Are you giving the gift that won’t get used?
Gift cards are the laziest, lousiest, most convenient, popular and widely given present. And this is your yearly reminder of just how much they stink. Since 2005, we’vetossed out more value in gift cards than the entire GNP of Ghana…
Continue reading… “We’ve bought $41 billion in unused gift cards since 2005”
A beach in Samoa, where clocks are set to go forward by a whole day.
Samoa is making Dec. 30 disappear, just this once.
It’s the key step in the Pacific island nation’s plan to move from the eastern to the western side of the International Date Line and mesh its work week with two of its primary trading partners, New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand territory of Tokelau is making the switch as well.
Continue reading… “Samoa will skip Friday this week”
Illustration depicts a Chinese Shenzhou vehicle approaching the Tiangong 1 space lab during orbital rendezvous and docking tests.
Over the next five years, China plans to launch space labs and manned ships and prepare to build space stations, according to a plan released Thursday that shows the country’s space program is gathering momentum.
Continue reading… “China reveals its space plans through 2016”
Will your future job will be doing online contingent work?
Wondering where all the future jobs are going to be? Online of course! But maybe not exactly in the format you were expecting.
Despite a stagnant employment market in 2011, online hiring has grown at a record pace, up more than 100% from 2010. Elance, the leading platform for online work, released its 2011 Online Employment Review today, which reveals that the future of work will be contingent, global and online. As more companies seek instant access to talent and greater flexibility to run their businesses, individuals are taking control of their future by building careers as independent professionals…
Continue reading… “Elance predicts market for online contingent work to double again in 2012”
The Rodnik Band’s urinal dress took three weeks of sequin applying and embroidering to make.
Potty dress, glass bikinis, eyelash jewelry, hair necklaces: The list of 2011’s wackiest fashions runs on and on. Whether you liked them or not, or were even brave enough to try them, these styles certainly gave us our money’s worth in entertainment value. (pics)
Here are 10 favorites:
Continue reading… “10 craziest fashions of 2011”
Nationwide, the average time it takes to process a foreclosure climbed to 674 days from 253 days just four years ago.
Delinquent borrowers facing foreclosure are learning that they can stay in their homes for years, as long as they’re willing to put up a fight.
Continue reading… “Delinquent borrowers keep homes without paying”
Researchers claim older people deliberately take longer to make decisions – to improve their chances of making the right choice.
Think again if you thought that people of 70 aren’t as mentally quick off the mark as they used to be. They can have reactions as fast as 25-year-olds, a study reveals.
Brominated vegetable oil is patented as a flame retardant and it’s banned in food all over Europe and Japan, but it’s on the ingredient list of about 10 percent of sodas in the U.S. It’s not in Coca-Cola, but is in Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, and in some flavors of Powerade and Gatorade.
What brominated vegetable oil (BVO) does to soda is, Coca-Cola explains, “prevent the citrus flavoring oils from floating to the surface in beverages.” The fruit flavors that are mixed into a drink would otherwise settle out. What BVO does when it’s acting as a flame retardant is not much different: It slows down the chemical reactions that cause a fire…
Continue reading… “Is that Flame Retardant in your Soft Drink?”
On December 21, 2011, International Space Station Commander Dan Burbank captured the spectacular sight of Comet Lovejoy as seen from 240 miles above the Earth.
Continue reading… “Comet Lovejoy, as seen from space”
The Internet search giant is adding 625,000 new users a day to the service and will finish 2012 with 400 million.
How many users does Google+ social networking service have? How actively are users using Google+? Only Google has the real answers.
Continue reading… “Google+ could reach 400 million users by end of 2012”
A game using augmented reality.
2012 will be a very busy year in all things digital, but there will be just a handful of big, memorable trends. Here are five such movements that are likely to make a big impact in our technologically-enhanced lives.
Continue reading… “5 technology trends to watch in 2012”
Educational borrowing has grown far more quickly among those between 35 and 49.
According to a new analysis obtained by Reuters, middle-aged borrowers are piling up student debt faster than any other age group.
Continue reading… “Middle-aged racking up student debt faster than any other age group”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.