Good Morning! 🌞 

Have you ever seen Elvis’ last performance? It’s one of my favorite live performances of all time, even though he is already clearly struggling with drugs & alcohol at this point. Despite his battles, his sheer love for music shines through, offering a glimpse of his true brilliance. Elvis' journey, though brief and challenging, inspires me deeply. Few ever feel such raw passion. Check out the video:

Innovation

AI Prevents 77 Wildfires!

Detecting wildfires before they spread is a significant global challenge. The University of California San Diego's public safety program, AlertCalifornia, has collaborated with Cal Fire to address this issue by implementing AI.

The AI system is trained to recognize early signs of fire, such as smoke, using a network of over 1,050 cameras positioned in forests throughout the state. Upon detection, the system sends a text message alert to the local fire department. In the initial two months of operation, the system successfully identified 77 fires before any 911 calls were made. Falco Kuester, co-principal investigator at AlertCalifornia, emphasizes that the system's successes lie in preventing fires from spreading and alerting the authorities even before people notice it and cause public panic.

Moving forward, the program is expected to expand and install more cameras nation-wide.

Culture

The ‘Whamageddon’ Challenge

The 1984 Wham! hit, "Last Christmas," is a holiday staple, but a rising trend has people lowering the volume on this classic in the viral game known as "Whamageddon."

How this works 😁 

The challenge runs from Dec. 1 to Christmas Eve. The goal is to avoid hearing the song before Christmas Eve, and participants are out as soon as they hear and recognize the song.

But only the original version applies, which means covers like Emilia Clarke’s rendition in the Wham!-inspired film, Last Christmas, and off-key a cappella singing with friends are not approved.

DJ Matty at Northampton Town Football Club apologized for unintentionally ending the "Whamageddon" streak for over 7,000 fans by playing Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' to a stadium full of people. The unintended musical misstep sadly cut short the participants' quest to avoid the holiday classic for as long as possible.

Originating among friends in Denmark nearly two decades ago, the game has gained immense popularity on social media, with the hashtag #Whamageddon amassing over 11 million posts.

World News

3,000-Year-Old Sword Found Intact and Still Sparkling

Archaeologists in Bavaria, southern Germany, uncovered a well-preserved, still “sparkling” octagonal sword over 3,000 years old at a burial site in Donau-Ries.

The sword, made entirely of bronze with a rare octagonal handle, is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC, during the Middle Bronze Age. It was found in a grave alongside the remains of three individuals—a man, a woman, and a young person. The sword is thought to have been a real weapon— designed primarily for slashing due to its center of gravity in the front part of the blade.

“The sword and the burial still have to be examined so that our archaeologists can classify this excavation more precisely,” said Professor Mathias Pfeil, Head of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

Environment

Canary Islands Lead the Way to Solar Energy

El Hierro, the smallest Canary Island, recently ran exclusively on wind and water power for a record-breaking 28 days. As the only island globally to achieve this, El Hierro, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, is working towards full energy self-sufficiency via renewables. The island, with 10,000 residents, relies on the Gorona del Viento hydroelectric power station, boasting 11.5 MW of wind power capacity.

This facility combines wind and pumped storage hydroelectric generation, using wind energy to pump water for later hydropower turbine use. El Hierro's sustainability journey traces back to a 1996 plan, aiming to improve their quality of life and preserve natural areas. The first consecutive use of renewables occurred on August 9, 2015, with the island running on renewables for two hours.

This achievement gained global attention, highlighting renewable energy for isolated territories. Profits from renewables are reinvested in water distribution, solar panels, and education. Designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000, El Hierro boasts natural landscapes, including volcanic rubble, lunar wildernesses, cliffs, and lush forests.

Mind Stretchers
❓️ 

I am easy to lift, but hard to throw. What am I?

Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:
A Joke! 😜 

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]

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.