Thing #1 - The gay Transylvanian baron that founded Paleobiology

Baron Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás was born in 1877 into an aristocratic Hungarian family in Transylvania and was obsessed with animal biology and fossils after finding some on his family estate with his sister. His studies focused on Dwarfism and he was one of the first to study the biology of dinosaurs and dinosaur growth patterns. He was a polymath and super creative and kind of fearless, and even did a stint as a spy for the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in the Balkans during World War One before going on a motorcycle journey across Europe with his lover (and secretary) Mr. Bajazid Doda. Nopcsa named a turtle species after Doda because he said the shell reminded him of his lover’s butt. It’s not all cutesy-wootsy though, as Nopcsa was reportedly a bit manic and ended up drugging Doda, shooting him while he was passed out, and then committed suicide. Why isn’t this a movie?

Thing #2 - Donate your old flash drives to help North Koreans

Yo can donate old USB sticks to help share Western propaganda with folks in North Korea. Flash Drives for Freedom is an organization that works with North Korean defectors to smuggle USB drives full of movies, photos, books, and information that counter Kim Jong-un’s narrative. It’s an initiative that was launched by the Human Rights Foundation that is super easy to participate in and support but has far-reaching impact.

Click HERE to find out how it works.

Thing #3 - A “Steel Grandpa” who won a 1,000-mile bike race because he was amazing

Gustaf Hakansson, at the age of 66 years old, wanted to participate in the 1,764-kilometer bike tour Sverigeloppet which stretched from Haparanda to Ystad in Sweden, but was rejected because there was a maximum age of 40 years old to ride. But rather than do what he was told, Hakansson rode it anyway and managed to arrive at the finish line 24 hours before all of the other contestants - after riding hard for six days, 14 hours, and 20 minutes. He earned the name Stalfarfar which was inspired by the Swedish name for Superman, but translates to “Steel Grandpa.” He became a celebrity and lived until he was 102. His wife, Maria, lived until she was 105.

Thing #4 - Jon the Bus and his barn of curiosities

Jon the Bus, so named because he lived on a bus for 16 years, is someone I have a real affinity for. My father used to pack me into his Jeep and take me on little adventures to visit local eccentrics just like Jon who eked out a life for themselves in the Canadian wilderness and collected things and repurposed them into something else - often things that had a better use but also into weird art installations. They were always surrounded in stories and and an air of “otherness” that I found very attractive. So when I tripped over this video, I found someone I would love to meet. But I’m happy just knowing that he’s out there somewhere doing his thing.

Thing #5 - Chris Hemsworth is helping to reintroduce Tasmanian devils to Australia

Chris “The Body” Hemsworth and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, are helping the Global Wildlife Conservation to reintroduce Tasmanian Devils to mainland Australia after a 3,000 year absence. The effort is part of a rewilding initiative to help rebalance Australian forest ecologies by bringing back native predators to counteract the effects of invasives like cats and foxes that were introduced to the continent through colonialism. And I am. Here. For. It.

Thing #6 - An amazing movie trailer about the American Dream

I’ve probably watched this trailer about 5x since tripping over it earlier in the week. Minari, directed and penned by Lee Isaac Chung, premiered at Sundance earlier in the year and tells the story of a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in Arkansas to carve out a life for themselves. And it looks magical.