posted 1 hour ago

In Argentina, one of the greatest honors for a local soccer club might be to produce a player who moves to an even bigger club, then maybe becomes part of the country’s storied national team. In the United States, if a player like that walked into a local soccer program, it would surprise nobody if that program tried to eke every penny out of the player’s parents before showing him or her off to the world.

Therein lies one of the crucial differences between a nation of 46 million that plays Spain on Sunday for a fourth World Cup title and another with more than seven times the population that has never sniffed that kind of success.

US must learn to navigate its pay-for-play world to find a pipeline to World Cup competitivenessapnews.comAmerica’s early departure from the 2026 World Cup raised a question that arises every four years: What would it take to produce a global soccer superpower in the United States?

posted 1 day ago

The data suggests that “the CD has been recontextualized from a functional audio format into an affordable collectible,” Luminate says. “This behavior underscores that for younger generations, the act of buying physical music is as much about aesthetic ownership and direct financial support for the artist as it is listening to the music on the product itself.”

Why are people buying so many CDs?theverge.comCollectors, affordable prices, and big K-pop albums.

posted 2 days ago

The book is flattering, fabricated and absolutely packed with em dashes. It bears all the signs of A.I. slop. I clicked on the author, one John Crane Miller. His bio page described him as a “seasoned biographer and cultural analyst,” and his portrait was a widely used stock photo of a white man in a suit speaking at a conference. “The Biography of Kashmir Hill: The New York Times Technology Journalist Who Exposed Clearview AI, Challenged Big Tech and Redefined Privacy in the Digital Age” was one of 10 biographies that Mr. Miller had published in a single week, all of them about journalists, including my Times colleague Mike Isaac; Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic; and Jake Tapper of CNN.

Someone Used A.I. to Write an Unauthorized Biography of Me. I Don’t Recommend Reading It.nytimes.comSomeone used A.I. to write my biography. Thousands more of those books are polluting Amazon. Who is behind all this drivel?

posted 2 days ago

THS THDPSSSSPS, out now

posted 3 days ago

The brief history of those five games includes: a match so violent that it prompted the introduction of red cards, a goal so controversial it became known as the “Hand of God,” a goal so sublime it became known as the “Goal of the Century,” allegations of vile racism, endless chants about the Falkland Islands, the ejection of soccer icon David Beckham, and an effigy of a player hanged outside a London pub.

The Greatest Rivalry in Sports Braces for Its Biggest Game Everwsj.comThere are other epic rivalries, from Yankees-Red Sox to Ohio State-Michigan. But nothing comes close to the 64-year-old World Cup feud that is England vs. Argentina.

posted 6 days ago

Across the open-source ecosystem, AI code tools are disrupting a set of norms that has rewarded developers for building or contributing to software that benefits everyone. In the past, contributions to open-source projects were bullet points on a developer’s CV. But are you a contributor if your contribution was authored by Claude or Codex? And if the “community of users” for your project is increasingly made up of bots, will you still be motivated to build or maintain it? And if not, then what happens when we open the sink tap?

Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party?ft.comOur obsession with AI code-writing tools is overwhelming the web’s unsung human caretakers

posted 1 week ago

I just find it really stupid. That’s the thing I thought when they came up with it, that it was stupid and annoying, and I didn’t want to do it.

Viral Norway fan hits out at “stupid” Row celebration thats taking over the World Cup - Dexertodexerto.comA Norway fan who has gone viral for not doing the now-iconic row celebration at the World Cup has explained why he won’t get involved, even if they win the whole thing.

posted 1 week ago

We’ve been clear about what we want. We want a technical solution that allows you to be discoverable without having to give your content away for free.

Publishers Are Preparing to Opt Out of Google Searchadweek.comThe nuclear option is gaining traction as web traffic collapses and Google refuses to negotiate with content creators

posted 1 week ago

The Onion (@theonion.com) on Bluesky

CEO Reveals How He Used AI To Build One-Person Company That's $1.3 Billion In Debt

posted 1 week ago

I'm old enough to remember people sending LMGTFY links to folks who didn't seem to know how to use a search engine and expected strangers to do unpaid research for them. But this isn't that. It's closer to what happens when I ask a friend for a food recommendation and get a top-10 list back. I'm not asking what Eater thinks is the best kind-of-quiet spot for late-night drinks, or for a great coffee shop in the city where they used to live. I'm asking what they think, because we have similar taste and a shared history, and because I know they have opinions about where the lists go wrong. I trust their experience over the expert consensus.

Stop Telling Me To Ask An LLMblog.yaelwrites.comI already did.

posted 1 week ago

Here we were, three men trying to pitch rooms full of male investors a tool meant to alleviate cervical pain: It was like trying to sell ballet shoes to a football team.

Revolutionizing Gynecology With Women in Mind - Truthdigtruthdig.comA new medical device is part of a broader effort to make gynecological care less painful — and to take women’s pain more seriously.

posted 1 week ago

posted 1 week ago

Pink boots

Why are so many footballers wearing pink boots at the World Cup?ft.com (GIFT LINK)From Jude Bellingham to Kylian Mbappé, players are voting with their feet for this year’s colour — and challenging traditional ideas of masculinity

We've all noticed. Pink boots — or cleats, as Americans inexplicably call them — are all the rage at the 2026 World Cup. Of the 26 players in the England squad, the Financial Times tots up, 22 have worn pink boots during the competition. There's a few reasons. First up:

Much of the popularity is pragmatic. “Brands used bright pink because it creates maximum contrast against the green pitch,” explains Matt Powell, senior adviser at BCE consulting. In an era where millions of people watch games by looking to the palm of their hand as well as a TV or big screen, pink boots “boost broadcast visibility”.

But then, neon yellow or maybe bright blue boots would have the same effect, so why pink? Players are of course being paid many millions to wear them, but beyond that, there's a broader signal emerging from the traditionally "feminine" colour being readily embraced:

Pink became more prominent on luxury menswear catwalks in the 2010s, as designers sought to subvert rigid gender norms. Gentle shades of the hue — what would become known as “millennial pink” — appeared proudly on runways for brands such as Sacai and Robert Geller and in the wardrobes of male celebrities like Bad Bunny and Mac DeMarco, possibly looking to market themselves more softly for female audiences — and provoke questions around what masculine identities could look like.

For this reason, expect more pink in football in the upcoming season, starting with my very own Cambridge United — the team's new third strip is positively on-trend:

posted 1 week ago

What nation in the same situation wouldn’t have done the same thing?

Hate us for it if you want, but the U.S. did what was necessary for Folarin Balogun’s returnnytimes.comIt’s hard to believe other countries in the tournament wouldn’t have done exactly what the Americans did here.

posted 2 weeks ago

Lisa Nandy removing herself and DCMS from Twitter would have been unthinkable a few years ago but honestly the only mad thing is that it hasn’t happened sooner. And now it’s pretty hard for a future… | Jim Waterson | 49 commentslnkd.inLisa Nandy removing herself and DCMS from Twitter would have been unthinkable a few years ago but honestly the only mad thing is that it hasn’t happened sooner. And now it’s pretty hard for a future DCMS secretary to actively reinstate the department. Plus it’s a question for every other minister now. Westminster and journalism still runs on X but honestly if there was a mass migration elsewhere (to, idk, platforms where the general public consume stuff) it would probably be healthier for society. And if you’re a reporter worried from a journalism perspective, since I stopped consuming and mentally writing for Twitter I’ve massively increased my audience. | 49 comments on LinkedIn