Sue's List #40
This week on Sue's List, we delve into the captivating world of Generation Z's love renaissance, explore how AI is coming to the rescue of our beloved bees, and take a sneak peek into the upcoming tax brackets for the year 2024.
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For Statistics
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For Unusual
Meet Beewise's Robotic Marvel Saving Honeybee Colonies
In the land of sunny California, where rolling farmlands stretch as far as the eye can see, a genius inventor named Eliyah Radzyner recently demonstrated how to tackle a buzzworthy problem: saving honeybee colonies! I don’t know about you but I absolutely love honey and really want to share this story with you.
Honeybees are the unsung heroes of our food chain, pollinating the majority of the world's crops. But hold on to your honey pots, because last year, nearly half of the bee colonies in the U.S. did the unthinkable—they collapsed!
Enter Beewise and their sci-fi-sounding BeeHome 4, a contraption that looks like a super-sized filing cabinet with a mission. It can house up to 10 bee colonies, where these industrious little insects can build their honeycombs across multiple frames.
Now, here's where the futuristic fun kicks in. Inside this high-tech bee crib, a robotic arm takes center stage. It's like the DJ of the bee party and gently lifts up the frames for a little inspection.
Three cameras swoop in for the ultimate bee-frame close-up, scanning for any irregularities. Beewise's clever AI models then spring into action, and analyze the footage.
If those cameras spot bees with a case of the munchies, no problem! The robot whips out a syrupy snack and serves it up on a special food frame, making sure no bee goes hungry on its watch.
If the AI detectives detect mites or pesticides crashing the bee party, they go into superhero mode. For mites, the robot cranks up the heat by 2 degrees, turning the bee cribs into a bee sauna. It's hot enough to send those mites packing but gentle enough to keep our fuzzy friends safe.
And if the box senses pesticides trying to gatecrash the hive, it's like a high-tech bouncer. It slams the doors shut, trapping the bees inside and keeping them away from the toxic air outside.
So there you have it, a robotic bee-saving marvel right on the edge of California's farmlands. Thanks to Eliyah Radzyner and his team at Beewise, the future of beekeeping is looking as sweet as honey, and the bees are surely buzzing their approval!
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For Explore
Generation Z's Love Renaissance
Once upon a time in the whimsical world of modern romance, the stock prices of the biggest public dating app companies took a nosedive, and Generation Z had a surprising revelation—IRL (In Real Life) encounters were back in vogue! It was a twist that even the most seasoned love gurus hadn't seen coming.
You see, as the digital age had its moment in the sun, online dating apps flourished. Swipes and likes ruled the land, and love connections were just a click away. But then, enter Generation Z, affectionately known as Zoomers, with their desire for something more tangible, something as old-school as a face-to-face conversation.
The numbers told the tale. Bumble, once riding high on the digital wave, saw its share price tumble by about 41% in the past year, a heartbreak almost as painful as a bad breakup. And if that wasn't enough, it plummeted a whopping 68% from its IPO price back in 2021, leaving investors longing for love in all the wrong places.
But Bumble wasn't alone in this rollercoaster of romance. The Match Group, the proud parent of dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, felt the sting too. Their share price dropped by about 40% in the past year, making them wonder if they should have swiped left on the whole online dating game.
A stunning reality check revealed that even college and graduate students were giving online dating the cold shoulder. It seemed they'd rather trade emojis for actual smiles and virtual chats for real conversations.
And then came the ultimate plot twist—speed dating in person was suddenly hotter than a fresh cup of coffee! Zoomers flocked to events where they could meet potential matches in the flesh, in the good old-fashioned way. It was like a revival of a romantic renaissance, with singles rediscovering the art of making eye contact and sharing awkward yet endearing moments.
So there you have it, a tale of love, loss, and the ever-surprising ways of Generation Z. In the end, it was clear that while online dating might have lost some of its luster, the age-old charm of face-to-face connections was here to stay. Who would've thought that swiping left on screens would make way for swiping right on real-life adventures? Love, it seemed, always had a way of writing its own unpredictable script.
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For Small Peeps
The Enchanted Forest
Step right into a winter wonderland of holiday magic at "The Enchanted Forest" (TEF), a cherished community event that's been sprinkling joy for over half a century. Hosted by the dedicated volunteers of the Junior League of Greenwich, TEF is the kind of place where holiday dreams come true, and this year it's taking its enchantment to a new level, courtesy of Lugano Diamonds.
At the heart of TEF lies a forest like no other—a forest of exquisitely adorned trees that could give the North Pole a run for its tinsel! These trees are a labor of love from professional decorators, retail shops, and holiday aficionados. But these dazzling trees aren't just for show. Nope, they're up for grabs in a silent auction, so you can take home your favorite and let its festive glow light up your own home.
In the Children's Giving Shop, pint-sized shoppers aged 5 and up get to be little Santas in training. Under the watchful eyes of Junior League members, they pick out heartfelt gifts for their loved ones and even have them expertly wrapped, ensuring that the surprise stays wrapped until the big reveal on the holiday. It's a win-win for both kids and their lucky recipients!
And while the kids are on their secret missions of gift-giving, parents get their own shopping haven at the Holiday Boutique, open all weekend long.
TEF offers also ticketed events that will make your holiday season even merrier. Gingerbread house decorating, breakfast with the big man himself (Santa, of course), and professional family photos with Santa by Alex Rosenfeld Photography are just a few of the festive activities that await.
Bruce Museum in Greenwich
Sat, Nov 18, 2023 at 10:00 AM
Get Tickets (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-enchanted-forest-tickets-722332755717?aff=oddtdtcreator)
Thank you for reading the entire list.
See you next week!
Sue
