Welcome to Episode 8 of The STEEM Engine Express podcast.
The STEEM Engine Express is a podcast produced by Ethan D. Smith that features short summaries of five posts recently shared in the Discord community, The STEEM Engine. Stay tuned near the end for today's "Featured Station," a new segment highlighting the efforts of a specific group on Steemit.
For more information about the group, visit the Steemit account @thesteemengine.
Listen to the podcast in one of the following ways:
We begin today reporting on the efforts of Steemit's premier charity organization, @YouAreHope. Using the blockchain for charitable causes has become increasingly common across Steemit. Just last week, we were able to raise over $425 for my wife's classroom thanks to the generosity of Steemians from around the globe, so I always enjoy reading about great charity efforts. This week, thanks to YouAreHope, STEEM Engine passenger @malos10, a resident of Venezuela, shared an update on how he is using STEEM to meet the basic needs of the struggling population of his home country. This specific effort provided funds to donate over 200 kilograms of food, as well as personal hygiene products to an orphanage. @malos10 includes many photographs from the distribution of the goods, so I hope you'll take the time to see how @youarehope has impacted the world, and consider supporting their efforts in future fundraisers!
Also hailing from Venezuela, passenger @lunaticpandora continues a series on the flags of the world with the flag of Argentina. Throughout the series, @lunaticpandora has offered information on the history of each flag, as well as explanations of symbols and colors and a few little known facts about each country. This post offers some great info about Argentina, including the origin of the country's name, and some surprising resources the country produces. If you're curious about the flags of the world and learning a small amount about a new country, I encourage you to follow along as @lunaticpandora continues alphabetically through the countries of the world and their flags!
Our next post leads us across the globe to central Europe, where STEEM Engine passenger @kokuryo recounts his 16-day trip to Switzerland in 2014. Kokuryo takes us through the details of his journey from the planning stages to his favorite parts of the trip and includes many beautiful photographs from his time there. You'll see historical architecture, unique bridges, and even some friendly cows when you check out this post, so if you are planning a trip to Switzerland any time soon, be sure to consider adding all of Kokuryo's stops to your list.
In news this week, passenger @alexdory reports on SpaceX's latest efforts to send a rocket to Mars. The test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket is unique because instead of a typical dummy payload, the rocket contains an original Tesla roadster, which will forever orbit the sun while playing David Bowie's Space Oddity through its sound system. In yet another fun and interesting way, SpaceX is making private space travel and exploration closer to becoming reality. If you enjoy following the private company space race, I encourage you to read the entirety of @alexdory's post, as it has plenty of information on the rocket and SpaceX's recent advancements in space travel.
Finally today, I want to highlight the writing and audio-based efforts of @tinypaleokitchen, a relatively new passenger on the STEEM Engine. A member of The Writers' Block, Tiny has recorded a revised audiobook version of one of her first fictional short stories she shared on Steemit. The short, entitled "When the Tables are Turned," is a solemn look into the lives of hospital personnel. If you enjoy this story, Tiny has several others available to read and listen, so I hope you'll give her blog a visit. As a podcaster, it encourages me to see other Steemians pursuing spoken word content, so I hope you'll all take the time to listen to Tiny's story and consider writing fiction of your own.
For today's Featured Station, we stop at The Writers' Block, the group that @tinypaleokitchen and many other STEEM Engine passengers are a part of. Led by Steemit witness @Gmuxx, The Writers' Block has a team dedicated to helping Steemians improve on their writing skills. If you're interested in learning more about fiction writing, or just want to polish your writing in general, head over to The Writers' Block Discord server, and you'll be welcomed with open arms. If you'd like to join, look for the link in the description of this podcast, or visit their group account at steemit.com/@thewritersblock!
The STEEM Engine Express features five of the best posts curated by the STEEM Engine each week across the Steemit platform. The Express is produced by Ethan D. Smith exclusively for The STEEM Engine initiative on Steemit.com
That's all for this week's episode! To read posts mentioned in today's Express or to listen to past episodes, visit steemit.com/@ethandsmith. I hope you'll catch the next Express!
@malos10: Donating 222 Kg of food, Personal Hygiene Items and Notebooks + Pencils to children from an orphanage in Venezuela thanks to @YouAreHope and Steemit.
@lunaticpandora: Flags of the World #7 : Argentina!
@kokuryo: Hidden Gem in Swiss - Val Verzasca
@alexdory: A Tesla Roadster is going to Mars Tomorrow on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket
@tinypaleokitchen: TinyReads #2: When The Tables Are Turned
