Good Morning! 🌞

Today is International Olympic Day: June 23rd is celebrated as International Olympic Day, marking the anniversary of the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. The day promotes participation in sports across the globe regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.

Are you excited for the upcoming summer Olympics?

Innovation

Sunbeam-Powered Portable Factory

A startup has developed a portable factory that uses solar energy to produce high-quality plastic products such as water tanks and boat frames. This factory, which can be transported globally via shipping containers, offers speed and flexibility, making it ideal for various applications from disaster relief to rural development.

The technology, called Solar Rotational Molding (SRM), involves placing raw plastic in a mold and heating it with concentrated sunlight using 30 heliostats. These mirrors adjust automatically to follow the sun, ensuring continuous exposure.

Karl von Kries, the founder of Light Manufacturing and inventor of SRM, started his entrepreneurial journey after noticing high energy costs at a Massachusetts-based company where he previously worked. Inspired by the potential of solar heat, he established Light Manufacturing to explore solar rotational molding, despite initial skepticism about its feasibility.

To his surprise, the solar molding process proved successful. By 2014, the company was producing high-quality plastic parts and had secured several patents. Von Kries sees SRM as a valuable tool for providing essential infrastructure in rural areas of developing countries, such as pipes and rainwater tanks.

The SRM system, housed in a shipping container, includes a rotational axis, control panels, and electrical components, requiring only an acre of flat land for setup. This setup is significantly cheaper than traditional molding systems, costing one-tenth as much. With minimal operating costs and a two-person crew, the system produces finished products at 20-30% lower costs than conventional methods.

Light Manufacturing has already deployed a system in Hawaii, demonstrating the practical application of their technology.

US News

How Millennial Parents Find Joy Daily

A recent poll reveals that small moments of joy can transform an ordinary day into memorable family time for parents. The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Hostess, involved 2,000 American millennial parents.

The results indicate that parents try to have fun with their kids outside the normal schedule five days a week. Eighty-six percent of parents feel confident in their ability to create small moments of joy for their family throughout the day, and 91% believe that these moments positively impact their own and their children's well-being.

The top activities parents engage in to make their days more joyful include making their kids laugh, being silly with their kids, and cuddling. Additionally, some enjoy doing something spontaneous and fun. When faced with mundane tasks, parents often inject joy by singing along to music, being silly, or dancing with their kids.

On average, parents attempt to surprise their kids with fun activities three times a week. Parents also enjoy treating their kids to spontaneous activities such as giving them a special treat or snack, buying them something new, or playing games together. However, most of the parents prefer planning fun activities for their kids ahead of time. Weekends are preferred creating spontaneous moments of joy, as they allow more time for relaxation without the pressures of school or work. Nine in 10 parents believe that the more time families spend playing together, the happier and closer they will feel.

Eighty-eight percent of parents believe it's important to have family outings outside the home at least once per week.

Entertainment

House of the Dragon Season 2

House of the Dragon Season 2 premiered June 16th bringing back the popular sequel to the Game of Thrones.

The first season was well received by both audiences and critiques and, so far, the first episodes of Season 2 have continued to impress its watchers.

After the poorly executed ending of the ending of the original Game of Thrones series, many where skeptical of the possibility that the show would be a good series. However, instead of the poorly made cash-grab that many fear, we got a show that stands very well on its own merit.

House of the Dragon Season 2 releases new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. on HBO and Max. There are eight episodes in the season with each episode running about an hour.

Mind Stretchers

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Bill went out to buy some golf equipment.  He spent half of what he had plus $5. at the first store.  He spent half of what was left plus $4. at the second store.  At the third store he spent half of the remainder plus $3.  He then had $5. left to buy golf balls.  How much money did he start with?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
Once in a blue moon! 🌚 

Gerry Moore got the correct answer first!

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