Technology Vs. Air Pollution

PRESENTED BY CXI

What’s up, FutureParty people. Did you know that Oxford University Press has crowned “brain rot” as the word of the year? The storied publisher defines it as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” It just goes to show how much of a mind-melting doozy 2024 was. But, don’t worry, there’s a silver lining — it turns out that brain rot could actually be used as a force for good.

DAILY TOP TRENDS

A New Studio Puts Brands On The Big Screen

Production and management company Sugar23 is teaming up with studio Fifth Season to launch a new development, finance, and production venture to make movies and shows with top brands.

The Big Picture: Contraction in Hollywood is making it increasingly harder to get movies financed. Finding new sources of money — with some pre-built awareness in, to boot — is becoming a top priority in the entertainment industry.

Behind the Scenes: A movie from Coca-Cola? Ben & Jerry’s? Crate & Barrel? It could soon happen.

• The venture has committed a $100 million co-financing fund to make scripted and non-scripted movies and shows with brands over the next three years.

• Fifth Season will provide the funding, while Sugar23 will lead development and spearhead the brand partnerships.

• In exchange for providing their own financing, brands get a seat at the table that ensures “brand purpose and audience impact [are] at the center,” per Sugar23 head Michael Sugar.

Closing Credits: Michael Sugar has been testing a Hollywood-big business tie-up over the past few years. Sugar23 has already worked with (or is currently working with) Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and Chick-fil-A on their entertainment ambitions. He also launched The Way Upfronts last year to match brands with projects. While it’s still TBD on how audiences will respond to the future titles — how much a brand’s hand is felt could have a profound impact on that — it could lead to a new wave of family-friendly entertainment that’s not squarely aimed at kids.

Go Deeper: Walmart is already making movies to get you to shop at its ecommerce store.

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India Fights Air Pollution With Technology

Delhi, India — the most polluted city in the world — is dealing with what seems to be the worst air pollution in recorded history… and is turning to some novel tech innovations to provide short-term relief.

Blue Sky: Geoengineering — manipulating the atmosphere with human-made tools — is becoming a hot topic of conversation as the world fails to meet its goals to curb the effects of climate change.

Between the Lines: Last month, Delhi’s PM2.5 levels — the fine particulate matter that makes up smog — was 60x higher than the safety limit set by the World Health Organization.

• Delhi’s Air Quality Index hit a “severe plus” rating of 494 last month — far beyond the 200 threshold that qualifies air as “poor.” It’s been toxic every day since November 12th.

• That’s left residents with symptoms such as “burning eyes, itchy throats, persistent coughs, fever, and breathing difficulties,” per Wired. Continued exposure leads to respiratory diseases and cardiovascular issues.

• So, the company is rolling out its “Winter Action Plan,” which includes seeding clouds with artificial rain, drone monitoring and misting, and mobile anti-smog guns.

• It’s also paused construction and demolition projects to cut down on dust, closed schools to curb car use, and barred diesel- and petrol-powered vehicles from entering the city (vehicle tailpipes are the worst pollution culprit in the city).

The Future: While this is just the beginning of Delhi’s climate combat, the issues are, unfortunately, much more systematic and widespread — the city’s real-time, pollution-source monitoring supersite has been down for over a year, and 70% of the polluted air drifts from outside the city limits. Stagnant weather conditions are trapping the polluted air across India and Pakistan. You can even see it from space. If India’s tech-enabled climate solution works even a little, expect geoengineering to become the hot new sector in Silicon Valley.

DEEP DIVES

• Read: Deadline digs into how Succession writer Francesca Gardiner won out to become the showrunner of HBO’s new Harry Potter series.

• Listen: WSJ chats with Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal about how the crypto industry could change under the Trump administration.

• Explore: A former Google engineer created a site that demonstrates what info the tech giant is able to glean from a single photo uploaded to its ecosystem. Wild.

44.1% of you voted Small, local acts in yesterday’s poll: What type of concert do you prefer to spend on?

“Small, intimate shows ftw.”

“Local concerts for under $25 in Atlanta are great! There’s a lot of variety, but concerts are still high-energy, especially when it comes to rock, punk, alt, etc.”

“I can see smaller local acts all the time, but I don’t want to break the bank for a Bey or a Tay, so mid-tier is perfect! It gives me the opportunity to see someone I might not have seen otherwise.”

“Apparently, I’m in the minority here, but I won’t go to huge venues, because they’re too impersonal, and the costs are ridiculous. I much prefer going to mid-tier shows at smaller venues with substantially lower ticket prices.”

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

🎤 Kendrick Lamar’s GNX debuted atop the Billboard 200, with songs from the album occupying seven of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

🏈 Peacock is rolling out a Madden cast of its Houston Texans-Kansas City Chiefs game livestream on December 21st.

🎮 Sony’s Playstation 2 has widened its lead as the best-selling video-game console of all time after the company announced that it’s sold 160 million units.

→ Creator Economy

🤳 Australia has banned social media for anyone under the age of 16.

👀 Journalists are flocking to Bluesky from X, potentially minting it as the new center of media.

💀 Twitch streamer emilycc has been livestreaming for three years nonstop. What?

→ Fashion / E-commerce

🛍️ US ecommerce spending on Black Friday jumped 14.6% this year. And leading platform Shopify shattered records with global sales hitting $5 billion.

👟 Nike is officially shutting down its virtual sneaker brand RTFKT.

⌚ Casio has made a watch that can withstand the heat of a sauna — Silicon Valley’s favorite new meeting spot.