Louisville Mayor on American Jobs Act: There’s this Feeling of Hopelessness that We’ve Got to Address

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Most homeowners still faring well, with positive equity

Nearly half of all owners with mortgages have at least 25% equity stakes in their properties, and about a quarter of owners with mortgages have more than 50% equity, a new study shows. Negative equity and underwater homeowners are frequently in the headlines, but what about positive equity in Americans' homes

A new study, conducted by mortgage and real estate data firm CoreLogic for this column, found that there are substantial reserves of positive equity across the country. CoreLogic maintains the largest database on home loans — 42 million active accounts, more than 80% of all existing mortgages — with information supplied regularly by lenders and servicers.

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A Smart T-Shirt That Monitors Vital Signs Without Wires

If you’ve ever been to the hospital, you probably are famiiar with the holter monitor, a device for measuring electrical activity in the nervous system. And you probably also know what holters tend to look like: a bunch of unsightly and uncomfortable plastic patches and wires attached to a bulky, beeping screen. The alternative could come in the form of a system being developed by researchers at Carlos III University in Madrid that uses a tank top instead of rubber suckers, and dispenses with the wires in favor of, well, a completely wireless set-up.

Not only is the tank top less intrusive and more comfortable than traditional biomonitoring systems, say the researchers, it also is just a fraction of the cost. Alongside the washable T-shirt, whch contains a series of electrodes that measure and record bioelectrical activity, the system also includes a removable thermometer and accelerometer that measures temperature and movement, and a separate positioning device that allows doctors and nurses to keep track of where patients are.

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Employers are liking — and hiring — social media workers

Corporate America is on a hiring binge for people to manage a company's presence on Facebook, Twitter and similar sites. Once given such titles as social media wizards, ninjas and divas, they take their jobs seriously and are gaining more respect.

Like many people, Evan Cunningham spends time on Facebook and Twitter while at the office. He sends out party invitations or chats about beer. But unlike most people, he gets paid for it. And he gets a title.
Cunningham's job is one of the newest in corporate America: social media manager. It's also known, depending on the company, as social media wizard, social media ninja, social media diva or just plain online communities manager.

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