Happy Friday, October 16th!
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 like the one below :) 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 🙏
This one also lowkey doubles as a Halloween/treat warm-up. If you have never made Buckeyes before (made of peanut butter and chocolate, named because of their resemblance to everyone's favorite useless Ohio nut), it is a must. They are ridiculously easy and taste like a Reece’s cup but more chocolatey imo.
SO the mission: make some Buckeyes, share them (and the 15-minute recipe if you’re so inclined) on your platform(s) of choice, and remind folks that Ohio has two MAJOR, very competitive races this cycle for Governor and Senate (go Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown!), as well as a ton of important downballot races. And if you want to share a link to split a donation to Amy + Sherrod, I have one here!
Russia Appears to Step Up Efforts to Influence U.S. Voters
An online influence operation backed by the Russian government has been stepping up its attempts to sow division in the United States and inflame tensions around Israel as a political wedge issue, according to a new study by an independent company that tracks digital threats and foreign propaganda campaigns. (NYT gift link, 10/16)
The Internet’s Favorite Democrat Is a Far-Left Long Shot From Florida
Florida’s Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon gets more love on TikTok than big-name Democrats. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer gets more grief. And the party itself is taking heat across the political spectrum, from conservatives who say it has gone radical to those on the left who say it isn’t left enough. That is the picture from a Wall Street Journal analysis of thousands of TikTok videos, podcast episodes and political-news programs published or aired since Sept. 1 about 67 Democrats who hold office or want it. (WSJ gift link, 10/15)
Voting rights groups sue Texas over failure to process more than 500,000 voter registrations
DPS and the secretary of state’s office last month sent county election officials a backlog of hundreds of thousands of voter registration records and updates delayed by a software update error with the DPS web portal. There were at least 500,000 records dating back to October 2025. Election officials also said issues with the secretary of state’s voter registration system, known as TEAM, have made the backlog harder to resolve during a critical time. (Votebeat, 10/14)
Amazon launches new “personal AI” devices that can listen to your conversations and take notes
Amazon launched two new AI gadgets on Thursday that the company says can listen to conversations, compose notes and issue reminders. The first, the Bee Frontier, is a silicone wristband that can also be clipped to clothing and retails for $74.99. Amazon also announced the Bee Eclipse, a credit card-sized device that magnetically attaches to the back of a phone and goes for $99.99. (CBS News, 10/15)
YouTube to Label AI-Generated Songs Across Its Platforms: Listeners ‘Want Transparency’
The labels began rolling out across YouTube Music on Wednesday, and it will soon expand to the main YouTube platform. The markers will apply to songs YouTube, through its own detection tools and those made by its music partners, deems were “created primarily using generative AI.” (Variety, 10/14)
Altering the Algorithm: Social Media Users Have New Algorithmic Controls, Are They Enough?
Platforms have implemented algorithmic controls with varying success, but four main takeaways persist across platforms: 1) Algorithmic controls are only useful when they are transparent; 2) Keyword and sensitive content filters are inconsistent and potentially risky; 3) Engagement metrics influence algorithms but operate in the dark; and 4) Platforms’ parental controls are sweeping but may not always be effective. (Center for Democracy & Technology, 10/14)
Silicon Valley’s horror shows
Hollywood’s hottest villain right now is the tech billionaire. Four films hitting theaters this fall put some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful and controversial figures in the spotlight: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and Elizabeth Holmes. Hollywood’s portrayal of Silicon Valley and its leaders is getting darker as negative headlines about the tech industry seep into pop culture. (Axios, 10/11)
The ROI of an MBA Hasn’t Changed Much, But Costs Now Top $300,000
That salary gain may be getting harder to project. Artificial intelligence is developing at lightning speed, with the future of the professional labor market being anyone’s guess. Whether it results in a white-collar job market massacre or a new golden age of productivity and wealth creation (or anything in between), 10 years is an eternity in the timeline for further potential AI development. (Bloomberg, 10/16)
This baby red panda is cute, fluffy and needs you to name her
Her team has come up with three possible names and is asking the public to vote by Oct. 17. They are: Dolly, inspired by country music legend Dolly Parton; Pyra, which means heat in Greek; and Dolpa, a region in Nepal where red pandas scamper in the wild. (WaPo, 10/15)
Dogs Seem to Agree With Humans That ‘Bouba’ Is Round And ‘Kiki’ Is Spiky
The main difference between the two experiments was that dogs in study 1 showed a general bias toward looking at the spiky shapes. That bias disappeared in study 2, when their owners were wearing headphones. “It could be hypothesized that the dogs were influenced by the owners’ unintentional cues. However, since humans typically show a stronger preference for rounded or curved shapes rather than spiky ones, this is unlikely,” the authors write. (Science Alert, 10/14)
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Extra Credit 🤓
Substacks That Really Substacked This Week 🤌
The Hypocrisy Behind Traditional Media’s Obsession with Influencers Getting Paid from Creator Congress
kalshi must be stopped from Ochuko Akpovbovbo and Maxine Marcus foe as seen on
Where are all the polls? from Mary Radcliffe and Cooper Burton for FiftyPlusOne
perhaps one benefit though… less riding of the pollercoaster
Sneaky Links
TL;DR I’ve inexplicably started receiving codes to stuff… here are the things I actually like :)
My BNTO code for October is 3FBFAF 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 L-RITZMANN10 for 10% off (we got bumped up from 7% woohoo!)
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!