2018, Some Positivity

Wow. 2018 is almost over already. I have to admit, that is rather surprising. It feels like it just started in a way. So, what I did I think of the year? Well, I managed to write a record number of entries for this blog this year, over two hundred. That is something.

I also spent the year looking at the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxiseries. That was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to look at another such maxiseries in 2019. What is it? Well...it's a Secret...

I admit, that's really the total amount of planning I do on this thing. Well, since 2018 was a bit of a rough year for many of us in various ways, I thought I'd include some positive things to cheer people up a bit and start 2019 with a smile, thanks to the Good News Network:

14 Australian students make the Guinness World Record book - A group of Australian students manage to drive a solar-powered car across the continent in only 6 days, two days ahead of schedule. It used the lowest amount of energy ever on a cross-country drive. The vehicle, called "Violet", uses no more power than the average four-slice toaster when coasting at 37 mph.

Two cats try to get into an art museum - Over the last couple of years, the Onomichi Museum in west Japan has had a bit of a...rather pleasant problem. You see, a pair of art-loving felines have been trying to enter the museum, presumably inspired by an exhibit of cats. I can see why the museum would be unsure about letting them in. As someone who has lived with cats for years, they can be very paws-on.

Researchers discover how to shrink objects to 1000th their original size - The Ant-Man suit might be more of a reality than you think in the future. Researchers at MIT have developed a system that allows them to inject nearly any material into a 3D pattern that can shrink it down to nanoscale. There's great potential for this in various fields, including medicine.

InSight touches down on Mars - On May 5th, the InSight robot launched from Vandenburg AFB in California. On November 26th, it finally made it to its destination on the Red Planet, a spot near its equator. It will now spend the next two years researching the interior of Mars. This is the eighth probe to reach the Red Planet, and perhaps one day, man will walk on our planetary neighbor.

Shoes made of recycled plastic - Shoe company Vivobarefoot has announced a line of shoes made from recycled plastic bottles as a way of raising awareness of plastic pollution. You know, I won some pens that are made from plastic bottles. They're really cool. I also own one made of corn.

Firefighters get surprised by parrot - Jazz the African grey parrot has a special talent. Turns out he is very good at impressions. Among the things he's good at impersonating? Smoke alarms. Yup, it's so accurate that when the parrot performed his impression in the background of a phone conversation, the Northampton Fire Service rushed to owner's house, thinking it was on fire. This one made me laugh so much.

Cat makes a perfect leap - Just a cat making the perfect leap for a nap. It's awesome.

Sea lion demands fish from a boat - When you're fishing in Mexico, be sure to save one for this sea lion.

Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully, you got a smile from these articles.