An AT&T customer service horror story

by Elinor Mills

CNET News

What came first: the bad customer service or the hard-to-find deal?


I ask this for a reason: After more than three years of paying for AT&T phone service solely for the purpose of getting DSL, I have come to learn that the phone service is completely unnecessary. My aggravating (and embarrassing) path to that knowledge should serve as a lesson for companies in how not to do customer service if you want to retain your customers. It's also a valuable lesson for consumers, who have to stay vigilant in order to get the deal that's right for them.

A Different Kind of Eyeglasses

By MICHAEL TOTTY

Wall Street Journal

For many people past the age of 40, focusing on close objects—restaurant menus, for instance—just gets harder and harder.

Why So Many People Can't Make Decisions

By SHIRLEY S. WANG

Wall Street Journal

Some people meet, fall in love and get married right away. Others can spend hours in the sock aisle at the department store, weighing the pros and cons of buying a pair of wool argyles instead of cotton striped. [Quiz]

Elderly Zombies Win the Undying Loyalty of Their Fans

Cast of 'Night of the Living Dead' Recall the Gory Days
By CLARE ANSBERRY

Wall Street Journal

PITTSBURGH—Josephine Streiner, 92, is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is also the oldest living ghoul from the 1968 horror classic "Night of the Living Dead."

To Fix Bad Breath, a Gadget Seen on YouTube

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

New York Times

WHEN Robert Wagstaff came up with the idea for a tongue brush to cure bad breath, he was sure he had a best seller. But a decade later, after dozens of pitches to dentists and retailers and a $50,000 TV infomercial, he had a dud.

Access other videos from Orabrush at this link.

Health Tip: Sit Properly at the Computer

Suggestions for setting up your chair
healthfinder.gov

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

(HealthDay News) -- It's important to maintain proper posture when sitting at the computer.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions:

'OMG!': Why Cell Conversations Are So Annoying

One side of a talk is much harder to tune out than a two-way dialogue, researcher finds.
healthfinder.gov

U. S. Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS)

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Overhearing someone talk on a cell phone can be very annoying because it makes it hard, if not impossible, to concentrate on what you're doing, according to a new study.

Five myths about Facebook

By David Kirkpatrick

Washington Post

Movies often have Web sites, but it's not so often that Web sites have movies. Facebook, of course, is not just any Web site; in the 6 1/2 years since founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg started the social networking service in his Harvard dorm room, it has acquired 500 million active users worldwide. It may be the fastest-growing company in history. And now, yes, it is the inspiration for a movie, "The Social Network," opening Oct. 1. Even before Hollywood got involved, however, Facebook was the subject of quite a bit of lore -- not all of it true.

URBAN AMERICA'S ROUGH ROADS COSTING DRIVERS $400 A YEAR

SAN JOSE, LOS ANGELES, HONOLULU, CONCORD (CA), SAN FRANCISCO – OAKLAND, NEW ORLEANS, NEW YORK CITY, SAN DIEGO, INDIO-PALM SPRINGS AND BALTIMORE LEAD NATION IN POOR ROAD CONDITIONS
By TRIP A national transportation research group

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22, 2010 – Twenty-four percent of the nation’s major metropolitan roads – interstates, freeways and other critical local routes – have pavements in poor condition, resulting in rough rides and costing the average urban motorist $402 annually in additional vehicle operating costs, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a national transportation research group.

Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green?

By TOM ZELLER Jr.

New York Times

WHEN Barbara Landau, an environmental and land-use lawyer in suburban Boston, was shopping for insurance on the energy-efficient home she and her husband were building in the woods just outside of town here, she was routinely asked what sort of furnace the home would have.

“None,” she replied.

Several insurers declined coverage.

“They just didn’t understand what we were trying to do,” Mrs. Landau recalls. “They said the pipes would freeze.”

The Secrets of a Passive House [Interactive Graphic]

Energy Efficiency: A Step Further [Slide Show]

Passive House: [Video] See Below:

See additional information and resources on passive house construction.

Gateway to Knowledge: The Library's Rolling Exhibition

Library of Congress

A specially-designed 18-wheel truck will bring treasures and information from the Library of Congress into cities and towns across America beginning in September 2010.

"Gateway to Knowledge" will visit sites in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana in September and October. Ultimately, the rolling exhibition is expected to visit up to 60 sites in states across the Midwest and South over the next year.

The truck, which will be staffed and driven by two docents well-versed in the Library and its collections, will be parked at various universities, libraries, community centers and other public venues.

In Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF

New York Times

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Back in 2007, when the government here announced its plan for “the world’s first zero-carbon city” on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, many Westerners dismissed it as a gimmick — a faddish follow-up to neighboring Dubai’s half-mile-high tower in the desert and archipelago of man-made islands in the shape of palm trees. Slide Show Interactive Graphic

Best Weapon Against Honor Killers: Shame

The custom of dueling ended only when it became a matter of public dishonor. How the same approach can help the brutalized women of Pakistan.

By KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH
Wall Street Journal

Honor has a lot to answer for. Consider the thousand or so women in Pakistan who are murdered each year by relatives in the name of family honor. These murders are not endorsed by the state of Pakistan. They are illegal. Nor do they have the sanction of Islam. Any number of Islamic scholars, mullahs and ayatollahs have declared honor killings to be contrary to their religion.

The Farm of the Future: Harvesting the Sky

Wall Street Journal

[Interactive Graphic]

Also See:
The Farm of the Future: Harvesting the Sky

Stephen Colbert Opening Statement

The Genius of the Tinkerer

The secret to innovation is combining odds and ends, writes Steven Johnson.
By STEVEN JOHNSON

Wall Street Journal

In the year following the 2004 tsunami, the Indonesian city of Meulaboh received eight neonatal incubators from international relief organizations. Several years later, when an MIT fellow named Timothy Prestero visited the local hospital, all eight were out of order, the victim of power surges and tropical humidity, along with the hospital staff's inability to read the English repair manual.

Games Official Angers India With Hygiene Comment

By JIM YARDLEY

New York Times

NEW DELHI — Had the statement come from a non-Indian, especially a Westerner, it probably would have been angrily repudiated as an affront to Indian dignity. But the offending words came from a top Indian official trying to deflect criticism for the bureaucratic failings and lax preparations threatening the coming Commonwealth Games.

Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries

By KIM SEVERSON

New York Times

It’s been a busy week for vegetables.

The baby-carrot industry tried to reposition its product as junk food, starting a $25 million advertising campaign whose defining characteristics include heavy metal music, a phone app and a young man in a grocery cart dodging baby-carrot bullets fired by a woman in tight jeans.

Doctrinal divide confronts Mormons on immigration

By Jeremiah Stettler
The Salt Lake Tribune

Here in Utah, the push toward tougher immigration laws has become increasingly tangled in Mormon doctrine as divided Latter-day Saints defend their politics by pointing to conflicting interpretations of what Jesus would do.

How to Raise Boys Who Read

Hint: Not with gross-out books and video-game bribes.

By THOMAS SPENCE

Wall Street Journal

When I was a young boy, America's elite schools and universities were almost entirely reserved for males. That seems incredible now, in an era when headlines suggest that boys are largely unfit for the classroom. In particular, they can't read.

A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

New York Times

BOSTON — Police departments have collected thousands of handguns through buy-back programs in communities throughout the country. Now they want the contents of your medicine cabinet.

A Quirky Car Company, Serving Quirky Customers

By JULIA WERDIGIER

New York Times

LONDON — For a certain kind of company, recessions may be beside the point.

In the office of Toby Silverton, 52, the owner of the British luxury carmaker Bristol, hangs a photograph of a smiling female customer standing next to her 30-year-old Bristol 603 car. Mr. Silverton recounts how she bought the car from him second hand about four years ago without knowing that its previous owner was Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2. Slide Show

Shweeb Monorail Technology

From the Web Site:

 In 2008 Google Inc. initiated Project 10^100 as a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. People from around the world submitted over 150,000 ideas that they wanted to bring to life. "Drive innovation in public transportation" was one of the five winning ideas, voted on by the public. Google Inc. subsequently searched the globe and selected Shweeb as the organisation with the most forward looking transportation vision and with the relevant expertise to implement such an idea. In September 2010 Google Inc. announced an investment of USD1m in SHL to assist with transit research and development.

On Our Radar: Copenhagen’s Cargo Bikes

Copenhagen Cargo Bikes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Paris Offers Water With Bubbles, but No Bottles

By MAÏA de la BAUME

New York Times

PARIS — In the latest in a series of unusual efforts to make Paris green, the city is now offering residents free sparkling water to try to wean Parisians not from red wine, but from overconsumption of plastic bottles.

National Take Back Initiative

By: Jess | September 23, 2010 | Category: Health

GovGab: Your U. S. Government Blog


You know how it is. Kid #1 has a cough and a runny nose, so you pick up some cough medicine. Then Kid #2 gets a headache, so you pick up a children's strength pain killer. Then your sinuses start acting up so you pick up a decongestant. 

Expanding the Creative Horizons of Your Printer

By SONIA ZJAWINSKI

New York Times

In many homes these days, the printer sits ignored. It gets a little bit of exercise around tax time, perhaps. But as more people rely on their cellphones for maps or use high-resolution tablet screens to read articles, they print less. Slide Show

Google New

American Indians/Alaska Natives: Key Facts About Smoking Among American Indians and Alaska Natives

American Lung Association

Smoking among American Indians and Alaska Natives at 32.4 percent is the highest by far among any racial and ethnic group, making it a problem of epidemic proportions in that community.

The Forbes 400: The Richest People in America

Forbes

Outbreaks and Their Sources

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention: infection rates

New York Times

[Graphic]

Also see:
An Iowa Egg Farmer and a History of Salmonella
By WILLIAM NEUMAN

New York Time

A Director’s Many Battles to Make Her Movie

By BROOKS BARNES

New York Times

LOS ANGELES — Sonia Nassery Cole knew that shooting a movie on location in Afghanistan could get her killed. The most vivid reminder came a few weeks before filming, she said, when militants located her leading actress and cut off both of her feet.

Paradise Paradox: Why Life in Hawaii Leads to Early Death

By Alice Park

Time

Most of us think of Hawaii as the perfect escape from our stressed out and fast-paced lives. Island life, after all, seems so idyllic and relaxing.

The Met's Media Message

By HEIDI WALESON

Wall Street Journal

On a balmy Labor Day evening, the Lincoln Center plaza was packed with people watching "Carmen" on a large screen in front of the Metropolitan Opera House. The 3,300 chairs set up on the plaza had all been claimed by late afternoon; hundreds more viewers brought their own chairs, bought cushions from a shop set up near the fountain, or stood. The crowd, a mix of young and old, die-hard fans and people who had just wandered by, seemed spellbound by Carmen (Elīna Garanča) and Don José (Roberto Alagna).

How to Keep Your Cool in Angry Times

By SUE SHELLENBARGER

Wall Street Journal

The caller was enraged long before Beverly Smith was asked to pick up the phone. He had already yelled at her boss for an hour.

Afghan Boys Are Prized, So Girls Live the Part

By JENNY NORDBERG
New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — Six-year-old Mehran Rafaat is like many girls her age. She likes to be the center of attention. She is often frustrated when things do not go her way. Like her three older sisters, she is eager to discover the world outside the family’s apartment in their middle-class neighborhood of Kabul. Slide Show

Children of al-Qaeda in Iraq pay for sins of their fathers

By Leila Fadel

Washington Post

IN BAQUBAH, IRAQ Zahraa is a rambunctious toddler. She still sucks on a pacifier, and her mother dresses her in pink. But according to the government, she does not exist.

How life turned out for 7 siblings adopted together

Twenty years ago, Glen and Yvonne Lutz saw a Seattle Times feature profiling seven siblings who wanted to be adopted together. The Lutzes jumped at the chance and created an instant family. Now, the kids are grown and the parents are downsizing.
By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times

Houses tell stories of the lives they sheltered.

So it is with a home in north Ballard, where 20 years ago a childless couple adopted seven siblings, answering the kids' nearly impossible dream that they be kept together.

The Learning Machines

New York Times


[Interactive Graphic]

Rural America at a Glance, 2010 Edition

Lorin Kusmin and Thomas Hertz, editor
Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-68) 6 pp, September 2010

Economic Research Service (ERS)

U. S. Department of Agriculture

Rural America At A Glance, 2010 Edition highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas for use in developing policies and programs to assist rural areas. The 2010 edition focuses on the U.S. rural economy, including employment trends, poverty, and demographics.

'Cookies' Cause Bitter Backlash

Spate of Lawsuits Shows User Discomfort With Latest Innovations in Online-Tracking Technology
By JENNIFER VALENTINO-DEVRIESAnd EMILY STEEL

Wall Street Journal

Tools that track users' whereabouts on the Web are facing increased regulatory and public scrutiny and prompting a flurry of legal challenges.

Why do Americans get the Constitution so wrong?

There’s no excuse for misquoting and misunderstanding the US Constitution. But public figures ranging from Nancy Pelosi to Rush Limbaugh do it all the time.
By Lion Calandra

Christian Science Monitor

Today, more than the Fourth of July, honors America’s independence.

Message to Muslims: I’m Sorry

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

New York Times

Many Americans have suggested that more moderate Muslims should stand up to extremists, speak out for tolerance, and apologize for sins committed by their brethren.

Fibbing With Numbers

By STEVEN STROGATZ

New York Times.

Charles Seife is steaming mad about all the ways that numbers are being twisted to erode our democracy. We’re used to being lied to with words (“I am not a crook”; “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”). But numbers? They’re supposed to be cold, hard and objective. Numbers don’t lie, and they brook no argument. They’re the best kind of facts we have.

Just Manic Enough: Seeking Perfect Entrepreneurs

By DAVID SEGAL

New York Times

IMAGINE you are a venture capitalist. One day a man comes to you and says, “I want to build the game layer on top of the world.”

How to Control Your Privacy Online

Wall Street Journal

[Interactive Graphic]

On the Web, Children Face Intensive Tracking

By STEVE STECKLOW

Wall Street Journal

A Wall Street Journal investigation into online privacy has found that popular children's websites install more tracking technologies on personal computers than do the top websites aimed at adults.

What They Know - Kids

[Interactive Graphic]

Wall Street Journal

Marketers are spying more on young Internet users than on their parents, building detailed profiles of their activities and interests. The Wall Street Journal’s What They Know series documents the new, cutting-edge uses of this Internet-tracking technology. The Journal analyzed the tracking files installed on people’s computers by 50 of the most popular U.S. websites for children and teenagers. The Journal also built an “exposure index” — to determine the degree to which each site exposes visitors to monitoring — by studying the tracking technologies they install and the privacy policies that guide their use.

Unfreezing Arctic Assets

A bloc of countries above the 45th parallel is poised to dominate the next century. Welcome to the New North.
By LAURENCE C. SMITH
Wall Street Journal

Imagine the Arctic in 2050 as a frigid version of Nevada—an empty landscape dotted with gleaming boom towns. Gas pipelines fan across the tundra, fueling fast-growing cities to the south like Calgary and Moscow, the coveted destinations for millions of global immigrants. It's a busy web for global commerce, as the world's ships advance each summer as the seasonal sea ice retreats, or even briefly disappears.

The Jeans Care Secret: Rarely Wash Them

By CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN

Wall Street Journal

Carl Chiara, director of brand concepts and special projects for Levi Strauss & Co., is among the growing number of jeans enthusiasts who believe in washing them as little as possible.

A caveat on that drop in credit card debt

By Michelle Singletary

Washington Post

I keep wondering if consumers will learn their lesson from this recession - to rely less on credit cards and more on the cash they have.

Would You Like Flies With That? Bug Eaters Try to Get Some Buzz

Foodies Sample Insect Fare, But It's a Slow Crawl; Waxworm Potato FrittersBy SUMATHI REDDY
Wall Street Journal

Marc Dennis digs bugs.

He's making "chocolate chirp cookies"—with crickets inside—for a coming art festival. He puts crickets in his tacos when he watches football. And his freezer is full of bags of various insects, including dry-roasted crickets from Thailand, wax- and silkworms, and domestic crickets he raised at home, fattened up on oatmeal and orange rinds.

A mother's education has a huge effect on a child's health

By David Brown

Washington Post

It turns out that pencils and books for mothers may be as important as vaccines and drugs for babies in reducing child mortality in the developing world.

That's because a mother's education level has a huge, if indirect, effect on the health of her children. That relationship, observed in many small studies in rich countries, turns out to be true everywhere on the globe, according to a new study.

Democrats and Republicans Can Be Differentiated from Their Faces

Nicholas O. Rule, Nalini Ambady
Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America

Background

Individuals' faces communicate a great deal of information about them. Although some of this information tends to be perceptually obvious (such as race and sex), much of it is perceptually ambiguous, without clear or obvious visual cues.

New saddle-like airline seats would pack cabins more

An Italian company is about to take the wraps off a space-saving seat for commercial aircraft that promises a flying experience similar to riding a horse.
By Christopher Hinton
(MarketWatch)

Seattle Times

NEW YORK — An Italian company is about to take the wraps off a space-saving seat for commercial aircraft that promises

Phys Ed: Can Exercise Make Kids Smarter?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

New York Times

In an experiment published last month, researchers recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10, who lived near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and asked them to run on a treadmill. The researchers were hoping to learn more about how fitness affects the immature human brain. Animal studies had already established that, when given access to running wheels, baby rodents bulked up their brains, enlarging certain areas and subsequently outperforming sedentary pups on rodent intelligence tests. But studies of the effect of exercise on the actual shape and function of children’s brains had not yet been tried.

Obstacle to Deficit Cutting: A Nation on Entitlements

By SARA MURRAY

Wall Street Journal

Efforts to tame America's ballooning budget deficit could soon confront a daunting reality: Nearly half of all Americans live in a household in which someone receives government benefits, more than at any time in history. [Interactive Graphic]

Loudness Scale

By American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery

[Interactive Graphic]

A Rare Atlantic Hurricane Triple Header

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

New York Times

Brian McNoldy, a meteorologist tracking Atlantic Ocean hurricanes at Colorado State University, just distributed this note from Phil Klotzbach, a colleague, about the unusual storminess in the Atlantic and Caribbean at the moment:

With Karl becoming a hurricane, we have three hurricanes at the same time. This is a pretty rare occurrence. The only other years that this has occurred are 1893, 1926, 1950, 1961, 1967, 1980, 1995, and 1998. 1998 even had four hurricanes at the same time!

A Professor’s Review of Online Cheat Sheets

A Professor’s Review of Online Cheat Sheets
By ROY FURCHGOTT

At this time of year, students are buying textbooks and looking for ways to avoid reading them.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

[Web Portal: September 15-October 15]

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer?

Computer Vision Syndrome

By American Optometric Association

Computer Vision Syndrome describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer use. Many individuals experience eye discomfort and vision problems when viewing a computer screen for extended periods. The level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of computer use.

Macular Degeneration Simulator

by eyecareAmerica
The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology

[Interactive Graphic]

Smoking Cessation: The Economic Benefits

By American Lung Association


[Interactive Graphic]

Miniature nuclear reactors might be a safe, efficient source of power

By Brian Palmer

Washington Post

Take a mental stroll through the streets of Anytown, U.S.A. City hall is on your left, the movie theater on your right. Smell the delights from the bakery. And in the distance, there's the gentle steam plume billowing from the cooling tower of the miniature nuclear reactor that powers the quaint little burg.

The Claim: Paper Towels Thwart More Germs Than Air Dryers Do

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

New York Times

THE FACTS The key to clean hands is simple: Wash thoroughly with soap and water. But once the faucet is off, do you reach for the paper towel or the air dryer?

Child Passenger Safety: A Parent's Primer

By National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

When you’re an expectant mother, it’s important to always wear your seat belt to protect you and your unborn child. Wear the lap belt across your hips and below your belly with the shoulder belt across your chest (between your breasts). Once your baby is born, follow these important safety steps.

Child Passenger Safety: Ease-of-Use Ratings

By National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Parents - Not Sure Which Car Seat to Use?
Are you looking for a new car seat for your infant, toddler or 4-8 year old child but overwhelmed by the choices and worried about how to properly install your car seat? Click HERE to see how car seat features differ among various models.

Child Safety Seat Inspection Locator

By National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Use this locator to find a child safety seat inspection station nearest you. Certified technicians will inspect your child safety seat and show you how to correctly install and use it. [Child Passenger Safety Week is September 19-25.)

Searching for free stuff online can be costly

by Elinor Mills
CNET News

It's common knowledge that you can catch computer viruses on porn Web sites. But did you know it's also risky to surf the Web searching for free movies or music?

A Dictionary of the Near Future

By DOUGLAS COUPLAND

New York Times

The thing about the future is that it never feels the way we thought it would. New sensations require new terms; below are a few such terms to encapsulate our present moment.

The Size of Government and the Choice This Fall

In polls, Americans overwhelmingly prefer small government and low taxes to the alternative. Yet they've been given big government, one program at a time.

By ARTHUR C. BROOKS AND PAUL RYAN

Wall Street Journal

As we move into this election season, Americans are being asked to choose between candidates and political parties. But the true decision we will be making—now and in the years to come—is this: Do we still want our traditional American free enterprise system, or do we prefer a European-style social democracy? This is a choice between free markets and managed capitalism; between limited government and an ever-expanding state; between rewarding entrepreneurs and equalizing economic rewards.

Happiness Index

Wall Street Journal


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Employers Prefer Hiring From State Schools - WSJ.com

By JENNIFER MERRITT

Wall Street Journal

U.S. companies largely favor graduates of big state universities over Ivy League and other elite liberal-arts schools when hiring to fill entry-level jobs, a Wall Street Journal study found.