I’ve just been in Barcelona for the day. Interesting how there isn’t something close to a revolution going on in Spain. The unemployment rate is around 25% peaking close to 50% in some regions and among some segments of the population. So why are things so calm relatively speaking? One reason put forward today was the Spanish social structure. Two and three generations living under one roof, or close together, is quite common, so there are informal support and community networks in place. Compare and contrast this to countries where more people live on their own or in smaller family units and the consequences could end up being very different indeed.

Anyway, that was my discovery for the day. A linked thought is that data analytics is starting to destroy semi-skilled jobs. We’ve had automation killing unskilled jobs for decades, but I suspect this might be something quite new. This, in turn, links with another thought I had on the plane about the death of entry level jobs in some areas. Going are the days when a young person could start out at the bottom with next to no qualifications and work their way to the top. If this is true, what are the implications for social mobility?

My Brainmail newsletter is almost back. Two issues are ready to go with a third in the wings. Here are some highlights.

A study of over 500 US high-tech and engineering companies with turnovers in excess of $1 million found that the average age of founders was 39. Furthermore, there were
twice as many founders aged over 50 than under 25 and twice as many over 60 as aged under 20.

Motorola has developed a phone that adjusts its settings according to its location. For example, if the phone knows it is in an office, the ringer volume will be lowered, whereas outside it might be raised.

Google is believed to be developing Android-powered virtual reality glasses that will display contextual information right in front of a wearer’s eyeballs. Meanwhile, Apple is understood to be working on an Apple TV set.

A study led by James Flynn, which compared IQ scores of UK teens in 1980 and 2008 says that average intelligence has fallen by two points over the last 28 years. This finding reverses the finding of earlier studies that showed intelligence increasing by around 3 points per decade.

In 1950, 4 million people in the USA (9% of US households) lived alone. Now the figure is 33 million – or 28% of all Americans.

In the early 1960s, 6% of the UK student population went on to attend university. By 2012 the figure had risen to 40%.

In the US, around 1% of companies create around 40% of new jobs.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“It is seldom at the frontier that discoveries are made but more often in the dustbin.” – Alan Bennett

WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH

It’s an app this month – Evi, a virtual assistant. www.evi.com