Category: Life Style

What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky-high again in latest survey of federal employees

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FILE – The NASA moon rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center Sept. 27, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. In Washington, a city that revolves around the federal government, the annual Best Places to Work survey is a closely-watched annual event worthy of bragging rights, provided you’re one of the agencies like NASA or the Government Accountability Office who topped the survey. The survey, released Monday, May 20, 2024, uses information from the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Exploring the cosmos makes for happy employees, federal workers like to work from home like everyone else, and an agency that has struggled with low morale is showing improvement.

Those are some of the highlights of a survey released Monday of more than a million federal workers.

In a city that revolves around the federal government, the annual Best Places to Work survey is a closely watched annual event worthy of bragging rights — provided you’re one of the agencies such as NASA or the Government Accountability Office who topped the survey.

The survey uses information from the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and is produced by the Partnership for Public Service and the Boston Consulting Group. Continue reading

Overtourism Is Expected to Peak in 2024, While 95% of Destinations Remain Unexplored

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Emese Maczko | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Last year, Phuket, Thailand, was the most overcrowded tourist destination. For each of the island’s 416,000 inhabitants, 118 vacationers showed up, according to a study by MoneyTransfers.com.

In 2019, environmental tracking and analysis site Murmuration noted that 80% of the world’s tourists visit only 10% of global destinations. They predicted if this trend wasn’t reversed, by 2050, tourism would have doubled energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Has travel become a double-edged sword? On one hand, popular tourist destinations groan under the weight of traffic, transforming them into unbearably crowded spectacles. On the other, the allure of undiscovered places comes with the risk of turning them into mass tourism targets we seek to escape.

Is there a middle ground in travel that allows us to explore without exploitation, to enjoy without eroding? Are there destinations that offer the best of both worlds and manage visitors sustainably? Continue reading

Would you like a cicada salad? The monstrous little noisemakers descend on a New Orleans menu

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Zach Lemann, curator of animal collections for the Audubon Insectarium, prepares cicadas for eating at the insectarium in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The insectarium plans to demonstrate ways to cook cicadas at the little in-house snack bar where it already serves other insect dishes. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it’s worth noting that they’re not just annoying, noisy pests — if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat.

Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as Antoine’s and Brennan’s, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans has long served up an array of alternative, insect-based treats at its “Bug Appetit” cafe overlooking the Mississippi River. “Cinnamon Bug Crunch,” chili-fried waxworms, and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets are among the menu items.

Periodical cicadas stay buried for years, until they surface and take over a landscape. Depending on the variety, the emergence happens every 13 or 17 years. This year two groups are expected to emerge soon, averaging around 1 million per acre over hundreds of millions of acres across parts of 16 states in the Midwest and South. Continue reading

Record Store Day celebrates indie retail music sellers as they ride vinyl’s popularity wave

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Jeff Maimon, of Chicago, checks out some vinyl at Tracks In Wax record shop, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Phoenix. Special LP releases, live performances and at least one giant block party are scheduled around the U.S. Saturday as hundreds of shops celebrate Record Store Day amid a surge of interest in vinyl and the day after the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

By ANITA SNOW Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Special LP releases, live performances and at least one giant block party are scheduled around the U.S. Saturday as hundreds of shops celebrate Record Store Day during a surge of interest in vinyl and the day after the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album.

There were no announced Record Store Day specials for the arrival of Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” on Friday, but her fans always anxiously look forward to the new albums and accompanying collectible LPs.

In suburban strip malls and big city downtowns, indie record stores are often the first to recognize and promote emerging artists. Years before Swift was setting Grammy records and selling out concerts in Japan, Bull Moose Music in Portland, Maine, was giving away one of her autographed guitars in an enter-to-win contest.

“We were carrying her music before all the big stores. We always knew she would be a star,” said Chris Brown of employee-owned Bull Moose and a co-founder of Record Store Day. Continue reading

Only 26% of Americans say they get at least eight hours of sleep, new Gallup poll says

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FILE – A traveler takes a nap as he waits for a ride outside Miami International Airport, Friday, July 1, 2022, in Miami. The Gallup survey, released Monday, April 15, 2024, says that a majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep. But in the U.S., where the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, getting enough sleep can seem like a dream. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

By DEEPTI HAJELA and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll.

But in the U.S., the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, both in the country’s beginnings and our current environment of always-on technology and work hours. And getting enough sleep can seem like a dream.

The Gallup poll, released Monday, found 57% of Americans say they would feel better if they could get more sleep, while only 42% say they are getting as much sleep as they need. That’s a first in Gallup polling since 2001; in 2013, when Americans were last asked, it was just about the reverse — 56% saying they got the needed sleep and 43% saying they didn’t. Continue reading

Spring Cleaning: A Waste of Time or Essential for Happy Living?

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By Marly Garman | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Upwards of 86% of United States respondents plan to declutter and deep clean their homes this spring, according to Nextdoor’s January 2024 survey. As many as 29% plan to dedicate an entire day to the process, and others plan to spend more than a week getting their house in perfect order.

One might expect to see parks buzzing with people enjoying the sun after months inside. There’s something else topping many to-do lists that people are eager to accomplish this spring.

Is spring cleaning more ritual, tradition, habit, or necessity for well-being? Recent data suggests it may be a combination of all four. But one thing is clear: removing clutter and enjoying a clean, fresh-smelling home are the top priorities for feeling happier at home this spring. Continue reading

Even in the age of Google Earth, people still buy globes. Here’s why they remain so alluring

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An artist paints a globe at a studio in London, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. Globes in the age of Google Earth capture the imagination and serve as snapshots of how the owners see the world and their place in it. Peter Bellerby made his first globe for his father, after he could not find one accurate or attractive enough. In 2008, he founded Bellerby & Co. Globemakers in London. His team of dozens of artists and cartographers has made thousands of bespoke globes up to 50 inches in diameter. The most ornate can cost six figures. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Find a globe in your local library or classroom and try this: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface.

You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of — or a spot that no longer exists after a war or because of climate change. Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to find out who lives there and what it’s like. Trace the path of totality ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse. Look carefully, and you’ll find the cartouche — the globemaker’s signature — and the antipode ( look it up ) of where you’re standing right now.

In the age of Google Earth, watches that triangulate and cars with built-in GPS, there’s something about a globe — a spherical representation of the world in miniature — that somehow endures.

London globemaker Peter Bellerby thinks the human yearning to “find our place in the cosmos” has helped globes survive their original purpose — navigation — and the internet. He says it’s part of the reason he went into debt making a globe for his father’s 80th birthday in 2008. The experience helped inspire his company, and 16 years later is keeping his team of about two dozen artists, cartographers and woodworkers employed. Continue reading

As Food Costs Rise, More and More Americans Are Looking To Their Yards To Save Money in 2024

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By Adriana Copaceanu | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Food prices across the board are predicted to increase by 1.3%, according to the latest consumer pricing analysis from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Restaurant dining will see the largest increase – an average of 4.7% and may go as high as 6.2%.

As food costs rise in 2024, even more pennies are squeezed from our monthly budgets. More and more Americans are turning to their own backyards to offset the cost of eating. Planting a garden can save you hundreds of dollars, and for some families, that adds up to thousands of dollars in savings annually.

New Gardener Success

A recent study from Axiom showed that 69.7% of people polled said they would plant more and expand their gardens in 2024. Continue reading

Bernie Sanders wants the US to adopt a 32-hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?

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FILE – Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks to the media as he walks to the House chamber before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, March 7, 2024, in Washington. Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, introduced a bill Thursday, March 14, that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they’re owed overtime. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they’re owed overtime.

Given advances in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, Sanders says U.S. companies can afford to give employees more time off without cutting their pay and benefits.

Critics say a mandated shorter week would force many companies to hire additional workers or lose productivity. Continue reading

What’s Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more

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A freshly decorated Key Lime pie rests on a counter in a busy bakery kitchen at Michele’s Pies, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Norwalk, Conn. Math enthusiasts and bakers celebrate Pi Day on March 14 or 3/14, the first three digits of a mathematical constant with many practical uses. Around the world many people will mark the day with a slice of sweet or savory pie. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press

Math enthusiasts around the world, from college kids to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, which is March 14 or 3/14 — the first three digits of an infinite number with many practical uses.

Around the world many people will mark the day with a slice of pie — sweet, savory or even pizza.

Simply put, Pi is a mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is part of many formulas used in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields, dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Babylon and China.

Pi Day itself dates to 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw began celebrations at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco. The holiday didn’t really gain national recognition though until two decades later. In 2009, Congress designated every March 14 to be the big day — to hopefully spur more interest in math and science. Fittingly enough, the day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday.

Here’s a little more about the holiday’s origin and how it’s celebrated today.

WHAT IS PI?

Pi can calculate the circumference of a circle by measuring the diameter — the distance straight across the circle’s middle — and multiplying that by the 3.14-plus number.

It is considered a constant number and it is also infinite, meaning it is mathematically irrational. Long before computers, historic scientists such as Isaac Newton spent many hours calculating decimal places by hand. Today, using sophisticated computers, researchers have come up with trillions of digits for pi, but there is no end.

WHY IS IT CALLED PI?

It wasn’t given its name until 1706, when Welsh mathematician William Jones began using the Greek symbol for the number.

Why that letter? It’s the first Greek letter in the words “periphery” and “perimeter,” and pi is the ratio of a circle’s periphery — or circumference — to its diameter.

WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL USES?

The number is key to accurately pointing an antenna toward a satellite. It helps figure out everything from the size of a massive cylinder needed in refinery equipment to the size of paper rolls used in printers.

Pi is also useful in determining the necessary scale of a tank that serves heating and air conditioning systems in buildings of various sizes.

NASA uses pi on a daily basis. It’s key to calculating orbits, the positions of planets and other celestial bodies, elements of rocket propulsion, spacecraft communication and even the correct deployment of parachutes when a vehicle splashes down on Earth or lands on Mars.

Using just nine digits of pi, scientists say it can calculate the Earth’s circumference so accurately it only errs by about a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeters) for every 25,000 miles (about 40,000 kilometers).

IT’S NOT JUST MATH, THOUGH

Every year the San Francisco museum that coined the holiday organizes events, including a parade around a circular plaque, called the Pi Shrine, 3.14 times — and then, of course, festivities with lots of pie.

Around the country, many events now take place on college campuses. For example, Nova Southeastern University in Florida will hold a series of activities, including a game called “Mental Math Bingo” and event with free pizza (pies) — and for dessert, the requisite pie.

“Every year Pi Day provides us with a way to celebrate math, have some fun and recognize how important math is in all our lives,” said Jason Gershman, chair of NSU’s math department.

At Michele’s Pies in Norwalk, Connecticut, manager Stephen Jarrett said it’s one of their biggest days of the year.

“We have hundreds of pies going out for orders (Thursday) to companies, schools and just individuals,” Jarrett said in an interview. “Pi Day is such a fun, silly holiday because it’s a mathematical number that people love to turn into something fun and something delicious. So people celebrate Pi Day with sweet pies, savory pies, and it’s just an excuse for a little treat.”

NASA has its annual “Pi Day Challenge” online, offering people plenty of games and puzzles, some of them directly from the space agency’s own playbook such as calculating the orbit of an asteroid or the distance a moon rover would need to travel each day to survey a certain lunar area.

WHAT ABOUT EINSTEIN?

Possibly the world’s best-known scientist, Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Germany. The infinite number of Pi was used in many of his breakthrough theories and now Pi Day gives the world another reason to celebrate his achievements.

In a bit of math symmetry, famed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, at age 76. Still, Pi is not a perfect number. He once had this to say:

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist. Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”

Associated Press video journalist John Minchillo contributed from Norwalk, Connecticut.