Top secret group chats, cornhole speed dating, and the job you'd pay $12K to work for a day
These are the best things I found on the internet this week!
Hello old friends,
Sorry for the week off last week, hope you didn’t miss me too much! Was a super crazy week with the pesky ol’ day job and I couldn’t get these done (long-time subs know just how rare this is).
Thankfully we’re back with a packed and really strong set of “conversation starters,” my roundup of the best, most interesting and most entertaining content on the internet in the past week. There’s a little bit of everything here, that will make you smarter personally and the most interesting conversationalist in the room around the water cooler this week. So read, watch, enjoy, and get out there and start some convos!
What’s the coolest story or thing you found on the internet this week? Reply to this email and shoot me a link. Would love to hear from you!
Netflix has won the streaming wars, that's pretty much settled. But how can it continue to grow? The streaming giant is putting time and its enormous resources behind one possible answer being...video games. I break down their strategy in my latest story for Forbes.
Our Long Read of the Week is one of the most remarkable and fortuitous pieces of journalism…ever? The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was accidentally added to an exclusive group chat of top Trump officials as they planned out military actions in Yemen. It’s an inside look at decision-making — and a possible violation of several federal laws.
In 1996, the average ticket price for the top 100 concert tours was $25.81, or about $52 adjusted for inflation. In 2024, it was $135.92. The New York Times talks about how and why Gen-Z is breaking the bank to go see stadium concerts.
Anyone who has ever flown in or out of LAX knows that it has the worst traffic of any airport in the world. But it took this expert video breakdown to explain why LAX’s design causes an endless traffic jam.
You may have heard that dating apps are out and IRL (in real life) social clubs are in. But the problem that run clubs and pickleball groups are realizing across the country is that it’s hard to attract single, straight men. So one enterprising organizer is offering a $50 reward for anyone who gets a man to sign up for his cornhole speed dating league. Now it’s sold out.
Awesome (hilarious?) job alert: Gene Simmons Charging $12,500 To Be His Personal Assistant and Roadie for One Day. So you pay him for free labor. What a life!
Around March Madness we end up seeing brackets for anything and everything, but here’s one I can get behind — What is the best song by an athlete? Top seeds include Roy Jones Jr.’s “Can’t Be Touched” and Deion Sanders’ “Must Be The Money.” But can someone pull an upset?
Meet the professional scuba diver who fights alligators and murky waters to rescue your golf balls. In any given year he recovers 70,000 balls from many of the most prestigious courses in the country, and at his heyday was snagging two million from 65 courses across the world. CNN explains how.
Thanks for reading and sharing! Because of the skip last week we’ve got a packed slate this week: Black Bag, Opus, and *heavy sigh* The Electric State. You’ll want to come back to hear my thoughts on that one. Talk to ya then!