If you need a reason to get your pals together this weekend, consider an “admin night.” Content creator Ben Chipman started gathering with friends at a bar every week to work on administrative tasks — booking travel, revisiting unanswered emails, tackling neglected paperwork, and the like. A video he posted about the ritual went viral, and now other people are taking his cue and starting their own admin nights. While you consider what you would work on during such an outing, check out our list of documents every adult should have in order.
Must Reads
Ten museum openings around the world to look forward to this year
The 2025 Nature Photography Contest winners are stunning black-and-white wildlife shots
Humanity
We Asked Readers to Share the Best Compliments They’ve Received — Here’s What They Shared
OlyaOk/iStock
Today is National Compliment Day, so we thought we’d start the morning strong by offering one up ourselves: Your choice to focus on the bright side is an inspiration! You might recall that earlier this month, we asked our readers to share some of the most meaningful compliments they’ve received. We did so in hopes of shedding light on what makes one particularly memorable, and to our delight, responses poured in from all over the world — from the Philippines to Portugal, Scotland, and even Antarctica. Some were playful, like this line submitted by Maria in Anaheim, California: “If there were a zombie apocalypse, I would want you on my team.” Others were quite poetic: “You turn black and white into color,” shared Susanna in Spain. And from the hundreds of diverse submissions, several unifying themes emerged. We compiled our thoughts on what those themes revealed, along with a roundup of 20 heartfelt compliments that were sent in. Read them here.
Together With Elf Labs
A $200B Market Cap Doesn’t Happen by Accident
Just ask Disney. The company achieved it by owning globally recognized character IP. Now, after a 10-year legal effort, Elf Labs has secured historic rights (over 500 assets) to iconic characters like Cinderella and Snow White. They’re bringing them to life through multi-patented immersive technology across entertainment, gaming, and consumer products — a market estimated at over $2 trillion. Investment interest has increased dramatically after Elf Labs reached a major inflection point and reserved its NASDAQ ticker: $ELFS. For a limited time, everyday investors can still participate(plus receive up to 35% bonus shares) while Elf Labs remains privately held.
This is a paid advertisement for Elf Lab’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://www.elflabs.com/. Timelines are subject to change. Listing on the NASDAQ is contingent upon necessary approvals, and reserving a ticker symbol does not guarantee a company's public listing.
Culture
Long-Concealed Leonardo da Vinci Mural Will Be on Display in Milan Next Month
If you’ll be in Milan between Feb. 7 and March 14 (perhaps for the Winter Olympics), you’re in luck — during this time, those visiting the city’s Sforza Castle will be able to view a long-concealed, unfinished Leonardo da Vinci painting. To see the wall and ceiling mural, visitors will climb up a nearly 20-foot scaffolding to watch restorers work on it in the Sala delle Asse, a large room in the medieval castle. The painting, which da Vinci started around 1498, depicts an array of leafy tree branches intertwining to form a pergola. After the artist was forced to flee the city when the French arrived in 1499, the unfinished work was covered with plaster while the castle was used as military barracks under French occupation. Then in the early 20th century, the plaster was removed and intermittent restoration efforts began, some of which “must be done centimeter by centimeter” due to the piece’s fragile nature, Luca Tosi, a heritage curator at the castle, told the Associated Press. Now, restorers are using Japanese rice paper with demineralized water to clear away salts in the walls, a process that is expected to take 18 months after the painting is closed to visitors again. But when it’s all done, Milan culture councillor Tommaso Sacchi said in a statement that he believes it will “allow the public to rediscover the long and intense relationship between Leonardo and the city.” Can’t make it to Milan? This virtual tour of the Sforza Castle’s Museum of Ancient Art is the next best thing.
Humanity
Artist’s Lifelong Love of Photo Booths Documented in 35 Years of Pictures
Kate Tyler / SWNS
Do you recall the first time you had your picture taken in a photo booth? Perhaps you were a middle schooler at the mall, or a 20-something at a bar. For artist Kate Tyler, it was at age 14 — and the happiness she experienced in the booth sparked a lifelong love of these timeless machines. Some of her earliest memories include the passport photo machine at England’s Lincoln railway station as well as posing for pictures with her friends. “I started visiting booths with friends, as you do. In the ’90s, they were the only means you had of getting a selfie,” Tyler, who lives in south Devon, told SWNS. “We would pose and take silly pictures together and invariably chop up the strips, and each one of us would keep a couple of photos.” She added: “I always really loved the whole experience of adjusting the stool, pulling the curtain across, having that privacy and freedom to pose and be silly and do whatever you wanted in there. Particularly in your teens, you feel quite self-conscious, so the fact that there’s no photographer looking at you, it’s quite liberating. I transitioned from using it as a social thing with friends to really using it as the primary focus of my art.” See more of her art.
In Other News
The world’s oldest-known rock art was found on a cave wall in Indonesia (read more)
A close-up image of the “Eye of God” shows the famous nebula in incredible detail (read more)
Historic love letters documenting “legendary” British romances are now on display in London (read more)
For the first time in 100 years, the public can accessa gorgeous stretch of Northern California coastline(read more)
A woman’s viral Dr. Pepper jingle is being used in the company’s newest commercial — have a listen (read more)
Inspiring Story
The right time to do the right thing
When Spokane, Washington’s Bethany Presbyterian Church was damaged in a January 2022 fire, its team decided to tear it down, rebuild it, and act on a dream they’d had for a while: designating part of the land for affordable housing. So they collaborated with Proclaim Liberty, a housing nonprofit in the area, to sponsor a project that will build a church sanctuary and community center, along with 11 apartments offered to low-income families and 11 to a local homeless shelter. “We’re very confident that what we’re doing is the right thing,” said rebuilding committee member Sharon Smith.
Photo of the Day
@usgs/ Instagram
Looking a little more prickly than your average snow angel, this “snow raptor” was likely formed by an owl during a vertical takeoff after a hunting strike. The imprint was found at Maryland’s Patuxent Research Refuge, a 13,000-acre expanse of forest, meadow, and wetlands that hosts more than 200,000 visitors a year.
Daily Health Digital Explains the Real Reason Getting Up From Chairs Gets Harder (Not Age)
For decades, doctors blamed joint discomfort on aging and “wear and tear.” But Harvard research reveals something different: Joint drought, a slow drying-out of the lubricating fluid your joints need to function. Daily Health Digital explains why this matters and what 180,000-plus people discovered when they addressed it. The science is fascinating.
