Mid-week collection of tasty bite-sized chunks of upbeat news.
The Power of Failure
Sir James Dyson, the British inventor behind the Dyson vacuum cleaner, went through 5,126 failed prototypes over five years before arriving at the design that would transform the world of household cleaning. This is what he had to say about those failures: “We’re taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven’t, you need to do things the wrong way. Initiate a failure by doing something that’s very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path. It’s exciting, actually. To me, solving problems is a bit like a drug. You’re on it, and you can’t get off.”
Silver Screens
Bronze, gold, and silver screens, actually: the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony will play out across 150+ IMAX screens in the US this summer.
El Dorado of the Seas
A team of marine experts are to begin hunting for the most valuable shipwreck in British history which sank 400 years ago carrying $4.3 billion worth of gold. Royal Merchant, a 17th-century English treasure ship known as “El Dorado of the Seas” sank in bad weather off Lands End, eastern England in 1641. Proceedings in the House of Commons were halted to hear the news it was lost, and King Charles I spoke of the event as the “greatest loss ever sustained in one ship.” Fast forward to 2019, a massive anchor was found and experts believe it belonged to the Royal Merchant. So now a team of marine cargo recovery experts from Cornwall-based company Multibeam Services is working with former local fishermen in a mission to find the wreck and its treasure. Fingers crossed!
Booklinkr
A new little app for book lovers, that makes it easy to share all your favourite books under one link. You can also create your own bookshelf.
EU Acts on AI
E.U. regulators pass the world’s first sweeping artificial intelligence regulations, seeking to "protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI, while boosting innovation and establishing Europe as a leader in the field." Applications that will be banned include social scoring, emotion recognition in schools and workplaces, and "AI that manipulates human behaviour or exploits people’s vulnerabilities." The AI Act is likely to come into force in early June.
German Energy
The share of renewable energy sources in Europe's largest economy - Germany - grew to just over half (52%) in 2023 thanks to the steady expansion of solar and wind power installations in electricity production and an increase in the uptake of renewable heating systems, says the Federal Environment Agency. And massive investments in renewable energy continue.
Climate Accountability
In a remarkable turn of events, legal experts have floated a proposal to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the devastating impacts of climate change. While the ill effects of extreme temperatures and the casualties as a result of which have been well documented, the proposal is nevertheless bold, suggesting that these companies could face homicide charges. The proposal, spearheaded by the consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen, has been gaining momentum among legal scholars and public officials. “We’ve been really excited to see the curiosity, interest, and support these ideas have garnered from members of the legal community, including from both former and current federal, state and local prosecutors,” Aaron Regunberg, senior policy counsel with Public Citizen’s climate program, told The Guardian.
“When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade and then try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” Ron White
On This Day
27 March 1952: "Singin' in the Rain", musical comedy starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
Mood Booster
World's Worst Sheep Dog. Hilarious!
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