It’s nice to know it’s there when you need it, but no one ever wants to go to the emergency room. Self magazine chatted with doctors about some of the most common reasons for ER visits, and the good news is that many of them are preventable. Their words of advice include practicing proper knife skills in the kitchen and always wearing a helmet on bikes or scooters.
Must Reads
On the horizon: Alaska Airlines announced new routes to Europe and a refreshed look for its 787 fleetd
Massachusetts Named Best US State to Call Home in 2025
DenisTangneyJr/ iStock
If you’re searching for a new place to call home — or just daydreaming on Zillow — WalletHub’s latest report might help whittle down the options. To find the best of the best U.S. states to live in, the site’s experts analyzed 51 data-driven indicators of livability, including housing costs, health care, safety, income growth, and education quality. Massachusetts took the No. 1 spot, with top-ranked health care and education systems, the highest share of residents with health insurance, and the lowest premature death rate. The Bay State also boasts the nation’s third-lowest property crime rate and third-best access to public transportation. Rounding out the top five are Idaho, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Curious where your state lands? Check out the rankings.
Together With Incogni
How Incogni Removes Your Personal Data From the Internet
Lots of people have security systems for their homes, but what about protecting your data online? Personal information like Social Security numbers, contact details, and addresses are commodities for many companies, putting you at risk of scams, fraud, and identity theft. Thankfully, Incogni is on the case. The automated service deletes your private details from data brokers’ lists, so they don’t wind up in imposter profiles or on people search websites. And it recently became even more effective, as Incogni now deletes your personal info from over 270 data brokers. Click below to learn more about protecting your data and get 55% off with code NICENEWS.
Want to Improve Your Vision in the Blink of an Eye? There’s a New Eye Drop for That
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If you find yourself squinting to make out small text on a phone/menu/book/this email, keep reading (but maybe grab your glasses, for now). The FDA just greenlit a once-daily eye drop designed to sharpen near vision for up to 10 hours — no bifocals or contacts necessary. Called VIZZ, the medication uses the active ingredient aceclidine to constrict pupils, creating “a pinhole effect that extends depth of focus to improve vision.” It’s specifically meant to treat presbyopia, a common form of farsightedness that often develops with age (around mid-40s or so). Unlike similar previous treatments, which affect various parts of the eye and can therefore trigger side effects like blurry distance vision or brow heaviness, VIZZ targets only the pupils. For those with presbyopia curious to give VIZZ a try, the eye drops are expected to be available through prescription later this year, following positive results from three randomized, double-blind, controlled studies involving hundreds of participants.
Environment
“Wildlife Doesn’t Follow a Script”: Tribe’s Bison Herd Unexpectedly Grows by 1
White Earth Nation/ Facebook
Life is full of surprises — and this summer, the White Earth Nation’s bison herd got a very exciting one when it welcomed a new calf far earlier than anyone expected. Bison typically give birth in the spring, so staff with theMinnesota-based tribe’s Bison Program weren’t anticipating any additions until at least 2026. But nature had other plans. “Wildlife doesn’t follow a script,” Jack Heisler, the program’s bison foreman, told Minnesota Public Radio. This little bundle of fur (whose name is TBA) is not only adorable, but also marks an exciting milestone for the herd and a hopeful step forward in restoring an animal species that holds deep cultural and ecological significance to many Native American communities. “They’re very resilient, just like Native peoples are,” said Heisler. See another close-up of the calf.
In Other News
Sci-fi, IRL: An ALS patient has become the first person to control an iPad using only his thoughts (read more)
A coral-like rock photographed by the Mars Curiosity rover is likely billions of years old (read more)
Dinosaur footprints from around 115 million years ago were uncovered in Texas amid flood recovery efforts (read more)
More than 100 tiny homes will open this fall in Seattle for unhoused residents (read more)
The world’s smallest-known snake, which fits on a coin, was spotted for the first time in nearly two decades (read more)
Inspiring Story
Heroes are all around us
In a terrifying scenario, an elderly bedridden woman was stuck in her apartment after a fire broke out at a building in Woburn, Massachusetts. Luckily, two good Samaritans leapt into action before emergency services arrived — crawling through the smoke to pull her onto a balcony. Once they got to the scene, firefighters carried her down a ladder to safety. “They did a good job,” Woburn Fire Capt. Bill Stukey said of the heroic rescuers.
Photo of the Day
JAIME SALDARRIAGA/AFP via Getty Images
Flower lovers, if you haven’t heard of Colombia’s Medellín Flower Festival, you might want to start making travel plans for next year. The annual 10‑day tradition is packed with floral displays and cultural events, culminating in a parade, where hundreds of farmers carry “silletas” — large wooden frames decorated with vibrant flowers — on their backs as they march through the city streets. Watch a snippet from Sunday’s parade.
With Case Kenny
We often hear about the importance of breaking cycles of generational trauma — or, in other words, not passing down the hurt that was done unto you. That’s easier said than done, and we applaud anyone who has accomplished it. To hear more wisdom like this from Case Kenny, register now for the Nice Book Club on Aug. 21 and grab a copy of his bookThe Opposite of Settling.
How Mode Mobile’s Founder Went From Selling Pokémon Cards to Disrupting a $1 Trillion Industry
Mark Cuban delivered papers. Warren Buffett sold gum. Today’s wealthiest entrepreneurs started young, and Mode Mobile founder Dan Novaes is no different. After selling Pokémon cards at age 7, he started a company that’s helped 45 million users save over $325 million. That equaled 32,481% revenue growth in three years in a $1 trillion industry. Mode even reserved the Nasdaq ticker $MODE. Now, you can invest pre-IPO at $0.30/share. But hurry, Mode’s round closes soon.
Please read the offering circular at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A Offering. A reservation of the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that we will be listed on the NASDAQ. Any IPO timing is unknown, general steps to be accepted have not been undertaken at this point, and that listing is not guaranteed.
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