Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

By Richard Paul Evans

Book 1 in the Michael Vey series

    Michael seems to be just another kid in the small town of Meridian, Idaho. He gets bullied, he gets by in school, and he has one friend, Ostin, a genius at everything but social life. There's also a secret he's hiding, that only his mom and Ostin know about. He's electric. Literally. He can "surge" or "pulse" and shock people. He and his mom have moved around for years to prevent people from knowing.

    But one day, as he is being pantsed by Jack, Wade, and Mitchell, he can't take it anymore and electrocutes all of them. The hottest girl in the school, Taylor Ridley, sees it. His mom is upset, but tries not to show it. The next day at school, Taylor keeps passing him notes, insisting on him telling her about the power. Finally, she gets him to her house and reveals that she, too, has an electric power. She can "reboot" people and read their minds if they are touching. Michael tells her about his ability.

    Michael also tells Ostin, and the three form a club, the Electroclan, for people with electric powers. They discover that they were both born at Pasadena General Hospital in the same week (Taylor was later adopted), and that all but 17 of the babies born there in that time died. They discover that Dr. C.J. Hatch of the Elgen corporation was testing a machine called the MEI there, and that it had adverse side effects. Soon after, Ostin discovers that the 17 children are all electric and that they are the only 2 the Elgen haven't found. However, their computer searches reveal them, and Taylor is kidnapped (with a note to her parents saying she ran away). Meanwhile, Michael and Ostin are celebrating his birthday when a man tries to rob his mother. Michael shocks him, prompting a mysterious man later revealed to be Hatch and two electric children to come forward. Ostin shows up at that moment, forcing the Elgen to take Michael's mother as bait.

    At the Elgen Academy in Pasadena, Taylor is pampered into believing Hatch is good. She quickly realizes that he is using the "glows", as he calls them, to his own plans of world domination. When she refuses to kill people at his command, she is locked up in a cell with others who defied Hatch. Ian can see through walls (even though he is physically blind), Abigail can make pain go away, and McKenna can generate heat.

    Michael comes to rescue her and his mother with Jack and Wade, who are terrified of him now and agreed to drive him to California. They try unsuccessfully to free Taylor before they are caught by Hatch. Hatch offers Michael a place at the Academy, and Michael, not knowing how bad the place is, agrees. That is, until Hatch tells him to electrocute Wade as proof of loyalty. Michael refuses, and is locked up in Cell 25, where he is tortured by Tara, Taylor's lost twin sister, who can induce emotions.

    After 25 days, he is brought back out into a room with Taylor and Austin, along with Zeus, who had similar powers to his. He taunts Zeus into throwing lightning at him, but it turns out Michael can absorb electricity and use it, allowing him to free himself and his friends. Taylor probes Zeus's mind and eliminates falsehoods that Hatch has planted, successfully turning Zeus to their side.

    They break out of the cell and free both the other glows and the regular prisoners, storming the building and forcing Hatch to flee with the glows still loyal to him.

TedEd: Which sunscreen should you choose?

By Mary Poffenroth

Many people know that sunscreen is important to prevent things like sunburn and cancer from UV radiation. But there are many different types of sunscreens, so how do they work, and how effective are they? The Sun emits three types of UV rays: UV A, UV B, and UV C. Ultraviolet light has shorter wavelengths than visible lights, which is what causes all of the bad effects like cancer, DNA damage, and sunburn. UV C has wavelengths so short that it is reflected by the atmosphere, but UV B can impact the skin, and UV A can go even deeper to blood and organs. Sunscreen prevents these effects by either physically blocking the UV rays or utilizing carbon-based chemicals to absorb the radiation. There are three factors to consider when choosing a sunscreen: application method, SPF, and active ingredients. Spray bottles go on easily when wet, but most people do not apply enough and the aerosol can be bad for health. SPF stands for sun protection factor, which is a nonlinear scale of the amount of UV B radiation needed to cause sunburn. 15 is the minimum recommended, but 30 and above is better. For chemicals, zinc and titanium oxide-based is usually less irritating to the skin. This is also better for the environment because carbon-based chemicals have been proven to be harmful to ocean life.

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

By Tim Ferriss

    Warning: Very long

    Tim Ferriss, the host of a show named after him, has interviewed more than 100 famous people on his show to learn what they do and how they achieved world-class performance. He has condensed hundreds of thousands of hours of interviews down to no less than 736 pages in hopes of helping others with tips from "titans".

    In the introduction, Ferriss explains that all these people have certain characteristics in common. They ask the big questions and have uncommon habits. They believe failure is unsustainable and maximize strengths to compensate for weaknesses.

    Part 1: Healthy

    Amelia Boone: Boone is one of the world's most decorated obstacle course racers. She has amassed over 30 victories and won a championship 8 weeks after knee surgery. In addition, she is a full-time attorney and does some ultra running. Some tactics she employs are hydrolyzed gelatin with beetroot powder, a rumble roller (foam roller with protruding sections), dry needling, and saunas.

    Rhonda Perciavalle Patrick, Ph.D.: She has done research on aging, cancer, mitochondrial metabolism, and apoptosis. She recently published a paper on vitamin D regulation of serotonin in the brain. In her interview, Dr. Partick talked about stem cells, which can be stored from baby teeth and wisdom teeth for later in life. In addition, hyperthermic conditioning, or calculated heat exposure can increase growth hormones and improve endurance.

    Christopher Sommer: He is a former U.S. National Team gymnastics coach and founder of GymnasticBodies. His 40 years of observing top athletes allowed him to create the Gymnastics Strenght Training (GST). Here are some of the things he has learned. You should always work on the deficiencies you are most embarrassed by because it is the only way they will get better. Mobility, or strength through an entire range of motion, is better than flexibility. Consistency is better than sporadic intense training. The book also includes a variety of exercises, including the QL Walk, Ring Turn Out, Hinge Rows, and Ag Walk (Google it).

    Dominic D'Agostino: He is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. His specialty is metabolic therapies, including ketone, which is what is described in this chapter. A ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet that mimics fasting, causing your body to use ketones for energy instead of glucose. This induces ketosis, which can be measured at less than 0.5 mmol of BHB in your blood. Ketosis can help you lose fat, prevent cancer, use oxygen better, and increase strength.

    Patrick Arnold: Arnold is considered the "father of prohormones". He created the steroid THG and several others. Today, he is innovating ketone supplementation. Some legal performance enhancers that he finds useful are ursolic acid spray, which helps with body recomposition, exogenous ketone drinks for workouts, and metformin for antiaging.

    Joe De Sena: He is the co-founder of the Death Race, Spartan Race, and several others. He has competed in a variety of grueling marathons and races and is also a strategic businessman. He started participating in insane competition events while working on Wall Street to get away from the hectic life there and created the Death Race in order to break people by making them do things they had never done before.

    Wim "The Iceman" Hof: He is a Dutch world record holder with more than 20 total. His world records are related to extreme temperatures, hence the nickname "Iceman". Cold exposure can, in fact, be used to improve immune function, increase fat loss, and elevate mood. 

    Jason Nemer: Nemer is the creator of AcroYoga, which blends yoga, Thai massage, and acrobatics. AcroYoga requires two people, a base and a flyer, and they do what it sounds like. The base is usually more experienced and supports the flier.

    Dr. Peter Attia: He is a former ultra-endurance athlete, and has conducted research on immune-based therapies for cancer at the National Cancer Institute. He often enters ketosis like the author, and he utilizes glute medius workouts to strengthen his lateral stability. It is surprisingly difficult, and he calls it the reverse thigh master. 5 blood tests he generally recommends are the APOE genotype, LDL particle number via NMR, the Lp(a) via NMR, OGTT, and IFG-1.

    Justin Mager, MD: Dr. Mager has helped the author with many experiments, and he believes that people should look and care about themselves more often. With blood tests, they are just a snapshot of one moment, which does not reflect you as a person. Also, context matters when are "optimizing", so you have to understand what a test is actually supposed to show you.

    Charles Poliquin: He is one of the best-known strength coaches in the world. He has trained gold medalists and all-stars in a variety of sports. One important thing he has learned is that your carbs need to be earned. To deserve carbs after a workout, you need to have sub-10% body fat or vertical separation in your abs. Another thing he has found is that to increase testosterone, cortisol needs to go down because they both require the same raw materials. When your body is stressed, it produces more cortisol, reducing testosterone. 

    Pavel Tsatsouline: He is chairman of STrongFirst, Inc., a former physical training instructor for the Soviet special forces, and currently a subject matter expert to a variety of U.S. military branches. He usually has a simple breakfast of only coffee. His specialty is kettlebell workouts, and two good warmups are halos and cossack squats. A full exercise might include a one-arm swing, Turkish get-up, and a goblet squat.

    Laird Hamilton, Gabby Reece, and Brian MacKenzie: Hamilton is regarded as one of the best surfers of all time. Reece is a successful volleyball player, and MacKenzie is the founder of CrossFit Endurance. He challenges distance running and favors a more minimalist approach. The three of them also hold workouts that involve getting in the pool with dumbbells, then going from an ice bath to a sauna. They say you should learn to be assertive and go first.

    James Fadiman: He has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. He is often referred to as America's most respected authority on psychedelics. Please note that many psychedelics are considered illegal, and also have toxins if taken in high doses. Psychedelics essentially generate expressions of the psyche on levels not normally observable. They have been used by indigenous cultures for years to treat depression, remove anxiety, end anxiety, and more. Many psychedelics resemble a molecule called DMT and act as the naturally occurring serotonin. In any case, all of them should be administered in the presence of someone who can guide you and be used in safe doses.

    Martin Polanco and Dan Engle: Polanco is the founder of Crossroads Treatment Center, which specializes in conquering powerful addictions. Engle is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology. He has researched traumatic brain injury and plant medicines. One type of psychedelic is ayahuasca. It is one of the "safer" ones, but spiritually, it is the equivalent of a brain surgeon. Afterward, you will be very open, and done properly, it can be a corrective experience. Ibogaine is a very strong psychedelic that has been used in Africa to treat addictions. It can be deadly for some people, and is definitely too strong for people who just want to explore the psychedelic experience.

    Kelly Starrett: He is a performance coach who has trained CrossFit athletes and various world-class athletes. He likes to drink as little water as possible, usually with a little bit of salt, because while dehydration usually is not a risk, low sodium concentrations in the blood are an issue. A good test for mobility is the campfire squat test, and if you can't squat all the way down, you are missing full hip and ankle motion. The overhead squat is a good solution. He is a proponent of good sleep habits.

    Paul Levesque: He is popularly known as Triple H, a 14-time world champion in WWE. His tip for avoiding jet lag is to do a quick workout as soon as you can after you get off the plane, because it helps reset your mind. In terms of goal setting, if you really want to achieve something, it should be a goal, not a dream.

    Jane McGonigal: McGonigal is a research affiliate at the Institute for the Future, with over 10 million views on her TED talks. She has written on how games make us better, and even finds that Tetris has therapeutic effects.

    Dr. Adam Gazzaley: He is the director of the Gazzaley Lab at UCSF, and the co-founder of Akili Interactive, a company developing therapeutic video games, and is also a co-founder and chief science advisor of Akili Interactive, a company that develops therapeutic video games. He acts as a scientific advisor to more than a dozen technology companies. When he hires people what he looks for is not a specific thing but rather, what it is that excites them.

    Chris Sacca: Sacca is an early stage investor in dozens of companies including Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and more. His strategy in investing is going on offense. By this he means taking the time to focus and build what he really wants, rather than going from coffee to coffee, day by day. To do this, he bought a cabin near Tahoe. He also recommends attending as many high level meetings in your workplace as possible. It is a good way to start getting to know things and people higher up.

    

    There are many more people who are included in this book (honestly I couldn't write them all out), but it all revolves around a few central topic that Ferriss end the book on. Always finding something positive in the situation, dealing with your fears, weaknesses, and biggest tasks first, and living a healthy lifestyle. It all contributes to being less stressed and having more freedom in your life to pursue what you want.

The New Yorker: The Tokyo Olympics' Unquiet Moment of Silence

By Louisa Thomas

    At the 2020 (yes, still called 2020) Tokyo Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony yesterday, the 1,000 spectators in attendance stood and were silent. It was a moment of silence for the lives lost during the pandemic. Then, a minute later, the music, shows, flags, and even a flying drone globe resumed, and Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame.

    Moments of silence, which occur far too often these days, represent an acknowledgment of the tragedy - but also an understanding that the game must go on. But as the music died down, you could hear protestors outside, demanding that the Games be stopped. Interestingly enough, the protests are for the same reason as the silence. In Japan, less than 30% of the population is vaccinated, and brining in 11,000 athletes, many of whom are unvaccinated, could be a health issue. The majority of the country's populace does not want the Games to be held now, and sponsors who have paid hundreds of millions bailed out. More than a hundred people associated with the Olympics have tested positive for COVID-19.

    

    The Games were originally supposed to be a "beacon of hope", symbolizing the world's return from the pandemic, which was also why the name 2020 was kept. Instead, it seems like a curse, a discombobulated affair with fewer athletes and almost completely empty stands. So what would it take for the Olympics to be canceled? They've often been called "too big to fail", even continuing two days after 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists.

    Perhaps the best reason to continue is the athletes, and the paths they pave. There have already been stories of recovery and devastating defeat on Day 1. After the moment of silence, the Games would go on.