Early Bird: Hope for the Blind. Saving Tolkien's mansion. David Beckham like you haven't seen him before

Prague dormitories for homeless people have reopened

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At the beginning of December, dormitories for the homeless re-opened, too. And this year, there are more available spots than last year: 523.

The facilities usually operate on an overnight basis. Clients come there after 8 pm and have to leave again by 7 am. Among the open facilities are, for example, the Hermés ship or the Michle dormitory.

However, the reopening came with new measures against Covid-19, which must be observed in the facilities. In case an infection is suspected, the person in question has to be tested. In the event of a positive test, the patient is quarantined or transferred to a facility in Vyšehrad.

Saving the place where Middle-earth came into being

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J. R. R. Tolkien created Middle-earth in his house in Oxford, England. That's where Bilbo Baggins first met Gandalf, and the goblins, elves, and hobbits plunged into battle.

The house where Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings will soon be on the market again. However, in order to preserve it for fans and writers, the actors who portrayed Tolkien's characters on the screen are trying to raise money through crowdfunding to buy it themselves. Including Gandalf, Ian McKellen, and Martin Freeman, who played Bilbo in The Hobbit. If they succeed, the house will become the first center dedicated to fantasy authors anywhere in the world.

Prodej bytu s balkónem, Smetanovo nábřeží, Praha 1

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Underwater fun

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The architectural company OMA designed the first underwater sculpture park. Located on a beach in Miami, USA, this attraction spans over 11 miles and features a snorkelling trail as well as artificial coral. The park is being built in collaboration with underwater biologists, researchers, architects and engineers. What's more, it should serve as an environment for endangered organisms, promote biodiversity and promote coastal resilience. The project will be completed in several stages, the first of which shuld be finished in December next year. It will also include installations by Argentine conceptual artist Leander Ernlich.

Hope for the blind?

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Scientists have found new hope for blind people. Brain implants are the key, Dutch scientists claim after a series of experiments on monkeys. The researchers have developed implants comprising of 1,024 electrodes - wires that conduct electricity into the brain and back out. They implanted them into the visual cortex (the part of the brain that processes visual information) of two macaques.

By sending signals to monkey brains, the researchers created "phosphenes" - dots of light that can be "seen" or perceived by the brain and can be used to create the illusion of shapes and objects.

David Beckham in 35 years

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Just as David Beckham is famous for his football career, he is also famous for his appearance. However, the new campaign shows him like you've probably never seen him before.

The forty-five-year-old Manchester United and Real Madrid player has undergone a computer transformation that shows us what Beckham would look like in his 70s. It's part of a campaign of the American non-profit organization Malaria No More, which claims scientists have a theory that malaria can be eradicated within one human life. In the campaign, Beckham travels through time and his older self tells the viewers that the world has defeated malaria - "the oldest and deadliest enemy".

"Right now, the fight is harder than ever. And as a father it breaks my heart that a child dies every two minutes."

And that's all from us for today! Enjoy the weekend and we hope that you'll find time to pamper yourself a little after a busy week. As Czech humorist Pavel Kosorin said:

"Every day you have a great opportunity to do something for yourself that you have been putting off for a long time."

So why not this weekend?