Las Vegas’ giant $2.3B sphere is officially open

Las Vegas’ giant, expensive Sphere is now open, offering a high-tech immersive venue that sounds, well, pretty intense.

The Hustle • September 29, 2023

Holy smokes, there may actually be a limit to Texans’ love of barbecue

The world as we know it isn’t ending, but if anything tells us times are strange, it’s Texas BBQ joints struggling to drum up business.

Ben Berkley • September 29, 2023
A man carries a WGA (Writers Guild of America) sign that reads 'Humanity vs. AI.'

‘AI is not a writer:’ Why the writers’ strike deal matters beyond Hollywood

As Hollywood writers get back to work, the AI protections they won will help others keep their jobs (for now).

Ben Berkley • September 28, 2023
Two brown-and-white guinea pigs wearing blue party hats on a pink background.

Tiny pets are having a big moment

Lizards, hamsters, and guinea pigs, oh my! Americans are spoiling their tiny pets rotten.

Sara Friedman • September 28, 2023
A woman with black hair and a black tank top doing a yoga pose and smiling, slightly blurry with a rainbow effect. Brown mushrooms in the background on a blue backdrop.

Ready for a trip? Psychedelic retreats are going mainstream

The next travel trend is one strange trip.

Sara Friedman • September 27, 2023
A robot with a hand to its ear alongside a collage of translator-related imagery: headphones, a pen and notebook, and national flags of Spain, France, US, Japan, and Germany.

Spotify and OpenAI are just the tip of the AI-translation iceberg we’re about to crash into

Converting top podcasts into different languages is a big moment for AI translation tools, but it’s worth treading carefully around them.

Ben Berkley • September 27, 2023
A woman with short blonde hair wearing a black dress takes a photo with a black camera on a yellow, green, and orange background with a geometric pattern on it.

Getty Images’ AI play

Getty Images once refused AI-generated content. Now, it has its own image generator.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 26, 2023
A hand holding a phone with the Yelp logo on the screen over a background of torn paper.

Yelp vs. fake reviews

Yelp is cracking down on fake reviews with a little public shaming.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 26, 2023
A woman with pink hair reading a book while wearing pink headphones and speaking into a silver microphone with stacks of rainbow books on either side of her desk and a rainbow background.

Publishers are taking a page out of the influencer playbook

Publishing is the latest industry to climb on the influencer bandwagon.

Sara Friedman • September 26, 2023
Two Starbucks frappuccinos; a woman and a man enjoying wine during a date; a “Squid Game” character in a pink jumpsuit and a triangle-emblazoned mask; a spiderweb; and two ghosts on a black-and-white swirl background.

Digits

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 25, 2023
cereal sales

The cereal industry’s forecast has no added sugar

Sales are in long-term decline and breakfast trends don’t give any reason for hope.

Ben Berkley • September 25, 2023
A Black woman wearing a white T-shirt and sleeping on a bed with a pillow and white sheets.

Don’t sleep on this: Tech is gamifying your Z’s

People are using wearables to gamify their sleeping habits.

Sara Friedman • September 25, 2023
The Porsche Design Tower, surrounded by cars on a blue background.

Branded residences aren’t just for hotels anymore

Brands are slapping their names on condos, offering loyal customers a lifestyle experience.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 22, 2023
Expendables movies

When a $789m film franchise turns risky

The latest in the Expendables franchise debuts against box office headwinds.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 22, 2023
Four glasses of beer with barcode labels on them, increasing in size against an orange background.

Bad news: Surge pricing is here to stay

More industries are using AI to change prices based on supply and demand.

Sara Friedman • September 21, 2023
A baby in a diaper looking up at dollar bills falling from the sky with an Instagram “like” symbol over its head.

Want an Instagram-ready baby? It’ll cost you

Parents are shelling out on services for picture-perfect bundles of joy.

Sara Friedman • September 21, 2023
A young woman in a blue sweater records a video of herself on her phone on a blue-and-white swirl background.

Gen Z would rather influence than be astronauts

Gen Z actively wants to pursue influencing as a career — even more than being a rock star or an astronaut.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 20, 2023
Blue, green, white, turquoise, and pink upholstered arm chairs falling from the sky on a purple background with lightning and dollar bills.

The furniture industry is on its last leg

Furniture is getting cheaper — and worse — as retailers race to keep up with consumer demands.

Sara Friedman • September 20, 2023
One hand holding a blank check and another in a sweatshirt holding a smartphone with an animated money sign on the screen.

Would you pay for your own paycheck? Wage access apps think so

The growing popularity of wage access apps is the newest symptom of America’s shortcomings.

Sara Friedman • September 19, 2023
The silhouette of a concert crowd against a purple background with lightning.

Why do festivals keep ending in disaster?

From EDM concerts to Burning Man, large-scale events are running into big problems.

Sara Friedman • September 19, 2023
A green seedling rises from a mound of dirt with a row of white urinals in the background.

Kinda gross, but kinda cool? A startup that tells synthetic fertilizers to piss off

Agricultural savings and improved sustainability may start in the toilet.

Ben Berkley • September 19, 2023
A man in a gray hoodie holding a laptop outside of an MGM casino on a red-and-black and swirled background.

Scattered Spider, Alphv, and the MGM hack, explained

MGM’s high-profile hack sheds light on how devastating cyberattacks can be — but who’s responsible?

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 18, 2023
political ad spending

The local TV business approves this message

Americans will be attacked by attack ads at a record clip over the next 14 months.

Ben Berkley • September 18, 2023
A collage on a rainbow-colored background depicting an experimental electric vehicle, an icy Antarctic landscape, a disembodied set of hands on a Super Nintendo gaming controller, and a large sack filled with cash.

Antarctica has a housing shortage too, unreal EV records, and more newsy numbers

Plus: A record “Super Mario Bros” speed run, and an increase in $100k+ American households.

Ben Berkley • September 18, 2023
medications pricing chart

Weight loss drugs and the pre-existing condition of being American

Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro continue to rise in popularity despite lagging insurance coverage.

Ben Berkley • September 15, 2023
A red coffin-shaped package with a yellow skull on it, reading “Paqui” and “One Chip Challenge” on a red background.

One chip, several problems

Brands can face consequences for dangerous marketing stunts. Paqui’s One Chip Challenge is just the latest.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 15, 2023
A plate of avocado toast sits on a wooden tray against a colorful background.

Avocado guy goes viral again and other weird takes from the extremely wealthy

Another gross CEO moment shows off the increasing gulf between classes.

Juliet Bennett Rylah • September 14, 2023

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