Forbes released its annual “30 Under 30” list yesterday, and the group of young people featured is as inspiring as ever. “They’re inventing new tech to treat tumors, expanding access to electric vehicle charging, making credit cards more secure, and even dreaming of reflective satellites that could bring the sun out at night,” the publication writes — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Meet the class of 2025.
Must Reads
A dispatch from the tiny bears and moonlit jungles of Borneo
Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House: The halls have been decked with more than 165,000 holiday lights,9,810 feet of ribbon, 83 trimmed trees, and over 28,125 ornaments, all with the help of approximately 300 elves — er, volunteers — who brought the winter wonderland to life in our nation’s capital. In the spirit of this year’s theme, a “season of peace and light,” thousands of paper doves and drawings made by children around the country are also on display. Florals and fruits adorn the Diplomatic Reception Room as a “nod to the importance of hospitality and grace to peaceful diplomacy.” Even the gingerbread White House is a sight to behold. It’s made with 25 sheets of gingerbread, 50 pounds of royal icing, and 45 pounds of chocolate. Click here to see more photos of the festive scene — and if you need even more holiday excitement, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on both NBC and Peacock.
Together With GACW
This Tech Could Carry the Whole Economy
Behind every microchip, there’s a truck hauling the precious minerals it’s made of. The mining company that owns this truck pays around $75,000 per tire and has to change them every six months. That’s why Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW) created a new wheel designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. And because it lasts a lifetime, it slashes pollution from rubber tires. That’s a big deal considering 78% of plastic in the ocean has rubber tire particles. GACW’s wheel is such an impressive innovation, Time magazine named it one of the best inventions of 2023. GACW’s already earned over $3.2 million in sales, and now you have an opportunity to invest and revolutionize the $300 billion tire industry. Join more than 4,000 investors and become a GACW shareholder to get 2% bonus shares.
This is a paid advertisement for Global Air Cylinder Wheels’ Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.globalaircylinderwheels.com.
Humanity
“Life Gets Better as You Age”: Jane Fonda’s Wisdom on the Gift of Getting Older
Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Jane Fonda turns 87 this month — and she has a PSA for anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps when it comes to longevity: Replace those negative stereotypes about aging with a positive outlook. “One way to live longer is just to have a good attitude,” Fonda said on CBS Sunday Morning, citing a 2002 Yale study that found people live an average 7.5 years longer when they have more positive beliefs about aging compared to those who associate getting older with disease and decline. Rather than focusing on what “society” says getting older should look and feel like, Fonda endorses leaning on community and paying attention to the good that comes with it: “So much of your life gets better as you age. We get less stressed, we become kinder to ourselves and braver, we’re less judgemental, and best of all we stop caring so much about what other people think of us, which believe me, saves a lot of time.” Watch her full CBS appearance with writer and activist Ashton Applewhite for more Fonda-approved insights on “aging gracefully.”
Tech
Engineers Are Using AI as a Stepping Stone to Revive Indigenous Languages
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Although up to 7,000 tongues are spoken around the world today, it’s estimated that one Indigenous language dies every two weeks. “Within the next five to 10 years, we’ll lose most of the Native American languages in the U.S.,” Michael Running Wolf, who is Northern Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and Lakota, told NBC News. So Running Wolf is harnessing the tool of our times — artificial intelligence — to help revive Indigenous languages instead of letting them vanish before our eyes (and ears). He’s the founder of Indigenous in AI, an international community of Native, Aboriginal, and First Nations engineers. Determined to stop the decline of linguistic diversity, Running Wolf is leading a team of researchers building speech recognition models for more than200 endangered languages in North America. “We want to demonstrate that we can succeed in our mission of reclaiming Indigenous languages ethically with ethical AI protocols,” he said, emphasizing that AI is a stepping stone to bring back languages, not the endpoint.
In Other News
Spain’s food delivery appGlovo is set to hire thousands of drivers as full-time employees (read more)
Medicines of the future may be wrapped in silk: Scientists say the material could deliver slow-release drugs (read more)
A team of very good dogs is helping a nature preserve in Wisconsin perform vital conservation work (read more)
Congrats, Kerry Washington! The Scandal actor was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star (read more)
Check out the “winged companions” that recently joined Chinese astronauts in space (read more)
Something We Love
Pottery Barn Gingerbread Drinking Glasses I have the fall versions of these Pottery Barn glasses (featuring ghosts and pumpkins), and if I had the space for more seasonal glassware, I would 100% add these adorable gingerbread cups to my collection. They’re the perfect size for eggnog, iced coffee, cocktails, and everything in between. — Marika Spitulski, Writer
The day after Thanksgiving, a 64-year-old woman was on her way from New York to the Cleveland Clinic to undergo a heart transplant — but in a nightmare scenario, her car became stranded in a snowstorm. Luckily, a nurse from the Ohio hospital was able to contact state troopers to rescue the woman and transport her by plane for her surgery. “This is an incredible story of perseverance and coordination,” the New York State Police wrote in a statement.
Photo of the Day
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
It’s panda-monium in Hong Kong right now, as the city launched PANDA GO! FEST HK yesterday. The panda-themed art exhibition involves thousands of sculptures of the iconic black-and-white animals. After their display at the airport, the sculptures will head to four other locations throughout the month of December, including a popular shopping district and a theme park where two real-life panda cubs were recently born.
Bonner Private Wines: You Won’t Find These Bottles Anywhere Else
Who wouldn’t want a personal sommelier by their side at every dinner party and quiet night at home? We can’t quite deliver that dream scenario, but the Weekly Pour Club from Bonner Private Wines is the closest you’ll get. Every month, members of the exclusive club receive small-batch, handpicked bottles not found in U.S. stores. Each selection is unique, with limited availability to maintain quality and exclusivity.
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Quote of the Day
“For each of us who live in the extraordinary, too-rich-for-words tangle of life in this moment on Earth, it comes down to this: How can we live in ways that promote beauty?”
