Back in the day, a secretive startup with a $180 million in funding meant we were in for a new photo sharing app or maybe a faster way to get pet supplies delivered to our front stoops. But the startup world has gotten more mature, and by mature, I mean old. And when you have hundreds of millions and aren't as young as you used to be, you tend to focus on the more vital things in life, or what the Bee Gees might refer to as, ah, ah, ah, ah stayin' alive. Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother, you may end up benefiting from some of the efforts of companies like Retro Biosciences. Its goal: To add ten good years to your life. Ashlee Vance in Bloomberg (Gift Article): The Most Secretive Longevity Lab Finally Opens Its Doors. Retro isn't focused on any single silver bullet. The idea is to piece together a handful of solutions to add years to your life; including the latest rage: teaching an old cell new tricks. "The company of about 50 people has small teams shooting for breakthroughs in autophagy (the removal of damaged cells), the rejuvenation of blood plasma and three research programs tied to what the biotech industry calls partial cell reprogramming. Cell reprogramming is a process, proven out in numerous animal experiments, in which the cells of an older creature can be treated with a combination of proteins or molecules and turned into much younger cells." 2Left to Your Own Devices"In sum, students who spend more time staring at their phone do worse in school, distract other students around them, and feel worse about their life." That probably doesn't sound particularly surprising to anyone who's encountered a student and/or a phone. Derek Thompson in The Atlantic (Gift Article): It Sure Looks Like Phones Are Making Students Dumber. 3Read the Room"Some attendees sat cross-legged with a book resting lapwise. Others were curled up on a sofa. Many adopted a modified 'The Thinker' position. One man read his book standing ramrod straight, like a marsh bird. Not once did a cellphone chime." In NYC, there's a new kind of party gaining popularity. And it's not much of a party at all. NYT(Gift Article): It’s My Party and I’ll Read If I Want To. "Reading Rhythms bills itself as a series of 'reading parties,' where guests read silently for an hour and chat with strangers about the books they brought." (This sounds like the perfect party if you swap TV watching for reading and replace the other guests with nobody.) 4Raking it In"A descendant of the Hermès luxury handbag empire is engulfed in a public battle with the charitable foundation he founded after reports that he planned to cut its funding and instead adopt his 51-year-old former gardener and bequeath him billions." There's probably a lot more to this story and you're likely to learn all about it from an upcoming Netflix limited series. Hermès billionaire plans to leave half of fortune to ex-gardener and cut ties with charity. 5Extra, ExtraRed Skies at Night: "After weeks of intense earthquake activity, a volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland." In pictures: Volcano spews lava after erupting in Iceland. These epic volcanic images cap off a year in remarkable photos. NYT: 2023: The Year in Pictures. 6Bottom of the News"In a year as weird as this one, the only way to recap it is to break it down to its molecular level." The Ringer: The 84 Sentences That Explain 2023. "I love you, but you are not serious people." Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store.
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