New research suggests that hours spent playing video games may not be wasted. The study conducted by the University of Rochester suggest that young adults who regularly played video games of high speed car chases and gun battle had better visual skills than those who did not. The subjects were able to keep better track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently.

The researchers ruled out the possibility that visually adept people are drawn to video games; they trained people who did not normally play video games and found that those people also developed better video perception. Researchers say they are not sure why video games have this effect, but they say their findings could be used to help visually impaired patients see better or to train soldiers for combat.

The study did not consider how video violence affects behavior. Instead, it focused on a person’s ability to recognize and interpret symbols and letters after playing video games.

Educational Game designer Kurt Squire was not part of the study. He says, “Some people think that video games are turning kids into supergeniuses or psycho killers. The reality is probably close to this, where people can process visual information much quicker and be able to discern between different types of information.”

President of Seattle-based Mother’s Against Violence in America, Pamela Eakes said she believes researchers need to look more closely at the impact of video violence on habitual video-game players.

—Associated Press, May 28, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 NIV “’Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

With ad revenue down, Yahoo decided to enter the lucrative red light district of the Internet. P.J. Huffstutter, Staff Writer for the LA Times reports that: "The online store essentially gives a virtual Good Housekeeping seal of approval to porn, by virtue of both Yahoo's size and its long-standing corporate mantra that its service is more than a digital white pages.

Larry Lux, president of Playboy.com was cited by Huffstutter in the article as saying:

"I'm a bit surprised that Yahoo's doing this, to be honest. Clearly, having a Yahoo in this space furthers the trend of mainstream acceptance of adult content."

No one lives in a vacuum. The choices we make, and what we do, affect the choices and actions of others. Like it or not, we all affect one another for the good, or the bad.

Hebrews 13:7 NIV "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

(Because of consumer backlash of consumer complaints about the move, during the same week, Yahoo reversed its decision and will remove the porn from its site.)

—http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010413/wr/yahoo_porn_dc_3.html, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rod Ellis

Seemingly insignificant decisions may have huge consequences in life. The investigation into the recent midair collision over the Hudson in New York City has revealed several possible contributing factors. One of the most surprising facts that emerged indicated that the collision that killed nine people hinged on a single decision made by the pilot of the plane involved. Transcripts from Air Traffic control described a worry-free discussion between controllers and the pilot Steven Altman. The controller told Altman he had the option of following the Hudson River or taking a more direct southwesterly track toward his destination in Ocean City.

Though he hesitated momentarily, Altman decided to follow the river. That choice put his plane and a helicopter carrying Italian tourists for a sight-seeing tour on a collision course. The crash that Saturday occurred around noon on a sunny day in a congested flyway. Many of the aircraft in the area routinely fly at altitudes that allow them to choose their own routes and report their position periodically, but not be in regular contact with air traffic control.

--Pilot Made Fatal Choice in Midair Crash, http://news.aol.com/article/hudson-river-liberty-tours-helicopter/608814; August 11, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

What amazes me is that there was nothing inherently wrong with the pilot’s decision. No one can predict the outcome of our choices.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV) “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. (6) Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.”

Do you ever have trouble making a decision or a choice? How long do you shop for an item before you decide you have found just the right one? If you are having more trouble lately, there is a good reason. In 1994 there were 500,000 different consumer goods for sale in the U.S. Today Amazon.com alone offers 24 million.

Websites trying to sell specific items have tried to sort through the options for you. Whether it s a recommended book on Amazon, a movie for your queue from Netflix, or the ads they want to show you on Facebook, software programs are trying to help you make a choice.

Joshua tried to help the people of Israel make a choice many years ago. He recommend to the people, “Choose the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”"

A study out of the United Kingdom indicates many men are too afraid of what other people think to order what they really want for dinner. Researchers at the University of Southampton say that “men choose meat dishes for dinner because they fear what others around them would think if they ordered vegetarian.” The study’s author, Emma Roe, said that “What we have discovered is that many men are interested in eating less meat, they just need social permission to do so.”

Let us be people of conviction. Some decisions we make are far more important than what we order for dinner. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

“But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.”

In his book, Bezonomics: How Amazon Is Changing Our Lives and What the World's Best Companies Are Learning from It, Brian Dumaine writes, “For some time now, scientists have known that using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be addictive. Every time someone’s phone pings with a notification announcing the latest number of likes or an enthusiastic comment, the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that among other things can trigger a sense of pleasure. Users get used to these little highs and compulsively check the site to see if someone has commented on their latest post. Sean Parker, the founding president of Facebook who resigned from the social media company in 2005, once explained that to hook its users, the company exploited a ‘vulnerability in human psychology. Whenever someone likes or comments on a post or photograph, we . . . give you a little dopamine hit.’”

“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.