We’re finally coming to the end of January, which means a brand new month and another step towards to normality. This week, the internet has been doing what it does best and making us laugh with some brilliant memes and bizarre TikTok trends. Plus, network provider Hyperoptic has announced that it will provide free full-fibre broadband to families in the UK who don’t have adequate access at the moment, which means that it can be used for productive things too, like home schooling!
Oliver’s Calvert Army
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A 12-year-old boy from the North East is completing a series of challenges in the run-up to his 13th birthday to raise money for an outdoor activity centre that helps disabled people enjoy the great outdoors. Oliver Voysey, who suffered a severe brain injury at the age of two, adores his family trips to the Lake District’s Calvert Trust, however the centre faces closure after losing around £1 million during the pandemic. Oliver’s challenges will all revolve around the number 13, and will see him complete a 13-minute walk and stand up for 13 seconds unaided. You can follow his feat and donate here.
Support Bubbles
The Flaming Lips have always been extraordinary when it comes to live music and performance, so it makes sense that their recent gigs in Oklahoma may just be a blueprint of the near future. They performed to a sea of 100 giant bubbles (after a trial-run on the Stephen Colbert show last year), within which up to three people could stand, watch and dance. The whole event was the idea of frontman Wayne Coyne, who is well-known for rolling over fans in Zorb balls at pre-Covid concerts. Inside each bubble was a fan, a water bottle and a towel — plus signs to communicate whether concertgoers were too hot or needed to use the facilities!
Prize Cookie
My kind of news day:
“Geologist Finds Rare Formation Inside Rock That Looks Exactly Like Cookie Monster on Sesame Street” pic.twitter.com/rKftbLw804
— Dr. Jacqueline Antonovich (@jackiantonovich) January 23, 2021
A geologist has found a rock of agate in Brazil that resembles the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. The blue stone that features two ‘eyes’ and a sparkling quartz smile went viral on social media this week, and has been raking in generous offers ever since!
Golden Oldies
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The Centre for Ageing Better recently asked designers to submit age positive alternatives to the well-known signs that depict an elderly couple walking across a road hunched over walking sticks. This is the winning entry that was submitted by the London-based SwaG Design showing two senior citizens dancing energetically instead. The design sadly won’t replace the current signage on roads, but it will be used in reports and other publications!
Overdue Statue
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A teenager from Lyme Regis in Dorset has successfully campaigned for a statue of Mary Anning, a fossil hunter and palaeontologist, to be erected in her home town. Evie Swire has raised £70,000 so far to commission the sculpture of Anning, who discovered many significant fossils along the Dorset coast in the 19th century, but was never properly celebrated because male collectors took the credit for the finds. The statue will be revealed on 21 May 2021 — her 223rd birthday!
Eau de France
France upholds rural ‘sensory heritage’ over city-slicker grousing https://t.co/IDkhOSEl1W pic.twitter.com/Y0jz5QxsSc
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) January 21, 2021
A law has been passed in France that will protect the ‘sensory heritage’ of its countryside. The bill follows a court case in 2019 that centred around Maurice, a rooster that was said to be causing noise pollution! The law will protect farmers against those that complain about the natural smells and sounds of the rural areas.
Bernie Memes
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One of the most memorable aspects of Joe Biden’s inauguration has turned out to be a pair of mittens worn by Bernie Sanders. Sanders was photographed looking slightly grumpy while wearing a mask and some rather large mittens, and so of course, the image went on to be used in a series of brilliant memes. The look has become such a sensation that the mitten-maker has been inundated with requests, and Sanders has decided to put the original image onto sweatshirts — with all profits going to Meals on Wheels Vermont.
And Finally…
Bored of staring out of the same window every day? See what it’s like looking out of someone else’s…
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One of our favourite TikTokers at the moment is Lubalin, a music producer who makes dramatic songs out of social media dramas…
@lubalinplease help! ? ##butter ##nextdoor ##sodramatic ##humor ##musician ##producer ##thsnks♬ original sound – Lubalin
