Juliet Bennett Rylah

Canada’s drug experiment

British Columbia, Canada, is conducting a three-year experiment with drugs. Starting today, small amounts of drugs are decriminalized, including hard drugs like cocaine and heroin (cannabis is already legal in Canada). Instead of facing criminal…

The ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ debacle, explained

Recently, “Dungeons & Dragons” players embarked on their biggest quest yet: convincing Wizards of the Coast (WotC) not to upset the game’s decades-old cottage industry. The backstory “Dungeons & Dragons” — currently owned by WotC, a division of…

Is it the egg alternatives’ time to shine?

Eggs, a typically low-cost protein, now cost ~60% more YoY, leading egg headlines (and jokes) to dominate our feeds. But some consumers have realized you don’t have to break a few eggs, turning to omelet alternatives and creating new business…

Is it possible to get younger?

Everlasting youth used to require a magic fountain or a friendly vampire. But 45-year-old tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson employs a different method called Project Blueprint, per Bloomberg, that, while not seeking immortality, strives to reverse…

The Doomsday Clock, explained

The Doomsday Clock was set to 90 seconds to midnight on Tuesday. That sounds pretty dire, but what does it mean? It goes back to the Atomic Age. Manhattan Project scientist Eugene Rabinowitch… … was the primary author of 1945’s Franck Report, which…

Where are the missing shopping carts?

Ever see a random shopping cart rolling down the sidewalk or tossed in a creek? Us too. The Food Marketing Institute estimates ~2m carts are stolen per year. It’s been an issue since carts were invented, and costs retailers an estimated tens of…

An underwear lawsuit, explained

Thinx marketed itself as a sustainable solution to menstruation, but plaintiffs say the underwear contains potentially harmful chemicals. Think you know what’s in your underwear? Thinx again. Thinx — an absorbent underwear brand for menstruation or…

RIP, AmazonSmile

Amazon shutters its AmazonSmile program due to lack of impact, despite small charities saying it helped. Amazon is sunsetting its AmazonSmile program, which allows shoppers to donate a percentage of purchases to their charity of choice, by Feb. 20.…

Meta’s board wants new nudity guidelines

Activists have long advocated to “free the nipple,” and that debate continues online. Men can post as many shirtless bathroom selfies as they please, but Meta’s Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity guidelines state that “uncovered female nipples” aren’t…

Scandal: JPMorgan accuses founder of faking 4m+ accounts

In 2021, JPMorgan Chase paid $175m for Frank, a college financial aid platform. But if you go to the website today, it tells you it’s no longer available and to file your FAFSA at StudentAid.gov. What happened? At the time of the acquisition, founder…

The NOTAM plane debacle, explained

Days after the Southwest Airlines snafu, a computer glitch grounded all US flights on Wednesday morning. Such an order hasn’t been issued since 9/11, per NPR. What happened? An FAA computer system that sends out NOTAMs (Notice to Air Missions)…

Bowling’s new pinsetters are causing drama

Most of us probably don’t think too hard about bowling pins; we just try to knock ‘em down. But it turns out they don’t all fall quite the same. Alleys have been switching to a new automated system using “string pins,” per The Wall Street Journal.…

The world’s best restaurant is unsustainable

Copenhagen’s Noma is closing, despite drawing customers willing to fork over $500+ to eat reindeer penis and duck brains. Noma’s cooking style, using foraged local ingredients, is known as “New Nordic,” and it’s won the establishment three Michelin…

What happened at CES this year?

All kinds of companies flock to CES annually to announce forthcoming products. Let’s take a quick look at some of this year’s announcements, shall we? Neutrogena and supplement company Nourished have partnered on a line of customized gummies for skin…

The end of noncompetes?

Employees reluctant to look for new gigs due to noncompete clauses have the FTC in their corner. On Thursday, the agency proposed banning both new and existing noncompetes nationwide. The new rules would not apply to standard NDAs, nor noncompetes…

Why foreigners can’t buy Canadian homes

Canada has officially banned most foreigners from buying a home, and it all has to do with Canada’s wildly unaffordable housing market. Housing prices were up 48% in 2022 compared to 2013, and now average ~$568k — over 11x the median household income…

A controversial way to solve violent crimes

Idaho police recently arrested Bryan Kohberger on suspicion of murdering four college students in November. The tech used to apprehend him is a controversial one that involves public DNA databases, per Business Insider. How it works Online tools,…

How some pets earn more than most people

My cat screams for food every morning at 6:30am despite knowing full well that breakfast is at 8am, and generates absolutely no income. Taylor Swift’s cat is apparently worth $97m. Oliva Benson, Swift’s white Scottish Fold, is the second-richest cat…

Why are eggs so expensive?

Eggs are outta control, with prices up a whopping 49% this year. In perspective: Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the average US price of a dozen large, Grade A eggs was ~$3.59 in November. Last November, you would’ve paid ~$1.72. Why? There are…

Southwest Airlines’ travel chaos, explained

We hope you’re reading this from where you expected to be this morning. If not, is it because Southwest Airlines stranded you? As of Tuesday morning, the airline had canceled 5.4k+ domestic flights since Monday, with more cancellations to come, per…