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Contrary to what you may have heard, new retirees are doing better financially than previous generations, according to research being published on Wednesday by a mutual fund industry trade group. “On average, more-recent generations of households have higher levels of resources to draw on in retirement than previous generations,” said the study by the Investment Company Institute, a trade group. “Other measures also indicate improvements in retiree well-being. For example, the poverty rate among people aged 65 or older has declined from nearly 30% in 1966 to 9% in 2011.” These findings — culled from a survey of academic, government [...]

The dream of a world where machines do the work — as Rosie did for cartoon family “The Jetsons” — may be some way off yet. M2M technology allows machines to exchange information with one another100 million devices are already connected Industry analysts predict there will be two billion M2M-connected devices by 2021Long development periods and adoption of 4G connectivity has held technology back, says John Horn Editor’s note: John Horn is President of RACO Wireless, a provider of wireless data solutions for the M2M industry. Horn joined RACO Wireless in May 2011, having worked on M2M technologies at T-Mobile [...]

One of the more — ahem — glamorous aspects of my urban life is the weekly trip to the laundromat. While at times it’s a going-through-the-motions experience, sometimes I actually relish it. Once upon a time, when I had a more conventional work schedule and commuted to New York every day, I sent out my laundry. I’ve come to the conclusion I was missing out on an experience. A few years ago while going to a laundromat owned by a Chinese-American couple, I would have these lively political and social conversations with the owner as she took a break from [...]

Winning naturally elevates testosterone levels, but so does striking the type of expansive pose adopted by Great Britain’s Chris Hoy upon winning gold in the men’s keirin cycling. “Power poses” are characterised by outstretched limbs, something at which gymnast Gabby Douglas would likely excel … The effects of a “power pose,” as demonstrated by Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, are thought to last at least 20 minutes, and help combat cortisol, the stress hormone. Some power poses appear to be gender specific. A University of Jena psychologist has demonstrated that men associate a clenched fist with feelings of power. Researchers have [...]