5ish - Pure Imagination
I sent my first newsletter almost exactly seven years ago. The world, and my life, were very different then. It was August of 2016. Barack Obama was still President, nearing the end of his second term as we all barreled towards the 2016 election. We all remember what happened next... I was just wrapping up a vacation in Europe with my wife. Over two years ago from our first child being born. Now I’m here living in Europe, waiting on our second. Anyway, I was thinking about this first newsletter today as our youngest just watched Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (after my wife read her Roald Dahl’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — power swap by Hollywood there, ampersand and all). That first newsletter — which, sadly, no longer resides online because The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter killed off the Revue newsletter platform on which it was sent, so it now just resides in my inbox vault — was entitled “In a World of Pure Imagination”, because Gene Wilder, the star of said movie, had just passed away. In the quiet moments before the wonderful chaos, I’m finding myself thinking, as I often do, about content. And I think I have a plan. A giant, unified plan. Finally. But it will take some time as I take some time. Stay tuned, in a few months. ✍️🍻 🕵️♂️ My Impossible Mission to Find Tom CruiseCaity Weaver humorously tries to track down where Cruise actually lives — likely somewhere in England — as he’s become something of an enigma in modern life. Unlike seemingly every other actor on social media, Cruise only seems to exist in the real world when he’s promoting his movies (which he does relentlessly). I appreciate this reclusiveness, it is a bit odd for a celebrity in our modern world, but it also adds to his mystique as the last “true” movie star. One where we don’t know (and track) his every Starbucks order. ⚓️ How Sapporo Sank Anchor BrewingIf, like me, you were shocked by the news that Anchor Brewing, the 152-year-old iconic San Francisco brewery, was going out of business, this backstory as to why will probably just make you angry. Let’s hope someone —the employees?! — steps in to save them. 🌁 What If San Francisco Never Pulls Out of its “Doom Loop”?Speaking of SF, the title and certainly the images (!) are a bit much here, but overall, this feels like a fair look at the city — where I lived and watched degrade over the past 15 years — by Tabby Kinder and George Hammond. Still, there’s some hope… 📱 The iPhone 15 Pro is a Step Toward Apple’s DreamMark Gurman, as always, seemingly has all the key details about the iPhone 15 ahead of its launch. The key upgrade this year will clearly be the first chip built with the 3nm process — which should both lead to a nice speed jump and, more importantly, better battery life. But the real hardware upgrade (beyond the switch to USB-C) will likely be the mute toggle becoming an “Action” button, just like the Apple Watch Ultra has. Say goodbye to the constant swiping left to open the camera app. (Also, StandBy is great.) 🛢️ The Mother of All PivotsScott Galloway on the Gulf States attempt to pivot from oil. The “Neom” project is the most forward-facing effort, but there are hundreds of other elements to the pivot, both large (tech investing, buying sports teams) and small (marketing luxury and trying to lure the world’s wealthiest people). 👻 Social Media is Doomed to DieThis post by Ellis Hamburger, who previously worked at Snap, from April still very much resonates. Even if they growing to a massive scale, all social media services eventually die by their own hands due to cheap engagement tactics to ramp monetization. From Facebook on down, it’s inevitable. “What gives you opportunities is other people doing dumb things. In the 58 years we’ve been running Berkshire, I’d say there has been a great increase in the number of people doing dumb things.” — Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting this past May The Quick Stuff
Oh yes, Tweets no longer render here, of course, so here’s a screenshot…My Stuff🏀 Gradually, then Suddenly, ObviouslyESPN set to let traditional cable television bleed out… 🎤 All Bangers, All the TimeSome thoughts as Succession ends… 🔪 The ShivA few quick thoughts on Succession’s finale… 😎 Apple’s Vision Pro & Meta’s Vision Oh NoSome initial thoughts on Apple’s position versus Meta’s… 🙄 These Used to be Serious PeopleZuckerberg vs. Musk. Literally. Who gives a shit? 💸 How Apple Should Have Framed the ‘Vision Pro’ Price PointA little bit of the old Steve Jobs plain talkin’ distortion… 🥽 Apple’s Vision RampHow will Vision Pro scale? 🪡 Meta Threads a NeedleSome quick, initial thoughts on Meta’s Threads service 🐛 Once BittenA no-joke very bad centipede bite… The Name’s Bond, A.I. Bond |
Older messages
A Week and Weak WiFi
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Hello from 35k feet. The last time I was in the sky, just over a week ago, SVB was in the midst of collapsing. It feels like two months ago. What a surreal time to be alive. Which I suppose every
The Name's Eye, GoldenEye
Saturday, January 28, 2023
A piece of childhood returns...
...And Back Again
Monday, January 9, 2023
Welcome to 2023. Just back from vacation chasing a small child around Australia and New Zealand for a few weeks. Not too much downtime but I was able to get quite a bit of reading done in the small
'22
Friday, December 16, 2022
With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I'd use this opportunity to clear out a bunch of links I had saved over the past year-ish. I'll be heading off on an adventure next week —
Roasted Turkey
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
A warm Thanksgiving greeting...
You Might Also Like
QAnon Was Born Out of the Sex Ad Moral Panic That Took Down Backpage.com
Sunday, April 28, 2024
For years, the political establishment opportunistically railed against sex trafficking. Then came Pizzagate. Most Read QAnon Was Born Out of the Sex Ad Moral Panic That Took Down Backpage.com Trevor
Monday Briefing: Plans for Gaza’s future
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Plus, European countries crack down on China's influence. View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story Ad Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition April 29, 2024 Author Headshot By
Guest Newsletter: Five Books
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Five Books features in-depth author interviews recommending five books on a theme Guest Newsletter: Five Books By Sylvia Bishop • 28 Apr 2024 View in browser View in browser Five Books features in-
GeekWire's Most-Read Stories of the Week
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Catch up on the top tech stories from this past week. Here are the headlines that people have been reading on GeekWire. ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: Science Firsthand: Learn how Bristol
🍿 The Hardy Boys on Acid
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Plus: 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cut is returning to theaters.
10 Things That Delighted Us: From Cardboard Bed Frames to Compact Makeup Stacks
Sunday, April 28, 2024
The most useful, thoughtful, and just plain fun things we uncovered this week. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may
LEVER WEEKLY: Pentagon Grifts And Zombie Pipelines
Sunday, April 28, 2024
From insurance meltdowns and zombie pipelines to Pentagon grifts, here's all the news from The Lever this week. LEVER WEEKLY: Pentagon Grifts And Zombie Pipelines By The Lever • 28 Apr 2024 View in
Birds
Sunday, April 28, 2024
So hot right now ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
An urgent deadline is looming, and we’re short
Sunday, April 28, 2024
No donation is too large or too small. If there's one thing we've learned in the decade since The Intercept was founded, it's this: When you're taking on the biggest and most powerful
☕ 24/7
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Should the stock market be open 24 hours? Presented by ZitSticka April 28, 2024 | View Online | Sign Up | Shop The Spiral Bookstore in Guangzhou, China. John Ricky/Anadolu via Getty Images BROWSING