Next level Lego for the creative inspiration!
Where Are The Tradies?
Mike Rowe: “We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to learn to code.”
“Well, AI is coming for the coders.”
“It’s not coming for the welders, the plumbers, the steamfitters, the pipefitters, the HVAC, or the electricians.”
“In Aspen, I sat and listened to Larry Fink say we need 500,000 electricians in the next couple of years—not hyperbole.”
“The BlueForge Alliance, who oversees our maritime industrial base—that’s 15,000 individual companies who are collectively charged with building and delivering nuclear-powered subs to the Navy … calls and says, we’re having a hell of a time finding tradespeople. Can you help?”
“I said, I don’t know, man … how many do you need? He says, 140,000.”
“These are our submarines. Things go hypersonic, a little sideways with China, Taiwan, our aircraft carriers are no longer the point of the spear. They’re vulnerable.” “Our submarines matter, and these guys have a pinch point because they can’t find welders and electricians to get them built.”
“The automotive industry needs 80,000 collision repair and technicians.”
“Energy, I don’t even know what the number is, I hear 300,000, I hear 500,000.”
“There is a clear and present freakout going on right now. I’ve heard from six governors in the last six months. I’ve heard from the heads of major companies.”
The Kola Superdeep Borehole
The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest hole ever dug by humans. It’s located on the Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia, near the border with Norway. Russian scientists began drilling in 1970 to learn more about the Earth’s crust. They reached a depth of about 40,230 feet (12.2 km), deeper than Mount Everest is tall! But the hole is very narrow, only about 9 inches wide.
During the project, scientists made some surprising discoveries. They found extremely high temperatures (around 180°C), water trapped deep inside solid rock, and learned that the Earth’s crust is much more complex than they thought. They also found tiny fossil remains about 2 billion years old.
The drilling stopped in 1992 because the heat was too intense. The equipment at the time couldn’t go any deeper.
Michael J Fox
Michael J. Fox was seated at a long table at the 2018 New York Comic Con, signing autographs for a line of enthusiastic fans. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as people held out “Back to the Future” posters, DVDs, and memorabilia, each eager to get a signature from the man who had brought Marty McFly to life. Fox, always gracious, smiled and exchanged a few words with each fan as he signed. Then, a woman approached, holding a well-worn “Back to the Future” poster.
She placed it in front of him, but instead of asking for a simple autograph, she hesitated. When Fox looked up, she took a deep breath and explained that the poster had belonged to her late father. He had been a lifelong fan of the film and had introduced her to it when she was a child. Watching “Back to the Future” together had been their tradition, something they did every year without fail. Even during his battle with a long illness, when he was too weak to do much else, they would sit side by side, rewatching their favorite movie. It had been their way of escaping reality, even for just a couple of hours.
Her voice wavered as she told Fox that her father had passed away a few months earlier. She had kept the poster as a reminder of their time together, and she wanted something more than just a signature. She asked if he could write a personal message for her father, something she could cherish forever.
Fox, who had been nodding as she spoke, fell silent for a moment. He gently ran his fingers over the creased edges of the poster, clearly moved by the weight of her words. His usual quick responses and lighthearted quips gave way to a deep moment of reflection.
Instead of simply signing his name, he carefully took the pen and wrote a heartfelt note: “To a father who made time travel real by sharing these moments with his daughter. With love, Michael J. Fox.”
When he handed the poster back, the woman looked down at his message and pressed a hand to her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered a quiet thank you. Fox reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, offering a warm smile before she walked away, still clutching the poster as if it were the most valuable thing she had ever owned.
Later, when asked about the encounter, Fox admitted that moments like these reminded him why his work mattered. It was never just about making movies or playing a beloved character it was about the connections people formed through those stories, the memories they built, and the emotions tied to them.
My husband came home from work last Friday with a trailer full of old tires and announced he was fixing our leaky shed roof. I thought he meant he was going to buy actual roofing materials, not turn our backyard into a tire graveyard.
He spent the entire weekend arranging these things like giant black shingles, overlapping them in rows that somehow actually look intentional. When I asked where he got the idea, he just shrugged and said “free materials, good drainage, problem solved.” The man has an engineering degree but apparently thinks like a caveman when it comes to home improvement.
I posted photos in my upcycling group on the Tedooo app hoping someone would back me up that this looks ridiculous. Instead, half the people said it was genius and started asking for tutorials. One woman said her neighbor did something similar and it has lasted fifteen years without a single leak. Another person shared photos of tire roofs in developing countries that are built to withstand hurricanes.
The shed has not had a single drop of water inside since he finished, even after three days of heavy rain last week. The tires seem to channel water away perfectly, and I have to admit they are probably more durable than the cheap metal roofing we were going to buy. My neighbor stopped by yesterday and said it looks like modern art.
Every Paper Proving The Existence Of A Virus Is Scientific Nonsense!
Original Apple Pie
The first ever recorded ‘apple pie’ recipe from 14th century England contained more pears than apples and was baked in a crust called a ‘coffyn’.
This recipe, recorded around the year 1381, gives us a look at what our ancestors truly ate.
It wasn’t just a simple apple dessert. The filling was a rich mixture of apples, pears, figs, and raisins. A far cry from what we see today.
The real show of wealth wasn’t the fruit, but the spices. Saffron, which was worth more than its weight in gold, was a key ingredient, giving the pie a golden color and a distinct flavor.
There was no refined sugar in the recipe. All the sweetness came naturally from the fruits and perhaps a bit of honey, not from the processed sugars we rely on now.
The word ‘coffyn’ didn’t mean what it means today. It came from an old word for a box or case, and in this context, it just meant a sturdy pastry shell.
This thick, hard crust wasn’t always eaten. Its main purpose was to act as a durable, edible container that could preserve the fruit filling inside for days, making it a portable meal.
So the original apple pie was less of a sweet dessert and more of a hearty, preserved meal for the wealthy, a world away from the classic American treat.
Sources: The Berkshire Edge, South Florida Reporter, The French Life, Splendry
…even a man with nothing… can still give everything.
In the 1950s, Red Skelton was performing to sold-out crowds in Los Angeles. One night after the show, an elderly, hunched man in tattered clothes appeared at the stage door—so unrecognizable that the staff assumed he was just another street performer and tried to send him away.
But the man quietly pleaded:
“Please… tell Mr. Skelton I’ve come to see Freddie the Freeloader.”
Red, still dressed as his beloved character Freddie, heard the commotion and peeked outside—only to be completely stunned.
It wasn’t just anyone.
It was Charlie Chaplin—the silent film legend himself.
Red immediately invited him in, offered him a seat, and the two comedians spent nearly two hours together, just the two of them. No reporters, no audience—just two kindred spirits sharing stories from the heart.
Chaplin told Red:
“Freddie the Freeloader… he’s a beautiful soul. He’s the closest I’ve seen to The Tramp since I retired him.”
For Red, this meant the world. Chaplin was his idol, and to have him recognize Freddie—not as a copy, but as a kindred soul—was the highest honor.
Before leaving, Chaplin embraced Red and whispered:
“Never stop playing that character. The world needs to remember that even a man with nothing… can still give everything.”
A Fly Solution
This farmer explains what he does to protect his cattle from flies.
Your Daily Dose of Inspiration
You are not what was done to you.
You are what you became in spite of it.