It’s difficult to imagine an upside to the pandemic currently gripping the world, but the BBC found one. Click here for details.
Good News Monday (early edition)
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Category Archives: good news
Cautious Optimism
We could all use some good news right about now. This scientist has a realistic, not dire, perspective.
More on Cell Phones
Good info on disinfecting your cell phone. In short, clean the screen and case with a disinfecting wipe, being careful not to get liquid in it. Do this especially after using it in public places.
Better yet, keep it in a plastic zip bag when you’re out and about. (Is that even still a thing?)
On the bright side, maybe this will be the end of people taking endless selfies.
Good News Monday: Tales from the Dark Side
They say laughter is the best medicine. (And possibly our only one until we get a reliable vaccine.) Luckily, this pandemic has some upsides. Let’s call them “coronadvantages”:
- Crime deterrent: Only a fool would break into a house without knowing if its inhabitants were infected. Plus, they’re probably home
- Ivanka’s shoes (made in China) might finally go out of business
- You now have the perfect excuse to avoid just about anything
- West Coasters have something to take our minds off worrying about The Big One
- There’s no shame in being a hypochodriac
- Terrorists may think twice: No large gatherings = no large targets
- Your neighbors will stop hosting loud parties
- Working in pajamas
- Alcohol kills germs; ergo, vodka surely has medicinal properties
- A new appreciation for canned goods
- It’s far less likely your significant other will cheat on you
Good News Monday: Rotten Luck
Garbage: it’s not just for landfills anymore! A company in New York City has created an all-purpose cleaner made from 97% food waste plus 3% sustainably sourced natural fragrance. Lab tests indicate that it’s 99% effective at cleaning tough dirt from multiple surfaces.
Rather than adding water — which accounts for as much as 90% in most household cleaners — all the liquid in this product is directly derived from the recycled food waste.
And instead of a plastic spray bottle that might or might not get recycled, the product comes in a refillable aluminum bottle.
How’s that for cleaning up a mess?
Photo by mentatdgt on Pexels.com
Good News Monday: Helping Nurses Help Others
Nurses become nurses to help people. But they can spend up to 30% of their time on unsatisfying tasks that don’t involve seeing patients, such as delivering lab samples and gathering supplies.
Now, a robot named Moxi proposes to change that. Designed to be socially intelligent, Moxi debuted at Texas hospitals in September 2018. The robot features an expressive face with an arm, hand, and four wheeled base, and can use its hand to pick up medical supplies and deliver them to nurses or doctors; remove bags of soiled linen; and bring samples to on-site labs. This helps hospitals manage their workflow and frees up more staff time for patient care.
A.I. programming even allows Moxi to learn from human teachers. Someone, please teach it to cook appetizing hospital meals!
Good News Monday: Calling Them Out
As a proud — dare I say “defiant” — owner of an older iPhone, I was pleased to read that Apple’s rapacious strategy of planned obsolescence has been noted.
They were fined 25 million euros (£21m, $27m) for deliberately slowing down older iPhone models. France’s competition and fraud watchdog DGCCRF imposed the fine, saying that consumers were not warned. I’m hoping other countries follow suit.
To a company that size, I’m sure this is the equivalent of a tiny flea bite. But it does indicate that if you’ve noticed your older model is slowing down for no apparent reason, you’re not going crazy.
Which is always good to know.
Good News Monday: The Magic of Music
Fake it ’til you make it? That’s the song Australian researchers are singing these days.
In a novel experiment, marine biologists used underwater speakers to play recordings of thriving coral reef sounds — the constant crackling of shrimp snapping their claws, chattering fish, and sea urchins scraping along the rocks — in dead patches along the Great Barrier Reef.
The sounds lured twice as many fish, compared with places where the speakers were silent. Let’s get that party started!
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com
Good News Monday: Climate Change Could Be Rigged
Old oil and gas rigs might have a new lease on life that could benefit both industry and the planet, says a study from the University of Edinburgh.
Instead of decommissioning North Sea oil and gas rigs, which costs a boatload of money, they could be refitted — for 10x less — as pumping stations for self-contained carbon dioxide storage sites below the seabed.
The sites could be used to lock away CO2 produced by power stations, as well as emissions generated by natural gas production.
Images from pixabay.com
Good News Monday: Sustainable Shopping Made Easy
News to me, at least: mega e-tailer Net-a-Porter is highlighting beauty and fashion products created with a sustainable future in mind.
From natural skincare to organically sourced materials, items in the NET SUSTAIN collection meet at least one of eight key attributes that align with the fashion and beauty industries’ goals for positive impact on human, animal, and environmental welfare.
Of course, not shopping — or shopping vintage and pre-owned items — would be even better, but sometimes the heart just wants what it wants.
Photo by bruce mars on Pexels.com
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