Plus: The Cost of Lost Car Keys and the Physics of Staying Dry in the Rain.

What’s in a Name?
Is your name influencing your career? A recent LinkedIn study revealed some interesting information about popular names in different professions.

A research team at the online professional network looked at more than 100 million public profiles on the site and then determined the “top” names by finding the most over-represented names within a specific population or functional area (like “names for female CEOs globally” for instance). Functional areas were derived from the self-reported title that each member has listed on his/her profile.

The researchers found that male chief executives tend to have short names or shortened versions of longer names. For example, LinkedIn’s blog notes, “Bob” and “Jack” are high on the list, while female executives tend to have longer names (“Deborah” and “Carolyn” are popular) and shy away from nicknames to project a more professional image.

Short names are popular among sales pros (“Chip” and “Todd”), perhaps because “shortened versions of given names are often used to denote a sense of friendliness and openness.” Engineers tend to have longer names, around six letters (“Andrew” and “Rajesh”).

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Credit: LinkedIn.com

The Cost of Losing Your Car Keys
Losing your car keys could cost you hundreds of dollars, according to a recent report by Edmunds.com.

Based on the costs of replacing the most common key technologies on the market, the online auto resource offers some specific tips, including the following:

Basic Keys and Fob
Cost: While a basic metal key will cost $3 at a locksmith or $12 at a dealership, the accompanying programmable fob (i.e., the remote often used to lock and unlock the car and pop the trunk) can cost between $50 and $90.
Solution: While some dealerships program the fob for free, others will charge extra for labor. Most fobs can be programmed by car owners themselves with a combination of button presses on the remote and key turns in the ignition, as described in the car’s owner’s manual.

Transponder Keys
Cost: The price of a transponder key, including a transponder chip that must be programmed, on a late-model Ford F-150 was quoted to Edmunds.com at $160 plus $75 for the fob.
Solution: Car owners can save money by having a locksmith cut an “emergency” transponder key and use directions in the owner’s manual to get it programmed.

Meanwhile, replacing and programming laser-cut keys at a dealership can cost between $150 and $250, including labor. The cost of doing the same for a smart key ranges from $220 (for a Nissan Altima) to $400 (on an Acura RL).

To avoid the stress and extra money of having to replace keys in an emergency, Edmunds.com recommends that drivers always have a set of spare keys available.

“[I]f you are someone who is tempting fate by only having one set of keys,” the auto website said in a press release, “consider this: If you lose all the keys to your car, you will need to get it towed to a dealership and it can potentially cost you close to $1,000 to replace the locks on your car.”

Use Physics to Avoid Getting Wet in the Rain
How fast and at what angle should you walk in the rain to get the least wet? The following 18-minute video is from MIT’s fall 2010 Physics I, Classical Mechanics class module:

In other news, MIT now shares its educational materials on YouTube.
IMT wishes all mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers a Happy Mother’s Day this weekend! Cheers.