By Bobby Azarian, Slate

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied has found that giving casino slot machines humanlike properties can increase one’s willingness to interact with them, thereby promoting riskier gambling behavior.

Apparently something with the appearance of a mind is more welcoming than a lifeless machine.

This finding might be good news not just for the gambling industry, but also for scientists interested in designing more engaging machine systems—like assistive robots for the elderly.

However, it also highlights a cognitive vulnerability that could easily be exploited by those who are intent on manipulating humans for financial gain.

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The annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival hosted by MAP in Truckee is Oct. 9.

Mountain Area Preservation kicks off the film festival weekend with a special screening of Sender Films’ “Valley Uprising” at 6pm. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will show multiple films on Saturday starting at 3pm, including “California: Paradise Burning,” “The Wilderness Act,” “Edge of Impossible” and “Drawn.”

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of environmental films, now in its 13 year. Films screened speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of the planet.

Films will be shown at the Downtown Community Arts Center.

For more information, call 530.582.6751.

A heart shaped gathering spot has been created in Meyers. Photo/John Dayberry

By Kathryn Reed

MEYERS – The heart of Meyers has a new meaning.

Carl Fair, who built Meyers Station in 1992, this summer completed a landscaping project at his commercial enclave that is designed to bring in people who aren’t just in cars.

“People on bikes are coming out,” Fair told Lake Tahoe News. “It’s what we set out to accomplish – to make Meyers bikeable and walkable.”

Fair participated in South Tahoe Public Utility District’s turf buyback program, which afforded him the opportunity to get creative with his landscaping. He removed 1,800-square-feet of sod, most of which fronted the property on Highway 50. This was land that used 400 gallons of water every timed cycle.

But he didn’t want something ordinary to replace the grass. With the creativity of John Dayberry, the landscape design became a heart. It’s not immediately noticeable at first. Walking out of Verde restaurant people are at the bottom of the heart. The part near the sidewalk is the top of the heart.

Taking a closer look it’s obvious this is a heart. While granite may seem like a cold border, it is so Tahoe. The soft gray of the natural rock is actually inviting, and blends in well with the natural landscape.

The granite walls are not quite all the same size. This was deliberately designed to help deflect the road noise. Plants are growing from the tops – giving it a warm, outdoorsy feel.

Tables are scattered about on the gravel, making it an ideal place to gather to enjoy food or drink from one of the restaurants. A fire pit is in the center.

Fair’s goal is for this to be a gathering spot for Meyers – thus the heart of Meyers in a different dimension.

The first party at the new digs was in mid-August when the conservation landscape tour ended at Meyers Station. Fair had electricity put in so bands can set up a stage just off to the side with amplified music.

By Jenny Kane, Reno Gazette-Journal

Black Rock City erupted in cheering as the gigantic wooden man burned on Saturday night at Burning Man.

Following fireworks and fire dancing, the man exploded in a ball of flame and collapsed into ashes after about 45 minutes. The vibration of music lasted through the night and well into the early morning.

By sunrise, however, it was quite a different story.

While some Burners had left earlier in the week due to high winds throughout the event, the bulk of 70,000 attendees were getting ready to leave by Sunday.

Traffic on Pyramid Highway and Interstate 80 was expected to be heavy Sunday and Monday, with varying degrees of backed-up traffic.

Read the whole story

The Animal Coalition of Tahoe is planning the 11th annual Mutt Strut for Sept. 27.

It will begin at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, with registration from 11:30am to noon. Participants will pick playing cards at stops along a 1-mile route, hoping for the best poker hands. Prizes will be awarded to those with the best hands.

The fun continues after the walk, with a party at Timber Cove Beach featuring music, raffle drawings, and contests such as best trick, hot dog eating, and musical sit. This year, with the shallow water at the beach, there will be some games in the water, so bring water shoes.

Poker hands may be purchased on site for $10 each, or three hands for $25. Or purchase them in advance; three hands for $25 includes a T-shirt. Purchases may be made in advance at Alpine Animal Hospital (921 Emerald Bay Road) or Bonanza Boot and Leather store located at the Chateau Shopping Center.

ACT is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all-volunteer corporation with the goal of raising funds to support a low-cost spay-neuter program. ACT also donates 10 percent of funds raised to the El Dorado County Animal Shelter.

For more information on the Animal Coalition of Tahoe Mutt Strut Poker Run, call 530.307.3638 or email info@tahoeanimals.org.

Ed Hartsinck

Former Lake Tahoe resident Edward G. (Ed) Hartsinck died Aug. 29, 2015. He was 92.

Mr. Hartsinck was born Nov. 21, 1922, in Albany and raised in Oakland. He died at his home in Angels Camp after a short illness.

He and his wife, Sally, had retired to Incline Village in 1974. They moved to Angels Camp in 2001 to be near his daughter, Lynn.

He and his partner Ken Reilly built the only seven-story condominium on Lake Tahoe.

Mr. Hartsinck enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, where he was stationed at the equipment depot in India getting ready in 1943 for the invasion over the “Hump” into Burma. When he returned to his home in California in 1945, he went to work for his Army buddy’s father who owned a lift truck franchise. Eventually, Hartsinck owned Lifton Inc. from 1965 until he retired in 1974 to Tahoe where he enjoyed water skiing, traveling, golf and being a song and dance man.

He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughter Lynn and son in law Bill Goff of Arnold; granddaughters Kimberlynn, Melissa, Skyla, Teela, Lacey and grandson Dutch Lawrence. He was preceded by son, Larry.

A celebration of life will be at the Country Lane Estates Social Hall in Arnold on Sept. 19 at 1pm.

Local artist Christie Marie Elder shares her creative process and use of luminescent watercolors to achieve unique effects in her paintings during the Tahoe Art League’s monthly meeting on Sept. 9.

Elder will first demonstrate how she makes greeting cards, and will progress on to her method of
developing a painting’s composition using research photos and sketches to develop her final drawing
to be used in her watercolor painting process. Elder often uses luminescent watercolors including
shimmer, duo chrome and interference colors in her paintings, and will demonstrate how these may
be used to achieve both subtle and dramatic effects.

Paintings by Elder will be displayed, showing the various effects in realistic, stylized and tribal
watercolor art styles that can be achieved through use of luminescent paints and the various
techniques in their application.

The free talk begins at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

In the 1980s Dan Foster worked with his famous father on the development of a surface drive system for fiberglass boats. In addition, he spent three years working with Don Philbrick to build his own 19 foot utility Philbrick.

Foster will be speaking Sept. 7 at the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood about the life and careers of his father, Dan Foster, and Dan Arena. Together these two men designed their own three-point hydroplane in the late 1930s and named her Miss Golden Gate. Foster’s last victory was in a secondary race at the 1965 Lake Tahoe World Championship regatta with Miss Smirnoff.

The talk is free and starts at 4:30pm.

For more info, call 530.525.9253.

By John Tozzi, BloombergBusiness

Americans are getting older, and heavier—and both trends are trouble for the country’s knees.

The rate of total knee replacements almost doubled between 2000 and 2010 for Americans over 45, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, while the average age of patients decreased by more than two years, to 66.2. The elective surgeries, which replace worn-out cartilage and bone with metal and plastic mechanical joints, became the most common inpatient hospital procedure for people over 45 in 2008. Almost 700,000 were performed in 2010.

The annual market for knee implants is roughly $4 billion in the U.S., according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jason McGorman. The cost of the surgery can vary wildly depending on the region or hospital. On average, it’s increased to about $16,600 in 2012, from $13,900 in 2000, in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to CDC data. Though there are risks with any surgery, including possible infections or implant failures, knee replacements are considered a highly cost-effective intervention, McGorman says, because they can allow people to continue to work and avoid disability or other expensive care.

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The Nevada Recycles is putting on a statewide recycled art contest to increase Nevadans’ awareness and interest in recycling.

Entrants must be Nevada residents and projects must be composed of used recyclable materials. Submission are due by Oct. 25.

In addition to a $200 prize to the first place class project, the Venetian and the Palazzo in Las Vegas will provide first, second and third ($250, $100, and $50, respectively) prizes in four categories: kindergarten-grade 5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12 and adult.

Materials that may be used include, but are not limited to: tires, electronics, appliances, plastic bags, bottles, batteries and aluminum cans.  Fastening materials may include tape, glue and/or string.

In 2014, Nevada’s recycling rate was 23.4%.  Based on residential and commercial sector data, Nevadans (including the influence of the tourist population) throw away about 5.5 pounds of trash, per person, per day.  That’s approximately 3 million tons of trash that goes to a landfill every year.

More information about the contest and submission guidelines is available online.