Percentage of workers who said multiple people talking at the same time is the most annoying behavior on conference calls, according to a new OfficeTeam survey: 37

Percentage who cited excessive background noise: 24

Percentage of workers who said that attendees not paying attention was most annoying: 9

Source: OfficeTeam.

Number of text messages that are exchanged by Americans every minute, according to CTIA -- The Wireless Association: 3.6 million

Estimated number of videos and photos that are exchanged every minute: 300,000

Source: CTIA -- The Wireless Association.

Estimated number of new cars and trucks that will be delivered to customers this year, the highest number recorded since 2005, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association: 17 million

Average out-the-door cost of a new vehicle, about $1,000 higher than it was a year ago, according to Kelley Blue Book: $33,340

Source: Kelley Blue Book.

Percentage of Americans who are satisfied with their jobs, according to a survey from Ipsos Public Affairs' Omnibus Division: 85

Percentage of men who would like a more appropriate salary (compared to 34 percent of women): 27

Percentage who would like more benefits, compared to 19 percent of women: 17

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

When asked about the types of changes that must be made to the traditional curriculum, percentage of more than 23,000 Laureate students and more than 4,000 non-Laureate students in 22 countries who responded that innovations in higher education -- such as career-oriented education, lifelong learning, paid apprenticeships and courses taught by employers -- would help achieve their career goals, according to the 2015 Laureate/Zogby Student Survey: 66

Percentage of students who said that universities should work directly with employers to help teach students the skills they need to be successful: 93

Source: Laureate Education Inc.

Year that Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, was founded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1636

Year it opened the first dental school associated with a medical school: 1867

Today, number of dental schools at universities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico: 65

Number of dental offices today, employing over 880,000 people: 134,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who have at least one pet in their household, with ownership highest among the two youngest generations tested (65 percent among millennials, 71 percent among Generation X), according to the results of a Harris Poll: 62

Percentage of all pet owners who consider their pets to be members of the family: 95

Source: The Harris Poll.

Number of guns per 100 people in the United States, or about 270 million guns, which is the highest total and per capita number in the world, according to ProCon.org: 88.8

Percentage of Americans who own one or more guns (35 percent of men, and 12 percent of women): 22

Source: ProCon.org.

Estimated percentage of all high school students who have sent or received a "sext," according to TeenSafe: 40

Percentage of boys who say the reason for sexting is to initiate sex: 77

Percentage of girls who say sexting is humorous: 40

Source: TeenSafe.

Projected value of the augmented and virtual reality devices business by 2018, according to CCS Insight: $4 billion

Number of virtual and augmented reality devices that are expected to be sold this year: 2.5 million

Number of these devices that are expected to be sold in 2018: 24 million

Source: CCS Insight.

Idle Thought

"I feel fairly certain that my hatred harms me more than the people whom I hate." -- Max Frisch, architect, playwright and novelist

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Number of months the average vacationer typically saves for before they take their vacation, according to a survey by RetailMeNot.com: 5

Number of months in advance they typically book their trips: 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of companies that report their employees are less loyal today than they were five years ago, according to a survey by the American Management Association: 52

Percentage of companies that are committed to developing and retaining employees: 32

Source: American Management Association.

Percentage of global employees who believe that a person's employability is their own responsibility, according to a 34-country survey by Randstad: 75

Percentage who believe in lifelong learning, regardless of age: 92

Percentage who believe improving competencies and refreshing skills will enhance employability: 82

Source: Randstad.

Percentage of content we retain when presented with it orally and visually, according to a Lab42 study: 50

Amount we retain when it is just presented orally: 10

Source: Lab42.

Percentage of Americans who believe in UFOs, according to a survey by Ipsos: 56

Percentage who believe that life on other planets is plausible: 78

Percentage of Americans who believe that "life on Earth" came about through natural processes following observable rules of biology and physics -- i.e., "evolution": 65

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year that sliced bread, wrapped for sale in wax paper, first appeared on store shelves in Chillicothe, Missouri, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1928

Decade it became obvious that the convenience of sliced bread was spreading nationally: 1930s

Number of commercial bakeries across the U.S., employing over 118,000 workers: 2,600

Estimated amount of "dough" these establishments make annually: $30 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of airing one's emotional drama, too many selfies and being asked to unfriend your ex as the three biggest social media turnoffs, according to a survey by Match.com: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of single men who have posted a selfie in the last year: 44

Percentage of single women: 53

Source: Match.com.

Percentage of American adults who participated in some form of athletic activity throughout their schooling years, according to results of a Harris Poll: 73

Among those who participated in an athletic program, percentage who say it was influential in their current level of personal fulfillment: 77

Percentage of respondents who feel their participation in athletic activities was important in providing them with skills to work toward common goals: 69

Percentage who say it helped them to have a disciplined approach to problem-solving: 65

Percentage who say athletics was important in helping them with flexibility in work situations and creative problem-solving: 60

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of parents who say they frequently feel tired, according to a survey by Care.com: 45

Percentage who say they feel stressed: 40

Percentage who say they never feel rested: 10

Source: Care.com.

Percentage of men who have access to paternity leave with some pay from their employers, according to Insure.com: 14

Percentage of American adults who believe businesses should be required to give paid family leave: 77

Source: Insure.com.

Idle Thought

"How simple life becomes when things like mirrors are forgotten." -- Daphne du Maurier, novelist

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of Americans who agree they need an extra hour in the day, according to a survey by Safeco Insurance: 80

Percentage who say they would use that extra time to do something for themselves: 70

Ranks of personal hobbies, having alone or personal time, and trying something new on the list of activities they would indulge in with the extra time: 1, 2, 3

Source: Safeco Insurance.

When asked which aspect of a worker's physical appearance would make them less likely to promote that person, percentage of employers who said provocative attire, according to a survey by Careerbuilder: 44

Percentage who said a shabby appearance: 43

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of parents who think about vocational and career schools in the same way they think about public or private colleges, according to a College Savings Foundation survey: 42

Percentage of high school students who think that way: 21

Percentage of students who have considered not going to college: 21

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Year that Marlon Brando turned down an Academy Award for "The Godfather," according to research by Convergex: 1973

Year that Ving Rhames handed his Golden Globe for Best Actor to Jack Lemmon and refused to take it back: 1998

Year that Jean-Paul Sartre turned down a Nobel Prize, stating, "A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable forum.": 1964

Year that Julie Andrews rejected a Tony nomination because her show, "Victor/Victoria," did not receive any other nominations: 1996

Source: Convergex.

Ranks of snakes, alligators, sharks and wild cats on the list of animals Americans say they are most scared of, according to an Ipsos poll: 1, 2, 3, 4

Of the 48 percent of Americans who say they are scared of sharks, percentage who say they have seen the movie "Jaws": 75

Source: Ipsos North America.

Percentage of Americans who admit technology plays an important role in their productivity, according to data released by Crucial.com: 87

Source: Crucial.com.

Year that Christopher Sholes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a patent for the first practical typewriter, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1868

In the middle of the last century, percentage of all high school students who were enrolled in typing classes: 25

Today, even though typewriter manufacturing has dwindled to near vanishing and moved offshore, percentage of American households that have some form of keyboard in them, likely on a desktop or laptop computer: 79

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of U.S. adults who anticipate taking at least one road trip this summer, according to the results of The Harris Poll: 71

Average number of miles that Americans who plan to hit the road will be traveling: 1,300

Percentage of those who have kids in the house who say they will head out on the road at least once this summer: 82

Percentage of those who don't have kids in the house who say the same: 66

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that own a connected health device, according to Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates: 29

Percentage of broadband households that own multiple connected health devices: 12

Source: Parks Associates.

Number of ultra-high net worth individuals (defined as those with $30 million or more in net assets) globally, who collectively own nearly $3 trillion in real estate (equal to 10 percent of their net worth), according to Wealth-X data: 211,275

Rank of London on the list of the top real estate hubs for the Europe-Middle East-Africa region: 1

Average price of real estate per square foot in London (nearly four times that of Dubai, United Arab Emirates; six times that of Madrid; and nine times more than Cape Town, South Africa): $3,103

Source: Wealth-X.

Idle Thought

"When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue -- you sell him a whole new life." -- Christopher Morley, writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)