Hello, Snipette readers.

Last month, by the end of the year, we realised we had reached a hundred followers. Firstly: Hoorayyy!

Secondly, one hundred is a lot of people. So we’d like to thank each and every one of you, for becoming a part of this publication. Small drops make a big ocean.

Thirdly, this ocean has a long way to grow yet, so don’t hesitate to clap for, talk about or speak to us. There are a few ways you could do that. Post a comment. Write a private note. Send us your thoughts.

Incidentally, your thoughts might depend on the language you write them in. Everyone uses language to express their thoughts, but did you know that your thoughts can be influenced by your language?

Not everything is specific to languages, though: something as simple as reading a book, regardless of its language, can stimulate your brain. Of course, writing about one could do the trick too…we hope. That’s because one of the new things we published is a book-review. Although, as you’ll find out, it tells you as much about the reviewer as about the book!

These days, with ebooks and digital devices, the number of people who read physical books is getting less and less. Libraries around the world are shutting down. Which brings up the question: what’s going to happen to them? Do they have a future?

If we could hop into a time-machine and jump ahead to 2027, that question would be pretty simple to answer. But unfortunately, time travel hasn’t been invented yet…or has it? While physical objects can’t travel in time, there’s one thing that isn’t bound by the laws of physics: money. How does it travel? What does it do? Find all the answers here.

Incidentally, money forms part of the answer to our original question. If libraries are to be successful, they’ll need a way of making money. Can they do so, in a world where so much information is available online? The answer, it appears, is yes. Libraries will still be around, although they’ll be quite different from the ones of today.

Speaking of the future, one thing that looks like it’s certainly going to be there is Electric Cars. That’s why we published a whole series about them one week, which you can read about here.

But what’s the future really going to be like, with so many cars that would probably have even started driving on their own? Recently, Estonia began planning new laws allowing self-driving cars and other AIs and autonomous algorithmic creatures into separate legal entities, just like people.

That may seem a bit strange, but not when you know what “people” actually means. The word can refer not just to humans, but also to rivers, monkeys and gods. And, as we found out, the meaning is constantly changing.

In one case, a river was made into a “person” to protect it from humans, Rivers need a lot more protection than one would think. Even a dam, which merely pauses the flow and diverts the water a bit, can have many long-term effects — both to the water you see above ground, and the water you usually don’t think of, that flows underneath.

In fact, it was a dam on a hydro-electric power-plant that helped put an unusual species in danger.

The creatures in question are completely round like a ball. They don’t like too much sunlight, though they sometimes float up when it’s too little. Otherwise, they live their lives down under, the wind helping, indirectly, to gently roll them around. But that’s a different story…

Announcing our Writers’ Programme

The Snipette Writers’ Programme is aimed at those who have something to say but are not confident about writing it. If you’re one of those who hasn’t started writing yet, here’s your chance to begin!

We’ll guide you through the process, and work on all the tiny details so that all you have to do is focus on putting your words to paper. Or rather, to screen.

Click here for more information on the Writers’ Programme. Don’t forget to spread the word to anyone you think would be interested!

Until then, have fun browsing. We wish you a Happy New Year, and hope to continue bringing out interesting things for you to read!

— Manasa and Badri, editors of Snipette

Ready to write? Take a look at our submission guidelines. If you’re a new writer, you may also be interested in our Writers’ Programme where we guide you through the process of making a Snipette article.

Ready to read? If you’re done with all the articles linked in this letter, you can visit our home page to find some more.

Ready to connect? We’re always happy to receive feedback. So do write about, comment, and share our articles. You can also follow us on social media, at Facebook, Twitter or Google+.