Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #17
Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium

While Christmas is approaching, I created a great collection for you by combining my personal reading list today and nominated stories by ILLUMINATION editors and ILLUMINATION-Curators. Most editors are unavailable so I combined two lists for your enjoyment below. So this list is a bit longer than my usual ones but I did not want to create two posts. I believe you will find valuable pieces in this longer post. Please share with your friends.
Talking of Christmas, Dr Yildiz posted an important article curating an exceptional story written by Seda Anbarcı. You may check this post to understand the importance of Seda’s article.
Did you know that kids don’t want new games for Christmas anymore? They want something else and I revealed it in this juicy story.
Yesterday I mentioned that Insomniac, the brains behind Marvel’s Spider-Man, got hit by hackers who demanded a whopping $2 million in Bitcoin to keep their mitts off secret stuff. But when Sony said there was no way to pay up, these hackers spilled the beans anyway.
Quick Updates for Highlights of Our Pubs
ILLUMINATION-Curators introduced some recently boosted stories. I believe you will find some great stories in that collection.
By upgrading his main profile, Dr Yildiz inspired our readers to become Medium Friends. I hope many readers join this inspiring journey.
Boost Education
I’ve launched a new series to help writers hit the literary stratosphere. Dr. Yildiz got the grand opening gig because I’ve got the scoop on his stellar stories. Now that I’m peeking behind the scenes as an editor and boost nominator, I’m trying to put as many writers in the spotlight as possible. Your thoughts on the story would be cosmic — let’s team up and make these tales shine like stars! I will do it for every boosted writer as soon as I get a chance.
Here is Episode 2 introducing boosted stories of Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
You can learn more about Matt’s background from this interview.
Recently, I added several new writers. I look forward to seeing their stories in these collections soon. You can meet them from the attached post. I also added their profiles at the end of this post so you can follow them easily if you want to. I will add more writers later today. There are many applicants.
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #28
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #27
For new readers and writers, I have also joined the ranks as a Friend of Medium (FoM). From now on, stories I read from other writers will earn them four times the previous ones. Details are in the attached story.
Dr Yildiz also wrote about it to invite our readers to become Medium Friends and support our writers. The more FoMs the merrier.
But scammers spammed his beautiful story and tried to deceive our readers. Here’s his sad and important story: every writer and reader needs to understand and act cautiously. They act too realistically!
They did the same thing to me. For those who missed the excitement, two days ago, I was happy the scary scam account that emulated my profile and tried to deceive my readers was removed. Those who missed the drama can read it from this link.
How to Identify Them? These fraudulent accounts typically lack followers and haven’t authored any stories themselves. They are non-members with no star or heart icons in their profile names.
If you are into gaming, I also wrote about winners of 2023 for popular games. I will introduce some of those games in my forthcoming stories for game lovers.
Talking of gaming, if you plan to craft stories about these remarkable games, consider submitting them to my publication, ILLUMINATION-Gaming. I’m here to elevate your narratives, ensuring they stand out and increasing their chances of a boost. I wrote about my goals and how I can help our writers in a story titled ILLUMINATION Gaming Is Part of the Boost Program Now.
To inform new writers, our special publication, ILLUMINATION-Curated, now is a boost nominating pub You may learn about How ILLUMINATION Publications Support the BOOST Program.
I’ve bundled up all my lists into one tidy little story. It is a treasure trove of fantastic reads waiting for you. Please consider sharing the love on your socials and dive into these gems! You won’t regret it.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz introduced a writing duo known as Pernoste & Dahl. You will love this introduction as he reveals the mystery behind these interesting writers who writes inspiring and engaing content on Medium.
ILLUMINATION editors introduced a great writer, Somil Gupta. I hope you check his profile and explore his delicious stories.
We added more new writers and announced them in a bulletin. It took us a lot of time as adding writers from the registration portal to Medium is a manual task and time-consuming. So, let’s give a warm welcome to new writers.
Our team of volunteers is diligently working through the influx of stories, aiming to review and publish each piece while welcoming new writers into our fold. It’s a labor of love that demands time and effort. Please remember that we support 25K+ writers, as mentioned in our Monthly Updates.
If you missed this recent interview featuring Luay Rahil, here is a link for you. His stories can nicely surprise you.
For those who missed my Vocal saga, here is the link. I hope new writers don’t make the same mistake I made for 18 months.
ILLUMINATION-Curators compiled boosted stories in December, so you might find some fascinating stories from this collection. I also chose to publish this collection on ILLUMINATION-Curated as our readers enjoy curated collections. Here is their treasure trove: Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated
ILLUMINATION-Curators wrote about that exceptional story. I hope you will get a chance to read it and pay attention to your privacy.
Our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, upgraded our publication accounts ILLUMINATION and ILLUMINATION-Curators, as well as his tech account Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech), making them Friends of Medium. Reading from these accounts will allow writers to earn four times more. While curating stories, we read many stories from these accounts, so it will be great for writers. Details are in his story by Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech)
Our senior editor Mike Broadly, DHSc joined the curation team and created new collections from his favorite stories that you may adore. He has amazing taste as an avid reader and has already created seven collections in such a short time. I loved his new collection earlier today.
Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #13 Mike Broadly, DHSc
Please find his collections with the associated lists and share them on your socials so we can bring more readers to Medium.
Here are links to Mike’s collections: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12
Our supportive editor, famous nutritionist, Elin Melaas, created her first collection earlier. Elin also created the Invisible Series.
And our lovely editor Surekha Chandrasekhar also created a collection of her delicious pub ILLUMINATION’s Nutrtion which is also our virtual kitchen.
ILLUMINATION editors introduced some great writers. You may check out their profiles and explore their fabulous stories.
Meet Seda Anbarcı, Meet Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi, Meet Jozsef Kovacs, Meet Davor Katusic. Meet Thomas Allen Moon, Meet Sneha Nagre, Meet Zondra Dos Anjos, Meet Ani Vals Meet Ammara Hassan. Meet Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups Chosen Stories from Omni Essence, Editorial Profile of InYah
Our editors enjoy stories and nominate them for these curated collections. You may check editor profiles in this collection.
I love reading writer biographies and curating them. If you write any bio story please let me know so I can add them to my collection.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz reviewed an interesting book of Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi. If you are a book author, you may contact Dr Yildiz as he really does great reviews. He even wrote the foreword of my gaming book. Here is his great review today.
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I created a Discord server for our writers to collaborate and share their story links, so you are all welcome to join. We already have great fun there. It is not as big as our Slack, but it will be one day, as Discord is a lot of fun.
Daily List for Sharing — Volume 17
I volunteered to create a list of this collection. So you can easily share this collection on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Quora.
Let’s all engage in this list and at least tweet it so that more readers can find these stories. It is the purpose of these curated lists. We appreciate your wonderful support for these writers who pour their hearts and souls into these stories to delight you. Here are the nominated stories from avid readers today.
Chosen Stories from ILLUMINATION Writers Today
As we mentioned before, “these stories are a combination of what I enjoyed and those which nominated by volunteering editors (also writers and readers) on this platform, so the stories in this collection reflect their collective tastes. As a publication, ILLUMINATION keeps a neutral position for all published stories, and it is impossible to feature over one million published stories. But we will do our best to amplify as many great stories as possible almost daily from now on based on the availability of our volunteers.”
Here are our wonderful and nominated stories today! I believe you will find something that will satisfy your reading needs.
Here’s How I Compete with Generative AI as a Seasoned Author Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Power of Child Sponsorship Mike Broadly, DHSc
This One Thing Is a Narcissist’s Greatest Fear Melissa Kalt, MD
The Flip Side of Christmas Seda Anbarcı
Mourning Chandler Ruby Noir 😈,
Oxymoronic Principles of Karma Elizabeth Emerald
Why More Families Are Deciding Not to Have a Funeral for Loved Ones David Mokotoff, MD
As a Doctor, This Platform Made a Huge Impact on My Life Dr. Julian Barkan
Combating Antisemitism — Medium’s Opportunity To Do The Right Thing Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier)
9 Money Rules for Men & Women Over 20 (Bookmark This) Tim Denning
What Family Reunions Are Good For Rebecca Romanelli
How to be Authentic (Even if you struggle with Shyness) Lorwen Harris Nagle
10 Steps for Gen Z Career Success (Part 2) David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸
The Mirror Effect: Why Judging Others is Just a Reflection of Yourself Elaine Hilides
Inner Workings of the Human Mind Steve Beller, PhD
The Magic Words Mhstuart,
Life at Scotts Mill Dawn Ulmer
Unlocking Success: The Power of the Five-Hour Rule Antonio Segovia
What Stories You Write and What Stories You Keep To Yourself? Dr. Gabriella Korosi
To be, or not to be? Dr John Frederick Rose
Modern Dating: Finding Love in a Sea of App Profiles and Bar Stares Dr. Christine Chuckle
Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #13 Mike Broadly
3 Lessons Absorbed From 3 Different Captains That Helped Me Navigate Through Life Sven Vandenberghe
Azure Key Vault — Update Expiry using Terraform tarun bhatt
Taking Eden’s Eyes: Chapter 2 Pernoste & Dahl
A Veteran and AI/Human Mistakes — Is AI The Victim Here? Annelise Lords
Without Attention — Do You Feel All Falls Away; The Treadmill Of Contemporary Writing Joanie Adams — Sightseer;
Medium Community Members, Welcome Frank Ontario | empathy, logic, love.
My Eye-Opening Experience on World Consumer Rights Day Rui Alves,
Do you Drink Milk Daily, Please Stop Ali Alzahrani, Editor,
Three Decades of Longing — Confession To The Stranger Scarlet Ibis James 🦩
Life Doesn’t Have to be a Struggle JD Adams ~ Stories From the Mountain,
What Society Doesn’t Have and Prison Does Pierre. Climate change & solutions
Poem: To Be or Not to Be a Friend of Medium? That Is Thou Question! ✅ Doc Samurai Sam
Why and How I Write My Memoirs Dr Mehmet Yildiz
7 Urgent Changes I’d Make in the Mental Health System
K.I.S.S. Is The Answer To Everything James Boylan,
The Last Month of 2023: Everything That Seemed Too Late Was Just in Time 2bebetter
The Resonance of Silence Albert Sundve
Top 10 Leadership Tips Almar Tagara
Stray Poetry America Zed⚡
Holiday Wish Amy Christie
Does Pain Help, Or Hinder You? Annelise Lords
Nobody will thank you for not having any needs of your own Annika Lindberg
Lens of Chaos Ashi Sharma
How I Am Planning For 2024 To Give Wings To My Dreams — This Might Help You Plan Yours Too Ayantika Mukherjee
Can You Outearn Financial Bad Luck? B. Wright
Science of the Winter Solstice Bill Petro
Mirror Mists Block Wife
Mindful of Fulfillment and Happiness That Prevail In One’s Life of Solitude Blues & Blues Rock
The Art of Meaningful Connections My Undivided Attention Matters Blues & Blues Rock
Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions Bob King
The Rise of Crypto: Financial Freedom or Fraud? Bob Phillips
Words Are A Gift Brian Clark
Leveling Up in Real Life Brijesh Gupta
Why We Work — A Cultural Perspective Cedric Johnson, PhD
Yuletide Reflections Chinmay Kumar Choudhury
The World’s Greatest Problem ChrisCrutch
The Worn World Needs Eco-Psych Support In 2024 Christyl Rivers, Phd.
This Christmas Story Proves I Should’ve Left My Husband Sooner Colleen Sheehy Orme
The Simple (Kinda Hokey) Way I Use Eckhart Tolle in My Daily Life David Gerken
Rejection Hits Differently for Solopreneurs — Here’s How to Handle It David McIlroy
My Favourite Highly Effective Somatic Wellness Practice Diana Gold
Bringing a Little Smile to Someone’s Face Could Be the Best Move You’ll Make Today Diana Leotta
Hyperactive Hunter-Gatherer Ancestors: The Evolutionary Perspective of ADHD Duygu İslamoğlu
Invariantly Variable: The Stuff That Makes Us Human Ed Chunski
Before It’s Too Late Elton Silvi
3 Vital Storytelling Principles I Learned from a Dull 50-Word Story by English Learners Fabio Cerpelloni
Is Faith And Psychology Intertwined? Fatima
Understanding Technical Debt & How To Minimize It? Genetech Blog
You Didn’t Manage To Accomplish It Again? Use the Last Resort Gia
Mother-in-Law Harry Hogg
Creative Ways to Make Money From Your Arts and Creativity Hidayatullah
Chicken Soup for the third world woman’s soul Hinduja
My Remarkably Simple 4-Step Routine For Health & Longevity Hudson Rennie
My Remarkably Simple 4-Step Routine For Health & Longevity
This year, keep things simple.
medium.com
Investing in Humor Hugo Bertrand
Threads is now in Europe: How I think it will evolve in the future ilias B.
Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION Publications — V2 ILLUMINATION-Curators
21 Tips To Improving Your Overall Health In 2024 J.R. Heimbigner
The Weight of Selfishness. Jayshree Gururaj
In Nikki We Trust JD Adams ~ Stories From the Mountain
That’s Just The Way It Is- An Attitude That Won’t Work Anymore John Whye
Those Pesky Christmas Days Jon & Caroline | Ink-Stained Hearts | CityStonePub
Dogs are always welcome here Kallol Mazumdar
How a Build Trip to El Salvador Completely Changed My Life Perspective on Money Kevin Shan
How to Create Creativity Kieran
Why Do We Feel The Need To Share Everything Online? Kingsley Asuamah
Temptation. Larry Nowicki
Organize Your Day, Stay Disciplined: Effortless Steps to a Productive Life Leonid Hass 👨🎨
The Future is B…Right Here Lika Maximovic
My Top Christmas Baking Recipes Maleesha Perera
The Phenomenon of Negativity Bias Mariana Izabelle 💫
Discover Nikola Tesla’s Wealth Secret: The Incredible Power of the 369 Formula! 🌀 Marko Eickholt 🌀
Overcome Avoidance to Break Out of the Comfort Zone Mats
Learning Vocabulary in Context by Combining Education Platforms Matthew Bamberg
Let Us Talk About “Internet Gurus” Mayalmaiva
Unplugging for Growth: The Digital Detox Guide to Reclaiming Your Life from Screen Time Michael A Davis
3 Tips to Manage Stress in Your Life Michele Thill
Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #14 Mike Broadly, DHSc
My (Likely Unpopular) Thoughts on the Colorado Supreme Court Ruling Misty Rae
You’re Not Broke — Six Signs You’re Doing Better Than You Think Modern Money
They Dressed Him up as Speedy Gonzalez, the Drunk Mexican for Photos Napoleon
Is This Text Human-Written or AI-Generated? Øivind H. Solheim
How Your Music Taste Reveals Your Moral Values Pavle Marinkovic
The Parable of The Boy and The Jar Peter Kenney
Baltic Sea Anomaly: A Deep Dive into the Mystery ️♂️ Phil Gaspard
Am I A Bitch. Pierre. Climate change & solutions.
Unleash Your Potential: A New Year’s Guide to Becoming the Best Version of Yourself Prakash Bhadraiah
Can I tell you my tale? Radhika
What I Learned from Failing the 100-Day Writing Challenge Rajan Bhateja
We’re Neglecting Social Bonds: Try These Approaches To Save Them Rima Eneva
The Impact of an EMP Blackout Rowen Quinn
No Mirror Can Reflect A Picture Of A Human As Best — As His Attitude And Way Of Speaking Do: S.a.n.a.h
Simple Joys and Cozy Delights of Winter Season Sam writes 🌸
These Budget-Friendly Activities Are Perfect For Your Family Samaria M
Innocence Roaming the Streets: Istanbul’s Free Cats and Their Stories Semra kurt
The Flower Shawn Bruwer
What to Expect When You Can’t Remember a Meat Shawn Ingram
Do You Hear What I Hear? Will You Listen? Sherry Atkinson
I Don’t Make Friends Easily Shlee
what was it? Skylar Whitney
15 Life-tested Guidance from Eckhart Tolle Spiritual Awakener
My Blueprint for Financial Freedom in 2024 Spiritworth
“True Versus Commodified Wellness.” Stories by Shannon
Why Is Saying “I Love You” Scary? Sumaya
Reflections of Brilliance. Suresh Sangwan Saru
Momma’s Got Mad New Skillz Susan McCorkindale
5 Tips On How To Mindfully Let Go Of Relationships Tarek Rakhiess
You Need to See this Startling, Strong, Spectacular Railroad Terry Day
Striking a Balance: Savvy Spending Tips for a Luxe Life The amazing Jen
I Have A Confession — I Like Beyonce The One Alternative View
5 Realizations You’ll Need To Have To Find Meaning in Life Tim J. Schroeder
8 jokes to make you realize life tim8888
Three Subtle Signs You Have Social Anxiety Tristan Tell
Why Empathy Is Crucial To Living An Amazing and Fulfilling Life Tyler Lubben
Resting and Vesting: What, Why, and How Vallerie Wilson
We Have A Fork on the Road as a Nation Veritas Civis
How To Stop Binge Eating Veronica Weedon
The Art of Versatile Writing Wesley van Peer
Embrace All Seasons of Your Life: A Journey of Self-Acceptance Words for the Soul with Heather Indu Arena
For Every $10 I Earn On Medium… Yana Hempler
“Be like a “Child” to be ……….” Yblogcon
Cries and Laughters Yong Kim
4 Bad Habits That Damage Your Self-Esteem Zion
Is Notion’s New “Ask AI” Worth It? Zoe Suf ★
Thank you for reading these beautiful stories.
Now, let’s welcome the new writers who joined us recently. Please explore their stories and they resonate with you you may connect with them. This is a great opportunity for writers and readers to meet.
Here is our onboarding pack covering everythign you need to know.
New writers, when you need help please don’t hesitate to contact me on Slack workspace or Discord server. I introduce these services below.
I also enjoy introducing writers on YouTube. So if you are interested you may contact me on Slack or Discord.






