I'm a believer in the saying "people are more similar than they are different", but this month's stat about languages reminded me how your country of origin plays a huge part in your attributes, your perspective, your life.
One classic example is that 65% of Europeans can speak more than one language. That compares to 20% in the US (and, yes, in New Zealand) β many of whom will be immigrants who have learned English.
On the flipside I once met a Romanian guy on the night train from Budapest to Bucharest, who seemed like a long-lost twin... until he started talking about growing up through the Romanian Revolution. Crawling around his house to avoid snipers, making belts out of bullet casings, seeing tanks take aim at his family home.
As someone who grew up thinking of war as something that always happens Somewhere Else, it was a reminder that even though we're all similar, we've always got hidden gaps to explore and understand.
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Congrats to Lucie, our latest survey winner!
"There can't be one favorite place in the world to me because every place is so different in many ways. Nature offers me a different pace where I can still experience untouched or almost untouched parts in this world. One of the most amazing places I have been recently is Greenland, with icebergs coming out to Disko Bay from Ilulissat Icefjord."
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- The latest entry in "drooling over remarkably cheap real estate in random locations": Outta Town
- For the Miyazaki and/or Japan fans out there, here's a beautiful book showing slice-of-life scenes that inspired the Totoro movie.
- If you use Telegram (and it might be worth it just for this), AirTrackBot searches for flight deals across hundreds of websites.
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"A healthier, more human-friendly computer" is a phrase that'll ALWAYS get a click out of us.
If we had to describe the new Daylight Computer (DC-1), it'd go something like "a super-powered Kindle that isn't painfully slow". E-paper screen, works in bright daylight, has access to apps while avoiding notifications β yeah, we're interested.
If nothing else, check out their website, it's a thing of true beauty.
And if you're looking for a cheaper option, the Remarkable is a good bet. |
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Past the "introvert or extrovert?" conversational dead ends, there's a more nuanced question to be asked: how do your social relationships affect your lifelong health and happiness?
The Harvard Study of Adult Development says "a lot, like REALLY a lot guys" β in fact it appears to be the single most important factor.
This article on AOM attempts to define "social fitness" - i.e. regardless of whether you like to constantly be at festivals or just watch Ren Faire (great choice) instead, do you have a core set of relationships to lean on? |
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If you ever wondered how hard stores are working to get you to hand over your cash, "Abercrombie & Fitch plays music just under the legal limit for a commercial enterprise in which patrons donβt wear ear protection."
This tidbit - and a bunch of others - show up in the very well-named piece about background music, The Company That Makes Every Other Company's Vibe.
We'd argue that sound is the most underrated part of experiencing a new location or product, because it's not as conscious as sight, touch, or taste.
Sequence Hotel in Tokyo, for example, has invested in a custom soundscape in the lobby. You don't immediately hear the difference β you feel it. |
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We're always waiting patiently for you in this section.
Two questions, 30 seconds, and this month's $50 credit could be yours. |
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As always: let us know what you liked, what you'd like to see more of, your favourite muzak, that sorta thing.
J, D, & the Minaal team
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Made with β€οΈ all over the π by the Minaal crew.
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