- Daily Upsider
- Posts
- 🌞 Wall of Wind Turbines
🌞 Wall of Wind Turbines
Daily Upsider - Thursday, August 8th, 2024
James Linder & Julia Mejia
August 08, 2024
Thursday, August 8th, 2024
Good Morning! 🌞
For the next 5 days we’ll be featuring surprising and interesting facts about the Olympics. Make sure to keep an eye out for them starting tomorrow!
Today’s Upside
Environment
Floating "Wall of Wind Turbines’ Gets Approval
Depiction of “windcatcher” offshore floating facility.
A Norwegian company is developing an innovative wind energy concept called the “Windcatcher,” an offshore floating facility. Instead of using a few giant turbines, the Windcatcher will comprise hundreds of small turbines packed together. This visionary project is spearheaded by Wind Catching Systems (WCS).
The Windcatcher has reached a significant milestone by receiving certification from DNV, a leading global classification agency. This certification confirms the technical feasibility of the design, allowing the project to advance to the next stage.
The Windcatcher concept involves a floating offshore wind farm that uses multiple small 1MW turbines instead of traditional large turbines. These innovative turbines can capture 2.5 times more energy per square meter of wind flow compared to standard three-blade turbine designs. The unique design, resembling a “floating wall” aims to double energy output.
The company plans for the Windcatcher to generate 40MW of power in the future. In the long term, WCS aims to add units with a capacity of up to 126 MW.
The Windcatcher is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the open sea. It is a modular system that can be scaled up or down based on energy needs. Each unit connects to a central substation, which transmits the electricity to the grid.
This is a very interesting concept. One of the issues surrounding wind turbines is there tendency to kill large amounts of birds. Hopefully these are big enough for flocks of birds to recognize that they need to go around it.
Health Sciences
Groundbreaking New Parkinson’s Drug
Video screenshots of Damian Gath before and after taking Produodopa-SWNS
A 52-year-old man with Parkinson's disease has experienced a significant transformation after starting a new drug treatment. Damian Gath was diagnosed ten years ago with a condition that causes involuntary shaking.
Gath, who was the head of operations at a communications firm, noticed symptoms when he began losing the use of his fingers and dropping objects. After seeing a neurologist, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, a disease he had little knowledge of.
Gath tried every available oral medication to manage the disease's effects, but each one brought severe side effects, including hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and anxiety.
In June, following the drug's approval by England's National Health System (NHS), Gath became one of the first patients in the country to receive Produodopa. This treatment, delivered through a small pump under the skin, provides a more gradual release of medication, offering better symptom management. Gath described the treatment as revolutionary.
A video shared by SWNS shows the remarkable change in Gath's condition after just one week. He could make a cup of coffee with ease, a task that was previously challenging due to spastic upper body movements. Gath reported that he now experiences less pain and can sleep well at night, unlike before when his symptoms would return after his medication wore off.
Dr. Nishantha Silva from Sherwood Forest Hospital, where Gath was treated, stated that the successful use of Produodopa marks a new era in managing advanced Parkinson's disease. The NHS plans to extend the therapy to other patients soon.
Olympics
Olympic Highlights!
We have some more great highlights from the last couple of days. Including one of the newer sports, skateboarding
Support Daily Upsider!
Help our mission to share positive, meaningful news! Your support keeps us going without the need to bombard you with annoying ads!
The History of Gift Giving
Gift-giving is one of the universal languages of kindness, wrapping up love and goodwill in shiny packages. Here’s a playful stroll through how this delightful tradition has evolved over time:
Ancient Beginnings
Back in the days of cavemen and pyramids, people weren’t just swapping fire-starting tools and fancy rocks. In ancient Egypt, gifts were a way to show devotion, often wrapped in gold and mysticism. Meanwhile, the Greeks and Romans made a party out of it, celebrating Saturnalia with festive gifts—a bit like the holiday spirit you find in modern Christmas celebrations.
Medieval Merriment
Fast forward to the Middle Ages, where gift-giving was all about flaunting power and securing loyalty. Lords would present lavish gifts, and the church encouraged giving to the less fortunate, making generosity a pious act.
Renaissance Revelry
As we saunter into the Renaissance, gift-giving took on a new flair. This period saw the emergence of traditions like Christmas trees and stockings, thanks to the Victorians who perfected the art of holiday gifting. They made Christmas the gift-giving extravaganza we know today, with Santa Claus taking the spotlight.
Modern Marvels
In the 20th century, the gift-giving game went global. Holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day became commercialized, with ads encouraging us to give more and more. The world became a smaller place, and we all started swapping gift ideas, from Tokyo to New York.
Cultural Corners
Every culture has its unique spin on gift-giving. In Japan, the ritual of "omiyage" means bringing back a little something for everyone when you travel. In India, Diwali is a festival of lights and gifts. And in many African traditions, gifts play a crucial role in ceremonies and celebrations.
Mind Stretchers
⁉️
What has roots that nobody sees, is taller than trees? Up, up it goes and yet it never grows; what is it?
Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:
What is in seasons, seconds, centuries, and minutes, but not in decades, years, or days? - The letter “N”
Cheri Moore 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 email.
From the Community
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.
Reply