Good Morning! 🌞 

We have a story that takes place in Scotland today.

I have been to Scotland once. It is an absolutely stunning country. I am glad to see people are coming up with ways to help preserve some of the more damaged areas of the country.

Business

Design You Dream Home?

Artificial intelligence is now moving into the realm of residential architecture. ICON, already a pioneer in this field by introducing one of the first fully 3D-printed housing projects in the US, is now advancing further with its AI program named Vitruvius. This program is designed to assist users in designing custom homes by providing plans, which simplifies the process, making it more cost-effective and quicker.

Jason Ballard, ICON's CEO, envisions Vitruvius streamlining the entire process from initial desire to the final delivery, including construction documents, budgets, schedules, and even instructions for robotics. Vitruvius stands out for its ability to remember and integrate every design it has encountered. It is also trained in building codes, methods, and structural engineering.

Users initiate the design process with Vitruvius by entering their basic housing preferences. The AI then queries further details like location, size, architectural style, and amenities, learning from the responses to propose three design options.

Vitruvius made its debut at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, catching the attention of real estate professionals and architects. The feedback suggests that while AI like Vitruvius may transform architectural jobs, it is likely to be used in tandem with architects rather than replacing them. The technology is recognized for its potential to inspire and economize the design process, though human interaction remains valued for customization.

Moreover, Ballard sees a broader impact of AI on architecture, particularly in making affordable housing more aesthetically pleasing and dignified by reducing design costs. He suggests that the use of such AI tools could ultimately make good design more accessible, aligning the cost of utilizing the technology with the energy required to run it.

Check out a more detailed article and fascinating video demo here!

World News

Hunt for Most Valuable British Shipwreck

A team of marine experts aims to locate a historically significant shipwreck that sank 400 years ago, carrying an estimated $4.3 billion worth of gold.

The Royal Merchant, a 17th-century English treasure ship, sank in 1641 off Lands End, eastern England, during bad weather. Laden with riches from Mexico, including approximately 100,000 pounds of gold, 400 bars of Mexican silver, and 500,000 silver Pesos, the vessel carried a crew of 80 under the command of Captain John Limbrey. Its hold was reported to contain a substantial fortune in silver, gold, and jewels.

In recent times, speculation arose when a substantial anchor, potentially belonging to the Royal Merchant, was retrieved off the coast of Cornwall by The Spirited Lady in 2019. Now, a team of marine cargo recovery experts from Cornish-based company Multibeam Services, aided by former local fishermen, is gearing up to search for the wreck and its treasure.

Multibeam Services, equipped with advanced technology, plans an extensive search throughout 2024, covering a 200-square-mile area of the English Channel. Utilizing remote-controlled unmanned submersibles fitted with sonar and cameras, each valued at approximately $3.8 million, the team is confident in their ability to locate the wreckage.

Previous reports suggested the wrecks discovery by Odyssey Marine Exploration, legal disputes ensued, with the wreck purportedly being identified as a Spanish frigate, according to State Department Cables from Wikileaks.

It will be fascinating to see if they can find it and even more, who the treasure will belong to, once it is found.

Environment

Killing 10,000 Trees to Save the Forest

Sometimes the right thing for the environment looks like the wrong thing.

When most people thing of reforestation, they think of planting trees, but sometimes the best thing to do is to tear them down.

In Scotland, the old growth forests have been decimated and much of the countries biodiversity with it. However, a growing initiative is turning it around. And they are doing it by tearing things up… literally.

Check out this YouTube video showing how they are revitalizing the forest of this beautiful country!

Entertainment

How to Make a Song With A Cat?

You all seemed to really enjoy the Sometimes I'm Alone video we featured earlier this month.

So, we thought we would bring you another for your entertainment…

Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

Where can you add 2 to 11 and get 1?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
There are 47 cards 😵 
To find the answer, note that a standard pack contains 52 cards. Identify the multiples of four, three, and five closest to this number, checking for any overlap. For instance, distributing 42, 44, and 48 cards among four people leaves 9, 5, or 1 cards remaining (with 3 leftover). However, only distributing 47 cards, with five cards missing, works for both three and five people.

Galen Garretson got the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.