The Deadliest Predator, Tiny Forests, Oldest Living Things and Cyclists of Burundi
#6 of 10+1 Things
Feature your art
Hello,
Welcome to Issue #6 of 10+1 Things.
Here are 10+1 Things that I thought were worth sharing this week:
Deadliest Predator
I'm currently reading the book, 'The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator' by Timothy C. Winegard. Mosquitoes have accounted for the death of around 52 billion people out of the 108 billion ever to have lived on this planet. Having razed economies, determined the fates of empires and decided the outcome of many great wars, this tiny blood-sucking fly has played a significant role in shaping our future more than any other living creature.
Revenge Bedtime Procrastination
Popularized by journalist Daphne K. Lee in a viral tweet, 'Revenge Bedtime Procrastination' is a phenomenon in which “people who don’t have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late-night hours“. Even though it results in insufficient sleep, it is a way of finding some entertainment for people who work the whole day in high-stress jobs. When I was working in a high-stress job earlier, this used to happen to me. Instead of closing my eyes and drifting to sleep, I would start reading about something on Wikipedia or watch a video. Before I know, I will have 20+ tabs open or would have binge-watched one entire season of a sitcom.
Has this ever happened to you?
Racing Cyclists of Burundi
The racing cyclists of the African Country, Burundi are involved in one of the riskiest jobs on this planet. Being one of the poorest nations in the world, bicycles are the main means of transportation in the country. Bananas, the staple food in Burundi, are transported from the markets to a banana beer brewing factory by these cyclists and play a significant role in the economy. The Free Documentary team, accompanies Tharcien, a bike courier, on his exhausting cross-country trip on the Burundi Highway in this documentary. Cyclists usually have to transport weights up to 250 kgs on a 15 km journey consisting of both uphill and downhill.
Tracking Financial Independence
In an interesting Twitter thread, 10-K Diver teaches how to measure and track your progress towards financial independence. In a nutshell, financial independence means that you won't have to work another day in your life for money and will be able to live comfortably to the end of your days. In 35 tweets, 10-K Divers has done an excellent job in explaining how to plan, track and execute your path towards financial independence.
Tiny Forests
Invented by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki and popularized by Shubhendu Sharma, the 'Miwawaki Method' is a unique method to create tiny forests. In Europe, India and other countries, several communities are creating such tiny forests to curb rising environmental challenges. In this method native species are planted close to each other, ensuring that the plants receive sunlight only from the top and prevent them from growing sideways. The method requires very little space(min. 20 sq. feet) and plants grow ten times faster becoming maintenance-free in 3 years. These forests support biodiversities such as insects & birds and also contribute to carbon sequestration and urban cooling.
Repairing with Gold
Kintsugi is a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. In the process which is centuries old, the broken ceramic pieces are joined with a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Since each break is unique, the seams of gold in the cracks on the ceramic ware makes it a unique piece of art. From a philosophical point of view, it treats the breakage and repair as part of the object's history, embracing the flaws and imperfections. If you're interested to know more about the process, you can watch this BBC reel on Kintsugi.
Your Own Project
In his latest blog, Paul Graham the co-founder of Y Combinator talks about the importance of 'A Project of One's Own’. In the article, he explains the excitement associated with projects of your own and how it drives you to learn more. My favourite quote from the article is:
"It's a bit sad to think of all the high school kids turning their backs on building treehouses and sitting in class dutifully learning about Darwin or Newton to pass some exam when the work that made Darwin and Newton famous was actually closer in spirit to building treehouses than studying for exams."
Oldest Living Things in the World
In the last decade, Brooklyn based contemporary artist Rachel Sussman has been researching and travelling around the world, collaborating with biologists to document the oldest living things on earth. From the 3000-year-old lichens that grow only 1cm every 100 years to the giant 80,000-year-old aspen colonies, Sussman has photographed over 30 representative species. These organisms which have survived centuries are now in danger due to the rapidly changing climate and human encroachment. All photos from the project can be seen on her website or can be read as a book available on Amazon.
Machinarium
Lately, I have been playing a game called Machinarium developed by Amanita Design. It is a puzzle point&click adventure game, having a huge cult following. The game follows the quest of Josef the Robot on saving his better half Berta, kidnapped by villains. Well praised by critics and reviewers, the award-winning game is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Xbox and Playstation to download. You are interested, watch the trailer of the game here. (The featured image of this issue is a screenshot from the gameplay)
Cultured Meat
Israeli company Future Meat Technologies has opened the World's first facility to produce lab-grown meat at scale near an island in Tel Aviv. The facility is equipped to produce 500 kgs of meat per day equivalent to 5000 burger patties that are cell-based and slaughter-free. The proprietary process technology by Future Meat is expected to generate 80% less greenhouse gas emissions, 99% less land usage and 96% less freshwater utilization compared to traditional meat production.
Is lab-grown meat essential for our sustainable future?
Soundness of Mind
Soundness of Mind is the debut album of Portland duo Danielle Davis and Steven Whiteley aka Liila. Liila was formed during a shared tenure at a zen monastery bonded by the mutual fascination towards modular synthesizers and zen practice. Soundness of Mind uses a wide range of instruments and veers into all sorts of genres along the way.
That’s 10+1 Things for the week.
See you next week!
With Love,
Rishikesh
Quote of the week: “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." ~Marie Curie
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