Every Hot Dog You Eat Shortens Your "Healthy Life" by 36 Minutes
Hang on a second. I'm just counting up all the hot dogs I've had this summer . . . A new study at the University of Michigan found that every hot dog you eat shortens your "healthy life" by an average of 36 MINUTES. By "healthy life," they mean the years where you're fairly healthy in general, and aren't dealing with chronic illnesses or disabilities. They looked at over 5,000 different foods and came up with a number for each one. For example, burgers and macaroni-and-cheese both shorten your healthy life by about five minutes. But the good news is you can also ADD time. Opting for a handful of cashews can extend your healthy years by 26 minutes. Other things that do it include fruits, vegetables, and seafood. And this one's surprising . . . but peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches can also add time.
You're More Likely to Get Hired if You Stand Like Superman?
I don't have any facts or stats to back this up. But I think it's safe to say we have the MOST attractive listeners in the world. So this probably doesn't apply to you, but just in case . . . A bunch of studies have found it's harder to get ahead at work if you're NOT so good looking. Pretty people tend to be hired more, get better performance reviews, and make more money. But a new study at the University of Buffalo found there's a trick that can help people who aren't as fortunate in the looks department. Just stand like SUPERMAN. Researchers held mock job interviews, and evaluated people on how effective their job pitches were. In the first round, managers viewed the good-looking people as more hirable. Partly because they were more attractive, but also because they were more CONFIDENT. For the second phase, researchers had the less-attractive group do their pitch in a "power stance," with their feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, chest out, and chin up . . . the way Superman poses. And that basically evened the playing field. Luckily, standing like an overly confident weirdo isn't the only thing that works. No matter how attractive you are, they say anything that makes you feel more powerful helps. So things like giving yourself a pep talk or visualizing success also work.
Disney Is Making Theme Park Robots That Are Capable of Feeling
Animatronics have been part of Disney parks since the 1960s and have been evolving ever since. Disney's latest endeavor is to make their robots not only free-roaming, but also capable of emotion. An executive said, quote, "A new trend that is coming into our animatronics is a level of intelligence . . . more believable . . . more outrageous." Guests will be given a more personalized experience with more "extreme" characters from Marvel and "Star Wars" like Groot, the Hulk, or even possibly Grogu, which you may know as Baby Yoda. Don't worry, there are no plans for robots to replace human performers like the princesses or even Mickey Mouse. Cameras and sensors will give the robots the ability to make quick choices about what to do and say,or how to express emotion. One of the newest animatronics is already at the parks. It's a "stuntronic" robot of Spider-Man in California Adventure's Avengers Campus and it flies in the air doing web-slinging stunts. "Project Kiwi" is currently underway, which is a young Groot. He still has to be tested in the parks though, before being officially unveiled.
OnlyFans Is Banning Pornography
This is kind of like if Chick-fil-A stopped serving chicken: The website OnlyFans just announced they're going to ban all pornographic content. But it sounds like they WILL still allow nudity, just not streams that show any type of sexual act. It goes into effect on October 1st. So people who make money on there by "performing" in a sexual way only have a few weeks to come up with a new business model. But if you just get subscribers by flashing people your junk, you might be okay. Around 130 million people use OnlyFans, and a LOT of them are there for the sex. So it's a big shift. But they're doing it because they still haven't been able to find investors, and they think it'll be better for the site long-term.
The Average American Only Gets 13 Truly Pain-Free Days Per Year
A new survey has determined that the average American only experiences "truly pain-free days" 13 TIMES per year. So that means more than 96% of every year is a total pain . . . a pain in the butt, a pain in the neck, a pain in the back, and so on. 48% of people say it's hard to believe they'll EVER have another pain-free day. The survey also found that the average person feels six years older than they actually are due to aches and pains . . . and when it comes to pain tolerance, 65% of people say that women have a higher pain tolerance than men. On one hand, it's distressing that so many people are dealing with chronic pain, but it's also a good reminder that EVERYONE is dealing with something, and that there are good days and bad days.
New in Theaters: "Reminiscence", "The Protege", and "The Night House"
1. "Reminiscence" (PG-13) Trailer
Hugh Jackman plays a "private investigator of the mind." He makes a living from helping people access and relive their lost memories, with Thandiwe Newton from "Westworld" as his assistant. Their new client is Rebecca Ferguson, who some of you may remember as the singer who tempted him in "The Greatest Showman". When she mysteriously disappears, he become obsessed with using his high-tech skills to try to find out what happened to her. 2. "The Protege" (R) Trailer
Maggie Q plays a contract killer who was rescued as a child by a legendary assassin. But when he's murdered over a job he did years ago, she turns to rival assassin Michael Keaton to help her get revenge. Samuel L. Jackson plays her dead mentor.
3. "The Night House" (R) Trailer
A horror thriller starring Rebecca Hall as a woman haunted by nightmares and visions of a presence in the lakeside home her husband built before he killed himself. Then she learns that he built TWO houses, that are each mirror images of each other.
14 Soul-Crushing Moments from Kids' Movies
Throughout history, children's movies have included scenes that test the boundaries of what children can . . . and SHOULD . . . be asked to handle emotionally. Here are 14 clear examples: 1. "The Iron Giant" (1999): The Iron Giant sacrifices himself to save a town from a nuclear strike. (Spoiler Alert: He comes back at the end.) 2. "Pete's Dragon" (2016): Right at the start of the movie, Pete is lost in the forest and terrified, after his parents are killed in a car accident. 3. "E.T." (1982): E.T. says goodbye to Elliott with his "I'll be right here" line. (Personally, Young Me was way more traumatized by E.T.'s "death scene" . . . even though it turned out he wasn't really dead.) 4. "Toy Story 3" (2010): The toys hold hands and accept the fact that they're about to be melted down in a landfill incinerator. Of course they DO survive, which leads to #5 . . . 5. "Toy Story 3" (2010): Andy gives his toys away and says goodbye as he leaves for college. (Though heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time, I always found this ending totally unrealistic.) (What WOULD HAVE happened is that Andy would have gone on eBay and seen what those toys were worth . . . especially Woody and his clan . . . and got himself a nice little chunk of change to buy textbooks. Or beer.) 6. "Inside Out" (2015): Riley's imaginary friend, Bing Bong the pink elephant, realizes that she doesn't need him anymore and basically sacrifices himself. 7. "The Neverending Story": (1984): Atreyu's horse Artax sinks slowly into the Swamps of Sadness. (Sorry for the alliteration. And also, he comes back at the end.) 8. "Transformers: The Movie" (1986): Killing off Optimus Prime? How dare they??? 9. "The Last Unicorn" (1982): Molly finally realizes her lifelong wish of meeting a unicorn . . . long after life has beaten her into despair. 10. "The Land Before Time" (1988): Littlefoot almost gets eaten by a T-Rex, then sees his friends die in an earthquake, and has to watch his mother slowly die. 11. "Up" (2009): Watching Carl's devastation when his wife Ellie dies. 12. "Old Yeller" (1957): Travis has to put his beloved dog down after he gets rabies. 13. "Bambi" (1942): The death of Bambi's mom. Obvi. 14. "The Lion King" (1994): Simba watches his father die . . . then tries in vain to wake him up.
Five Tips to Be Better at Small Talk
We're a year and a half into this pandemic, and a lot of people are feeling pretty rusty when it comes to SOCIALIZING. So here are five tips to help you make small talk . . . 1. Assume that people want to talk to you. After months of social isolation, odds are pretty good that the person you're talking to is just as eager to make a connection. 2. Start by having something to say. Just saying "hey" to someone is hardly an icebreaker. Try something more involved . . . like "Are you having a good time?" or "How do you like being back in the office?" 3. Be present. Put your phone away and give them your full attention. 4. Don't bring up controversial topics. This should be obvious, but if you're making small talk, it's important to avoid polarizing topics like politics. 5. Don't talk too much about yourself . . . or the other person. There's an unofficial "rule" that says people love to talk about themselves, and that asking them questions about their life is the secret to good conversations. But it's not true for everyone. People don't want to feel like they're being interrogated. It should feel like a conversation . . . not an interview.