Derek Thompson put a list of ideas together for things to look forward to or watch for in 2026. Here are some:
- Everything is TV
- Anti AI populism
- Housing costs
-
26 ideas for 2026
Derek Thompson put a list of ideas together for things to look forward to or watch for in 2026. Here are some:
-
Google’s XR smart glasses
Privacy issues aside, Google’s XR smart glasses look to be an impressive leap in the device class as they take advantage of a paired phone to do the heavy processing. If these were completely hands free, they’d make a perfect device for those with limited dexterity or motor function in their hands.
-
The science of when we run out of fucks to give
It turns out there’s science behind why sometime in middle age, we run out of fucks to give. Let’s start with the science, because this isn’t about you becoming a worse person. It’s about your brain finally doing some overdue maintenance. For decades, your prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain responsible for executive function, social…
-
The Em Dash responds to AI slander
In McSweeney’s, the Em Dash responds to AI slander. Writers have been using me long before the advent of AI. I am the punctuation equivalent of a cardigan—beloved by MFA grads, used by editors when it’s actually cold, and worn year-round by screenwriters. I am not new here. I am not novel. I’m the cigarette…
-
Child deaths to increase this year
Due to USAID cuts, childhood deaths will increase this year. Global deaths among children under five are forecast to rise this year for the first time this millennium, largely as a result of falling foreign aid. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicted that 4.8 million children would die this year, up from 4.6…
-
To praise Gen X
Amanda Fortini dives deep into the cultural relevance of Generation X. It’s lasting impacts to music, movies, books permeate the pop culture landscape. Yet Gen X isn’t just a time period; it’s also, as Rushkoff writes in “The GenX Reader,” “a culture, a demographic, an outlook, a style, an economy, a scene, a political ideology,…
-
Declining US birthrates
There’s a hypothesis that there are environmental and biological reasons, for the decline in US birthrates. In a press release, the lead author of a recent meta-analysis suggested that among men in the U.S. with no known fertility challenges, “sperm counts are largely stable and haven’t changed significantly” in recent years. Moreover, it’s unclear whether…
-
Drunk raccoon
A raccoon broke into a liquor store and passed out in the bathroom.
-
Self driving cars as a public health solution
The science fiction idea of all traffic consisting of autonomous vehicles lowering traffic accidents, is nearing a reality. Waymo released intro of data documenting nearly 100,000,000 miles of cars driven, and the numbers show significant safety outcomes. The self-driving car company Waymo recently released data covering nearly 100 million driverless miles in four American cities…
-
AI animation acceleration
Disney is giving animators an AI tool to accelerate character animation. To maintain the “creator-first approach” that centers human artists — a hallmark of last century’s Walt and Roy Disney partnership — Min says that Disney looked into “pretty much all of the AI companies.” “We looked at thousands of companies, all big and small,…