Ever wonder what the view is like outside someone else’s window? In the sea of cozy time-passers the internet has to offer, WindowSwap services the natural human desire to gaze not into strangers’ homes but out of them. Just click “open a window somewhere in the world” to be transported. — the Nice News team
Featured Story
Who Are You in “Just One Word”? Book Invites Readers to Define Their Purposes in Simplest Terms
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“Describe yourself in such-and-such number of words” is a common directive and near-impossible task, made all the more difficult the lower that number gets. But Erin Weed has no trouble condensing the human essence into a single phrase— she does it on a daily basis. Weed is the creator of The Dig, a methodology for pinpointing a person’s one-word life purpose. “A dig word is that one word that summarizes bothwhat you’re here to learn and also what you’re here to teach,” she tells Nice News. Since 2012, the Colorado-based keynote speaker has been guiding thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and whole company rolodexes through The Dig, helping people uncover who they are at their core and start living it out. In her new book, Just One Word (out this Tuesday), she’s adapted the process for people to do themselves. Learn what it entails at the link below.
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This Week’s Top Stories
Culture
Michael Is the Most Popular First Name in the US, New Census Data Shows
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Liam and Olivia may be dominating the most popular baby name lists as of late (spoiler: the new 2025 list is no different) — but when it comes to people of all ages in the U.S., Michael is the clear frontrunner. For the first time since the 1990 census, the federal government has released stats on the most common first names in the country. Based on data collected during the 2020 census, the top five were Michael, John, James, David, and Robert. Catching a theme? Well, the reason male names lead the rankings (even though women slightly outnumber men) is that there’s less variety in male names compared to female ones, Census Bureau senior geographer Joshua Comenetz noted in a report. Mary and Maria were the top names for women, coming in at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. As for gender-neutral names, Harley, Emerson, Quinn, and Kerry seem to have roughly the same number of boys and men as girls and women. The report also looked at last names, finding that eight of the top 15 surnames in 2020 (including Smith, Brown, and Johnson) have been among the most common since the first U.S. Census in 1790. See how the most popular names have changed over time — and check if yours made the list.
Humanity
Commencement Speaker Shares His Family Is Covering Grads’ Senior Year Student Loans
Wilson College of Textiles
We’re starting graduation season on a high note: On May 8, the commencement ceremony at North Carolina State’s Wilson College of Textiles came with a surprise for graduates that had them standing and cheering. They learned that any student loans taken out for their final year of school would be covered by none other than their keynote speaker, Anil Kochhar. During the address, the philanthropist announced that he and his wife, Marilyn Kochhar, were giving the gift in honor of his late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar. Prakash moved to Raleigh from India to earn his bachelor’s degree in textile manufacturing from NC State in 1950 and his master’s degree from the same program in 1952. “My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said, per a press release from the school. “A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.” He added: “Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks, and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve.” Watch the students learn the life-changing news.
Culture
Birmingham, Alabama, Ranked Best City for Young College Grads
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In more higher ed news, it’s the time of year when college graduates are navigating employment and looking to make their homes in cities with prime job prospects. And according to a report published earlier this month by the payroll and HR firm ADP, they may want to set their sights beyond the usual suspects of New York and Los Angeles. To find large metro areas that offer young college grads the best mix of pay, affordability, and opportunity, ADP analyzed payroll data of more than 409,000 people aged 20 to 29 at over 20,000 U.S. employers from January 2025 to January 2026. The firm then used metrics on wages, hiring, and cost of living to rank 53 U.S. areas with at least 1 million residents. Birmingham, Alabama, took the No. 1 spot from Raleigh, North Carolina, which came in first the past two years. The report credited the southern city’s “strong hiring and rapid wage growth,” noting the hiring rate rose by 2.8% and median annual wages surged by more than 16% to $59,004. The rest of the list spans coast to coast — Raleigh fell to fourth, preceded by California’s greater San Jose area andthe Tampa Bay area in Florida. Take a look at the full ranking.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
A millennial finance expert’s two cents on what boomer parents can do for their kids
There are already so many books about Audrey Hepburn — “over a thousand,” her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer told TheWall Street Journal — that one more might not seem like it could cover new ground. But Ferrer’s new biography of his mother, co-written by Wendy Holden, does something other accounts don’t: It offers an intimate portrait of the actor by the person who knew her best. The book, featuring never-before-seen photos and letters, details Hepburn’s complicated relationship with her parents and how it informed the way she raised her own children, presenting her first and foremost as a loving mother. Take a peek at a few of the photos.
Through thought-provoking interviews with big names like Kumail Nanjiani and Connie Chung as well as unsung heroes like retired New Jersey nurse Madelyn Yu, The A List explores ideas of identity and belonging, challenging viewers to consider Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders not as one broad category but as individual people and communities at the center of the American experience. In 15 moving tales ranging from triumphant to tragic, the documentary uncovers the commonalities that emerge from the diverse histories and cultures that fall under the AAPI umbrella. Catch it now on HBO Max.
This Week in History
Brown v. Board of Education Is Decided
May 17, 1954
Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images
Many reading this were children themselves when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to separate public schools on the basis of race — a reminder of how close state-sanctioned racism appears in the rearview mirror of American history.The Brown v. Board of Education ruling (named for the plaintiff father of schoolgirl Linda Brown, pictured) was made on five cases out of Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. It upended the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson nearly six decades earlier. “We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” Chief Justice Earl Warren read from the bench 72 years ago today. Schools were instructed to swiftly desegregate, though many institutions pushed back against the decision. It would be another six years before Ruby Bridges, accompanied by U.S. Marshals, became the first Black child to attend an all-white school in the South. Read the complete text of Warren’s opinion.
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