EXTREME WEATHER, SIMONE BILES & KEARA WILSON
With extreme weather getting even more extreme due to climate change, I personally am always happy when engineers come out with solutions to problems that make climate change worse. The latest in green tech? An alternative to window air conditioners. According to Fast Company, “the number of air conditioners is poised to surge, both because the planet is getting hotter and a growing number of people in developing countries can finally afford the technology.” One estimate says that by 2050 there could be about 5.6 billion air conditioners in use, which is up A LOT from about 1.6 billion now. So, Gradient, a SF-based company, is creating an AC that will reduce the carbon footprint by 75%. Users will be able to install the products themselves, and the company wants it to be the “most efficient technology accessible to more people” and eventually be priced similarly to the cheapest ACs on the market.
In other changing-the-world-for-the-better news, Simone Biles stood up for herself and prioritized her mental health over competing to win an Olympic medal this week. As a survivor, a fighter, and all-around GOAT, she did something powerful for herself, but probably also for the millions of athletes who look up to her and admire her tenacity, her success, and her courage. I also want to share with you all an interesting post I saw on Facebook this week that compares Simone's experience with that of Kerri Strug's in the 1996 Olympic games. Kerri was competing in the vault portion of the events, landed wrong and severely injured her foot. But, she still continued on and completed the vault again, further injuring herself but securing the gold medal for her team, in a moment that went absolutely viral at the time. Kerri was branded an Olympic hero, but now, many people are questioning what our standards for sports heroism should be. I think that Simone and Kerri are both very brave for their choices, and this 25-year-comparison shows how far we have come in what we choose to prioritize—and how we think about what strength and grit look like.
Before I share my favorite TikToks of the week, I want to talk for a second about ownership, creation, and credit on the platform. The creator of the viral Savage dance, Keara Wilson, is taking steps to secure the copyright to her dance moves. This comes after professional choreographer JaQuel Knight’s partnership with Logitech, which partly focuses on helping 10 BIPOC creators secure copyright for viral dances they’ve created. And all of this follows a strike by many Black creators on the platform, in an effort to get credit for their creations.
And of course, the two TikToks I hope will improve your weekend, just a little bit: This dog fully proves that pets love animals too, and this user contemplates our society by asking the question we all want answers to. I also feel obligated to inform you that, thanks to the entire series being added on Netflix, TWILIGHT is still alive and thriving on all corners of the internet, especially TikTok. Here is my personal favorite take of the moment. Lionsgate’s official account has of course joined the fun as well.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
