How to have a great summer.

The Next Big Idea Daily newsletter?(SUBSCRIBE)?is written by me,?Michael Kovnat, and gathers insights from today’s leading non-fiction authors. It’s a companion to our?Next Big Idea Daily?podcast, available on?Apple?or?Spotify.

How’s your summer going? Have you managed to avoid the flooding, the heat waves, the choking blankets of smoke from forest fires? If so, you’re doing pretty well.

It's getting harder than ever to deny that something is seriously up with the climate, and the predictions are that this summer -- which has already given us the hottest day on record -- may be the mildest one we see for the rest of our lives.

Hear David Pogue explain how you personally should be preparing for climate change.

So while we still can, let's celebrate summer, shall we? Can we take a moment to consider the simple pleasures of the season, before they're snatched away from us by the cruel logic of the greenhouse effect?

On this week's Next Big Idea Daily, we tried something new. We got five different authors to weigh in with their take on the summer, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, and everything in between.

In these episodes, you'll hear:

• Comedian Jamie Loftus explore the surprising magic of hot dogs.
• Author and editor Amy Brady tell the history of the human use of ice.
• Author Adam Smiley Poswolsky talk about the power of friendship in the age of loneliness.
• Berekely psychology professor Dacher Keltner explain the science of awe.
• And because we can't keep our heads in the sand forever, tech journalist David Pogue will tell us how to prepare for climate change.

Have a listen, let us know below what you think about this week's format, and for God's sake, don't forget to apply sunblock.

Next week...

We've all got a lot to learn from the disciplined rise and abrupt fall of Navy captain Brett Crozier , fired for his efforts to save his sailors from Covid, and author of the new book Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain

P.S.

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