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Low hanging fruit. Circling back. Let's take this offline. I don't have the bandwidth to list all the various buzzwords and aphorisms that emerged in the early days of the internet business. Catchy phrases of the moment have probably always been a part of human communication trends. Until now, our clichés have come from a tendency to imitate each other. But these days, we're imitating a machine. "Words frequently used by ChatGPT, including 'delve' and 'meticulous,' are getting more common in spoken language, according to an analysis of more than 700,000 hours of videos and podcasts." Scientific American: ChatGPT Is Changing the Words We Use in Conversation. Of course, ChatGPT developed its word patterns from imitating us. Now we're imitating it. Then it will imitate us imitating it. It seems inevitable that we're going to get down using to fewer and fewer words until we arrive at just one. My guess is that it will be Ugh.
2
Survivor
"It was 5:44 p.m., according to minutes of the meeting. At that moment, the prime minister was forced to choose between the chance of a truce and his political survival — and Netanyahu opted for survival. There was no cease-fire plan, he promised Smotrich. 'No, no, there’s no such thing,' he said. And as the cabinet discussion moved on, Netanyahu quietly leaned over to his security advisers and whispered what must have by then become obvious to them: 'Don’t present the plan.'" NYT Mag(Gift Article) with a detailed look at How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power. And placing his own political survival at the top of his post-Oct 7 to-do list means placing others things further down the list, like limiting unnecessary death and destruction in Gaza, negotiating the release of all the hostages, and establishing a regional peace. Meanwhile, the strategy has created more negative views of Israel around the world, and sadly, by extension, more energy for already rising tide of worldwide antisemitism. Of course, in 2025, the world doesn't exactly have a shortage of leaders who put their own political survival above the greater good.
3
Margin Call
In Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote, "Two thirds of this terraqueous globe are the Nantucketer's. For the sea is his; he owns it, as Emperors own empires." These days, emperors own Nantucket, too. As you can tell by the number of visitors, Nantucket is unique in many ways, but it's also representative of an increasingly common storyline. The ever-expanding economic divide has made some places so expensive that people like teachers, police officers, firefighters can't afford to live there. NYT (Gift Article): Nantucket’s Workers Are Living on the Margins.
4
Weekend Whats
What to Book: "A teenage girl breaks free from her father’s world of isolation to discover that her whole life is a lie." She also learns a lot about what we got right and what we got terribly wrong during the early days of the internet. A new novel from Janelle Brown, What Kind of Paradise.
+ What to Watch: Idris Elba and John Cena star as a president and a prime minister who find themselves left to their own devices (with a lot of help from Priyanka Chopra Jonas) to fight for their survival and that of NATO. It's one of those action comedies that are so popular these days, but it's better than most of them. Heads of State on Prime.
+ What to Pocket: Many people have been bummed to learn that the popular read-it-later app Pocket has shut down. But there's a replacement. I've been testing it. It's off to an excellent start and it's being rapidly improved by some excellent product engineers and designers. Introducing Save with Folio.
5
Extra, Extra
A Taxing Endeavor: Trump announced another tariff on Canada. The market, used to these threats, had a ho hum reaction. But this chaos will not come without a cost. The Atlantic (Gift Article): Start Budgeting Now. "Traders have figured out how to make money from the short-lived dips that Trump periodically causes, calling it the 'TACO trade,' for 'Trump always chickens out.' But Trump is not doing nothing. Businesses are struggling to negotiate the uncertainty created by the White House. Trump’s tariffs are forcing up consumer costs and damaging firms. And the latest renewal of the trade war will make the economy worse." The latest move has been to send tariff letters to other countries. Most leaders are angry when they get them. But not everyone. Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter. (Trump gives a gift to undemocratic regime. Shocker.)
+ Kash App: "Some senior officials who have taken the test have been asked whether they said anything negative about the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel." The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty. (No one is asking if they're loyal to the country.)
+ Different Times: Can we still call them one in a thousand year storms when they come four times in a week?
+ Skating on Thin ICE: "DHS is urging law enforcement to treat even skateboarding and livestreaming as signs of violent intent during a protest, turning everyday behavior into a pretext for police action." Wired: DHS Tells Police That Common Protest Activities Are ‘Violent Tactics.'
+ She's Got My Sleep Number: Justice Jackson Says ‘the State of Our Democracy’ Keeps Her Up at Night. (She can always text me. I'm usually up for the same reason.)
+ Island Fever: "For much of this year, Cassidy Crosser made sure to answer all her spam phone calls. 'Hello? Love Island?' she would ask, hoping to hear that after applying three times, she had finally been cast on the hit reality dating TV show Love Island USA. 'Obviously I didn’t hear back. Because I’m not in Fiji.'" ‘Just Tan and Be Hot and Single’: The People Fighting to Be on Love Island. (I'm not tan, hot, or single. But I'm definitely gonna start answering spam calls with, "Hello? Love Island?")
6
Feel Good Friday
"My father-in-law, Claude, did not live an opulent life. He lived in ways to which we all should truly aspire." An obituary with a broader message: A tribute to an uncommon man.
+ First malaria treatment for babies is approved.
+ Ukrainian doctor drives a child’s heart through Russian attack to perform a life-saving transplant.
+ Stella McCartney’s new plant-based sneakers can be composted. (And they sound like they'd probably taste pretty good, too.)
+ ‘One in a million’: teen surfer found on remote island 14km off Australian coast.
+ Tiny pet dog credited with helping to save hiker trapped in Swiss glacier. (I don't think my beagles would ever forgive me if I took them for a walk on a glacier.)