under the microscope

Stevia in hair growth treatment?

Stevia in hair growth treatment? Researchers have developed a microneedle patch using stevioside, a natural sweetener from Stevia, to enhance minoxidil absorption. “The treated mice also had hair coverage of 67.5% in previously bald areas after just 35 days.” ~ […]

retail therapy

Shein’s first French stores.

Shein’s first French stores. The Chinese e-commerce giant is stepping into physical retail, announcing plans to open its first stores in France. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is not a fan: “[this store] is contrary to the ecological and social ambitions […]

retail therapy

Thrasio cofounder on the Operators podcast.

Thrasio cofounder on the Operators podcast. “What’s it like to build the fastest-growing company in American history… and then watch it all come crashing down? We sat down with John Hefter, co-founder of the legendary Amazon aggregator Thrasio, for a […]

to your health

A tale of 2 ENTs.

A tale of 2 ENTs. “This story is not about tonsils. It’s about how two equally credentialed people can make you feel entirely different about your own instincts. It’s about how different healthcare can feel, and why trust is not […]

better doing

Seeing like a software company.

Seeing like a software company. This is a great take-off based on the book Seeing Like a State, which provided me with a foundation for understanding large centralizing forces like governments. “Thinking in terms of legibility and illegibility explains so […]

tech, startups, internet

What is vibe engineering?

What is vibe engineering? “Vibe engineering establishes a clear distinction from vibe coding. It signals that this is a different, harder and more sophisticated way of working with AI tools to build production software.” Unlike the fast and loose vibe […]

tech, startups, internet

Which table format is best?

Which table format is best? Reminder that LLMs are a new tool and we need to try hard to learn how to get the best out of them. “Markdown-KV came out top, hitting 60.7% accuracy and landing roughly 16 points […]

oh, chicago

Downtown Chicago’s ambitious growth plan.

Downtown Chicago’s ambitious growth plan. This almost makes sense to me, except that I thought the population has been shrinking not growing. Is a lack of housing really the limiting factor? “Downtown Chicago could add more than 100 million square […]

fun facts

Reverse engineering ICE’s AI.

Reverse engineering ICE’s AI. “What I found isn’t just data analytics—it’s an automated surveillance network built for precision at scale. The system draws from DMV databases, data brokers, phone metadata, facial recognition, and license plate readers. Together, these feeds form […]