Facebook hated. Sun rises in east.
Facebook, the most visited site on the Internet , may also be the most despised: A new poll says the site scored 64 on a 100-point scale, which “puts Facebook in the bottom 5 percent” of private sector companies “and in the same range as airlines and cable companies, two perennially low-scoring industries with terrible [...]
the death of small towns
It’s a little bit off topic, but I thought this was a fascinating article on the death of towns in Sweden. "Town planners and government officials may think in terms of economic rationality and viability. But as more people move to the cities, perhaps we should raise our caps to those who stick it out [...]
up in space – for $150
Some kids at, you guessed it, MIT, thought it would be neat to see if they could spend $150 and send a balloon with a Canon camera into space to take some photos. via MIT kids do the darndest things – like sending cameras 100,000 feet into space with $150 worth of material. Whoa. Who [...]
the latest awful idea for college students
Just when you think the ideas couldn’t get any more outrageous: Now comes the latest innovator, SafeStart, just in time for back-to-school season. It aims to reduce the fear of debt that might keep, say, middle-class 18-year-olds from borrowing for school in the first place. SafeStart, owned by a company called BridgeSpan Financial, charges $40 [...]
the future of America: elder care and Wal-Mart
My jaw dropped open when I read the Times’ piece on job growth in the US over the last 10 years. Hot jobs in the US over the last 10 years? Elder care (and health care in general), management consulting and government jobs. Does that sound like the robust job creation of a superpower? For [...]
how we spend our time
From The Digerati Life comes this fascinating graph. It shows how Americans spend their days. The high level summary? “Sleeping, eating, working and watching television take up about two-thirds of the average day.” What’s amazing is the amount of time spent watching TV in proportion to working and sleeping. I think about this in terms [...]
More than 50% borrow money for college
Borrowing has gone from being the exception for undergraduates in 1993, at only 32 percent, to the rule. As of 2008, more than 50 percent of students at public four-year universities borrowed for their education. In for-profit education, the percentage of borrowers went to 92 percent in 2008 from 53 percent in 1993. via Study: [...]
For Older Investors, Old Rules May Not Apply
“If another decline in the market is going to bankrupt you or put you out of business or destroy your retirement account, you should not go back into the stock market,” said John C. Bogle, the founder of Vanguard and viewed by many as the father of index investing. “It’s not complicated. The stock market [...]
private schools hurt America
A great question worth considering if you support private schools: In our desire to protect our children physically and academically, we send them to very expensive schools that are inherently segregated ethnically and economically. We, being white, educated, and comparatively affluent, are the agenda-setters in society. The agenda does not include fierce protection of the [...]
Tired of Looking for Work…
In an apartment he shares here with six roommates, Mr. Andon started a business in September building jellyfish aquariums, capitalizing on new technology that helps the fragile creatures survive in captivity. He has sold three tanks, one for $25,000 to a restaurant, and is starting a Web site to sell desktop versions for $350. via [...]
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