Do You Babybel-ieve In Life After Love? |
Cher may have pioneered use of autotune in her 1998 smash hit, but we've pioneered the use of cheese puns here at Chedd-quarters. It turns out Babybel-ieving in life after love is the perfect theme for today's newsletter. Babybel, as we all know, is a child-friendly cheese mass-produced by the Bel Group in France since 1952, but Cher's song is all about moving on after a difficult relationship — a lot like the one Fed Chair Jerome Powell has had with inflation over the last few years. And that's brie-ly the point. It's taken Powell some time to move on (and some time to feel strong) but he finally announced last Friday that "the time has come" for interest rate cuts. What about his years-long campaign of rate hikes to counter inflation? He doesn't need you anymore. No, he don't need you anymore. Powell said he is now confident that inflation will return to the 2% target and echoed broader warnings from investors that rising unemployment poses an increasing threat to the economy. "We do not seek or welcome further cooling in labor market conditions," Powell said. So, that's that. We can now all Cher in a lovely little stock market rally. Also, yes, it's a great day to check your 401 (k) because Chers have risen. The week ahead, by comparison, is expected to be reasonably blah in the markets. We'll see consumer confidence numbers on Tuesday and unemployment reports on Thursday, followed by a consumer sentiment report on Friday. Assuming those are all meh or better, it should be a nice, pleasant end to the summer before we all head back to school next week. Of course, there's always the chance something unexpected could happen. It usually does whenever I say, "probably nothing to see here." Forget I mentioned it, in fact, and stock up on cheese. The cheddlines: I really don't think this cheese is strong enough. —Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor P.S. We've got footage of an all-terrain drone on our 'gram. |
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"You know, pickleball is a sport. Tennis is really a journey. And there's a big difference there." — Dr. Brian Hainline |
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1. This Croissant Is So Good, It Has A 20,000-Person Waitlist |
Eating too many carbs can be a thing for some people, and they give white bread a particularly bad rap. Personally, I just eat whatever I want and play squash five times a week because it's more fun, better for your social life, and you can burn 900 calories in a session. Bring on the Hawaiian rolls!
But. Apparently many more of us are looking for low-carb, Keto-friendly breads, and that's why we spoke with Hero Bread CEO YuChiang Cheng. His firm's latest creation, a low-carb croissant, has 20,000 people on a waitlist! The San Francisco-based startup has attracted almost $70 million in funding to date, so you know they're onto something.
"Before Hero Bread existed people felt like something that was better for you had to taste like cardboard," he said. "What we've done is we've created a croissant that is layered, fluffy, has a lot of good butter in it, and it's tasty and crisp. It performs like any croissant you would expect at a good bakery but with incredible nutritional benefits."
The firm's name, Hero Bread, comes from the idea that "if you can be healthier, you can be your best self, and you can be your own hero," he said. Enrique Iglesias would be delighted to hear it, I'm sure. Meanwhile, the food industry has traded convenience for nutrition and health, YuChiang said.
Hero is in 4,000 retail stores and is already partnering with grocery chain Publix. The brand has also attracted Kevin Durant and Tom Brady as investors, with sales doubling year-on-year.
"The celebrities have come to us and influencers because they just genuinely love the product," he said. "It fits the things that they're trying to achieve, and they eat the product regularly. You know, we send shipments to them on a very regular basis."
Meanwhile, I'll just settle for an everything bagel with turkey bacon and egg-whites, thanks, Yusuf. Sorry, did I type that? I meant to go down to the bodega and say it out loud. Brb. Watch Now |
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2. The Horror! Uber to Add Driverless Cars |
What do I say to every actor I've ever met?
"Just here's great, thanks, and I'll be sure to give you a tip and a five-star rating."
But what about robotaxis? Well, Uber now plans to take on some of GM-owned Cruise's ones. What could possibly go wrong?
Apparently, apart from an actor's strike, the deal comes despite Cruise having faced a major setback in October 2023. Slightly awkwardly, one of its robotaxis dragged a jaywalking pedestrian, who had been struck by a human-driven vehicle, across a darkened San Francisco street. Oops.
That led to the suspension of Cruise's California license and the departure of the company's former CEO. GM then scaled back expectations for Cruise's expansion after the incident and is now delighted to partner with Uber. The operational cities and exact financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, although I bet they're not terribly generous to Cruise.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi expressed confidence the ride-hailing service could get Cruise's robotaxis back on the right track.
"We believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world," he said. Perhaps he also had his fingers crossed? Read More |
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| Who needs roads when you've got a drone like this? The XERALL ATD drone is a versatile drone that is designed to navigate snowy landscapes, water bodies, and rugged terrains. With an impressive 8-hour journey capability and a flight time of 40 minutes, it combines travel across earth, water, snow, and air. |
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3. You Totally Can't Have the Biggest Diamond Found in a Century |
Diamonds are forever. Forever. Forever. Twirling round my little fingerrrrr.
Shirley Bassey would doubtless be gob-smacked by the latest discovery at the Karowe Mine in central Botswana, where the largest diamond in 119 years has been unearthed.
The diamond is a staggering 2,492 carats and weighs approximately half a kilogram. While it is too soon to determine its value, a similarly impressive gem found in the same mine in 2016 was sold for $63 million. For that money, they could have invested in Hero Bread.
The diamond, not yet named, was shown to Botswana's President, Mokgweetsi "I Have the Best Name in the World" Masisi, who expressed appropriate awe. It surpasses all others found since the Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905, which was 3,106 carats, and provided gems for the British Crown Jewels.
As we all know, diamonds are formed when carbon is subjected to intense pressure deep underground for billions of years. You may have had a bad boss who has told you "pressure makes diamonds." However, it also causes nervous breakdowns, and your boss can be sued for those (in case you need a timely comeback). Read More |
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You Need 2 Know About This Box!
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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. |
Note: Sadly does not contain any cheese. |
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4. It's the U.S. Open! Let's Talk Tennis |
Did you see the movie Challengers yet? It's worth watching almost entirely for the acting, the music, and the relationships. Also, some people like tennis. I do not like tennis; I like squash. Tennis is like boring squash. Still, a lot of people like tennis. So…
The U.S. Open starts today!
To celebrate, we talked with USTA Chairman Dr. Brian Hainline to discuss the sport's growth, Novak Djokovic's worries about pickleball, and the sport's future. The U.S. Open is "actually the largest annual sporting event in the world," he said, presumably forgetting about the Super Bowl. I don't know. I kind of wonder where he's getting that from, to be honest. He also said "we have unequivocal evidence now that tennis is the healthiest sport on the planet. It increases your lifespan by almost ten years." But that's not what I heard. Forbes actually said the healthiest sport in the world was squash, back in 2003. Still, I'm going to stop ragging on Brian, now, because I think he's great. He just really loves tennis, you know?
"We're now growing tennis to inspire healthier people in communities everywhere," he said. "Most tennis — 57% — is played in public parks. And since we know it's a healthier sport, our goal now through the U.S. Open funds is to really enable every public park in the country to be able to serve its constituents for free with great tennis."
And the question on everyone over 50 and/or living in a mid-sized city's lips: What about the pickleball-pocalypse?
"There have been pickleball courts across the country that have taken over tennis courts, so there's no question that that's potentially a problem," Dr. Hainline said. "You know, pickleball is a sport. Tennis is really a journey, and there's a big difference there."
"Look, the difference between watching a phenomenal match at the professional level, Djokovic and Alcaraz versus watching professional pickleball, it's a different world," he said.
Is it me, or does it sound like Dr. Brian is terrified of pickleball? FAULT! Watch Now |
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5. All That's Old Is New Again: Instagram Adds Myspace-Style Song Feature |
Instagram owner Meta's stock is up more than 1,200% since the company first listed on the public markets in 2012. Meanwhile, Tom from MySpace has been a painter and photographer ever since he sold the company for half a billion bucks in 2004 and went to Burning Man. I think he had the right idea, although not about going to Burning Man. I would never do that. I'm just talking about his lifestyle shift post-riches.
Speaking of great ideas Tom from MySpace had, Instagram has introduced a "new" feature that allows users to add a personal touch to their profiles, akin to the classic MySpace feature from the early 2000s. One wonders whether Tom knows, or even cares, that they've been doing this. I doubt it.
Users can now select a song to feature on their profile, which will be displayed in the bio section. Unlike MySpace, however, the song will not play automatically; visitors to the profile can choose to play or pause the song as they wish.
I just added "Diamonds are Forever" to mine. To use it, go to the 'edit profile' section, select a song from Instagram's music library, and choose a particular 30-second snippet that best represents you. The song remains on your profile, unless you change or remove it. I will never remove mine, unless I want to change it to "Hero" by Enrique Inglesias. Actually I've just changed it to that. Now I'm sticking to my guns, hear?
Celebrating the launch, Instagram partnered with Sabrina Carpenter for her new album release Short n' Sweet. On the day before, Carpenter's profile featured a 30-second teaser of her new song "Taste." Instagram also added special features for Carpenter's fans, including a chat theme adorned with lipstick kisses and interactive temporary notes that change color when specific keywords related to the singer are used. Please, please, please.
Is any of this as good as scrolling through TikTok? Who knows. Then again, I feel more secure on Instagram. At least there, I know my data is being sold to manipulate me into buying things, rather than shared with the Chinese government and used to manipulate me into thinking things. There's a subtle difference...ever so subtle...infinitesimally so. Cheese, out! Read More |
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