Americans still love their pick-up trucks but they loved them a little bit less in 2023 due to high gas prices which led many consumers to move away from large trucks and SUVs into smaller, more fuel-efficient models. Sales of electric vehicles also saw a shakeup with Tesla's Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X seeing sharp drop offs due to lack of major updates and the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf moving up the charts in their place. The F-150 Lightning was not included in the list of used EV sales but the dominance of the Ford F-150 is still hard to overstate as it was the best selling car in 34 states, including many major metropolitan areas." Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2024/01/04/best-selling-used-cars-2023-pickup-trucks-tesla-ford-elon-musk/ #AmericansLovePickUpTrucks #LargeTruckSalesDropOffDueToFuelEfficiencyConcerns #ElectricVehicleSalesShakeupWithTeslaModel3ModelYModelSAndModelXSeeingSharpDropOffs #ChevyBoltAndNissanLeafMoveUpTheChartsInTheirPlace #FordF150LightningIsBestSellingCarIn34StatesIncludingMajorMetropolitanAreas

Netflix's latest show "Stranger Things: the First Shadow", is not being streamed down fibre-optic cables to television screens but performed live on a stage in London. Other examples include Disney offering a live version of "Frozen" and Amazon launching a musical of "Transparent". The text also mentions that Hollywood's turn on the stage is part of a broader shift by the movie business towards live experiences, as attendance at the cinema declines. Film-makers are concocting novel ways to soak up demand from their fans, and this is being seen in things like restaurants, art exhibitions, escape rooms, and assault courses. The text also mentions that there is an insatiable appetite from these mega-fans who will eat up anything served to them by Hollywood. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/culture/2024/01/01/hollywood-studios-are-finding-new-ways-to-bring-stories-to-life #FilmIndustry2 #LiveExperiences3 #CinemaAttendance4 #HollywoodFanbase5 #NovelWays6 #AppetiteForHollywood7 #MegaFans

Learning a new language can be challenging but rewarding. It also highlights how language is fluid and constantly evolving, reflecting the diverse experiences and perspectives of its users. Read this story from "The Atlantic" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/theatlantic/family/archive/2024/01/new-years-resolution-language-learning-slang/676958/ #LanguageLearning #ChallengingButRewarding

There have been several recent mass shootings motivated by racial or religious hatred, and policy makers are responding with increased funding and policing measures to combat this trend. Read this story from "The Atlantic" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/theatlantic/ideas/archive/2024/01/hate-crimes-criminals-bias-prosecute/676271/ #MassShootings #Racism #ReligiousHatred #IncreasedFunding #PolicingMeasures

Ancient rivers in Iraq played an important role in the emergence of modern politics, as they were responsible for gluing together early states. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/finance-and-economics/2023/12/20/where-does-the-modern-state-come-from #AncientRivers #Iraq #Politics #EarlyStates

Chief Justice John Roberts discussed the pros and cons of computer-generated content in the legal profession, acknowledging both its potential to smooth out any mismatch between available resources and urgent needs in our court system and its use by people without much money. The report also touched on the ethical practices of the justices and their failure to disclose travel, other hospitality, and additional financial ties with wealthy conservative donors, including Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers. Lastly, it mentioned that the country is entering an election year in which the court may become entangled in ongoing criminal cases against former President Donald Trump and efforts to keep him off the 2024 ballot. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2024/01/02/john-roberts-supreme-court-annual-report-artificial-intelligence-technological-frontier/ #LegalProfession #EthicalPracticesOfJustices #CourtSystemAndTravelTies

China's netizens analyze their leader's desk and speech, while foreign investors are growing more nervous due to the country's economic troubles. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/china/2024/01/02/xi-jinping-and-china-face-another-tough-year #ChinaEconomy #AnalysisOfLeadersDesk

It discusses the performance of bosses of large listed companies in the S&P 1200 index and ranks them by their returns relative to their sector's average. It mentions household names, dark horses, and buy-out firms, as well as a Dutch maker of chipmaking tools whose pay was rejected by shareholders. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/business/2023/12/28/who-was-the-best-ceo-of-2023 #bossperformance #listedcompanies #S #shareholderpay

Elon Musk has founded a new AI company called xAI with the goal of understanding the true nature of the universe and believes that the safest way to build an AI is one that is maximally curious and truth-seeking. He also announced his new venture on July 12, 2023, which is significant because it represents the answer to "the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything" according to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Musk has also vowed not to let other companies define the future and instead wants to build an AI that is maximally curious and truth-seeking. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2023/11/20/elon-musk-xai-chatgpt-competitor-grok-chatbot-ai-safety/ #ElonMusk #AIcompany #spaceexploration #sciencefiction

Pablo Picasso, Marie-Laure de Noailles, and Dora Maar were dining together at a restaurant called Le Catalan on the Left Bank during the German occupation of France in 1943. Read this story from "The Atlantic" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/theatlantic/magazine/archive/1964/08/pablo-picassos-love-la-femme-fleur/658962/ #PabloPicasso #MarieNoailles #DoraMaar #LeCatalan #GermanOccupation #GermanOccupation

Israel was struck by a massacre during the war against Hamas in Gaza, and that the company Clarity's AI technology could have been useful to detect deepfakes in election campaigns. However, due to the chaos following the massacres and the humanitarian crisis, the technology had to wait for now. The text also discusses the use of information warfare during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including images that were real or fake, raising questions about their authenticity. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2023/12/04/deepfakes-israel-hamas-war-ai-detection-tech-startups/ #IsraelWar #HamasConflict #DeepfakesElectionCampaigns #InformationWarfare

The baby-boomer generation is responsible for the current state of the housing market due to their large numbers and tendency to own homes outright, which has led to a shortage of available properties and high mortgage rates. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2023/10/19/one-wall-street-bank-says-blame-the-boomers-for-the-broken-housing-market-but-its-overlooking-these-4-factors/ #HousingMarket #BabyBoomerGeneration #HighMortgageRates #ShortageOfAvailableProperties #OwningHomesOutright #ResponsibleForCurrentState

Biohacker Bryan Johnson has been criticized by Elon Musk for spending $2 million a year on an age-reversing regimen, with Musk comparing the before and after pictures of Johnson. Some people have also criticized Johnson's research methods. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2024/01/03/bryan-johnson-elon-musk-biohacking-feud/ #Biohacker #ElonMusk #AgeReversal #Regimen #Criticism #ResearchMethods

The mobile era began in New York City in 1973 when Motorola's Martin Cooper placed the first call from a handheld cellular phone and today, mobiles are a global necessity embedded in daily lives to an extent unimaginable a generation ago. They have extended human capabilities and increased convenience in countless ways but have also been implicated in societal ills ranging from teen depression to political polarization. Yet an important aspect of this global revolution is often overlooked, which is the enormous power of mobiles to boost productivity. In 1973 when the world's population was 4 billion, there were roughly 250 million landline phones mostly in rich countries with one in every 16 people on the planet enjoying access to immediate communication by phone. Today, in a world with twice as many people, nearly everyone has access to a mobile and I have seen this transformation first-hand during its first two decades when it was a bulky analog device but an even more exclusive privilege than landlines. When digital mobiles were introduced in Finland in 1991, however, I realized that this new technology could spread in a radically different way following Moore's Law. The cost of digital processing power had dropped dramatically since the 1960s and it was only a matter of time before even the poorest citizens in my native Bangladesh would be able to afford mobiles. I knew well that decreasing cost was one factor that would work in my favour but increased personal productivity as more people got mobiles was also an important aspect of this global revolution that was often overlooked. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/by-invitation/2023/12/18/an-industry-pioneer-on-the-under-appreciated-benefits-of-the-global-mobile-revolution #MobileRevolution #MobilesAsAGlobalNecessity #PowerOfProductivity

Comparing the wealth of nations can be difficult due to differences in population, prices and work hours. It also discusses how some countries rank higher or lower on various measures of income per person, adjusted for local prices, and income per hour worked. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/graphic-detail/2023/12/15/the-worlds-richest-countries-in-2023 #economics #comparingwealthnations #difficultiesincomparison #adjustingforpopulationpricesandworkhours

Many of this year's podcasts contained a dash of doom, with fears about the climate crisis and AI encroaching on the workforce intensifying. Podcasters reexamined the justice system, while women were protagonists, hosts, and subjects in various shows. The overturn of Roe v. Wade was also mentioned. Read this story from "The Atlantic" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/theatlantic/culture/archive/2023/12/25-best-podcasts-2023/676935/ #Podcasts #ClimateCrisis

Intuit has been investing in artificial intelligence for a while and has a single capacity that spans the entire company for AI, data, and analytics. Additionally, it is estimated that 40% of companies will increase their investments in AI due to advancements in generative AI. The text also discusses who should be responsible for the adoption and deployment of AI technology. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2023/11/08/ai-playbook-leadership/ #AI #DataAnalytics #GenerativeAI #AdoptionDeployment

There are several important themes to watch in the coming year, including elections all over the world, America's global choice, and Europe stepping up for Ukraine. The text also mentions the importance of democracy and the consequences of election-rigging in Russia. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/the-world-ahead/2023/11/06/tom-standages-ten-trends-to-watch-in-2024 #ElectionYear2023 #GlobalChoice #UkraineStepsUp #DemocracyMatter #ElectionRiggingConsequences

2024 will be the first time in history where more than half of the world's population will live in countries holding nationwide elections, yet many of these elections will entrench illiberal rulers and cast a pall over global politics. Read this story from "The Economist" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/economist/the-world-ahead/2023/11/13/2024-will-be-stressful-for-those-who-care-about-liberal-democracy #2024Elections #NationwideElections #IllliberalRulers #PallOnGlobalPolitics

The internet has changed significantly over time, with new technologies splintering it back to its wild mid-1990s roots. However, the iPhone has done more than any other invention since the printing press to encourage literacy by making words jump from our palms into our brains at unparalleled immediacy and frequency thanks to the digital media industry that employs the author of this text. The centrality of phone-based reading has allowed Fortune to grow by leaps and bounds, even if it is something of a 93-year-old startup. Read this story from "Fortune" for free without being tracked. https://read.distractionfree.site/fortune/2023/12/30/best-books-2023-business-non-fiction-fortune-editors/ #InternetEvolution #MobileReadingTrend #FortuneGrowth