Torr (I moved to Threads)
@torrleonard.bsky.social
https://www.threads.com/@torrhl/
"DVDs are enjoying a comeback among Gen Z customers." "I want something I can put on my shelf. I can go shopping in my closet and grab something and pop it in, instead of spending an hour scrolling through Netflix to find something and then just turning on the same TV show.”
DVDs are the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media
As streaming continues to dominate the film and TV industry, many Gen Z movie watchers are opting out and choosing physical formats instead.
yahoo.com
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: The stock market is not the economy. Except, right now, maybe it is? A.I. is driving the market. The market is driving spending and investment (much of it on A.I.). But what happens if it all comes crashing down? www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/b...
A.I. Is Lifting Markets and the Economy and Raising Risks for Both (Gift Article)
Investment in artificial intelligence and related companies is lifting the stock market and spending across the economy.
nytimes.com
IIHS—the closest thing in the US to a neutral arbiter on AV safety— has found that Waymos are involved in ~68% fewer crashes than human drivers. That's a big deal, although the safety benefits appear to be lower than what Waymo has publicly claimed. A few thoughts 🧵
Waymo’s driverless cars crash less often than people
Waymo’s driverless vehicles have crash rates that are 68% lower than human drivers, new IIHS research shows. But as the technology is deployed more widely, a better system for tracking safety is ...
iihs.org
As of now, the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination fight is likely to begin in either SC or NV — and it's a brawl between them, The DNC's Rules committee meets this week as the fight is intensifying. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/u...
The US military has a radicalizing effect on many people. This isn’t mentioned frequently enough.
“AI will be taught in all public and some private schools at the start of the next academic year in the fall with around 20 lessons initially planned for each grade year, from Kindergarten through Grade 12.”
“*Tactical* nuclear weapons have smaller explosive yields, typically ranging from 1 to 50 kilotons, and are supposed to be used in battlefield situations. Larger strategic weapons have yields above 100 kt and are designed to flatten cities.”
In his much-anticipated speech, Trump made quite a few allegations about elections. Let's break down some of them here...
"the claim is not that brands will disappear. They are too psychologically useful: people like stories, and stories will always attach themselves to objects. The claim is that the era in which brand could substitute for substantive product advantage has ended."
What, Exactly, Is Chinese Soft Power?
Part II: Overlapping Taste-Industrial Ecosystems
designedinchina.substack.com
“Dr Newman showed that the highest rates of achieving extreme old age are predicted by high poverty, the lack of birth certificates, and fewer 90-year-olds.”
"Clark and Chalmers (1998) argue that this offloading is not separate from thinking; it is part of it. Cognition extends beyond the brain."
“Foreign visitors to North Korea were shocked to see the country’s leader hailed as nothing less than a god. State media regularly applauded citizens who, amid earthquakes or floods, laid down their lives to protect sacred images of Kim Il Sung.”
The Trump administration has forced out the three remaining members of an independent, bipartisan commission that supports states in administering their elections. The moves come as President Trump seeks to impose control over how ballots will be counted in the midterms.
Trump Administration Fires Members of Independent Election Group
The firings and a resignation render the Election Assistance Commission useless. The moves come as President Trump seeks to impose control over how ballots will be counted in the midterms.
nyti.ms
"Brazil’s evangelicals have forged alliances with right-wing agribusiness groups and landowners who have thwarted moves in Congress to protect the forest. Missionary activity could accelerate the erasure of indigenous culture, threatening communities that environmentalists say safeguard the Amazon"
"Every month, Brazilian and U.S. churches send hundreds of evangelical pastors, doctors, and dentists upriver to provide health services to the poor, converting fishermen and indigenous people along the way. Their ministrations are paying off."
"Now, international adoption is being called out as a way of covering up war crimes."
"Guatemala’s baby brokers: how thousands of children were stolen for adoption - In 1960s, baby brokers persuaded often Indigenous Mayan women to give up newborns while kidnappers ‘disappeared’ babies." www.theguardian.com/news/2024/ja...
Guatemala’s baby brokers: how thousands of children were stolen for adoption
The long read: From the 1960s, baby brokers persuaded often Indigenous Mayan women to give up newborns while kidnappers ‘disappeared’ babies. Now, international adoption is being called out as a w...
theguardian.com
Asked if he would disavow any of Piker’s views, El-Sayed said attempts to pin Piker’s past comments to him amounted to a “gotcha game.” “I’m not here to disavow people’s views,” El-Sayed said. “This whole gotcha game, platform policing, cancel culture — I thought we were over it.”
Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed declines to disavow Hasan Piker’s past comments
Piker has been accused by Democrats and Republicans of making antisemitic and pro-terrorist comments.
politico.com
“The most common non-violent convictions were for driving under the influence [DUI] and other traffic offenses.” Wait, DUI *should be* considered a “violent” act. People are killed by DUI drivers everyday! When they’re *not* killed, it’s merely due to happenstance.
“Yes, humans may yet teach machines something about how to navigate a city. The Knowledge is living proof that the brain is a gloriously malleable instrument that can change with our evolving needs even into adulthood.”
"While stressing his credentials as an originator of the anti-CRT panic, he also insists that CRT is about much more than CRT. Early on, Rufo promises to show “the campaign to embed critical race theory in American life was only one facet of the radical Left’s ‘long march through the institutions.’
"Christopher Rufo’s Troubling Path to Power - His incoherent attacks on critical race theory are only one part of a much larger plan for counterrevolution." newrepublic.com/article/1768...
Christopher Rufo’s Troubling Path to Power
His incoherent attacks on critical race theory are only one part of a much larger plan for counterrevolution.
newrepublic.com
"This could explain why people often have difficulty recognizing faces from other races. The brain isn't processing facial appearance as distinctly and accurately," says Nestor.
"The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs - Many younger professionals are finding luck launching careers in second-tier cities like Raleigh, NC, Milwaukee, WI, and Birmingham, AL, a new analysis shows." www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs
Many younger professionals are finding luck launching careers in second-tier cities like Raleigh, Milwaukee and Birmingham, a new analysis shows.
wsj.com
UPDATE: “David Ellison’s Paramount is looking to revive the MTV legacy with younger listeners—a tough road, given that the median MTV audience is now 56 years old,” 56! 😆 www.wsj.com/style/tom-fr...
Fun fact: Al Gore, the guy who ran for president 26 years ago, is 1 year and 9 months younger the current president, who still has 3 years left.
The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 4mo ago“This mistake he made was historic and I want to focus on how bad the judgment was in launching this…” Today on the Bulwark Podcast, @timmiller.bsky.social is joined by former Vice President Al Gore to talk Iran and much more. Stay tuned for the full episode this afternoon!
"Older adults didn’t describe their memories as fainter or less vivid. If anything, the opposite was true. The memories they did retain felt richer and more emotionally resonant than those of younger adults."
