Horse sense: Welcome to Wednesday, friends, as this latest busy workweek rounds the clubhouse turn and the shortest month of the year gallops toward the finish.
Win, place or show, the four-week sprint that is February ends Friday. But of course, today is just another hurdle to clear along the endless steeplechase that is socioeconomic innovation – so saddle up, dear readers riders, and grab those reins. We’re off!
Matter of fact: Today is Feb. 26 and we open by marking the somber anniversary of the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin by Florida resident George Zimmerman, who was later acquitted of second-degree murder charges. Thirteen years later, Zimmerman is an often-charged, never-jailed social pariah – and Black Lives Matter Day is a focal point of America’s ongoing, uphill struggle toward racial equality and social justice.
Sealed and delivered: Thermoses weren’t always the high-tech gadgets they are today — but they always did their job.
The hard way: On a less tragic note, today also brings two happy-ending observances that are not entirely unrelated – Carpe Diem Day, a Feb. 26 challenge that eschews the “easy way” and prompts us to go for the gold, and National Inconvenience Yourself Day, a fourth-Wednesday-of-February event that encourages us to pay it forward, even (or especially) if it exceeds our individual comfort zones.
And drink in the glory of National Thermos Bottle Day, an annual salute to ubiquitous vacuum flasks that keep the hot beverages hot and the cool beverages cool. (For those keeping score, “thermos” – like “frisbee,” “popsicle,” “zipper” and “band-aid” – is one of those mighty brands that comes to define an entire product category.)
Warm glow: Also keeping the hot side hot was French physicist Henri Becquerel, who was actually chasing down his theories on fluorescence when he accidentally discovered radioactivity on this date in 1896.
Worth the wait: You might suffer DOGE-inflated long lines trying to get into Grand Canyon National Park right now … but man, what a view.
Two grand: Two sprawling national parks came to be on Feb. 26 – Grand Canyon National Park, formed by an act of Congress in 1919, and Grand Teton National Park, signed into existence by President Calvin Coolidge in 1929. (Planning a visit? Think twice – sadly, chaos reigns right now at these and other national parks.)
Golden anniversary: Speaking of national landmarks, the official groundbreaking ceremony kicking off construction of the Golden Gate Bridge was held 92 years ago today (although construction had actually begun some seven weeks earlier).
Happy returns: Also celebrating a big birthday today is radar – it was Feb. 26, 1935, when Scottish physicist Robert Watson-Watt, a meteorologist by trade, demonstrated its feasibility as an aircraft-tracking system to the British Air Ministry. (The innovation is credited with eventually tipping the scales of World War II).
Double whammy: And it was this date in 1968 when American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist James Watson published “The Double Helix,” a modest memoir that called the 1953 discovery of the DNA molecule’s double-helix structure “the most famous event in biology since Darwin’s book.”
English molecular biologist, biophysicist and neuroscientist Francis Crick – who labored with Watson to make the crucial discovery – criticized the book as “far too much gossip” and lamented its snubbing of British chemist and crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, who’d made vital contributions to the work. Watson, of course, later discovered dastardly levels of infamy.
The Great One: American actor, comedian, writer and composer John Herbert “Jackie” Gleason (1916-1987) – the movie star, television icon and bandleader who worked hard to earn that lofty monicker (and apparently knew the truth about aliens) – would be 109 years old today.
Formal introduction: He doesn’t look it, but Levi Strauss was a denim man.
Also born on Feb. 26 were French author, poet, playwright, essayist and artist Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who was an accomplished politician in addition to creating “Les Misérables,” among other seminal works; German American business magnate Levi Strauss (1829-1902), a denim demigod and true captain of fashion industry; American businessman, inventor, physician and health-food advocate John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943), who truly flaked out; American industrialist Herbert Henry Dow (1866-1930), a master innovator who founded the multinational Dow Chemical Co.; and American singer, songwriter and pianist Antoine Caliste “Fats” Domino Jr. (1928-2017), a sweet-voiced, boogie-woogie Rock and Roll pioneer.
Talent pool: And take a bow, Jennifer Beth Thompson! The former competitive swimmer-turned-anesthesiologist – among history’s most decorated Olympians, collecting eight gold medals and 12 medals total across four Olympics, before earning a medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons – turns 52 today.
Give the world-class athlete and pediatric anesthesiologist your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips are our gold standard – and your calendar events never put anyone to sleep.
About our sponsor: Brandtelling founder Arthur Germain’s new book, “The Art of Brandtelling: Brand Storytelling for Business Success,” is a how-to guide for strengthening customer relationships and increasing business profitability. Get your copy today and start building your unique brand story. Use code ILIR20 and get a 20 percent discount on the eBook bundle when you order from the Brandtelling website.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Experience preferred: Governor Kathy Hochul has a message for the thousands of federal employees who’ve lost their jobs to rapid-fire DOGE cuts: You’re hired.
Albany is rolling out the red carpet for experienced professionals cut loose by Termination Czar Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (at least, those the federal government didn’t immediately beg to rehire, after belatedly recognizing their importance). The new initiative – actually titled You’re Hired – aims to recruit experienced public-sector workers into New York State service, with a video message recorded by the governor (“We love federal workers,” she says) inviting the purged to apply to a state that implemented 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave (for all employees) in 2023, waived civil-service exam requirements (for many positions) in 2024 and has greatly expanded opportunities for veterans and persons with disabilities, among other pro-hiring initiatives.
New York State Department of Civil Service Commissioner and Civil Service Commission President Timothy Hogues called “servant-leaders” the backbone of state government. “Public service is a noble calling,” Hogues added. “We’re looking for the best and brightest to come work for New York State.”
God and country: Governor Angela Porra (Ana Ortiz, left) and Bishop Reginald Roland (Harry Lennix) square off in “Godless.”
Long Island closeup: From the Department of Many Hats comes Long Island renaissance man Michael Ricigliano Jr., an abstract painter/playwright/filmmaker/attorney whose latest movie will soon stream on a platform near you.
Like its creator, “Godless” is not easily defined: Part sociopolitical drama, part religious narrative, the 2024 film – shot mostly around the Town of Huntington, particularly on the grounds of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception – centers on an ambitious governor who’s excommunicated by the Catholic Church after signing a progressive law, sparking a fierce church-and-state battle. Featuring a recognizable Hollywood cast, the movie will be available for streaming on Apple TV, Amazon and Fandango at Home beginning Feb 28.
Its theme “feels particularly urgent in today’s climate,” according to Ricigliano, a graduate of Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law and practicing partner at Garden City firm Margiotta & Ricigliano. “‘Godless’ came to me as an exploration of the intersection between faith and politics,” noted the auteur, who wrote and directed the feature. “This film isn’t about making judgments – it’s about presenting the raw complexities of such a conflict and allowing the audience to reflect on their own views.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Ultra-ultimate: High-tech medicine meets hula-hooping as students from seven regional medical schools gather for the Zucker School of Medicine’s second-annual ZonoSlam Ultrasound Olympics.
Follow the leaders: Amazing conversations from Long Island’s socioeconomic front lines, featuring the region’s biggest and brightest innovation-economy leaders – a potpourri of critical issues, great advice and hardy humor. Welcome to Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast, with 50 episodes in the can, and counting!
VOICES
There are several key differences between traditional search engines (like Google, which supplies choices) and artificial intelligence-powered search engines (like Bing AI, which supplies answers) – and as Google declines and AI rises, ZE Creative Communications Executive VP and Voices Media Anchor David Chauvin is waving red flags about who’s supplying those answers, and why.
Something to say? Welcome to The Entrepreneur’s Edge, Innovate Long Island’s new promoted-content news feature platform – a direct link from you to our innovation-focused audience. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between with The Entrepreneur’s Edge. Living on the edge.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Kinda worried: Most Democrats (and even a few Republicans) are concerned about the president’s performance. The Brookings Institution measures pulses.
Very worried: The World Health Organization is sounding alarms about a fatal mystery illness ravaging the Congo. Euronews tracks cases.
Don’t really care: Why generative AI is best for the stuff we care about the least. The Conversation surrenders control.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Kapta Space, a Washington State-based spaceflight startup focused on low-orbit satellite technologies, raised $5 million in Seed funding led by MetaVC Partners.
+ Karman+, a Colorado-based asteroid-mining startup, raised $20 million in Seed funding. Backers included HCVC, Kevin Mahaffey and co-founder Teun van den Dries.
+ Swell, a Kentucky-based mental-health company focused on AI-enabled self-guided care, raised $1.6 million in funding. Backers included Keyhorse Capital, Bluegrass Angels, PeakState Ventures, defy.vc and Fairwater Labs.
+ Specialty Risk Re, a California-based collateral reinsurance company, closed its $50 million institutional funding round led by NMS Capital Group.
+ AheadComputing, an Oregon-based microprocessor innovator, raised $21.5 million in Seed funding led by Eclipse.
+ Ignis H2 Energy, a Texas-based energy innovator focused on geothermal exploration and development, raised $12.5 million in Series A funding led by alfa8.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask Brandtelling). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Three Squares Per Day Edition)
Sunny side up: Thanks to the bird flu, that Grand Slam breakfast will cost you a little more.
Breakfast: Popular breakfast chains are up-charging their egg dishes.
Lunch: The sweet, senseless Dutch sandwich that might improve your mood.
Dinner: Dieticians (and your circadian rhythm) say this is the best time to eat dinner.
Food for thought: Please continue supporting the amazing agencies that support Innovate Long Island, including Brandtelling, a true cornucopia of business-building creativity. Check them out.
