Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. I love Laura Vanderkam’s books about how to make the most of time. It’s never about stuffing more into our days. It’s not about productivity. It’s about savoring and being creatively thoughtful about what we choose to do. Her books 168 Hours and Tranquility by Tuesday changed how I think about my own weeks. For example, her argument for “effortful before effortless,” nudged me to spend more of my discretionary time on my hobbies. Her latest book, Big Time, released last month, makes the case for time…

With dagger-like claws and explosive kicks, the cassowary has earned a reputation as the world’s most dangerous bird. But is it deserved?gettyMost birds inspire either affection or indifference. We scatter seed for them in our gardens, admire them through binoculars or, occasionally, curse at them for stealing our lunch at the beach. Very few birds inspire the kind of caution that’s typically reserved for large predators. But the cassowary does. Native to the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia, the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) holds the title of world’s most dangerous bird. It sounds comical considering that, after…

The historic racetracks that host the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing are each in the midst of an evolution, with major upgrades, renovations, and in one case, a complete rebuild—and they’re all happening at once. It’s part of an industry-level reckoning with the changing demands of horseracing spectators, and the changing fortunes of horseracing itself. The three racetracks—Churchill Downs in Louisville, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, and Belmont Park in Elmont, New York—are all in various stages of renovation, each with a design led by the sports-centric architecture firm Populous. They’re getting new grandstand configurations and infield access improvements, fancier…

Published June 6, 2026 05:00AMFor those of you born with a love for both dogs and water, you know how unmatched a day spent on the beach with your four-legged friend truly feels. Thankfully, there are still waterfront parks where your pup can roam off leash and you can unwind without the stress of watching the clock or your dog, too intensely.As a Pacific Northwest native, I consider Cannon Beach, Oregon, the gold standard of dog-friendly beach towns. There, like at the other destinations on this list, the joy of spending time by the water is equally shared between pets…

Millions of Medicaid enrollees may face coverage loss in January 2027 if new work requirements take effect as planned.gettyA quiet countdown is underway in American healthcare. On January 1, 2027, millions of Medicaid enrollees will be required to document 80 hours per month of work, job training, education, or community service or risk losing their health coverage. Yet according to a new survey from The Health Management Academy, more than half of those enrollees have no idea it’s coming.The survey was conducted in April 2026 among 1,974 adults currently enrolled in Medicaid. It reveals a striking awareness gap ahead of…

Published June 6, 2026 03:37AMI like my therapist a lot but she doesn’t nibble my sleeve, or smell like cedar chips, or press her tiny nub-horns into my arm, which—no offense—really diminishes her ability to make me feel immediately great. Sure, she’s brilliant and supportive and leaves me with clarity, but clarity can hurt. Sometimes you just want to feel better instantly, rather than, you know, be better over time. So when I found a farm near me that offers Therapy With Goats ($50/hour), I immediately booked a session—failing to realize that you’re supposed to BYO therapist and thus discuss…

On Monday, June 8, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) kicks off. As its name suggests, the weeklong event is primarily aimed at developers who make apps for Apple’s myriad operating systems. But it’s also a big day for Apple consumers, who get to see previews of the software that will be available on Apple devices this fall. Thanks to an AI focus, WWDC26 may be one of the most consequential Apple developer conferences ever. Here’s what to expect from Apple when the company’s keynote kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time in a few days—as well as some…

Published June 6, 2026 03:05AMTall grasses blow in the gentle breeze, and the sounds of hooves pat the prairie below. A few small snorts escape the bison’s noses, evaporating into the chilly air. The herd’s youngest member, hardly a month old, frolics in the grasslands.This isn’t Yellowstone. Or the Badlands. This growing herd makes itself at home on Burlington Prairie, a forest preserve 60 miles northwest of Chicago. Absent from these Native lands for over 200 years, this little herd is bringing the prairie back to the Prairie State. Nearly 4.7 million visitors flock to Yellowstone National Park each year to…

Does generative AI overlook rare mental health conditions or is it doing the right thing by avoiding low chance aspects?gettyIn today’s column, I examine the key challenges associated with generative AI and large language models (LLMs) in detecting rare mental health conditions. Most of the everyday usage of popular LLMs to get mental health advice usually involves people with relatively common cognitive issues, such as depression, anxiety, and the like. But what about situations when a person has something much less common?A rare mental health condition can be like a needle in a haystack. The odds of discerning that someone…

What’s the point of a manager, really? Ask an executive, and they may say managers are essential for ensuring accountability and team performance. Ask an employee, and they’ll probably tell you that becoming a manager is their main path to advancement. Both perspectives hold truth, and both underscore a pressing need to reconsider how management roles operate. Many organizations have a lot of managers in their ranks, perhaps due to a long-standing belief that investing in manager positions will improve business performance. However, promoting employees to management as a retention strategy has overpopulated leadership ranks while diminishing the quality of…