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Changing Lives, one dance at a time
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 By Jurriaan Kamp Changing lives, one dance at a time. That is the mission of the California-based initiative World Dance for Humanity. Since 2010 dancer and anthropologist Janet Reineck has brought together women who explore the best of world Read More...
Why elections are bad for democracy
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 Our voting system worked well for decades, but now it is broken. It brings forward the wrong people (Donald Trump) and it leads to bad decisions (Brexit). There is a better way to give voice to the people. By David Van Read More...
Nature's air filter
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 Air pollution is responsible for roughly 7 million deaths worldwide every year. Air-borne pollutants also cause heart disease, stroke, skin diseases, reduced fertility and miscarriage, and cancer. There’s a solution: Plants that clean the Read More...
Nature's air filter
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 Air pollution is responsible for roughly 7 million deaths worldwide every year. Air-borne pollutants also cause heart disease, stroke, skin diseases, reduced fertility and miscarriage, and cancer. There’s a solution: Plants that clean the Read More...
The dehydration myth
From The Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 If you find yourself confused about whether to drink eight glasses of water a day or twenty, chances are you’re overthinking it. There’s a perfect system that tells you when you need to drink: It’s called thirst. By KARIN KLEIN Dehydration has Read More...
This app lets you buy on-demand insurance for single items
As we wrote above, the Internet transforms entire industries. Here's a good example. In the past, you could buy one comprehensive for all your valuables. But that doesn't make much sense when you only want to insure one expensive item. That’s why Australia-based insurance company Trōv has Read More...
Researchers develop low-energy process for filtering water using carbon
Filtering mass-amounts of water can be an energy-intensive process, but that could soon change thanks to a team of researchers. Using carbon dioxide resumes, the researchers developed a new process that requires one thousand times less energy to remove suspended particles and bacteria from water. Read More...
These new wind-energy technologies look incredible
Many consider modern windmills eyesores in the landscape despite their obvious clean energy benefits. A new generation of wind technologies are on their way, and they not only promise to make wind energy safer and more affordable, their sleek designs are also stunning. See this series of new Read More...
Universal basic income is gaining support across Europe
The digital economy could make for a very unstable economic future as the Internet is transforming and reducing whole classes of jobs. That’s why the idea of universal basic income is gaining more and more support. With a basic income, every citizen, regardless of employment status, would receive Read More...
8 cost-free ways to help you fall asleep at night
Considering that nearly half of all adults get less sleep than the recommended amount, it's no surprise that an entire industry has popped up around sleep. There are sleep-trackers, sleeping-pills, self-improving beds, and even sleep-consultants that are supposed to help you get some good shut-eye. Read More...