Our borrowed, timeless subhead ‘It was the worst of times, it was the best of times,’ can describe the polarity around AI, particularly this week as Anthropic files for an IPO ahead of OpenAI. Trillions of dollars will be flying around in the near future. Not headed to most of our bank accounts, hence the rub.
…it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859
Welcome to the end of the world first half of the year, friends. Hope you’re nearing a decent second quarter. And if not, you can join us in the trenches. We’ll be here toiling away all summer while the grasshoppers play.
Have you hopped on the AI bandwagon yet? Do you hate that phrase? So do we, which is why we’re taking a quick survey to take your temp on the topic. We need flesh & blood brains to help us with a project we’re working on. (Flesh & blood, the new bricks & mortar).
Please lend us your human intelligence. 📥 [Take our quick survey here]
Any plans this summer? Tell us here.👇
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THE STORY. We predict human storytelling will become even more precious in a sea of slop—the same way real sugar beats saccharine (or monk fruit, FFS). You’ll feel all that human messiness all over Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed packing a jaw dropping punch in their first 40 minute episode. On the other end of the runtime spectrum, Aussie filmmaker Riley Blakeway’s 14-minute captivating and soulful short A Thousand Odd Days stopped us mid scroll on Vimeo. It’s a deeply personal look at his own childhood experience with domestic violence and tells the story of a son struggling to connect with an estranged drug-addicted, mentally ill mother. Watch here.
THE PLATFORM. You know all those people in your contacts lists, CRMs, and LinkedIn connections that you don’t know how to synthesize and make sense of? Goodword brings your whole network into one place, remembers the context, and makes it all searchable. No more digging to remember the game changing CEO you met at dinner last week.
THE STAR. Momo Boyd is a rising star to watch. Her genre-blurring debut EP Miss Michigan and a standout feature on Baby Keem’s “Good Flirts” alongside Kendrick Lamar, Momo is quickly emerging as one of music’s most compelling new voices. The singer-songwriter has built a reputation for pairing (Lana Del-Rey meets Mary J.) soulful vocals with a fearless approach to folk, rock, country, and R&B, challenging expectations of where Black women belong in popular music. On rotation at The What HQ.
THE DOC. Truth is much stranger (and sicker) than fiction. If you watched The Testaments on HBO, you’ll be riveted by the true crime documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet, which similar to The Jinx, unravels disturbing findings in a bizarre FLDS polygamous community at the Utah-Arizona border. It wasn’t the kind of thing we wanted to watch but Christine Marie and her cameraman husband, Tolga, are intrepid and inspiring in their commitment to airing the truth and saving young girls.
THE LIST. Dua Lipa’s getting into our business (and we’re here for it!). Check out her favorite spots for food, shopping, culture, and oh-so-much more on Dua’s Lists.
We keep a running list of everything we’re buying, trying, and loving. SHOP books, clothes, and other goodies here. Updated weekly. And if you’re a creator or have your own newsletter or brand, start monetizing your content with our link and we’ll both benefit. Sign up here.
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