The 90-plus population is projected to reach 8 million by midcentury.
More Americans are will reach the age of 90 than ever before. Figures from the first-ever census on the 90-plus population show it’s nearly tripled in size since 1980, to 1.9 million.
Continue reading… “Americans more likely to reach age 90 than ever before”
Wal-Mart Stores, the nation’s largest employer, recently sought the higher payments from some smokers, as much as $2000 more than non-smokers.
Employers are making a shift toward penalizing employees with unhealthy lifestyles rather than rewarding employees with good habits as more employers are demanding that workers who smoke, are overweight or have high cholesterol shoulder a greater share of their health care costs.
Continue reading… “More employers penalize smokers with higher insurance premiums”
“Safety” at a price.
Ever since the attack on the Twin Towers back in 2001, security at airports has been significantly increased to help ensure no aircraft is ever hijacked again. But some of the new security measures have not been welcomed by all, with the prime example being the new full-body X-ray scanners.
These scanners are controversial for two reasons. The first is that they allow operators to see an intimate, graphic view of the person being scanned. But that has been solved to a large extent by the use of privacy filters.
The second, and much larger concern is the risk of them causing cancer…
Continue reading… “Airport full-body X-ray scanners banned across Europe as unsafe”
Is it possible for a gas to act like a metal?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it’s not all that useful as a gas. Two scientists say they’ve coaxed it to become a metal, which could be used in ways that would radically change our lives.
Two scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany say they applied intense pressure and manipulated a few other conditions to transformed hydrogen into a metal. If their results, which they published in Nature Materials, can be reproduced it could lead to amazing things like super-efficient transportation systems, powerful medical devices, and major advances in computing…
Continue reading… “Breakthrough in the future of superconducting”
What?
Just a bunch of random squiggles on walls, you say? Just wait till you find the right perspective from on this artwork by design studio Truly Design, and you’ll see something so stunning it may just turn you to stone…
Can heavy gaming be considered an addiction?
Some children’s brains could be hard-wired to spend hours playing video games, according to a study which reignites the debate over whether the habit should be considered an addiction. Researchers found that children who spent an excessive amount of time playing the games had an enlarged area of the brain which is the main hub of the reward system.
Yahoo! Finance conducted a new survey that shows Americans have a disturbing lack of hope and a frightening lack of retirement planning.
Continue reading… “‘American Dream’ lost according to 41% of Americans”
Economic slowdown is part of a continued drop in the mobility of all Americans.
The bad economy has caused aging Baby Boomers who dreamed of retiring in the sun near Florida beaches or Arizona deserts have hit a speed bump.
Continue reading… “Economy slows down out-of-state retirements”
America should not ignore an obvious source of human capital – those from other countries.
What drives innovation? People with creative ideas, intellectual talents and personal ambition do. America has always relied individual and collective breakthroughs in human knowledge and production to enhance our lives and our econom, from advances in science, mathematics and health care to new technologies, products and companies. As the nation continues to find ways to improve the educational and life opportunities of its own citizens to help spark innovation, we should not ignore an obvious source of human capital–those from other nations.
Happy Birthday!
Who would have thought the future’d start with an ad in the back of Electronic News? But, on November 15, 1971 Intel announced its new 4004 processor—the first commercially available computer processor manufactured on a chip—and helped to usher in the Digital Age…
Continue reading… “The world’s first chip-based CPU turned 40 today”
GreenBottle in action.
To drink or not to drink..from a bottle that isn’t glass, that is the question. A UK company has invented the world’s first paper wine bottle. But will purists drink wine from it?
Continue reading… “Will purists drink wine from a cardboard bottle?”
Water Bottle Boat.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention, so when the going gets tough because of the2011 Thailand Floods, the Thais get floatin’ on a DIY boat made from water bottles.
Thai Flood Hacks is a Tumblr blog that collects the ingenuity of the Thai people in dealing with the 3-month-old flood. A few more pics follow…