Slim iPhone? Hard Pass.

Does anyone really want a slimmer iPhone? It's not gonna be cheaper, or the fastest, or have the best battery life, so like... why? Personally, I'd take a thicker iPhone if you could promise me a longer battery life. I'd also like a bit more durability. It would be really nice if I didn't feel like I needed a case on my phone. 

3I/Atlas

Avi Loeb, a tenured Harvard Professor of Science, is now openly (and quite publicly) predicting that 3I/ATLAS is alien technology. That alone is STRANGE, but what feels stranger to me is the reach. This isn’t just a fringe claim buried on some personal blog; it’s being seeded across mainstream outlets with the full force of a well-orchestrated PR campaign.

Loeb has appeared everywhere:

• CNN (Aug 7, 2025): Sparring with NASA over “artificial behavior” in the object.
  (See transcript here)

• CBS Mornings (Aug 8, 2025): Framing 3I/ATLAS as possible advanced tech, not a comet.
  (Watch here)

• CBS Boston (July 30, 2025): “All possibilities should be on the table.”
  (Watch here) 

• The Lead with Jake Tapper (July 30, 2025): Suggesting it could be an alien spacecraft.
  (Read transcript here)

• People.com (July 30, 2025): Warning that we must “assess the risk given the data.”
  (Read it here)

• New York Post (July 25, 2025): Quoting a study hinting at a possible “spy probe.”
  (Read article here)

But what stands out most isn’t just the media blitz... it’s that Loeb is mixing in talk about stock market implications of alien contact. Multiple times he’s floated the idea of investment opportunities tied to new technology from extraterrestrial sources.

And it doesn’t stop at CNN and CBS. He’s also showing up on conspiracy podcasts, where the conversations veer into invasion scenarios and end-times speculation. When was the last time a Harvard Professor went on fringe shows to discuss the possibility of an alien invasion?

The whole thing feels orchestrated. And very strange. Stay tuned.

The Rise of the Wellness Anarchist

In their piece, Edition+Partners spotlight the “Wellness Anarchist”—a growing cohort rejecting wellness extremes. They blend performance and pleasure, challenging optimisation culture and athleisure fantasy alike, and revealing untapped brand opportunities in serving this underserved middle ground where discipline coexists with indulgence, authenticity, and a richer, more human definition of living well.

Monster Truck in Las Vegas

I never thought my job would include working so closely with Grave Digger and the Monster Jam team.

You turned 4 last week. You and all your cousins played on this massive inflatable bounce house water slide thing in your grandparents' backyard. You smiled so big when everyone sang to you. You love your cousins more than anything and have a connection with them that is really special. Leaving Oregon is really hard, and the days following our visits are really sad. You feel emotions very deeply. Music has a profound effect on you, to the point where you stop what you are doing when songs come on to act them out. Sometimes songs make you really sad. We had a violinist come over to the house to play for you in the living room, and it's the longest we've ever seen you sit still. We are so amazed by you and can't wait to see what you.

Also, our neighbor got you a Giants jersey in an effort to recruit you as a lifelong fan. The gesture alone made me a Giants fan. The best part is that the jersey is for the star wide receiver, Malk Nabers... so the back of the jersey reads "Nabers." Everybody loves you.

Love as SFDC Dashboard: The Movie

Up until now, I didn't think A24 was capable of making a bad movie. But then I saw Materialists... and let me just say, WOOOOOOOOOF.

What a TERRIBLE movie. Like on every level, bad.

Not polarizing. Not misunderstood. Just bad.

I don't even know how to describe it much beyond that. It’s all just so weirdly flat. It was like watching these beautiful NPCs trying to simulate dating and romance while getting stuck in some sort of logic loop.

The dialogue was offensively bad – it felt like some sort of financial-bro erotic fanfiction. Dakota Johnson's character is this high-end matchmaker, and EVERY SINGLE line she delivers emphasizes this corny economics language... everything is salary figures, value metrics, unicorn nomenclature – if a Salesforce dashboard were a movie:

"She's high risk, low ROI."

"They have poor compatibility percentages."

"You've got 6 inches of heigh on him – double your valuation."

CRINGE. It's so scripted and rehearsed that the movie completely loses any sense of emotional realism. The LOVE-AS-A-MARKET schtick gets REALLY OLD, REALLY FAST. 

And no one is gonna convince me that this was satire. It's not (although it does feel like it could be sponsored by Salesforce... which honestly if this was some 4-dimensional sponsored content by Benioff that would be kind of sick). It's just a REALLY bad movie. 

The Shitification of Superhero Movies

Why do all superhero movies feel like airport food? Mass-produced, bland, and always somehow WORSE than you imagine.

I’m exhausted by the industrial shitification of superhero movies – the endless conveyor belt of MCU, DCU universe sludge being pumped out to the masses. 

The new Superman isn’t even a movie. It’s a glorified trailer for the next twelve. A corporate content unit — a meticulously focus-grouped little dopamine pellet, algorithmically optimized, and destined to be licensed into oblivion. Which, honestly, is working because I bought a Superman Slip N' Slide this weekend aaaaaand the Superman popcorn bucket (I AM NOT ABOVE THIS SHIT).

These movie narratives are no longer driven by character or theme — they are driven solely by IP management and quarterly earnings. And you feel that because there is LITERALLY no story here. Just a string of CGI set pieces, stitched together by awkward character introductions and a painfully obvious meme-bait dog built for TikTok virality.

And the worst part? These franchise movies don't end – they're a mere vehicle for endless setups for spin-offs, cameos, and crossovers no one asked for. There is never closure. Just the illusion of plot in service of perpetual content churn. 

It sucks. But what sucks more is how normalized it’s become. It’s not just that movies are getting dumber — it’s that we’re adjusting to it.

Fourth of July in Oregon

Steph in the iconic ASICS Gel Kayano 14  

"USA USA USA!"
Great photo of Sonny by Nic

Ask any local who makes the best drinks in town, and they will all say the "Screw and Brew." It is the only place where you can get a cocktail while you shop for new tools – very Oregon.

Stephanie Inn at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon

Spent the entire week in my father-in-law's huge Dodge Ram truck blasting Toby Keith. Left the trip wanting a bigger car – now seriously considering the Z71 Tahoe.

The older I get, the more deeply I appreciate time spent with family. It's such a blessing to be able to go home and share a holiday.

Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
(Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1965)

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you