Taylor Swift isn’t the only one selling out arenas this summer. Loads of musical acts have been hitting the road recently, and there’s plenty of time left to catch a concert or two. Nineties nostalgia is for sure back, with Green Day, Missy Elliott, and Pearl Jam all touring. As Assistant Editor Rebekah can attest to, Bruce Springsteen is still putting on incredible shows (the man rocked out for nearly three hours straight when she saw him in April). And Sabrina Carpenter’s much-anticipated Short n’ Sweet Tour kicks off in September. Learn which other big names are performing and where to buy tickets. — Rebekah, Ally, and Natalie
Featured Story
Where Does Confidence Come From — And How Do You Build More of It?
For those who yearn to stroll smiling into a party with the certainty they’ll make a good impression, or assuredly share their ideas in an important meeting, confidence can feel like the most elusive of psychological states. So where does self-confidence — or the “trust in one’s abilities, capacities, and judgment,” per the American Psychological Association — actually come from? Is it innate? Fostered through experience? Increased through intentional practice? The answer is a bit of everything. Read what we learned while researching the topic, including tips for how to feel more self-assured, in our explainer below.
We like to think of Nice News as the antidote to endlessly doomscrolling — and Brilliant is another excellent way to get out of that mindless screen time rut. The app has a huge library of fun, quick, and interactive lessons that will make you fall in love with building new skills in cutting-edge topics. Brilliant puts next-level concepts at your level, whether it’s foundational math, logic, AI, programming, or data analysis. And since the learning platform breaks big concepts into bite-sized pieces, you can get a mental boost in just minutes a day. Nice News readers can score a 30-day free trial and 20% off an annual premium subscription.
We write a lot about exciting health-focused technology in the works, but getting these types of innovative devices into practical, real-life settings can be another story. This process may soon speed up for some older adults in the U.S., as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finalized a new Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies, or TCET, plan earlier this month. The program will make certain “cutting-edge” medical devices eligible for Medicare coverage while manufacturers keep gathering data on their performance, Axios reports. This could include tech like artificialintelligence-powered cancer diagnostic tools and brain implants. Beginning this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service will annually accept up to five technologies for temporary coverage, and they must have “breakthrough” status — a designation awarded by the Food and Drug Administration that expedites the development and review of drugs or devices that treat serious or life-threatening conditions. Read more about the new plan.
Tech
Designs Unveiled for the World’s Tallest Timber Skyscraper
Michael Green Architecture
Milwaukee is currently home to the tallest timber building in the world, the Ascent MKE apartment complex, and it appears the Wisconsin city could maintain that title for the foreseeable future. Vancouver studio Michael Green Architects recently released plans for a multi-tower timber project that’ll be around 600 feet tall with 55 stories — more than double the height of the Ascent. Instead of wooden beams, the architects plan to use mass timber materials, also known as engineered wood. Mass timber checks a lot of boxes: It’s aesthetically timeless, sturdy, and has excellent fire resistance, and it’s cheaper and more environmentally friendly than concrete. Called the Marcus Center, the 1.2 million-square-foot Milwaukee project would feature 750 residences, as well as offices, hotel rooms, retail space, and public walkways, Popular Science reports. Check out more renderings of the new timber skyscraper.
Culture
“Secret Warehouse” of Titanic Artifacts Contains Perfume, Etched Glassware, and More
Carl Simon/United Archives/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
It’s no mystery where on the North Atlantic seafloor the RMS Titanic is located. What is a mystery to most is the location of a “secret warehouse” packed with thousands of priceless artifacts from the world’s most famous shipwreck. Recently, the BBC was given a rare opportunity to tour the warehouse, with the outlet cryptically revealing that it’s “somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia.” Inside were etched glassware, tiny buttons, and vials of perfume you can still smell, as well as a handbag made from alligator skin and a bathtub. All provide a window into life on the ship and the untold stories of its ill-fated passengers. “Titanic is something that we want to respect,” Tomasina Ray, the director of collections for the company that has recovered these items, told the outlet. “We want to make sure that we’re preserving the memory, because not everyone can go down to Titanic, and we want to be able to bring that to the public.” Scroll through a gallery of some of the artifacts.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
During the chaste Victorian era, hand fans were marketed as a means of covertly flirting in public via subtle gestures — there was even a glossary
A remote part of Venezuela only accessible by boat is “Earth’s capital of lightning,” with flashes illuminating the sky up to 160 nights a year
It’s no secret that dogs and humans share a special bond, but a new study looked deeper at canines’ capacity for emotional contagion
Benjamin Franklin is in quite a few history books — including this one. The “love letter to bookstores” starts with the founding father’s first bookshop in Philadelphia and chronicles the beloved establishments’ evolution in the United States, including their essential role in its culture. Author Evan Friss uses oral histories, diaries, letters, interviews, and more to tell the story of how Americans have bought and sold books through the centuries.
Press Play
Roadside Attractions
My Penguin Friend
Inspired by a true story, My Penguin Friend stars Jean Reno as João, a heartbroken Brazilian fisherman who rescues a lone penguin drifting in the ocean, drenched in oil after a spill. As he tends to the small bird, whom he named Dindim (meaning “ice pop” in Portuguese), he begins feeling joy for the first time in years. When the two are separated, João believes he’ll never see his newfound friend again, but, of course, their journey doesn’t end there. The film opened in theaters Friday.
This Week in History
The 19th Amendment Guarantees Women the Right to Vote
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” Short and sweet but hard-fought for, those two sentences are the entirety of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. First proposed to Congress over 40 years earlier, it finally passed in 1919, thanks to the tireless efforts of women suffragists who organized, protested, and petitioned for their rights. It wouldn’t be until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, however, that Black women could fully share in that victory. See rare vintage photos of suffragettes picketing throughout the country.
Brilliant Is Your New Favorite App
We love Brilliant — and think you will too. The learning app has a massive library of lessons on topics ranging from foundational math to logic and data analysis. The challenges feel more like you’re playing your favorite mobile game than building new skills. It’s the perfect way to use your screen time for good.
