Good Morning! 🌞 

We ran a poll on Valentine’s Day asking you all if celebrate Valentine’s Day. Here are the results.

- 52.63% said they celebrate Valentine’s Day.
- 47.37% said they did NOT celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Very interesting results. It might have been good if we had asked if there are any people who are a couple, but do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Maybe next time.

Science

Artemis III: Humans Back on the Moon! (Part 3 of 5)

Artemis III and the Human Landing System (HLS)

Artemis III marks a monumental step in the Artemis program, aiming to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo missions. This mission, planned for late 2026, will place the first two people on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 (1972).

The Innovation Behind HLS

The mission's success hinges on the Human Landing System (HLS), a groundbreaking development in space technology. NASA has partnered with SpaceX to create the HLS, a lunar-adapted version of the Starship spacecraft. This collaboration represents a significant milestone, as it combines NASA's deep space exploration expertise with SpaceX's innovative spacecraft design and technology. The HLS is designed for multiple missions, ensuring sustainability and efficiency in lunar landings.

I’m personally most excited for high quality, HD images and videos the Astronauts will be taking of themselves on the moon and of the earth in the distance. The camera equipment in the early 70’s was terrible and fueled many controversies about us having actually been on the moon. I’m sure it will be very different this time around. 🙂 

Stay tuned for the next article in our series, where we will introduce the Lunar Gateway and how this structure will make lunar exploration a stepping stone for Mars and beyond.

Economy

353,000 Jobs Added in January

In January 2024, the U.S. economy experienced a significant surge in employment, adding 353,000 jobs, surpassing expectations and eclipsing the average monthly gains of 255,000 seen in 2023. This increase is a continuation of the positive trend observed in late 2022, with an upwardly revised gain of 333,000 jobs for December. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlighted this growth, noting that it exceeded the monthly average job gains of the previous year, indicating a robust start to 2024 for the U.S. labor market.

This remarkable job growth was widespread across various sectors, with just under two-thirds of private-sector industries contributing to the employment increase. The services sector, in particular, was a major driver of job creation, accounting for more than 80% of the total job gains in January, with significant contributions from healthcare and other service-oriented industries.

The substantial job additions in January not only demonstrate the resilience of the U.S. economy but also signal a strong labor market capable of supporting further economic growth. This employment surge aligns with the broader objectives of maintaining a healthy job market that can withstand economic fluctuations and support the Federal Reserve's efforts in managing inflation and other monetary policy challenges

Entertainment

Dune: Part Two

We are just two weeks away from the much anticipated release of “Dune: Part Two”. For those of you that did not catch the first movie, which released in 2021 here is a quick catch up.

"Dune" tells the epic tale of Paul Atreides, a young nobleman entangled in an interstellar conflict over the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the universe's most valuable substance, "spice." As he navigates political intrigue, betrayal, and prophecy, Paul embarks on a journey to secure his family's legacy and fulfill his destiny.

"Dune: Part Two" is a 2024 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts. As the sequel to the critically acclaimed "Dune" (2021), this film continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune," focusing on the story's second half.

“Dune: Part One” was a very good book to movie adaptation. I do not say that lightly, I am very picky when it comes to movie adaptations. It was not perfect, but it was far better than most!

The first Dune set itself apart in many ways, but one of the most impressive is its reported $165 million budget. If you are familiar with the budgets of most modern Hollywood productions, this is an impressively small budget. Even better, not one area of the movie suffered because of it. It had fantastic visuals, stunning sound design and music, and good acting.

The film brought in a $402 million box office, which is no small amount.

The cast from the first film, including Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides), Zendaya (Chani), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), and Javier Bardem (Stilgar), is set to return, with new additions for the second part of "Dune."

The film is slated for release in theaters and IMAX nationwide and internationally beginning on March 1st, 2024, with distribution handled by Warner Bros. Pictures.

I am certainly looking forward to Part Two. I hope it will live up to the first Dune, as well as my expectations…

World News

Ancient Pompeii Scroll Decoded by Three Brilliant Students

The Vesuvius Challenge, which sought to inspire young minds to use AI for decoding burnt scrolls from a Pompeii library, announced its winners in October 2023.

Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor, and Julian Schilliger have recently secured the grand prize of $700,000 for their collaborative efforts. Their deep learning program successfully decoded four passages from a 2,000-year-old papyrus scroll, maintaining at least 85% legibility in 140-character sections. Their submission outperformed others, with most managing only about 30% recoverability.

The scroll, believed to be an Ancient Greek treatise on music, food, and life's pleasures, was discovered in Herculaneum, a city destroyed by Vesuvius. The 800-scroll collection, found 275 years ago, represents the only intact library from the Classical World.

Silicon Valley figures Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman initiated the challenge in March 2023, offering cash prizes for AI engineers decoding carbonized papyrus. The scrolls, imaged at the Diamond Light Source accelerator, were part of a unique endeavor.

The decoded text, attributed to an Epicurean philosopher, explores the perception of scarcity and abundance in food. The scientists are diligently working on a comprehensive paper to share the full extent of their findings, aiming to decode the entire scroll in the near future. The journey, as described by Youseff Nader, has been incredibly rewarding, marked by an adrenaline rush that kept the team going through intense 20-something-hour workdays. The scientists express hope that their efforts will contribute to unraveling more mysteries from the ancient scroll in the not-too-distant future.

Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

The day before two days after the day before tomorrow is Saturday. What day is it today?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
No…The man has a widow—he’s dead! 😆 

Chris Hostetler got his answer in first, with the accurate answer of “A dead man is unable to get married”. Very true Chris!

Eugene Hostetler gets an honorable mention for his answer coming in 4 milliseconds after Chris’.

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.