Missed us? Same.

July is procrastination month.

Hello Wonderful.

Now that you’ve binged The Agency (Season 2), what else is there to look forward to? Lioness (Season 3) next Sunday? Too distant on the horizon. The Odyssey? We can’t find an IMAX 4D screening with any available seats behind the second row. Alas, we’ll wait until the hype dies down so we can watch in an empty theater in the middle of the day. It will be the summer trip we didn’t take, which by the way, was the best decision ever. No heatwaves, throngs of tourists, jet lagged family fights, labyrinthine airports, and overpriced travel … no, grazie! Now that the kids are older they can make plans with their friends and we can make plans with ours (in low season). Why didn’t we figure this out sooner?

Without further ado, let’s get into today’s list (a short one since we’re cutting out early today).

Our recommendations are 100% road-tested editorial.

Today’s Quick Hits

1. The Books. Unable to satisfy your Odyssey craving, despite the hundreds of interviews Matt and Annie have endured? Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (of Circe fame) is a mythical page-turner that you and your teenager can devour together. Not our usual high-brow pick, but the kind of immersive story we gobbled up during our girlhood summers. If you’re in the mood for something more cerebral, try The Infinity Machine by Sebastian Mallaby, a biography of Nobel laureate and DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis on his quest for superintelligence.

2. The Skin. We’ve been debating a “research” trip to Korea to see what all the fuss is about around beauty tourism. Salmon sperm facials? Yes, that’s a thing (and it’s so 2023). See why tourists are flocking to South Korea’s pharmacies and wellness services. Read here.

3. The Produce. Bagged lettuce, Taco Bell blues. What’s safe to eat these days? What food experts are eating during the outbreak. Read here.

4. The Cool. Cranking your thermostat to 70 on a 100-degree day won’t cool your house any faster—and it’s wearing out your AC. The fix is something HVAC pros call the 20-degree rule, and once you get it, you’ll stop fighting your thermostat every summer. Read here. (xo Brandi for today’s tips)

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The Rithm Project

As we vibe-code our own AI literacy app, we keep an eye out for people asking a more challenging question: "can AI do this?" but "what does it do to us?" Enter The Rithm Project. While former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was busy declaring loneliness a public health emergency (only 27% of American men have six close friends—half of what it was 30 years ago), Rithm decided to do something about it. Their bet: today's teens, the first true "AI natives," are the ones best equipped to keep human connection alive as chatbots angle to become everyone's best friend. They arm educators, clinicians, technologists, and young leaders with research and tools to build a future where we thrive alongside the machines instead of ghosting each other for them. Proactive, not reactive—very much our love language. Subscribe to their Substack here.

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💌 Forward this to someone whose summer plans include “reading more” and “being unreachable.”