Cooling Technologies, "Cool" Technologies, and Not At All Cool Technologies
I don't know about you, but I'm feeling that end-of-summer, post-Olympics melancholy this week, so this will be a fairly short one. (Shorter than Monday’s massive missive, at least.)
I'd say I'm feeling a bit resentful that I'm having to pay attention to something other than the Summer Games. Except for the part where much of the online chatter since Sunday's Closing Ceremony has involved B-girl Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, and yikes. I'll save discussion of all that until Monday's newsletter. Friday's Second Breakfast, remember, is for news about technology – the business and politics of technology specifically – and even there, we’ve still seen a steady trickle of stories from Olympics this week:
Technologies of Speed: Jason Kottke on "How Technology Is Making Olympic Mountain Bikers Faster." "Does a Speedsuit Make You Faster? Maybe. Does It Look Cool? Absolutely," The New York Times contends – a good reminder that you probably shouldn't take advice on "looking cool" from a 170-year old newspaper. Wired asks, "Does Jewelry and Big Hair Slow Down Olympic Runners?" and thankfully decides that, in the end, "looking cool" – looking strong – likely trumps any impact these might have on the physics of performance (because no one, not even a scientist, needs to police Black women’s hair).
(Literal) Cooling Technologies: For $200, you too can wear the cooling headband that Eliud Kipchoge, Sifan Hassan, and a number of other athletes wore in the marathon. I don't know though, does it look cool?
Americans Discover Health Infrastructure: US Olympians delight in the free healthcare in France. American women will soon have an alternative to the pap smear — a home test for cervical cancer.
Olympics Infrastructure versus Health: "The Olympics' Hostile Architecture Is a Preview of What's to Come," says Wired. Yeah, LA is going to lean into this bullshit big time, I predict.
Social Media, also the Antithesis of Health: Variety reports that "J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk Named in Cyberbullying Lawsuit Filed by Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif After Olympic Win." I mean, I don’t think Elon Musk is actually a rich man, but my god, I hope Khelif gets her hands on some of that sweet sweet wizarding world gold. Social Media versus Broadcast Media: NBC sent 27 social media influencers to Paris, but the bigger stars – no surprise – were the athletes themselves. And, of course, Snoop Dogg.
(Reminder: The Paralympics start August 28, so don't cancel your Peacock subscription yet!)
Elsewhere in "cool" technologies: The Atlantic says you need a neck fan: "The age of heat gadgets is here." "Liquid Death Joins Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to Offer Hot Fudge Sundae Water," reports Bloomberg.
In other fitness/food technology-adjacent news: "Titans quarterback Will Levis unveils mayonnaise-inspired fragrance." Perhaps you will recall that, as a college athlete at the University of Kentucky, he went viral for adding a spoonful of mayonnaise to his morning cup of coffee. Perhaps you’d forgotten.
Speaking of making food undesirable, the push for Ozempic continues – and I mean pushing the narrative surrounding Ozempic, pushing the product, and selling the picks and shovels that will push the whole weightloss-drug sector. Case in point, this buzzword salad: "SoWell Launches Product that Bio-Hacks Against GLP-1 Side Effects," Athletech News reports. "Supplements Companies Are Cashing In on the Ozempic Wave," says Wired. I’m shocked. Shocked!
The science (and the business) of diabetes: "Scientists hail ‘smart’ insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real time," The Guardian reports. The science (and politics) of pandemics: The World Health Organization declares a global emergency over the latest mpox outbreak. The politics of addiction: arrests have been made in connection to Matthew Perry’s death. Elsewhere in the science and technology of death: The Verge reports on "The ad companies making money off of obituary spam." Rose Eveleth asks in Defector, "What Can We Learn from the Biology of Dead Athletes?"
Meanwhile, in the regular ol’ business of fitness/technology: Blink Fitness has filed for bankruptcy. According to The Times, the Oura Ring is the new celebrity "must-have." Sure, Jan. "Are Robot Massages Worth the Hype?" asks The New York Times. Is any of this stuff?
Thanks for reading Second Breakfast. Have a good weekend – hopefully outdoors, in perfect weather with an activity and/or drink and/or food that you enjoy, surrounded by people who are cheering you on, in sports or otherwise. No digital markers – pics or Strava update – necessary.
