Happy Friday! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format differs from the rest of the week. On Fridays, I pause to write the "Weekender," my  "week in review" type of thing, or to share something else I think you may find interesting. Thanks for reading! — Dan

Hi!

So, I have to admit — I’m full-on in summer mode right now. And I don’t have much to share today as a result!

Instead, I’m going to pose a question to you all. Just hit Reply and let me know the answer, if you care to share:

What are some of the “summer projects” that you’ve worked on — doesn’t have to be this year! — that you’re most proud of?

I find June through August to be the most rejuvenate times of the year, but I also find that I’m not very productive these months — as a parent of school-aged kids, these precious weeks are one of the few periods where my kids (who are still pretty busy!) don’t have anything urgent or overwhelmingly important happening. That gives my wife and I some time to relax, as there are few fires to put out. But it also means that the adrenalin isn’t flowing as much and I’m not as likely to accomplish much.

So please, be my inspiration. Share with me some wins that you’ve had during the summer — maybe one of them will get me moving a lot faster! 😀

Thanks!

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Monday: When a Video Game Accidentally Gets Too Real: I’m honestly surprised things like this (minus the silent alarm) don’t happen more often.

Tuesday: Two Bucks, Five Months: On the other hand, I’m shocked that this happened.

Wednesday: The Number That's Illegal to Share: It’s not 8675309.

Thursday: The Smell of Time Passing?: I really wanted to title this “Smell ya later?” but I used that title already. Twice, in fact.

Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Yes, you! Many of my readers donate a few dollars a month to help Now I Know grow and thrive. And in exchange, they get an ad-free version!

And thanks! — Dan

Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:

1) “Did Lead Poisoning Create a Generation of Serial Killers?” (New Yorker, 14 minutes, June 2025). The subhead: “Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and many other notorious figures lived in and around Tacoma in the sixties. A new book argues that there was something in the water.”

2) “How Water Makes This Town Flood-Proof” (Wall Street Journal on YouTube, 7 minuets, July 2025). This video is fascinating and well worth the 7 minutes (and 15 seconds), even if the title is misleading. (It’s not water that makes the town flood proof, obviously.)

3) “I spent a year in Antarctica. Here’s what I learned living through nine months of darkness and -112F temperatures” (The Independent, 13 minutes, July 2025.) This sounds miserable.

Have a great weekend!

Dan