Last week, Rasmussen published the results of a nationwide telephone survey that said six percent of Americans approve -- to some degree -- of Congress' job performance. As bad as these polling results are, Rasmussen is not alone in its findings.

Most people have heard about the old practice of the canary in the coal mine. Before humans went down in a new mine, a canary in a cage would be lowered down with rope and raised back up. If the canary was alive then there was sufficient oxygen for the miners. If the canary was dead—it was not safe.

Credit: slashgear.com

Internet of Things

The "Internet of Things" is the concept that all devices are connected to each other and the user by the Internet. This means, for example, that a refrigerator might be able to tell the consumer on the way to the grocery store that he or she needs to buy more eggs.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSI) came about in 2009 when the National Governors Association pursued development of new educational expectations. The NGA collaborated with the Council of Chief State School Officers and released CCSI in 2010. The hope is to create a more modern and competitive education model for the US.

There are currently 45 states opting into the standards, with a few proposing legislation to remove itself from it.