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Have a Happy Thought: Books mean a lot to people. Knowing the people reading this email, books likely mean a lot to you. The National Library of Latvia has been able to acknowledge and celebrate this nearly universal truth in a very special way. This is through the “People’s Bookshelf”, which stores books donated by people – both in Latvia but also around the world, and in any language. Each book also contains a “message or personal story relating to the book on its title page.” In other words, this is a way to share why this book is so special to you, and be able to share the book, and your why , with others.   Image: The People’s Bookshelf in the atrium of the National Library of Latvia. Grāmatu Plaukts   Want to see some examples of books and messages? Of course you do 😊   A message from Sam Mostyn, Governor-General of Australia, accompanies this book: On behalf of all Australians, I am delighted to gift this very special series of First Knowled...

Have a Happy Thought: Time is unreliable. You may think that is not so happy a thought, but really it is freeing. In 2018, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), who are the official horologists (timekeepers) for the world, basically, determined that Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) can differ from International Atomic Time (TAI) by up to one second. By June 2024, they were predicting the need for a negative leap second, coming sometime soon. For a refresher on leap years, minutes and seconds, and why we might need a negative leap second, check out https://cymittw.blogspot.com/2024/06/happy-thought-for-21-june.html   But now… it turns out that doing a leap second, specifically a negative leap second, might just be “too hard”. Let’s back up a second (hah!) The most recent meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures determined that Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) can differ from International Atomic Time (TAI) by up to one hour . Tha...

  Have a Happy Thought: Nature may be “ red in tooth and claw ”, but it can also be hilarious. I mean, we’ve all laughed at our pets when they do something stupid (my dog last night couldn’t reach a spider just beyond the edge of her leash, on a slippery surface, so did a full cartoon-character imitation for an entire, while I got a good ab workout). And that’s what the comedy wildlife awards are all about. Enjoy these few of my personal faves, then go check out the gallery and vote for the People’s Choice Award (if you don’t have voter fatigue yet). (just including the links here and not the images to make sure the competition, and the photographers, get full credit) “If I can't see you” by Cliff Fawcett , Comedy Wildlife Photo finalist.   “ Sneeze” by Alexander Hormann “Fashion fades. Feather coats are forever.” by Tapani Linnanmäk . “Did I sleep past my alarm?” by Fabi Fregonesi “Angry Bird” by Jan Wittmer ...

Have a Happy Thought: Each year in Scotland, the small island of Easdale hosts the world stone skimming championship. This has been held for over 40 years, started as an excursion from a local pub, expanding now to hundreds of contestants. Contestants can enter as individuals or as part of a team… and the team names are exactly what you would expect (and want) from such a competition, including: ·    Innit 2 Skim It ·       San Fran SkimStones ·       One Bounce Wonders ·       Better Slate Than Never ·       Revenge of the return of the planet of the slates ·       Sink Or Skim ·       East Coast Tossers Stones for skimming come from the island, made of the local slate. There is even an official competition geologist, who ensures that no stone is tampered with, even if every stone involved is turned several...

Have a Happy Thought: A couple of nights ago, a fireball lit up the skies above where I live (no, I didn’t see it because I was well asleep by then). (it’s definitely worth clicking on that link above, it was quite an impressive sight, especially with Taranaki Mounga centred in frame) Fireballs Aotearoa, the local affiliate of the Global Meteor Network, assessed from the reported fireball tracks as well as their camera network, that the meteor that caused this fireball likely landed in the Tasman Sea, so are not looking for any fragments on land. This is in contrast to a fireball from a few months ago that did land in the central North Island. That one looked like this in the sky: Image credit – GeoNet   And this on the ground: Dr Marshall Palmer, in green jacket, about to confirm a fragment as a meteorite. Credit Steve Wyn-Harris.   When our fireball cameras are not picking up meteor streaks, though, they ar...

Have a Happy Thought: One of the best things about learning about nature is coming to understand that there is so much more going on than we can see. Sometimes it’s because things are too small for our eyes to pick up. Sometimes it’s methods of communication that are simply beyond human senses. Sometimes, it’s because so much is happening under the surface. Like with plants – root systems are often much more extensive than one would think. Which is why when they are drawn out for us, it becomes something that I had to share. Take, for example, this illustration of plants native to the North American Great Plains. It utterly fascinates me that a plant that seems so small above surface has 2-3 times the depth and biomass underground. Image: Root Systems of Prairie Plants   This seems to hold fairly true around the world – see this drawing of a kōwhai ( Sophora tetraptera ) tree and its root system: Image: Marden, M., Lambie, S. & Rowan, D. Root system attributes of...

Have a Happy Thought: Another two-for one 😊 Proof that I’m still seeing cool stuff to share! Part 1 – Birds acting a little too smart Some myna birds in Sydney have recently made the news for doing something that humans do every day – commuting. Apparently two myna birds have taken to hopping on a passenger train, riding a couple of stops to a different neighbourhood, and then getting off to scrounge for food there. And then they take a different train back “home” later in the day. Image: still from Instagram video uploaded by @jackiedentwrites Local wildlife experts assume that this is a mated pair, just living their best lives.   Part 2 – The fourth annual waterlily weigh-off results are in! For the past four years, botanic gardens around the globe have been virtually (on Instagram) participating in a competition to see who can grow the waterlily that can hold up the most weight. Here’s a sample of how that ...

  Have a Happy Thought: I’ve been a bit inconsistent lately, so this week is a two-for one. Part 1 – Nagori One of the great things about learning about other cultures and languages can be finding a out about a word that doesn’t exist in your language, even though the concept resonates deeply. Many English speakers find this in German words (like schadenfreude ). This week’s example comes out of Japan: Nagori: appreciating the fleeting beauty of the passage of time; or savouring something that you know will soon be ending. ·       The first hit of colour in leaves that reminds you to relish those last lingering summer nights ·       The last night in an old house before moving to a new one ·       Gathering for a (family or friend-group) reunion photo ·       Looking back at your footprints toward the end of a particularly enjoyable walk Here’s the nudge to make som...