Maybe it was all those vacations people took? From the Wall Street Journal: U.S. consumers in early September felt better about the economy as their expectations brightened, according to data released Friday. The Thomson-Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index rose to 79.2 early this month from the 74.3 final reading for August. Of course, …
Continue reading “Are you happy this month? – Consumer sentiment rises to 2008 level”
I can feel it coming like the light rain before the storm. The temperature is dropping and the kids are back in school. Tourist season is over, no more vacations, and everyone is back at home focused on work. That is until Saturday and Sunday when the raging obsession that is football begins. These are …
It was an enterprising schoolgirl and a traveling bible salesman in 1919. They couldn’t get ladies to use antiperspirants until they made them feel bad. The strategy was to encourage them to be insecure, from Smithsonian Magazine: Perspiration as a social faux pas that nobody would directly tell you was responsible for your unpopularity, but which they …
Continue reading “How advertisers convinced Americans they smelled bad”
Pollia condensata produces its blue color at the nanoscale level and is more intense than anything ever studied. From the Smithsonian Magazine: When they examined P. condensata on a cellular level, they realized that the fruit produces its characteristic color through structural coloration, a radically different phenomenon that is well-documented in the animal kingdom but virtually unknown in plants. …
Continue reading “The world’s most intense natural color – Pollia Condensata”
That’s right, our favorite British costume drama, Downton Abbey, returns on January 6, 2013, to PBS’ Masterpiece Theater. And because that is far too many months to wait, we have some Downton treats: Take the personality quiz – Are you imperious and aristocratic? Or industrious and hardworking? The Real Life History of Downton Abbey …
Continue reading “Take the Downton Abbey personality quiz! – Season 3 returns January, 2013”
The average person uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. But where is all that water used? Toilet – 27% Laundry – 22% Shower – 17% Faucet – 16% Leaks – 14% Water stats: Showers – 2 gallons/minute – bathtub holds 36 gallons. Kitchen faucets – 2 gallons/minute. Bathroom faucet – 1 gallon/minute. …
There can’t be sugar in toothpaste. The dentists wouldn’t allow it. Indeed, the American Dental Association (ADA) says: No ADA-Accepted toothpaste contains sugar or any other ingredient that would promote tooth decay. But notice the qualification, “or any other ingredient.” This refers to sweeteners and toothpaste does contain sweeteners. From the preceding sentence, toothpaste includes: …
Jeff Bezos gave a dynamite keynote presentation. It was nowhere near the level of Steve Jobs but still worthy of an explosive description. I’m rooting for him to improve and become the new Steve. The presentation is over an hour and so here is the summary in 12 screenhots. The full video is at bottom. Enjoy …
Continue reading “Understand the Amazon Kindle press conference in 12 pictures”
Here is a report that studied water trends from the past 50 years (pdf) and found both good/bad news. The good: A household in the 2008 billing year used 11,678 gallons less water annually than an identical household did in 1978. To investigate the causes of this decline, a local study of statistically representative households of …
Continue reading “Residential water trends for the United States”
Through the crowds and into the market a world awaits me. Exotic fruits, luscious vegetables, and peculiar personalities. An uncharted world for one raised on the supermarkets of America. I learn simple things like knowing to smell a melon or mush a peach (but only on top). It is a food education and the market …
Continue reading “Sharing my joy of visiting the farmers market”