The gaff - 8th September 2017
on: 08/09/2017 | 18:01
giffgaff Happenings
by bluemoonbaz
Tell us your biggest giffgaff achievements from 2009 - 2017
"I'm working on this biiiig project with a couple of other giffstaffers and we're hunting for biiiig member moments over the years that prooves we are run by you."
@amy_b_d is on the hunt 
. We all have our memories of giffgaff over the years and what we have achieved, so let's see if we can help Amy with a few of them. Be it yours or your fellow community friends, share them here.
giffgaff’s new project: Help us shape an idea
"A few months back, after going through a lot of our members’ suggestions and feedback, an idea started forming in the back of our minds. It was a small spark of potential that was begging to shine through. We decided to dig a bit deeper and after a few focus tests, we realised that, inspired by our members, we had stumbled upon something really quite interesting."
An interesting new project from @juan_p... Are you intrigued? I was 
, why not have a look here. You can also join the discussion group and you’ll find out more on Juan's ideas. Your ideas and suggestions will help shape the future of giffgaff’s new projects. So why not join our discussion group to find out more.
How easy was it for you to sell us your old phone?
Did you know you can sell your old phone to giffgaff? Well if not, pop to the giffgaff Marketplace and sell your old phone for some lovely cash and use it towards a shiny new phone. @amy_b_d has some news for the members. If you have sold your old handset, Amy and the team would love to get your feedback, click here for more info 
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Labs Highlights
by as7861
Special Mentions
- @kathleen414 has been giving ideas within the lab, positive encouragement while conveying feedback that is useful and insightful. Nice One!
- @ijustcantdoit has been learning the ways around the project regarding finding original ideas to help manage the lab. Nice One!
- @mcilwraith has also been providing feedback that is linked to personal life on ideas within the lab.
New features/Sneak Previews/Idea Updates
- Fingerprint authentication on the giffgaff app has now been released. This has been inspired by both @rhydiancaines with the most voted idea and @syedaftab with the original idea. So big congrats to both.
- A new page for ideas which are merged and archived is currently being tested. If you want to take part in the feedback process, you can join the lab discussion group here.
- @stephenmiller's idea posted back in 2012 is now being worked on. Again, if you want to take part in the early feedback process, you can join the lab discussion group here.
New ideas
- Zero rate firmware updates created by @techiebloke - has suggested that this idea will help because of the growing concern regarding the security of the phones we use.
- Auto refresh when replying created by @sholi - has suggested that help will especially benefit from this and would get rid of the annoyance of refreshing to find new replies for both the OP and the repliers.
High-Tech Highlights
by jammydodge
'Pen' identifies cancer in 10 seconds
A handheld device can identify cancerous tissue in 10 seconds, according to scientists at the University of Texas. They say it could make surgery to remove a tumour quicker, safer and more precise. And they hope it would avoid the "heartbreak" of leaving any of the cancer behind. Tests, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest the technology is accurate 96% of the time. The MasSpec Pen takes advantage of the unique metabolism of cancer cells.
How it works
The pen is touched on to a suspected cancer and releases a tiny droplet of water. Chemicals inside the living cells move into the droplet, which is then sucked back up the pen for analysis. The pen is plugged into a mass spectrometer - a piece of kit that can measure the mass of thousands of chemicals every second. It produces a chemical fingerprint that tells doctors whether they are looking at healthy tissue or cancer.
The challenge for surgeons is finding the border between the cancer and normal tissue. In some tumours it is obvious, but in others the boundary between healthy and diseased tissue can be blurred. The pen should help doctors ensure none of the cancer is left behind. Remove too little tissue, and any remaining cancerous cells will grow into another tumour. But take too much, and you can cause damage, particularly in organs such as the brain.
The technology has been tested on 253 samples as part of the study. The plan is to continue testing to refine the device before trialling it during operations next year. The pen currently analyses a patch of tissue 1.5mm (0.06in) across, but the researchers have already developed pens that are even more refined and should be able to look at a finer patch of tissue just 0.6mm across. While the pen itself is cheap, the mass spectrometer is expensive and bulky.
Dr Eberlin said: "The roadblock is the mass spectrometer, for sure. We're visioning a mass spectrometer that's a little smaller, cheaper and tailored for this application that can be wheeled in and out of rooms."
Dr James Suliburk, one of the researchers and the head of endocrine surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, said: "Anytime we can offer the patient a more precise surgery, a quicker surgery or a safer surgery, that's something we want to do. This technology does all three."
The MasSpec Pen is the latest attempt to improve the accuracy of surgery. A team at Imperial College London have developed a knife that "smells" the tissue it cuts to determine whether it is removing cancer. And a team at Harvard are using lasers to analyse how much of a brain cancer to remove.
Say Hello!
by kathleen414
Welcome @clergue to giffgaff 
Our new member is looking forward to getting loads of tips from the members, especially about video and streaming: "I've got a lot to learn but am a willing student!"
Well, your fellow members are ready and willing to impart their knowledge. You can find our new member's post here.
A big welcome our new member @67red12 who joined us recently and made the big move with the help of her mum the lovely @frenchielove.
So please, let's give her a big warm giffgaff welcome. Please welcome 67red12.
Hiya and welcome to giffgaff @baktracy
She joined us a few days ago and left us a short and sweet message "This is Baktracy".
So let's send her some lovely messages back and welcome her to giffgaff as only a giffgaffer can do . Welcome baktracy!
Photo of the week
by premierphotosuk
This week's photo of the week it deserves to go to our very own @bluemoonbaz for "Gone Fishing"... He claims to have only caught seaweed . Equipment used: taken on LG phone on stock settings.
After reading through his thread, the members all seem to enjoy his photo even though he stated I only caught seaweed, I was hoping he would bring us all on giffgaff some fine fish for tea, but that didn't seem to be the case . I'm even wondering did he have any bait on that hook or was it an excuse just to be by the sea and not share his fine fish with us 
. You hear all about fisherman's tails, did he or didn't he catch any?
So for this week - and with the interaction this photo also got from the community, and was not only just for receiving kudos. I thought this photo deserves to be featured in this week's gaff. Here is the link to his thread: Gone Fishing. Well done bluemoonbaz .
Interested in sharing a photo you've taken? Have a look at the thread linked below. While you're there, you can see all the previously featured photos. You never know, your photo could join the list!
Featured App
by revilo10
App: Top Drives
Dev: Hutch Games
Price: Free
Yes! This week's featured app is a game! This one has been blowing up, with over 1 Million downloads in it's first week. It is your aim as a driver to collect the best car cards you can, and put your cars to the test in the campaign, or live against real people in multiplayer. As you progress and earn more money from races, you can work your way up the car ladder, from the simplest of hatchbacks, all the way up to hypercars. Top Drive uses real world statistics for it's cars, including 0-60 times, top speeds and so much more.
If you would like to receive a weekly PM when a new edition of the gaff is posted, joining 200 other people currently on the mailing list, then click here.
Previous Edition | Next Edition (15th September 2017)
on: 08/09/2017 | 18:01
See this link here for further information: giffgaff Photo Collage challenge for September/October.
This will be running until the end of October - I will be choosing some of you gaffers creations from that thread that could be mentioned in The gaff over the coming weeks.
on: 08/09/2017 | 18:13
on: 08/09/2017 | 18:42
Great read, indeed. Well done team on such a wonderful edition.
I gotta say @jammydodge i see a future without cancer. At the rate technology is advancing.
Also wanted to say Welcome to @clergue t, @67red12 and @baktracy
Well tagging along with @juan_p my goal in life is to continue to read the gaff week in week out.
on: 08/09/2017 | 19:33