May 4, 2023

empowering you with insights and information from the edge of today’s headlines

Technology

Digital Fashion: The Met Gala was the talk of the fashion town on Monday night, but some of the best looks on the red carpet weren’t actually even there. Designer Vaquera created AI-generated “fashion fan fiction” looks and posted them on their instagram. The fake socialites and celebrities were decked out in decadent gowns made of plastic and trash bags, but they certainly fit the theme. Especially, when the cockroach showed up.

Car Theft Challenge: Last summer we bought our AirTags as we watched with dismay as many travelers were left stranded without their luggage after many European airports were overwhelmed with travelers and with a system malfunction. Apparently, the NYPD was watching and had a similar idea. The NYPD wants to combat the viral car theft challenge (which leaves Kias and Hyundais particularly vulnerable) by offering 500 free AirTags. Unfortunately, to combat stalking, Apple has added a safety feature that notifies an iPhone user when an unknown AirTag is traveling with them, so maybe the City should switch to the new Google tags.

All you can ride: Germany has launched a public transit ticket that allows riders to use “all local and regional trains, buses and metros across the country for 49 euros a month.” The goal of the ticket is to reduce car traffic while also reducing the cost of people’s commute, and helping Germany to reach its climate goals.

Airbnb goes Transparent: Airbnb announced over 50 updates to its platform that are the direct result of customer feedback in an effort to improve customer experience. "Millions of people have given us feedback on how to improve Airbnb. We've listened," said Brian Chesky, the company's CEO. "Today, we're introducing the most extensive set of updates ever." Some of the updates include payments by installment, total price display, ease of booking longer stays, and transparent checkout instructions. Airbnb continues to attempt to make things people love at scale.

Blocked in Utah: Utah has a new law that requires websites with adult content to verify user’s age before allowing them to access the platform. As a result, Pornhub has blocked itself in the state, putting up a message about the age verification instead. Utah will also require social media sites to verify age starting in 2024. We suspect that the sale of VPNs just ticked up in Utah.

Culture

The Fantastic Mr. Hawk: Wes Anderson has always had a very unique aesthetic, and creators have been paying homage to the director by using his narrative style in their work. This week even the legendary skater Tony Hawk showed us a day at his office in the style of Anderson. If you want even more Wes Anderson, one of our favorite accounts to follow is Accidentally Wes Anderson, which photographs amazing locations with the quirky spirit.

The Strike: The WGA went on strike and the late night shows quickly went dark. The writers, however, put their talents to good use with their picket signs. Our favorite being “pay up or we’ll spoil Succession.”

The Smoothie Squad: Have a look at the very LA smoothie run of Shawn Mendes and his entourage. Yes one of them is inexplicably barefoot in the middle of West Hollywood.

AI for the win: let us present Alien: the Musical

— Lauren Eve Cantor

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