Few US Adults Engage in All 5 Key Health Habits | Live Science

May 27, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Just 6 percent of adults in the U.S. have adopted all five key health habits that are linked with better health or longer life, according to a new report.

But adults in some states are far healthier than others: The states with the highest percentages of people who engage in all five habits are Utah (with 11.3 percent), Hawaii (9.2 percent) and Oregon (9 percent), according to the report published today (May 26) in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

The five health habits the researchers looked at were: maintaining a healthy body weight (with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), getting at least 7 hours of sleep, exercising (150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of intense exercise weekly), drinking alcohol in moderation or not at all, and not smoking. For the report, the researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the data from nearly 400,000 U.S. adults ages 21 and older who participated in a national survey.

The long legacy of the floppy disk | BBC News

May 26, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The technology world may seem to be locked in an endless cycle of renewal – but not when it comes to the floppy disk.

More than 50 years after the technology was invented it has emerged that the US nuclear weapons force uses the disks in the 1970s computer system it still employs.

As it turns out the Pentagon is not alone in retaining an affection, sometimes born of technical necessity, for the humble disk. But why has it survived when so many other technologies have fallen by the wayside?

Are You Ready for This Disgraceful New Airline Fee? | Inc.com

May 26, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Every time you book a flight these days, you have to be ready for a slippery feeling in your pocket.

Burrowing in there like a pizza-seeking rodent is your airline, looking for any spare change you might have.

A few dollars here, a few dollars there.

It’s all so the airline can make just a little more money and offer you absolutely no additional comforts whatsoever.

You’re a captive audience, you see. Once the airline has you, it wants you to pay through the nose. The ear and throat, too.

So it is the airline industry has concocted a relatively new fee: Charging you extra to sit with your loved ones.

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

May 26, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

v.20 n.18 – Released May 23, 2016

This Week’s Headlines:

April State and Local Employment Report
California Home Sales and Median Prices in April
Events of Interest
- June 16-17, 2016: Select L.A. International Investment Summit

Europe eyes new rules for online platforms | TechCrunch

May 25, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The European Union’s executive body has today set out a series of proposals for new rules that would apply to a broad range of online platforms, from the likes of YouTube to Google to eBay, as part of ongoing efforts to boost competitiveness in the region under its Digital Single Market Strategy.

The proposals follow a year long assessment by the European Commission of online platforms, after which it says it has concluded that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is not appropriate to maximize consumer benefits while ensuring effective regulation across all the different types of platforms — so it says it will rather look at each area where it can act “from telecoms to copyright rules, to address any specific problems in a future-proof way for all market players”.

Among the proposed changes is a new set of audiovisual rules — with the stated aim of achieving a better balance between rules that apply to traditional broadcasters vs online video-on-demand providers and video-sharing platforms like YouTube. Key among the EC’s concerns here is safeguarding minors.

Google Maps Will Feature Local Search Ads for Businesses | Adweek

May 24, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Expect to see more digital strangers along your physical routes: Local ads are coming to Google Maps.

Now that nearly one third of all mobile searches are related to location, Google is looking for more ways to connect marketers with users walking, biking, driving and otherwise commuting around any given city.

In a blog post published today, Google said it’s investing more in “branded, customized experiences” for businesses to help increase store visits.

Users will be able to tell the difference between a promoted location and an organic location by the color of the pin on the map and the word “ad” in the text at the bottom of the screen.

Beyond Meat’s burger drips canola oil not blood | Money CNN

May 23, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A new burger is about to hit the market. It looks and cooks like it’s made of beef. But there’s one key difference — it’s entirely plant based.

Beyond Meat, which makes meatless products, claims its latest burger is “the closest thing to meat” that it’s ever created.

The Beyond Burger will be available at one Whole Foods in Boulder, Colorado on Monday and at other stores on the East Coast soon.

It’s the result of over seven years of research that the company undertook to “understand meat” and then “rebuild” the burger in a plant-based form.

Deloitte report on peer-to-peer lending |Business Insider

May 23, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Deloitte just trashed the hype around the online lending industry.

The accountancy and consultancy practice has done a deep dive on the online lending industry, and its conclusions should make for devastating reading for anyone connected to the sector.

Deloitte concludes that marketplace lenders, more commonly called peer-to-peer lenders in the UK, “are unlikely to pose a threat to banks in the mass market,” according to Neil Tomlinson, Deloitte’s head of UK banking. The report concludes that the platforms “will not be significant players in terms of overall volume or share.”

Scotland Will Be Home To The World’s Largest Floating Wind Farm | Co.Exist

May 19, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Offshore wind farms are getting more practical, partly because of a new technology that allows them to float. Scotland, or rather the ocean off Scotland’s coast, will soon become home to the world’s largest installation of the technology.

The Hywind Park will consist of five floating six-megawatt turbines, anchored in water over 330 feet deep, and situated 15-22 miles from land. The project, conceived in 2014 and recently given the go-ahead, has previously been called the “world’s first floating wind farm,” and now is apparently the largest.