It’s time for the August 2022 edition of 5 Interesting Things. It’s a short round up of things I’ve found that are: potentially actionable, inspiring, thought-provoking.

Self Driving… Ships? Self-driving cars get a lot of press, probably because cars are more likely to be part of the average reader’s experience. However, sea-going vessels are getting in on the action, with talk of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). With more than 80% of international trade conducted over the water, and with human errors being very, very costly (we’re looking at you, Ever Given), MASS makes a lot of sense.

Mini-forests We all know it’s a good idea to plant a tree, but how about pushing for mini-forests? A new book by Hannah Lewis advocates for transforming empty lots, backyards, and degraded land into mini-forests. Sound like a project for you? Don’t forget to buy the book from an independent bookstore.

Architecture Matters. I’m a technofile and I always appreciate a labour saving device. However, sometimes we rush to new without consideration of why we did the old a certain way. That’s the case in India, these days. Always a hot country, citizens have been suffering more brutal heat wavers earlier and more often lately. Modern building styles, which use a lot of heat trapping and radiating concrete, are not helping.

Take Out Still Bad There are a lot of reasons why you should avoid take out (or if British, take away) food: It’s usually heavy on the calories, sugar, salt, and fat, you probably went through the drive-through to get it, and… the packaging. A new study shows that takeaway packaging dominates ocean litter. Treat yourself to a dine-in restaurant experience instead.

Modular Buildings Are you a Lego(R) fan? Then you’ll love the idea of Modular Buildings. Construction generates tons of waste, both in the original building process, and later, in the demolition process. Buildings can age out beyond repair, and purpose built buildings can be hard to, you know, repurpose. (Props to my local microbrewery, which found a way to reuse an old six-screen movie theatre to brew delicious beer.) Modular buildings solve some of these problems.

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