Good Morning! 🌞

I was surprised to find out that ants most likely outweigh humans!

The combined biomass of all the ants on Earth is estimated to be about the same as, or possibly greater than, the biomass of all humans. There are approximately 10 quintillion ants in the world.

World News

Tiny, Tiny Homes

Ryan Donais, a construction manager from Toronto, started building tiny homes on wheels in July to address the city's growing homelessness crisis, spurred on after his brother became homeless due to a long struggle with addiction.

Concerned about the rise of tent cities, Donais spent 100 hours developing a prototype and two months completing his first unit. Each home, made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic, includes basic amenities: a bed, desk, sink, and camping toilet.

His project, Tiny Tiny Homes, is now an official nonprofit, and he’s working on a second unit. The homes are insulated, weatherproof, solar-powered, and designed to offer temporary shelter with storage space for personal items. Donais stresses that these homes aren't meant to be permanent solutions but a step toward permanent housing.

Donais is raising funds through GoFundMe to scale up production, with each unit costing about $5,000 to build. He's also seeking material donations and a larger workspace to continue the project.

Entertainment and Culture

How Much Would it Cost?

Have you ever wondered what it would cost today to build one of the ancient works of wonder like the Colosseum in Rome?

I have wondered about this before. It is a very complicated question, and I think this very interesting video addresses it about as well as you can.

Innovation

Wind Turbine ‘Virtual Factory’

Offshore wind turbine maintenance is about to improve with the new 'Jack-up on Jack-up' concept introduced by Danish naval engineering firm Knud E Hansen. This design creates a “virtual factory” around turbine blades, allowing technicians to work continuously, regardless of weather.

If successful, this concept could greatly enhance the efficiency and reliability of offshore turbine maintenance, pushing the industry towards more operational stability. The design centers around a four-legged platform with a 49.2-foot-wide (15-meter) work area that can be raised to the height of the nacelle (the housing at the top of the turbine). It also features a telescopic weather cover, which provides a controlled environment for technicians to work on blades in almost any weather, day or night.

Knud E Hansen highlights this as a key benefit, noting that traditional methods, reliant on favorable weather for vessel and rope access, often face delays. This new platform allows for a more dependable maintenance schedule, reducing turbine downtime and enabling continuous power production.

A standout feature of the 'Jack-up on Jack-up' design is its onboard workshop—a large, air-conditioned workspace at the platform’s rear. This allows technicians to perform complex repairs on-site, eliminating the need to transport damaged blades to shore. The platform also includes a “cherry picker” for easy access to the nacelle, streamlining repairs and reducing logistical challenges. It is designed to handle even the largest turbines, up to 20 megawatts, and operate in water depths of up to 262 feet (80 meters).

Capable of maintaining blades up to 426 feet (130 meters) long and replacing nacelles weighing up to 1,000 tons, this platform is built to meet the demands of current and future offshore turbines.

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Mind Stretchers

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I cover cities and forests, entire countries too.
I can be felt but never touched, and I disappear with a step or two.
What am I?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
Paul's height is six feet, he's an assistant at a butcher's shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh? - Meat!
Chris Hostetler got this first— again! Way to go! 🌞 

The first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured