Back in 2013, a group of applied mathematicians (yay math!) from the Computational Story Lab at the University of Vermont developed what they referred to as the Dow Jones Index of Happiness - hedonometer.org. The Hedonometer measures the happiness of large populations in real time, based on people’s online expressions, capitalizing on data-rich social media, and measuring … Continue reading Happiness Metric Reaches All-Time Low
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All Out of Love?
Let's hope that Air Supply's classic doesn't become the theme song for a Massachusetts-based baker and wholesaler. Nashoba Brook Bakery received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reprimanding the company about one of the ingredients it lists in its granola. The ingredient causing the concern - LOVE. Here is the text … Continue reading All Out of Love?
A Startling Statistic
I'm not sure how we got on the topic, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to take a poll of my students and ask them what type of smartphone they had. Before I share the results of the survey, some background data. On a worldwide basis, Android phones have a commanding lead over … Continue reading A Startling Statistic
Binge Reading, Courtesy of Myron Bolitar (Harlan Coben)
Three months ago I wrote about a trip into Philadelphia that included stopping at a used book store. The reason for visiting the book store was to see if they had some of the first books in Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series. A couple of friends had mentioned how much they enjoyed the books, and … Continue reading Binge Reading, Courtesy of Myron Bolitar (Harlan Coben)
The Humble Fruit Fly Plays a Starring Role
Who knew that using fruit flies could inform treatments for sleep disorders, obesity, mental health disorders, and other health problems. Well that's what the most recent Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine have succeeded in doing. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences honored Jeffrey Hall of the University of Maine, Michael Rosbash of Brandeis University … Continue reading The Humble Fruit Fly Plays a Starring Role
How to Be a Creative Genius
Walter Isaacson, the author of the great biography of Steve Jobs, is coming out with his newest bio this week. This time, the subject is Leonardo DaVinci. If the book is anything like the Jobs book, it will be a great read. (Although I must admit that I started to read Isaacson's biography of Einstein, … Continue reading How to Be a Creative Genius
What Don’t People Get about the Ovarian Lottery?
Alison Gopnik shared her latest research, "The Potential of Young Intellect, Rich or Poor", in the Wall Street Journal today, and while the research is encouraging, readers' reactions to the story were quite disappointing. Gopnik begins by noting that in 2015, 23% of American children under 3 grew up in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. … Continue reading What Don’t People Get about the Ovarian Lottery?
There’s Always That One Guy (well in this case, two)
This past week was Vision Board week in my Intro to Business class. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year. It's when each student takes five minutes to share his or her goals and dreams with the rest of the class. The whole process takes a full week, but as I've noted before, … Continue reading There’s Always That One Guy (well in this case, two)
The Benefits of Having a Purpose in Life
The Japanese have a great word - ikigai - which is thought to combine the Japanese words ikiru, meaning “to live”, and kai, meaning “the realization of what one hopes for”. Together these definitions create the concept of “a reason to live” or the idea of having a purpose in life. While many people struggle … Continue reading The Benefits of Having a Purpose in Life
1,000 Straight Days of Blogging
Yesterday was not only a milestone for my marriage (36 F***ing Great Years), but for my blog as well. I started this blog on January 1, 2015, and have posted something every day since. That means yesterday's post was number 1,000. So pardon me for a little trip down memory lane. Here's what I wrote … Continue reading 1,000 Straight Days of Blogging
Borden's Blather 