Next Draft - With Friends Like These
Most of us had an imaginary friend or two when we were kids. I had one with whom I remained friendly into adulthood until subtle differences drove us apart (he became an antivax, Trump supporter with several AR-15s who loves the Dodgers, hates puns, and only joined Twitter after Elon Musk made it safe for free speech). If you didn't have an imaginary friend, maybe you just talked to yourself. But modern life and its always-on devices have stolen moments from those times when we're left alone with our imaginary friends or, heaven forbid, our own thoughts. And now the technology that consumes our every waking moment is coming for our kids. Meet "Grok, an AI-powered plush toy in the shape of a rocket that can converse with your child. Grok is the first product from a Silicon Valley start-up called Curio that is leveraging Open AI’s technology on a line of toys Curio’s founders say will be capable of long-running, fully interactive conversation, allowing a child to view it almost as a peer or friend." In a weird irony, the company that is entering what will be a growing market for AI-powered toys is positioning the toy as an antidote to tech, because it might reduce the time kids spend on their screens. This continues an age-old trend of companies offering technology to solve problems technology created. Taylor Lorenz in WaPo (Gift Article): Meet Grok. 2Suicide Pact"The core of the gun-rights movement—and the firearms market—is made up of white men who live in suburbs or rural areas. These buyers are among the least likely to encounter gun violence, but the most likely to die by their own hand using a firearm. And yet the gun industry has so far avoided any real public reckoning over whether the strategy that keeps these customers buying could also be placing them in danger." This collaboration from The Atlantic and The Traceby Mike Spies provides a detailed look at an aspect of gun violence we don't talk about as much. It's also a really interesting dive into how modern discourse can turn somewhat moderate views into other-hating extremism. The Death of a Gun-Rights Warrior. 3Capitol OffenseQuestion: When you've gone from bad to worse, where do you go next? Answer: Capitol Hill. Dana Milbank in WaPo (Gift Article): Worst. Congress. Ever. "The year began with chaos and incompetence. It ended with chaos and incompetence. In between were self-created crises and shocking moments of fratricide — interspersed with more chaos and incompetence." 4Weekend WhatsWhat to Movie: Past Lives is a really good movie about two kids who fall in love in Korea and then drift apart as adults. "Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance." 5Extra, ExtraHostage Disaster: "Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned." Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza. And the massive Danish shipping company Maersk has said it is pausing all journeys through the Red Sea "after a spate of attacks on vessels launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis - an Iran-backed rebel movement." Here's the latest from CNN, BBC, and Times of Israel. 6Feel Good FridayFirst, some excellent news from the world of publishing. Mother Jones is combining forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting (where I'm an adviser and my wife is a board member). This means more hard-hitting, investigative journalism, radio, and documentaries getting in front of more people. CIR/Reveal and Mother Jones Are Joining Forces. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |
Older messages
Sent Packing
Friday, December 15, 2023
Well Traveled Returns, Delay in Trump Case?
Prolong and Winding Road
Friday, December 15, 2023
Long Covid, Impeach Pit, Zuck's Hidden Paradise
A Sad State of Affairs
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
State Lines in the Sand, Shohei's Deal
Count Me In
Monday, December 11, 2023
The handful of voters who matter, (ex) presidential immunity
France Surrenders
Thursday, December 7, 2023
The Unexpected Invasion of Paris, Weekend Whats
You Might Also Like
AI chatbots keep failing every accuracy test thrown at them
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
PLUS: Why Substack's new subscriber milestone is so significant ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Everything We’ve Written About That’s on Sale at Nordstrom
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Plus: Actually cute plus-size maternity clothes. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
What A Day: Bad Car-ma
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Elon Musk's politics are sparking a major Tesla backlash, ironically thanks to Trump. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Rohingya refugees just lost half of their food aid. Now what?
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
An interview with Free Rohingya Coalition what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas Hey, this is Sham Jaff, a freelance journalist focused on Asia, Africa and the Americas and your very
Shayne Coplan’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
March 11, 2025 THE MONEY GAME Shayne Coplan's Big Bet Is Paying Off By Jen Wieczner Photo: Dina Litovsky At 6 am on Wednesday, November 13, eight FBI agents in black windbreakers burst through the
We need your input.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Share your insights & receive a 70% off forever.
We Talkin’ About Practice?
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Seattle startup takes eco-friendly aim at recycling clothing
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Read AI rolls out enterprise search tool | Hard time for hardware ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: A limited number of table sponsorships are available at the 2025 GeekWire Awards: Secure your
☕ The beauty of it all
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
A conversation with Ulta Beauty's CMO. March 11, 2025 View Online | Sign Up Marketing Brew Presented By Iterable It's Tuesday. Count Kathy Hochul as an ad buyer. The governor of New York is
🤔 What’s in your wallet? A scam.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Plus, a new streaming deal is the latest gift to Trump from the billionaire CEO and his company — which profits off government contracts. Forward this email to others so they can sign up 🔥 Today on