Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com

Mall rats are back, but this time they’re armed with iPhones and creating TikTok content. Gen Z, craving the chance to touch and feel clothes IRL, has revived the American mall by turning certain stores into viral destinations. They film hauls, pose in photo booths and post content from fitting rooms. Brands like Edikted and Princess Polly are taking notice. Once online only, they’re racing to open physical stores to meet demand — and it’s paying off. Princess Polly’s net sales grew double digits last year, and Simon Property Group says they’re “outperforming many of the traditional retailers.” Between 2017…

On July 16th, 1945, when the world’s first nuclear explosion shook the plains of New Mexico, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the project, quoted the Bhagavad Gita, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” And indeed, he had. The world was never truly the same after nuclear power became a reality. Today, however, we have lost that reverence for the power of technology. Instead of proceeding deliberately and with caution, we rush ahead. In his Techno-Optimist Manifesto, tech investor Marc Andreessen implied that AI regulation was a form of murder. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth punished Anthropic when it…

“I hate AI customer service chatbots,” Carmen Smith of Campo, California, told CNBC. She’s not alone. Nearly one in five consumers who’ve used AI for customer service saw no benefit from the experience — a failure rate four times higher than AI use in general, according to a new Qualtrics report. The problem isn’t so much the chatbots, but the company that deploys then. AI does what it’s told. If companies prioritize saving money over helping customers, the chatbot will too. Companies that measure success by deflecting customers rather than actually solving problems end up trapping people in loops. This…

Fans of In-N-Out Burger have some good, or not-so-good, news to chew. The beloved chain’s closely-watched location tracker shows six new locations are on the way soon. But these locations won’t see the hamburger chain break ground in new states.While the Irvine, California-based company has been steadily expanding east in recent years, the locations marked as “opening soon” will only deepen its presence in six states: Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Tennessee. In-N-Out is opening a regional headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee and plans to relocate across the country from California by 2030. But it has yet to make it to…

Key Takeaways The “magic number” for a comfortable retirement in the U.S. has jumped to roughly $1.46 million, up by $200,000 from last year. The number is based on a survey of 4,375 U.S. adults, and reflects worries about inflation and longer life expectancies. Meanwhile, the median retirement savings for people near retirement, ages 55 to 64, is just $185,000. What does a dream retirement look like for most Americans? A new report from financial services firm Northwestern Mutual shows Americans now think they will need $1.46 million to retire comfortably — up by $200,000 from last year.  The survey,…

JPMorgan Chase released its 2025 annual report today, including letters to shareholders from senior executives. In his letter, chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI) and the company’s plans to embrace it. Dimon argued that the pace of the adoption of AI is unlike that of other technologies that came before, like electricity and the internet. While the technology is “transformational,” he cautioned that no one can predict how exactly AI will unfold. “People will live longer and safer”His overall outlook is optimistic. Dimon says he believes that AI will improve many areas of daily life and…

Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause — all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging — are being bombarded with products.More open conversations about menopause and the period leading up to it — called perimenopause — are happening at the same time that marketing has been supercharged by social media. Women are being confronted by lotions and serums and light masks that promise to rejuvenate their faces and necks, dietary supplements claiming to do everything from boost moods to ease hot flashes and gadgets promising…

With the moon looming ever larger, the Artemis II astronauts raced to set a new distance record Monday from Earth on a lunar fly-around promising magnificent views of the far side never seen before by eye.The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the Apollo era with three Americans and one Canadian — a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south pole in just two years.A prize — and bragging rights — awaits Artemis II.Less than an hour before kicking off the fly-around and intense lunar observations, the four astronauts were set…

Iran and the United States received a draft proposal late Sunday calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, two Mideast officials speaking condition of anonymity told The Associated Press.The proposal comes from Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators hoping the 45-day window would provide enough time for talks to reach a permanent ceasefire. Iran and the U.S. have not responded to the proposal, which was sent to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, the officials said.The head of intelligence for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Monday in an attack…

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.I can’t keep up with all the news that interests me. So I’m exploring new ways to get concise, curated updates. Today I’m sharing three new tools I like. Huxe: Personalized audio shows drawn from your interests, calendar, and email. Google CC: A morning summary of your email inbox. Yutori Scouts: AI agents that monitor your fave topics and deliver reports. Read on for examples of how each works, and how to make the most of them.Huxe: Personalized Audio UpdatesHuxe is a personalized audio app.…