I'm just back from my dropping off my daughter during her high school's hellish morning traffic jam, so I might be a little biased, but I find it hard to believe that computers could be worse drivers than humans. That said, there's no doubt that the self-driving car revolution got a little ahead of itself. In NY Mag (Gift Article), John Herrman argues that Apple's recent exit from car-making business has everything do with the autonomous driving challenge. "Every firm in the race to build a self-driving car was running into the same few real-world obstacles (and, occasionally, other cars), namely unpredictable drivers and wildly diverse environments and road conditions." Apple, Tesla, and the Dying Dream of Self-Driving Cars.
+ Still, on the Streets of San Francisco (and soon LA), self-driving taxis are all over the place, and in some cases they're waymo than we bargained for. Waymo robotaxis are coming to LA.
+ We were promised jetpacks. Well, they just held the first Jet Suit race.
2
Zyn Fan Dealt
The other day at 7-11, a guy in front of me in line asked if they had any Zyn. The cashier said yes, and the transaction was made. I returned to my car with my sugar-free Vitamin Water Super Big Gulp Slurpee in hand wondering that was all about. It turns out Zyn is a nicotine pouch that you put between your cheek and gum. It's been around for while, but it's starting to go viral — and that means teens are checking it out. Time: Zyn Is the New Vaping. Luckily, I'm too addicted to sugar free frozen products to get addicted to Zyn.
+ Speaking of addiction, here's an interesting look at Ibogaine, a potentially addiction-curing drug that is gaining traction in some countries. NYT (Gift Article): Powerful Psychedelic Gains Renewed Attention as a Treatment for Opioid Addiction. "New research is stirring interest in ibogaine, which appears to help ease the agony of detox and prevent relapse. Used in other countries, it remains illegal in the US."
3
Houthis and the Grow Wish
"The Leader is a man of about 40, with a smooth, youthful face and a thin beard and mustache. In televised speeches, he wears a blazer with a shawl over his shoulders, his dark eyes menacing and humorless. Apart from that, so little is known about him that he might as well be a phantom. He has no birth certificate or passport and is said to have spent his formative years living in caves. No foreign diplomat has ever met him in person. He presides over a starving, brutalized people in northern Yemen and has sent an armada of child soldiers to their deaths. In January, one of his courts condemned nine men to be executed for homosexual behavior—seven by stoning, two by crucifixion. Yet Abdulmalik al-Houthi may now be the most popular public figure in the Middle East." The Houthis are still causing problems. Their leader has been elevated. Their enemies are afraid to speak out. Robert F. Worth in The Atlantic: The Houthis Are Very, Very Pleased. That not enough to get your attention? Try this: Houthis could literally be cutting off the internet.
4
Chip Off the Old Flock
"Have you noticed that eggs are getting more shell bits into the bowl or pan when you crack them? There's a reason — and it has to do with the same avian-flu outbreak that made eggs so pricey last year. Older hens lay eggs with thinner shells, leading to more shell bits when you crack them." It's not just you. Eggshells really are chipping more.
5
Extra, Extra
Stupor Tuesday: Yes, it's Super Tuesday. But you don't need me to tell you that. You know it because of the breathless headlines that focus only on the race and ignore the issues and the stakes. You know it because it's Super Spam Tuesday in your messages and email. And if you didn't know it because of that, you know it because Taylor Swift told you.
+ X Marks the Spot: "We’re familiar with Trump’s arc, of course. But why is Musk so important to the right? Why is a reported illicit drug user and unmarried father of 11 children by three women, a man whose social media site, X, is overrun with hatred and pornography, celebrated across the length and breadth of the new right, including parts of the Christian right? The answer is that if Trump is MAGA’s champion, Musk is its gatekeeper." David French in the NYT (Gift Article): Why Elon Musk Is the Second Most Important Person in MAGA. (If you refuse to support Fox News, you should refuse to post on Twitter.) Elon is like Trump in other ways, too. For example, he hates paying his bills. Elon Musk Sued for $128 Million in Unpaid Severance by Former Twitter Execs. (Prediction: Don't be surprised if Elon comes to Trump's rescue by helping him pay his NY fraud trial fines.)
+ Truth Enamel: Musk and Trump are all about creating an alternate reality. The excellent Deb Roy, director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication, is all about piecing back together the trust between experts and society. The Atlantic: How to Tackle Truth Decay.
+ News Clipping: "Opill, the first oral contraceptive approved for over-the-counter use in the United States, will be available in stores and online this month." Meanwhile, after Dobbs, there's reportedly been a vasectomy boom.
+ Awashington: From Rolling Stone (Gift Article): Trump’s White House Was ‘Awash in Speed’ — and Xanax. In fairness, during the four years I covered the Trump White House, my man cave was awash in that and a lot worse. But there's an even scarier part of the story. "Immediately after counseling sessions, therapists were pressed for information about what they were told."
+ Benioff the Marc? The other day I linked to a story about Marc Benioff buying up a lot of property in Hawaii. Now it looks like he's up to the same thing he was up to in the Bay Area. Marc Benioff gives $150 million to Hawaii hospitals and says he donated most of the land he bought there.
+ Gas Leak: Man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases from Mexico into US in first-of-a-kind prosecution.
+ Center of Gravity: Jason Kelce announced his retirement after 13 seasons. There were a lot of tears. Thankfully, Jason Kelce is not retiring from this.
6
Bottom of the News
"The world’s biggest fitness app is making it possible for people to back up their talk with some cold hard numbers. That’s right: Strava for dogs is here. Owners can now show off their canine companion’s athletic feats on the same platform they do their own accomplishments." Yes, Strava for Dogs Is Now a Real Thing. If someone on the East Coast will put a small piece of chicken jerky on their front porch, I'll let my beagles off leash and they'll dominate this competition.
+ I never thought I'd say this in public. But, please give me a wedgie. The Verge: The MacBook Air’s wedge is truly gone — and I miss it already. (It was the perfect design...)
Thanks,
Dave Pell, Duke of URL
Duke of URL! Nice!