big ideas

Saudi Arabia’s ordeal.

Saudi Arabia’s ordeal. This is an education on Arabian history that I needed. “He has to transition the biggest conservative petrostate in the world into a modern, diversified economy. The odds are stacked impossibly against him. To understand why, and […]

under the microscope

End the winter cold.

End the winter cold. “A single nasal spray vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus” by keeping lung macrophages on “amber alert” for about three months in animal tests. The idea is a “radical departure” from how vaccines […]

retail therapy

AI customer service on United.

AI customer service on United. “haha no ma’am but I get that a lot” Grace called United after a snowstorm cancellation and got rebooked in about 20 minutes by a voice that sounded very AI, down to doing a quick […]

retail therapy

Does Amazon illegally price fix?

Does Amazon illegally price fix? “Yesterday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed for an immediate halt to what he says is a widespread price-fixing scheme run by the largest online retailer in America, Amazon.” The piece argues Amazon leverages the […]

to your health

AI scents for deeper sleep.

AI scents for deeper sleep. I don’t have the slightest clue if this is based on any real science. But if it is, it’s really cool. “Kimba algorithm analyzes your biometric data in real-time and optimizes scent therapy according to […]

better doing

Every company needs a stuntperson.

Every company needs a stuntperson. “In December 2025, hosted a mock “funeral” for the U.S. penny at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., marking the end of its 230+ year production run with hundreds of people in attendance.” Brianne Kimmel […]

tech, startups, internet

DoorDash’s real AI advantage.

DoorDash’s real AI advantage. In response to a viral AI doomer article, Stratechery went town on their silly example of Doordash being an AI-loser. “DoorDash not only has the most restaurant data, but also exclusive data in terms of customer […]

tech, startups, internet

Default choices crown winners.

Default choices crown winners. “When millions vibe-code their way to a working app, the stacks it chooses become the stacks.” Amplifying surveyed 2,430 open-ended prompts across real repos to see what tools Claude Code actually installs and configures when you […]

tech, startups, internet

Connecting AI is cheap.

Connecting AI is cheap. “Connecting things to our AI engines is cheap, and getting cheaper.” The post argues the bubble comparisons to railroads and telecom miss the key point: once the model exists, adding new use cases looks more like […]