It’s National Ice Cream Day, and if you don’t have a plan for celebrating, we’re here to help. Check out a list of scoop shops and brands around the country offering deals and freebies today, including discounted pints, special edition flavors, and complimentary ice cream bars. Definitely something to scream about.
Featured Story
“Be the Kindest”: Kathie Lee Gifford Opens Up About Success, Resilience — Exclusive
Kathie Lee Gifford has been a constant fixture in countless Americans’ lives for decades, delving into everything from music and comedy to acting, writing, and, of course, the world of daytime television. Her bubbly personality and sharp wit has captured hearts, but the 70-year-old has also faced her share of trials and tribulations over the years. In an exclusive interview with Nice News, the Emmy winner opened up about how spreading positivity and helping people have been the guiding forces of her career, and how her belief system has been key to her resilience.
From climate change to COVID-19, science headlines can sometimes seem a little bleak. Thankfully, Nautilus joins Nice News in the belief that hope begins with understanding. The free newsletter goes beyond the headlines to bring you a deeper understanding of science. It’s bursting with inspiring ideas explained by the brightest writers, intellectuals, and scientists, all through the prism of humanity. The publication’s award-winning science storytelling connects the head and the heart to leave you feeling informed, inspired, and hopefully uplifted.
Choosing public transportation over driving checks a lot of boxes: You save money, curb carbon emissions, and bypass maneuvering through gridlock traffic yourself. So it’s no surprise that access to trains, subways, and buses is becoming an increasingly valued component when it comes to choosing where to call home. “Living near public transportation is more important to today’s buyers and renters than it’s been in at least the past several years,” Zillow senior economist Nicole Bachaud told ConsumerAffairs, noting that buyers seem to be interested in using public transit for getting around in general, not just for commuting to work. To identify the cities with the best public transport, the outlet analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Transit Database, taking into consideration safety, usefulness, affordability, and efficiency of transit services. The No. 1 spot went to New York City (no surprise!), with San Francisco taking second. Another takeaway from the ranking? “Bigger isn’t always better” — fewer than half of the 10 best transit systems are in the 10 most populous cities.
Science
Moon Cave Near Apollo 11 Landing Site Could House Future Astronauts
University of Trento/NASA
As we’ve mentioned, yesterday marked the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It’s quite timely then, that researchers just confirmed the location of a moon cave that could be a future base for lunar explorers — and it’s not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in 1969. In a study published July 15, scientists wrote that the underground cavity, measuring at least tens of yards deep, is “a promising site for a lunar base, as it offers shelter from the harsh surface environment and could support long-term human exploration of the moon.” Co-author Lorenzo Bruzzone added in a statement: “These caves had been hypothesized for over 50 years, but this is the first time ever that we have demonstrated their existence.” Given that we know little to nothing about what lies beneath the surface of this cave and similar ones found on the moon, the European Space Agency’s Francesco Sauro told the BBC “there are huge opportunities for discovery.” Get a peek at the entrance of what may one day be a home for astronauts.
Tech
Nation’s First Hydrogen-Fueled Ferry Set to Run in San Francisco (for Free)
SWITCH Maritime
San Francisco has a range of public transit options, from BART to the iconic cable cars. And as of last week, the nation’s first hydrogen-fueled commercial passenger ferry is in the mix. “It’s all electric drive,” Joe Pratt, CEO of Zero Emission Industries, told Fast Company. “What that means is you don’t have the engine noise. You don’t have the vibration. It’s kind of like a really big sailboat that’s just cruising silently through the bay.” Pratt, whose company designed the boat, added that its sole byproduct is water vapor: “It’s the only vessel in the world where you can actually drink the exhaust.” This past Friday, the 70-foot catamaran, called the MV Sea Change, began taking up to 75 passengers along the waterfront between Pier 41 and the San Francisco Ferry Building. Not only is the vessel innovative and eco-friendly, but it’s also free for the first six months as part of a pilot program. “The implications for this are huge because this isn’t its last stop,” Jim Wunderman, chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, told the Associated Press. “If we can operate this successfully, there are going to be more of these vessels in our fleet and in other folks’ fleets in the United States, and we think in the world.” Take a closer look at the ferry.
Making friends may not seem like something one could apply the scientific method to, but many researchers have done just that. Drawing on and adding to their work — which includes concepts like the fast-friendship procedure, the beautiful mess effect, the liking gap, and more — author David Robson provides readers with 13 principles to cultivate meaningful relationships, positing that social connection is as essential to our overall health as diet and exercise.
If you’re afraid of heights, you may want to skip this one. Skywalkers centers on a couple from Moscow who spend their free time scaling some of the world’s tallest buildings — entirely harness-free (and typically without permission). Featuring footage shot across seven years and six countries, the Netflix documentary follows the lovebirds as they prepare for their most challenging climb yet: a 2,227-foot super-skyscraper in Malaysia. Click to watch the trailer if you dare.
Technically, the U.S. Postal Service predates the U.S. itself. One year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, and three months after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin the country’s first postmaster general. “The conveyance of letters and intelligence was essential to the cause of liberty,” per the USPS, and in its early days, the system mainly conveyed letters between Congress and the armies. Things have changed a lot since then, of course. Check out some “unusual” postal-related photos from over the years, including one of a mail-carrying canine in 1885 and a talking mailbox in 1956.
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The world of science is immense enough to seem daunting, but it contains infinite hidden pockets of inspiring stories to explore. If you’re fascinated by that world, we’d bet that the Nautilus newsletter is right up your alley. The science newsletter believes any subject, no matter how complex or niche, can be explained with clarity, vitality, and humanity. Find your niche and nurture your inspiration for free with Nautilus.*
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