Together We Binge
When I was a kid, my parents instituted a rather draconian rule: No television during dinner. So my sisters and I ate faster, getting our family dinner times down to an average of about seven minutes. Back then, the concern was that the TV screen would distract us from our together time. Well, times have changed. These days, my wife and I practically beg our kids to join us around the big screen for some communal viewing. Compared to everyone scrolling on their own devices, TV time is together time. So it was cause for celebration when our kids, a couple of their friends, and both of our beagles spent multiple hours in the same room at the same time watching the same thing. It was a small victory, made larger by the fact that we were joined by way more than a billion other people doing the same thing. OK, it was still screen time. But at least it was together screen time. Mark O’Connell in the NYT (Gift Article): A Billion Eyes. One Shared Experience. “In these images, TV screens are not an oppressive, degrading or insinuating presence; they are a means not of erasing or escaping the world but of reaching and being reached by it. In a world where everyone experiences his own hyper-individualized flow of images and video and text, minutely optimized for maximum commercial extraction, the World Cup is a rare moment of shared attention.” My family even shared a screenless meal after the game. (And it lasted at least eight minutes.)
+ “Argentina probably held a 4-1 edge in terms of raw numbers, with at least 90 percent of those sporting Messi jerseys. But Spain matched the nervous, distressed Argentine fans in sheer volume, and when Torres drilled his shot — and Argentina missed two last-minute heart-stoppers — well, that was enough to start a celebration that will last for years to come.” From Spain with love: A World Cup final 50 million dreams in the making.
+ Even as hosts, America couldn’t change the beautiful game. But we did add one twist. A halftime show. As soon as I saw the Muppets covering the White Stripes, I realized that I definitely picked the wrong World Cup to stop sniffing glue.
+ The Ringer: 29 Reasons We Loved the 2026 World Cup.
+ The Guardian: From half a million World Cup photos, why I love these the most.
+ Forest Trump: With that many people from around the world locked in on one event, you knew that you know who would want to be at the center of all that attention. Even if that included being booed by the crowd and suffering the humiliation of inserting himself into the winners’ photo op. The Athletic (Gift Article): Trump booed by World Cup final crowd, takes part in trophy presentation. What can I say, Needy Amin strikes again.
This is Not a Bet
Nearly a third of all World Cup bets were placed on prediction market sites. But the federal government is betting no one will notice that they are online casinos. “For users, prediction markets operate almost indistinguishably from online betting platforms. However, they are technically investment sites. As such, they are not constrained by state and tribal gaming law. They are available in all 50 states — even those with no gambling — and the prediction market companies pay no state taxes.” Well, at least the states can regulate them, right? Not if the Trump administration has its way. The Commodities Futures Trading Commission “is doing its utmost to effectively nationalize gambling, leaving states powerless to control what has historically been under their domain.” The federal government typically left gambling to the states — until the prediction markets. These days, when it comes to ethical governance intended to benefit the greater good, bet the under.
Health Nuts
“Efforts to contain Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo did not begin well. Patients fled a treatment unit in Mongbwalu, a mining town, after community members set it on fire. Residents assaulted a burial team in the town of Katana and forced the crew to turn over a coffin. People living in the Kpangba displacement camp drove out health workers searching for Ebola contacts; the assailants insisted that the victims had not died of the disease. Similar antagonism hampered Ebola responses in 2014-16 and again in 2018. Reactions like this would be easy to chalk up to poor education and anachronistic rituals.” Sadly, “scholars have seen similar responses across societies and throughout history.” That includes the reactions of many Americans to Covid. NYT Magazine (Gift Article): Why Epidemics Breed Rage at Health Workers.
Fomo Arigato Mr Roboto
As we’ve learned from the fighting in Ukraine to the Middle East, war is changing and it’s changing quickly. And the US (along with help from tech and defense companies) is racing to adapt. A.I. Drones Are Coming. We Are Not Ready. “The looming challenge for the United States is how to fast-track this technology while balancing the safety and ethics issues with other nations. All weapons are subject to existing prohibitions and restrictions under international humanitarian law. But autonomous weapons raise novel concerns. Humanitarian groups say it’s morally bankrupt to hand over lethal action to machines, no matter how advanced. Can technology reliably differentiate adults from children, or soldiers with guns from TV journalists with camera equipment, or a truckload of fighters from a truckload of war-injured? Can it ascertain if someone is surrendering?”
+ Fighting in the skies is changing. Next comes the change to ground wars. WaPo (Gift Article): Armed robots are on the horizon, as Silicon Valley pitches new military tech. “The administration is pushing the military to use AI, testing long-standing opposition to weapons systems that can pick and attack targets on their own.” (I don’t even trust tech companies to pick the right posts to show up in my algorithm, and they’ve already moved onto this…)
Extra, Extra
Searching for a Rational Rationale: Here’s the sad truth. The lunatic who ranted about imaginary election rigging and said we should tariff Canada because of smoke from their fires blowing into the US is the same lunatic running the war with Iran. “Two more Americans have given their lives in the service of their country. They died in an Iranian attack on a Jordanian air base; several more U.S. military personnel were injured and one is missing. The American people have a right to know why they died, and how many more of their sons and daughters President Trump is willing to risk in this war of choice.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump Owes Americans a Better Explanation About Iran. (What if there isn’t one?) Meanwhile, the Pentagon is suffering from a major case of Low-T. The T in this case is for Truth. Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War. Here’s the latest from The Guardian.
+ Another Post Brexit Exit: ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham becomes 7th British prime minister in a decade. (10 Downing Street has had more turnover than an AirBNB). Here’s the latest from BBC.
+ Deuces Wild: “The FDA initially announced Friday that iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms had tested positive for cyclospora, a parasite that can cause explosive bowel movements. Within 24 hours, however, the agency walked back its determination, claiming that the original lettuce sample was a false positive.” (Even if you don’t have any cyclospora-related GI issues, this CDC has you shitting in your pants.)
+ Tate Crimes: “Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested Saturday in Miami after U.K. prosecutors said they brought further rape and sex trafficking charges against them.”
+ Roach Clips: “Tens of thousands of protesters have defied police orders and descended on Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s education minister in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.” Tens of thousands of Cockroach movement protesters defy police with Delhi march.
+ The Extra Mile: While you were watching the World Cup, you may have missed what was actually the most incredible athletic moment of the weekend. Josh Kerr set new World Record mile time, beating 27-year mark. Given today’s trends in track, the record may not last long. Elite Young Runners Are Becoming Freakishly Fast. Welcome to Trackflation.
Bottom of the News
Some people are worried that AI is becoming the new religion. Well, it’s coming for the old religions first. WSJ (Gift Article): Pastors Using AI to Help Write Sermons Grapple With Where to Draw the Line. “Half of all pastors say they use AI for brainstorming or idea generation, according to the Barna Group, a firm that studies U.S. faith trends. And roughly a quarter use AI to help write their sermons.”
