All Caught Up: NO FAKES Act, custom AI chatbots, tech bro glow-ups

Why does nothing feel real anymore?

Are we mentally prepared for the fact that it is in indeed August? I personally am not but we persist!

This week's picks include cloud seeding, fluid fandom and meme tattoos.

Christina’s weekly scroll – 

1. U.S. Senators introduced the NO FAKES Act. The NO FAKES Act, endorsed by SAG-AFTRA, the RIAA, the Recording Academy, OpenAI (interesting), Disney, Warner Music, Universal Music, Sony Music and more, aims to protect artists from deepfakes.

2. Instagram is developing custom AI chatbots–based on you!

3. The rise of post-ironic body art.

4. Saks remains in debt. They also owe Jolie $15K (lol).

5. Blake Lively announced a new haircare line, Blake Brown Beauty, and it doesn’t include conditioner.

6. Bratz x Urban Sophistication! I got the Cloe case, s/o

   Gregory Littley
   <3

7. Will Taylor Swift endorse Kamala Harris? When?

8. A vibe shift is taking place among Silicon Valley’s tech freaks. We’ve all seen Zuckerberg’s “glow-up,” right?

9. Idiots are gambling hundreds of millions of dollars on political memecoins.

10. Hello Cake is trying to position itself as the “female Viagara.”

11. Gigi Hadid looks sooo hot as the face of Dilara Fındıkoğlu’s Heaven by Marc Jacobs collaboration.

12. Anything can be a weapon, even cloud seeding.

Nikita’s weekly scroll – 

1. Lots of self-important ‘if I were a brand I’d activate at the Olympics by doing x’ chatter on LinkedIn this week by people who do not know how regulated the Olympics are! Loved this J.Crew sneaky ‘collab’ moment.

2. New Balance is trying to be a $10B brand. What I am curious about is that much criticism has been levied at Nike the past few months about a lack of innovation… curious what the tech/innovation moat will be here. If at all.

3. A not-so-silent political rift is happening in the tech industry… We have VCs for Kamala and then we have this.

4. This collaboration is not for Gen Alpha. It’s for their Millennial parents. 

5. What does it mean to be a sports fan now? Media consumption habits are changing!

6. Luxury is tripling down on their VIP customers and forgoing the aspirants. Which is funny because of the quiet luxury thing.

7. Nothing feels real anymore. 

8. A framework for understanding garbage content. 

9. Friend spent $1.8M on a domain and then perhaps the rest on this techno-optimist video.  

10. Bookmark this for later. A read on the semiotics of celebrity branding. Celebrities used to get outrageous insurance policies for their signature body part. Now they start a DTC brand.

11. The cultural strategy of Kamala’s campaign. 

12. 10 charts that capture how the world has changed. (Well five, because the other half comes out next week.) 

13. Men are miserable and hate the Dua Lipa x Porsche campaign but I think it’s really fun.

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˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚Little Treat Corner ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Christina’s weekly report:

READING: The Stardew Valley Wiki.

EATING: This sweet potato-coconut dream parfait. Nutmeg, dehydrated green apples and hemp seeds = YUM.

PLAYING: I think about it all the time.

OBSESSING: Over Show Kasamatsu in Megan Thee Stallion's Mamushi MV!

RECOMMENDING: Saying no more often.

TREATING: Need a manicure real bad…

Nikita’s weekly report:

READING: Whatever

Nick Susi

is cooking up about memes.

EATING: This delicious orzo I made with blistered tomatoes, a touch of cashew milk, lots of garlic, basil and crushed red pepper.

PLAYING: The Olympics!

OBSESSING: I feel an urge to buy a shoe.

RECOMMENDING: Staying hydrated. I actually don’t hate life I was just dehydrated.

TREATING: A pedicure.

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