What's up, sunshine? Welcome to the
show. I'm Ky Wire. This is CNN 10, your
10 minutes of news, fun facts, and
knowledge bombs that fuel our minds and
keep us in the loop. Speaking of bombs,
we start today with a bomb cyclone. Know
what that is? We'll tell you and why
it's making much of the US feel like
full-on winter, even though we're just
days into December. A bomb cyclone is a
powerful winter storm, and there's one
currently making its way up much of the
East Coast this week. Bomb cyclones
occur when a winter storm rapidly
intensifies as a result of its pressure
dropping by at least 24 millibars within
24 hours. Remember, the lower the
pressure, the stronger the storm. This
week's wicked weather is also coming
just days after another storm buried
parts of the Midwest and Northeast in
ice and snow over the weekend. Did you
know that major cities like Chicago and
St. Louis set November snowfall records?
The windy city saw more than 8 ines of
snow. The treacherous conditions also
caused major headaches for travelers
trying to get home after Thanksgiving.
Thousands of flights were cancelled or
delayed and some highways were shut down
by the storm. In Iowa, a plane even skid
off the runway due to the icy
conditions. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
And if you're hoping for a break from
the cold, uh, we have some bad news.
Another blast of arctic air is set to
follow this system later this week and
could bring some of the coldest
temperatures of the year along with it.
Pop quiz hot shot. How does the United
States Postal Service deliver mail to
the most remote addresses? Bicycle,
drone, mule, or slingshot?
If you said mule, you're right. Giddy
up. At the Grand Canyon's Havasupi
reservation, the mail is carried down
each day via mule train. The USPS is
actively exploring drone delivery as
well as autonomous driver technologies
for delivery. As holiday shopping season
kicks into high gear, many online
shoppers are feeling the need for speed.
Online retailers are using lightning
fast shipping in a bid to win over
customers this year. That includes
Walmart, the nation's largest retailer.
Our Vanessa Yavish got the chance to go
inside their new state-of-the-art
fulfillment center to see how they use
data automation and sheer logistic power
to get items from their shelves to your
door in record time. We are in
Greencastle, Pennsylvania, the home of
one of our newest NextG facilities. Our
goal is to get to your doorstep as fast
as possible. When you click buy, we can
actually get it out of the internet onto
a trailer going to your house within 30
minutes.
>> In a world where shipping speed wins the
day for consumers, Walmart is racing to
be the fastest this holiday season.
People want things faster and faster.
Are these nextgen fulfillment centers
your answer to Amazon?
>> In this respect, we're talking about
speed. If we create a great customer
experience that drives more orders and
more orders drives density and density
allows us to lower our cost to operate.
>> First step is unloading and you can see
the boxes moving to what we call our
second step which is simply taking the
items out of the container and putting
them into the tote.
>> And how many steps is it normally?
>> So our other fulfillments have about a
12step process and we've simplified that
down to five steps. There are four
Walmart fulfillment centers like this
one moving 50% of all volume. They're
twice as productive as its older
facilities.
>> The movement I'm seeing a lot of it's
being done by the machines.
>> It's absolutely
>> Is that by design?
>> That is 100% by design.
So, have you ever received a box that
might have been too big, a really small
item in it?
>> Yeah. A tiny item in a huge box.
>> Really frustrating. This machine is
taking the dimensions of the items that
you just clicked by on. We're building a
custommade box for your specific order.
>> I'm about to ship someone their very
important product. I'm mirroring the box
that was made and the products that they
ordered. So, it's all coming together
right here. Someone ordered a pulse
oxometer. Very important. Going into
box.
>> So, it's the scanner. So, there you go.
>> There you go. Okay. Here.
>> Now, hit the button. Nice job.
I think I slowed down someone's delivery
time by about 30 minutes. Apologies to
whoever that was.
>> I think we'll be okay.
>> This next story is straight fire. The
2026 Winter Olympics are right around
the corner, meaning the iconic Olympic
torch is now officially on its way to
Italy to kick off the games. The flame
was lit in Olympia, Greece, the
birthplace of the Olympic Games at dawn
last week. It's currently making its way
across Greece on its way to Milan,
Italy, where this year's games will be
held. Approximately 10,000 torchbearers
will carry the flame through 60some
cities, 300 towns. That's some serious
sightseeing. The torch's two-month
journey will end at the Olympic Cauldron
during the opening ceremony on February
6th. I'll be hosting the show from
there, so I am pumped, but waiting two
more months is going to be torture.
Maybe you had to sleep on a couch or air
mattress during the holiday family
gatherings. Or maybe you're hopping on a
plane soon for the holidays. If you've
ever had a hard time sleeping somewhere
other than your own bed, there are
actually some key techniques that
professional athletes have been using
for decades to help them get the rest
they need. CNN spoke to an elite sleep
coach who has even helped rock climbers
catch some Z's from the side of a cliff.
Check this out. Let's face it, for most
of us, it can be hard to sleep when
we're not in the comfort of our own
beds, whether that's on a plane or an
office quiet room. But sleep coach Nick
Little Hales has developed techniques
that can help you doze off anywhere. For
more than 25 years, he's helped elite
athletes optimize their sleep habits,
including professional climbers who
catch their Z's on the side of a
mountain, which you can imagine doesn't
come naturally. You never just jump up
there and hang off the side of a cliff.
>> For climbers, that training starts by
introducing small changes to your sleep
environment gradually over time. You
will start by sleeping in a tent in a
back garden and then we'll haul you up
the side of a tree and you'll start
doing that and then we'll take you to
the side of a mountain and just leave
you 2 m off the ground and say it's all
right.
>> It takes practice to relax but even on
the side of a mountain he says you can
use familiar cues like music routines
and breath work to help you fall asleep.
>> So you're able to switch that out. I am
not hanging off the side of the
mountain. I am not going to die. What
I'm going to start listening to is some
episodes of Friends.
>> He says these same principles can be
applied anywhere you might try to sleep.
Whether that's sailing in the middle of
an ocean or sleeping on a pile of
luggage.
>> You really just explore that anywhere,
anytime, any place type scenario.
>> For example, if you want to sleep more
easily on planes, a gradual first step
to take is a few naps in a comfortable
chair at home. as you try to nap in new
places. He says it's important that you
feel safe and protected in your
environment.
>> And that's the only way you can let go
is if you know that all the bases are
covered.
>> You'll want to reduce blue light
exposure and minimize unnatural noise.
He also suggests curling up into the
fetal position if you're on a harder
surface like a rock.
Within any 24 hours, you can do a lot of
things in a slightly different way, but
it's all focused on something we've
known about for a long, long time. Uh,
sleeping on the side of the cliff just
seems a little risky. Point is, though,
sleep's important, so get your Z's when
you can. The spirit of Christmas is
shining bright in the Czech Republic.
Look at this. The annual lighting of the
Christmas tree took place in Prague's
Oldtown Square Saturday. Thousands of
visitors packed the popular holiday
destination to see the lighting of the
62year-old spruce as well as the
unveiling of the city's famed Christmas
market. And check out this tree that was
just unveiled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A 262 foot floating display illuminated
by more than 2.3 million LEDs.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10. a
physics competition that's putting a
modern twist on some medieval machines.
Really pumpkin to talk about. Teachers,
this pun's for you. Smashing Pumpkins
isn't just a '90s rock band. It's the
goal of the Kennesaw State University's
annual pumpkin launch competition.
Engineering students spend the semester
designing and building custom catapults
and trebuchets with the goal of
launching a 10p pound pumpkin as far as
possible. Then it's time to go big or
gourd home. Crowds gather to watch the
projectile pumpkins take to the sky.
This year's winner launched a pumpkin
342 ft. That's longer than a football
field. Teachers say the event isn't just
a fun tradition. It's a way to help
students apply their knowledge in the
real world.
>> When you're designing in engineering,
there are always constraints. They get
an opportunity to
see theory being applied and manifested
physically.
>> Now, that's what I call a smashing gourd
time. All right, superstars. Let's get
you some shout outs today. This first
one goes to Mr. Nappy and our friends at
Clarkstown North High School in Rockland
County, New York. I see you, Chase. And
to Texas now, where Mr. May and the
Rayburn Intermediate School Raiders sent
us an epic care package, not just for
me, but for my whole team behind the
scenes. Thank you for recognizing their
hard work. And hey, nice slogan, rise
up. Tomorrow is your word Wednesday, so
don't forget to submit a vocabulary word
on our CNN 10 Instagram or my personal @
Koywire Instagram page. Help us write
tomorrow's show. Remember to include
your definition and your school and
teachers name for your shout out if
you'd like. Hope you have a terrific
Tuesday, everyone. Let's do it again
tomorrow. I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN
10.