, given you can watch almost anything you like in HD.

Where the idea stems from

However, for some people it’s still a price too high to pay, for how they use it, anyway. Many people watch videos on their mobile phones, meaning they don’t really get the most out of the plan they’ve paid for: screens are so tiny that HD doesn’t really make sense in these cases.

A lower price for lower quality

This is why Netflix has come up with a new idea to become leader in the smartphone industry: a new low cost plan just for mobile phones. The price would be around four dollars, and with it you can watch videos in a resolution of 480p.

This is quite low given what we are used to, but definitely enough to watch something on our mobile phones. It also poses the condition that you can watch each video just once.

Netflix for mobile phones

A special plan for mobile phones

The plan is a tad more restricted than what Netflix usually offers, but good enough for what it costs. It brings their services closer to those who would, in other circumstances, not be able to afford it. For now, they’ve just launched the plan in India, a country where people tend to own a smartphone rather than a TV.

Netflix: a market leader

The main objective of this project is become number 1 in this market, above other platforms that are currently making their way to the top, like Amazon Prime Video or Hotstar. If the proposal turns out successful, Netflix will eventually extend it to other places like Europe or the United States. For now, we can just cross our fingers for it to be successful.

Images: Twitter and Unsplash

Chow Down On These Facts About Hot Dogs

Hot Dogs are considered the classic American Food and summer staple. Whether you top your link with ketchup and mustard or go for some crazy toppings like caramel popcorn or arugula pesto, this savory food is a sure crowd pleaser. Asides from the not-so-pleasant thought of the meat processing, there are a pretty interesting array of facts to chow down on!

hands holding a hot dog topped with ketchup and mustard.

There Is Still A Debate Over The Origin

Believe it or not, hot dogs have been around since the classic tale of Homer’s Odyssey, yet no one is certain about the exact origins. Many people claim to be the inventors, with the dispute rooted in the definition of a hot dog itself. Was the originator the person who first put the sausage on a roll? Or the first to name the short sausage after the dachshund dog? It’s an origin legend that will surely never be solved.

A dachshund dog looking at camera.

People In Los Angeles Consume The Most Hot Dogs Every Year

You might associate glamorous, fit celebrities with Los Angeles and Hollywood, but turns out this city buys the most hot dogs! In total, residents buy close to 34 million pounds a year. Meaning even one of the fittest cities in the world knows the importance of a cheat day that includes a juicy dog.

Lots of hot dogs all lined up.

Black Hot Dogs Are The Rage In Japan

If the multitude of topping options wasn’t enough of a change-up from the typical reddish frank, Japan has popularized the black hot dog. These sausages get the black color from black charcoal ash, which purportedly doesn’t change the flavor, simply the appearance. Even large chains like Ikea have joined in selling the spooky creation. Dare you try it?

Yes, There Is An Official Correct Way To Eat A Hot Dog

As shocking as it may seem, there exists both a) The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council and b) an official correct way to eat a hot dog. Avoid any “frank faux pas” by watching this video through. You’re sure to get a laugh, and maybe learn some etiquette you have been breaking all along!

Photos: Unsplash and

5 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits To Kissing

What’s a more natural way to express affection for another person, than by kissing? This sign of care isn’t limited to lovers and those in relationships, for we also kiss babies on the cheek and friends upon greeting. Yet did you know there are actually scientifically proven health benefits to kissing?

Kissing Releases Positive Hormones

When kissing another person, the brain releases several hormones that make us feel good. One of these is dopamine, the hormone that boosts and regulates our mood. Kissing also signals the brain to release ocytocin, the love hormone that helps us create bonds with partners and babies. Both are solid factors in keeping us positive and optimistic daily.

mom and dad kissing their daughter on the cheeks.

Locking Lips Heightens Your Alertness

Kissing stimulates a chemical response in the body, causing it to release adrenaline and noradrenaline. These chemicals are responsible for making you feel excited as well as making your body more alert as your heart rate increases. This means you are more perceptive to responding to any threats with the necessary actions.

Kissing Reduces Your Chances Of Cavities

Every time you kiss someone, your salivary glands produce more saliva. In addition to helping you swallow food, saliva is important in removing food particles caught between your teeth, which if not removed or cleaned can turn into cavities. A little smooch can go a long way!

woman at dentist office with a thumb up and smiling.

Smooches Reduces Stress

One study by the Western Journal of Communication found that physical forms of affection help to reduce the “physiological effects of stress.” Kisses are considered one of these top exchanges, and were found to inhibit the prime stress hormone cortisol. All the more reason to pucker up after a long work day!

A Natural Healing Remedy

Love and lust both help to promote physical and mental healing. By releasing feel-good hormones, kissing helps your body stay in top form, and reduces your body’s stress levels so that it can focus more on recovery. Therefore, your injuries and mental health can all be improved with a little help of a peck!

Woman blowing kiss to camera.

Photos: Freepik

If music gives you goosebumps, you’re pretty special

Goosebumps

Does it happen to you that you listen to a piece and your body immediately fills up with thousands of tiny bumps? You wake up and already throw on a song. You feel sad and you listen to music. Music is everywhere you look, and it has completely filled your life.

No matter what type of music you listen to, whether you prefer listening to classical music, or you like to rock out at festivals, we all have one thing in common: how music makes us feel.

However, some people do feel it stronger than others. So, if you’ve ever been told you’re too “sensitive” for reacting emotionally when listening to music, this might just be your article.

Listening to music

Musical stimuli and goosebumps

It’s amazing to see how your body responds to musical stimuli, be it through goosebumps, shivers or even tears. We often don’t realize the massive impact music can have on us. Has it ever occurred to you this might make you special?

A structurally different brain

What we feel when faced with a song that tugs on our heart strings has been looked into by Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. According to them, people with such strong responses to music are not just “emotional”; they have, structurally, a completely different brain than the rest.

Brain

The auditory cortex

These musically-sensible people have a different auditory cortex, which communicates more efficiently with other parts of the brain. The fun part is, that the parts they’re connected to are the areas associated with emotional processing.

Research shows communication is better between those regions because there are a lot of fibers that connect both areas. These findings shed light on why music is so essential to human life, and why it has been around for so long. It goes directly through the auditory channels into the emotional processing and social parts of the brain.

Images: Unsplash

Finally Fix Your Brain Freeze In Seconds

We all know the dreaded feeling. One minute you’re enjoying a tasty ice cream to cool off in the hot summer months, the next your brain feels a sharp icy tingling that makes you (almost) regret having dined on the delicacy in the first place. Have no fear, you don’t have to give up your beloved treat. We have the quick cure to fix your brain freeze in seconds.

What Causes A Brain Freeze?

Two girls enjoying an ice cream cone.

As you might have guessed, the root cause of your brain freeze is from eating or drinking something cold. Specifically, when this cold drink or food touches the roof of your mouth in the upper palate, a quick rush of blood goes to your brain. This response is what causes the chilling headache.

A Tongue In (Mouth) Solution

A quick, easy solution to warm the upper palate and reduce the pain is by pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. By holding your most flexible muscle for 5-10 seconds in that zone, you will get quick relief as the cold and brain freeze starts to subside.

A Self-Made Mask

Boy covering mouth with hands to create a mask to prevent brain freeze.

Another way to warm up the area inside your mouth to reduce the blood rushing to the brain is by creating a small mask over your mouth with your hands. If you breathe in and out several times, you’ll feel the hot air re-enter your mouth, thus counteracting the chill of the food or drink.

Drink A Lukewarm Beverage

Woman drinking out of a mug.

The first reaction to combat the cold might be to drink a beverage that is hot, but this can actually cause more damage and pain! The severe contrast of hot and cold can burn the inside of your mouth, creating a new problem far worse than the original. Rather, try drinking lukewarm water that can steadily and safely increase the temperature of the inside of your mouth.

Photos: Freepik

Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About “The Lion King”

Disney is all about the live action remakes this year. One of the most anticipated classics set to release this month is “The Lion King.” With an all-star squad of voices for the characters, we know that this film is bound to have roaring approval. Yet before we get too excited for the remake, we thought it would be fun to look back and share some amazing facts about the original beloved animation from 1994.

Hakuna Matata Was Not In The Original Script

“The Lion King” objectively has one of the very best Disney soundtracks to date. With so many great songs, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one favorite. And yet, could you even IMAGINE “The Lion King” without Hakuna Matata? The song that taught us about the ultimate problem free philosophy to live by? Turns out, the original script did not include Hakuna Matata, but rather a song about eating bugs. However, the team couldn’t all agree upon the song, so the research team went to Africa for inspiration. They came back with the catchy phrase and a song was born!

The Original “The Lion King” Was Not Supposed To Be A Musical

As stated previously, the music is an iconic part of “The Lion King,” and yet during the movie’s initial creation process, it wasn’t supposed to include songs. Rather, the goal was to create an animated movie that resembled an animal documentary like with National Geographic. George Scribner was intended to be the original director, but he ditched when the movie went in the musical direction. The main characters however were developed under his guidance.

The Movie’s Original Title Was “King of the Jungle”

Don Hahn, the movie’s producer, said the original title was to be “King Of The Jungle,” as a “metaphor for this allegorical story about human behavior.” However, the team decided to scrap this title because the movie itself takes place in the savannah, not the jungle. After trial and error, they decided to stick with the simple, yet representative title that we all know and love; “The Lion King.”

Be sure to roar and sing along with all of your favorite animals in the remake set for release this month!