The new “working-from-home economy” will likely continue after the pandemic, predicts Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, in an article shared by Slashdot reader schwit1. Bloom cites results from several nationwide surveys he’s conducted: We see an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force now working from home full-time. About another 33 percent are not working — a testament to the savage…
Tag: gross
National Mask Mandate Could Save 5 Percent of GDP, Economists Say
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Washington Post: After a late-spring lull, daily coronavirus cases in the United States have again hit record highs, driven by resurgent outbreaks in states such as Florida, Arizona and California. Hospitals in Houston are already on the brink of being overwhelmed, and public health experts worry the pandemic’s body count will soon again…
US Retail Sales Plunged a Record 16 Percent In April As Virus Hit
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Associated Press: U.S. retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened the viability of stores across the country and further weighed down a sinking economy. The Commerce Department’s report Friday on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed…
Uber Loses $2.9 Billion, Offloads Bike and Scooter Business
Uber lost $2.9 billion in the first quarter as its overseas investments were hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, but the company is looking to its growing food delivery business and aggressive cost-cutting to ease the pain. Tech Xplore reports: The ride-hailing giant said Thursday it is offloading Jump, its bike and scooter business, to Lime, a company in which it is…
Intel CEO: Bad Companies Are Destroyed by Crises; Great Companies Are Improved by Them
Intel CEO Bob Swan cited a quote from former CEO Andy Grove as particularly apt during the pandemic. In a call with analysts, Swan noted that Grove once said, “Bad companies are destroyed by crises; good companies survive them; great companies are improved by them.” From a report: Swan made the remarks after reporting what he said were “outstanding” results for…
Former Labradoodle Breeder Was Tapped To Lead US Pandemic Task Force
Aram Roston and Marisa Taylor, reporting for Reuters: On January 21, the day the first U.S. case of coronavirus was reported, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services appeared on Fox News to report the latest on the disease as it ravaged China. Alex Azar, a 52-year-old lawyer and former drug industry executive, assured Americans the U.S. government…
6GHz Wi-Fi Access Could Boost Speeds and Generate $183 Billion By 2025, Study Says
The move to expand unlicensed Wi-Fi use into the much wider 6GHz band has the potential to generate more than $180 billion in U.S. revenue over the next 5 years, according to a new new industry-funded study, which comes 10 days before the FCC votes on the proposal. CNET reports: Released Monday, the report was funded by WifiForward, an industry advocacy…
Live Science podcast “Life’s Little Mysteries” 11: Mysterious Poop
In this episode of Life’s Little Mysteries, we’ll take a closer look at a mysterious bodily function that is as fascinating as it is gross — poop. Source: https://www.livescience.com/llm-podcast-11-poop.html
Blue tits learn to avoid gross food by watching videos of other birds
Blue tits and great tits don’t need to taste unpleasant foods to avoid them – they can learn not to try them by seeing another bird’s disgusted response, even if it’s only on video Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2234640-blue-tits-learn-to-avoid-gross-food-by-watching-videos-of-other-birds/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Sony Is Struggling With PlayStation 5 Price Due To Costly Parts
Scarce components have pushed the manufacturing costs for Sony’s next PlayStation to around $450 per unit, forcing a difficult price-setting decision in its battle with Microsoft, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources. From the report: The Japanese conglomerate is preparing to gradually replace the six-year-old PS4 console, releasing its PlayStation 5 the same holiday season its archrival debuts the upcoming Xbox Series…