Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #21 [Boxing Day Special — 2]

Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium

Welcome to part two of my Boxing Day Special #2! There is a story behind this numbering. On this Australian public holiday, I skipped work and spent 8 hours curating stories. Out of over a million story, I managed to gather around 260 of them! I reached out to Dr. Yildiz (Chief Editor) to publish it as one big story for a bit of fun, but in my vernacular he said “Hell No!!!”. His advice was to split it into two (one for ILLUMINATION and another one for ILLUMINATION-CURATED). So, my Boxing Day special comes in two parts. Check out both #20 and #21 for some incredible stories stumbled upon today. But there is only one list to share.

Guess what’s I am celebrating today?

My thrilling 4-minute article on the impending Counter Strike changes scored a whopping 2 readers from my fan base of 11,500, hauling in a jaw-dropping 4 cents! Woo-hoo! Who knew the fast track to a six-figure income involved decimal points and spare change?

Talking of holidays, 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. Understanding the Flip Side of Chrismas to Enjoy This Special Day for Those Who Celebrate It

I’m not the lone workaholic around here. Our chief editor donned the administrator hat and dedicated hours to welcoming new writers, crafting a special onboarding pack to ignite that creative spark. The post is a goldmine, so I’d recommend even seasoned writers to look at it. There is something for everyone in this treasure trove. A Special Welcome to New Writers on Christmas Day from the Chief Editor

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. Kids Don’t Want New Games for Christmas Anymore

Today was another blast! I wrote a juicy gaming article about Counter-Strike. It is about the changes the Valve is making to a few features of two games, CS:GO and CS2. I believe gamers will find it interesting. Big Changes Incoming for Counter-Strike Players

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. Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION Publications — V2

By upgrading his main profile, Dr Yildiz inspired our readers to become Medium Friends. I hope many readers join this inspiring journey. Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship

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. Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #2 and Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #1. You can learn more about Matt’s background from this interview. An Interview with Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.

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 and #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. I Took the Plunge and Became a Friend of Medium (FoM) Yesterday.

Dr Yildiz also wrote about it to invite our readers to become Medium Friends and support our writers. The more FoMs the merrier. Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers

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! Scam and Spam Accounts on Medium Are As Bad As Hate Speech and Defamation for Writers

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. Breaking News: My Clone Kicked the Bucket, and I’m Gleefully Celebrating It🎉

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. Urgent Notice: Beware of Fake Accounts Impersonating Influential Writers

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. The Winners of The Game Awards 2023 Have Been Announced

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.

Shareable List Links for Curated Collections on ILLUMINATION

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.

Meet Pernoste and Dahl: A Writing Duo of a Neuroscientist and an Artist

ILLUMINATION editors introduced a great writer, Somil Gupta. I hope you check his profile and explore his delicious stories.

Meet Somil Gupta on Medium

Our team of volunteers is 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. An Interview with Luay Rahil, MBA

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. Here’s How I Miserably Failed Vocal Media But Have No Regrets

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. An Exceptional Story on Privacy Every Reader May Find Helpful

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): Why I Became a Friend of Medium

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 — #17 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, #13, #14, #15, #16

Our supportive editor, famous nutritionist, Elin Melaas, created her second collection earlier. Elin also created the Invisible Series. Elin’s Chosen ILLUMINATION Stories — #2

And our lovely editor Surekha Chandrasekhar also created a collection of her delicious pub ILLUMINATION’s Nutrition which is also our virtual kitchen. 20 Curated Stories From Illumination’s Nutrition -2023

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. Meet ILLUMINATION Writers from Their Personally Penned Biographies

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. “Nobody Will Tell You This”

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 21

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.

How to Slow Down Subjective and Objective Cognitive Decline Dr Mehmet Yildiz

Understanding Ischemic Heart Disease and How to Stay Heart-Healthy Mike Broadly, DHSc

When Blind Faith Became a Necessity Rebecca Romanelli

The Unsung Heroes of Hollywood Seda Anbarcı

Monster Managers: Reader Reactions Run the Gamut (Part 5) David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸

X Marks the Spot Elizabeth Emerald

A Quiet Read. Dr John Frederick Rose

A Cooling Poem Joanie Adams - Sightseer; Conjurer Of Words

The Meaning of Dreams About the Person You Love (According to Carl Jung) Christina Sponias

A Woman Who Likes Being In Charge, A New Friendship, And A Cat Lucia Landini

I Danced With ChatGPT to Create A Fictional Medium Story K. Joseph

1st Anniversary with ChatGPT: “My New Mistress?” Antonio AdS Francisco

Reflecting On A Particular Thanksgiving Memory In America As An Immigrant Bluesapphire

Are Writers Responsible for How Readers Receive Our Words? Marcus aka Gregory Maidman

Welcome To My World Libby Shively McAvoy

The GTA 6 Hack: Teen Sentenced to Indefinite Hospital Confinement Lucian Ioan Chirilă

The Real Climate Change Filip Cabra Makowski

Are You Ready To Step Beyond The World Of Your Current Desire? Gregory Reece-Smith

‘King Richard’ and His Other Family — Textbook Definition of Dysfunction Herbert Dyer, Jr.

9 Things You Need During the Aftermath of a Storm Jade M.

What If You Can Transform Your Life with a Single Thought Jessey Anthony

5 Habits That Made Cornelius Vanderbilt the Richest Man of His Time John Adam Ledford

My Background and My Goals as a Writer Lawson Wallace

My Second Month on Medium JF Danskin

How A Free Writing Course Will Help You Become A Better Writer J.R. Heimbigner

A Tantalizing Tales Birthday Chit Chat May More 💜 Tales

Imagine You Set A Guinness World Record Fahri Karakas

The Utah Governor’s Reasons For His Veto Of A Transgender Bill Floyd Mori

How do I become a great leader? Greg Sweeney

A Poet’s Resurrection Harry Hogg

Will Smith and Chris Rock Are Only Human Holly J See

How to Reduce Anxiety and Stay Calm during Crises You, Me and Happiness

The Voice Within Julienne M.

When Our Thoughts Are Tangled Michael Patanella

Daughter Finds Out Her Mother Poisons Her To Keep Her in Her Wheelchair Napoleon

Don’t Argue Over Principles Phil Rossi

Why Do Black Men Love White Women? Justin Stinnett

Please Stop Saying “Retarded” or Calling People a “Retard” Joyce O’Day

Bruce Willis Has Aphasia. So Do I. Here’s What It’s Like. Katemiya

If I Had Another Chance to Live in the Modern World, I’d Reinvest in Five Skills. Dr Mehmet Yildiz

If You’re Unhappy in Your Relationship, It Might be Your Fault Leeann Pennington M.ed LPC

3 Rules from Nature’s Complex Systems for Better Business Performance Sam Schreim

How To Un-Hustle Yourself, Stop Working, And Start Living Livia Dabs RN,MSc

Lady Mystery John Ross

Can A Daring New Hobby Lead To More Profit and Better Opportunities? Lori Brown

Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock Because He Could Toni Crowe

Stephen King is Wrong About This Tom Belskie

Dr. Seuss and Marcel Proust and Me Trisha Ready

A Picture -Postcard From Ranthambhore Surekha Chandrasekhar

I Used New Writer Tips From Medium to Gain 1K Followers + 2 Viral Articles in my Second Month on… Yana Bostongirl

How to deal with regret (15 simple tips) Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles

Over 20 ways to Make Money in the Gig Economy Yancy Dennis

No Way I’m Joining That Sohail

This 1 Change Can Fix Most Of The Problems In Your Life Matt Legg

My Last Day as a Flight Attendant Michael Thacker

What The Will Smith Oscars Altercation Says About Our Society Aarti Tailor

Molly Ringwald and ‘That Scene’ in The Breakfast Club Adam James

What if I’m Not the Main Character? Karen Remick

Taylor Hawkins May Not Be the Usual Rock Star Dies in Hotel Story Kat OM

I Don’t Care What White People Think, Will Smith Was Embarrassing Khadejah

The Ancient Brother of the Statue of Liberty in New York Spiritual Awakener

Key Takeaways and Punchlines from My Stories Published in June 2023 Dr Mehmet Yildiz

3 Ways to Find Your Purpose If You Feel Lost in Life Angela Choi

What I’ve Learned About Writing In The Digital World Angelina Der Arakelian

6 Life-changing Tips on Message Delivering Change My Life Anthony Cheung

World Leaders Expose Global White Supremacy Arturo Dominguez

Multitasking Can Be Your Muse Ashley Ashbee

Reminiscing the meaning of Love Aswathi Ashok

Three Ways to Read The Urantia Book Chad Gates

The Mystery of The Coral Castle Rene Volpi Jr.

The Tree Mouse — Man Comes to The Forest Michael Holford

Spirituality Vs. Religion Moonmoth LeMavely

7 Remarkable Quotes About Change That Will Make You Stronger Mofrad Muntasir

Become Less Prone to Neurodegenerative Disorders with Five Tips. Dr Mehmet Yildiz

Management Fix Eduardo Espinheira

What is the Purpose of Buying Fake Followers? Christina Szeman

The Dying ElizaBeth Hill

Chased by a Molosser, a Great Fear Francesco Carrubba

Two Brothers… Two Lives… Two Deaths From the Mountain ~ Stories & Photos of JD Adams

Some Friends Are Just Not Meant to Stay In Your Life Gaby Spadaro

How I Achieved Success With Getting Out Of Comfort Zone Gökhan Yalcuk

5 Warning Signs You’ve Been Constructively Dismissed from Your Toxic Workplace Janice Eastman

I Sent My Baby Out Into The Cold, Cruel World. . . I Knew It Was Too Soon Janice Macdonald

Josh Hawley Blames the Left for Men’s Problems Jeff Gates

Better legs at home Nasar Karim

Thank You, Chris Rock Patti Flinn

The Best Things That Can Happen to You in Your Life Can Happen Right Now Rick Lewis

Love Is Charlene Erazo

Our Best Life Has A Cost Of Entry, And We Hate Paying It Sah Kilic

Your Life Purpose Isn’t What You Think Ryan Porter

I don’t love money. Shu Hasegawa

How I’ve Lost the Battle with Social Media and Instant Messaging Shashi Sastry

Chatbots are Transforming FinTech Industry Shweta L

The Benefits I’ve Experienced as a Result of My Plant-Based Journey Michele Maize

Paying it Forward T. Mark Mangum

We should distinguish between Targets and Goals for our careers Travis Weston

Book Lovers, Write for This New Publication Vritant Kumar

LinkedIn Adds Dyslexic Thinking to Skillsets Trisha Dunbar (She/Her)

Wil Smith’s Slap: An Act of Cowardice Yancy Dennis

Adam’s Depressive Thoughts Vanished after Undergoing Testosterone Replacement Therapy Dr Mehmet Yildiz

How Can You Make Money Sharing Your Skills Online In Today’s Market? Jennifer Thompson

The Lies and Trickery Of Serial Squatters And How They Affect The Owner. Jo Ann Harris

3 Little-Known Secrets to Achieving Your Biggest Goals Jonathan Milligan

The Newest (and Most Difficult) Word Guessing Game Katie Churchward

To Sidney Poitier, With (An Immense Amount Of) Love (And Respect) KL Simmons

Sorry! The Shortform Is Closed For New Writers Kristina God

Throw Confetti, I Said Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

The Man Who Joined the 3-Comma Club Without Having a Facebook or Instagram Account Luay Rahil

Artificial Intelligence: 13 Cool Apps and Games You Need To Know About Mary Beth Hazeldine

What Putin Gets Wrong About Tolstoy and Dostoevsky Nadine Bjursten

How Google & Uber Uses AI To Enhance Customer Experience Nora

The Futility of Believing Our Government Came From Mars Veritas Civis

5 Free Writing Tools To Help You Win the Game of Online Writing Nova Richards🪐

Why Sex Is Good for the Relationship Øivind H. Solheim

Do Quantum Effects Play a Role in Consciousness? Roger Penrose’s Theory Paul Goodman

For Sane Living and Success, You Actually Ought to Give These Two Axioms a Try Richard Armstrong

My Emotional Self-Flagellation Is Pissing Me Off Roxy Wright

How to Not Age Gracefully Stacia Priscilla

The Incredible Ukrainian 1st Lady Uvebruce

Hand-Picked Articles #59 Technology Hits

The Last Ships David Pahor

10 Signs You Were Born To Be A Loner Kashi Writes

Curated Collection #92 ILLUMINATION

Hand-Picked Articles #58 Technology Hits

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.

You may also check previously joined writers in the last two weeks from the attached onboarding packs. You never know who to meet.

Here is our onboarding pack covering everything 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.

Here is some info about Slack and Discords

About Me

I write articles in my field covering gaming, film-making, social media, and design. I am also a YouTuber. Thank you for subscribing to my account to get notifications when I post on Medium. I created a new website to share my content for free and promote stories of writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I also have a Substack newsletter. Let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I own two publications on Medium. One for video gamers and another for YouTubers and Podcasters. I also support Illumination Integrated Publications as a volunteer editor and participate in collaborative activities in the Slack Workspace.

Writer applications for my publications can be sent via this weblink. Please add your Medium ID. I also enjoy email marketing using Cliqly, which is my affiliate link.