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👋 Hi friends,
Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.
Image of the week, above:
☔️ Rainy Hong Kong. Snapped today.
Here are 10 items worth your time this week:
1) 👉 Good news: Homicides in many American cities are falling, bringing them back to pre-Covid levels. 🎁 <– WSJ gift link
2) 🚨 An eye-opening look at how cheap and easy it is to build a ChatGPT-powered propaganda “news” website. 🎁 <– WSJ gift link
3) 🖼️ Archaeologists undertaking a new excavation at Pompeii have uncovered some dazzling frescoes.
4) 🦷 And another archeological item of note, from Reddit: “Found a mandible in the travertin floor at my parents house.” Bonus link: an archaeology professor weighs in on the post.
5) 🇭🇰 Finish photographer Mikko Takkunen has released a gorgeous Hong Kong street photography book.
6) 🧭 Is sense of direction a product of our upbringing, rather than being innate?
7) 🌌 Here’s a video demonstrating just how enormous the universe is.
8) 🥊 Brazilian MMA fighter Renato Moicano, after winning a recent contest, praised Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises (NSFW: profanity).
9) 🌳 Mental health break: this website immerses you in one-minute videos of parks around the world.
10) 🐀 Please enjoy these rats driving little cars.
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🦴 Dog-related video of the week:
“His name is Ares. He runs like a cartoon character.”
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💡 Quote of the week:
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” — Voltaire
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👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,
Newley