oh, chicago

Someone finally invented a hot dog croissant.

“The limited-edition pastry, a collab between Daisies and The Wieners Circle, launched Tuesday after a series of video teasers starring Daisies’ pastry chef and some famously foul-mouthed Wieners Circle staffers.” ~ learn more

fun facts

Literacy rate by country 2024.

There are 10 countries, mostly in central Africa, that still have a literacy rate below 50%. Chad ranks the lowest at 27%. The female literacy rate in Chad is even worse at 18.2%. But on the bright side, remember that […]

fun facts

If you can spend $20k on a watch, why not on a mobile phone?

You might remember VERTU, the first luxury phone brand. “Vertu is the brainchild of the Italian Frank Nuovo, former chief designer at Nokia. He proposed and presented the luxury concept to Nokia’s board, who eventually accepted it in late 1998.” […]

fun facts

The oceans are way more crowded than we thought.

“Advances in AI and satellite imagery allowed researchers to create the clearest picture yet of human activity at sea, revealing clandestine fishing activity and a boom in offshore energy development.” ~ learn more

profiles of people

A conversation with Charlie Munger.

This was published shortly before the famous investor’s recent passing. One excerpt: “Berkshire is pretty extreme in culture. We are deeply aware of how bureaucracies tend to create their own internal dynamics so that everybody protects everybody else and nobody […]

big ideas

Quantum computing’s hard, cold reality check.

“The quantum computer revolution may be further off and more limited than many have been led to believe. That’s the message coming from a small but vocal set of prominent skeptics in and around the emerging quantum computing industry.” ~ learn more

big ideas

How to scale nuclear power.

Venture investor Ryan McEntush writes that the tides are turning for nuclear energy after a long hiatus from building new reactors. Not only does it seem that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is speeding up its review process, but also a […]

retail therapy

Celebrity-led brands are the future of consumer products.

“You might dismiss as mere gimmicks products from YouTube stars like MrBeast and Logan Paul—think Feastables snacks and Prime energy drinks, respectively. But billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen leans toward another view: that they represent the future of consumer-product relationships.” ~ learn […]

retail therapy

Amazon’s lowering fees to compete with Shein.

The author of this post suggests this won’t really solve anything… “Amazon rarely changes referral fees, and reducing the fee by 70% for items in Shein’s key price segment is unquestionably a response to Shein. But even if fees were […]