Expressing Gratitude

With the end of the year approaching, I wanted to write about hospitality reviews for restaurants, hotels, spas, and so on. We’ve all seen how terrible the last several years have been for the industry, and if a simple evaluation improves business, it’s not too difficult to do. With the holidays coming up, the timing of this is important. People tend to rely on the hospitality industry more than usual. I’ll explain my process below, and I hope you’re willing to give it a shot, too.

DART

The scenario has been played out in Hollywood several times. An asteroid the size of a continent is barreling out of control on a nonstop trip to Earth. Though it may seem far-fetched, this is a very real doomsday scenario for our tiny blue orb in this huge galaxy. This is why the latest NASA mission is so interesting. The DART project (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) aims to solve that problem without sending a bunch of old guys into space with drills and bombs. The project’s aim was to strike a test asteroid named Dimorphos (which is the size of a sports stadium) with a ballistic object the size of a vending machine. This is one of the few times a NASA mission succeeded when the spacecraft crashed.

Writing Tools

Hello, readers! Have you ever wished you were a better writer? I think this all the time. Writing has become such an essential part of life that it is almost reflexive – just like talking. We respond to texts and emails all day long. Consider what you’ve written today, whether they’re emails, texts, notes, chats, proposals, etc. If it’s a part of your everyday life, here are a few tools that I’ve found helpful.

Didja Know?

The other day I discovered that the app, Slack, actually stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge. I was shook. This is genius! And it led me down the path to Googoling (spelled like this purposefully) all the fun and weird ways in which companies’ names originated. Here’s what I found:

Amazfit Bip 3 Pro

I’ve never particularly liked the idea of a smartwatch. It seemed like just another way to siphon off peoples’ money for more form and less function. However, about a month ago, I got it in my head that a smartwatch *COULD* be argued for as an activity tracker. As someone who decided to dust off their old bike a year ago and has recently started to cozy up to the idea of more serious riding, I wanted to dip my toe with an entry-level smartwatch for ride tracking and health monitoring. Enter the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro.

Screen Time

Experts say adults should limit screen time outside of work to less than two hours per day.

This feels impossible. Let’s look at my phone use:

My current weekly screentime average is 2 hours, 25 minutes. Last week, 2h 41m. The week before that, 2h, 28m. The week I had covid? 3h 41m.

Farms of the Future

Corn: a simple plant that is a staple of the modern diet. It turned into all kinds of products outside of being tasty on its own—cornmeal, high fructose corn syrup, and of course, cornbread! But the process of producing it has changed with the times as modern technology makes the difficult task of farming easier. With robotics making inroads in production and shipping, it is no surprise that they are also making their way into farming.

Cables-To-Go

:: climbs soapbox ::

Listen, there’s no reason we all need so many different cables. I was away for the weekend, and here’s what I had to pack: Lightning to USB. USB-C to Lightning. USB-C to USB-C. A proprietary charger for my sleep tracker. And because I’m me, I always pack a network cable. More cluttered accessorizing: my laptop doesn’t have a network port; I also need a USB-C to Ethernet adapter. It’s exhausting and adds heft to my carry-on bag.

Starlink

The Internet is a vital service for people now more than ever. Between work, shopping, entertainment, and information, the average person can probably find something online. This connectivity provides such an essential service that internet access is now a utility. It has evolved from a luxury to a necessity, like electricity or access to running water. But even in this country, not everyone has access to modern internet services. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) refuse to expand their aging networks into the vast rural areas of this country.