October 26, 2018: Friday News Roundup

What’s on tap for the weekend? Last-minute Halloween preparations perhaps? Check out the roundup before you head off to your favorite haunts.

She’s Not Mad. She’s Just Not Using Exclamation Points.
The exclamation point is the rare punctuation symbol that can provoke strong reactions among people who are otherwise indifferent to such things. Women, in particular, tend to lean on exclamation points to convey “warmth, likability and authority,” but overuse can really, really tick people off.   

The Company That Pays Its Employees to Get a Full Night’s Sleep
Talk about passive income! One Japanese wedding-planning company awards points to employees who sleep at least six hours a night, for at least five days a week, which they can exchange for cafeteria food. The company CEO hopes to combat Japan’s brutal “death-from-overwork” culture.

When Your Day Job Isn’t Enough
Here’s a fun look at some folks with typical office jobs by day but who let loose with their creative, artistic selves after business hours. It’s not unusual for artists and performers to hold down a day job to pay the bills until they achieve stardom, but this article introduces us to corporate types who entertain as a hobby or personal passion.

Why No One Really Knows How Many Jobs Automation Will Replace
By now, practically every economist and think tank has conducted research trying to predict the impact of automation on jobs. And yet, when we read the findings, we can’t get any clear answers. Here, some of the experts offer possible reasons opinions vary so much

The World of 2045
Are we finally gonna get flying cars??? The editors of Popular Mechanics asked a bunch of engineers and futurists to share their visions of future cities. Their ideas include some you’d expect (autonomous vehicles) and others that feel more out-there (personal, Bluetooth-connected coffee mugs to replace disposable cups, which will be banned).