Enriching Education - The School Search Is Changing: National Education Strategist Explains What Every Parent Needs to Know Before Choosing the Right School

The back-to-school season is just around the corner, which means millions of parents are making school decisions. Gone are the days when children simply attend the school assigned by their address. Today, families have more educational choices than ever before, from public and charter schools to private schools, specialized programs and homeschooling. With so many options available, selecting the right educational path has become one of the most important decisions a family will make.

“Choosing a school is not just about where a child will spend the next year. It is about shaping their future,” says Michelle Smith, Founder and Chief Education Strategist of Independent Education Group. “Families do not just need help finding a school. They need a trusted education advisor who understands their child’s goals, advocates for their needs and helps them make thoughtful decisions throughout every stage of the educational journey.”

As a nationally recognized education strategist, Smith works with families across the country not only during the admissions process, but throughout a student’s educational journey. Independent Education Group provides personalized educational planning, helping families navigate transitions, identify opportunities, overcome challenges and build long term strategies that support each child’s academic, social and personal growth.

With so many options available beyond neighborhood public schools, families may choose charter schools, independent schools, specialized academic programs, faith based education or homeschooling. Others simply are not aware of the opportunities available to them or believe their choices are limited by geography or finances. Regardless of a family’s goals, there are often more educational options within reach than they realize.

According to the Pew Research Center, traditional public schools tend to be larger than any other type, charter school teachers are the most racially and ethnically diverse, and private school teachers tend to be slightly older and have more experience than teachers in charter schools. Understanding these differences, as well as each school’s culture, academic approach, support services and opportunities, is critical when determining the best educational fit for a child.

Rather than simply helping families choose a school, Smith’s work is built around five foundational pillars that provide year-round support:

The Five Pillars of Educational Success

Vision: Developing a personalized educational vision that reflects each student’s strengths, interests and long-term goals.

Strategy: Creating a customized road map that helps families confidently navigate every educational milestone.

Guidance: Providing ongoing support through regular touch points, educational workshops, planning sessions and trusted advice throughout the year.

Advocacy: Helping families navigate challenges, transitions and important educational decisions while ensuring every child’s needs remain the priority.

Opportunity: Identifying educational pathways, scholarships, specialized programs and opportunities many families may not know exist.

Here are additional things every parent should know when navigating the school selection process:

• There are more options than many families realize. Parents are not limited to choosing between their neighborhood public school and homeschooling. Exploring all available educational opportunities can open doors that better fit a child’s needs.
• Learning styles matter. Understanding a child’s personality, strengths, interests and learning style is essential when selecting the right educational environment. Students are more likely to thrive when they are in a setting that complements how they learn best.
• The right fit makes a lasting difference. School culture, teaching philosophy, support systems, extracurricular opportunities and academic expectations all contribute to a child’s confidence, growth and long-term success. Thoughtful educational decisions today can influence opportunities for years to come.
• Affordability should not be a barrier. Many families assume private education is financially out of reach. However, scholarships, tuition assistance, tax benefits and other financial opportunities may make additional options more accessible than they expect.
• Families do not have to navigate it alone. Working with an experienced education strategist can help parents avoid costly mistakes, uncover opportunities and make informed decisions with greater confidence.

“Families deserve more than admissions assistance. They deserve a trusted partner who helps them make thoughtful educational decisions year after year,” said Smith. “Education is one of the most important investments a family will ever make, and having an experienced strategist by your side will make all the difference in helping a child reach their fullest potential.”

Smith has spent more than 20 years serving as a dean of students, principal, head of school and educational leader. Today, she serves families nationwide as a trusted education strategist, providing personalized guidance that extends well beyond school admissions. From early educational planning and school transitions to academic coaching, college preparation, parent advising and student advocacy, she helps families skillfully navigate every stage of a child’s educational journey. Her purpose is to empower families to make thoughtful, informed educational decisions that unlock each student’s fullest potential. For more information, visit https://www.independenteducationgroup.com/.

About Independent Education Group

Founded by veteran educator Michelle Smith, Independent Education Group is a national educational advisory firm dedicated to helping families navigate every stage of the educational journey with confidence. Serving as a family’s trusted educational advisory firm, Independent Education Group provides personalized educational strategy, advocacy, academic guidance, parent coaching and year-round support that extends far beyond school admissions. Built on five guiding pillars of Vision, Strategy, Guidance, Advocacy and Opportunity, the firm partners with families to help students thrive academically, socially and personally while making thoughtful educational decisions from childhood through college. Guided by the belief that every child deserves an educational journey designed with purpose, guided by expertise and supported with unwavering advocacy, Independent Education Group helps families build futures with confidence and lasting impact. To get more information about the services, visit the site at: https://www.independenteducationgroup.com/  

 

  

Sources:

Pew Research Center. U.S. public, private and charter schools in 5 charts. June 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/06/us-public-private-and-charter-schools-in-5-charts/

 

Healthy Habits - The Machines Will See You Now: A Human Roadmap to Autonomous Health Care

Healthcare AI entrepreneur and RadiantGraph Founder and CEO Anmol Madan, PhD has a career that began in the MIT Media Lab, included founding and selling Ginger to Headspace, leadership roles at Livongo and Teladoc Health, and now building AI systems that help hospitals, health systems, and health plans lower the total cost of care while improving patient outcomes.

For more than two decades, Madan has been exploring a question that is becoming increasingly urgent: What happens when healthcare no longer waits for people to become sick before intervening?

His doctoral research at the MIT Media Lab explored how machine learning could understand human behavior through data. Since then, he has helped build some of the most influential AI companies in digital health and believes we are entering a fundamentally different era of medicine, one in which healthcare shifts from reacting to illness to anticipating it.

Based on his success building AI systems used in real-world healthcare, Madan can explain what AI is actually doing inside today's healthcare system, where it is succeeding, where it has limits, and why the biggest change may not be replacing physicians, but redefining what healthcare looks like when intelligence becomes part of everyday care.

Madan argues that AI in healthcare is a new model of medicine - one that could make healthcare more predictive, more personalized, and more continuous while expanding access and lowering the total cost of care.

His forthcoming book, The Machines Will See You Now: A Human Roadmap to Autonomous Health Care (Johns Hopkins University Press; September 1, 2026), explores these questions, outlining what AI is actually doing inside today's healthcare system, where the technology is succeeding, where it has limits, and why understanding that difference is critical.

Why has healthcare typically been a response to illness instead of prevention?

Healthcare evolved around treating people after they become sick because the entire system was built around scarce human expertise. Physicians, nurses, hospitals, and reimbursement models have historically focused on diagnosing and treating illness during relatively brief clinical encounters. As a result, healthcare has had limited ability to monitor people continuously or intervene before problems develop. In my book, The Machines Will See You Now: A Human Roadmap to Autonomous Health Care (John Hopkins University Press: September 1, 2026), I explain how advances in AI, digital health, passive sensors, and continuous data collection make it possible to shift from episodic, reactive care toward proactive, preventative care that identifies risks earlier and supports healthier behaviors before disease becomes severe.

What does autonomous healthcare actually mean?

Autonomous healthcare is the gradual transition from care delivered almost entirely by humans to care increasingly supported, and eventually delivered, by intelligent algorithms. It goes well beyond wellness apps or administrative automation. I envision AI helping with diagnosis, treatment decisions, long-term care management, personalization, and routine medical needs while allowing human clinicians to focus on more complex situations requiring judgment, empathy, and expertise. Rather than replacing healthcare professionals overnight, autonomous healthcare represents a staged evolution in how care is delivered.

How could AI change the relationship between patients and healthcare?

I believe AI has the potential to fundamentally rebalance the relationship by putting consumers rather than the healthcare system at the center. Today's model often requires people to work around the system, waiting weeks for appointments, taking time off work, and navigating confusing costs. AI-powered healthcare could provide more immediate, personalized, and convenient support whenever it is needed, much like consumers already expect from banking, retail, and other digital services. Throughout the book, I intentionally use the term "consumer" instead of "patient" because I truly believe future healthcare should empower people with greater choice, access, and control over their own health.

Why does the future of medicine depend on human behavior as much as it does on AI?

I argue that AI alone cannot improve health outcomes if it fails to influence the everyday decisions people make. Technology can identify risks, recommend treatments, and personalize care, but lasting improvements still depend on whether individuals engage with that guidance, adopt healthier habits, and remain connected to care. Throughout my career, I have focused on using AI to understand human behavior because behavior ultimately determines whether even the best medical interventions succeed. The future of healthcare therefore requires combining increasingly intelligent technology with a deep understanding of human motivation, trust, engagement, and behavior change.

Anmol Madan, PhD, is a healthcare entrepreneur, computer scientist, and Founder and CEO of RadiantGraph, a company using artificial intelligence to help health plans and healthcare organizations better engage consumers and improve health outcomes. For more than twenty years, his work has focused on understanding human behavior through data and applying those insights to healthcare delivery, patient engagement, and population health.

Before launching RadiantGraph, Madan served as Chief Data Scientist at Livongo and later Teladoc Health, where he led data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, growth analytics, and consumer insights across a broad range of healthcare services. He played a key role during Livongo's historic growth and its merger with Teladoc, one of the largest transactions in digital health history.

Earlier, Madan founded Ginger, an AI-enabled behavioral health company that emerged from his doctoral research at the MIT Media Lab. As CEO, he helped build one of the first on-demand mental health platforms designed around machine learning, digital coaching, therapy, and psychiatry. Ginger was later acquired by Headspace.

Madan earned his PhD from the MIT Media Lab, where his research explored machine learning, social networks, and human behavior. He has authored numerous scientific publications, holds multiple patents related to AI and healthcare, and has received recognition from organizations including the World Economic Forum and Fast Company. He is the author of The Machines Will See You Now: A Human Roadmap to Autonomous Health Care (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026).

Music Minute - Blue Umbrella: Recklessly Yours

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Saskatoon folk rock outfit Blue Umbrella releases its debut album, 'Recklessly Yours,' out now on streaming platforms and vinyl. Led by singer-songwriter Ryan Meili, better known across Canada as a family doctor, public health advocate and former leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, the record blends 70s folk rock with the grit of 90s prairie bar bands, carrying the depth of perspective that comes from a genuinely well lived life.

The album's story stretches back three decades, to when Meili first started writing songs and playing shows in his twenties. Medicine, a growing family and a career in public life kept a full album out of reach for years, until Meili turned 49 and decided the time had finally come. Drawing on skills honed building political campaigns, he brought together a rotating cast of longtime friends and accomplished musicians, organizing rehearsals and recording sessions the same way he once organized a nomination race: patiently, deliberately, and with a clear goal in mind.

That process produced "Ignorance," the album's first single, released in May of this year. A reflective, plainspoken meditation on innocence and self-forgiveness, the track has drawn comparisons to early Tragically Hip and REM from listeners, a connection Meili has said was never intentional but one he is more than happy to embrace. The recording features Meili on guitar and vocals alongside Tyson McShane on bass, Luke Ryalls on guitar, Sam Corbett on drums, Burke Barlow on pedal steel and Barrett Ross on organ.

The second single, "Tropical Storm," released in June, shifts into more vivid, image-driven territory, using weather and vegetation as metaphors for growth that only comes through upheaval. The track's warm, rhythmic groove is carried by the same core lineup, with Ellen Froese adding vocals to round out the arrangement, giving the song a lush, full band sound that mirrors its themes of pressure building toward release.

The album's third single, "Laid Back," is out now and finds Meili at his most self-deprecating, turning a wry, rapid fire character sketch into one of the record's most purely enjoyable moments. Recorded with McShane, Ryalls, Froese and Barlow, alongside drummer Charles Lemire, the track captures the loose, confident chemistry that developed once the full band found its footing.

That chemistry comes from real experience. Corbett spent twenty years touring the world as drummer for the Sheepdogs before stepping behind the board to produce 'Recklessly Yours,' following earlier production work on Ellen Froese's 'For Each Flower Growing' and his own acclaimed record, 'NUTANA.' McShane has built an international career fronting indie stalwarts Slow Down Molasses, while Ryalls previously led Saskatoon's The Fjords and released his own solo album, 'The City.' Barlow, formerly of Deep Dark Woods, rounds out the lineup on pedal steel. The album also features a feature spot from rising songwriter Lachlan Neville and a non-political guest cello performance from Saskatchewan MLA Meara Conway, with Barrett Ross engineering and mixing the entire record at Rec Hall Studios in Saskatoon and mastering handled by João Carvalho.

Alongside ten original songs, 'Recklessly Yours' includes two deep cut Canadian covers, the Tragically Hip's "We'll Go Too" and Leonard Cohen's "Old Revolution," a nod to the tradition the band draws from most directly. The album's title and band name both trace back to Meili's own history, with Blue Umbrella borrowed from a 1975 John Prine song and the phrase "Recklessly Yours" a nod to chances taken and adventures lived. The album cover plays with that recklessness, using the found poetry of fortune cookie papers to evoke a playful approach to the mysteries of life’s many possible paths. The record has already earned feature segments on Global News, CTV Morning and CBC BlueSky and coveted booking at this year's Saskatoon Jazz Festival.

Fun Freetime - Garfield: Escape from Monday

To celebrate the end of San Diego Comic-Con, Microids has revealed an exclusive first look at Garfield – Escape from Monday, the upcoming 3D platforming adventure developed by OSome Studio. This brand-new gameplay video showcases the first 10 minutes of the game, letting players dive straight into the action of the opening level. Get your lasagna ready (and hide the spinach), as Garfield embarks on an unforgettable journey that is as dynamic as it is delicious. The game will be available on September 24, 2026, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

 

More than just a colorful adventure, Garfield – Escape from Monday captures the spirit of one of the world’s most beloved entertainment franchises in an all-new interactive experience. Designed to appeal to audiences nostalgic for Jim Davis’s famous "cattitude" and gaming enthusiasts, Garfield – Escape from Monday breaks the mold. Players will master the technicality of feline movements, manage unique abilities tied to 3 exclusive costumes Garfield can wear in-game and confront a variety of formidable bosses throughout their journey. With memorable characters, inventive challenges and a surreal story through the mind of Garfield, this story into the heart of the nightmare promises to be a thrilling ride for players worldwide. 

Smart Safety - Call Before You Dig

With August 11 just around the corner, Gopher State One Call is using the 8-1-1 calendar date as a timely reminder to residents: Always contact 811 before starting any digging project to have underground utilities marked. Whether you’re installing a mailbox or breaking ground on a major construction project, contacting 811 helps prevent accidents, outages, and costly repairs.

Every few minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone digs without calling 811. Hitting a buried line can lead to serious consequences—from disrupting essential services to causing severe injury.

Striking a single utility line can cause repair costs, inconvenient outages, fines, severe injuries, and can even cause fatalities. Every digging project warrants contacting 811 by phone or online. From building a deck to planting a tree, every digging project requires a free 811 request at least a few days before breaking ground. Once you submit a locate request, you must wait for utility operators to mark the approximate location of their underground facilities.

By Minnesota law, utility operators have 48 hours to complete their locates, excluding the day the request is submitted, weekends, and legal holidays. The 48-hour waiting period begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day after your locate request is submitted. For example, if you submit a request on Tuesday, you may begin digging no earlier than 12:01 a.m. on Friday, provided all requested locates have been completed. 

“On August 11—and every day—we remind homeowners and contractors to use 811 before they dig,” said Kelly Connolly, Chief Operations Officer at Gopher State One Call. “This simple step protects you, your property, and your entire community. It’s free, it’s fast, and it can prevent a life-changing mistake.”

Digging soon? Take these steps to stay safe and avoid unnecessary risks:

• Contact 811 a few days in advance—no matter the size of your project or how well you know the property.

• Plan ahead. Make your request early in the week for weekend projects.

• Wait for utility lines to be marked and confirm that utilities have responded to your request before starting any digging.

• Respect the marks and dig with care.

• Double check that your contractor has contacted 811 if you’ve hired one. Never allow unmarked digging to begin.

• To learn more about safe digging and to submit a request, visit GopherStateOneCall.org

https://gopherstateonecall.org/811-day-2026/

Book Nook - Illuminated Paths: 52 Ways to Access Your Inner Wisdom Through the Colors of Torah

A new spiritual tool designed to inspire seekers of meaning and support more intentional ways of responding. Illuminated Paths: 52 Ways to Access Your Inner Wisdom Through the Colors of Torah (The Collective Book Studio/August 4, 2026) is a 52-card and guidebook system created by researcher and strategist Debbie Plawner. This set integrates Torah teachings with the language of color to offer readers a clear way to deepen self-understanding and make meaningful changes in how they show up in their lives. Drawing on the wisdom of Torah as a living tradition built on returning to the same text and discovering new meaning each time—and informed by how humans respond to color, Illuminated Paths translates timeless teachings into a visual map called the Oracolor Wheel. The Oracolor Wheel makes inner experience visible, helping users recognize and accept where they are without judgment, and choose their next step. Each card features a color from the Wheel, paired with a word in Hebrew and English, and a simple image— making it easier to name what they’re experiencing and respond with greater awareness. The accompanying guidebook expands on each card with teachings, reflections, prayers, blessings, and practical suggestions designed to help put it into practice. “At its core, Illuminated Paths addresses a simple but overlooked problem most of us know the kind of person we want to be. The challenge is living that way consistently” Debbie explains. “I created Illuminated Paths to help people put what they know into practice.” The set also includes a full-color Oracolor Wheel, the underlying visual map that organizes the full system. Whether used as part of a daily ritual, meditation practice, or group study session, Illuminated Paths provides a structured yet flexible approach to deepening spiritual connection and self-awareness. Perfect for individuals seeking personal growth and those interested in exploring mindfulness or color-based reflection tools, Illuminated Paths appeals to spiritual, wellness, and educational communities. Its compact format makes it ideal for daily inspiration at home, in the workplace, or on the go. With growing interest in self-reflection, mindfulness, and spiritual authenticity, Illuminated Paths arrives at a time when most of us are seeking practical ways to reconnect with meaning and purpose in everyday life. About the Author Debbie Plawner is a researcher and creator of the Oracolor system. With more than 25 years of experience helping organizations understand people, identify patterns, and make confident decisions, she now applies that work inward—helping individuals recognize what is happening within them and know how to respond. Through 1:1 sessions, workshops, guided Oracolor Wheel experiences, and her weekly newsletter, she helps people stay connected to what they know and carry that awareness into daily life. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and dog and is the parent of three college-age children.

 

The Collective Book Studio is a woman-owned, full-service publishing studio that works with authors, brands, and companies to create, develop, and publish high-quality books. With a focus on innovative content and striking design, The Collective Book Studio offers a unique approach to the publishing process, providing clients with expertise and collaborative support from concept to creation.

Enriching Education - States with the Best Early Education Systems

With only 12 states and the District of Columbia currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on 2026's States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems to highlight where young children have the best access to quality early learning.

To identify the states with the strongest early education systems, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. These metrics range from the share of school districts offering a state pre-K program to the number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.
 

States with the Best Early Education Systems	States with the Worst Early Education Systems
1. District of Columbia	42. Alaska
2. Arkansas	43. Hawaii
3. Maryland	44. Idaho
4. New Jersey	45. Montana
5. West Virginia	46. Minnesota
6. South Carolina	47. Massachusetts
7. Vermont	48. New Hampshire
8. New Mexico	49. North Dakota
9. Georgia	50. Missouri
10. Nebraska	51. Indiana

 
Best vs. Worst

• 14 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have the highest share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, which is 8.3 times higher than in Alaska, the state with the lowest.
   
• The District of Columbia has the highest share of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education or Head Start programs, which is 8.6 times higher than in Idaho, the state with the lowest.
   
• Connecticut has the highest income requirement for state pre-K eligibility, which is 4.1 times higher than in Washington, which has one of the lowest.
   
• The District of Columbia has the highest total spending per child enrolled in preschool, which is 9.2 times higher than in Florida, which has one of the lowest.
   
• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, South Carolina and Wyoming have some of the lowest monthly child care co-payment fees (as a share of family income), which is ten times lower than in Maine and North Carolina, the states with the highest.

 
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-and-worst-early-education-systems/62668  

 

“The more that states invest in early education, and the more accessible they make those programs, the more they will benefit in the future. Having access to quality early education gives students a jump start that can improve their future performance in school, as well as lead to better job opportunities and higher earnings in the long-term. A better-educated, higher-earning population will in turn bring economic benefits back to the state.”
–
“The District of Columbia is the state with the best early education system, boasting the highest enrollment of three- and four-year-olds in pre-K, pre-K special education or Head Start programs. In the District, 77% of three-year-olds and 95% of four-year-olds are enrolled. D.C. also spends the most money per child enrolled in preschool, at over $27,000 per year, giving children more resources and a better start to their education.”

- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst 
 

More From WalletHub

• States with the Best & Worst School Systems
• Most & Least Educated States

Fun Freetime - SwampButt's Scale of Sultry

SwampButt Underwear can do more than just talk about the weather. The geniuses at SwampButt Underwear used math, weather reports/data and the evaporative qualities of cotton fabric and Lycra/Spandex to assign values to how hot and humid it is and how that relates to how sweaty a butt is due to evaporation levels of cotton fabric or Lycra/spandex.  

Temperature alone does not determine whether the weather feels comfortable—or whether someone’s underwear is likely to remain dry on account of the weather.  SwampButt Underwear introduced an online version of its “Scale of Sultry,” a calculator that translates temperature, relative humidity and estimated fabric-drying conditions into a single rating from 1 to 10. This is the first and only tool of its kind anywhere to assign a numeric rating to both comfort and drying.

A Scale of Sultry rating of 1 represents relatively dry and comfortable conditions. A rating approaching 10 indicates extremely sultry conditions in which heat, humidity and slow evaporation combine to create an uncomfortably damp environment and really sweaty ass.

“The temperature tells only part of the story,” said Harold Nicoll, owner and inventor of SwampButt Underwear and the ‘scale.’ “The Scale of Sultry helps explain why the same temperature can feel tolerable in one place and like walking through soup in another. And most importantly why that ass is all wet.”

For example, when the temperature reaches 103 degrees Fahrenheit with relative humidity of 52 percent, the Scale of Sultry produces a rating above 8—indicating exceptionally hot, humid and sticky  ‘gonna leave a wet butt print conditions.’

“Think about the difference between Denver and Houston on a summer day,” said SwampButt Underwear spokesman and self-described world-class whiner Nick Heraldson. “Warm, dry air may be uncomfortable, but humid air adds an entirely different dimension. When the scale gets close to 10, think Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Singapore or Saigon. It is a really soupy feeling. Like, yuck.”

Measuring the Air’s Ability to Accept Moisture

The calculator first estimates the surrounding air’s drying potential using temperature and relative humidity. It then applies a drying coefficient for the performance material used in SwampButt Underwear.

Warm, relatively dry air can accept more moisture, allowing perspiration to evaporate more rapidly. Humid air already contains substantial moisture, slowing evaporation and causing fabric to remain damp longer.

“Think of the air as deciding how much additional moisture it is willing to accept,” Nicoll said. “Hot, dry air says, ‘Sure, I’ve got room.’ Hot, humid air says, ‘No thanks, I’m full.’ The drying factor puts a number on that difference.”

The calculator expresses this relationship through a normalized drying factor ranging from 0 to 1. A lower drying factor represents slower evaporation and stickier conditions. A higher drying factor indicates faster evaporation and a greater likelihood of remaining dry and comfortable.

Higher drying potential lowers the overall Scale of Sultry rating, while lower drying potential raises it.

Comparing SwampButt Underwear With Cotton

The online tool also compares the estimated evaporation performance of SwampButt Underwear with that of traditional cotton underwear. Under the same environmental conditions, the calculator estimates that the Lycra/spandex-based performance fabric used in SwampButt Underwear dries at approximately twice the rate of traditional cotton.

Cotton readily absorbs moisture but can hold it against the skin as drying conditions deteriorate. SwampButt Underwear is designed to move moisture away from the body and allow it to evaporate more quickly.

“The number on the Scale of Sultry tells people what the weather is likely to feel like,” Nicoll said. “The fabric comparison gives that number practical meaning. It shows the difference between wearing a slower-drying material and underwear specifically designed to manage moisture.”

The calculator therefore provides two related forms of information:

• An overall Scale of Sultry rating from 1 to 10, representing the expected severity of hot, humid and slow-drying conditions.
• A fabric-drying comparison showing the estimated evaporation performance of SwampButt Underwear and traditional cotton underwear under those conditions.

Together, the measurements help users understand both the external environment and the effect that environment may have on personal comfort.

From College Football to Everyday Comfort

Nicoll began developing the Scale of Sultry concept in fall 2024. Its original purpose was to help college football fans anticipate the heat and humidity they might encounter at a stadium and select appropriate clothing for the game.

The original model considered game-time temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, cloud cover and precipitation. Those conditions were converted into a rating ranging from 1, or not sultry, to 10, representing nearly unbearable heat and humidity.

The project expanded in 2025 to test a theory about whether college football teams based in hotter and more humid climates might be better acclimated to oppressive early-season weather than teams from more moderate regions.

“My theory was that schools located in hotter and more humid environments would be better conditioned for those environments,” Nicoll said. “The greatest contrast tended to occur early in the season, when teams from very different geographic regions played one another. Once conference play began, the differences were often less pronounced.”

The experimental model deliberately isolated climate conditions. It did not attempt to account for differences in talent, coaching, strength and conditioning, nutrition or other variables that influence the outcome of a football game.

Although the football application suggested that climate acclimation could contribute to performance, the new consumer calculator has a more immediate purpose: estimating the likelihood that the day’s weather will produce uncomfortable, slow-drying clothing conditions.

“This version brings the idea down to a very personal level,” Nicoll said. “It puts a number on how uncomfortable the weather is likely to feel—and on the chances of ending the day with a wet backside.”

The SwampButt Underwear Scale of Sultry calculator is available at https://swampbutt.com/swampbutt-underwear-scale-of-sultry/.

About SwampButt Underwear

SwampButt Underwear produces moisture-managing men’s underwear designed for hot, humid and physically demanding conditions. Created in Lake Jackson, Texas, the underwear is intended to move moisture away from the body and dry more rapidly than traditional cotton underwear. More information is available at SwampButt.com.

One technical point should be confirmed before release: Lycra is a brand name for spandex/elastane, rather than a separate fiber. The precise fabric composition and the basis for the “twice the evaporation rate” claim should be documented or described as a calculator estimate.

SwampButt Underwear is trademarked in the United States and foreign countries. We paid a lot for it so please do not use it without permission.