Five Times Amazed
Every day, something happens that shows what we’re capable of as humans. In this series, I share five stories that surprised or inspired me. Each one a spark of progress. They may not all be reality tomorrow, but together they show: we’re moving forward.
1. The Memory Game That Hits All the Right Notes
👉 Why a music game from Amsterdam might be better brain training than Sudoku (Nautil)
A team from the University of Amsterdam built a game to study how we remember music. And it’s strangely addictive. The goal: guess if the notes you hear match what came before. The twist? What we remember (pitch, rhythm, or timbre) differs around the world.
💡 This one pulled me right in, and not just because it’s a classic internet sinkhole. What’s great here is how science becomes something you can play with. Also fascinating: how musical memory differs per culture. Proof that brains and culture are more intertwined than we think.
2. TikTok’s English: On Fleek, For Real
👉 How teenagers and algorithms are reshaping a global language (Literary Hub)
The English language is changing fast. Not from the top down, but from TikTok up. Teenagers, memes, global remix culture: they’re all part of a chaotic evolution that native speakers can hardly keep up with. And big data is helping shape it all.
💡 This is what the internet does well: it speeds things up and breaks things open. Like a modern version of the printing press, TikTok is helping billions participate in language-making. English is no longer “owned” by a few. It’s being reimagined by many. Is that progress?
3. Excel Is an Extreme Sport
👉 Inside the world championship for teenage spreadsheet masters (The Guardian)
A new documentary follows six young Excel geniuses as they compete for spreadsheet glory. From Cameroon to Guatemala, these teens train hard to become the fastest, smartest, most dazzling data wranglers on the planet.
💡 This made me smile. There’s something weirdly inspiring about turning Excel into a competitive sport. But the best part? A kid from Cameroon made it to the top thanks to school support. Tech doesn’t have to be flashy to change lives, sometimes it’s just rows and columns.
4. ET, Are You Listening? Because We’re Loud
👉 Radar signals have made Earth the noisiest planet in this part of the galaxy (New Atlas)
Before 1930, Earth was quiet. Then came radar, VHF, and microwave bursts, and now our planet is shouting into space. Anyone within 200 lightyears could easily know we’re here. Which raises the question: why don’t we hear them back?
💡 I love this story because it turns the classic alien question around. Maybe they’re quiet. Maybe we’re bad at listening. But one thing’s for sure: we’ve made ourselves visible in the cosmic crowd. No hiding anymore. Hello, universe?
5. A Cooling Curtain from the Past
👉 India revives a fragrant, low-tech way to beat the heat (Reasons to be Cheerful)
In parts of India, buildings are being cooled with vetiver (khus) curtains: natural grass mats that emit a sweet smell and lower the temperature. No airco, just water, wind, and wisdom.
💡 A forgotten idea becomes a future-proof solution. And it’s poetic, too: scent shaping temperature perception. Mint makes you feel cool. Khus makes you be cool. We need more of this: ancient knowledge, locally rooted, globally relevant.
