Spelling, Phonics and Comprehension
One day, already a billionaire, Henry Ford arrived in England on business.
At the airport, he politely asked the staff at the information desk:
“Can you tell me where the cheapest hotel in town is?”
The employee stared at him, puzzled. That face was unmistakable — it had been on the front pages of newspapers all over the world. And here he was: the legendary industrialist, wearing a worn-out coat, asking for the cheapest room.
The man hesitated for a moment and finally asked: “Excuse me… but aren’t you Henry Ford?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Ford nodded.
Still confused, the worker said: “I read your son only stays in five-star hotels and wears custom-made suits. Yet here you are, looking like you stepped out of the Industrial Revolution, asking for the cheapest place in town. Do you really live that frugally?”
Ford smiled calmly:
“There’s no point paying for luxury I don’t need. No matter where I sleep — I’m still Henry Ford. If I can rest just as well in a simple room as I would in a luxury suite…why spend more?”
He paused and added:
“This old coat? It used to belong to my father. And even in this — I’m still me. My son is still young. He cares about how others see him. He wants to impress. But I’ve learned that real value isn’t in what glitters on the outside. Not in the price tag on a suit, or the stars above a hotel door. I became a billionaire not because I spent money…but because I knew how to count it —and how to separate what’s truly valuable from what merely shines for other people’s eyes.”
Moral:
True worth isn’t what you wear —
It’s who you are.
If you’d like to read more on Henry Ford, here is an interesting article by Lee Iacocca:
Tyres To Tracks
Australia’s railways just got a clever sustainability upgrade—using scrap rubber to reinforce train tracks. In a two-year field trial on Sydney’s Chullora freight line, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) tested a recycled rubber underlay made from old truck tyres and mining conveyor belts. The results? Tracks with this rubber system showed significantly less wear and tear compared to conventional tracks.
The rubber layer cushions the impact of passing trains and spreads their weight more evenly across the track. This helps protect the crushed stone (ballast) underneath from breaking apart—a major reason tracks often need costly repairs. With less damage to the ballast, the tracks stay level longer, reducing the need for maintenance and shutdowns.
Beyond the economic benefits, the innovation also diverts end-of-life tyres and waste materials from landfills, offering a solid environmental win. Backed by AU$740,000 in new funding, the team is now scaling up trials in more extreme locations like bridges and junctions.
If successful, this low-cost, low-impact solution could change how rail networks around the world handle heavy freight—and waste.
Raise Your Children For Freedom – The Stoic Biohacker on Instagram
How To Keep People Sick – The Stoic Biohacker on Instagram
Lego Bridge Layer
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.