There’s A 30% Chance You Don’t Need That Antibiotic | Forbes

May 4, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The last time I needed antibiotics, I toughed it out for days before seeing a doctor, by which point my pain had gotten so bad I couldn’t sleep through the night. The reason? I didn’t want to be a vector for the next superbug. By the time I did get medical help, the doctor reassured me in the worst way possible: “Honey, it’s too late for that,” she said. “You are not going to be the reason for the next superbug.”

The cause of the next superbug will probably not be a single individual trying desperately to avoid that outcome. It’ll be our whole antibiotic-loving healthcare system: According to a new report, around 30% of antibiotics prescribed are actually unnecessary and just make the whole situation worse.

10 Solar Power Uses That Will Surprise You | Life Hack

May 3, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you have an ample source of renewable energy, why waste non-renewable alternatives? It seems, the government of USA has given this a careful thought and has proclaimed a plan to maximize the production of solar panels in the first half of 2016 to 35 gigawatts. When compared to the amount of solar panels developed worldwide, this number is exceptionally very large. Thanks to the declining cost of installing and developing solar panels, the market for these will grow globally by 2017.

Even if the solar panel market is new, one cannot deny its potential as an alternative to fossil fuels. On many occasions, we have seen these panels being used for solar pool heating or for lighting up an apartment. But you will be quite surprised to see how this energy is used in some unexpected areas. Here are 10 of the most unexpected uses of solar power that will leave you awestruck.

Google Says These 5 Food Trends Are Sweeping America | Adweek

May 3, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight? No shame in Googling it like the rest of America.

When it comes to learning new recipes, it’s no surprise that everyone’s turning to the search engine giant for advice. A report released Thursday by Google gives a glimpse into what everyone’s cooking, buying and ordering.

“With every query typed into a search bar, we are given a glimpse into user considerations or intentions,” according to the report. “By compiling top searches, we are able to render a strong representation of the United States’ population and gain insight into this population’s behavior.”

The results are based on the volume of search queries related to food every month between January 2014 and January 2016. Results were measured for year-over-year growth, velocity and acceleration of searches.

These insights could have an impact not just on dinner tables but also on brands’ bottom lines. For example, when General Mills began to see a heightened interest in going gluten-free, the company decided to adapt the trend into products and advertising.

The Jerk Whisperer: How to Have Good Conversations with the Worst Kinds of People | Page19

May 2, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You’d think that some workplaces are exempt from power struggles, personality clashes, and interpersonal drama. Alas! I’m a psychologist who once naively believed that she had found one truly harmonious profession, only to completely rethink that notion just months into my practice.

Having studied human behavior, I know that there are some approaches that are more productive than others when it comes to having a conversation with prickly characters. Here’s how to talk with four difficult characters that you’re likely to run into in your day-to-day, at work or in social settings.

What Makes More Sense? Temps or Full-Timers? | Payroll Link

May 2, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Filling certain positions with temporary workers rather than regular full-time employees sometimes makes sense for a business. But you have to make the decision wisely and comply with federal regulations classifying employees and differentiating them from temporary workers. If you don’t, you may find yourself in court as many other companies have in the past few years, when they were sued by long-term temporaries working for them.

Factoring: Buyer’s Guide and Companies to Consider | Business News Daily

April 27, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Allocating capital for businesses of any size can be a stressful undertaking. Traditional bank loans can take weeks to become available, and even alternative lenders may charge higher interest rates for the convenience of fast cash. The process can be frustrating, and can throw a wrench into a smoothly running business.

If you’d rather not go through the hassle of taking out a loan, you may want to consider using a factoring service. Factoring is an alternative method of finance that allows business owners to sell their invoices, or accounts receivable, to a third party (the “factor”) for a certain percentage of their total value. The factor pays this portion of the invoice, sometimes in as little as 24 hours. Then, the company collects your customers’ payments and forwards the remainder to you, minus its service fee.

This solution gives quickly expanding businesses reliable capital to carry them to their next transaction.

Employment Taxes 101 for Entrepreneurs | Getentrepreneurial.com

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you thought that filing taxes as a “one man band” was challenging – wait until you hire employees. The government has strict regulations in place for employers that must be followed in order to avoid hefty penalties. Not only will you be responsible for distributing payroll on a periodic basis to your staff, but you’ll also be responsible for paying related taxes for each employee you have on the books. These taxes include federal income, social security, Medicare, and potentially state and city as well.

This New Super-Sustainable Town Will Run On Solar Power And Use Driverless Cars For Public Transit | Co.Exist

April 25, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When a massive ranch in Florida went up for sale 10 years ago, on a piece of land five times the size of Manhattan, the owners had offers from buyers around the world. But instead of selling to the highest bidder, they chose a developer that would preserve most of the land—and turn the rest into what’s attempting to be the most sustainable new town in the United States.

“We came to them and we said, look, we want to preserve as much of this as possible, and then create the most sustainable new town that has really ever been attempted,” says Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson and Partners, the developer of the new town, called Babcock Ranch.

After a decade of planning, the town is now under construction. Florida Power & Light, the local utility, is building a huge new solar farm on the property—with 350,000 solar panels—which will power the entire community of 50,000 people.

Meet the Irish Teen Whose Sleeping Bag Is Putting the Homeless to Work | ABC News

April 25, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

“Sometimes you just look at something and wonder, ‘Could this be better?’”

That was teen Emily Duffy’s question when she started thinking about the living conditions of the homeless.

After researching the issue, then at age 15, the Irish schoolgirl in Limerick decided to create a high-tech sleeping bag for the homeless.

A year after she first thought of the idea, the bag is now being made by homeless men in Dublin, in a workshop designed to help them get back into the workforce.
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