An eclectic bundle of positive news nuggets to ensure that the weekend gets off to a sunny start.
Hats Off to Kenichi
Japanese man, 83, has become the oldest person to sail solo non-stop across Pacific. Yachtsman Kenichi Horie repeats the endeavour after becoming first person to successfully take on feat in 1962. This time, it took him two months in his 19ft (6m) yacht and after arriving in Japan he said: “Don’t let your dreams just stay as dreams. Have a goal and work towards achieving this and a beautiful life awaits.”
Rescue Rats
Rats are being trained to be sent into earthquake debris wearing tiny backpacks, so rescue teams can talk to survivors. The innovative project is being worked on by 33-year-old research scientist Dr Donna Kean from Glasgow. So far seven rats have been trained, taking only two weeks to get them up to speed. Specialist backpacks containing microphones and video gear as well as location trackers will allow rescue teams to communicate with and find survivors.
Plug In
We’ve all been there. “Can I borrow your charger?” “Sure, it’s Samsung.” “Drat, I’m Apple.”
However, such exchanges will soon be history in Europe, after the bloc pushed ahead with plans to introduce a single charging port (USB-C) for phones, tablets and cameras. The EU said it would reduce e-waste and save people money as they will no longer need to change chargers every time they switch phones.
Petrichor
The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
How Long is Pi?
Pi is an irrational number, which means that it is a real number that cannot be expressed by a simple fraction. That's because pi is what mathematicians call an "infinite decimal" - after the decimal point, the digits go on forever and ever. If there was any doubt about 'forever and ever', Google has just calculated pi to 100 trillion digits. Just in case you were gagging to know, the last 100 digits of the 100 trillion pi are: 4658718895 1242883556 4671544483 9873493812 1206904813 2656719174 5255431487 2142102057 7077336434 3095295560.
Work/Life Balance
We spend a lot of time working and its impact on our lives is under greater scrutiny than ever, so researchers have set about identifying the best cities for work-life balance. The idea being to highlight the places that are getting it right - such as providing generous holiday allowance, parental leave, percentage of remote working jobs, unemployment figures, and mental health support for workers - in the hope that we can all learn something from them. Coming out on top was Oslo, the Norwegian capital, with Bern (Switzerland), Helsinki (Finland), Zurich (Switzerland) and Copenhagen (Denmark) rounding out the top five. Ottawa (Canada) came 7th and Sydney (Australia) was 8th. The best performing UK city? Liverpool in 24th. And the top US city? Seattle in 32nd.
Consumer Shift
Sales of non-plug-in internal combustion-powered vehicles peaked in 2017, according to a report by industry analysts at Bloomberg, and have been in "permanent decline" since then as sales of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles increase. Sales of plug-in vehicles are also expected to triple their current levels by 2025, according to the report. "Most importantly, the market is shifting from being driven primarily by policy, to one where organic consumer demand is the most important factor," say the report's lead authors.
F-150 Lightning
Ford has been vocal about the new F-150 Lightning’s bi-directional charging capability that enables owners to use the electric truck’s massive battery to charge other EVs. And, now, the company is apparently including a new accessory so these Good Samaritan truck owners can help out stranded Teslas. F-150 Lightning owners are, apparently, positively gleeful about the notion of rescuing stranded Tesla vehicles.
Quote of the Day
'Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.'
Harriet Tubman
On this Day
11 June 1987: Margaret Thatcher becomes first British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term.
Dive in Deeper
Nature Mood Booster
When you're this tall, getting a drink of water can be challenging. And how do giraffes avoid getting head rush?