Gyro dreams of sushi
Today marks the 60th day of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, though House Speaker Mike Johnson says we are not at war, actually, “so we’ll see how it plays out.” / NBC News
The White House presses other countries to join a new coalition that would manage the Strait of Hormuz. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Regarding the Strait’s closure: “Those who’ve fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom.” / Bloomberg [$]
Derek Thompson says “the American blues” seem awfully curious to those who view the world through the keyhole of employment and income statistics. / Derek Thompson
Unrelated: An economics breakdown of the scandal still engulfing season 10 of Bravo’s Summer House. / Lady Frances
More than half of the world’s countries now rank in the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. / Al Jazeera
What it’s like to be presented with unequivocal evidence that the National Security Agency is engaged in mass, untargeted domestic spying. / The MIT Press Reader
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A study finds an OpenAI model outperforming physicians at diagnosing complex conditions in a simulated emergency room. / Science
One of the founders of WIRED says in our era of uncertain uncertainty, “certainty will be the killer.” / Kevin Kelly
A man acquires and relaunches Friendster—the first social network—as a platform that requires physical interaction. / Medium
Janelle Sanchez: Some of life’s warmest, longest-lasting friendships are forged with people we least expect. / Cup of Jo
See also: “I Was Lonely and Let an App Pick My New Friends. Here’s How It Went.” Or the Christian Wiman poem “All My Friends Are Finding New Beliefs.” / The Walrus, Poetry Magazine
You heard the two-hour marathon was broken recently thanks to some super shoes, but what if it’s also thanks to “a radical rethink of race-day eating?” / Dezeen, The Wall Street Journal [$]
An interactive global map charts the solar eclipses of the past and future. / DataViz Dojo
Did you know? Seniors in Indiana schools and universities have traditionally decorated corduroy pants and skirts to commemorate graduation. / PRINT
American students are paying for college by posting mukbangs, i.e., films of themselves eating. / The Nation
This year’s Venice Biennale’s jury resigns over the inclusion of Russian and Israeli artists. / Hyperallergic
How to read a painting of Notre-Dame that doesn’t look like a painting of Notre-Dame. / The Paris Review
Alex Abad-Santos: Thanks to unoriginality and hollow mass consumerism, we get The Devil Wears Prada 2. / Vox [$]
A restaurant critic says many expensive sushi meals are lackluster. “Whatever comes will probably be delicious. It will also be boring.” / The New York Times [$]
This is your Friday wish for a pleasant weekend full of good luck and nice weather. And if you’re one of our Sustaining Members, this is a very big thank you for your support.—Andrew & Rosecrans