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The Best Paragraph I've Read:"The windswept town of Ellendale, N.D., population 1,100, has two motels, a Dollar General, a Pentecostal Bible college—and a half-built AI factory bigger than 10 Home Depots.Its more than $15 billion price tag is equivalent to a quarter of the state’s annual economic output. The artificial-intelligence boom has ushered in one of the costliest building sprees in world history. Over the past three years, leading tech firms have committed more toward AIdata centers like the one in Ellendale, plus chips and energy, than it cost to build the interstate highway system over four decades, when adjusted for inflation. AI proponents liken the effort to the Industrial Revolution.A big problem: No one is sure how they will get their investment back—or when. "This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "Spending on AI Is at Epic Levels. Will It Ever Pay Off?" The authors are Eliot Brown & Robbie Whelan. You can read the full article here.Zac & Don discuss the data that suggests maybe we are living in an AI bubble. They wonder if AI can generate the two trillion dollars in revenue it will need to pay for itself. They wonder if most people are happy to just use the free version. They also discuss this bubble prediction with the optimistic positive growth story they discussed a few weeks ago.Zac & Don also discussed this article from the Economist on China's AI strategy. You can read that here.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"Crossing the border can be a little daunting the first time, some said. “Took us three years to work up enough nerve,” Ken Foshaug, a retired Coast Guard engineer who was staying at a nearby Sleepy Hollow R.V. park with his wife, told me. “All the guys holding guns and checking you out.Plus the whole thing of going to a foreign country to let someone drill into your teeth.” But Molar City was built on leaps of faith. It’s a place for the poor, the afflicted, the huddled masses without dental insurance. Just a shortwalk away, on the other side of the wall." This paragraph comes from The New Yorker. The article is titled: "Mexico's Molar City Could Transform My Smile. Did I Want It To?" The author is Burkhard Bilger. You can read the full story here:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/04/mexicos-molar-city-could-transform-my-smile-did-i-want-it-toZac & Don discuss the idea of going to the dentist in Mexico. They also wonder why so many are afraid of going to the dentist and why dental coverage is so bad in America. In addition they discuss the history of human teeth and the vanity behind it all.
This week Zac & Don discuss all of Season 5 of the Against the Rules Podcast. This is the podcast by Michael Lewis. You can listen to individual episodes and the entire season here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-rules-with-michael-lewis/id1455379351 Zac & Don wonder about what it means to be a sports fan when there is such a heavy emphasis on sport gambling. They also discuss sports gambling and the companies that work to only keep the losers playing.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:This year, a team of researchers from Ohio State University and Oregon State University found that success in competitive youth sports might have more to do with money and opportunity than with talent and hard work. The researchers determined that 70 percent of 10th-grade high school students from families with high socioeconomic status played a high school sport, while only 43 percent of 10th graders from low socioeconomic status families played.This paragraph comes from The New York Times. The article is titled: "Youth Sports Are a $40 Billion Business. Private Equity Is Taking Notice." The authors are Joe Drape & Ken Belson. You can read the full article here:Youth Sports Are a $40 Billion Business. Private Equity Is Taking Notice. - The New York TimesZac & Don discuss the business of youth sports. They reflect on their own youth sport spending while also wondering what the impact is on kids and those kids who cannot afford to play. They wonder if America is identifying the best talent while also wondering what the end game is. The following article from the New Yorker is also referenced in the discussion:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/30/heir-ball-how-the-cost-of-youth-sports-is-changing-the-nba
The Best Paragraph I've Read:the big packaged food brands that dominated Americanpantries and refrigerators for decades are struggling as consumers spend less on brand-name cookies, spaghetti sauce and cream cheese. The companies are grappling with a number of stressors. Shoppers, feeling pinched by higher food prices over the past two years, are cutting back or trading down to less expensive private labels. Others areeschewing highly processed foods for healthier, more natural items. And the continued rise of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are reducing cravings for sugary and salty snacks.This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "As Consumers Lose Their Appetite, Food Brands Fight to Keep Wall St. Happy." The authors are Julie Creswell & Lauren Hirsch. You can read the full article here. Zac & Don discuss the current plight of the large food brands that Americans have consumed for decades. They talk about some of the options that brands have at trying to grow again. Then Zac & Don have a fantasy food company draft with the following companies: Pepsi, Hershey, Campbells, Kraft/Heinz, General Mills, JM Smuckers, Mondelez, Conagra, and Nestle.Zac's Picks: Hershey, Pepsi, Kraft/HeinzDon's Picks: Nestle, Mondelez, CampbellsNPC Picks: General Mills, JM Smuckers, ConagraIn one year we will determine which set of three companies saw the biggest stock percentage increase. Here is the spreadsheet keeping track of the competition. Both Zac & Don invested $100 equally among their three companies. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12ITjfJdOovZj3-0V3LA5Ph9YK5P31bcK-QhTFvktjsY/edit?usp=sharing
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable, and - as I will show - unsuitable for children and adolescents. Succeeding socially in that universe required them to devote a large part of their consciousness - perpetually - to managing what became their online brand. This was now necessary to gain acceptavnce from peers, which is the oxygen of adolescense, and to avoid online shaming, which is the nightmare of adolescence. Gen Z teens got sucked into spending many hours of each day scrolling through the shiny happy posts of friends, acquaintances, and distant influencers. They watched increasing quantities of user-generated videos and streamed entertainment, offered to them by auto play and algorithms that were designed to keep them online as long as possible. They spent far less time playing with, talking to, touching, or even making eye contact with their friends and families, thereby reducing their participation in embodied social behaviors that are essential for successful human development. The members of Gen Z are, therefore, the test subjects for a radical new way of growing up, far from the real-world interactions of small communities in which humans evolved. Call it the Great Rewiring of Childhood. It's as if they became the first generation to grow up on Mars."This paragraph comes from the book The Anxious Generation. The author is Jonathan Haidt. Zac & Don are joined by Heidi Mercer, the Superintendent of Lake Orion Community Schools. The three discuss how children have grown up differently in the age of the smartphone. They talk about how family concerns and student behavior have changed over the past couple decades. They also discuss cell phone bans and how Lake Orion has arrived at its new policy as a new school year begins.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"The likelihood that AI may soon make lots of workers redundant is well known. What is much less discussed is the hope that AI can set the world on a path of explosive growth. That would have profound consequences. Markets not just for labour, but also for goods, services, and financial assets would be upended. Economists have been trying to think through how AGI could reshape the world. The picture that is emerging is perhaps counterintuitive and certainly mind-boggling."This article is from The Economist. The article is titled: "What if AI made the world's economic growth explode?"You can read the full article here:https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/07/24/what-if-ai-made-the-worlds-economic-growth-explodeZac & Don discuss an interesting GDP growth scenario if AGI becomes a reality. How is the economy impacted with 20-30% growth? What happens to labor markets, the stock market, and interest rates? What should a person if AI takes all the jobs?
This is Part II of our Lonesome Dove discussion. Zac & Don discuss more of their favorite quotes while also wondering why the story does not get told from a Native American perspective. They wonder if the story gets a little too "Hollywood" and if they have interest in reading the sequels. Lots of spoilers.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:The Buc-ee’s representatives tried to outline the planfor about 300 locals packed into the cafeteria at Palmer Lake Elementary School on Dec. 3. But they were met with jeers. “We don’t want your Buc-ee’s, we don’t need your Buc-ee’s, we don’t desire your Beaver Nuggets,” lifelong Palmer Lake resident Alexandria Olivier shouted from the front, waving her arms angrily as the crowd applauded.This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "The 'Cable Cowboy' Battles a Giant Gas Station for the Soul of the West." The article is written by Jim Carlton. You can read the full article here.Zac & Don discuss the fight over Buc-ee's trying to build along a Colorado Highway. They discuss the issues along the lines of the Abundance and NIMBY Movements. They also wonder how the issue gets settled.
Zac & Don are reading Lonesome Dove. This week they reflect on the first third of the book. They wonder how a book can be so interesting while very little seems to be happening. They also wonder how authentic the characters are to those who lived in Texas during the late 19th century. They also try and speculate why a book written in the 1980's has been picking up in sales across the country recently.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:Perot was the most successful third-party candidate in modern history. You helped run his campaigns and build the Reform Party. What advice do you have for Musk when it comes to building a new party?My basic advice is: Go to rehab and then focus on creating a new political party from a position of seriousness, not of anger, not of retribution, not of retaliation. It’s a very significant mission. You’re going to be asking millions of people to volunteer, to assist you to accomplish that and to support your activities, and they need a serious leader, not somebody who’s flamboyant.This paragraph comes from an interview on Politico.com. The interview is titled: "Advice for Elon Musk from the Most Successful Third-Party Campaign in Modern History." The Interview is conducted by Catherine Kim. You can read the full interview here.Zac & Don are joined by their good friend Kevin Kopec. The three discuss whether Elon Musk's new America Party has any chance of making an impact. They discuss the challenges that third parties have in getting established. They also wonder if Elon Musk is the right guy to lead the party and how does a third party even begin to make an impact politically.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the healthsecretary, set forth their vision on Thursday for how to “make America healthy again” with the release of an expansive report on a crisis of chronic disease in children. The report lays the blame on ultra processed foods, chemical exposures, stress, lack of physical activity and excessive use of prescription drugs, including antidepressants. The product of a presidential commission led by Mr. Kennedy, the report paints a bleak picture of American children, calling them “the sickest generation in American history.”This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "Kennedy and Trump Paint Bleak Picture of Chronic Disease in U.S. Children." The authors are Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Dani Blum. You can read the full article here:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/kennedy-trump-maha-report.htmlZac & Don discuss whether today's generation are the sickest generation in history. They wonder whether our problem stems from the processed foods we eat or the lack of regular physical exercise. They also discuss the school lunch conundrum - is it better to have kids eat even if it's unhealthy food?The follow article & podcast are also discussed on this episode:MAHA Has a Pizza ProblemMcDonalds Broke My Heart
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"Let’s say there’s another pandemic. This time, a lethal disease spreads through contact with other people’s fecal matter. Precision toilet cleaning becomes a matter of life and death. In the wake of this pandemic, an aptitude test—callit the T.I.Q.—is developed to measure one’s ability to rotate brushes three-dimensionally inside holes. Kids who score highly are trained for the Toilet-Cleaning Olympiad, meant to keep the citizenry battle-ready and internationally competitive. Eventually, the world crowns a toilet-cleaningchampion—not surprisingly, someone with an off-the-charts T.I.Q. This person is the very best at a skill that is crucial for the survival of humanity. Are they a genius?"This paragraph comes from the New Yorker. The article is titled: "So You Want to Be A Genius." The article is written by S.C. Cornell. You can read the full article here:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/23/the-genius-myth-helen-lewis-book-reviewZac & Don discuss what genius is. Can they be recognized in society? They wonder if a genius is a specialist or have multiple skills. Can genius be taught to non geniuses?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"In a Reddit forum for people interested in buying American-made products, a commenter asked: “Is a completely made in USA life possible?” One person responded that it would require living like Ted Kaczynski, the infamous recluse known as the Unabomber who lived a primitive lifestyle in a remote cabin."This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "Buying 100% Made in America Is Really, Really Hard. These People Are Trying." The author is Natasha Khan & Rachel Louise Ensign. You can read the full article here.Zac & Don discuss buying America. They discuss whether it is possible to only buy American Made products. They also discuss whether having a product made in America or designed in America is better.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:The Washington Post declared 2019 the Year of the Chicken Sandwich, which the paper translated into Latin—anno pulli—presumably so time travelers from the past could understand what was going on here. As a society, we had reached peak fried-chicken sandwich. LOL. Not even close. If, six years ago, the fried-chicken sandwich was a noveltyworth standing in line for, today it is a fact of eating in America. From 2019 to 2024, fried-chicken-sandwich consumption increased 19 percent at American restaurants, while burger consumption dropped 3 percent, according to industry analysis firm Circana. Over that same period, some 2,800 fast-food and fast-casual spots devoted to chicken cropped up across the country—and about1,200 burger joints disappeared.This paragraph comes from The Atlantic. The article is titled: "The Golden Age of the Friend-Chicken Sandwich." The author is Ellen Cushing. You can read the full article here:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/06/fried-chicken-sandwich-food-culture/682618/ Zac & Don discuss America's shift towards chicken sandwiches and away from burgers. They wonder if there is enough demand to support all the new restaurants. They wonder if there will be a new protein that Americans clamor for after chicken. Zac & Don also discuss the following topics: The Jockey who hit his horse too many times The wiener dog who survived in Australia alone.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:"College track and field once was a major spectator sport. Meets at Hayward Field were events. In 1970, Steve Prefontaine’s freshman year at Oregon, he competed in Pac-8 dual meets against Washington, Cal, UCLA, Washington State and Oregon State. Eugene Register-Guard printed pre-meet form charts that fans brought with them as they filled the stadium.Dual meets engaged people who knew little about theintricacies of the sport, and were more interested in who won than how many runners cracked 13 minutes, 50 seconds in the 5,000 meters. People inside Hayward in May 1972 still talk about the 1,500-meter battle between Prefontaineand Oregon State Olympian Hailu Ebba in the Oregon-OSU dual. The winning time? Who knows? Who cares? The story was about what would prevail, Pre’s strength or Ebba’s speed. Pre won as a packed stadium roared. Flash forward 50 years, all of that is gone. Dual meets have been largely pitched into history’s scrap heap. Star athletes going head-to-head in the 5,000 with the outcome of the meet hanging in the balance have been replaced by daylong invitational meets with no team scoring. Regular season college meets take place before mostly empty seats, even at the beautiful, 12,500-seat Hayward Field. “Track and field has moved away from being any kind of team sport whatsoever,” Lananna says. “Our competitions are dreadful. They’re long, drawn out, fragmented, and the modern audience can’t relate to whateverit is we’re doing.” On any given spring weekend, a college track team might send its throwers to a throws-specific meet in one city, its distance runners to a distance carnival in another city, and its sprinters and hurdlers somewhere else. The regular season goal has become to find places wherecollege athletes can record times or marks that qualify them for postseason competition. Winning an event isn’t as important as a fast time or a long triple jump or throw. Spectators aren’t part of the equation."This paragraph comes from an article in oregonlive.com. The article is titled: "Is the future of college track & field, including Oregon, in jeopardy? If we don't act now, we'll never save it." The author is Ken Goe. You can read the full article here: Zac & Don discuss the sport of track. They debate whether track should bring back and feature dual meets. They also discuss whether track needs to change its scoring system and find a way to make its product into a more compelling TV program.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:We’re so used to trying things for ourselves that it seems bizarre to imagine us ever stopping. And yet, more and more, it’s becoming clear that artificial intelligence can relieve us of the burden of trying and trying again. A.I.systems make it trivially easy to take an existing thing and ask for a new iteration. The technology is still developing, and yet already an A.I. can give you a custom recipe based on a photo of what’s in your fridge. Songwriting A.I.s can generate version after version of a new tune; image-creating A.I.s can tweak an image endlessly. Is the automated exploration of alternatives a good substitute for the organic equivalent? Is this kind of variation-creation the same thing as human creativity? These are important questions to askbecause, as A.I. grows more powerful, we will be tempted more and more to give up in advance and let it figure things out for us.This paragraph comes from an essay in the New Yorker. The essay it titled: "Why Even Try if You Have A.I.?" The author is Joshua Rothman. You can read the full essay here: Zac & Don discuss whether one should try without AI or if one should just use AI when trying to solve problems or complete tasks. They wonder how younger learners will be impacted if they never work through feedback loops.
The Best Paragraph I've Read:When we use nicknames with people we don’t know—calling Eisenhower “Ike,” for example—it imports a fondness or intimacy to the relationship, as if they are part of the family. Boys, in particular, get nicknames from their teammates, their roommates, their fraternity brothers, their co-workers. They are a common aspect of close-knit, bonding culture: You can expect a nickname in a military unit, for example. Nicknames are, by default, affirming. For a nickname to be negative, it has to be explicitly so, designed to counter our positive expectations of nicknames: Tricky Dick Nixon, for instance.I am thus concerned about the disappearance of nicknames. As my five children have grown up—they span from age 6 to 18—I have noticed with regret that not one of them has been given a nickname. And they aren’t some sort of weird outliers: None of their friends have nicknames, either. Varsity jackets that, 30 years ago, would have been emblazoned with bespoke names indicating affection and belonging—Spike, Junior, Scooter, Cheech, Rocky, whatever—now have proper, unshortened Christian names: William, James, Kristen.This essay comes from the Wall Street Journal. The essay is titled: "Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?" The author is Mark Oppenheimer. You can read the full article here: Where Have All the Nicknames Gone? Zac & Don examine three recent changes that are happening in American society and wonder which is the bigger deal? The changes are: the lack of nicknames, Kosher salt becoming the default salt, and Paper Straws going away.Zac & Don reference the following articles when talking about Kosher Salt & Paper Straws:The Great Salt Shake Up (Atlantic)Under Attack Paper Straw Fans Fight Back (Wall Street Journal)
The Best Paragraph I've Read:Political movements succeed when they build a vision of the future that is imbued with the virtues of the past. Franklin D. Roosevelt pitched his expansive view of government as a sentinel for American freedoms: of speech, of worship, fromwant, from fear. Decades later, Ronald Reagan recast government as freedom’s nemesis rather than its protector. Abundance, too, is about redefining freedom for our own time. It is about the freedom to build in an age of blocking; the freedom to move and live where you want in an age of a stuck working class; the freedom from curable diseases that come from scientific breakthroughs.This paragraph comes from an essay in the Atlantic titled: The Political Fight of the Century. The author is Derek Thompson. You can read the full essay here:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/abundance-americas-next-political-order/682069/?utm_source=feed Zac & Don are joined by their good friend Kevin Kopec. The three discuss some of the big ideas from the new book Abundance. They discuss past government failure on housing policy, large infrastructure projects, small thinking when it comes to science and more. They also wonder if the ideas of Abundance will actually be promoted by future politicians. You can find more information about Abundance here:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Abundance/Derek-Thompson/9781668023488
The Best Paragraph I've Read: Modern life often prizes prepackaged conveniences. We buyready made products, eat frozen pizzas and replace what’s broken instead of fixing it. The more successful we become, the more likely we are to outsource jobs that we might have once done ourselves. Yet the effort of involvement is what gives meaning to so much of life. This paragraph comes from an essay in the Wall Street Journal. The author is Moshe Bar. You can read the full essay here:Why I’ve Become More Mindful About What I Delegate - WSJZac & Don discuss the meaning behind doing things. They wonder if it is better to make your own repairs and cook your own food. They discuss whether there is value is not outsourcing the daily tasks you can do for yourself.
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