7 THINGS WORTH KNOWING / 24 October 2026

Little Discoveries

Design · Philosophy · Plants · Curiosities · Words · Food · Cultures & peoples. 7 discoveries in this edition.

AI editorial illustration inspired by Tube Chair, with four hollow padded cylinders of different diameters in green and yellow. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Joe Colombo: four tubes, more than one seat

In depth · 3 min read

Tube Chair separates a chair into rearrangeable elements: a small lesson in designing possibilities without prescribing one fixed position.

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02Philosophy

AI editorial illustration: a hand moves a tea bowl beside a vase with a leafy branch, making room on a table. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Okakura: make room, then adjust your attention

In depth · 3 min read

A cup becomes an exercise in attention: Okakura invites us to read our circumstances without turning change into a universal formula.

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03Plants

AI editorial illustration of Cyclamen persicum in a yellow pot, with silver-marked heart-shaped leaves and nodding flowers whose petals sweep upwards. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Cyclamen looks down while its petals point up

In depth · 3 min read

In Cyclamen persicum, the flower overturns our expectations: its head nods while the plant’s tuber follows a seasonal rhythm.

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04Curiosities

AI editorial illustration of a paper strip held above a glass, with its wet section highlighted above the water level. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Why does water climb into paper?

In depth · 3 min read

The edge of a paper towel touches water: tiny forces between its fibres reveal a movement that seems to go against gravity.

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05Words

AI editorial illustration of a spare sea horizon, with a yellow sun and a small green shore in the foreground. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Orizzonte: the Italian word that marks a limit, then opens possibilities

In depth · 3 min read

From a Greek verb meaning to delimit to possibilities of thought, the Italian word orizzonte moves between landscapes and perspectives.

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06Food

Simplified AI editorial illustration of a peanut plant: flowers above soil, two pegs leading to underground pods and separate roots; one pod reveals seeds. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Peanuts flower above ground and develop their fruit below it

In depth · 3 min read

A peanut shell holds seeds, but its plant adds a surprise: fruit develops underground after flowers have opened in the air.

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07Cultures & peoples

Symbolic AI editorial illustration of a flexible net bag with one carrying strap, vegetables and a small coil of fibre cord. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Noken: a bag also holds its makers’ knowledge

In depth · 3 min read

Across Indonesian Papua, fibre bags and varied techniques connect everyday carrying with the transmission of practical knowledge and cultural identity.

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Original writing and illustrations made with AI assistance. Each discovery includes its sources. Our editorial method