A recent article on thestreet.com discussed a study, done by TrueCar, of retail car buying behavior in the U.S. 50 states in 2010. The study shows some intriguing trends that shed light on cultural/political differences and commonalities throughout America. The study found that America truly does have a national vehicle. Ford’s F-Series truck was the No. 1 selling vehicle in 35 of 50 states, while the Chevrolet Silverado was No. 2 to the F-Series in 20 states. It ranked first in Arkansas, Iowa, Maine and North Dakota. Twelve states had all five top selling vehicles made up of either pickup…
Author: Noah Graff
Wednesday, NPR interviewed Dr. Robert J. Baker, biology professor at Texas Tech University. In 1994, Dr. Baker began a research study on the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster on the wildlife surrounding the nuclear plant. His team studied the genetic effects of radiation exposure on small mammals specifically. They discovered that the 30-km zone, since being evacuated by all humans after the disaster, has become a wildlife preserve. Baker reported that mammalian populations were vibrant and species diversity did not appear to be reduced, in even the most radioactive environments. Baker also reported that during his visits large…
I went to the PMPA Management update in Orlando the last week of February, and one of the speakers was an expert demographer named Ken Gronbach. The lecture made me feel quite grateful to be an American, and bullish about America’s position as a future global economic power. Gronbach says that the labor force of United States has a bright future because we have a positive birthrate and a steady influx of Latinos coming into the country which keeps the U.S. population growing. Latinos have a strong work ethic, and assimilate relatively well into American culture. Spanish and English languages…
NPR’s All Things Considered recently interviewed Charles Seife, the author of a new book entitled Proofiness: The Dark Art of Mathematical Deception. The book discusses methods used by advertisers and politicians to spin polls to make them seem convincing. One of the methods the book covers is claiming specific numbers when stating “the facts.” For instance, Seife brings up the example of Senator Joe McCarthy identifying exactly 205 communist infiltrators in his first report. Shortly after, McCarthy raised the number to 207, and then decreased it by a few people the next day. By giving a specific number his statements…
For the September 2010 issue of Today’s Machining World I did a short interview with Jim Chiodo, a Tea Party leader in Holland Michigan (I also quoted him in Tuesday’s Swarfblog). According to Chiodo there are a lot of misconceptions about what the Tea Party actually is. He suggested I ask the following questions to readers to find out what they think the term “Tea Party” means. 1. Are you a member of the Tea Party? 2. What do you think the Tea Party represents? 3. If you think you know what it represents, what is your source of info?…
By Lloyd Graff I just spent a week doing the most inefficient, labor-intensive, stupidly expensive, appallingly large carbon footprint use of my time I can think of. I schlepped to California and knocked on doors. It was one of the most satisfying weeks I’ve spent in 10 years. Every face-to-face call I made was productive. Each client and potential client I met with spent more time with me and was more open than I could’ve anticipated. I realized that old school active listening face-to-face was still magical. Two of the clients I visited were Tony Maglica and Ray Fish, who…
By Lloyd Graff This weekend I’m celebrating my 40th wedding anniversary with my wife Risa. We’re spending the weekend in Chicago, having dinner with our children tonight and catching a play on Saturday. Does anybody have a suggestion for a unique and memorable way to celebrate a milestone occasion like a 40th? My wife is not into helicopters or blimps. We are foodies to some degree but we both have some dietary restrictions. Cubs are out of town.
By Noah Graff New research is showing that lucky charms may actually improve a person’s performance when doing certain activities. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported on a study conducted by the University of Cologne in which participants on a putting green were told they were playing with a “lucky ball.” The people using the “lucky balls” sank 6.4 putts out of 10, nearly two more putts, on average, than those who weren’t told the ball was lucky—a 35 percent improvement. However, this phenomenon only applies to instances in which a person actually has some control over…
By Lloyd Graff Have you ever wondered how a movie gets made? This is the inside scoop on that process, right now. Mary Ethridge has written several pieces for Today’s Machining World, including the cover story “Who’s Eating off Mary’s Plate?” about the history of the metal plate in her wrist. She lives in Akron, Ohio, and keeps up with the local scene. So when the Soap Box Derby ran into financial difficulty because the big local sponsor, Levi Strauss, walked away, Mary saw a story worth writing and pitched it to USA Today. USA Today staff reporter Bruce Horovitz…
By Noah Graff I spoke on a panel about the power of social networking and blogs at the Precision Machined Products Association tech conference on Monday. My specific segment was on how best to use videos to promote your business. The presentation seemed well received by our good sized audience, and at the end we fielded some questions. Someone in charge of marketing at a company attending the conference asked us, “How do I justify to my boss the ROI on having a blog?” We all responded by saying that your ROI from a blog isn’t easily quantifiable, yet that…