WSJ: What Your Zip Code Says About What You’ll Buy

The Wall Street Journal came out with an incredible post that breaks down consumer purchasing power based by zip code.  Topics ranged from “Dorms to Diplomas,” (college grads) to “Las Casas” (newly immigrated/1st generation American communities), and so on.  Click the link and see if you fall into your zip code’s stereotype.

Also keep in mind that this information is what large internet providers send out to marketers.  Those ads for the shoes you have been eyeing undoubtedly were influenced on where you click your mouse throughout the day.

Click here for a more in-depth look and a direct link to the Esri site.

@Grecobs

9 Things That Have Changed Since the Last Government Shutdown

The United States government officially closed for first time in 16 years. Here are nine quick stats about what has changed since the last government shutdown of 1996.

1. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline ranged between $1.20 – $1.47 in 1996. Compare that to today’s national average price of $3.39 per gallon. This represents an increase of roughly 260 percent.

2. In 1996, American support of marriage equality stood at 27 percent. At that time, no states allowed same-sex marriage. Today, support for marriage equality stands at over 53 percent (and is continuing to rise). In addition, gays and lesbians can now get married in 13 states and Washington D.C.

3. The population of the United States stood at 269.39 million in 1996 compared to over 314.39 million today.

4. The Latino population of the United States was 27 million in 1996. Today, the population of Latinos living the United States has more than doubled to nearly 60 million.

5. Nielsen’s highest rated TV shows of 1996-1997 were (from most popular): E.R, Seinfeld, Suddenly Susan, and a tie between Friends and The Naked Truth.

6. Only three of the most visited websites in the United States existed in 1996. The other seven websites: Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, and Twitter, did not exist yet.

7. Mark Zuckerberg was 13 years old.

8. Apple’s stock ranged between $5.50 – $8.50 a share in 1996. Today the stock is valued at over $486.00 a share. That is more than a 6000 percent increase.

9. The “Macarena” led Billboard’s chart of the Top 100 Songs of 1996. The “Macarena” was followed by “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey, “Because You Loved Me,” By Celine Dion (a personal favorite), “Nobody Knows” by Tony Rich Project, and “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey.

Green Roofs From Across The World (via BuzzBuzzHome)

President Obama is starting to get serious about climate change.  In recent talks, he has mentioned the need for massive increases in green living.  Anyone who lives in an urban core can tell you how hot and unbearable the summers can get.  A great way to combat both air quality and spikes in urban core temperature readings comes in the form of green roofs.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been a leader in bringing green roofs to one of the largest cities in the world.  The city even announced the rise of rooftop agriculture with the largest urban farm in the US currently under construction on a Brooklyn rooftop.  Bloomberg, Obama, and politicians across the world are leading the way in reclaiming urban space for non-industrial use.

These green roofs serve a variety of purposes that are both helpful to those in the building, and everyone around.  First and foremost, green roofs lower the temperature of the buildings roof by considerable amounts.  Rather than having black tar or reflective tin roofs that can sizzle in with surface temperatures upwards of 130 degrees, green roofs rarely get hotter than the actual air temperature.  Roof or rain gardens also help with rain water run off, something that is a major issue in coastal cities.  Rain gardens filter excess water, and some can even store water to be used by the building tenants later on.  A third attribute green roofs provide is fresh, clean air.  Trees, plants, and other shrubs help clean the air and lessen ozone levels that so often spiral out of control in urban cities.

The super cool pictures below show how urban architecture can be infused with green design.  Most of the pictures are taken from abroad, let’s incorporate them into US design!

 

Top of Chicago’s City Hall

Green Parking Garage in Namba Park, Japan

Vancover Convention Center

 

Vancover Convention Center (cont’d)