The internet continues its chaotic march, with a TikTok deal potentially happening (for real this time, maybe), while LimeWire bought the Fyre Fest brand, because more viruses are always a great idea. Corporate America is going full AI-bro with massive layoffs at Fiverr, xAI, and Google, while OpenAI reveals people are using ChatGPT for pretty much everything but coding. Age verification is coming to apps and online services in California and New York, because apparently, teenagers need protection (after the fact). Elsewhere, nudists have declared war on SpaceX over rocket launches, and fans are ditching Elon since he started being so insufferable; even a Tesla engineer quit and roasted him spectacularly, all while NHTSA investigates Tesla's fire-prone door handles.
In the world of entertainment, we're catching up on Wednesday and Foundation S3 (just pretend the books never existed, your brain will be rewired!), and Upload wrapped up its truncated season nicely. The 2003 Freaky Friday was a fun, nostalgic trip through early 2000s L.A., reminding us of all the cool places that are now just... gone. Alien: Earth and Gen V S2 are on our watchlist, and we'll see if Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 lives up to its promise. The Witcher S4, featuring Liam Hemsworth as Geralt (aka the Dick Switch), drops in October, with Laurence Fishburne making it somewhat palatable. The Lilith Fair documentary is peak 90s, and Meta's latest dystopian product was so bad it made the Cybertruck demo look good. Apple's new AI features are cool, but the iOS 26 "liquid glass" update and its awful crossfade feature are less so; also, meditation apparently has a dark side, but binaural beats might just make you rave. Publishers Clearing House's bankruptcy means "forever" winners won't get paid (always take the lump sum!); international sellers are charging absurd shipping to avoid American buyers; and the deepfake Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kills Darth Maul (Live Action) is surprisingly good.
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up is still great life advice, and the Carrot App the Musical is, against all odds, amazing. Robert Redford has sadly passed, a legend who gave us Sneakers, and L.A.'s own Clayton Kershaw is retiring at the end of the season, a true one-team legend who deserves all the accolades.
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FOLLOW UP
A TikTok deal may finally be happening
LimeWire Revealed as Mystery Buyer of Fyre Fest Brand
IN THE NEWS
Fiverr is laying off 250 employees to become an 'AI-first company'
xAI reportedly laid off at least 500 AI tutors working on Grok
Hundreds of Google AI Workers Were Fired Amid Fight Over Working Conditions
OpenAI Reveals How (and Which) People Are Using ChatGPT
ChatGPT may soon require ID verification from adults, CEO says
California's age verification bill for app stores and operating systems takes another step forward
New York details its plans for online age verification rules
Tesla Engineer Quits, Roasts Elon Musk in Spectacular Fashion
NHTSA is investigating Tesla over its electronic door handles
MEDIA CANDY
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Producers Promise Season 4 Will Be Better
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
The Witcher Season 4 will hit Netflix in October with its new Geralt
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
APPS & DOODADS
New Apple Intelligence features are available today
iOS 26 lets you reduce Liquid Glass to be more like iOS 18, here’s how
Meta's most dystopian product yet...
Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Don't Often Talk About
BrainWave: 37 Binaural Series™
The Rise of the Indie Web Movement
AT THE LIBRARY
Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander
Cleave the Sparrow by Jonathan Katz
The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes by Donald D. Hoffman
I Don't Answer Questions: Pleading the Fifth! by David Ridings
Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand-up comedy by Adam Bloom
Disney and Webtoon’s Partnership Is Leading to a Massive New Comics App
THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE
‘The Muppet Show’ Is Getting a 50th Anniversary Disney+ Special
Ambient Weather WS-2902 WiFi Smart Weather Station with AWN+ Included
Publishers Clearing House’s bankruptcy means ‘forever’ winners will no longer get paid
$2,000 Shipping: International Sellers Charge Absurd Prices to Avoid Dealing With American Tariffs
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kills Darth Maul (Live Action)
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS
All-time Los Angeles Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw to retire at end of season
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