A substantial portion of older Americans now in the work force chose to return there after retiring, and how well they’re enjoying their labor now depends a lot on whether they’re self-employed, according to two new reports.
About 10% of workers 40 and older are retirees who’ve returned to the work force, according to a recent survey that screened more than 17,200 workers to find retirees who went back to work, conducted for Putnam Investments by Brightwork Partners, a research firm.
Best Songs of 2005
ll Songs Considered host Bob Boilen counts down listener picks for the 10 best CDs of 2005, with NPR music reviewers Will Hermes, Tom Moon and Meredith Ochs. They also share some of their own favorites from the year and take calls from listeners. This program originally webcast live on NPR.org Dec. 16, 2005. Below are the top 10 CDs of 2005 chosen in our online poll, with select comments from the listeners who love them.
Our Tax Dollars at Work
The Digital Transition Content Security Act would embed anticopying technology into the next generation of digital video products. If it makes its way from Capitol Hill to the Oval Office and becomes law, the measure will outlaw the manufacture or sale of electronic devices that convert analog video signals into digital video signals, effective one year from its enactment. PC-based tuners and digital video recorders are listed among the devices.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican, introduced the bill, which is backed by Democratic Rep. John Conyers. Sensenbrenner’s goal is to protect analog content from theft, which has been made easier in the wake of the transition to digital technologies.
This is obviously an important issue for Sensenbrenner’s constituents…. (and Conyer’s Michigan voters). The power of money.
John Lasseter at MoMa
MoMA just opened their show about Pixar last week and on Friday, we went to a presentation by John Lasseter, head creative guy at the company. Interesting talk, although I’d heard some of it in various places before, most notably in this interview with him on WNYC. Two quick highlights:
NY City Transit Strike Links
- Most Inconvenient Commute Contest
- Transit Work Strike Blog
- New Surreal city
Word of Mouth Study – Every Day
What percentage of all our conversations include talk about an organization, brand, product, or service?
Based on my research with college students (18-29 years of age) the answer is about 17.5%, on average. This is a little higher than the 13.5% I found in an earlier study (see “March 2005” results in the chart and below for details).
Via Ben McConnell
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly on Competition
But the 35-year-old airline is feeling its age, with labor costs rising along with expenses related to maintaining a fleet of more than 400 planes. As its fuel-hedging benefits begin to erode, Mr. Kelly must continue to tighten spending while maintaining the famous warm-and-fuzzy Southwest culture that has generated some of the most loyal employees in the industry. His ability to do that will be severely tested next year when Southwest must negotiate a new labor contract with its pilots union. The airline’s financial strength and its long, unbroken string of quarterly profits could make it harder to keep a lid on salaries and benefits.
Long Now Foundation Podcasts
The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996* to develop the Clock and Library projects, as well as to become the seed of a very lon g term cultural institution. The Long Now Foundation hopes to provide counterpoint to today’s “faster/cheaper” mind set and promote “slower/bet ter” thinking. We hope to creatively foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years.
Podcasts of many seminars are available on the Long Now Foundation’s website.
Venture Capital Investment Trends
If you want to find out what’s hot for the enterprise, follow the money: the venture capital money, that is. Interest in old-school business models and applications has waned, but startups that offer enterprises innovative, secure solutions at low cost are attracting big money.
Top Ten 2005 National Geographic News Videos
Killer hurricanes, swarming sharks, and wildlife fighting for survival headlined this year’s most popular videos from National Geographic News. Replay the year in science, nature, and exploration with 2005’s top ten videos.