4/16/26 - Shopping is Good, Password Rage, and Madonna

Thursday 4/16/26

Celebrate:

Day of the Mushroom

Foursquare Day

Get to Know Your Customers Day

International Pizza Cake Day

National Ask an Atheist Day

National Bean Counters' Day

National D.A.R.E. Day

National Eggs Benedict Day

National Healthcare Decisions Day

National High Five Day

'National Librarian Day

National Orchid Day

National Stress Awareness Day

National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

Save The Elephant Day

Take Action for Libraries Day

Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day

World Semicolon Day

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A new environmental report out this month calculated that using an AI model (like ChatGPT) to produce just 100 words of content can consume the equivalent of three bottles of water to cool the data centers. To put that in perspective, the report notes that AI data centers consumed more water in a single year than the entire worldwide human population drank in bottled form.

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A new survey asked people what they would rather do than their taxes, and the results are hilarious:

51% would rather serve Jury Duty.

13% would rather swim with sharks.

11.5% would rather spend the night in jail

10% would rather drink expired milk.

5% would rather break your arm

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Shopping may help people live longer, but not because buying things is magic — it’s because frequent trips to the store usually mean more walking, more chatting, and more engagement with everyday life. In Taiwan, scientists following older adults for 10 years found that those who shopped every day were about 27 percent less likely to die during the study than those who rarely or never shopped, even after accounting for other health and lifestyle factors. Researchers think this “retail therapy” works by building in light exercise, regular social contact, better access to food and medicines, and a stronger sense of independence and routine. The real lesson: it’s not the spending that matters, but the habit of getting out, moving around, and staying connected to the world.

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The number of passwords we need to remember to conduct our lives can lead to “password rage.” A third of people admit to becoming angry after struggling to remember login details. A 2024–2025 analysis found the average person manages about 255 passwords (roughly 168 personal and 87–97 work-related). Hopefully most of us are using a password manager! (nope..I don't trust them)

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A Pennsylvania woman shared this second date story on Threads: “Back in 2014, I was on a second date, feeling a little unsure. The guy was perfectly nice — it was absolutely a me problem. I spontaneously asked him to extend the date to include dinner so I could get a better feel for if we would go to Date 3. We walk into the restaurant and get sat next to my parents, two aunts, an uncle, and my grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s. This poor guy had to meet not only my parents but also a reasonable portion of my extended family with no warning. We’re celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary this May.”

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Madonna will put out her next album, Confessions II: To Rave is an Art.

In a statement, Madonna summed up the new album by quoting the first few lines of the song “One Step Away,” saying, “People think that dance music is superficial, but they’ve got it all wrong. The dance floor is not just a place, it’s a threshold: A ritualistic space where movement replaces language.” She added that when she re-teamed with the original LP’s producer, Stuart Price, on the new album, they created a working manifesto.

It reads: “We must dance, celebrate and pray with our bodies. These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light and vibration Reshape our perceptions Pulling us into a trancelike state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.“

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Move over, cauliflower steaks. In 2026, cabbage is officially the "kitchen MVP." From charred wedges to "kimchi cocktails," the humble leaf is having a high-end culinary moment. It's not just for St. Patrick's day and Coleslaw anymore.

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Today’s Useless Fact of the Day - If you are eating a single strand of spaghetti, you are technically eating a spaghetto. "Spaghetti" is the plural form of the word in Italian. This also applies to a single fettuccine (fettuccina) and confetti (confetto).