Year that the personal computer was empowered to become something much greater than a glorified word processor with the release of the spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3 (spreadsheet, charting and graphing), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1983
Today, estimated number of packaged software development firms there are in the U.S.: 8,200
Estimated number of people who work in the industry: 390,000
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage of consumers who felt they had been overcharged for a repair at a dealership, according to a survey by AutoMD.com: 80
Percentage who said they believed they could save at least 10 percent by visiting an independent shop: 90
Percentage of respondents who said that they trust an independent repair shop more than a dealership to repair their vehicle: 67
Source: AutoMD.com.
Ranks of Samsung, Asus, Lenovo/IBM, HP, Toshiba and Apple on the list of the most reliable personal computer manufacturers, according to the results of Rescuecom's 2013 computer reliability report, which defines "reliability" as the physical reliability of the computers plus the after-the-sale computer support by the manufacturers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Percentage rise in the share of repair calls for Apple computers in 2012, up from 7.8 percent in 2011: 12.7
Percentage of all repair calls that are attributed to Dell: 33.2
Percentage of all repair calls that are attributed to Samsung: 0.7
Source: Rescuecom.
Projected average amount that diners planned to spend to celebrate Valentine's Day (63 percent more than the typical OpenTable check average of $85 per couple), according to a survey released by OpenTable: $139
Percentage of people who planned to dine out on the Thursday, Feb. 14: 51
Source: OpenTable Inc.
Percentage of the full-time workforce that is eligible for benefits, according to the 2012 Study of Large Employer Health Benefits from the ADP Research Institute: 88
Percentage of the total full-time workforce that is covered by their employer's health plan: 68
Percentage of the total workforce that is made up of part-time workers: 23
Of these part-time employees, percentage who are eligible for benefits: 15
Source: ADP.
Although it's been almost 45 years since Herbie hit the big screen in "The Love Bug," number of U.K. motorists who have been proposed to behind the wheel, according to research from Allianz: 1.9 million
Number of U.K. motorists who have had the brakes put on their relationships and been dumped while in the car: 2.3 million
Source: Allianz Life Insurance.
Percentage of companies that use a combination of individual and team measures in their sales compensation plan, according to a survey of 125 companies sponsored by the Alexander Group and WorldatWork: 41
Percentage of estimated annual median increase in sales revenue for all companies in 2013: 8.4
Percentage of companies that plan to increase their head count in 2013: 50
Source: The Alexander Group Inc.
Ranks of Aspen, Colo. ($241), Olympic Valley, Calif. ($239), and Alta/Snowbird, Utah, ($236) on the list of the most expensive ski resorts in the United States, based on what travelers would currently have to spend per night for a hotel room (minimum: 3-star hotel) that is located inside or within close proximity to the respective resorts: 1, 2, 3
Source: Cheaphotels.org.
Vaccination rate among individuals 50 years of age and older, according to an Ipsos poll: 50
Percentage of Americans who think that vaccines are not safe: 16
Percentage who think that one can catch flu from a vaccine: 34
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Rank of the Anheuser-Busch commercial in the 25th annual USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter (featuring a touching moment between a man and his Clydesdale) with a score of 7.76 (on a scale of 0 to 10): 1
Ranks of Tide, Ram and Frito-Lay Doritos on the Ad Meter: 2, 3, 4
Source: USA Today.
Idle Thought
"If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -- Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)