What’s In This Issue?
This Week’s Main Stories
A Museum Wants Your Embarrassing Teenage Photos (Really)
If one of your home lockdown activities has involved digging through old photo albums or making a futile attempt to organize your digital photos - you might be able to claim your place in history by submitting one to the United Kingdom's Museum of Youth Culture. They have issued a call for submissions for their project to memorialize the teenage years of youth since the 1920s. I'm pretty sure I have a picture of me in some jams around here somewhere.
The Truth About Air Pollution
With people staying home from work and global commutes reduced to a fraction of what they once were, I assumed that air pollution would be vastly improved by now. Unfortunately, that may not be the case, as this eye-opening story from NPR about the reality of air pollution points out. Daily traffic only really account for a small part of overall pollution whereas trucks and factories provide the lion's share - and much of that pollution has not disappeared. On the contrary, some of it has actually increased ... which means air pollution hasn't really gone down as much as you might think.
Artificial Intelligence Invents Words ... and They Are Brilliant
My new favorite website might be ThisWordDoesNotExist.com. It's a machine learning algorithm that spits out a new word along with a fake definition every time you press the button. After my extended play session with the site, it gave me "lunty" (relating to a great time) and "unplumspect" (lacking or having no apparent significance). They are ironically perfect fake words to describe a beautiful site that offers a great time while also lacking any apparent significance. Or perhaps I'm having a profound theoretical conversation with a piece of AI designed to be accidentally clever. It's honestly hard to tell.
NASA Publishes Guidelines For Humans In Space.
It's not exactly the prime directive, but NASA's latest attempt at setting some guidelines for the unexplored expanse of space is a timely initiative considering how many private companies are rushing to get there. The guidelines focus on important basics like ensuring interoperability and reminding everyone that those in space have a responsibility to come to the emergency aid of others there. The Artemis Accords, as they are called, are worth a read.
Millennials May Bring Back Products That Were Dead
Among the surprising effects of the pandemic lockdowns is that they may be leading to a resurgence in product categories or experiences that were rapidly dying. Processed cheese was avoided because it was't healthy, but now people are buying more because it lasts longer and helps them avoid more trips to the grocery store. Golf, widely considered a game for mainly older people, is seeing a resurgence because it's one of the few sports that is easier to play while remaining socially distanced. The bottom line: what wasn't popular might become popular now.
