What those strange quarantine dreams mean and how to stop them
Even if you’re someone who rarely remembers your dreams, you may find that quarantine has provoked dreams that are vivid, scary, or downright bizarre. If you’re having wild quarantine dreams, you’re not alone. Social media users are sharing #pandemicdreams to talk about the Read More...
New AI algorithm effectively streamlines Alzheimer’s diagnosis
In our Optimist View yesterday, we discussed how one woman can smell out Alzheimer’s even years before diagnosis. Now, thanks to an AI algorithm, there is yet another way to diagnose the disease even earlier. The algorithm uses a combination of factors including magnetic resonance imaging Read More...
This article will end your household’s debate on how to load the dishwasher
Weirdly enough, the dishwasher is a source of controversy in many households. Philip Lee and Diane Rudolph, co-heads of Marital Therapy at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, claim it’s among the most common spousal battles they see. A 2012 Harris survey commissioned by Bosch also Read More...
Eco-friendly hand sanitizer is plastic-free and moisturizes your skin
Overnight, hand sanitizer has become an essential part of our personal-care routines, but the packaging it typically comes in is exponentially contributing to the global plastic crisis. Looking for a solution, one company decided to disrupt this polluting trend with a new hand sanitizer that Read More...
New building code paves the way for more sustainable cities
Residential and commercial buildings are responsible for about 40 percent of U.S. energy consumption and GHG emissions. States and cities which approve the new 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) will require new buildings to reduce their overall energy usage by 10 percent compared Read More...
Struggling restaurant workers can now get a financial grant from Guy Fieri
Most restaurants around the country have been closed in the wake of the shelter-in-place rules, erasing a much needed source of income for service workers. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri has taken notice to what the pandemic is doing to the restaurant industry--and is doing his bit to help. The Read More...
Strategies for stimulating your social needs while social distancing
Humans are wired “to come together physically”, which makes this whole social distancing thing a bit of a tricky issue. Since social distancing recommendations could remain in place for months to come, NPR has come up with a few effective strategies for connecting with others while maintaining Read More...
Fruit waste helps efficiently harvest useful polymer from seafood waste
Within the world of packaging, a material called chitin has been getting a lot of attention in recent years. Among other things, it's biodegradable, biocompatible, and it provides a use for seafood waste that would otherwise just end up in the landfill. Recent studies have shown that it could be Read More...
Nike donates 30,000 shoes to healthcare workers fighting the pandemic
While healthcare workers are generally always operating in high gear to save lives, the pressure and intensity of their jobs have increased dramatically with the coronavirus pandemic. In a sign of appreciation of their superhero efforts, sportswear company Nike is donating 30,000 pairs of shoes Read More...
OPTIMIST VIEW: Managing self-care when things fall apart
The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. - Pema Chödrön By Kristy Jansen Back in 2006 when I was about 6 months pregnant, I went in for my semi-annual teeth cleaning and dental check-up. Shirley, my dental Read More...