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☆ The cult of Emily Oster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sarah Todd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Emily Oster is sitting in the back of a car, checking her Garmin watch as we lurch through rush-hour traffic toward the Holland Tunnel. A self-described expert in data, Oster uses her economics training to dig into studies on things like circumcision and screen time and translate them for popular consumption. There doesn't seem to be much of a gap between the way Oster presents herself in her books and newsletters and the way she conducts her life. Unsurprisingly, economics informs every aspect of the way Oster sees the world. When Oster was a toddler, her mother told a Yale colleague that Oster often talked to herself before falling asleep.

Persons: Emily Oster, doesn't, Oster, Taylor Swift, Spock, —, Mandy Moore, Emily DiDonato, Amy Schumer, " Oster, Emily, Aisha McAdams, Claudia Goldin, who's, Lori Feldman, " Feldman, Winter, It's, reopenings, Timothy Caulfield, Oster's Brown, OSTER, She's, Sheryl Sandberg's, Brown, Denis Tangney Jr, graham, Eminem, Sharon Oster, Ray Fair, Jesse Shapiro, Katherine Nelson, Carl, Choate Rosemary Hall, John F, Kennedy, Glenn Close, Ivanka Trump, Goldin, Steven Levitt —, Oster —, Paul Farmer, Steven Levitt, Oster's, Levitt, Robert Barro, demographer Monica Das Gupta, Joseph Delaney, she'd, I've, Matt Notowidigdo, Chicago Booth, hadn't, Udo Salters, Patrick McMullan, Shapiro, Jessica Calarco, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Donald Trump, Calarco, Rochelle Walensky, Delaney, University of Manitoba epidemiologist, Abigail Cartus, Justin Feldman, Delivette Castor, they're, COVID, Castor, Notowidigdo, Carter, you'd, she's, there's Organizations: Garmin, Brown University, New York Times, American Academy of Pediatrics, Yorker, Yale School of Management, Yale, Harvard, Connecticut, Choate, University of Chicago, Forbes, Wall, Publicly, University of Manitoba, Getty, Oster, Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University, Harvard Business School Locations: Holland, Montclair , New Jersey, Montclair, Harvard, Providence , Rhode Island, New Haven , Connecticut, China, Canada, Chicago, Ohio, New Jersey

☆ Starter homes have become a 'fairy tale,' so Americans are finding other ways to own: 'My house has a license plate'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Schneider and her roommates aren't alone in finding creative ways to finance their first home amid surging prices. To afford the monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home, homebuyers need to earn more than $100,000, well above the U.S. median household income of $70,784, according to Census Bureau data. This brought monthly mortgage payments — which included property taxes and insurance — down from $1,329 to $1,217. Despite the income, there were downsides to renting out part of the property, Yuryev found. In 2021, Gressett, moved into a custom-made tiny house that runs her $725 per month.

Persons: Amanda Schneider, Schneider, aren't, Denis Smykalov, it's, Stephanie Vandergrift, Kathy Keel, we're, Kathy Keel's, Amanda Schneider It's, isn't, Vadim Yuryev, Annette, Vadim, Annette Yuryev, Yuryev, Jen Gressett, Gressett Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, ATTOM, Wolsen, Florida, Gallatin , Tennessee, Spokane , Washington, Spokane, Boulder , Colorado, Gressett

☆ Sam Altman made an OpenAI voice clone of Marc Benioff giving a JFK speech at a dinner meeting, and now the audio sample can't be located, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Altman showed Marc Benioff an unreleased OpenAI model which can clone voices, Forbes reported. Sam Altman created an AI voice clone of Marc Benioff giving a presidential speech, but can no longer locate the data sample, Forbes and Quartz reported. In his company's most recent earnings call, Benioff had alluded to Altman giving him "demonstrations of advanced technologies" but didn't then give any details. He revealed Monday that Altman used an unpublished OpenAI model to simulate Benioff repeating the words of John F. Kennedy. Benioff said that OpenAI's model was able to accurately generate the JFK speech with just a few seconds of his voice, Forbes reported.

Persons: Sam Altman, Marc Benioff, Forbes, F, Kennedy, Benioff, ChatGPT, Altman, didn't, John F, ElevenLabs, OpenAI Organizations: Forbes, Quartz, JFK Locations: New York

☆ Early humans left Africa earlier than previously thought, fossil discovery reveals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

DNA analysis of present-day human populations has supported the hypothesis that early modern humans left Africa around 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, and archaeologists have thought our early ancestors likely followed coastlines and islands through southeast Asia toward Australia. However, a growing number of older human remains discovered in China and the Levant show that this chapter in the human story is more complicated than first thought. The cave was occupied by early humans for about 50,000 years, archaeologists believe. At a nearby site, known as Cobra Cave, a tooth believed to belong to a Denisovan, an elusive early human, has been found. The team expects to unearth more human fossils from the region.

Persons: sapiens, ”, Kira Westaway, ” Westaway, Westaway, Tam Pa Ling, Tam Pà Ling Organizations: CNN, Macquarie University, UNESCO, Heritage, Nature Communications Locations: Africa, Laos, Australia, Asia, China, Tam Pa, Sumatra, Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia

☆ $1.3 Million Homes in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Angela Serratore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Los Osos | $1.3 MillionA one-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow built in 1940, with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse, on a 0.2-acre lotThis house is a 10-minute drive from the El Moro Elfin Forest, a 90-acre nature preserve popular with hikers and bird-watchers. It is also close to the shoreline of Morro Bay and to Baywood Park Beach. San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle, is 40 minutes away by car. The front door opens into a living room with hardwood floors and a rock fireplace. This space is open to an updated kitchen with new Viking appliances and quartz countertops.

Persons: Paso Robles Organizations: El, Hearst, Santa Barbara Locations: Morro Bay, Beach, San Simeon, Paso, Santa, Carmel, Monterey

☆ Jimmy Carter's legacy: How he welcomed refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

These steps Carter took during his presidency are still shaping the United States, decades after he left office. Because of Carter’s actions, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing persecution had a chance to come to the United States when he was commander-in-chief. A crisis that began before Carter took office was becoming increasingly dire by the day. That respect, Nguyen says, was earned by actions that Carter took that changed the course of her parents’ lives. “They were only able to do so because of the political courage exercised by President Carter,” she says.

Persons: Jimmy Carter’s, hasn’t, Carter, ”, Kai Bird, Jimmy Carter, Bird, Carter didn’t, Fred Ihrt, ” Carter, Bee Nguyen, it’s, Nguyen, ’, “, ” Nguyen, President Carter, AAPIHeritageMonth, –, ♥️, ince, ives, K unis,, inger, egina, sia, ould, ong, ake, ariel, haring, J, ross Organizations: CNN, CBS, The New York Times, White, ust, ashington Locations: United States, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Saigon, Georgia, Thailand, Iowa, America, ife

☆ Lexi Underwood Can Relate to ‘BoJack Horseman’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kathryn Shattuck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Fun fact: We’re a day apart, our birthdays, so I used to say that we’re almost birthday twins. Being able to see his story told in that light on Broadway — I was so moved, and I keep going back and bringing people. That album, for me, symbolizes everything that it means to come of age — the heartbreak, the finding yourself. There’s a ramen spot that’s five minutes from my house that I honestly abuse the heck out of because I’m always over there. I feel like my friends are probably tired of me constantly suggesting to go get ramen when they ask what we want for lunch.

☆ Supply chain scrutiny may upend EU solar ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Western nations are rushing to install more solar panels to reduce their dependency on polluting fossil fuels like gas and oil. Yet a rising legislative tide aimed at ensuring companies’ supply chains are free from forced labour and other abuses presents a mounting challenge for Western utilities. Bernreuter estimates that non-Chinese solar-grade polysilicon is enough to produce 40 gigawatts of solar panels per year. Banned materials include polysilicon, an ultra-pure form of silicon, that is the key raw material used to make solar panels. The European Commission published in February 2022 a draft proposal aimed at forcing companies to better police their global supply chains.

☆ Your Flannel Shirts Aren’t Working Anymore. Follow Brad Pitt’s Lead and Wear This Instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ashley Ogawa Clarke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SKIP THE SAD PLAID Striking features such as colorful buttons distinguish a new breed of overshirt from all the blah flannel clones. Illustration: Paul TullerTHE ACTOR Kunal Nayyar enjoys dressing up when he flies, “like how they used to do in the olden days.” His favorite jet-setting item? Not a natty blazer a la 1950s travelers, but an overshirt with a twist. Nayyar, of “The Big Bang Theory” fame, swears by cozy cashmere designs with buttons made of gemstones such as pink rose quartz or purple amethyst. These precious fasteners add distinctive hits of color, said the 42-year-old.

☆ Buffalo Starbucks workers helped spark the chain's labor union movement. Now, one of the stores has filed to decertify its union.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Workers at a Buffalo Starbucks store have filed a petition to decertify their union. The store, located in downtown Buffalo, New York, would remove Workers United as its representative in negotiations with Starbucks, Bloomberg Law reported. It was among the first Starbucks stores in the country where employees voted to have union representation. A spokesperson for Workers United told TV station WGRZ that Starbucks had launched an "illegal union-busting campaign" at the store. According to Workers United, about 300 Starbucks stores around the US have voted to unionize.

☆ Apple may want to use AI to change your diet, sleep routine, and mood, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple is developing an AI-powered health coach under the codename Quartz, Bloomberg reported. It will use Apple Watch data to monitor diet, exercise, and sleep patterns, then suggest changes. It would use data from Apple Watch users to monitor sleep patterns, exercise routines, diet, and emotions, then suggest personalized healthy changes based on the AI's analysis. The latest iterations of the Apple Watch already have a heart rate monitor, fertility tracker, and temperature sensor. Bloomberg reported that additional features will be rolled out later to read users' moods by analyzing their speech, typed words, and other device data.

☆ This 51-year-old pays $725 a month to live in a 'tiny home on wheels’ in someone's backyard—take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Jen Gressett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

When I saw a trend of tiny houses on social media, I was immediately intrigued and decided to go for it. Today, I live in a 520-square-foot house with a modern farmhouse interior, and I have a community of 160,000 followers on Instagram, where I share tips about the tiny house lifestyle. How I built my tiny home on wheelsIn 2019, I bought a tiny house shell from a local builder for $45,000. So I reached out to a different builder, MitchCraft Tiny Homes, to take over the project in June 2020. Photo: Jen GressettYour tiny space can be whatever you want it to be.

☆ These features may 'set you ahead of the competition' when selling your home, research finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Certain luxury features may help sell your home for more money or faster than expected, according to new research from Zillow. "If you have these features in your home already, you should definitely flaunt them in your listing description," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "That is going to set you ahead of the competition." The real estate website evaluated 271 design terms and features included in almost 2 million home sales in 2022. Doorbell cameras topped that list, helping to sell homes 5.1 days faster.

☆ I transform garages into upscale apartments so homeowners can rent them out and make passive income
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

So I designed a product that's modular — that can go inside a garage — and San Jose preapproved it. Then they are trucked to the site of the garage, along with the wall panels, and installed inside the garage. So far, I've built four units — with five more in the pipeline — throughout San Jose, San Mateo, and Mountain View. The floors are cork and bamboo, and there are solid-core barn doors inside the units. I really started doing this as a way to to solve a problem.

☆ A millennial whose employer gives paid period leave said it's improved her work life knowing she could take time off when the pain becomes unbearable
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Paid menstrual leave is much more common in Asia than the US or Europe. One worker told Insider menstrual leave at her Polish company made life easier in the last year. "By giving additional days off for those experiencing menstrual period pain, we acknowledge these symptoms are real." Rutkowska also praised the relative ease and discretion of requesting menstrual leave, especially in comparison to other forms of leave. She said she simply logs onto her online time sheet, fills out "menstrual leave" as the reason, and gets approved quickly.

☆ Career coach shares 3 ways she stops her anxiety at work—even when she's convinced 'they must be about to fire me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Phoebe Gavin, 37, is no stranger to anxiety at work. "And now I'm so anxious about what my next interaction is going to be with them in my on one-on-one on Thursday. Gavin is a full-time leadership and career coach but in the past has worked for companies like Vox and Quartz. Despite having struggled with anxiety her whole life, Gavin was only diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder at 23. Other apps targeting anxiety include the Calm app and Unwinding Anxiety.

☆ This collection of minimalist homes with a California flair are built in a factory, trucked to their final location, and start at $1,680 per month — take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Each Abodu has laminate flooring, with three different color options for buyers to choose from. The kitchen of a one-bedroom Abodu ADU in San Jose Courtesy of AboduThey also come with Bosch appliances including a dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, hood, and electric stove. Everything in this unit runs on electric. In the kitchen of this one-bedroom Abodu ADU in San Jose, the countertops are quartz and the cabinetry has a matte-black finish. The hanging lamps are an add-on called the hanging concrete pendant.

☆ I've made $126,000 in sales so far in 2023 on Etsy. Here's how I set up this mostly passive income stream that takes 3 hours a week.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Emma Larocque set up her Etsy shop, Quartz Design Studio, to make a passive income on the side. I created a Printful account and linked to an Etsy shop I'd started in November 2021. Once an order is placed through Etsy, Printful automatically embroiders the sweatshirt with my design and sends it to the customer. My revenue for last year from the Etsy shop was about $71,000, after Etsy's 9.5% transaction and processing fee. I pay more to have my items made and shipped by Printful, but that's what keeps my shop passive.

☆ How a family's struggle to help their son gave rise to controversial $400 million psychedelics giant Compass Pathways
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Today, Compass Pathways, the for-profit company they launched in 2016, is a Nasdaq-listed firm worth about $400 million. Compass Pathways Show lessIt could also boost the dozens of psychedelics companies inspired by Compass that have been formed in recent years. Insider spoke with more than a dozen industry participants to chart the rise of Compass Pathways and its role in the psychedelics boom. He recalled the 2018 Quartz article that detailed the growing alarm around Compass Pathways' "magic mushroom monopoly." Were it not for his decision to take a break from college, and his parents' efforts to find a treatment, Compass Pathways might not exist.

☆ Owner of Spain's Cosentino admits negligence over silicosis in workers - documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The logo of Spain's kitchen worktop manufacturer Cosentino is seen outside its showroom in Madrid, Spain, February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraMADRID, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A Spanish businessman has admitted in court that he covered up the dangers of his company's star product, which allegedly led to nearly 1,900 workers contracting the occupational lung disease silicosis, court documents showed on Tuesday. Cosentino, based in the southern province of Almeria, is planning an IPO that could be worth more than 3 billion euros. Cosentino said managers at stone-cutting workshops "are responsible for ensuring that their workers have the necessary means of protection and that they implement them appropriately". "It is entirely incorrect that Cosentino has admitted to having concealed the fact that the handling of Silestone has caused the majority of cases of silicosis that have affected 1,856 workers," it added.

☆ Two companies race to deploy robotaxis in San Francisco. The city wants them to hit the brakes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco is trying to slow the expansion of robotaxis after repeated incidents in which cars without drivers stopped and idled in the middle of the street for no obvious reason, delaying bus riders and disrupting the work of firefighters. Some believe self-driving cars will never happen on a wide scale, but they’ve been gaining momentum in San Francisco. San Francisco doesn’t want robotaxis operating in the city’s downtown core, for example, or during morning and evening peak commuting times. He also provided letters in support of Cruise written by local San Francisco merchants associations, disability advocates and community groups. City officials argue that stopped robotaxis are hazards that can cause human drivers to react dangerously.

☆ The Threads That Bind Us
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Peggy Orenstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I wondered if the commentator knew its origin: coloring sheep fleece rather than spun thread to reduce fading. The princess in “Sleeping Beauty” pricks her finger (on a spindle, on flax, on a wool comb) in the Middle East, South America and across Europe. Perhaps inspired by the molasses months of lockdown when so many found comfort in needlework, a trendlet of books has emerged celebrating the fiber arts. She drags him to an embroidery class at the local library that seems, at first, beyond his abilities. The needle that looks like a “tiger’s tooth” bites his finger, then bites it again.

☆ I'm an HR executive that was just laid off from Vox Media. I've been preparing for this since my first day on the job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Last Friday, I was informed that I was being laid off from my position at Vox Media. Today is my last day as executive director of talent and development for Vox.com after one year at the company. "What's the difference between the life I'm experiencing now and the one I want to have? It's about what kind of life I'm trying to live. At the end of the day, there is no job that's 100% secure because companies exist to thrive and drive profits.

☆ Meet the 'zillennials,' who grew up online, live with their parents, and have retailers chasing their disposable income
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

'Zillennials' are the consumers at the cusp of the millennial and Gen Z generations. As many as 48% of zillennials live with their parents, meaning they don't pay a mortgage or rent. That means that a large share of young consumers aren't paying for rent or a mortgage. Add that to their steady income and the fact that they grew up on the internet, and zillennials are becoming savvy shoppers with plenty of disposable cash. Morgan Stanley analysts wrote recently that young consumers living with their parents are helping to fuel the luxury boom because they're saving on bills and necessities like groceries.

☆ 50,000-year-old tools thought to have been made by the first Americans were actually crafted by monkeys to break open nuts, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers say that capuchin monkeys made ancient stone tools discovered in Brazil. Capuchin monkeys are capable of making a large variety of stone tools, research has shown. The findings showed that capuchin monkeys in northeastern Brazil are capable of making and using a large variety of stone tools. The researchers compared the tools found at Pedra Furada to those that capuchin monkeys make today. "The result is that the rocks used often break, generating rock fragments that are very similar to those produced by humans when carving stone tools," said Agustín M. Agnolín, per CONICET'S news release.

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