The Optimist Times — Issue #1
June 19th — 25th
Thanks for checking out the first issue of The Optimist Times!!
I was inspired to create this newsletter because I was tired of seeing all the negative headlines throughout the media. The front page of our newspapers can be downright depressing. This is often because shocking stories get our attention.
But the good news is, contrary to what you might see in the daily paper or read in your Facebook and Twitter feeds, we live in a pretty amazing and spectacular time. So I wanted to highlight all the great things going on in the world.
I hope the stories you read, watch, or listen to in each issue of this newsletter show you all the inspiring things that are happening in our world today.
Enjoy!
Happy Monday! Let’s get your week off to a great start with some inspiring stories from the past week…
SpaceX successfully completes two Falcon 9 landings in one weekend
The Verge — 2 min read
Well one of the world’s most inspiring companies (if not the one) has done it again. In less than 48 hours, SpaceX launched two payloads to space on rockets that landed back on Earth to be reused in future missions. The videos of the rockets landing are so cool. Although it’s still early, SpaceX has still been able to make landing a rocket booster seem routine. Here’s to making this sort of thing storyless in the future.
Read it here
A new antibiotic for drug-resistant tuberculosis
The Economist — 5 min read
Tuberculosis has been making a comeback due to drug resistance. But luckily a group of doctors in Britain think they have discovered a new antibiotic to combat the evolved strain of TB.
Read it here
Drones to the Rescue
The New York Times — 1 min read
Airborne drones carrying defibrillators could help revive people stricken by cardiac arrests far more quickly than ambulances can, a new study finds.
Read it here
China’s central bank has begun cautiously testing a digital currency
MIT Technology Review — 3 min read
China’s central bank is testing a prototype digital currency with mock transactions between it and some of the country’s commercial banks. There are now several countries that are beginning to explore using digital currencies. Digital currencies have a lot of benefits over traditional paper currencies. It will be interesting to watch how national digital currencies and those without a government backing ends up playing out.
Read it here
Finland tests a new form of welfare
The Economist — 2 min read
Finland is beginning its test of basic income with some of its citizens. Regardless of what you think of the policy, it’s great to see governments start to experiment with new ideas that can hopefully one day lead to better solutions to the challenges society faces.
Read it here
Doctor on demand: How app culture is reviving the house call
The Washington Post — 6 min read
The age of everything on-demand has already been upon us for some time now. It makes sense that our medical visits would be next. This story is about that trend and flipping the doctor office visit on its head.
Read it here
Creating a Stylish World for Children With Autism
The New York Times — 5 min read
Wolf & Friends is a website that sells furnishings and toys for children with Autism. It also helps parents of children with Autism by providing helpful articles and tips.
Read about it here
Tactile sensor lets robots gauge objects’ hardness and manipulate small tools
Kurzweilai.net — 2 min read
Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have added sensors to grippers on robot arms to give robots greater sensitivity and dexterity. Aka, this gives robots the ability to better sense how strong a grip they should have (so they can pick up your tomatoes and chop them without crushing them in the process).
Read it here
For W.N.B.A.’s Oldest Rookie, a Lot of Persistence Goes a Long Way
New York Times — 5 min read
This is a pretty great story about chasing your dreams and the value of perseverance.
Read it here
Online Retail Boom Means More Warehouse Workers, And Robots To Accompany Them
NPR — 7:21 min listen
This is a story about the impact warehouse jobs have had on a typically agricultural economy that has struggled with unemployment in the past. While many are concerned with what will happen to jobs in the future because of automation, this community is embracing the new opportunities that have been presented and training themselves for the jobs of today.
Read or listen to it here
An AI Hedge Fund Goes Live on Ethereum
Medium — 2 min read
Perhaps all of the words in this story’s headline make you say, what?? But you may want to still give this one a read. The reason is because a new kind of hedge fund called Numerai, uses Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency (aka a digital way to trade things). It’s a new concept but one I think you should keep an eye on.
Read it here
Come across any inspiring stories this week? Please pass them along to me and I will try including them in next week’s issue.
Thanks for reading!
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