In this issue: SHRINKING HISTORY COMPUTER ERROR FREE-RANGE WORKERS And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _ _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 94 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ten year brainmail archive) visit: http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/ Like it? - then surely share it on Twitter and Facebook. ------------------------------------------------------------ : INSIGHTS & IDEAS > An astronomically big hole Astronomers have found an empty section of space that could be filled with 10,000 galaxies. The 'super-void', as it's known, is 1.8 billion light-years across and is the largest 'thing' ever discovered in space. Why is it empty? Nobody has a clue. It doesn't fit with any predicted model. Ref: Monthly Notes of the Royal Astronomical Society > Colour palettes An experiment by Oxford psychologist Charles Spence has found that when identical strawberry mousses were served on black or white plates the taste of the mousse on the white plates rated 10% sweeter and 15% more intense. Similarly, a study by Nicolas Gueguen in France found that when a soft drink is served in a cool-coloured glass this made the drink taste more refreshing. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Shrinking history A survey of 8,000 history dissertations written in the US since the 1880s found that the average period covered in 1900 was 75 years. By 1975, this had shrunk to 30 years. Ref: Aeon magazine (UK) > Not as young as you think A study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, looking at 652 US-born CEOs and Heads of Product Development that ran high-tech firms between 1995 and 2005, found that the average age of these people was 39. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Computer error A University of Ulster study says that the number of young people diagnosed as shortsighted has doubled over the last 50 years. 23% of 12-13 year olds now suffer from myopia. The most likely cause of the increase, according to the report, is the rising prevalence of "indoor lifestyles". Ref: BBC News (UK) > Automation anxiety A study by Nesta, a UK-based charity, says that 40% of jobs in the UK may be automated over the next 20 years. The study, called Creativity versus Robots, looked at 500 professions and says that artists, musicians and graphic designers are the least threatened. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Outdoor art The Organisation of the Beautification of Tehran is a group in charge of decorating public paces in Tehran. Recently the group persuaded the mayor of the city, which owns the majority of billboard (poster) sites in Tehran, to replace almost all of the posters selling cars, washing machines and makeup with copies of paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Rothko and Munch. Ref: New York Times (US) > Free-range workers M&C Saatchi is the latest firm to get rid of allocated desks. Staff at its Soho (UK) office roam around using laptops and mobile phones. According to Robert Half, a recruitment firm, remote working has increased by 37% since 2012 and 60% of HR directors believe that increased autonomy will boost productivity. I think they're all deluded. Ref: The Times (UK) > Feel my pain... OMG how cute is that cat! Patients who were offered opiates on demand to reduce pain during surgery were less likely to need drugs when they were allowed to send text messages, according to a UK study. Apparently the most effective type of digital distraction from pain was flirtatious texting. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : THE NUMBERS Over 50% of US newspaper stories contain at least one error. Ref: New Scientist (UK) It took 46 years for electricity to be used by 25% of the US population. Colour TV took 18 years, while the internet took 7 years. Ref: The Times (UK) In 2011, only 62% of newly-qualified teachers who gained Qualified Teacher Status in the UK that year were still teaching a year later. Ref: Cambridge Journal of Education (UK) Of the 8 million tracks on the iTunes Store during 2011, 94% sold fewer than 100 units. 32% of tracks sold just one copy. Ref: Andrew Keen, The Internet Is Not the Answer Only one percent of China's population breathes air that is considered clean by EU standards. Ref: New Scientist (UK) Patients aged 65+ are responsible for 80% of all hospital admissions in the UK. Ref: New Scientist (UK) One third of children born in Britain are expected to live until they are 100 years old. Ref: Prospect (UK) In 2013, the top 25 highest-paid hedge fund managers earned an amount roughly equal to the GDP of Jamaica. Ref: Financial Times (UK) More than 25% of Medicare in the US is spent on people in the last year of their life. Ref: The Atlantic (US) In the 1970s the average UK home was heated to 13.7°C. Today the figure is 17.7. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) The founder of the band Portishead has said that 34 million streams of Portishead's tracks by Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Universal Music earned him just £1,700 after tax. Ref: The Times (UK) In 1793, Sauvages de Lacroix's work "Nosologica Methodica" described 2,400 disease entries. The current ICD-10 lists more than 40,000. Ref: British Medical Journal (UK) Suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged 19-35 in the UK. Ref: Facts and statistics about mental illness People with a degree working in computing or mathematics in the UK saw their salaries rise by an average of less than 0.5% annually between 2000 and 2011. Ref: New Scientist (UK) Around 70% of degree-awarding institutions in the UK did not exist in 1990. Ref: Financial Times (UK) 73% of homebuyers in the £5-million-plus category in central London bought with cash. Ref: The London Magazine (UK) Politicians that hold graduate degrees in economics are more likely to be corrupt than those without. Ref: Harvard Business Review daily stat (US) ------------------------------------------------------------ : BOOK(S) OF THE MONTH Two books for you this issue. The first is The Piano Player (1952) by Kurt Vonnegut. A glimpse of a future where computers and automation have taken over most jobs, resulting in a conflict between the engineers, the managers and everyone else. Second, Matt, who tends the pipes for brainmail, has just published a great e-book about space. Perfect for kids: http://www.brightpips.com/books/space/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : SHOP OF THE MONTH KidZania is a Mexican concept whereby kids aged 4-12 can role-play various jobs ranging from policeman and fireman to shopkeeper and journalist: http://www.kidzania.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH Cool stuff to put in your pocket... http://everydaycarry.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "Impending disaster generates innovation." - Ester Boserup ------------------------------------------------------------ : 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.