August 9, 2022Lego Group, the company behind everyone’s favorite birthday present-turned-heel poker, turns 90 years old on August 10. So how did the wooden toy company, founded in a carpenter’s workshop 90 years ago, become a multimedia powerhouse?In 1949, the company transitioned from wooden toys to the plastic bricks we know today. But while the bricks have stayed the same, the universe has multiplied. These days, the debate over the best on-screen Batman—what might be a toss-up between Christian Bale or Robert Pattinson—can’t exclude Will Arnett, the voice of the caped Minifigure in...…August 9, 2022Lego Group, the company behind everyone’s favorite birthday present-turned-heel poker, turns 90 years old on August 10. So how did the wooden toy company, founded in a carpenter’s workshop 90 years ago, become a multimedia powerhouse?In 1949, the company transitioned from wooden toys to the plastic bricks we know today. But while the bricks have stayed the same, the universe has multiplied. These days, the debate over the best on-screen Batman—what might be a toss-up between Christian Bale or Robert Pattinson—can’t exclude Will Arnett, the voice of the caped Minifigure in...WW…

August 21, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.As droughts stalk the globe, drying rivers and watersheds have cargo flows in Europe, led Tesla and other manufacturers to suspend production in China, and forced American farmers to cut back on water use.But shrinking water levels have also unearthed remarkable artifacts that were thought to have been lost to history.Perhaps the most ominous findings are the “” etched along the banks of central Europe’s rivers. These inscriptions date...…August 21, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.As droughts stalk the globe, drying rivers and watersheds have cargo flows in Europe, led Tesla and other manufacturers to suspend production in China, and forced American farmers to cut back on water use.But shrinking water levels have also unearthed remarkable artifacts that were thought to have been lost to history.Perhaps the most ominous findings are the “” etched along the banks of central Europe’s rivers. These inscriptions date...WW…

October 28, 2020Emerging Tech WriterCopyBeijing's top brass convened Monday to finalize China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP), spanning 2021–2025. While FYPs used to primarily focus on steel production or market reforms, robotic factories and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are front and center now. Well, actually, we won’t know that until March. But it’s safe to say that semiconductors, 5G, cloud computing, and AI will be priorities. Since decarbonization will also into the 14th plan, you can also expect EVs, other new energy vehicles, and smart grids.But don’t take it from us. Innovation will...…October 28, 2020Emerging Tech WriterCopyBeijing's top brass convened Monday to finalize China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP), spanning 2021–2025. While FYPs used to primarily focus on steel production or market reforms, robotic factories and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are front and center now. Well, actually, we won’t know that until March. But it’s safe to say that semiconductors, 5G, cloud computing, and AI will be priorities. Since decarbonization will also into the 14th plan, you can also expect EVs, other new energy vehicles, and smart grids.But don’t take it from us. Innovation will...WW…

August 11, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Two days after Jack Appleby joined Morning Brew as a creator, he received the following text: “Hello Jack, I’m in a conference right now, can’t talk on the phone but let me know if you got my text. Thanks.” It was signed “Austin Rief” and, in case you didn’t know, he’s the CEO of Morning Brew.Appleby wasn’t the only Morning Brew employee to get the text—dozens more reported receiving similar ones. If someone responded to the text, the...…August 11, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Two days after Jack Appleby joined Morning Brew as a creator, he received the following text: “Hello Jack, I’m in a conference right now, can’t talk on the phone but let me know if you got my text. Thanks.” It was signed “Austin Rief” and, in case you didn’t know, he’s the CEO of Morning Brew.Appleby wasn’t the only Morning Brew employee to get the text—dozens more reported receiving similar ones. If someone responded to the text, the...WW…

August 18, 2022Ben Patrick is kind of like the DJ Khaled of the fitness world: a beam of positivity with an underdog mentality. He always seems to be working. He’s been by WWE icon Diamond Dallas Page and has trained professional athletes like MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.You might know Patrick better as “Knees Over Toes Guy.” And you might even be one of his 1.3 million Instagram followers. If you don’t know of him directly, then you might have noticed his influence at your local gym: Maybe they cleared an area for sled pulling or put up a sign begging members to stop walking backward on...…August 18, 2022Ben Patrick is kind of like the DJ Khaled of the fitness world: a beam of positivity with an underdog mentality. He always seems to be working. He’s been by WWE icon Diamond Dallas Page and has trained professional athletes like MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.You might know Patrick better as “Knees Over Toes Guy.” And you might even be one of his 1.3 million Instagram followers. If you don’t know of him directly, then you might have noticed his influence at your local gym: Maybe they cleared an area for sled pulling or put up a sign begging members to stop walking backward on...WW…

August 21, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.As the war in Ukraine reaches its six-month mark this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia “may try to do something particularly nasty.”That’s because a) Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day on Wednesday and b) on Saturday, the daughter of a prominent Putin ally was in a suspected car bombing near Moscow.Daria Dugina, the victim of the attack, was a journalist who had been sanctioned by the US and the UK in March...…August 21, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.As the war in Ukraine reaches its six-month mark this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia “may try to do something particularly nasty.”That’s because a) Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day on Wednesday and b) on Saturday, the daughter of a prominent Putin ally was in a suspected car bombing near Moscow.Daria Dugina, the victim of the attack, was a journalist who had been sanctioned by the US and the UK in March...WW…

August 16, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Have things been feeling tense on the mandatory remote colleague bonding video conferences? We may have just discovered why. Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace are facing usage declines from their pandemic peaks.An by Apptopia found that people just aren’t into doing breathing exercises narrated by Nick Offerman right now. User sessions of Calm are down 26.4% since last July, and 60.3% for its primary rival, Headspace. On average...…August 16, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Have things been feeling tense on the mandatory remote colleague bonding video conferences? We may have just discovered why. Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace are facing usage declines from their pandemic peaks.An by Apptopia found that people just aren’t into doing breathing exercises narrated by Nick Offerman right now. User sessions of Calm are down 26.4% since last July, and 60.3% for its primary rival, Headspace. On average...WW…

August 23, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.On Monday, an Australian news site named—this is not a joke—Crikey took out an ad in the New York Times imploring Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch to sue it.So he did.Yesterday, Murdoch against Crikey over an article that called the Murdochs the “unindicted co-conspirators” in former President Trump’s attack on democracy and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. The article didn’t mention Lachlan by name (or his father, the media...…August 23, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.On Monday, an Australian news site named—this is not a joke—Crikey took out an ad in the New York Times imploring Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch to sue it.So he did.Yesterday, Murdoch against Crikey over an article that called the Murdochs the “unindicted co-conspirators” in former President Trump’s attack on democracy and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. The article didn’t mention Lachlan by name (or his father, the media...WW…

August 23, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Instagram’s imitation game rolls on with “Candid Challenges,” a prototype feature by independent developer Alessandro Paluzzi on Monday. It’s an obvious copy of the current No. 1 free app in the App Store, BeReal.Candid Challenges would add the core functionality of BeReal to the Instagram app in the same way that Reels is essentially TikTok-in-Instagram and Stories is Snapchat-in-Instagram.That core functionality: In Candid Challenges,...…August 23, 2022Become smarter in just 5 minutesGet the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.Instagram’s imitation game rolls on with “Candid Challenges,” a prototype feature by independent developer Alessandro Paluzzi on Monday. It’s an obvious copy of the current No. 1 free app in the App Store, BeReal.Candid Challenges would add the core functionality of BeReal to the Instagram app in the same way that Reels is essentially TikTok-in-Instagram and Stories is Snapchat-in-Instagram.That core functionality: In Candid Challenges,...WW…

It was supposed to be a triumphant moment for both Ron DeSantis and Twitter CEO Elon Musk when the Florida governor officially kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign last night—not with a televised appearance, but with a Twitter Spaces event featuring the entrepreneur. Instead, it called to mind that time Musk shattered a Tesla Cybertruck’s windows onstage during a demonstration meant to show their strength. The audio-only event was marred by repeated technical glitches because Twitter’s servers couldn’t handle the more than 500,000 attendees listening in. At one point, the original...…It was supposed to be a triumphant moment for both Ron DeSantis and Twitter CEO Elon Musk when the Florida governor officially kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign last night—not with a televised appearance, but with a Twitter Spaces event featuring the entrepreneur. Instead, it called to mind that time Musk shattered a Tesla Cybertruck’s windows onstage during a demonstration meant to show their strength. The audio-only event was marred by repeated technical glitches because Twitter’s servers couldn’t handle the more than 500,000 attendees listening in. At one point, the original...WW…