Welcome to the weekend.

Prime Numbers

110,905 — Country singer George Strait breaks record for largest-ever ticketed concert in the U.S. with 110,905 people in attendance.

400 — Engineers design a robot capable of jumping close to 400 feet in the air, more than 100 times its own height; current robot-jumping record is around 110 feet.

14 — The average age of a passenger car on the road has increased from 11 years in 2014 to 14 years today, and people are living in their homes for an average of 11.9 years, up from 6.5 years in 2005. Part of this is higher up-front costs, and better durability of the assets in question means less of an incentive to buy new as often as one once did.

Social Media Warning Labels

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, announced his intention to push for warning labels on social media platforms, cautioning parents about the potential harm to adolescents' mental health. While the surgeon general has the authority to issue such warnings, implementing the labels would require Congressional approval. This proposal follows Dr. Murthy's escalating concerns over the past few years, including his May 2023 advisory urging parents to set limits on phone use and calling on Congress to develop health and safety standards for technology platforms. Additionally, he has called on tech companies to share internal data on the health impact of their products, allow independent safety audits, and restrict features that contribute to excessive use and prey on developing brains. New York Times (7 minutes)

Platonic

Living life with friendship at the center has become a controversial and radical idea in modern times, largely due to the convergence of two historical trends around the turn of the 20th century: the emergence of the homosexual identity category (and associated stigma) and the ballooning expectations placed on marriage. As a result, people have internalized the notion that friendship is a peripheral relationship while marriage has become the premier emotional bond, leaving little room for deep, committed friendships. However, unbundling romance from other aspects of life, such as parenting and emotional fulfillment, and recognizing the potential of friends to fill these roles is immensely valuable because it liberates individuals from the pressure to find a single romantic partner to fulfill all their needs, allowing for a more diverse and resilient support system. By mustering the courage to have open conversations with friends about the importance of their bond and experimenting with new ways of living and loving, we can rediscover the richness and possibility that comes from placing friendship at the heart of our lives. Culture Study (14 minutes)

The Real Estate "CD"

If you are getting used to high-yielding savings accounts and ever-increasing treasury yields, it is time to seek out alternatives. Fixed income rates are falling, but OneWall Communities is offering immediately available, liquid, fixed-rate Notes at 8% for 1 year with monthly interest payments. This return is more than 13x the average savings account and more than 300 bps above 1-year treasury yields. In a time when the stock market is frothy and inflation is still elevated, adding high-yield fixed income with zero correlation to the stock market and no reliance on day-to-day property performance for repayment can provide diversification and stable monthly income to your portfolio. Weekend Briefing readers are getting priority access to the remaining current offering plus first look at future opportunistic multifamily deals before the wave of institutional dry powder crashes in. More than $300B is available for commercial real estate investment. OneWall (Sponsored)

Brain Computer Interface

Noland Arbaugh was the first person to receive a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant from Neuralink. The device has made his life better by letting him use computers and the internet on his own, even though he is paralyzed from the neck down. With the implant, he can easily browse the web, text, use apps and play video games for long periods using the cursor. This has helped him feel more connected and independent. But the device also has some downsides, like needing to be charged often and a problem where most of the implant's threads moved out of place a month after surgery. Even with these issues, Arbaugh is hopeful about the future of BCI technology and how it could help people with disabilities. He sees his experience as an important step in creating better, more dependable devices. Scientific American (8 minutes)

Lessons From Estonia

Estonia has become a global model for how governments can modernize and simplify their services through the implementation of a digital ID system, which allows citizens to access 99% of public services online 24/7. The country's e-ID system is secured through blockchain technology, ensuring data privacy and reducing the impact of potential cyberattacks by distributing and cryptographically securing data across multiple computers. The digitization of government services in Estonia has transformed bureaucracy from a slow, sequential process to a more efficient parallel one, saving an estimated 1,400 years of working time and 2% of GDP. Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who oversaw the rollout of the digital ID system, recommends a four-step approach for other governments looking to implement similar systems: start with a secured digital identity, solve people's problems, make it mandatory and prioritize mobile accessibility. Project Liberty (5 minutes)

How Poverty Feels

This thread asked a thought-provoking question: What wouldn’t someone who has never been poor understand? The responses highlight the hidden costs and daily struggles of poverty. One person shared the constant stress of grocery shopping with a calculator, only to face the embarrassment of having to put items back at the register when the total exceeds their available funds. Another mentioned the exhausting need to constantly act like everything is fine, pretending not to be hungry around friends or feigning disinterest in activities to avoid revealing their financial situation. Perhaps most heartbreaking was the story of a mother skipping meals to ensure her children had enough to eat, with the kids eventually realizing that when their mom wasn't hungry, it actually meant there simply wasn't enough food to go around. @prec10us

Quiet Compounding

Contrary to popular belief, true success and personal fulfillment often stem not from flashy displays of wealth or constant comparisons to others, but rather from the powerful and counterintuitive approach of quiet compounding. It 1) emphasizes the importance of focusing on internal benchmarks and personal satisfaction rather than external comparisons and social performance. Quiet compounding 2) acknowledges the inherent differences among individuals and encourages people to find their own path to success, avoiding the pitfalls of copying others with different goals and personalities. It 3) prioritizes independence and the ability to use money to improve one's life, rather than trying to impress others with material possessions. Quiet compounding also 4) emphasizes the importance of long-term endurance and the ability to absorb manageable volatility rather than attempting to avoid short-term fluctuations and risking looking foolish in the process. Ultimately, this approach is about making a bet on the slow but steady improvement of things over time, recognizing that true success is achieved through patience and consistency, not haste or showmanship. Collab Fund (6 minutes)

Should We Work Together?

Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.

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Weekend Wisdom

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. -Thomas Edison