Dear Newsletterest,

June is already coming to a close and we're in the midst of a heatwave here on the East Coast that's melting statues (literally) and keeping us generally indoors. Next week I'll be heading to Portugal to speak at the QSP Summit, so if you'll be there too then let me know!

For stories this week, we start off with a tourism campaign from Oslo that has been turning some heads for its jarring honesty and clever positioning for the city. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it. You'll also read about the untold history of Spaghettios (an iconic American canned food - just to explain for my non-American friends), a surprisingly controversial branded summer camp idea, how neurolink may be creating a wave of superhuman gamers and how philosophers can help provide the perspective on AI and the future we're all craving.

Enjoy the stories and stay curious!

Rohit

Oslo's Unexpected Tourism Campaign Tells Travelers Why They Shouldn't Visit

Residents in every city love to complain about the daily minor or major frustrations they endure in order to live where they do, but what if the things they gripe about are the same reasons someone else might choose to visit? That's the insight behind a clever campaign that has been going viral this week where an Oslo resident complains about not having to wait for a great table at a popular restaurant, or the lack of crowds or lines at various destinations. At the end, he wonders aloud whether you can even consider Oslo a city.

The result is a brilliant satire on all the things that define a city while simultaneously spotlighting what makes Oslo so different. Great cities don't need to be overcrowded, overhyped, overscheduled collections of chaos. Maybe we might enjoy them more if they were all just a little bit more like Oslo.

Spaghettios and the Curious Histories of Snack Foods

In 1967, food ads of the time began promoting “the greatest invention since the napkin.” Riding the wave of Italian-inspired convenience foods, that game-changing new product was a new spaghetti you could eat with a spoon which hit the markets with a perfectly descriptive brand name: Spaghettios. The canned product was a hit, quickly becoming a cultural icon and soon becoming a symbol of the growing American love affair with packaged foods. The true story of it's creation, including the man who mistakenly gets credit for it’s invention and the woman who actually should is the subject of an entertaining deep dive into the history of Spaghettios from a blog called Snack Stack.

The writer is a food and travel writer named Doug Mack who focuses his blog on the cultural history of snacks and other foods. His past articles have looked at the untold history of everything from bunny chow in South Africa, patties in Jamaica, or chikki peanut brittle from India. Why does he do this? As he explains, "snacks provide a break from the bustle of life, and I want this newsletter to serve the same function." Exploring his little corner of the Internet reminded me of the delightful experience I used to have often of discovering a new blog. It feels like that is getting harder and harder. Sometimes there’s nothing quite as satisfying as finding someone who still spends hours researching and writing about an otherwise obscure topic that just brings them joy.

Chick-fil-A Launches Summer Camp For Young Kids: Is It Smart or Evil?

This July children aged 5-12 years old in some regions can sign up for a summer camp experience to go behind the scenes at a Chick-fil-A restaurant to see how the food is made and how operations work. It's been predictably popular among young fans of the brand and the few locations where it is offered are already sold out. When news of the program broke, the brand received plenty of criticism online from people joking that it seemed like an evil master plan to employ child labor and commenting on whether employees were even qualified to work with or teach children in such an environment.

The brand was quick to point out that kids won't be doing any actual work there, but the story does raise the larger question of whether these sorts of branded summer experiences for kids are evil or necessary. Dirty Jobs creator Mike Rowe praised the program as a great example of giving kids a look at the real world that they rarely get in school. Others suggest that the more kids see how businesses of all sorts really operate, the more prepared they will be for entering the world as adults.

What do you think? Is this just a clever brand excuse to foster loyalty and create a pipeline of future teenage workers? Or is it a valuable introduction to the real world for kids that more brands should offer? Hit reply and let me know what you think!

Want To Understand How AI Could Transform Our World? Read More Philosophy.

AI induced angst seems to be on everyone’s mind. Just this week I was invited to an hour long virtual session with a group of brand experts and strategists about the future of AI and creative industries. I was tempted to do what most others do and focus on the latest technology. Whether it’s fun but relatively pointless talking head animations or mind-blowing examples of one-button Hollywood level animation, the simultaneous cheering and fearing of AI usually centers on talking about the tools. Recently I am finding far more value in turning to the work of philosophers and cultural critics who are thinking more deeply and less reactively about an AI adjacent future.

For example, in the most recent edition of Walrus magazine, cultural observer Navneet Alang writes “we are awash with digital detritus, with the cacophony of the present, and in response, we seek out a superhuman assistant to draw out what is true from the morass of the false and the misleading—often only to be misled ourselves when AI gets it wrong.”

He references the writing of philosopher Nick Bostrum who’s latest book Deep Utopia (Ideapress, 2024) takes an unusual look at what will be most important in a world “solved” by technology. Bostrum and Alang offer a counterbalance to the daily overblown announcements of “groundbreaking” tech we’re surrounded by. They, and other philosophers and cultural observers like them, are the ones who offer the perspective we so desperately seek right now. So the next time you’re looking for insight into what the future might look like, you might consider skipping the AI daily briefings and instead take time to read something that will actually make you think … and maybe offer you that glimmer of optimism about the future you’re really hoping for.

Neurolink May Create A Generation of Gamers With Superhuman Reflexes

Earlier this year Noland Arbaugh became the first patient to receive a brain-computer chip implanted by Elon Musk's startup Neuralink after a diving accident left him paralyzed. Aside from being able to move a cursor with his mind now, he recently told podcaster Joe Rogan that the implant has also given him near superhuman reflexes in a handful of video games. The advantage is so extreme, that he suggested in the future "they’ll probably have different leagues for people like me because it’s just not fair."

This is the sort of story we will see more of in the coming months because it perfectly brings together the intersection of many different stories about the future. A technology is developed to help someone with a disability. That technology shows promise to give them some sort of superhuman ability beyond what most of us are generally capable of. And the discussion starts about whether these "enhancements" should be allowed, and whether people without disabilities should be able to voluntarily request them.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week

Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Do you wish you had a better memory? Over the years I have probably read more than a dozen books that promise tips and tricks to improve your memory. Some are pretty formulaic, and others are slightly useful but hard to digest. The one I have come back to several times is Moonwalking With Einstein, first published in 2011. Inspired by writer Joshua Foer’s journey into the world of memory competitions, the book takes the secrets of "memory champions" and unveils them through a series of stories which make the book immediately more readable. The book unfolds like a story from an investigative journalist—offering a first person encounter into a world you've probably only heard about. Whether you're motivated to get better at remembering, or you're just looking for an easy non-fiction read on the beach, this book offers an unforgettable perspective.

About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

Every week I will be featuring a new “non-obvious” book selection worth sharing. Titles featured here may be new or from the backlist, but the date of publication doesn’t really matter. My goal is to elevate great books that perhaps deserve a second look which you might have otherwise missed.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories …

Every week I always curate more stories than I'm able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?