Together with
Watch out, Future Party people. Succession is back, and we couldn’t be happier. Season four premiered last night on HBO with plenty of drama and dysfunction to be had. It is the Roy family, after all. If you’re a fan of the show, you might find this article we stumbled across pretty interesting. It breaks down the role luxury watches play throughout the series and how they act as plot devices for each character. In other words, it’s worth the time.....see what we did there?
In other news… ChatGPT keeps plugging away, vacation imitates art, and a small Pacific island tries to make history.
Top Trends
YouTube → You Hurt My Feelings
Twitter → Keanu Reeves
Google → Lady Gaga
Reddit → 21 Jump Street
TikTok → “BESO” - ROSALÍA & Rauw Alejandro
Spotify → “Under the Milky Way” - The Temper Trap
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AI
World Wide ChatGPT // Illustration by Kate Walker
ChatGPT plugs into the internet
The Future. OpenAI is massively expanding what ChatGPT is capable of with new plug-in features that allow it to do things like pull information from the world wide web and even book trips for you. Basically, OpenAI could soon be your personal assistant. But, as the kinks are worked out, expect some strange criminal and civil cases to come about because of ChatGPT coming up with creative ways to fulfill its human masters’ wishes.
Update to updateChatGPT is about to get a whole lot more powerful.
The chatbot’s “Browsing” plug-in will allow it to pull information from all over the internet, instead of just the data sets it was trained on (the info only went through 2021).
It also has plug-ins for 11 sites, including Expedia, OpenTable, and Instacart — which enables ChatGPT to plan and book a trip or find a restaurant and make reservations.
It has a retrieval plug-in, so you can ask ChatGPT to source docs, emails, etc., for specific elements by just asking it to.
The plug-ins are only available to a small pool of users, but a waitlist is already up.
AI, take the wheelThe plug-ins are a huge step forward for the power of ChatGPT… but come with some major pitfalls.
While the “Browsing” plug-in expands ChatGPT’s knowledge pool, it may do so too much. Not even Google gives users access to every low-quality site available.
The site plug-ins are a time-saver, but you’re also empowering AI to make big decisions for you. The chatbot has already proven it’ll go to problematic lengths to follow demands.
OpenAI promises that it has “implemented several safeguards” to control ChatGPT, but only user experimentation will prove how successful those are.
ENTERTAINMENT
TV and movies create our vacation dreams
The Future. Young travelers are choosing their travel destinations based on the impact of shows like The White Lotus and Bridgerton. The “set-jetting” trend is turning filming locales into tourist hot spots. To drive revenue, Hollywood may consider using branded travel activations as a form of post-release marketing.
Reserving fictionEveryone wants to stay at a White Lotus. According to a new report from American Express…
70% of Gen Z and millennial travelers choose their destinations because of popular TV and movies.
That’s barely below the 75% of people who say they travel somewhere after seeing their friends post about it on social media.
On set, on vacationSo, what are the most popular destinations?
As mentioned before, filming locations for The White Lotus’ first season — the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, saw its site traffic increase 425%.
And there’s the location of The White Lotus’ second season — the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Italy.
The setting of Bridgerton — Bath, England — has seen a boom in tourists who hit up filming locations like Castle Howard.
And because the hotels sell out so quickly, Rebecca Masri, founder of luxury travel company Little Emperors, says that other luxury hotels in those regions have benefited from the demand.
TOGETHER WITH SUNDAYS
Kibble, really?
Does your furry friend reject kibble on the reg? We can’t blame them.
Look, we know you want to feed your dog healthy, yummy food. We also know you’re busy AF and can barely even cook for yourself.
That’s why every canine lover needs to give Sundays a try. It’s the simplest way to feed your four-legged BFF food that’s actually, well, good. Sundays' air-dried dog food uses human-grade ingredients to make the flavor pop and ensure your pup gets the right nutrients.
No mess. No freezer. No more scoffing at food bowls. (Oh, and it’s 36% cheaper than fresh food.)
Here’s how it works:
Resist the urge to try it yourself (but we won’t judge)
If Bruno loves it, use the discount on the sample box to get started
Of course, you could just trust the 10,000+ other dogs who gobble up Sundays. Order and get 35% off with code: FUTUREPARTY.
CLIMATE
Island justice // Illustration by Kate Walker
Vanuatu will argue for its existence at the UN
The Future. Vanuatu, a small Pacific island country that has been ravaged by climate change and is currently in a six-month-long state of emergency because of extreme weather, may get the UN’s backing on a historic resolution to deliver consequences to those who have a major impact on the climate. While the resolution isn’t law, it could likely be cited in court cases around the world, including the US, and help set legal precedents.
Whose responsibility is it anyway?Vanuatu’s UN resolution may be the underdog story of the year.
Vanuatu will likely secure approval from the UN to get a legal, non-binding advisory opinion on who can weigh in on consequences for countries or organizations responsible for climate change.
The resolution would give the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and The Hague a seat at the table to decide the consequences worldwide.
The resolution, which has 100 co-sponsors, has gained the support of countries such as the UK, Norway, and Australia.
An official vote is expected to take place on March 29. Its passage would be a massive victory for the movement that started in a law school classroom in Fiji four years ago.
TOGETHER WITH RYSE
Go hard(ware)
Software stocks are in a slump. Since its peak in November 2021, the S&P Software & Services index has dropped by 36.25% more than the S&P Technology Hardware index.
Companies like Salesforce, Snowflake, and Zoom have taken significant hits while hardware companies like Apple have been flexing some serious muscle lately.
RYSE thinks this trend will continue, so they're developing Apple-like hardware products for the smart-home industry.
Their innovative technology automates window shades and saves energy in residential and commercial buildings. Using A.I. sensors and weather data, their technologies can save upwards of 20% on cooling energy and 74% on lighting energy. C'mon, who wouldn't want a smart shade that responds to the weather and saves you money?
Here's the deal: their public stock offering is open for a limited time, and you can invest in RYSE at $1/share.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Twitter sets date to ditch “Legacy” blue checks
It’s actually happening — on April 1 (because Musk loves to troll), all accounts with a verified blue check mark will see it disappear from their profiles. The only users who will still have one will be those who pay an $8-$11/month Twitter Blue subscription. And for businesses and organizations to keep a gold or gray checkmark, they’ll have to pay $1,000/month to be verified. How bad of an idea is this? Well, Blue subscribers can turn off their check marks if they choose, so read that as you want.
Read more → variety
Beyoncé kicks off adidas… or is it the other way around?
adidas is somehow losing arguably the biggest musician in the world, severing its ties with Beyoncé. The two had entered a creative partnership to make and distribute the singer’s Ivy Park activewear line and other footwear and apparel designs. While several outlets say Beyoncé wanted to chart a new path for the brand, Forbes reports that the Ivy Park brand made only $40 million last year — a big problem when adidas had projected $250 million in sales.
Read more → forbes
Utah passes bill to govern teen social media use
Utah is tackling teen social media use as if it were smoking with the passage of a new law. It stipulates that minors can no longer use their accounts between 10:30 pm and 6:30 am (they also need to give their parents their credentials). The law goes into effect on March 1, 2024. Additionally, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Ohio have similar laws working their way through the legislature. We’ll see if the courts find these laws in violation of the First Amendment.
Read more → axios
Meta wants you to touch in VR
Meta’s Oculus arm has been on a bit of a rollercoaster in recent years, but a new update could put them back in the conversation. The company is testing a new tech that would allow Oculus users to touch and scroll virtual elements inside Quest VR headsets. It’s apparently still a bit glitchy, but nailing that could be a huge step forward in gaining mainstream interest in VR.
Read more → theverge
Ed Sheeran will drop an album after he dies
Ed Sheeran may be about to drop his latest album, Subtract (symbolized as “-”) on May 5, but the artist may have just built buzz for another album… one that won’t come out until after his death sometime in the future. He told Rolling Stone that he wants “to slowly make this album that is quote-unquote ‘perfect’ for the rest of my life, adding songs here and there,” says Sheeran. “And just have it in my will that after I die, it comes out.” Some of us may never live to hear it.
Read more → rollingstone
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Today's email was brought to you by David Vendrell.Edited by Nick Comney. Publishing by Sara Kitnick.