In this issue: RISE OF RUSSIA BROKEN LINKS BED AND BIBLE And much, much more... --------------------------------- BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 --------------------------------- Issue 105 --------------------------------- Brainmail is a free monthly (usually) newsletter dedicated to intellectual miscellany and ephemera. A file of hand-picked curiosities, cerebral snacks and fortuitous facts. To subscribe or unsubscribe (or to search the whole 13-year brainmail archive) visit: http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/ Like it? - then surely share it on social media. --------------------------------- : INSIGHTS & IDEAS > The death of imaginary friends A report commissioned by a face-painting firm says that around 17 per cent of parents claim that their child has an imaginary friend. Back in 2001 the figure was around 50 per cent. The reason for this fall is apparently the use of digital technology, especially tablets, phones and computer games. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Could going to work be killing your productivity? The five-day workweek could be harming economic growth because it's too monotonous and uniform. If people drifted in and out of the office a little more there might be more time for inquiry, reflection and conversation, all of which are catalysts for creativity and innovation. Ref: London Business School Review (UK) > Rise of Russia A poll by the Pew Research Center in the US has found that the number of Republicans expressing positive attitudes toward Vladimir Putin has risen from 17 to 34 per cent over the last 24 months. Don't get me started! Ref: New York Times (US) > Old, but nevertheless interesting A study by Clifford Ness at Stanford in 1999 found that people gave computers better performance feedback if they fed the feedback into the computer they had used. In contrast, if the feedback was fed into a different computer they were more critical. Takeaway? We are kinder to things when they are right in front of us and the same principle applies to people. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Broken links A study by Harvard University in 2013 found that half of the links on a US Supreme Court opinions website were broken. The upside of connectivity is that copying and dissemination of information are practically free. The downside is that the base information does not tend to survive without intervention. Ref: Financial Times (UK) > Have a cardo A UK supermarket has started labelling avocados using lasers instead of stickers. It is claimed that the move will save 10 tonnes of paper and 5 tonnes of glue. Ref: The Times (UK) > 100-year promise Argentina has launched a 100-year bond to finance the country's debt problems. The country has defaulted on its debt obligations 8 times, most recently in 2001 when it failed to repay a $100 billion loan. Ref: Financial Times (UK) > Two generations, one roof Retirement-home builders in the UK say they are starting to see two generations buying homes in the same development. In the UK, the number of over-85-year-olds is set to double by 2050 and 20 per cent of people are now expected to see their 100th birthday. This leaves many people in their late fifties and early sixties having to rethink their retirement plans. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Safer than you think In ancient agricultural societies, violent deaths accounted for around 15 per cent of all deaths. By the twentieth century this had fallen to around 5 per cent. The figure is currently around 1 per cent. To add some further optimistic perspective, of the 56 million people that died in 2010 globally, around 620,000 people were the victims of violence. In contrast, 1.5 million died of diabetes. Ref: Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow > Pupil pressure An increasing number of schools in the UK are monitoring the mental health of students, especially using a system known as AS or Affective Social Tracking. Part of the problem is the rising pressure of exams, but social media and the rise of perfectionism are also cited as contributing to rising levels of anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Bed and bible A number of churches in the UK are starting to offer bed and breakfast for people following sacred paths (who knew?). The number of pilgrims in the UK has risen by 20 per cent lately. Interestingly, one of the reasons that pilgrimages were banned by Cromwell in England in 1538 was because pilgrims were becoming tourists rather than spiritual travellers. Re: The Times (UK) > Olfactory evolution Dr Kara Hoover from Durham University (UK) has claimed that pollution and rubbish are impacting people's sense of smell, with the result that they prefer richer-tasting and fattier foods. This loss of smell may also result in increased levels of anxiety because people cannot smell their own body odour or threats such as smoke or gas leaks. Did I mention the incidence of rubbish? Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) --------------------------------- : THE NUMBERS By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in regions that face "absolute water scarcity". Ref: United Nations (Switzerland) In 2016, 19,000 children were admitted to UK hospitals after self-harming. This represented a rise of 14 per cent on the previous year. Ref: Financial Times (UK) Obesity killed 3 million people globally in 2010. Malnutrition killed 1 million. Ref: Financial Times (UK) A single room in London is now worth more than a whole house in the north-east of England. Ref: Office for National Statistics (UK) About 45 per cent of children in the UK have no siblings. Ref: The Times (UK) By 2050, more than 5 million people in Australia will require access to aged care resources. The housing needs of this generation will cost around $33 billion. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) It has been claimed that, by 2040, petrol- and diesel-driven cars will be illegal in France and the UK, although no legislation has been tabled to this effect. Ref: The Economist (UK) 63 per cent of secondary school children wouldn't care if social media ceased to exist. 58 per cent reported that they are on the cusp of addiction and 71 per cent say they have been on a digital detox. Ref: The Guardian (UK) Google has revealed that, between 2007 and 2016, one of the leaders of its self-driving car division was paid $120 million in incentives prior to leaving for Uber. Ref: San Francisco Chronicle (US) In 2017, the combined value of all Bitcoins in circulation was $200 billion - about $5 billion more than the market capitalisation of Royal Dutch Shell. Ref: The Times (UK) Cases of dementia will triple around the world within a generation. Ref: World Health Authority (Switzerland) In 2002, 51 per cent of residents of Hackney, an inner London borough, said they were satisfied with the area. In 2017 this figure had risen to 89 per cent. Ref: The Observer (UK) The distance people walk in the UK has fallen by a third over the last 30 years. The average Brit now walks for just 10 minutes a day. Ref: NHS (UK) --------------------------------- : SIGNS OF THE TIMES A TV series update to Thomas the Tank Engine, the series of popular children's books, will feature two female engines to address gender parity. Half the episodes will also take place abroad and will address UN sustainability goals. Ref: The Week (UK) A 26-year-old supermarket worker in the UK made GBP 12.3 million in a single year through DanTDM, his channel on YouTube. The channel has 16.8 million subscribers, is aimed at under-tens, and shows Dan playing daily video games. Ref: Forbes (UK) --------------------------------- : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "Be the first not to do what nobody has ever thought of not doing before." - Brian Eno --------------------------------- : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH The Museum of Failure http://museumoffailure.se/ --------------------------------- : BOOK OF THE MONTH Evocative Objects: Things We Think With Sherry Turkle (Ed) (MIT Press 2007) --------------------------------- : CHARITIES OF THE MONTH Emmaus Brighton & Hove works with homeless people in Sussex and needs donations to its greenhouse shop: emmausbrighton.co.uk In a similar vein, Tools Shed is a UK charity that works with prisons to recondition tools for schools: conservationfoundation.co.uk/ tools And finally, Workaid sends unwanted tools to vocational projects in Africa: workaid.org --------------------------------- : PREDICTION OF THE MONTH By 2025 the first implantable mobile phone is expected to be sold. Ref: World Economic Forum --------------------------------- : STILL HUNGRY? Not a lot of people know this, but brainmail is put together using some of the leftover bits from the What's Next trends report. So if this snack-sized newsletter is leaving you a bit hungry, go to nowandnext.com for something more substantial (and that's free too). --------------------------------- : BRAINMAIL LIVE If you are looking for an interesting speaker for your next conference, workshop, or event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via nowandnext.com. Richard, who is based in London, is the creator of brainmail (along with Matt Doyle and Phil Beresford, both of whom had the good sense to stay in Australia). --------------------------------- : SMALL PRINT The material appearing in brainmail is sourced from a variety of usually reliable publications worldwide. However, we cannot guarantee the truthfulness of stories and a degree of commonsense should be applied before quoting or using any material in a commercial context. If something appears to be too good to be true it probably is. That's all folks. Back soon...