The President’s latest housing program, creative open houses, and murphy beds ?!
Researchers have found that relocating people out of poor neighborhoods can be as effective as drugs in reducing their chances of becoming overweight and developing diabetes.
The federal government’s expansion of a mortgage refinancing program could reduce the monthly payments of up to one million homeowners, but analysts said the modest scope of the plan means it will probably do little to heal the housing market or help the broader economy.
Competition for qualified buyers is fierce. So agents are staging mini-circuses, serving free drinks, offering massages and raffling off Botox treatments to draw guests to open houses. Are you employing new, creative means to get clients to open houses?
There are apps for everything these days. The latest trend is apps that let you rent out your stuff – bikes, cars, rooms and even (yuck) your toilet.
We here in Information Central we always enjoy a good research report. The New York Times summarizes the Congressional Budget Office’s October 2011 report Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007.
If you thought the much-mocked murphy bed went away sometime around the end of “I Love Lucy”, think again. The Wall Street Journal reports on a resurgence of interest in this space saver.
Did you know that the punctuation mark expressing surprise and shock “?!” has a name? It’s called the Interrobang (what a bad name) and was coined in the early 1960s. For a while it was so popular that Remington typewriters came with it. The New Yorker revisits the interrobang and provides a link to a quiz on other less well-known punctuation marks.
Halloween is just around the corner, which means soon the streets will be filled with costumed kids looking for treats, and teenagers looking to deal out a few tricks. If you’d like to spare your home the wrath of teenage pranksters this Halloween, or just keep your property vandal-free all year long, follow these important to tips.
And finally, a bit of library humor (yes, there is such a thing) from the classic British comedy The Two Ronnies. If the youtube video doesn’t display below, here’s a link.
Dystopias, saving $ in summer, and how unlucky is Friday the 13th?
Those Big Brother posters from 1984 really would work. Researchers show that even the illusion of being observed – even by a poster with eyes on it – makes people more honest. At least in England…
Speaking of dystopia: The rise of e-Readers is impacting more than just the publishing industry. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that built-in bookshelves in homes are passe. More and more owners are ripping them out or dry-walling them over in favor of flat screen TVs.
Rounding out our theme of nightmare realms: Thought all your friends playing Farmville was annoying? Try Gagaville, launching next week. Yes, THAT Gaga.
Appolicious is a directory of free and paid apps on many subjects—health, finance, games, music and travel to name a few. ABC 7 Chicago has highlighted a few of its navigation and driving apps in a recent story.
Summer heat is a mastermind at emptying our wallets. In today’s economy, many families cannot afford large rises in their monthly bills. How can you keep energy costs low this Summer?
Are accidents more likely to happen on Friday the 13th? How about if there’s also a full moon and a lunar eclipse? Slate revisits a classic Atul Gawande Medical Examiner column from 1998.
Be careful out there!
