Something interesting you may have noticed during the press coverage of the death of President George H.W. Bush — he died less than eight months after the death of his beloved wife Barbara. You may also recall actress Debbie Reynolds dying a day after her daughter Carrie Fisher in 2016. Is this unusual? Not really.
What is the most culturally diverse city? Some say it’s Amsterdam, with about 178 different cultures. London can make a strong claim for second, with approximately a third of its population foreign-born. The most diverse city in the U.S. would be Los Angeles, rated third in the world, with an estimated 86 languages spoken by
Deep down inside, I’ve always believed we can solve all our problems if we’d just work together and innovate. This week’s Time magazine gives me more hope in that regard, with its section on “The 50 Best Inventions of 2018.” After a quick reading, here are some that particularly impressed me — Clothes for every
We all know there are many strange natural wonders. I’ve just run across an article, “5 Weird Ocean Phenomena” ( https://earthsky.org/earth/weird-ocean-phenomena-st-elmos-fire-fog-tsunami-waterspout), that lists some of the waterborne variety you may never have heard of. 1. St. Elmo’s Fire — When a sharp object, like a ship’s mast, contacts a very high electrical field, as in
We’re all looking to improve our memories, especially as we age. What if I told you the letters you read could actually help? Researchers at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have developed a new font (an assortment or set of type) designed “using the principles of cognitive psychology” to help you better remember. This
Nobody knows how long they will live, right? And yet — the U.S. Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project thinks it can give you a pretty good idea. Go to the website https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/interactives/whereyouliveaffectshowlongyoulive.html?, type in your address, and you will receive a life expectancy, plus a comparison with your area, your state, and the entire nation. It’s
If you’re like my mom, our Halloween candy was strictly rationed. So it may surprise you to learn some dentists recommend eating the haul all at once. I first wrote about this on November 1, 2017, and not surprisingly, the same article is back in the news feed. So I’m revisiting this as a public
It’s a natural instinct to live as long as possible. But to become immortal? Technology may be giving us a way. Suppose your great grandson wanted your advice ten years after your death. He wouldn’t be able to talk to you directly, of course, but what if you had a digital avatar programmed with all
Today we take tipping at restaurants for granted. But it wasn’t always this way. Where did the practice come from? You may have heard the word “tip” is an acronym for “To Insure Promptness,” but that is a myth. Some think it either came from Europeans visiting this country, or U.S. travelers returning from Europe,
Have you ever wished for a third arm? How much easier would that make your life? Believe it or not, technology is advancing to give you that wish. Researchers in Japan recently announced they have built a device that will allow people to perform a second task with a robot arm. The wearer of the