Jul 19, 2024

Thank God It's Fromage!

As the weekend looms, we're asking ourselves philosophical questions deeper than a Swiss fondue. From plutocrats purchasing prehistoric pets to artists battling the digital Borg, today's Need2Know is studded as always with insights sharper than aged cheddar.

What are our questions, you ask? Well. They include posers such as: Is it a sign of a socially just and balanced society that a billionaire can buy a dinosaur for kicks? Is it funny haha! or funny gah! when rock-and-roll royalty meets podcasting through the lens of nepotism? Why is Urban Outfitters pushing a trend called Coastal Granddaughter? Lastly, does anything convey deeper meaning and a life well-lived, in the sense of Plato, Socrates, Descartes, and Simone de Beauvoir, more than owning a mansion in Los Angeles?

To the cheddlines, Batman!

More moral philosophy on Monday after the weekend's loving and tender embrace.

Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor

P.S. We have instagram video of a robot that stays standing up when you kick it. Sadly it does not also sing: "I get knocked down, but I get up again," which is obviously a major design flaw if these robot makers want anyone to take this thing seriously.

1. Hedge Fund Boss Pays $45M for a Dinosaur Because [Fill in the Blank]

What would you do if you were a billionaire with millions to spend on frivolities? Well, one billionaire just spent $45 million on a dinosaur. Another just donated $45 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Wait. Wasn't Trump the 45th president? Hm...

Anyway! Ken Griffin, head of the Citadel hedge fund, spent the money on the 150-million-year-old dinosaur named Apex—discovered two years ago in Dinosaur, Colorado, of all places—and now owns the record for paying the most for a fossil at auction. Towering at 11 feet tall and stretching nearly 27 feet long, Apex boasts 254 bone elements, and far surpassed its $6 million estimate. Griffin plans to keep Apex in the U.S., potentially loaning it to an institution. As in a museum. Not a psychiatric ward. But speaking of grounds for involuntary commitment, this prehistoric purchase adds to Griffin's history of unique acquisitions, including a first-edition U.S. Constitution, which something tells us he may need to consult a lot more in-depth reasonably shortly, the arc of history bending in the direction it seems to be.

Griffin has told reporters he wants to donate to Trump eventually, but that he was waiting to find out who his running mate would be. Could a high-profile purchase like this be a not-so-subtle way for Griffin to let DJT know that when he heard it was J.D. Vance, he opted instead to drop his 45 mil on a long-dead pile of old bones? Next story, please! Watch Now

2. Artists Get Creative to Protect Their Work From AI

If you ask AI to draw you "a Picasso," is it a Picasso? Or something else?

No. It's not a Picasso. Unless you want to buy this "Picasso" I just ginned up on the Internet? In which case it's a Picasso, baby! That'll be $45 million, please.

Con-artistry aside, not all such questions are as clear-cut, and in the battle to protect their intellectual property, artists are litigating, lobbying, and now deploying new tech weaponry like Glaze and Nightshade—innovations from the University of Chicago designed to outwit AI scrapers.

Glaze subtly morphs artists' style signatures to misguide AI, while Nightshade goes on the offense, muddling AI's perception of image content. So instead of recreating something from Picasso's rose period, you might find AI instead recreating a bottle of rosé.

With concerns on how AI threatens livelihoods and the very essence of creative authenticity, artists like Karla Ortiz, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Stability AI, are endorsing tools like Glaze for digital self-defense. Meanwhile doomsaying experts contend that while helpful, these measures offer temporary relief; as AI strengthens, such tools may weaken. Nonetheless, amid an escalating AI arms race, artists continue to grapple with the implications for the future of artistry. Con-artistry, however, has a rosy future indeed. Read More

From @cheddar

A two-foot robot that maintains its balance despite interference was recently revealed at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai.

The bipedal robot P1, developed by Chinese tech firm LimX Dynamics, attracted visitors as they punched and kicked it. But no matter how much it was interfered with, P1 quickly regained its balance, proving its stability and flexibility.

Follow @cheddar on Instagram!

3. 'Get in a Band With a Guy Called Jon': Tips From Bon Jovi's Keyboardist to His Daughter

A 62-year-old rock star dad and his comedian daughter are answering questions and offering advice with "nothing off limits." Bon Jovi keyboardist and founding member David Bryan and his 22-year-old nepo baby, Gabby, teamed up after she realized she called her dad for advice on everything. How to pay off her credit cards. How to build a successful career without joining a world-famous rock band. How to hire a publicist.

"Whether it's car repair, kitchen repair, how much Advil should I take? How many hours should I sleep at night? You know, what are taxes?" she said. "And I thought this would be a really funny premise for a podcast and maybe even helpful."

David says he's pleased his daughter has finally reached the age where she's starting to ask for his advice—and, occasionally, heed it. "That doesn't happen with teenagers. They only start listening to you when they're older," he said. We're very pleased to see, however, that she doesn't seem to have asked her dad for advice on how to tend to her locks of hair.

Recently an audience member who had just left a cult wrote in, asking how she should restart her life. David has told stories of mud wrestling with groupies and even given career tips ("get in a band with a guy called Jon"). David once got advice himself from Soul Godfather James Brown to "save your money, because when the dream is over, you better have a bank account." Which, clearly, Brown heeded for himself, still touring into his later years for pure pleasure, and not at all to pay the wages of sin. (I saw him play a minor festival in Brighton, England, when he was 67 and I do not think he truly wanted to be there.)

Gabby's main pieces of advice for people entering the workforce are, perhaps contradictorily, to "go to law school, and always have fun." She did not herself go to law school; our sources have not confirmed the latter advice. Still, these two are rather funny in spite of themselves and we wish them the best of luck. Watch Now

You Need 2 Know About This Box!

Meet the Sunset Box, a quarterly subscription service sending home, wellness, and travel goodies straight to your doorstep, curated by editors at mag Sunset, the Western-lifestyle magazine that just so happens to be a sister company of ours.

Since you clearly have good taste (you're an N2K subscriber, after all), we think you'll love this box. Use code CHEDDAR15 for 15% off your subscription.

Gimme the Box!

Note: Sadly does not contain any cheese.

4. Urban Outfitters and Pinterest Team Up

Urban Outfitters has partnered with Pinterest to launch an immersive shopping experience featuring home furnishings and accessories for the next generation.

"We want to meet our customers where they're shopping today, and we know Pinterest is a platform they're turning to for discovery and inspiration," said UO president Shea Jensen.

Visitors are guided through 10 multi-functional rooms, each showcasing the many ways to create a personal sanctuary. From the Room of Radiance, inspired by the concept of the modern altar, to floral bedding inspired by the Coastal Granddaughter trend (you see us, Urban Outfitters, you really do).

Customers can scan any product in any of the spaces created by Urban's influencers and artists and be taken to a live shopping experience on either Pinterest or the Urban Outfitters website. Although predicting consumer behavior remains an industry challenge, brands are embracing these digital tools to identify key purchasing factors.

"Sustainability is top of mind for Gen Z today, and we're really proud about some of the efforts that we have underway," Shea said. "One example of that is our vintage and remade platform. Within that, I'm really excited about our team's ability to scour the market for some of the most exciting, high quality, and potentially innovative fabrics that are deadstock, and we repurpose those into great products and items." Watch Now

5. Talking 'Million Dollar Listings: Los Angeles' With Star Tracy Tutor

The residential real estate market could best be described today as frozen or stuck. Still, it could be worse. You could be sitting on a $5 million home in Los Angeles and deciding whether to list it for more money so you can effectively absorb the new five percent mansion tax the city of Los Angeles is levying. That would be a real challenge! Right? We spoke to Tracy Tutor of Million Dollar Listings: Los Angeles, now in its 15th year, about how real-estate agents basically "work for free" (until they claim that commission), and how the model of selling has shifted considering recent new legislation that could slash commission rates for brokers. She expects an exodus of brokers across the country as a result. We also asked her about AI impacting the market.

"I think AI is an incredibly powerful tool," she said. But it "will never really replace what we do as agents. It's too much of a personal touch that's necessary."

That said, AI can help agents like Tracy to write copy, saving a lot of time on listings. But the real secret to building successful careers in real estate is warm relationships, she says. Agreed! And call us old-fashioned but we tend to think our jokes are a lot funnier than some robot's. Speaking of warm relationships, we've got to get back to that fondue, now. Have a great weekend, cheesepuffs! Watch Now