The Optimist Times — Issue #3
July 3rd — July 9th
The Optimist Times is a new kind of front page news. Instead of showing stories that exploit our fears, the stories found here inspire, amaze, and awe. We live in the most spectacular time in history and The Optimist Times intends to highlight this. If you would like to get every issue in your inbox each week you can sign up here. Thanks for reading!
Happy Monday! Lots of inspiring stories for you this week. Check them out below.
Volvo Cars to go all electric
Volvo — 3 min read
The big story in the car industry this week is that Volvo Cars, announced that all new cars produced from 2019 on will have an electric motor. This makes Volvo, one of the first major car makers to move to an all electric lineup of vehicles.
Your Pet’s Disease Could Be Cured by Gene Therapy
MIT Technology Review — 5 min read
This one’s for all the pet lovers out there. A new gene therapy lead by Tufts University is aiming to cure diseases in pets. If successful, this could lead to new developments in treating human diseases as well.
Toyota built a robot to help a paralyzed Army vet around the house
Verge — 2 min read / 5 min watch
Toyota just completed its first in-home trial of its new Human Support Robot (HSR for short). The robot is supposed to help people with disabilities perform everyday tasks around the home, like opening doors or fetching water. It’s a pretty amazing to see the impact these technologies can have on people’s lives.
The Job Market May Have Some Room to Run After All
The New York Times — 3 min read
The June job market numbers released Friday show positive signs for continued job growth. Previously, the thought was that the job market had reached full employment but based on June’s numbers, growth seems to be accelerating.
The Machines Are Getting Ready to Play Doctor
MIT Technology Review — 2 min read
A team of researchers at Stanford University have developed an algorithm that can identify heart arrhythmias from an electrocardiogram (ECG) better than a cardiologist. The latest techniques in machine learning are quite impressive. One day, in the not too distant future, we may be able to be diagnosed for health conditions completely from our phones, earlier than ever, and all without ever having to go to the doctor’s office.
Artificial Intelligence Better Than Medical Experts At Choosing Viable IVF Embryos
IFL Science — 2 min read
In further news of algorithms improving the medical field, a new study showed that an artificial intelligence was able to better select viable embryos than a team of embryologists.
Self-driving cars just had one of their best months yet
The Verge — 6 min read
A number of developments for self-driving cars took place last month, bringing them ever closer to a reality. The developments included: new legislation, a partnership between Waymo and Avis to manage a fleet of autonomous cars in Arizona, and GM announcing it had begun production of 130 more self-driving Chevy Bolts to add to its existing fleet.
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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