What’s In This Issue?
Story 01Why I Love Ridiculous Art
Story 02France Creates Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps That Smell Like Fresh Baguettes
Story 03Truecaller Offers Perfectly Useless Feature To Let AI Respond To Calls In Your Voice
Story 04India Is Ground Zero For the Irresistible Appeal of Sanctioned Deepfakes
Story 05IKEA Organizes Flea Markets Across Europe To Help People Sell Used Items
Earlier this month, a campaign on TikTok known as Blockout 2024 was launched as a response to tone-deaf social media posts from celebrities and online influencers about the over-the-top fashion choices from the Met Gala. The movement encourages people to “block all the celebrities, influencers and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need" and has been described as a "digital guillotine."

The future of entertainment will be driven by more immersive experiences. This week, there was a story about how the Meta Quest VR headset will be accessible by passengers on long haul flights. The possibilities to tie this into tourism, destinations and the overall travel experience are vast. Also this week, Airbnb has been getting some attention for their new Airbnb Icons series of overnight experiences that create legendary moments for people to buy.

This past Mother's Day one recurring story was about the impact that motherhood has on careers of women. One survey found that two-thirds of new mothers have considered leaving the workforce due to the cost and stress of childcare. Many others leave the workforce by choice to be at home for their kid(s).

This week both political parties agreed to hold a Presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump. Many observers are already criticizing it as a waste of time and unlikely to change anyone's mind. They are probably right, but what if they weren't?

Earlier this week Uber made an announcement about their future roadmap of offerings and the one getting the most attention is the ability to book a shuttle with friends to attend a concert or some other live event. The announcement that should be getting the most attention was mostly ignored.
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