* A patient implanted with Neuralink’s brain technology can now control a computermouse just by thinking. (CNBC)
* Niagara Falls can produce over 4 million kilowatts of electricity, shared by the US and Canada. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie drain into the Niagara River before emptying into Lake Ontario.
* Homes under 500sf are not taking over anytime soon and are less than 1% of the new homes built in the US, but home dimensions are shrinking in areas to fuel affordability. A 12ft x 14ft primary bedroom can accommodate almost everything a 14ft x 18ft bedroom - a third smaller - does. If construction costs $300 per square foot, that's $25,000 saved already... (NYT)
* Manhattan Weekly Market Update - Spring is in the air and the market is starting to feel it and luxury contracts had best week in 6 months. Inventory is still the issue; sellers are still not putting their homes on the market. There is a lot of pent-up demand from both sellers and buyers and Spring is starting to look up. Buyers who have been on the sideline may miss the deals that were to be had, and sellers are beginning to look at the market more realistically.
* Mansion- A Home-Furnishings Mogul Wants $68 Million for Getty
Center ‘Sister’- Evan Cole wanted the roughly 15,000-square-foot house to be ‘symbiotic’ with the museum next door. (WSJ)
* Self-service security screening touches down next month at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International, with travelers able to breeze through without interacting with TSA agents. It’s part of a wider effort to automate passenger processes, with hopes of eventually deploying Segway-like scooters to whisk individuals through all the airport must-do stuff. (Bloomberg)
* San Francisco is once again experiencing a tech revival. Entrepreneurs and investors are flocking back to the city, which is undergoing a boom in artificial intelligence. Silicon Valley leaders are getting involved in local politics, flooding city ballot measures and campaigns with tech money to make the city safer for families and businesses. (WSJ)
* The NYC Stock Exchange was founded by the Buttonwood Agreement under a Button Wood Tree at Wall St in 1792. (Wikipedia)
* Black homeownership rates have fallen further behind those of other racial and ethnic groups, even though significantly more Americans own a home now than a decade ago, according to the National Association of Realtors. At 44.1%, their rate is notably lower than that for Asian, Hispanic and White Americans. (Bloomberg)
* COMPASS.com saw a surge in visits in January, 2024....from 5.83 million in December 2023 to 7.763 million in January, 2024.....up 33%! That compares to Coldwell Banker who also saw an increase from 4.63 million to 5.85 million,.....up 26%.
* The typical Gen X (born 1965-1980) household has just $40,000 saved for retirement, and 40% of their 401k plan balances are zero. There are about 65 million GEN X's in the US and almost 70% of Gen X owns their home.
* Can You Solve Loneliness? These Startups Are Betting On It. Entrepreneurs focused on social connection are popping up around the country amid what medical practitioners are calling an epidemic. (WSJ)
* American Airlines may charge up to an additional $40 per checked bag.....so a round trip $400 airfare could have an 'extra' 20% added to your cost.....and I was told removing travel agents would bring down travel costs.....
* The Slow and Low Exercise Elite Athletes Swear By -Low-intensity
Zone 2 workouts can benefit all exercisers without leaving them breathless. (WSJ)
* Job cuts are sending a chill through the world of remote workers. Employers have finally found the leverage they need to mandate in-person attendance, as layoffs that are disproportionately affecting fully remote staff and perceptions of a lousy job market pile pressure on workers to return to office. (Bloomberg)
* Midtown Manhattan's deadest block is seeing signs of life with a new tenant: Citi. Signs of construction are now visible from outside. The stir on Lexington Avenue and 59th Street ends a four-year period of abandonment for the block of retail stores triggered by the pandemic. (Bloomberg)
* Working from home with a significant other can be fun, but just don’t try to profit from it. A Texas man snooped on his wife working on a deal and engaged in illegal trading to net almost $2 million. His luck ran out when she found out: The SEC is on his back and his wife has filed for divorce. (Bloomberg)
