Digital Discoveries – March

“Good News” Resources

In trying to stay on top of what is going on in the world it can be easy to feel like you are swimming in a sea of negativity. Most news starts off with politics, which rarely feels positive, then moves on to everything else which can cover natural disasters, man-made disasters and other unfortunate events going on in the world. While I’m definitely not recommending the ostrich approach when it comes to the news, I’m convinced that adding bits of positive news to ones media consumption helps stave off feeling the negativity all-day. I like The Week’s Good News weekly email, but there’s lots of other resources out there including ABC News, MSN, or the GoodNewsNetwork. You can also sign up for Buzzfeed’s Cute Animal Newsletter if you’re just looking for a cute break.

CrashCourse on YouTube 

There are always parts of school that I feel like I missed out on as a child and teenager. Either I didn’t really care that much about it at the time (sorry to all the Shakespeare I read in high school) or I ended up never taking a class in it (hello philosophy). Luckily, author John Green and his brother, vlogger Hank Green, have put together a YouTube series called CrashCourse that has loads of interesting videos on all kinds of subjects, ranging from easily identifiable school topics (biology, philosophy, literature) as well as, well, some “crash courses” in shorter but complicated topics, such as intellectual property. Most videos are under 15 minutes, just short enough for a quick coffee break and some knowledge.

Get Organized – eBooks on Hoopla 

The moment Spring even hints at being around the corner (I see you peeking out from the ground, spring-blooming bulbs!) I also start thinking of spring-cleaning and clearing my house of all the various items that have accumulated over the winter. Luckily, Hoopla has put together a collection with people like me in mind, those who like to think about organizing and cleaning come warmer weather, even if they never quite get around to it. I think I might take a look at 5 Days to a Clutter Free Home in the hopes I’ll have a completely organized house by this time next week (here’s to wishful thinking!).