As a reminder, I'm Frank Xu, a curious person. This is my newsletter called Lord of Light (LoL). I've started this newsletter this year, offering what I describe as "Bespoke observations on news story, random thoughts and a sip of happy hour". It is 70% fat-free, though the perceived fat ratio may vary depending on your taste in the topics I write about. Enjoy your reading.
Welcome to the 109th issue of free Lord of Light newsletter. You can also join the membership to enjoy weekly exclusive long-form content. Recent articles include:
News Stories
1.Let's start with some fruit news: Australia has grown the world's largest blueberry, with a diameter of about 4 centimeters. Rising temperatures are also causing an increase in banana prices. Pineapple giant Del Monte has introduced mini pineapples to reduce food waste while maintaining sweetness.
2 Still on the topic of fruit news for the day: Açai has recently become very popular, hailed as a superfood, and has appeared widely in ice cream and yoghurt due to the TikTok trend. However, the harvesting behind it tells a different story: Children in Brazil have to climb 20-meter-tall trees to pick these berries for you.
3.Speaking of "super healthy foods," there is another uncommon item that some people consider a target for consumption, and that is "snake meat." It has an extremely high protein content, can be sustainably raised, is not red meat, and is not costly to consume.
4.With the advancement of space technology, scientists have begun studying bloodstains in microgravity environments to prevent space crimes. This emerging field is called "space forensic science." Meanwhile, another company has started researching how to build railways on the moon.
5.Scientists have discovered that the microbes in the gut may make people more prone to alcohol addiction, leading to an intense craving for alcohol.
6.During the pandemic, in response to the shortage of toilet paper, many Americans purchased Japanese-style bidet toilets and found them to be a delightful experience. Once they start using them, they never want to go back.
7.Generation Z is followed by Generation Alpha, who generally live their lives online. According to their parents' recollections, their favorite vocabulary includes "bet," and they also love saying "GOAT" and "sus." Take a quick look at this list of young people's slang terms, or you'll be left behind.
8.The development of the AI industry has brought unprecedented technological support to the advancement of robots. In addition to the everyday household robots and industrial production robots that we commonly imagine, there is another type of robot that is also helping us in our lives, and that is the waste collection robot. They silently work in landfills and can identify improperly sorted waste every day, saving many recyclable items (such as plastic bottles) from being buried.
9.On job recruitment websites, there is a phenomenon where many positions, no matter how many people apply, seem to remain unfilled. We call these "ghost jobs," where companies do this to show that they are growing and to accumulate a pool of resumes. Recent research indicates that 40% of listed job advertisements ultimately do not hire anyone, and on LinkedIn, there are nearly 1.7 million potential positions that can be classified as ghost jobs, as they have been open for a long time without hiring anyone.
10.AI is entering various professional fields, including football. In top teams like Liverpool, AI is being used to develop corner kick tactics, and it is believed that there will be even more diverse set-piece strategies in the future.
Random Thoughts
1.Thoughts are things you hear, thinking is something you say (internally). -Joel Turner
2.The quality of any creative endeavor tends to approach the level of taste of whoever is in charge. - John Gruber
3.Don’t be sorry. Be better.
4.Allow the miracles to happen.
5.Sometimes it's not that you've encountered a boring person, but rather that you've encountered the boring part of yourself.
Happy Hours
1.Two impressive buildings: one is the Lishui Airport designed by MAD, resembling a soaring bird when viewed from above; the other is the Garden Tower designed by Foster + Partners. (It looks like the Sydney Central Park Mall Max version.)
2.How to describe happiness? We asked a group of renowned photographers to each submit a photo to depict happiness, and here are the results they provided.
3.Irish Coffee was originally invented at an airport. Please take a look at a brief history of Irish Coffee.
4 In Shanghai, there is a café that employs individuals with autism, advocating for attention and support for this community.
5.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized Berlin's Techno scene as cultural heritage.
6.Beloved foods like ice cream or sandwiches—what do they look like under a microscope?
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