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Chimps and Tiny Rat Cars
Payton Mitchell & Hank Green
November 22, 2024
Hello!
I’ve been thinking about making this week’s video for literal years. It was a real bit of brain crack for me. For those who haven’t seen the 2006 Episode of The Show with Ze Frank about Brain Crack (you should watch it, it’s short, as all online videos were back then), Brain Crack is an idea you have that is so good in your head that you can’t get it into the real world. You want to nurture it, make it perfect, and there’s always one more thing that would make it better that you have to do before finishing it.
But the problem is, as long as that thing is in your head, it isn’t in the world doing its work! You aren’t learning from it, and neither is anyone else! Even worse, all of the ideas you could be having aren’t being had because your mind is addicted to this one idea. So addicted, in fact, that it starts to never want to let it go, and so the idea gets stuck in there forever.
Two things finally freed this video from that prison for me.
First, I’ve been collaborating with a video editor for a while, which means I was able to focus on writing, performing, and doing the first cut, while Milo could do the graphics and b-roll. That took the overall load of the video down for me, which made me more comfortable releasing it even though it still, of course, is not as good as I would like it to be.
Second, the re-election of Donald Trump requires THOUGHTS and ANALYSIS. I know that we are not living in history, we are living in today, and we are actors in this world. But we are also subject to the same effects that humans always have been. I’ve been saying for a long time that we underestimate the enormity of the communication shift that we are living through, and that communication technology revolutions are always the most disruptive ones. But then when we experience actual disruptions (which I think we will continue experiencing) it’s still a shock.
It’s about time this video finally happened. Could it be better? Oh yeah, but it’s out! I hope you like it.
Hank
You can always email us at [email protected]
This Week in Stuff
A stadium of football fans sang Happy Birthday to a 100-year-old woman in attendance.
Is the new nuclear age coming? Hank thinks so!
Solar Orbiter gave us breathtaking images of the Sun.
A red-tailed hawk got a bath after being found covered in oil. He was released the next day!
Rats at the University of Richmond are driving tiny cars.
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
Fossil fuels are the biggest source of CO2 emissions in most countries, but there are a few exceptions
Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado
Around 90% of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions come from fossil fuels and industrial processes such as cement production. The other 10% comes from land use change, primarily carbon released from trees and vegetation due to deforestation.
Fossil fuels are also the biggest source of emissions at the national level in most countries across the world. But there are a few exceptions.
In the chart, you can see the share of emissions from fossil fuels compared to land use change across a small selection of countries. In the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, fossil fuels dominate. This data comes from the Global Carbon Project.
However, in Brazil, land use change plays a much more significant role. This is for two reasons. First, deforestation rates are higher than in most other countries. Second, Brazil has a very clean power grid. Most of its electricity comes from hydropower, with solar and wind also growing quickly. It burns very little coal and gas.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here.
This Week at Complexly
SciShow teamed up with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Lindsay Nikole to do a deep dive on a war you may not be familiar with... The Chimpanzee War at Gombe National Park. In 1974, the chimpanzees at Gombe National Park in Tanzania began a series of violent attacks that stunned researchers, including Jane Goodall. This deep dive incorporates the style and expert knowledge of zoologist-creator Lindsay Nikole with expert testimony from the field and SciShow's classic style to tell this shocking story.
Should our government ignore our identities or focus on them? In the latest episode of Crash Course Political Theory, we explore the role identity plays in politics and government, from affirmative action to white backlash, and ask, “What is fair?”
Some Games to Play!
(Crossword spoilers ahead)
Scrabble Tetris (by carykh)
SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Arly. Send yours to [email protected]
As promised, here’s the key to last week’s crossword! Thank you to everyone who played and sent us photos of your progress, and thank you to Rachel Simon for creating the crossword! If you want to order your own personalized crossword, Rachel has an Etsy shop.
If you post your results on social media, we’d love it if you post a link for folks to subscribe to “We’re Here” (https://werehere.beehiiv.com/subscribe)
Good, Good, and Good!
If you read this newsletter, there is a high probability that your socks are awesome. But maybe you missed a design, or you are deploring the state of your friend's deadly dull sock drawer. Good Store once again has the solution with a myriad of bundles of past designs from some of your favorite artists. Plus, for every sock you buy, Good Store gives another pair to shelters across the United States. PLUS 100% of that profit goes to charity. That's good, good, and good.
Moments of Kindness
Last week, we asked for moments of kindness. Thank you to everyone who sent stories to us! These are great reminders of why things are not hopeless.
If nothing else, the past two weeks have been riddled with moments of kindness. An accountant friend of mine took time to call me on filing day because she knew I was having a bad day. My mom had dinner delivered for me because plans I made with friends suddenly fell through. My friends and I started a good-new-daily channel on our discord server so that we could share everything from hopeful headlines to little wins (like getting the last cookie at work) with each other. I was able to run a 2 minute errand for a friend that saved her a 20 minute drive.
It feels like everything's falling apart in my personal life and on a national/global level too, but these moments brightened my week. I hope you had some bright moments too!
I work remotely from my home but the company I work for is based in a different state. I recently mentioned to my boss that I miss some of the perks of going into the office. When a client sent the office a box of chocolates as a thank you, my boss mailed it on to me!
I saw a clip of parents talking about how when they see other parents struggling to manage their kids in public, they always offer to hold something for them. They said: “I can’t hold your kids but I can hold your coffee.” So, today when I saw a dad trying to tackle a toddler in one hand, a stroller in the other, and a huge flight of stairs, I offered to take the stroller and helped him to the top. I hope it made his day a little better.
My younger brother had his first job interview today, and his friend offered to switch pants with him so he didn’t have to wear sweatpants- we’re both very grateful.
This week my wonderful friend (we’ll call her Peach) and I were talking about a book she’d recently enjoyed. I was intrigued and wanted to read it as well, but it wasn’t available at my library for three weeks. I accepted having to wait… but lo and behold, this morning I received a package—she bought me the book and sent it as a surprise gift! It was such a wonderful way to end the week; and now I have a new book to enjoy!
I was on the tram to the station, and the automatic doors closed and rebounded off the foot of a teenager, hoodie up and earphones clamped to his head, nose buried in his phone... Why? He wasn't on the tram, he didn't want to get on the tram, was he just messing around so the tram couldn't leave? He just strode away after the door bounced and reopened... moments before a little lady with a crutch hobbled on. She wouldn't have made it if that kid hadn't shoved the door back open.
Every Friday after class, I have some time to kill before work. Luckily, my friend is in the same situation, so we always go to the same cafe to get hot drinks together. Last week, I had to bail on her to do something else. Just after I got to work, she showed up with a takeaway drink for me and then headed off to start her shift. She's such a kind and thoughtful person.
I am a high school science teacher. About 3 weeks ago, I had to leave school early to have my 15-year old dog put down, as she had cancer. I was heartbroken and cried when I told my two AP classes why I had to leave school early. The next day, four of my seniors brought me a gift bag with a card, flowers, a yoga mug (I also teach yoga), chocolate, and one of my favorite kombucha flavors. It was really sweet and thoughtful, and made me feel so loved after a really, really hard experience.
It's a very small thing - I went to a library sale and I spotted a biography of one of my favourite poets. I grabbed it and a person next to me said "oh no, I was late" so I decided to let them have it;)
I hope it brings them joy. And worth mentioning - the proceeds from the sale will go to a library that was damaged during September floods so win-win for everyone.
I was working on my laptop in a coffee shop, and a woman sat beside me. She asked if I could talk for a bit. She confessed that a fake Venmo support number had scammed her. She needed to tell someone but felt too embarrassed to tell her friends. We talked for half an hour, and I think she left that coffee shop a bit happier. Talking to strangers always teaches me something about the world.
Goodbye for now!
Right now, schedule time next week for something you enjoy doing. It could be walking through a local park, making a nice dinner, Facetiming a friend, or something else! Let us know what you chose and tell us how it went.
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