Houses that run on coffee, should we ditch daylight saving time? 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.

The house powered by coffee: Dunkin’ Donuts and builder New Frontier have partnered with sustainable biotech firm Blue Marble Biomaterials to develop a coffee-powered tiny house. Natural oils in coffee grounds are mixed with alcohol, producing biodiesel, which is then “washed and refined” into the final compound. Occupants will need to be big coffee drinkers: It takes roughly 170 pounds of used grounds to produce just one gallon of fuel. ? Here’s what people are saying.

As Canada enjoys another hour of sleep, neighbors across the pond are considering eliminating daylight saving time next year. A European Union survey found that 84% of people are against changing the clocks — for both economic and health reasons, with doctors comparing the time change to jet-lag effects on the body. Economically speaking, setting one time zone would be more beneficial for trade, argues the bloc, instead of the three it spans now. ? Here’s what people are saying.

The slow demise of Black Friday? Only 44% of U.S. consumers say they plan to shop as much on Black Friday this year as they did last year, according to a survey from Deloitte. Shoppers are bypassing the crowds and lengthy in-store lines and opting to do their holiday buying online instead. And retailers are following customers’ lead, as they shift away from big, single-day sales to extended holiday season discounts. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a… wasp? A team of engineers has developed FlyCroTugs, palm-sized robots that draw on the biology of wasps and geckos. Wasp-inspired spines enable the robots to lift and move objects about 40 times their own weight. The small robots could one day be used to perform dangerous tasks, such as search and rescue missions; they can also be taught to work in unison to complete bigger and more complicated jobs. ? Here’s what people are saying.

U.S. home prices are rising quicker than pay — they’ve been surging past wage growth for the past six years. The sale price of the average American home has soared by almost 60% since March 2012, while household incomes have climbed by less than 30%. The shift has led to longer-than-anticipated sale windows, increasing the number of first-time buyers being squeezed out of the market. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  While the recent past focused on building and adopting digital tools, the future of technology is about delivering unique, personalized experiences to individuals, Nick Sokolich, global VP of sales at FaceMe, told LinkedIn.

“If the previous decade was about digitization, the next will be about personalization in a hyper-connected world — placing the customer at the heart of every single innovation.”

Want to get ahead at work? Looking for advice from the pros? Share your burning career questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll get experts to weigh in.

— Alexander Besant, Andrew Murfett, Andrew Seaman, Jessica Hartogs