Around The World In Eight Hours

PRESENTED BY LAZARUS NATURALS

It’s Tuesday, TFP. Even though the robot revolution is upon us, we’re still far more athletic than they are. At a half-marathon in Beijing, only six of the 21 robots that were running alongside humans were able to complete the race. Most overheated or stumbled over. So, at least we can all be comforted by the fact that we humans can outrun them if things go sideways.

DAILY TOP TRENDS

Have You Taken An “Extreme Day Trip?”

Thanks to new airline subscriptions and social-media communities, the ability to take international day trips is surprisingly affordable… and becoming a trend.

The Big Picture: If being able to go anywhere for the cost of a nice dinner doesn’t make the world suddenly feel smaller and more accessible, possibly nothing else will. Don’t be surprised if your next date becomes a very quick international or intercontinental getaway.

Behind the Itineraries: WSJ reports that when Damian Nichols and his wife were craving fajitas from their favorite Mexican restaurant, they were able to get from Scottsdale, Arizona to Denver, Colorado and back for roughly $70.

Here’s how people are making that happen:

• US-based airlines are launching all-you-can-fly passes — like Frontier’s “GoWild! Annual Pass” ($599/year) — that lets people book domestic flights for just a penny… as long as they do it within 24 hours of departure.

• In Europe, several budget airlines (easyJet, Ryanair) have been around for several years and allow people to make similar trips all across the continent.

• There’s also a growing number of communities — both free and subscription based — to help travelers stay up to date on deals, including The 1491 Club and the Extreme Day Trips Facebook Group.

Final Stop: Extreme day trips, also called the “notel” (as in “no hotel”) lifestyle, may really take off with cash-strapped travelers who are trying to navigate the shaky world of trade wars, political upheaval, and rampant inflation. It may take away the control of properly preparing for your trip, but it could add a level of serendipity lost in an era of never-ending curation. Just pack a bag and run to the airport…

…but don’t miss your flight back.

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Instagram Turns Stories Into A Community Collage

Instagram is seemingly working on a feature called “Storylines” that would allow users to link their Stories to others in a single feed.

The Big Story: Instagram has been trying to figure out a way to make the platform more social, as features like Stories and Reels become far more popular than posting. On the heels of adding comments to Stories, Storylines could become the feature that builds community around events or friend groups.

Between the Posts: Tech leaker Alessandro Paluzzi cracked the code on “Storylines.”

• Users can add “response” videos to the Stories of people they follow. The followers of those users can then add their own responses… creating a chain.

• That link of videos will show up together in a dedicated feed called a Storyline.

The Future: It’s easy to imagine several innovative use cases for Storylines, including the ability for creators to build a timeline of trends they’ve started, for brands to capture hype around a drop, or for events to create grassroots marketing that captures their vibe. While Snapchat and BeReal have experimented with similar features over the years, Instagram may have the strongest foundation to make it a long-term offering… especially if Reels gets spun off into a separate app.

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DEEP DIVES

• Read: The Independent chats with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who unpacks changes in Hollywood following the underwhelming box-office performance of his latest thriller, Black Bag (great movie).

• Listen: The Interview talks with Nate Bargatze about his insane rise to the top of stand-up and how he’s stepping back from it to star in movies.

• Explore: NYT takes a chilling look back at all the Black Mirror tech that has, scarily, come true.

77.7% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you think fans should have a say in how a show wraps up its story?

“A show that’s community-driven might lose the integral message of the creator. Not every story has a happy ending or is satisfying — just like life (which art imitates.) In real life, things are not always wrapped up, questions remain, things are left unsaid. Discomfort is something to sit with and let move through you, to ponder and release. If the community has a say, the whole show might lose the tone or purpose it was meant to serve.”

“It’s a slippery slope to try to please everyone and will just complicate the process. Let the pros handle it.”

“‘Fans’ is kind of a broad term, being that their interests aren’t exactly uniform. However, it could reduce loose ends and help deliver a satisfying closing.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

QUICK HITS

→ Entertainment / Media

💸 China’s Ne Zha 2 has surpassed Inside Out 2 to become the biggest animated film ever, racking up $1.9 billion in ticket sales.

🍿 Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is, amazingly, the first horror film to ever score an “A” CinemaScore, which polls audience sentiment after watching a movie.

🎮 Fortnite is collabing with Lucasfilm on a massive Star Wars-themed season, as Disney and Epic Games deepen ties.

→ Fashion / E-commerce

🕶️ Kendrick Lamar has become a brand ambassador for Chanel and will front the luxury brand’s new eyewear campaign.

🇺🇸 “Sell America” is probably not what anyone had in mind amid the ongoing trade wars.

₿ Crypto firms like BitGo and Circle are applying for bank charters, as the White House embraces the industry.

→ Creator Economy

📱 Instagram is using AI to identify teenage users who signed up with an adult birthday… and is then switching them to a dedicated “Teen Account.”

💰 Roblox will allow creators to tweak the cost of their in-experience merch in different regions.

💃 Speaking of Roblox, creator Kelley Heyer is suing the platform for allegedly stealing her dance to Charli xcx’s “Apple” for a marketing campaign.