Year the first electronic computer was publicly demonstrated, developed by inventors Presper Eckert and John Mauchly to help calculate the proper ballistic trajectory for artillery shells, according to the Census Bureau: 1946

Number of vacuum tubes used: 18,000

Year the first commercial computer -- UNIVAC I, also developed by Eckert and Mauchly -- was used to help process the 1950 Census: 1951

Source: Census Bureau.

After the holiday season ended, estimated percentage rise in divorce filings in January, as many couples decide they want to begin the new year with an ending, according to a report on CNBC: 33

Rank of arguments about money -- not children, sex, in-laws or anything else -- on the list of the top predictors of divorce for both men and women: 1

Source: CNBC.

Date of the first selfie, "snapped" by Robert Cornelius of Philadelphia, according to Coyne's "State of the Selfie" report: 1839

Estimated number of selfies that are taken worldwide each day: 93 million

In the last year alone, number of times the term "selfie" was mentioned across social media channels: 154 million

Source: Coyne.

Percentage of American adults who said they would choose a sports car as the type of car they would want to buy if they were going through a mid-life crisis, according to a poll by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CarMax: 20

Percentage who say they would choose a sports utility vehicle: 17

Percentage who said a sedan: 15

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Rank of "NCIS" on the list of America's favorite shows, according to a Harris Poll: 1

Ranks of "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Walking Dead" on the list: 2, 3

Ranks of the political thriller "Scandal" and fantasy epic "Game of Thrones" on the list: 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

On average in the United States, cost of bus journeys per 100 km (62 miles), according to the GoEuro Transport Price Index compiled using train, bus and flight information from 51 countries across five continents: $7.92

Cost of train journeys: $18.61/62 miles

Cost of flights: $13.89/62 miles

Rank of the U.S. on the list of the least expensive of the 51 countries ranked in the Transport Price Index: 22

Source: GoEuro.

Percentage of Americans who said they believed a new delivery drone system from Amazon would be possible within the next five years, according to a YouGov poll: 38

Percentage of people who have "complete" trust in the ability of the government to properly regulate the use of commercial drones, according to YouGov research: 3

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of travelers who "always or sometimes" use medication or alcohol to help them sleep on a plane, while 80 percent "never" do, according to a survey by Expedia: 15

Percentage who report that they generally cannot sleep on planes: 48

Source: Expedia.

When it comes to concerns about cyber safety, percentage of global respondents who have no reservations about shopping online and using their payment card on either a smartphone or tablet device, according to a Nielsen's Global survey: 54

Percentage who are on the fence, saying they may use their credit or debit cards for online payment: 20

Percentage who say they wouldn't use their cards on either a smartphone or tablet: 26

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of CIOs who are currently taking or planning to take steps to improve information technology (IT) security at their firms, according to a survey from Robert Half Technology: 85

Percentage who are enhancing or planning to enhance employee training on security issues: 54

Source: Robert Half.

IDLE THOUGHT

"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient observation than to any other reason." -- Isaac Newton, physicist, mathematician

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

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Average frequency with which employees are disrupted by social media and/or emails while at work, according to a survey by CWR partners for Sapience: 10.5 minutes

Percentage of average day that is taken up by reading emails: 30

Source: CWR Partners.

Percentage of Americans who associate collaborative leadership styles with women, according to a study by Pershing LLC: 70

Percentage of respondents who attribute "traditional" leadership approaches, such as giving orders and employing the reward/punishment model, with men: 77

Source: BNY Mellon.

Percentage of graduates who think college adequately prepared them for work in the real world, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com: 57

Percentage of recent grads who are not currently living with their parents: 71

Of those living with parents, percentage who are charged for rent or other household expenses: 34

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of conflicting priorities and lack of communication or miscommunication on the list of the most common sources of conflict with other departments, groups or teams, according to a survey commissioned by AtTask: 1, 2

Percentage of workers who say lost productivity is among the most common consequences of conflict with other teams: 39

Percentage of workers who say they often feel like there are "too many cooks in the kitchen": 63

Percentage who say there is often confusion at their company over who is doing what: 64

Source: AtTask.

Year that National Geographic, one of the nation's longest-running and most prestigious magazines, printed its first issue (127 years ago), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1888

Estimated number of periodical publishers in the U.S. today: 8,000

Annual revenue generated by these publishers: $39 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of Lanikai Beach, Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii; Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, (Maui), Hawaii; and Siesta Key Public Beach, Siesta Key, Florida, on the list of the top 10 beaches in the United States, according to TripAdvisor: 1, 2, 3

Number of the top 10 beaches that are in Hawaii: 7

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of adults, on average, who agree the best way to get more people involved in positive social change is to show them how their actions can make a difference, according to Walden University's Social Change Impact Report: 92

Percentage of social change agents -- people who have ever engaged in social change -- for whom exposure to social change starts at home: 92

Source: Walden University.

In response to the question "Women asking men out: hot or not?" percentage of men who answered "hot," according to a poll by Lavalife.com: 95

Percentage of women who also answered in the affirmative: 64

Source: Lavalife.com.

Percentage of American adults who trust the federal government to handle personal information confidentially and securely, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 40

Percentage of Americans who trust social networking sites with their personal information: 26

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Gen Z (roughly ages 11 to 20) who expect to own their first home three years earlier than the median age of first-time homeowners today, according to the findings of a national study by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate: 28

Before they purchase their first home, percentage who plan on earning an advanced college degree: 60

Percentage who plan on getting married: 59

Percentage who plan on having children: 21

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.

Idle Thought

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'" -- John Greenleaf Whittier, poet

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

Percentage of global workers who associate vacationing with overall happiness, according to a survey by Expedia: 80

Percentage of respondents who somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, "Regular vacations are important for general health and well-being": 91

Percentage of workers who say the chance for more vacation time would motivate them to switch jobs: 56

Source: Expedia.

Rank of statistics as the fastest growing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduate degree in the United States over the last four years, according to an analysis of federal government education data conducted by the American Statistical Association: 1

Source: American Statistical Association.

Percentage of CFOs who say they are willing or much more willing to renegotiate salary with skilled job candidates, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 41

Percentage of CFOs who say they have had difficulty finding people with the requisite skills: 68

Source: Robert Half International.

Year that the first telephone directory in the U.S. was published in New Haven, Connecticut, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1878

Number of subscribers on the list: 50

Estimated number of retail establishments in the U.S. selling landline and cellular phones, with annual receipts from such sales at over $10 billion: 22,000

Percentage of occupied households in the U.S. that have telephone service: 97

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of companies that have deployed tablets, according to a survey regarding the use of tablets to aid sales-related activities among 700-plus global business-to-business marketers and salespeople: 23

Of the 77 percent of respondents whose companies have not, percentage who said their companies have no plans to implement them: 83

Percentage of all respondents who believe such devices help, or would help, improve sales activities: 75

Source: Davies Murphy Group Inc.

Average household income among "affluents," defined as adults aged 18 and older living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income in 2014, according to the Ipsos Affluent Survey USA: $197,400

Percentage rise in liquid assets to an average of $592,000, compounding the 9 percent growth seen from 2012 to 2013: 7

Affluent average net worth: $1.02 million

Source: Ipsos Affluent Survey.

Percentage of men and women around the world who say, "flirting is just playful fun," according to a survey from Zoosk.com: 41

Percentage of men who think that women are the biggest flirts: 60

Percentage of women who think that men are more flirtatious: 53

Source: Zoosk.

Percentage of Americans who say news in the U.S. should involve more reporting and fewer "talking heads," according to the results of The Harris Poll: 89

As to the importance of an impartial press, percentage who feel it's essential that journalists be completely unbiased: 84

Source: Harris Interactive.

In addition to quality, service, convenience and value, the cornerstones of a positive restaurant dining experience, percentage of casual-dining restaurant patrons who say that an appealing ambiance influences their decision to visit a particular concept, according to a white paper using data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics: 91

Source: Technomic.

Of the 196 countries worldwide, number that have religious imagery on their flags, according to Pew Research: 64

Number that are associated with Christianity: 31

Number that are associated with Islam: 21

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Idle thought

"The luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent for luck." -- Hector Berlioz, composer

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