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Someone recently asked me what my “process” is for writing this newsletter. You get that question a lot in this line of work, and I assume people are waiting for a sophisticated answer like, “Oh, I pour myself a cup of decaf green tea and take notes in a leather-bound book full of great ideas to until now. the spirit of Joan Didion or whoever guides my mind eagerly.” Sadly, that is not the case. Mostly I just frown at my computer screen until an idea materializes. Sometimes I get up and walk into another room, forget why I’m there, then move to the window and watch the birds, and then sit down again hoping that something has shaken loose. It’s not really that glamorous. Very rarely, no inspiration comes at all. Of course, that’s it very rare Definitely not happening right now! I think it’s time for another bird break.
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Our favorites this week
Enjoy some of the most popular good stories of the week
Our friend in Elmo
Oh, Elmo. Our ugly friend from Sesame Street walked right into a sad heap this week when he checked in with his followers on X – formerly known as Twitter – to ask how they were doing. To sum up the many responses: Not so great, Elmo! Thanks for asking. People were so open to the fuzzy little guy that all his Sesame Street friends on X, along with the main Sesame Street account, started posting more messages of support for people going through a rough time. The whole thing was kind of funny in a dark way. More than that, it was a heartwarming surprise: Doing well requires courage, and people were more than ready to be vulnerable with a trusted childhood icon. As Elmo said in one response, “Wow! Elmo is happy he asked. Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.” I wrote about the sweet social media moment here and talked to a therapist about ways you can open up to a friend – or that all-important listening ear.
Say cheese!
Rats seem to like taking selfies! That’s a lovely little thing to carry around. Artist Augustin Lignier saw the amazing behavior after buying two rats as pets in 2021. He built them an elaborate cage and, using a mechanism that gave the rodents sugar when they pressed a button, he placed train them to take pictures of themselves. The project is a commentary on the concepts of pleasure, reward and the addictive behaviors fostered by social media. Lignier says the images offered a “fun” way to explore topics such as shrinking attention spans and the influence of social media algorithms. After taking selfies for a few days, the pair were sent to Lignier’s mother’s house in the Provence region of France to live out the rest of their rodent days in peace (and anonymity).
Read the whole story here.
The future is locked
A South African entrepreneur who designed a smart locker system that improves access to healthcare has won a major African engineering award. Neo Hutiri created Pelebox, an internet-enabled locker system that delivers medications for chronic conditions to patients. This secure approach helps reduce queues and waiting times and eases the strain on hospital resources. For his future-changing device, Hutiri was awarded £50,000 ($63,000) by the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering. This event marked the 10th anniversary of the Academy’s award-winning Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, which recognizes entrepreneurs who have developed technology to address local challenges on the continent, from access to improving power to adapt to climate change.
Read the whole story here.
You have to see this
Yes, we can definitely see the family resemblance! The James Webb Space Telescope captured portraits of 19 spiral galaxies and the millions of stars that call them home. The telescope’s ability to observe the universe in different wavelengths of infrared light, such as near-infrared and mid-infrared, reveals the stars, gas and dust within the complex structure of each galaxy. Our own little solar system is in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way.
Read the whole story here.
Listen, hear!
Resist the lies that violence and destruction are inevitable, that this is the way it has to be. We have a responsibility to imagine another way to be human.
— a writer Rear Arthur Riley
Shameless animal video
This week’s video comes from a retired postman who set up a camera to catch himself cleaning his garden shed at night. (Click here to view)
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