Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

1

An Uber He Couldn’t Refuse

I'm calling out a favor. Forward today's edition to one other person and tell them to sign up or get the app. Do it. Trust me, they will thank you. (App users can share the edition from the bottom of item 10.)

A couple days ago, the mayor and city council of America's most influential city announced plans to limit the number of Uber cars that can operate within its confines. After an immediate and fierce campaign that spanned lobbying, public relations and customer outreach, NYC's threat of a cap was lifted until further studies can be done. Welcome to power of the tech industry's fastest growing company. When they say they're merging into your lane, they're damn well gonna merge. (In related news, AirBNB will soon be renting out Gracie Mansion).

+ To understand the growth of Uber (as a transportation company and a political force), take a look at some of these numbers in an article that includes the line of the day: "The de Blasio-backed proposal, which drew the ire of Governor Andrew Cuomo and model Kate Upton, would have capped Uber's growth at 1 percent a year."

2

Yelling Fire in a Crowded Fire

"It's a lot easier to figure out the context of speech in the physical world than in the online world. You need that context in order to see what that speech really means." The Atlantic takes a look into a sad, new requirement for Secret Service personnel: Finding online threats and figuring out which ones to take seriously.

3

Women on the Verge of Being Shot

"From 2001 to 2012, more women in our country were shot to death by an intimate partner than the total number of American troops killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. That is a national shame." Gabby Giffords on America's problem with gun violence against women.

4

Fahrenheit 452B

"The increasing energy from its aging sun might be heating the surface and evaporating any oceans. The water vapor would be lost from the planet forever. Kepler 452b could be experiencing now what the Earth will undergo more than a billion years from now." NASA and SETI confirm the discovery of the most Earth-like planet ever encountered. (No one watching today's Congressional discussion on the Iran deal could possibly be hoping to find more life in the universe.)

5

Go Get the Butter

Silicon Valley is coming for your breakfast. Dave Asprey just raised another $9 million for Bulletproof, a company that's best known for advising you to drink coffee blended with butter. According the Buzzfeed, the chain of stores will include some surprising amenties, including "lighting that changes color with the time of day, so your circadian rhythm is matched [and] the Bulletproof Vibe vibration platform, which is said to be able to support the immune system and build muscle strength by moving up and down 30 times per second." (This morning I accidentally dropped a Tater Tot into an espresso my valuation went up by $30 million.)

+ Before we make fun of this generation for drinking butter coffee, let's remember that our generation convinced elite athletes of the benefits of sugar water.

+ Campbell Soup Company is the latest food-maker to commit to eliminating all artificial colors and flavors. (Anyone hungry for a bowl of steam?)

6

The 501 Blues

Levi's once dominated the region below your waist. Now they find themselves in a feverish effort to make denim that is softer and softer. But they're not trying to make yoga pants! Bloomberg's Tim Higgins on the very interesting effort to win back the hearts, and butts, of shoppers.

7

A Cool Day In Hell

"At 13, they were viewed by classmates with envy, admiration and not a little awe. The girls wore makeup, had boyfriends and went to parties held by older students. The boys boasted about sneaking beers on a Saturday night and swiping condoms from the local convenience store. They were cool. They were good-looking. They were so not you." The NYT's Jan Hoffman on the plummeting of the popular kids: Cool at 13, Adrift at 23. (And this article doesn't even mention the fact that the many of the nerds who were once jealous of these kids are now flying private.)

8

Bro Culture

"They are singularly the most informed and instinctive filmmakers and businessmen in the industry. They know how to get a film made, and they know how to get it seen." Meet the Duplass brothers, "an indie-film juggernaut that has written, directed, or had a hand in producing 24 movies over the past 19 years ... not to mention Togetherness, every episode of which they wrote, produced, and directed."

+ From The Guardian: Rain is sizzling bacon, cars are lions roaring: the art of sound in movies.

9

Cooling Off Period

At the peak, Las Vegas was home to more than one out of every twenty American weddings. But those days are long gone as a lot of weddings (and a lot of money) is leaving Las Vegas.

+ While the wedding business isn't booming, the rest of Las Vegas is. And as Las Vegas goes, so goes America.

10

Bottom of the News

"A federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled yesterday that somebody who accidentally calls somebody else isn't protected by a right to privacy." In other words, you are now liable for your butt calls.

+ From The Hill: Trump threatens a third-party run. (I know this sounds weird, but I have a feeling Trump is Banksy.)

+ And the NYT Magazine asks an age-old question: Why Is It So Hard to Get a Great Bagel in California? Let's answer that question with a question: Have they ever been to Barton's in San Anselmo? (Never let it be said that I didn't add value.)

+ Remember to forward this issue to at least one friend and tell them to sign up here. They will be smarter. You will be loved. And I won't have to tell my friends at Uber to come after you...