In old blood
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A surprising view of the current state of the United Nations, which is currently suffering from “no cash, no direction, and no morale.” / The Dial
See also: A dozen current and former ICE agents and officers say morale within the agency is extremely low. / The Atlantic [$]
What happens to PBS and NPR if the Senate cancels its federal funding? Expect fundraising campaigns immediately. / CNN
An interesting look at China’s rapidly growing development of novel drugs. “The products are here, they’re attractive and they’re fast.” / Bloomberg [$]
California's power grid is about to become the first in North America to deploy artificial intelligence to manage outages. / MIT Technology Review
A video visit to a California suburb submerged in sand. / YouTube
Unrelated: Photographs of a “hobbit home” outside San Diego. / Dwell
Pokémon and sports trading cards are outperforming the S&P 500 with upwards of 46% returns. / Fortune
“It’s rare for a prosumer camcorder to shoot both a corporate commercial and a Cannes film.” David Lynch’s Sony camcorder. / Obsolete Sony
Companies are hiring etiquette coaches to tell Gen Z employees how they should work in an office. / The San Francisco Standard
Americans over 50 represent 28 percent of US gamers. / The Guardian
xAI's chatbot Grok has a new sex companion, and it’s rated for kids 12+ in Apple’s App Store. / Platformer
Unrelated: “The $11,700,824 Contract That Plunged the NFL Into Chaos.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Some honest thoughts on the psychological pains of getting older. “It involves getting a little bit weaker, stupider and uglier every year.” / The Ruffian
Headline of the week? “Roughly 1,500 tarantulas found stuffed in boxes meant for chocolate cake.” / The Washington Post [$]
Another contender: “‘Yeti blood oath’ divides Denver seminary.” / The Pillar
A selection from designer Michael Beirut’s a-drawing-a-day project. “The practice had less to do with the output and more with getting myself in a proper frame of mind.” / It’s Nice That
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