admin, Author at Usernames Ideas

Young African American woman commuting in the city, using a smart phone and texting. She is wearing casual clothes on a sunny day.

Tiny Solar Panels Embedded in Clothing Can Charge a Phone or Smartwatch

Many people don’t think about their clothing being anything more than a fashion statement, uniform, or necessity — but the clothes you put on could one day power up some popular handheld products. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University have created a new type of fabric that can charge simple electronic devices via solar energy: an […]

Meet the Disabled Pakistani Woman Changing Lives With Free, Customizable Wheelchairs

Born in Punjab, Pakistan, Zahida Qureshi was paralyzed after a bout of polio as a baby. She learned how to crawl to get around as a child, but she didn’t receive her first wheelchair until she was a young adult entering university. Despite the challenges she faced, Qureshi dreamed of creating change in the world […]

Queen Victoria Was a Fan of “Textspeak” — and Scotch Whiskey, According to a New Discovery

Here’s something Queen Victoria unexpectedly had in common with many of today’s smartphone users: the propensity to shorten words. The queen was an avid diarist and kept a regular journal throughout her reign (1837-1901), so historians have ample evidence to back up this claim. But there’s been a new discovery that has provided further insight […]

This 3D-Printed Clay Humidifier Works Without Electricity: Inside the Design

From burdock burrs and Velcro to shark skin and airplane coatings, nature has inspired some of the world’s most interesting innovations. Now, an industrial designer has created a 3D-printed clay humidifier that absorbs and evaporates water without electricity, just like trees. Jiaming Liu crafted the eco-friendly Print Clay Humidifier as his master’s graduation project at […]

Crime Ledger With 500 Victorian-Era Mug Shots Saved From Landfill, Sells at Auction for $11,800

A book of Victorian mug shots is now on the third leg of its long life, though it doesn’t possess a history quite as storied as the people whose photographs plaster its 500 pages. Saved from being tossed in a dumpster four decades ago, the ledger covers criminal records from all over England during the […]

Inspiring Teen Invents “POSH Pillow” to Help Breast Cancer Patients Travel More Comfortably in Cars

Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with breast cancer around the world. It’s a disease many of us have experienced, either firsthand or through a friend or family member. When one compassionate young woman saw someone close to her feeling discomfort while traveling after a double mastectomy, she was inspired to support her in […]

Read more about the article Tucson Cafe Runs Employment Training Program for People With Mental Health Challenges, Disabilities: “Fresh Food, Fresh Start”

Tucson Cafe Runs Employment Training Program for People With Mental Health Challenges, Disabilities: “Fresh Food, Fresh Start”

At downtown Tucson’s Café 54, hungry customers can choose between tasty-sounding options like Mediterranean pasta, honey citrus chicken sandwiches, and Impossible burgers — perhaps following up their meals with some chocolate chunk cookies for dessert. But for the employees preparing the food, the Arizona establishment offers far more than good eats. Opened in 2004 by […]

Little children trick or treating on Halloween

Nonprofit Donates Free Halloween Costumes to Kids in Need

Like jazz music, Mardi Gras, and Creole cuisine, costumes are tightly woven in the fabric of New Orleans culture. As such, Kelsey Meeks was surprised to see so many kids trick-or-treating without costumes on her first Halloween in the city, she told Nola.com. It was 2007, not long after Hurricane Katrina, and many families were […]

Happy Feet: Injured African Penguin Gets New Lease on Life With Custom Sandals

A plucky penguin at the New England Aquarium has a new bounce in her step — or should we say her waddle — after being fitted with a pair of custom orthopedic sandals. In 2020, a 24-year-old African penguin named Beach Donkey was diagnosed with pododermatitis, a debilitating and chronic condition common among avian species. Also referred […]

Full moon beautiful over dark sky at have tree shadow in night

A Special Lunar Eclipse, Aquatic Constellations, and More: Your Guide to the November 2022 Night Sky

November’s night sky brings us a number of aquatic constellations, Uranus at its closest and brightest, meteor showers, and a special moment Smithsonian Magazine listed as one of its top celestial events of 2022: a total lunar eclipse that happens to accompany this month’s full moon! Read on for more details on all that and […]

Couple Creates Children’s Book Series Based on Adventures of Their Late Rescue Cat

When Connie and Mark Herrick first brought Ripley home, they knew that the tiny calico kitten had a big personality — so big that she would eventually inspire them to capture her adventurous spirit in a series of children’s books. The couple had adopted Ripley, the runt of a litter of kittens abandoned at a […]

Aviation Angels: Volunteer Pilots Fly Children Across US for Lifesaving Medical Treatments

A Denver, Colorado, nonprofit is soaring critically ill children above the clouds to receive the lifesaving medical treatments they need. Founded in 2010 by aviator and attorney Mark Pestal, AeroAngel and its crew of professional pilots provide the children with private flights to hospitals across the United States — free of cost and often at […]