🏀 Jimmer Fredette rises again as 2024 Olympics give him another shot at glory — Yahoo Sports

I might need to catch some of these 3v3 games when they are on. I haven’t really been paying attention to schedules; I just throw Gold Zone on until something strikes my fancy and then switch over to it.

🇪🇸 Barcelona’s Pursuit Of Nico Williams Is Yet Another Degrading Farce — Defector

I knew things were bad for Barca after the Leo debacle, but I didn’t realize it was this bad and that they were still fumbling the bag to this extent. And then they have the gall to pretend like it’s not their fault.

🤖 Investors Are Suddenly Getting Very Concerned That AI Isn’t Making Any Serious Money — Futurism

Yeah, that tends to be a problem when you go put lots of money into something without a business plan or even an actual product.

💰 2025 Could Be a Great Time to Be President, Economically Speaking — NY Times

Posting this one just for the headline and subheading:

Trends already underway make for a sunny outlook over the next few years. The question is who will get to take credit.

This is something I think too many people still don’t understand. Big machines take time to turn around and decisions made in one term often aren’t reflected for a couple years, oftentimes occurring under the next term.

👺 Doom loop — Indignity

I’m not as down on the RDJ as Doom casting as Tom, but I’m also just not surprised. As with most things when it comes to giant conglomerates, they don’t have any original ideas, creativity, or real strategy—instead, they retread the same thing over and over and over. Also, some of the actors on his list would not be better than RDJ as Doom.

💊 Buying the supplies to make $3 million worth of fentanyl took only $3,600 and a web browser — Reuters

The Reuters reporters didn’t make fentanyl, had no intention to do so, and arranged for safe destruction of the chemicals and other materials they purchased.

Nice disclaimer there 😝 But in a more serious note, this is wild. Obviously everyone knows how prevalent fentanyl has become, but to turn $3k into $3mil??? I’m surprised the Silicon Valley VC bros aren’t all over this trying to disrupt this and change the world.

🏟️ United Center owners planning massive $7 billion mixed-use campus around the arena — Chicago Sun-Times

Mixed feelings about this. I miss the old days of Wrigleyville before the Ricketts bought everything around Wrigley and made it nice. It sounds like, at least to start, they are building in empty parking lots, which is fine, but when they start revamping the bars that make Chicago what it is, it just becomes boring.

☎️ Call Me (Cover) — The Last Dinner Party

Dug this cover a lot. The Last Dinner Party feels like a band that should’ve blown up more. They’ve got that upbeat pop sound and some real solid instrumentation.

🐻 How a practice TD pass shows why Bears drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall — and where he still holds unlocked potential — Yahoo Sports

No. Stop it. Just stop it. No. No no no.

🎙️ Rot Economics with MIT’s Daron Acemoglu — Better Offline

Really great interview with Daron about how the growth at all cost model, especially with an eye on short term shareholder value, along with AI has created detrimental effects on our economy.

🎸 A Complete Unknown — Trailer

I haven’t been super impressed with Timotay until right this moment. I think that’s him singing and he nails it. Plus James Mangold is directing so I have suuuuper high hopes for this one.

🐒 Bad Monkey — Trailer

The new show from Bill Lawrence, starring Vince Vaughn with a huuuuge cast. Apparently, this show had a super troubled production which makes me nervous about it, but the trailer looks pretty solid to me.

🤸 We Need to Rethink Exercise - The Workout Paradox — Kurzgesagt

I didn’t know the details or the science, but I’ve long been telling people, diet matters more than exercise when it comes to weight.

🏪 7-Eleven Is Reinventing Its $17B Food Business to Be More Japanese — WSJ

Honestly, this might actually get me to check out a 7-11 again. I’ve always been grossed out by their hot dogs and miss the days of White Hens with delis and fantastic cookies in Chicago…

👂 Trump-style ear bandages are new trend at Republican National Convention — Reuters

Seriously… what the fuck is wrong with people???

🎼 Rescore the Opening Car Chase from Mad Max: Fury Road by Breakmaster Cylinder — Kickstarter

Ummm… yes, please!

🦨 Trump files FEC complaint over transfer of Biden cash to Harris — The Hill

They are clearly grasping at straws here. Even if it were illegal (which it is not), Biden is President. According to the Supreme Court the President can do whatever the hell he wants and if he wants to transfer his campaign to Harris—then that’s the official act.

🏛️ Harris secures Pritzker endorsement; effectively clearing the path to the nomination — Politico

Related to the previous post. Happy to see Pritzker quickly do the right thing (I do wonder if him and his team did a little looksy to see if he’d have a shot). While I kind of hope he stays in Illinois to continue the great stuff he has done for my home state, I do think he is one of the better options for VP…