After years in the top spot, viewing pornography is no longer the most popular Internet activity. According to industry tracker Hitwise, visiting social media sites (like Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace) is now number one.
(Source: Search Engine Watch)
Scientists have discovered that cavemen in southern Africa 70,000 years ago were smarter than previously thought. One piece of evidence? A super-strong glue they made by combining red ochre and the sap of the acacia tree. They used the resulting adhesive to put together tools.
Acacia gum had been used long before that as a glue, but was brittle. Then some Stone Age geniuses figured out how to strengthen it by adding just the right proportion of iron-rich red ochre. This is even more impressive when you consider that because the raw materials for the glue were collected from various sources, their chemical makeup wasn’t consistent – so the formula had to be changed every time it was made. That required experimentation and a good memory – skills usually associated with modern humans.
(Source: National Geographic)
Electronics giant Toshiba is developing technology that will allow drivers to change radio stations, turn up the AC, and more with simple head and eye movements. The system, which includes a dash-mounted camera, will even recognize when they are dozing off or take their eyes off the road and then kick in safety features (like an alarm to wake them up).
(Source: Wired)
So… Louis Vuitton handbags haven’t been flying off the shelves lately. Vacations are being cancelled. And many people are opting to get their cars fixed instead of buying new ones.
What IS selling? It’s not all Spam and dollar-store deals. Consumer-spending watchers say the trend is toward “smaller-scale” luxuries. People still want to indulge… but on a budget. Here are some of the products that have gotten a boost in recent months:
(Source: USA Today)
For years, scientists had the wrong idea about the komodo dragon, the world’s largest reptile (averaging 10 feet long), native to Indonesia. They were convinced that it was fast-acting bacteria in the lizard’s mouth that helped kill its victims (along with its crushing jaws). But recent work by an Australian researcher has shown that a toxic venom is to blame.
The poison causes stomach cramps and hypothermia. Even worse, it can prevent blood from clotting and cause a drop in blood pressure. Combined with blood loss (from the bites), that’s deadly.
(Source: Agence France-Presse)
“Branding is no longer for Fortune 500 companies and Madison Avenue agencies with excessive budgets and inadequate tracking.
“Personal branding is about managing your name – even if you don’t own a business – in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.
“Going on a date? Chances are that your ‘blind’ date has Googled your name.
“Going to a job interview? Ditto.”
(Source: Tim Ferriss’s blog)
If you use your credit card to buy stuff like beer and expensive customized auto parts, watch out… your bank might think you’re a deadbeat in waiting.
It’s because of the comprehensive profile made of each and every credit card customer. The profile is based on what you’ve bought with your card, personal details you give to customer service reps (like a recent divorce or job loss), the time of day you log in to your online account (Is it late at night or when you should be at work?), how often you’ve been late or missed payments, the balance you carry each month, and more.
It all makes its way into a database that the card companies and their consultants use to determine if you are a good risk for a higher credit limit, which interest rate to charge you, and when it’s likely that you are dodging them and should be scheduled for a call from the collection agency.
(Source: The New York Times)
Those hip-hop stars with their gold and diamond-encrusted “grills” think they’re so original. But it turns out that “fashionable” teeth adornments can be traced back to Native Americans living 2,500 years ago.
Recent archaeological work by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History has yielded skulls filled with teeth embedded with jewels. The researchers believe these ancient people visited “dentists” armed with surprisingly advanced tools to perform the procedure. Obsidian drills were used to make small holes in the teeth, and the jewels were affixed with a natural glue made from plant sap.
(Source: National Geographic)
Contrary to popular belief, many of the 17 million Americans over the age of 62 are online and doing much more than e-mailing pictures of their grandchildren. And (pay attention, marketers!) they do respond to Internet advertising. According to a study by Focalyst and Dynamic Logic, they are most responsive to ads for pharmaceuticals and insurance, as well as travel and entertainment.
As for their habits online, here’s the breakdown:
“Skinny jeans” may be in these days, but watch out ladies. Wearing them can cause temporary nerve damage. Doctors are seeing more and more young women who are complaining of a numb, tingling, or burning sensation in their thighs – a.k.a. meralgia paresthetica.
The condition is caused by intense pressure on the femoral cutaneous nerve, and, until recently, has been a problem mainly for obese, pregnant women and workers who carry heavy equipment around their waist. Now that it’s affecting young women, physicians have placed the blame squarely on their tight jeans.
But fear not, fashionistas – “tingling thigh syndrome” is only temporary. Switch to a baggier pair of pants and you’ll be back to normal in no time… even if it’s not the look you’re going for.
(Source: NBC)
When you tune into media coverage of the swine flu pandemic, you can’t miss all the surgical masks being worn by pedestrians and health officials in Mexico and other affected countries.
But if the pandemic hits the U.S. in big numbers… demand for those masks could get out of hand. Turns out that the official U.S. government stockpile is only 119 million masks – that’s about one for every three Americans. And the Department of Health and Human Services estimates we would need 30 billion if the pandemic goes “full-fledged,” because they need to be replaced regularly to be effective.
The good news? Many health experts doubt that the masks do much to help stop the spread of disease – mostly because people tend to use them incorrectly or sporadically. What does work? Canceling large social gatherings, frequent hand washing, and covering your mouth when coughing.
(Source: Time)
When profits are down and bankruptcy is right around the corner, it’s hard to justify whisking executives around in company planes. As a result many struggling corporations are downsizing or eliminating this perk. And that means manufacturers of private jets are hurting.
Sales are down 7.1 percent, and 12 percent of the workforce has been laid off. This is a big hit to what was once a $150 billion industry with 1.2 million employees, most of them in the United States.
Thanks to the trip made to Washington last year by the blatantly brazen CEOs of the Big 3 automakers – in three separate jets – public opinion has turned firmly against the practice. But aviation industry officials claim that private fleets are a necessary expense for many companies, especially those in areas without adequate commercial service.
They also say CEOs have better things to do than go through security, risk delays, and so on. (You know… like everybody else has to do when they fly.)
(Source: Wired)
Craving Mexican… but don’t know where your favorite taco truck is parked today? Thanks to Twitter, that’s not a problem in several major cities. The roadside vendors send out daily tweets about their location. And they let regulars in on “secret” menu items that are available each day.
(Source: Associated Press)
A new study from research firm IDC and the Business Software Alliance found that 41 percent of software on PCs worldwide was pirated last year (representing a loss of $53 billion for software manufacturers), up from 38 percent in 2007. The researchers blame lax copyright enforcement in developing countries for most of it, coupled with the fact that many people in those countries are unable to afford the genuine versions. The United States has the lowest software piracy rate in the world – 20 percent.
(Source: Download Squad and Business Software Alliance)
Worldwide tourist travel dropped by 8 percent in the first two months of 2009, continuing a downward trend initiated by the financial crisis in the last six months of 2008. Tourism in Europe, with an 8.4 percent drop, has been the hardest hit, followed by the United States with a 3.4 percent drop. The World Tourism Organization expects those numbers to improve somewhat over the year.
(Source: Associated Press)
Thanks to the housing implosion, thousands of homes across the country lie vacant – including new ones that have never been lived in. Many developers are being forced to hand over ownership of these homes to banks. That’s when squatters, drug users, and other miscreants move into the isolated “ghost towns” that are being created.
Now at least one bank in southern California, faced with fines levied by the city, is tearing down the once-promising suburb it owns… because that is cheaper than trying to bring the homes up to code so they can be sold.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
The bread and butter of TV and radio is still on-air advertising. But that’s starting to change.
According to a recent study from research firm BIA, broadcasters brought in $805 million in 2008 from ads posted on their affiliated websites, and they expect their online sales to grow to $2 billion by 2013. Industry watchers recommend that they focus on ads for products and services aimed at viewers/listeners in their local coverage areas instead of national brands.
(Source: ClickZ)
The world’s longest underwater tunnel (at 31 miles) is the Chunnel, which links France and England beneath the English Channel. It’s been open for 15 years.
The world’s soon-to-be longest tunnel (at 34.5 miles) is in the Swiss Alps. It will be ready for trains in 2017.
Meanwhile, New York City is in the process of replacing its crumbling aqueduct infrastructure (made up of tunnels that carry water). The new system will be 60 miles of tunnels between 10 and 24 feet wide. Started in the 1970s, the project is expected to be completed by 2020.
(Source: Discover Magazine)
Faced with chronically overcrowded emergency rooms (often filled with patients unable to pay), hospitals across the country are partnering with supermarkets, shopping malls, and drugstores to open walk-in clinics. Patients get access to physicians, as well as “back-up” hospital services (like lab testing). And they have to pay before being seen – either with cash or insurance.
Hospitals like the arrangement. Not only do they cut down on emergency room visits and get paid up front, they establish relationships with patients that can lead to future (and more lucrative) business.
Patients like it because they can get a side salad with their flu shot.
(Source: New York Times)
Among other things, U.S. air marshals are charged with heading off terrorist attacks on passenger jets. And one of the most important “weapons” in their arsenal is a high-tech, multi-function communications device.
They use the Federal Air Marshal Service Communication System, software that runs on any wireless PDA, to communicate with other air marshals on the aircraft, airport ground crew, cockpit crew, and flight attendants. They also use it to “plug into” the aircraft systems to keep track of the plane’s location, how much fuel is left, and where the nearest airport is.
(Source: Wired)
Ever wondered what the weather was like on the day you were born? How about what it cost for the U.S. to put a man on the moon?
Using the usual online and offline research resources, you could spend hours to find the answers to questions like those – if you could do it at all.
Enter Wolfram Alpha, a new search engine created by Dr. Stephen Wolfram that’s about to be launched. Instead of giving you a long list of Web pages (a la Google), it’s intended to provide specific, accurate answers to any question you might pose by combing and “intelligently” cross-referencing sources it finds on the Internet and in private databases.
(Source: The Independent)
Government fish and wildlife officials estimate that for every animal taken by a licensed hunter another is illegally killed or captured for the pet trade. This includes protected species.
To step up enforcement of the law, the anti-poaching taskforces of several states have turned to technology. Robot moose, turkeys, deer, and bears – remote-controlled to move like the real thing – are used as decoys. Officials wait nearby to catch poachers in the act. With their eyewitness testimony, the conviction rate has been much higher.
(Source: National Geographic)
When you signed up for Facebook or MySpace, you may have thought that nobody outside of your friends and family would be interested in your profile. But specialty companies are increasingly “mining” your social networking activities for in-depth marketing data they can sell. They search for posts, comments, and other tidbits from your profile that detail your favorite movies or TV shows, products, music, etc.
One company, Colligent, sells data to the music industry that is used to help determine which demographics buy music from certain artists. And they’ve recently signed up clients from other industries.
(Source: Wired)
For weeks, the Alaska Volcano Observatory has been monitoring the first eruption of Mount Redoubt in 20 years – and they’ve been keeping the volcano-crazy public informed through live streaming video from webcams.
But that’s not all. For the folks who seem to need even more than a front-row seat to the action… enter Twitter. Onsite experts have been using the social networking platform to send messages about “significant” events (explosions, steam emissions, and rising ash clouds) to about 6,000 followers, many of whom have relatives living in the volcano’s shadow.
(Source: CNN)
The music industry as a whole continues its downward slide. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, sales of music in North America dropped 18.6 percent in 2008, to $4.98 billion. CD sales alone dropped by almost a third. Not good news for brick-and-mortar retailers like Tower Records and Borders.
Meanwhile, sales of digitally downloaded songs, online subscription services, and ad-supported streaming music on websites grew by 16.5 percent, to $1.78 billion.
(Source: eMarketer)
Scientists have drawn inspiration from science fiction when naming theories, phenomena, branches of study, and more. Here are six examples:
1. Robotics – first mentioned in Isaac Asimov’s 1941 story “Liar!”
2. Genetic engineering – first mentioned in Dragon’s Island by Jack Williamson
3. Zero-g – first mentioned in Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke
4. Deep space – coined by one of the earliest science fiction writers, E.E. “Doc” Smith, in 1934
5. Computer virus – from Dave Gerrold’s 1972 story “When Harlie Was One”
6. Computer worm – from Shockwave Rider by Dave Gerrold
(Source: Oxford University Press)
Ever hit the Send button and instantly regret saying what you said… notice you forgot to attach a document… realize you hit Reply All instead of Reply?
Now you can take it back. If you have Gmail, that is. And if you react quickly.
Simply go to Settings in Gmail and turn on the Undo Send feature under the Labs tab. From then on you’ll get an Undo link in sent mail confirmation messages. If you click Undo within five seconds – we said you had to be quick – the e-mail won’t be sent. Disaster averted.
(Source: Gmail)
Despite a recession-related dip, the “green energy” industry is still pretty hot. And it’s about to get hotter thanks to new federal regulations mandating that the country draw more of its power from alternative/renewable sources. One of those alternatives is wind. Jobs in the wind-power industry grew 70 percent last year, and associated industries (like windmill manufacturers) expect significant growth.
U.S. wind farms had a combined capacity of 25,300 megawatts by the end of 2008. And in 2009, industry watchers expect wind to generate enough electricity to power nearly 7 million homes. Texas is the king of wind power, with 7,118 megawatts produced each year, followed by Iowa with 2,791 and California with 2,517.
(Source: Associated Press)
No longer content with the odds (tens of millions to one) of winning the lottery, more and more Americans are buying fewer lottery tickets. Sales of lotto games and scratch-offs are down 5 percent in California, 7 percent in Florida, and 10 percent in Indiana.
Industry watchers contend that spending on the lottery has fallen due to the recession, along with dips in other types of discretionary spending. But the states aren’t sitting back and taking it. They are actively recruiting new vendors and extending discounts to customers, including buy-one / get-one-free coupons.
(Source: USA Today)
This year’s salary increase not up to your standards? Your request for a promotion denied?
Why not retaliate by kidnapping your boss? It’s the latest fad in France.
There have been more than five “bossnapping” incidents connected with labor disputes so far this year. No violence or weapons are involved. Union officials simply detain executives until their demands are met (which has happened) or let them go when further negotiations are promised.
(Source: Agence France-Presse and The Times)