Month: March 2019

Bigger, Saltier, Heavier: Fast Food Since 1986 in 3 Simple Charts – The New York Times

by dldamore

Bigger, Saltier, Heavier: Fast Food Since 1986 in 3 Simple Charts – The New York Times:

“The fat and salt content and the sheer size of fast food meals have long been a public health concern. They are often blamed for pushing up the obesity rate among adults in the United States, which rose to 40 percent in 2016 from 13 percent in the early 1960s.”

*40%!? WOW!

Drug Companies and Doctors Battle Over the Future of Fecal Transplants – The New York Times

by dldamore

Drug Companies and Doctors Battle Over the Future of Fecal Transplants – The New York Times:

“The clash is over the future of fecal microbiota transplants, or F.M.T., a revolutionary treatment that has proved remarkably effective in treating Clostridioides difficile, a debilitating bacterial infection that strikes 500,000 Americans a year and kills 30,000.”

*This is worth reading. 

With Big Stars and Paid Subscriptions, Luminary Aims to Be the Netflix of Podcasts – The New York Times

by dldamore

With Big Stars and Paid Subscriptions, Luminary Aims to Be the Netflix of Podcasts – The New York Times:

“Most podcasts are free, but the Luminary app — set to arrive by June — will focus on subscriptions. For $8 a month, subscribers will gain access to Luminary’s ad-free lineup. “

*Another monthly subscription to pay for? If people start to add up their subscription costs they might be surprised. 

Wonder if Apple will try something similar with podcasts and have it part of Apple Music with exclusive podcasts. Apple has the cash to try something like this. Perhaps you could even use third party apps to access this service that helps you make playlists and compelling content.

Instant Pot Maker Bought by Pyrex’s Parent as Old Kitchen Meets New – The New York Times

by dldamore

Instant Pot Maker Bought by Pyrex’s Parent as Old Kitchen Meets New – The New York Times:

“The Instant Pot went on sale in 2010. A confluence of factors — its availability on Amazon, touting of technological advancements like sensors to help optimize cooking relatively low price and popularity among bloggers with evangelical fervor — helped make it a phenomenon.”

*Thought the Instant Pot was from around 2015. 

Google Moves to Address Wage Equity, and Finds It’s Underpaying Many Men – The New York Times

by dldamore

Google Moves to Address Wage Equity, and Finds It’s Underpaying Many Men – The New York Times:

“Most significantly, it did not address ingrained issues that, according to workplace experts, cannot be overcome simply by considering how much different people are paid for doing the same job: Women and racial minorities often do not get the same opportunities and they must overcome certain biases when they are hired or compete for promotions.”

*This is hard work and we may never get there completely. It’s important to be aware of invisible bias. Preparing people for future opportunities is important and should be done in a way that enables many people to excel. We hire people to do jobs. Help them grow their careers for company, customer and positive community impact.

Zillow Options – Feature Request

by dldamore

Zillow Recommendations – 10 Homes We Think You’ll Love

 

Zillow sends me emails with ten houses I may be interested in.

 

it might be helpful if they let you select the ones you are slightly interested in. You mark your interest with a check box and it creates driving directions on driving by the homes selected. Sometimes you just need to see the neighborhood before falling in love with a house. 

  • Is there a supermarket nearby?
  • What about locations of churches?
  • What about decent restaurants (or bars) to choose from that can be your regular place?
  • What about access to highways and other roads that make traveling to work easier and less stressful?
  • Good sidewalks?
  • Access to public transportation?
  • Proximity to nice parks?
  • Density of dog ownership in the area?
  • …

 

I’d also like Zillow to include high speed internet service providers and options for each location. This would include promotions and actual regular monthly prices for Internet connectivity. 

  • Who are the vendors?
  • What speeds and capacity do they offer?
  • Regular prices per month after introductory pricing ends
  • What prices are other people paying in this neighborhood?
  • What speeds and services are they getting?
  • This is a little granular and would require a sample of people to share their bill with Zillow. Perhaps Zillow could help them understand the market price better is they share and make a deal where the consumer can get a better price in exchange for sharing their bill. This would work for other utilities too. Gas, electric, etc…
  • …