the demise of matcha-pilates-alo
ALSO: Americans wants phones banned in schools, the trouble with TV hiatuses, cereal box toys are back (sign of the times??), and more
Happy Tuesday, August 4th!
FYSA, every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.
I’M ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO DO MINI INTERVIEWS FOR OPEN TABS :) Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, tea, etc?
And finally, if you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with your network (and/or your chronically online friends), or buy me a matcha, that would be so appreciated 🙏
ICE Collected Nearly 1 Million People’s DNA Last Year—Including Young Children
New research from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology estimates that the Department of Homeland Security has become the largest single source of new genetic profiles in the nation’s criminal DNA system, with ICE alone potentially adding as many as roughly 920,000 profiles in 2025. The vast majority of people in ICE custody have no criminal conviction, and residing in the US undocumented is typically a civil, not criminal, offense. Yet once the DNA profiles of detained people enter the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, law enforcement agencies across the country can compare them against evidence from unsolved crimes—and against crime-scene DNA collected years or even decades from now. (WIRED, 8/3 – free version)
Trump accounts were closed in 2021 due to concerns over possible money laundering, Capital One says
The court filing is tied to a lawsuit filed against Capital One by one of Trump’s financial holding companies shortly after he was sworn into office a second time. Trump alleges that Capital One illegally closed his accounts for political reasons, following the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Capital One wants the lawsuit dismissed. (AP, 8/3)
‘You Can’t Just Be Showing Matcha-Pilates-Alo’
The only reliable way to reach mainstream or even moderate recognition against all the noise is to either carpet-bomb social media with clips or to enrage wide swaths of the public. Showing off a cute outfit, an ab routine, or a gorgeous home can’t possibly compete with the army of people doing the exact same thing, nor the stealth marketing campaigns designed to cut through the noise. In an era of oversaturation and slop, audiences want one of two things: to be sucked into the endless scroll by titillation and rage-bait or to be lured away from it by a fresh filming style, a gripping series, access to an exclusive community, a spot-on cultural analysis, or an outlandish personality. (Vulture, 7/30 – free version)
The major labels propose rules to keep AI slop off the charts
The proposal goes quite a bit further than a labeling proposal put forth by the RIAA, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), SAG-AFTRA, and others. That would create a set of standardized labels for AI-generated and AI-assisted music. The labels’ proposal would require songs be clearly labeled, but it would also keep them off international charts unless they met specific criteria, including being “substantially human made.” (The Verge, 7/31 – free version)
YouTuber Hank Green Is Facing a Fan Revolt Over His AI Use
In a now deleted tweet, Green denied that he was reading something generated by an LLM, but acknowledged that he uses LLM notes, and that the video has an “AI feel.” In his lengthy apology and explanation on Reddit, he describes using LLMs, specifically ChatGPT, as something of a crutch. He describes it as useful for quickly accessing scholarly papers, and—more troublingly—for giving himself frequent hits of “dopamine,” a habit that other people in his life have noticed. (Gizmodo, 8/1)
Your favorite TV show has taken years to return. How did we get here?
Those spaced-out shows are among the most beloved on television. But keeping up with a series after a long pause can be easier said than done. Last month, Bloomberg reported on Netflix’s struggles to retain viewers for second seasons. One likely factor: Many of the series taking lengthy breaks between seasons are the same ones that rely on intricate plotting and complex characters to enchant audiences. (WaPo, 8/3 – free version)
‘Glee’ creator Ryan Murphy considering a reboot
Speaking to People at the New York premiere of his new FX series The Shards, Murphy said that he had noticed that younger audiences have discovered Glee, giving it a renewed sense of relevance. “That show is interesting because it’s come back around,” he said. “So many young people now watch it. And I’m like, ‘Maybe we should revisit that show’.” (NME, 8/1)
More Americans now support than oppose all-day school cellphone bans
About half of U.S. adults (48%) back “bell-to-bell” school cellphone bans for middle and high school students, up from 36% in 2024. Still, 43% oppose the idea, while 8% are not sure. (Gallup, 8/1)
Why cereal box toys are making a comeback
Cereal giant WK Kellogg is reintroducing box toys in a bid to spoon up nostalgia and reignite interest in a declining category. For the first time in more than a decade, the cereal giant is putting toys back inside boxes of Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops — playable spoons shaped like Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie — tied to the release of “Toy Story 5.” (Food Dive, 8/3)
Women’s Professional Baseball League makes a rainy debut in front of enthusiastic crowd
A steady rain fell for much of the day, soaking the 101-year-old home of the WPBL’s inaugural season. But much of the crowd of more than 4,000 started lining up hours before the game, hoping to grab a Davis bobblehead on the way to the metal bleachers. The line for the main merchandise booth stretched all the way to the outfield along one side of the ballpark. (AP, 8/1)
You could be taking way better photos on your phone
The reason driving this is what people generally use their smartphone cameras for. Smartphone cameras are mostly optimized for information transfer — sending photos of menus, signs, faces and objects that are clear and easy to see. This means phones will usually pull down highlights and pull up the shadows, creating a flatter image that makes it easier to see more information in the frame. But showing more information does not automatically make a photo better. (The Verge, 8/1 – free version)
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Extra Credit 🤓
Substacks That Really Substacked This Week 🤌
Nara Smith Has Always Been Ragebaiting Us from Stephanie McNeal
A paywall-free stretch of summer. from Emily Sundberg
Free for the first two weeks of August! Love this, wish more people did it.
The Niche Survey
Sneaky Links
TL;DR I’ve inexplicably started receiving codes to stuff… here are the things I actually like :)
My BNTO code for August is LC7QE5 for $20 off (if you know me IRL, you know my rant about the Nuulification of the 20-something city dweller)
I also have a code for CampSnap??? And I do love my CS8 camera from them but like I don’t think I said that online? Either way, it’s LUCYR7 for 7% off
I also somehow got Glossier PR last month… and if you are an obnoxious New Yorker like me, you will probably also really enjoy the I <3 NY Balm Dot Com
Speaking of Glossier, if you like gossipy journalistic books, I highly recommend Glossy by Marisa Meltzer!
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!