today in tabs: does the uptick in blue hair dye mean woke is back...

ALSO: tech billionaires want to leave CA (bye!), the cult of Louise Carmen notebooks, gig workers are making 76 cents on average in tips, and more

Happy Tuesday, January 20th. Hope you had a restful and reflective long weekend!

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 🙏

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UPDATE!

The new name has been chosen and is coming very soon… and THANK YOU so much to everyone who chimed in!

The Civil Rights era is losing its grip on young Americans

Younger Americans are now several generations removed from the Civil Rights Movement’s defining moments, encountering its history less through classrooms or legacy media and more through algorithms and short-form video. GOP-led states have passed laws limiting discussion about race and diversity in K-12 public schools and universities, making education about the Civil Rights era uneven. (Axios, 1/19)

What a 76-cent average tip reveals about gig work in America

New York’s government disclosed an eye-popping number this week: The average customer tip on the food delivery apps DoorDash and Uber Eats is 76 cents in the city, compared with $3.66 two years ago. Everyone agrees why tips dried up — not because we’re tired of tipping. It’s largely because those two companies changed the in-app tip feature to make New Yorkers less likely to leave a gratuity. (WaPo gift link, 1/16)

America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster

The problem is that prediction markets are ushering in a world in which news becomes as much about gambling as about the event itself. This kind of thing has already happened to sports, where the language of “parlays” and “covering the spread” has infiltrated every inch of commentary. (The Atlantic, 1/17)

How tech billionaires spurred an exodus of rich people from California

The post made public what Sacks and other billionaires had been planning privately: They were plotting to leave California in protest of a proposed wealth tax that would affect the state’s richest residents. Anger at the proposal, which would levy a one-time 5 percent tax on the assets of California residents worth more than a billion dollars, had simmered in group chats and at holiday parties since the provision was announced in November. (WaPo open link, 1/19)

Why Coinbase derailed the crypto industry’s political future

Hours before the Senate Banking Committee would have convened for markup on Thursday — the period where a group of Republicans and Democrats would negotiate over every single word, clause, and amendment in the hundred-plus draft, to prepare it for a final Senate vote — Coinbase, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, announced that having reviewed the final draft of the bill, they were withdrawing their support for the CLARITY Act altogether. (The Verge, 1/18 – free version)

• Lucy’s note: this and above… it’s so fun we let a handful of men destabilize the entire country because they don’t want to pay the taxes they can fully anticipate and understand why they need to pay

The TikTokers Getting All Their Medical Care Abroad

Donahue is one of the countless Americans who, lured by a deluge of TikToks and reels about medical tourism, have traveled internationally for affordable medical care in recent years. (One popular destination in Mexico, Los Algodones — “Molar City” — receives more than a million Americans for dental work annually.) As health insurance and medical costs balloon in the U.S., even more Americans are exploring their options in Turkey, Korea, Mexico, India, Thailand, and other countries that are courting their business. (The Cut, 1/15 – free version)

Why South Korean noodle companies are betting on an overseas appetite for growth

Exports of “K-Food+” — a category that includes food products and agricultural industries — surged to a record $13.62 billion in 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. That’s a 5.1% increase from a year earlier and marked the tenth consecutive year of growth. (CNBC, 1/18)

Woke is back: Why blue hair is having a revival

“Blue hair is the polar opposite of the MAGA beauty aesthetic, which adheres to a traditional feminine ideal,” says hair historian Rachael Gibson. “As we navigate through increasingly challenging and painful times, I think it’s understandable that lots of people are choosing to arm themselves with a hair colour that has long been associated with being an outsider, in a bid to avert the male gaze and represent more liberal political ideals in a very visual way.” (Dazed, 1/20)

Latest wedding trend: Smaller entourages

More couples are cutting back on bridesmaids and groomsmen — a move wedding pros say can save everyone money, time and stress. The average wedding party has shrunk to eight people (four per side), down from 10 in 2019, according to research from The Knot. (Axios, 1/17)

The Next Sphere Is Coming to Washington D.C.

Notably, Sphere says the plan is to create what it is calling its first “smaller-scale” design, with plans for a 6,000 seat venue, compared to the 18,600 seats at the Las Vegas Sphere. The project will be financed with public and private funding, including approximately $200 million in state, local, and private incentives. (The Hollywood Reporter, 1/18)

• Lucy’s note: fascinated to know who the first political advertiser on the DC mini sphere will be

A New Coveted French Accessory

They see the products as a way to convey a cosmopolitan and writerly image, aligning with other bookish trends: the uptick of eyeglasses on runways, say, along with the way fashion has broadly embraced literary culture. In recent years, luxury brands have opened book shops (Alaïa), fashioned their stores like libraries (Bottega Veneta) and hosted literary salons (Miu Miu). (NYT gift link, 1/16)

(how are we coping with everything being harder to see and press?)

Extra Credit 🤓

Some newsletters I thought were excellent recently:

• “Debating things like adults” from Adam Singer of Hot Takes

• “Trump’s Voters Are Not a Cult” from Daniel Stid of The Art of Association

That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Friday!