Lake County, Michigan has a 66% vacancy rate.
There are several counties in America, each with more than 10,000 homes, which have vacancy rates above 55%. The rate is above 60% in several.
Continue reading… “21st Century Ghost Towns in America”
Elderly Who Shop Daily Live Longer
Seniors who shop frequently live longer.
Retail therapy does more than soothe the soul — it could also be a sign of long life for elderly people, according to a new study.
Continue reading… “Elderly Who Shop Daily Live Longer”
Taste and Health Benefits of Organic Food Are All in the Mind
Study finds organic food is considered healthier and tastier even when it’s not.
Researchers have found that labelling something organic tricks the brain into thinking it is better tasting and more healthy even when there is no difference.
What’s Your Dominant Eye?
Which way do you see?
Ocular dominance, sometimes called eye dominance, is the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other. In normal binocular vision there is an effect of parallax, and therefore the dominant eye is the one that is primarily relied on for precise positional information. This may be especially important in sports which require aim, such as archery, darts or shooting sports…
Continue reading… “What’s Your Dominant Eye?”
Fowndr Offers Private Social Network for Start-Ups
Look out people of the Internet, there’s another social network on the horizon! But this new network isn’t designed to compete with Facebook, Twitter or MySpace; instead, it’s intended for the people who build these services.
Fowndr, pronounced founder, is a new private network that hopes to offer creators of technology start-ups a place to discuss new projects and share learning, resources and files with other like-minded technologists.
“It’s basically a safe place for entrepreneurs and founders to share ideas, projects and files,” said Stu Green, founder of Fowndr. “The service is designed for people who have been involved in setting up businesses in the past and love new enterprise.”
Continue reading… “Fowndr Offers Private Social Network for Start-Ups”
Meanest Airlines in the U.S.
Meanest major carrier – United Airlines
Last year was a good one for the airline industry, with U.S. airlines churning out the highest profits in more than a decade. With the exception of American Airlines, every major carrier turned in positive profits for the year.
In the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report released on April 4, quality is up as well.
Continue reading… “Meanest Airlines in the U.S.”
Rethinking the Future of Health Care
Futurist Thomas Frey: It wasn’t what I had planned on a 70 degree day last week when “springtime in the Rockies” was in full bloom. But I was on my way to the hospital, and over the next 24 hours I would learn much about a healthcare industry that is woefully unprepared for the changes that lie ahead.
Continue reading… “Rethinking the Future of Health Care”
Over Half of Energy in the U.S. is Wasted
This flow chart shows the amount of energy (in quads) that is produced by different energy sources and consumed by different sectors.
This flow chart of the estimated US energy use in 2009, assembled by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), paints a pretty sobering picture of our energy situation. To begin with, it shows that more than half (58%) of the total energy produced in the US is wasted due to inefficiencies, such as waste heat from power plants, vehicles, and light bulbs. In other words, the US has an energy efficiency of 42%. And, despite the numerous reports of progress in solar, wind, and geothermal energy, those three energy sources combined provide just 1.2% of our total energy production. The vast majority of our energy still comes from petroleum (37%), natural gas (25%), and coal (21%).
Continue reading… “Over Half of Energy in the U.S. is Wasted”
Higher Education Reforms in England Will Triple Fees in 2012
Two thirds of universities will charge the highest possible tuition fee.
The Coalition’s policy on tuition fees risked descending into chaos after it emerged that two thirds of universities would charge the maximum £9,000 a year for degree courses. Ministers were accused of “losing control” of their flagship higher education reforms as growing numbers of vice-chancellors unveiled plans to almost triple fees in 2012.
StumbleUpon Hits 1 Billion Stumbles Per Month
StumbleUpon is hot.
The discovery and recommendation engine that makes web browsing a lot like channel surfing just announced it’s now handling 1 billion stumbles per month.
On top of that impressive number, StumbleUpon just closed a second round of funding in March, wrapping up $17 million of series B financing.
That 1 million stumbles-per-month statistic represents explosive growth, especially when you consider that since just a month ago, that number has grown by 200 million, judging from the fact that StumbleUpon publicized 800 million stumbles just last month, according to Business Insider…
Continue reading… “StumbleUpon Hits 1 Billion Stumbles Per Month”
Scientists Develop Zebra Barcode Reader
Now you will be able to know if you see the same zebra twice.
Scientists have developed an image scanning program that can distinguish between individual zebras by their stripes:
When a zebra has been entered into the database and given a StripeCode, the researchers match another picture of the same animal by comparing the StripeStrings of the new and original images. Each image will generate a different set of StripeStrings, but the underlying ratios of black and white should remain similar…
Eight Critical Skills for the Future
Futurist Thomas Frey: On Monday evening I presented my thoughts on the “Future of Mobile Apps & Peripherals” at our monthly Night with a Futurist event. My talk was followed by a fascinating panel discussion with three of the industry’s brightest minds – Michael Sitarzewski, Lisa Calkins, and Gary Moskoff with Karl Dakin moderating the discussion.
Continue reading… “Eight Critical Skills for the Future”
