ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

I've never heard of a better reason to play video games! The Guardian has an article on new study which found that after playing a strategy-based video game, older adults became better at certain mental abilities that tend to decline as people age, like scheduling, multi-tasking and holding two or more things in our short-term memory at one time. Check it out:

The study included 40 adults in their 60s and 70s who hadn't played a video game for at least two years. Half received nearly 24 hours of training on a game called Rise of Nations, which gives players points for building cities, feeding and employing citizens, expanding territory, and creating great works of art, technology and architecture. The other half didn't play or train on any game.

The researchers used several tests to measure each person's mental abilities at the beginning, middle and end of the study. They found that gamers improved in several measures compared with non-gamers. They became much better and faster at switching between tasks. Their reasoning and their ability to hold two or more pieces of information in their memory also improved. They also did better in tests measuring their short-term memory of visual cues and their ability to quickly identify objects that had been rotated.

The study was funded by the US National Institute on Aging, and published in the American Psychological Association's journal, Psychology and Aging. Who knew video games could potentially be good for you? Check out the whole piece for more info.

I recognize that I might be a bit of a car nut, but even if you aren't a gear head an auto show is a pretty fun thing. The Washington Auto Show has been going on since Wednesday and will be in town until Sunday. The cars and trucks on display give an interesting commentary on the state of the economy and the American consumer. There will be some of the traditional sports cars and exotic concepts of course, but the automakers will be focusing on hybrids, electric vehicles and a host of other new powertrains. In addition there will be a much greater emphasis on small, economical cars. I can't wait to check out the show this weekend and I think it's a great idea for anyone who is in town. Here are just a few of the cars that will be on display:

The Third Generation Toyota Prius:

The Ford Fusion Hybrid:

The Chevrolet Aveo:

Experts are saying that a key to improving the performance of your employees is to make sure to keep them happy with their jobs. Not only are people who are happier at work more productive, but they are more likely to stay with the company. This helps to avoid employee turnover which can be costly in terms of time for training and lost productivity. In turn, these factors can help improve your bottom line. If this all seems a bit obvious, it at least serves as another motivator for employers to keep the needs of their work force in mind. However, with unemployment numbers like this, people might be willing to take any job regardless of how they will be treated.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Buddy Holly music was hugely influential and he had an impact on famed artists including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan amongst many others. Holly's tragic death has been permanently cemented into the American consciousness and his memory lives on through both the music he made and the people he touched. Are you a big Buddy Holly fan? Tell us your story in the comments.

The job market is a tough place these days. As layoffs are piling up and people who still have jobs are feeling insecure, Americans are increasingly turning to the federal government for job security. While there is usually high demand for federal jobs amongst younger people, the 50+ crowd is joining in recently. With bills to pay, both for themselves and their children, boomers and those nearing retirement age are eyeing federal jobs that seem to offer more security and reliability. Those older federal employees who had been nearing retirement are often holding off to wait for better economic times before leaving the job. With the stimulus package promising to expand the federal workforce, people looking for a good job with good benefits may want to consider consulting their Uncle Sam.

Even though we're in the biggest economic turndown since the Great Depression, companies were still lining up to buy Super Bowl ads at the rate of $3 million for a thirty second spot. That's $100,000 per second!! With all of the bad news people have been dealing with lately, it's no wonder many advertisers went with a more positive and uplifting message with their commercials. Also, did you notice all the job site commercials? In case you missed out, you can see still catch all the ads. What was your favorite commercial?