Why housing prices are so high, Amazon workers feel the pain, and more top insights

During the week, the Daily Rundown brings you the day’s trending professional news. On the weekend, we try to keep you current on the big ideas that can help you see what’s coming. Read on and join the conversation.

Another reason for the lack of affordable housing: Home builders fortunate enough to survive the Great Recession have consolidated their power, leaving many housing markets in the hands of just a few firms, according to research from Johns Hopkins’ Luis Quintero and Jacob Cosman. These power players can bide their time when it comes to building new homes, and they can produce fewer, pricier houses when they’re ready. The result? Increasingly limited options for home buyers across the U.S. • Here’s what people are saying. 

Where Amazon workers are hurting: The retail behemoth’s need for speed is exacting a severe toll on its shipping workers’ physical health, Vox reports. In a survey of employees at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse, 66% said they experience physical pain on the job and 42% reported that the pain persists outside of the office. Where is it hurting? Their feet, lower back and knees, signals of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Amazon warehouse workers face strict shipping quotas, with employees reporting they need to ship four orders per minute. • Here’s what people are saying. 

Controlling drones, with your brain: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking to develop a brain-computer interface that’s capable of responding to signals in an individual’s brain to control military technology, like drones, without surgical brain implants. Researchers are experimenting with sensors that can respond to electrical, magnetic and near-infrared signals transmitted through the skull to interpret the physical intentions of an individual. Such tech could also assist those suffering from physical paralysis, without requiring invasive surgery. • Here’s what people are saying. 

It’s aluminum’s time to shine: As consumers increasingly demand environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic, beverage giants like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are shifting their gaze toward aluminum, Bloomberg reports. One reason for its eco-appeal? It’s recycled more often, with 50% of aluminum cans sent to facilities, versus 29% of plastic bottles, according to estimates from The Aluminum Association. The shift spells pleasant news for aluminum manufacturers like Ball Corp., whose stock is up 57% over the past year. Now it’s a question if companies can procure enough of the metal to meet demand. • Here’s what people are saying. 

Cows want friends, too: They may come across as indifferent, but don’t be fooled: they long for companionship just like the rest of us. Cows are able to recognize each other, and they have their preferred friends, The Atlantic reports. And cows surrounded by their buddies have lower heart rates and are less likely to stamp or pace, probable signs of distress. The benefits even extend to cow-human friendships, with a 2009 British survey finding that cows named by their farmers produced 258 more liters of milk than unnamed cows. • Here’s what people are saying.  

One last idea:  Instead of viewing our competition as enemies we need to outflank, author Simon Sinek advises that we view such adversaries as sources of inspiration to grow and improve. • Here’s what people are saying. 

“We have to stop thinking of other players as competitors to be beaten and start thinking of them as worthy rivals who can help us become better players.”

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— Scott Olster