Thursday Flakes: Lucid Dreaming, Sponge Cities and Spring Break

I was planning to travel to Europe this summer and spend a few months exploring in the Balkans, however, the Russia-Ukraine conflict changed that. I decided that if things get worse, then Europe is probably not the place that I want to be and I don’t want to have to worry about scrambling out in that situation. Therefore, this summer will probably be spent in different places around Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, etc.). I do plan to go back to go back to the United States after Easter and regroup there for a bit. The adventures continue.

Would you still consider traveling to Europe right now? What are your spring break plans? Are you a lucid dreamer? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Anyways onto Flakes…

Griffin Everitt is Named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week | Baseball | Corn Nation

He put together one of the best offensive weeks seen in scarlet and cream since Scott Schreiber left dents in the outfield stands TD Ameritrade and the berms Haymarket Park.

A Look Back at the Careers of Departing Huskers | Wrestling | Corn Nation

Let’s take a look back at the careers of the four starters Nebraska is losing in Red, Venz, Schultz and Lance. Between the four of them, they combined for 359 wins in a Husker singlet, 17 NCAA qualifications, 6 All-American seasons, and five Big Ten finals appearances. Those will be big shoes to fill.

Mi’Cole Cayton Leaves Nebraska Women’s Basketball, Enters Transfer Portal | Basketball | Omaha World-Herald

Cayton averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds this season, appearing in 26 games. Her biggest value came as a defensive stopper. She scored three points in 16 minutes in the first-round NCAA tournament loss to Gonzaga. She’ll be asking to play a seventh season of college basketball, since she missed three years due to knee injuries.

Guard Ruby Porter is Leaving Nebraska Women’s Basketball | Basketball | Lincoln Journal Star

She averaged two points and 1.1 assist this season for NU, appearing in 29 games. Last season, she averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds for the Huskers. In 2021-2022, many of her minutes were taken by true freshman Allison Weidner, who broke into the starting lineup for NU late in the year.

Mailbag: Griesel to Nebraska, What to Fix With Nebraska Baseball and More | Sports | Hail Varsity

This week the Hail Varsity crew takes on questions that deal with the men’s and women’s basketball programs, the baseball team’s recent struggles and we even throw in a bit of high school football recruiting.

Padding the Stats: Evaluating Bryce McGowens’ NBA Draft Decision | Basketball | Hail Varsity

Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowens announced on Monday that he is entering the 2022 NBA Draft, and Jacob Padilla evaluated the pros and cons of that decision.

Nebraska Recruiting: Relationships Continue to Grow With Huskers for 2024 Defensive Back Caleb Benning | Football | Hail Varsity

Recruiting never stops and it’s easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.

Over 60 Huskers Named to Academic All-Big Ten | Sports | Huskers.com

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, as verified by being on the official squad list as of March 1 for winter sports, who have been enrolled fulltime at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Huskers Ready for Outdoor Season | Track & Field | Huskers.com

The Nebraska track and field team begins the outdoor season this week split up at two meets. The Husker throwers, along with a few track athletes, will compete at the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., on Friday and Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Is Traveling to Europe Still Safe Amid the War in Ukraine | Travel | Travel Pulse

A recent survey conducted by MMGY Global found that the armed conflict in Ukraine is now twice as likely to affect U.S. travelers’ European travel plans as any concerns over COVID-19 at this point.

World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Turkey, Linking Europe and Asia | Travel | Travel Pulse

Previously, people and vehicles had to make the crossing by ferry, an hour-and-a-half journey that could take up to five hours, inclusive of wait time. Now, travelers can make it across in just six minutes.

28 Underrated European Destinations Worth Exploring | Travel | Travel Pulse

While the following 28 cities and towns aren’t completely undiscovered, they are all underrated destinations in Europe that deserve much more attention than they currently get.

Air New Zealand Is Launching One of the Longest Flights in the World | Travel | Travel + Leisure

The new route, which will launch on Sept. 17, will fly from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to New Zealand’s Auckland International Airport, the airline shared with Travel + Leisure on Tuesday. The flight will clock in at 17 hours and 35 minutes.

These National Parks Are Incredible Spring Break Destinations | Travel | Lonely Planet

Spring break is rife with opportunities for outdoor-loving road-trippers to cross a few national parks off their list. The weather is warming, wildlife is reappearing and temperatures are perfect for long hikes and backpacking treks.

10 Accessible Beaches in the US to Visit for Disability Awareness Month | Travel | Lonely Planet

From the salt spray to the gorgeous views, everyone should be able to experience the joys of a day spent near the ocean. Unfortunately, because of a lack of accessibility, these simple pleasures are sometimes more difficult than they should be for people with disabilities.

The Best Time to Book Airline Tickets According to Booking Experts | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Just don’t wait less than 21 days before your flight, since prices go up and up the closer you get to your departure date. Prices spike in the two weeks leading up to a flight’s departure, rising 25 percent two weeks out and another 30 percent in the final week, according to Adit Damodaran, economist at flight tracker Hopper.

How to Prioritize Your Travel Goals As You Age | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

They’re far from alone. Many people aspire to travel more once they stop working, but all of that newfound freedom and extra time can be overwhelming. Here’s how to craft the perfect travel bucket list in retirement, according to experts—and a few things to consider along the way.

The Healers Who Treat ‘Bad Luck’ | Travel | BBC

Hundreds of traditional healers in Ecuador provide spiritual cleansings. But these aren’t for the thin-skinned: among other options, they can involve a rub-down with stinging nettles.

Six Months In, El Salvador’s Bitcoin Gamble is Crumbling | Tech | Rest of World

As El Salvador prepares to launch its ‘Bitcoin bond’, interviews with citizens, economists and technologists reveal cracks in the country’s crypto revolution.

Ukrainian Influencers Bring the Frontlines to TikTok | Tech | The Verge

Since her first update post, Kristina Korban’s TikTok has transformed into a firsthand view of the country’s capital during wartime, sandwiched on the For You page between makeup tutorials and celebrity fancam clips. She posts and goes live daily to her more than half a million TikTok followers, updating viewers on everything from her family’s food inventory and grocery store lines to air raid sirens in the city.

How to Lucid Dream: Step-by-Step Guide | Health | Wallpaper

Lucid dreaming is an exceptional experience of consciousness within the altered state of sleep. Also known as metacognitive dreaming or conscious dreaming, it is a phenomenon that occurs at the end of REM sleep when a dreamer becomes conscious and aware that they are within the dream itself. They can then proceed to interact with their dream environment with their conscious free will.

Are Advertisers Going to Infiltrate Our Dreams? | Advertising | The Hustle

Ads have infiltrated every facet of our lives. And now, researchers say our last remaining respite — the dreamscape — is under siege. The Hustle spoke to half a dozen leading sleep scientists and researchers to better understand advertisers’ efforts to infiltrate our dreams.

Brain Implant Lets Man With Complete Paralysis Spell Out Thoughts: ‘I Love My Cool Son.’ | Health | Science.org

Surgically placed electrodes enable person with late-stage ALS to communicate via neural signals.

The Mysterious Origins of the Phrase ‘The Whole Nine Years’ | Language | Mental Floss

A Texas seamstress speculated that it could have been fabric. “If you had a fancy dress,” she said, “you must have used the whole nine yards of the bolt.” A Connecticut man wrote in to claim that it was actually cement, as some cement trucks carry a maximum of nine cubic yards. Fred Cassidy, founder of the Dictionary of American Regional English, had another idea.

What Are Terahertz Waves Used For? | Science | Popular Science

When it comes to tapping into terahertz waves, the world of electronics faces a fundamental problem. To enter the gap, the silicon chips in our electronics need to pulsate quickly—at trillions of cycles per second (hence a terahertz). The chips in your phone or computer can operate perfectly well at millions or billions cycles per second, but they struggle to reach the trillions.

How ‘Sponge Cities’ Can Prevent Coastal Town from Flooding | Technology | Fast Company

“Sponge cities,” an approach first introduced in China in 2013, are a nice example of this in practice. The idea of a sponge city is that rather than using concrete to channel away rainwater, it is best to work with nature to absorb, clean and use the water. So, much like a sponge, the cities are designed to soak up the excess stormwater without becoming over-saturated.