Inspiring Shakespeare

Plagiarism software has infiltrated universities around the globe; however, "two writers have discovered an unpublished manuscript they believe [Shakespeare] consulted to write 'King Lear,' 'Macbeth,' 'Richard III,' 'Henry V' and seven other plays." One of the writers explains: "'People don’t realize how rare these words actually are...And he keeps hitting word after word. It’s like a lottery ticket. It’s easy to get one number out of six, but not to get every number.'"

To further elaborate on the rarity of these words, the writer "ran phrases through the database Early English Books Online, which contains 17 million pages from nearly every work published in English between 1473 and 1700. He found that almost no other works contained the same words in passages of the same length. Some words are especially rare; 'trundle-tail' appears in only one other work before 1623."

While Shakespeare's influences have been studied for decades, this electronic form of research brings about a potential new light in understanding writers of our past. 

The Alcatraz Conundrum

Alcatraz inmates, who were believed to have died in their tumultuous escape while attempting to swim across freezing waters, wrote a letter to the San Francisco Police Department in 2013. This letter officially surfaced this past week, leading many to wonder of its validity. If the brothers and their accomplice were still alive today, their ages would range between 85-90. 

The REAL Diagnosis

It's no secret. Depression and "its twin sister, anxiety" have increased exponentially around the world in people from all sorts of backgrounds. Originally gaining diagnosing popularity in the 1970s, depression immediately seemed to consume much of society with a wide range in strength of prescriptions. Over time, doctors found that patients were actually behaving exactly as one could expect in a given situation and/or environment. Only recently, have more in depth studies started to see a light:

"In its official statement for World Health Day in 2017, the United Nations reviewed the best evidence and concluded that 'the dominant biomedical narrative of depression' is based on 'biased and selective use of research outcomes' that 'must be abandoned'. We need to move from 'focusing on ‘chemical imbalances’', they said, to focusing more on 'power imbalances'."

It's relatively difficult to summarize this entire article in a few short sentences. I highly recommend setting aside a bit of time to give this one a read. Whether you or someone you know have had a run in with depression and/or anxiety or, possibly, you've never run into either, I can guarantee you will find a breath of fresh air. It's not about what's wrong with "you or me", it's about meeting basic psychological needs; needs that are becoming a little tougher to come by than they used to be.

Einstein's Tip of Happiness

What may be a surprise to some, Albert Einstein, a man known for his scientific and mathematical genius, also had a quite valuable literary notion. Two notes simply written in 1922 recently sold for a combined $1.8 million this past Tuesday.

Both notes were taken during his travel "from Europe to Japan for a lecture series for which he was paid...by his Japanese publisher and hosts." Rightly so, news of his travel abroad caused quite a stir and brought many to see him speak. "Impressed but also embarrassed by the publicity, Einstein tried to write down his thoughts and feelings from his secluded room at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. A messenger [then] arrived with a delivery. [Rather than exchanging change], Einstein wrote two short notes and handed them to the messenger [saying,] 'If you are lucky, the notes themselves will someday be worth more than some spare change'."

Einstein was right: "A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant relentlessness" and "When there's a will, there's a way" brought, indeed, much more than spare change.

Got Oranges? May Be the Only Fertilizer You Need

Well over a decade ago, two ecologists came up with an out of the box idea: allow an orange juice company to dispose of its orange peels and pulp in a "largely deforested area nearby" in exchange for "donating a portion of unspoiled, forested land to...a nature preserve in the...northwest [of Costa Rica]". Within the course of a year, "over 12,000 metric tons of sticky, mealy, orange compost [were poured] onto the worn-out plot". Last year, one of the ecologists sent a graduate student to find the plot and (after multiple struggles to find the area) came across quite an astonishing result. The area that was dumped with "orange peel deposit" 20 years prior, was so "thick with vegetation" that it was hard to believe. 

It took over a combined 65 trips for the ecologist and graduate student to find the original sign marking the land, which was overgrown with vines. This in itself goes to show the difference that could be made "in many parts of the world [where] rates of deforestation are increasing dramatically" just by incorporating nutrient-rich waste (over half of all produce in the United States is sent to a landfill).

Chuck Norris Fights Off Death & Wins

THE Chuck Norris suffered two nearly back to back heart attacks this past July while travelling through Nevada. While stopped at a rural casino with family for the night, Norris collapsed in the shower due to chest pain. Over the course of a 100 mile race via ambulance to the nearest hospital then on a trauma helicopter to Reno, one source reported "everything happened so fast that it felt like he died twice in 47 minutes! There was so much hysteria it’s impossible to know how long the ordeal lasted. People were watching the heart monitor — not the clock!” 

Known as the man who doesn't do a push up, rather pushes the earth down, Chuck Norris credits his serious approach to health and fitness for his ability to recover from this traumatic event. “Chuck trains all the time and knows he has to take great care of his body. He’s slowed down a bit, but considers this just a blip.”

Apple Posts Job Ad Only Few Can Find

Nothing quite like the reward of a new job opportunity when solving a puzzle. Apple recently hid an advertisement "for a talented engineer to develop a critical infrastructure component that is to be a key part of the Apple ecosystem." However, this wasn't just any kind of hiding - the ad "was listed under [a] web address...[which is one] of a series of servers that belong to Apple". Zack Whittaker, cyber-security reporter, "discovered it by chance while analyzing some data being sent from iPhone apps" but isn't looking to apply for the position. Although this isn't the first time "'hidden' messages [have been used] in recruitment campaigns", Apple's unique way of enticing potential recruits not only screens them before ever applying, but also proves out an innovative way of critical thinking. 

Realistic Robocalls & How to Avoid Them

Robocalls are plaguing the nation with the unwanted annoyance of regular robot telemarketing phone calls. Year over year this past December, robocalls had nearly doubled from 1.5 billion in December 2015 to 2.3 billion in December 2016. The worst part? The technology behind the calls is evolving. From overlaying local numbers in your area code to creating superimposed background noise with laughter and coughing, robocalls are becoming harder and harder to screen. Although there isn't a way to completely block out all calls, there are a few options including choosing to not interact with them (pressing a number to opt out typically does nothing but confirm it's a working number), adding your number to the National Do Not Call Registry, and/or downloading one of the various applications that work to screen calls before ever connecting to your phone. Most importantly, officials say to avoid using "yes" on any robocall as some have used this "voice signature to authorize fraudulent charges by telephone".

The Sky Won't Be The Only Thing Going Dark on Aug. 21st

The upcoming solar eclipse on August 21st may have more gravitas than neat pictures. Across the country, percentage of total sunlight blocked will vary from 50% to total darkness for approximately 3 minutes - spanning its full course from Oregon to South Carolina in a matter of 90 minutes. Granted its impact on daily activity will likely be minimal, photovoltaic generators across the country will have a much lower energy output. North Carolina has the largest amount of generator capacity that will be in the 90% darkness band, which provides with state with 3.1% of its electricity generation. However, California will be the hardest hit with a direct reduction of 4.2 GW statewide and is projected to even slightly darken the state for about 2.5 hours mid-morning. 

YouTube Will Hide Extremist Content But Not Ban It

YouTube ranges in content from professional outlets to homemade bloopers; however, highly controversial, extremist views have also made their way to the social media platform. For the past months, YouTube has been working diligently to take command of this growing issue and today announced their progress thus far. The item getting the most attention? "YouTube will now begin limiting the reach of videos that have 'controversial religious or supremacist content' but don’t strictly violate the website’s hate speech guidelines." This seemingly "gray" line between free speech and extremist views is quite ridiculous. YouTube seems to be strictly following their own policies - why not write a little tighter regulations for the site's content? Come on guys.

Facebook Robots Make Up Own Language

Facebook chose to shut down two robots this past week after they began to communicate in their own "language" while working through a negotiation role play. They were having the robots "barter" for items such as hats, balls, and books; each of which were assigned a value. Although when looking at the text conversation it doesn't seem to make much sense, the robots continually stressed their own names, seeming to be a part of the negotiations. The robots would even "place interest in one specific item - so that they could pretend they were making a big sacrifice by giving it up."

This isn't the first time artificial intelligence has made up its own language in an effort to improve efficiency - "Google revealed earlier this year that...its Translate tool had created its own language to translate into then out of." In this instance, Google chose to continue to let the AI run, citing it was happy with the development. Seemingly futuristic, one linguist says it's "unlikely the language is a precursor to new human speech" specifically due to its text based foundation rather than spoken. 

Big Step in DNA Editing?

SciFi movies are becoming less and less fictional as science and technology continue to evolve. Recently, Oregon scientists have reported successfully editing human embryos both efficiently and with few mistakes. In the past, researchers have targeted specific strands with the key focus being serious genetic defects; this time, however, the entire strand was edited. Of course, there are many concerns on both sides of the fence about this finding including the concept of "designer babies". Yet, some scholars also question the importance of a study such as this citing that these are only "research embryos" without any confirmation of actually being able to successfully transfer for implantation.

Bureaucrats Hindering Progress

A Toronto man recently decided to take matters into his own hands when city officials took too long to come to a final decision on building out a staircase due to an outlandish estimate. What took this man a few hours with the help of a homeless man and $550 total, the city had projected costs to run anywhere from $65,000 to $150,000. The resident said he had seen multiple people fall and hurt themselves on this "steep path" to their community garden. Officials currently have the staircase roped off while determining the stairs' safety and stated there is an accessible path for "those who worry about falling down the incline". 

The Juice is Loose...on parole that is

Today O.J. Simpson was granted parole after 9 years served in prison. For those of you who don't know Mr. Simpson, he is better known for his connections with the Kardashian family....or when he was thought to have killed a young woman with a knife, and the first Kardashian husband, Mr. Robert Kardashian, helping write the famous line "if [the glove] doesn't fit, you must acquit." ~Johnny Cochran

However, despite the gruesomeness of that alleged crime, O.J. was actually sentenced for armed robbery and kidnapping. Since then, Mr. Simpson has been a model inmate who never created any problems. He was also deemed by the state to, not only be a first time offender, but at a low risk to commit an offense again. More importantly though, Mr. Simpson was likely granted parole for serving his 9 year sentence, which is the minimum term for the crime he committed in that respective state. All in all, the Parole Board had almost no choice but to let go of the individual that has captured the minds of so many for so long.

Is It Time to Jump Ship?

Negotiating salaries has long been a key topic in the business world across all industries; however, by the time inflation is calculated based on the average 3% annual raise, the actual bump in pay is closer to 1%. Over the past decade, fears of a recessionary economy have steered companies towards these minimal raises that have now become the norm. Add this up and after staying with a company for 2 years, over an assumed 10 year career, you could earn 50% less - and that's conservatively! Interestingly, by onboarding with a new employer, salaries can increase anywhere from 10-20%. This logic comes from the fact that raises are usually pulled from a base salary; if starting fresh, you are no longer bound to this lower wage. Yet, there are, of course, potential downfalls to continually leaping from one company to another as well. Overall, you must weigh the pros and cons of choosing whether to stay with your current employer or actively seek new opportunities. Most importantly, "as an individual, you’re a CEO of one, and you have a duty to maximize your profits."

Iranian Economic Sanctions

The Trump Administration has announced economic sanctions against Iran "targeting at least 16 individuals and entities for supporting what it said was 'illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity'." These particular sanctions includes freezing any US banking system interaction as well as US assets. Just yesterday, it was announced that Iran was complying with the set nuclear deal; however, these sanctions are being pushed on the basis of "breaking the 'spirit' of the deal" with the threat of additional to come should things not turn around. These individuals "had backed Iran's military or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing drones and military equipment, producing and maintaining boats, and procuring electronic components, according to the US."

The FCC & Internet Regulation

Have you ever thought about where we would be without the internet? I surely wouldn't be writing on a public domain to all of you. Since its birth, the internet has brought along many discussions of regulation and just who is supposed to be steering that ship. With the recent election brought a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the recirculation of the "Web's hottest political topic - net neutrality". According to the tech community's online campaigns, "The FCC wants to destroy net neutrality and give big cable companies control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, they’ll allow widespread throttling, blocking, censorship, and extra fees.” Whatever your opinion may be, there are a couple avenues that could be taken aside from net neutrality such as regulating the internet as a public utility or repeal net neutrality altogether and allow "providers to experiment with different models". However, at this point, it's up to the FCC to choose just how things will move forward over the next decade in internet growth.

TELEPORTATION IS HERE!

Just when you thought quantum physics was a topic only discussed on Big Bang Theory...think again! In 2016, Chinese scientists launched Micius, a satellite "named after an ancient Chinese philosopher who died in 391 B.C.". This satellite "is a highly sensitive photon receiver that can detect the quantum states of single photons fired from the ground" and passes the same point over Earth each day. Just a couple days ago, the team revealed their success in "[using] this quantum network to teleport the first object from the ground to orbit". This is also the longest distance a transport such as this has been made. This groundbreaking launch will set the tone for an exorbitant amount of research in the future. 

Snap is Slipping

"Facebook Inc.’s strategy of copycatting virtually every feature of the Snapchat app [has been] taking a toll" on Snapchat's share price and overall investor confidence after announcing slower growth than projected in their first quarterly earnings this past May. Many analysts are deeming the stock a buy recommendation with an additional driver to lower stock - the end of this month marks all investors who had their "shares in a lockup after the IPO will start to be able to share them". It will be important for Snap to find sustainable revenue streams in order to boost long term shareholder value. 

France Bans Fossil Fuel Vehicles

French President Emmanuel Macron's environmental appointee, Nicolas Hulot, has his eyes set on quite a goal for the country in 2040. Over the next 33 years, France is planning to become carbon neutral by banning the market of fossil fuel vehicles which make up 96.5% of the French market. This announcement has caused a stir in many of France's main manufacturing brands, who now plan to accelerate their plans of at least a hybrid model if they haven't already done so. However, in order for the country to become completely carbon neutral, it'll be more than just vehicles - electricity generation and other carbon activities will have to find alternatives. This all comes in an effort to further support the Paris Climate Accord as well as the explicit statement that President Trump's decision to withdraw was a key factor in this plan's development.