The states with the happiest Americans spend more money on ‘public goods’

People prefer to live in states that invest in life-easing amenities

  • Study reveals the Americans who live in states that spend more on tangible "public goods" are happier.
  • This spending makes communities "more livable."
  • Pain of higher property taxes largely balanced out by higher property values and quality of life.
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Elon Musk’s Boring Co. unveiled its prototype tunnel. Here are the first reviews.

It's safe to say not everyone was immediately impressed.

(Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
  • The Boring Company invited journalists to take a test ride on its mile-long prototype tunnel in Hawthorne, California.
  • The tunnel transports regular cars along electric skates at about 35 mph.
  • Although the prototype doesn't match up with early concepts of The Loop, most reviewers seemed to suggest the system could prove viable, once the kinks are smoothed out.
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A world first: Luxembourg's public transport to be free for all

Luxembourg will offer the world's first fare-free public transit system, but is there really such a thing as a free ride?

(Photo from Wikimedia)
  • To combat congestion, Luxembourg aims to become the first country to implement fare-free public transit services.
  • Other European nations are considering similar courses, but across the pond the United States continues to fumble its public transportation to deleterious effects.
  • Luxembourg's goal is noble, but it will have to overcome historic trends showing such fare-free systems rarely work in the long run.
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Why social design is a north star for entrepreneurs

Why this $600 million business isn't about money.

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  • Problem solving doesn't have to involve numbers. Sometimes it just involves connecting dots between markets, and simple experiments based on data.
  • These tweaks can make huge differences in people's lives. And anyone can do it, as social design can life entire communities.
  • People who participate in social design learn how to apply it in the future, making social design a learnable and transferable skill.
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A close-up look at the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Alaska today

Anchorage was rocked by back-to-back earthquakes on Friday morning, prompting a tsunami warning.

Twitter
  • The first earthquake measured 7.0, and the subsequent aftershock measured 5.7.
  • No serious injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
  • People immediately took to social media to post images and videos of the earthquakes' aftermath.
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