Wrapping up the week with an eclectic global round up of positive news stories.
Manifested as Verb
“Manifest”, meaning to dream or will something into existence, has been named the word of 2024 by Cambridge Dictionary, after a surge of celebrity-inspired popularity on social media. Though far from a new coinage – as an adjective meaning “clear” or “obvious”, the word dates back in English to at least the 1300s – the dictionary’s decision rests on its newest meaning as a verb, which attests to the power of visualisation and positive thinking in making fervently held dreams come to pass. For example, the singer Dua Lipa has attributed her success to manifesting, saying: “Manifesting is a big thing for me. I stand very firmly in the belief of putting things into the world. Subconsciously, you just work towards them. Nothing’s ever too big.”
New Pterosaur Species
The pterosaurs that flew across prehistoric skies while dinosaurs walked the Earth came in all shapes and sizes. Some, boasted an enormous 32-feet wingspan, while other earlier pterosaurs had a more dainty 6.5 feet wide wingspan. Now, a newly discovered pterosaur species - Skiphosoura bavarica - is helping explain this leap from a smaller to larger wingspan size and other physical changes. For paleontologists, Skiphosoura bavarica shows how these winged reptiles may have changed over time. Skiphosoura bavarica means “sword tail from Bavaria,” because it was discovered in southern Germany and it has a very unusual short, stiff, and pointed tail - similar to a sword. The specimen is complete, meaning nearly every single bone is preserved. When it lived, it would have been about the size of a golden eagle - but with a wingspan of about 20 feet.
Amalgam Ferrari 250 GTO
The story of Amalgam is almost 40 years old. It started out supplying intricately detailed architectural models in 1985 before using its tools to create car models a decade later when founder Sandy Copeman approached the Jordan and Williams F1 teams. Now it’s a leading name in the high-end model world, creating miniature artworks of everything from road-going classics to racing legends in 1:8 or 1:18 scale - like these gorgeous 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours Ferrari 250 GTOs. From £985 / $1,250, amalgamcollection.com
World's Oldest Road-Going Ferrari is Still Being Driven: It's the fourth road car ever made by Ferrari and is still being driven around in a rather unexpected place. Story, plus video.
Lunar Eruptions
Volcanoes were erupting on the mysterious far side of the moon billions of years ago, US and Chinese researchers have found. Analysis of samples collected by a Chinese mission found basalt (volcanic rock formed after an eruption) fragments dating back more than 4.2 billion years. While scientists already knew of volcanic activity on the near side of the moon, which we can see from Earth, the "dark side" is very different in its geology, and remains largely unexplored. While it is widely known as the "dark side", this part of the Moon actually gets plenty of sunlight - we just don't see it. This is because the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, and takes the same amount of time to orbit our planet - about 27 days - meaning the same side always faces us.
Onshore Wave Energy
Eco Wave Energy has secured final approval for what will become the first onshore wave energy project in the US. The idea behind the setup is to mount a number of floaters on coastal infrastructure, which rise and fall to the motion of waves. This drives hydraulic pistons to move fluid to an accumulator, which is then released to produce electricity via a generator. Following a three month feasibility study concluded in April of this year, EWP has been given the green light to install eight floaters on existing wharf structure at the east side of Municipal Pier One at the Port of Los Angeles. The installation is expected to be completed by the end of March 2025, and EWP has already identified 77 more sites on the US coast with potential for adopting its wave energy technology.
And Finally...
Year-on-year, pre-holiday shopping madness is becoming more and more common, and advertising campaigns encourage consumers to take advantage of unique promotions. ITMAGINATION’s data analysis experts have examined 6 popular product categories and prove that big discounts during Black Week are mostly advertising slogans. Once again, the high discounts turned out to be illusory rather than concrete. Key findings: Only a third of the products were priced at their lowest level compared to the last 3 months for Black Friday in November. On the other hand, the average prices of the most popular electronics and household appliances on Black Friday were higher by over 8 percent versus their lowest levels in the preceding 90 days.
“Every Friday, I like to high five myself for getting through another week on little more than caffeine, willpower, and inappropriate humor.” Nanea Hoffman
On This Day
22 November 1995: Pixar's Toy Story, the first entirely computer-animated feature-length film, was released and became a critical and commercial hit.
Today's Articles
Mood Boosting Video
Official Trailer: To be released on Valentine's Day: Bridget Jones - Mad About the Boy.