Uncanny valet
The death toll from the Bhote Koshi river flood in Nepal has surpassed 1,400, with more than 6,000 people reported missing. / Nepal News
Some details on a secret dam project high in Tibet, likely to be the world’s largest by 2033. / Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones
Americans have spent $100 billion more on fuel during President Trump’s war on Iran, among other costs. / Semafor
The Air Force says it deployed its first weapon in space, but won’t say what that means. / BBC News
After exoskeleton companies stopped chasing sci-fi concepts, their products actually became useful. / The Economist
A remembrance for journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose assassination turned into Malta’s trial of the century. / Interruptrr
Unrelated: Remembering photographer Jay Maisel, who lived and worked in an old bank with 72 rooms. / The New York Times [$]
For the first time in a century, fewer than half of American parents are circumcising their newborns. / GQ
There’s been a recent surge of restaurants closing across France. / Le Monde
Related: Charts explain how to reduce animal suffering—e.g., avoid shrimp and eat less chicken. / Vox [$]
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A well-known loophole enables anyone to publish AI-generated music under famous artists’ names. / 404 Media
Why is the White House opposed to AI regulation? Partly because of regular phone calls to Trump from Zuckerberg and Elon. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Some thoughts on what it’s like to mute or be muted on Instagram. “I want to just think lovely thoughts about them and not ever have a negative or cringe thought pass my mind.” / Bustle
Two dozen 10-year-old children predict what life will be like in 2050—robot butlers, “big America parties,” and harder money (so it’s not so easy to rip). / The New York Times [$]
Multiple research papers found people experiencing time differently during the pandemic—and it’s unclear if things have yet to snap back. / Noema
Related: “Looking Out the Window Poem” by Denis Johnson. / Poetry Foundation