We’re back from the spring break!

Despite the petty fight between Anthropic and OpenClaw in the world of cutthroat AI competition, men still have a higher cause to race for - going to the Moon, turning the Moon into a second base for humanity, and making space travel a regular activity, if not a sport already.

On top of that, Messi and Ronaldo will have their last World Cup in June. This World Cup will be epic in every way. There is so much to look forward to in 2026.

By the way, it is almost impossible to get a decent-looking 2026 World Cup final match-up table on Google. You’d imagine this picture should be floating around everywhere, but no. The good ones are all behind digital walls by big tech platforms like Facebook and Instagram. WeChat has plenty good ones, but it’s not accessible to non-WeChat users, either.

On one hand, we tirelessly explore the physical boundary of human adventures. On the other hand, we shrewdly isolate ourselves in towering digital fortresses. Ironic, isn’t it?

Tech

Anthropic, the company behind the AI assistant Claude, accidentally published the full source code for its popular coding tool Claude Code. A debug file was mistakenly included in a routine software update pushed to npm, a public registry where developers download packages. Security researcher Chaofan Shou spotted it and posted the discovery on X, where it racked up over 21 million views within hours. The code — roughly 500,000 lines across 1,900 files — was quickly mirrored on GitHub and picked apart by thousands of developers. For a company valued at $380 billion and known for building some of the most capable AI on the planet, the cause was almost comically mundane: someone forgot to exclude a file from the build pipeline. Anthropic called it human error and said no customer data was exposed. It was the company’s second such leak in just over a year.

OpenAI announced it is shutting down Sora, its AI video generation app. When Sora first debuted in early 2024, its demo clips stunned the internet and made OpenAI look like the undisputed leader in AI video. But after launching as a standalone app in September 2025, it struggled: the tool was burning through roughly $1 million a day in compute costs while its user base collapsed from a peak of about 3.3 million monthly downloads to just over a million. CEO Sam Altman said the company needed to redirect resources toward its core AI models and coding tools. Meanwhile, ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0, Google’s Veo, and Runway have all surpassed it — and OpenAI is walking away from the field entirely.

When the US banned Huawei from using Google’s Android in 2019, the Chinese tech giant had no choice but to build its own operating system from scratch. Six years later, HarmonyOS now runs on over one billion devices — phones, tablets, watches, TVs, cars, and now laptops. Huawei recently launched HarmonyOS Next, a version built entirely in-house with zero Android code. PC shipments running HarmonyOS are forecast to grow tenfold this year, and analysts say the platform could surpass Google’s ChromeOS by 2027. Huawei claims its app ecosystem will match Android and iOS quality by this month. Whether HarmonyOS can break out of China and compete globally remains the big question — but the fact that it exists at all is one of the more remarkable comebacks in tech.

Global

Twelve years ago, San Francisco’s school district removed Algebra from middle school in the name of equity, hoping to close racial gaps in math achievement. It backfired. Eighth-grade math proficiency dropped from 51% to 40% district-wide, and proficiency among Black students fell from 11% to 4%. Enrollment in advanced high school math, including AP Calculus, also declined. Wealthier families simply hired tutors or enrolled their kids in private programs, widening the gap the policy was supposed to close. In 2024, 82% of San Francisco voters approved a nonbinding measure demanding algebra’s return. On March 24, the school board finally voted 4–3 to bring it back. As one parent group put it: “We’re the center of technological innovation in the United States, and we can’t teach our kids math?”

Economy & Finance

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has confidentially filed for an IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation and a raise of up to $75 billion, which would make it the largest public offering in financial history. The filing comes two months after SpaceX acquired Musk’s AI company xAI in an all-stock deal valued at $1.25 trillion, merging rockets, Starlink satellite internet, the Grok AI model, and the X social media platform under one roof. A June listing on Nasdaq is reportedly the target. There’s one awkward detail: all eleven of xAI’s original co-founders have since left the company, and Musk has acknowledged the AI division is being “rebuilt from the foundations up.”

Nature & Environment

A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy has been stranded in Germany’s Baltic Sea since early March, and the story has gripped the entire country. The 12-to-15-meter whale likely wandered in while chasing herring and couldn’t find its way back to the Atlantic — a journey of several hundred kilometers through narrow straits. Rescuers tried everything: excavators dug escape channels, boats created waves to guide it, Greenpeace deployed teams. Twice the whale freed itself, only to get stuck again. It also had fishing net tangled in its mouth. On April 1, experts called off all rescue efforts, saying further intervention would only cause more suffering. The story became a national moment in Germany — millions followed every update, every small sign of hope. Sometimes the world stops to care about one lost whale, and that says something worth holding onto.

Science

On April 1, NASA’s Artemis II mission launched four astronauts toward the Moon — the first crewed lunar voyage since Apollo 17 in 1972. The road to launch was rough: the rocket suffered hydrogen fuel leaks during test countdowns in February, then a helium leak in the upper stage forced a rollback to the assembly building, pushing the launch from February to April. Hours after liftoff, the toilet malfunctioned — a jammed fan disabled urine collection for five hours, forcing the crew to resort to backup bags. They fixed it. The spacecraft is now en route to the Moon on a 10-day flyby mission, looping around the far side before returning to Earth. Artemis III, scheduled for 2027, will test docking with SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander in Earth orbit. The actual lunar landing is planned for Artemis IV in 2028, with roughly one landing per year after that.

While NASA’s Artemis II circles the Moon this week, China is quietly building its own path to a crewed lunar landing by 2030. The Chang’e-7 mission, set to launch later this year, will send an orbiter, a lander, and a mini-flying probe to the Moon’s south pole to scout for water ice and resources. A follow-up mission, Chang’e-8, planned for 2028, will test 3D printing on the lunar surface using local materials — a key step toward building a permanent base. China has already tested its new Mengzhou crew capsule and Lanyue lunar lander, and is constructing a launch pad at the Wenchang spaceport in Hainan. If successful, China would become only the second country ever to land humans on the Moon.

Math

In order to be born, you needed:

2 parents
2² = 4 grandparents
2³ = 8 great-grandparents
2⁴ = 16 second great-grandparents
2⁵ = 32 third great-grandparents
2⁶ = 64 fourth great-grandparents
2⁷ = 128 fifth great-grandparents
2⁸ = 256 sixth great-grandparents
2⁹ = 512 seventh great-grandparents
2¹⁰ = 1024 eighth great grandparents
2¹¹ = 2048 ninth great-grandparents

For you to be born today from 12 previous generations, you needed a total of 2¹² = 4096 ancestors over the last 400 years.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Apple turned 50 on April 1, and to celebrate, the company brought Sir Paul McCartney to perform a private concert for employees at Apple Park — the circular headquarters in Cupertino known as “The Spaceship.” McCartney played a 25-song set under the campus’s rainbow arches, covering Beatles classics like “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” and “Blackbird,” Wings hits like “Band on the Run,” and his signature pyrotechnics-laden “Live and Let Die.” Employees had to win a lottery just to get in. The choice of McCartney carried extra meaning: The Beatles founded Apple Corps in 1968, eight years before Steve Jobs started Apple Computer. The two Apples famously feuded over the name for decades, settling only in 2007 — just in time for the iPhone to change everything.

Ryan Gosling’s new movie Project Hail Mary — based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel about a schoolteacher launched into space to save Earth — has grossed $300 million worldwide, making it one of the year’s biggest hits. But one of its most talked-about moments has nothing to do with special effects. In a karaoke scene, actress Sandra Hüller belts out Harry Styles’ 2017 hit “Sign of the Times,” and the moment has become the emotional centerpiece of the film. Hüller picked the song herself from a playlist of goodbye songs, then realized the lyrics — “just stop your crying, have the time of your life, breaking through the atmosphere” — fit the story perfectly. She checked with her daughter first to make sure it was still cool. Gosling called it “the anthem of the film,” and even sang it to Styles when he hosted Saturday Night Live.

The video game Elden Ring — a massive open-world fantasy RPG that has sold over 30 million copies since 2022 — is getting a live-action movie. A24 is producing with director Alex Garland, the filmmaker behind Ex Machina and 28 Days Later. Garland pursued the project himself, writing a 160-page script on spec and flying to Japan to pitch the game’s creator Hidetaka Miyazaki in person. Set footage leaked this week on TikTok showing a Statue of Marika and stone ruins that fans say look pulled straight from the game. Filming reportedly starts next week in England. No release date yet, but expect 2027.

April 1 is April Fools’ Day — the one day a year when pranking people is not only acceptable but expected. Nobody knows exactly how it started. The most popular theory traces it to 1582, when France switched to the Gregorian calendar and moved New Year’s Day from late March to January 1. People slow to get the memo became the butt of jokes. In France, tricked people are called poisson d’avril (April fish). In Scotland, it’s a two-day affair — the second day is devoted entirely to butt-related pranks, called Taily Day. Even major corporations get in on it: Google, BMW, and Burger King have all run elaborate fake product launches on April 1.

Sports

[Motorbike] ZXMOTO, a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer founded in Chongqing just two years ago, made history on March 28–29 by winning both races in the World Supersport Championship at the Portimão circuit in Portugal. French rider Valentin Debise dominated on the ZXMOTO 820RR-RS, winning Race 1 by nearly four seconds and taking Race 2 in a tight finish. It was only the brand’s fourth race ever — and its first season competing at this level. The sport has long been dominated by Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda. What made it even more striking: the 820RR retails for about $6,000, a fraction of its European and Japanese rivals. But the real story is founder Zhang Xue. Born in 1987 in a village in Hunan province, he had only a junior high school education. At 16 he was repairing motorcycles. At 19 he chased a TV crew for over 100 kilometers in the rain just to get a chance to show off his riding. He raced until he ran out of money, then worked at factories, co-founded another brand called Kove, and finally started ZXMOTO in April 2024. Less than two years later, he was watching his bike win on a world stage, in tears.

[Soccer] The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11 across the US, Canada, and Mexico — the first World Cup with 48 teams, up from 32, the biggest expansion in the tournament’s history. Both Lionel Messi (38) and Cristiano Ronaldo (41) are expected to play in their record-tying sixth World Cup — likely the last for both legends. Meanwhile, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer Neymar, 34, may not even make the squad after two years of injuries. France’s Kylian Mbappé will lead Les Bleus in a group that includes Norway, back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, led by Manchester City’s towering striker Erling Haaland. Spain’s 18-year-old Lamine Yamal will make his World Cup debut as arguably the best player in the world. And Argentina will try to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962.

[Soccer] On March 31, Japan’s Samurai Blue beat England 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, with winger Kaoru Mitoma scoring the only goal. With that, Japan has now beaten seven of the eight nations that have ever won a World Cup — Uruguay, Argentina, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and England. Only Italy remains unchecked, but they have other problems: on the same day Japan was winning at Wembley, Italy lost to Bosnia & Herzegovina in a penalty shootout and failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third straight time — an unprecedented low for a four-time champion. Most of these Japan’s wins came in friendlies, but the Germany and Spain victories were at the 2022 World Cup, and the trend is unmistakable. Coach Hajime Moriyasu has said openly that Japan’s goal is to win the World Cup. Few are laughing anymore. Japan opens their 2026 campaign in Group F against the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden.

[Golf] The Masters tees off at Augusta National on April 9, but the biggest story isn’t on the course. Tiger Woods — 82 PGA Tour wins, 15 major titles, five green jackets, widely considered the greatest golfer ever — will not be there. On March 27, the 50-year-old was involved in a rollover crash near his Florida home and arrested for DUI (Driving Under Influence). Woods has since announced he is stepping away from golf to seek treatment. His body has been breaking down for years: a devastating car crash in 2021, a ruptured Achilles in 2025, seven back surgeries. His last Masters appearance in 2024 ended with his worst score ever as a professional, finishing last among all players who made the cut. He once held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 683 weeks. Today he is ranked 3,736th.

This Day in History

On April 5, 1974, a 26-year-old high school English teacher in Maine named Stephen King published his first novel, Carrie. He had written it on evenings and weekends, working on a secondhand typewriter in the laundry room of a trailer he shared with his wife and two small children. He actually threw the early draft in the trash — his wife Tabitha fished it out and told him to finish it. The book sold a million copies in its first year in paperback and launched one of the most prolific careers in literary history. King has since published over 60 novels and sold more than 350 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling authors of all time. If you’ve seen It, The Shining, Stand by Me, or The Shawshank Redemption — those are all Stephen King.

Art of the Week

In 1076, the Chinese poet Su Shi (苏轼) wrote Shuidiao Getou (水调歌头) during the Mid-Autumn Festival, gazing at a full Moon and missing his brother whom he hadn’t seen in years. The poem’s closing lines have become some of the most quoted in the Chinese language:

人有悲欢离合

月有阴晴圆缺

此事古难全

但愿人长久

千里共婵娟。

The great Chinese writer Lin Yutang (林语堂) translated them as:

But rare is perfect happiness

the moon does wax, the moon does wane

and so men meet and say goodbye

I only pray our life be long

and our souls together heavenward fly!

In Chinese literary tradition, the Moon has always been far more than an astronomical object. For centuries, poets and scholars have turned to it to express longing, solitude, reunion, and the passage of time — making it perhaps the most enduring symbol in all of Chinese literature.

Funny

Previous Issues

March 22, 2026, The Future of SaaS Companies and Knowledge Workers

March 15, 2026, The Unstoppable Kimi

March 07, 2026, Facing the Storm

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Spring break is coming next week. At a birthday party, parents chatted about travel plans. Some are going to Japan for one last ski trip of the season. Some are going to Southeast Asia. Some are going to check off major tourism destination of the bucket list, when the traffic will still be moderate during early April in China. It’s good to stay in the region where we don’t have to worry about missiles or drones flying over our heads.

I’ll be out of town with my family. The Sunday Blender will return on April 5th.

Tech

On March 16, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took the stage at a sold-out arena in San Jose for GTC 2026 — the tech world’s biggest AI gathering. His message was staggering: companies will spend $1 trillion buying Nvidia’s AI chips through 2027, double what he predicted just months ago. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the entire GDP of Indonesia. Huang predicted that “every SaaS company will become an Agent-as-a-Service company” — meaning the software tools we use today, from spreadsheets to project managers, will be replaced by AI agents that do the work themselves instead of helping humans do it. Huang unveiled faster chips, smarter robots, and declared “the ChatGPT moment for autonomous driving is here,” with car makers like BYD, Nissan, and Hyundai building self-driving vehicles on Nvidia technology. The keynote ended with a chorus of Nvidia-powered robots singing on stage.

OpenClaw — the open-source AI agent people in China call “raising a lobster” — had a very public dust-up with Tencent this month. On March 11, Tencent launched SkillHub, which scraped over 13,000 skills from OpenClaw’s marketplace without asking, pushing creator Peter Steinberger’s server bill into five digits. Steinberger fired back on X: “They copy yet they don’t support the project in any way.” Tencent’s reply — claiming SkillHub was just a helpful “localized mirror” — struck many as corporate spin. But as the backlash went viral, Tencent moved fast: within five days, it became an official OpenClaw sponsor, providing free deployment servers across 17 Chinese cities. On March 22, Tencent launched a full WeChat integration QClaw, putting OpenClaw one tap away from over a billion users — turning a bitter rival into its biggest distribution partner in under two weeks.

On March 19, AI coding editor Cursor launched Composer 2, billing it as a major in-house breakthrough that beat Claude Opus 4.6 on coding benchmarks at one-tenth the price. Within hours, a developer spotted the model ID in API traffic: “kimi-k2p5-rl-0317-s515-fast” — pointing straight to Kimi K2.5, an open-source model from Beijing’s Moonshot AI. Elon Musk amplified the finding: “Yeah, it’s Kimi 2.5.” Cursor co-founder Aman Sanger admitted the omission: “It was a miss to not mention Kimi as the base model.” Moonshot AI responded gracefully: “Congratulations to the Cursor team. We’re proud that Kimi K2.5 provides the foundation.” The episode captures a new reality in AI: a $29 billion American coding tool’s flagship product runs on a Chinese open-source model, and the only reason anyone found out is because someone read the fine print.

OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy sparked a firestorm on March 15 with a weekend side project. He “vibe coded” an interactive heatmap scoring 342 U.S. occupations for AI exposure, using Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an AI model to rate each job from 0 (least affected by AI) to 10 (most likely to be reshaped by it) . The results covered 143 million employed workers and painted a stark picture: high-paying white-collar professions — software developers, financial analysts, copywriters — scored 8 or 9, while physical, hands-on jobs scored near zero. Construction laborers, roofers, painters, janitors, and ironworkers all scored just 1. Barbers, bartenders, nursing assistants, and massage therapists scored 2. the Jobs heatmap went viral: AI is reshaping office and screen-based work first, while jobs that require you to physically show up and use your hands remain the safest.

On March 21, Elon Musk officially launched “Terafab” — a vertically integrated chip fabrication project combining logic processing, memory, and advanced packaging under one roof. The facility will be built in Austin, Texas and jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX. Why build your own chip factory? Musk told investors that even the best-case supply from existing chipmakers like TSMC and Samsung won’t be enough for Tesla’s ambitions in self-driving cars, the Optimus humanoid robot, and xAI’s Grok supercomputers. The project carries an estimated cost of around $25 billion and targets production of 100 to 200 billion custom AI chips per year. At its target of one million wafer starts per month by 2030, Terafab would nearly match TSMC’s entire current global output — and TSMC spent decades and tens of billions of dollars building that capacity.

Global

It’s still technically spring, but Southern California feels like summer. A powerful high-pressure system has been pushing temperatures up to 35 degrees above average, shattering records across the region. Burbank hit 98°F, breaking a 1997 record. Idyllwild recorded its hottest March day ever. Woodland Hills saw its earliest-ever 100°F reading, and across four days, 40 daily high-temperature records were broken. San Francisco — a city better known for fog and chilly summers — flirted with nearly 90°F, its hottest March in over two decades. UC Merced climatologist John Abatzoglou called it “an event without precedent in the modern era,” following what NOAA confirmed was the warmest winter on record across a huge portion of the western U.S. The heat is also accelerating snowmelt across the Sierra Nevada, raising concerns about water supply and an earlier wildfire season.

Thirteen parents and a middleman were found guilty in a Hong Kong court of bribing a former administrator at an English Schools Foundation (ESF) international kindergarten to secure priority K1 admission for 12 children. The bribes totaled HK$1.1 million, ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 per family. The children had all passed their interviews but were placed at the bottom of the waiting list — the bribes bumped them to the front. What makes this case striking is the profile of those involved: these weren’t desperate outsiders — they were affluent, highly educated professionals who knew exactly how Hong Kong’s system works. And Hong Kong is a city famous for its rule of law, where the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) has a decades-long reputation for going after everyone equally, no matter how wealthy or connected. The judge said prison sentences were “inevitable.”

Economy & Finance

Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics has filed for a $610 million IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market, marking one of China’s biggest onshore tech listings in years. Founded in 2016 by Wang Xingxing, the company rose to fame with affordable quadruped robots before pivoting hard into humanoids. Revenue surged 335% in 2025 to 1.71 billion yuan, with adjusted net profit rising nearly eightfold. Humanoid robots now account for over half of revenue, up from just 27.6% in 2024, driven by the consumer-friendly G1 model. Unitree delivered 5,500 humanoid units last year, claiming the top global spot. Proceeds will fund AI research, new products, and manufacturing expansion — positioning Unitree at the center of China’s embodied intelligence ambitions.

Honda reported its first annual loss in seven decades, announcing up to $15.7 billion in charges after canceling three electric vehicles that were planned for North America. The 0 Series SUV, Saloon, and Acura RSX EVs were scrapped before ever reaching the assembly line. What went wrong? A combination of U.S. tariffs, the reversal of federal EV tax credits, and fierce competition from Chinese EV makers forced Honda to rethink its electrification strategy entirely. Honda isn’t alone — General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis have booked similar write-downs, bringing the industry total to about $67 billion. Honda is now pivoting toward hybrids, where its electrified lineup already accounts for over a third of sales, up from just 5% five years ago.

In 1990, a 27-year-old named Zhang Jindong opened a 200-square-meter air conditioning shop in Nanjing called Suning. Over three decades, he built it into China’s retail king — over 1,700 stores, a Fortune 500 company, and a personal fortune of 39.5 billion yuan. Then came catastrophic bets: a 20-billion-yuan gamble on Evergrande that went to zero, reckless expansion into sports, real estate, and e-commerce, and a price war with JD.com he couldn’t win. In early 2026, a Nanjing court finalized the restructuring of 38 Suning companies carrying 2,387 billion yuan in debt. Zhang surrendered everything — stocks, mansions, art collections — keeping only a 68-square-meter walk-up apartment, a social security card, and a health insurance card. Unlike many tycoons who hid assets or fled the country, Zhang chose to face his creditors and take full responsibility — a rare act in Chinese business that earned him respect even in defeat.

Nature & Environment

In mid-March 2026, a slow-moving Kona Low stalled northwest of the Hawaiian Islands, unleashing six days of torrential rain, wind gusts up to 135 mph, and catastrophic flooding across every major island. Honolulu shattered a 75-year-old rainfall record, while parts of Maui received 46 inches over five days. Over 130,000 customers lost power at the storm’s peak, and Governor Josh Green warned of potentially $1 billion in damage. The century-old Wahiawa Dam on Oahu rose to imminent failure risk as water levels surpassed the spillway, threatening 2,500 lives downstream. Investigations revealed owner Dole Food Co. had ignored decades of state warnings about the dam’s inadequate spillway, turning a weather disaster into a mounting infrastructure crisis.

Science

DNA is written in five chemical “letters” called nucleobases — adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil. Scientists announced on March 16 that all five have been found in rock samples from Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid, about 900 meters wide, orbiting the Sun between Earth and Mars. They were collected by Japan’s Hayabusa-2 spacecraft during a six-year, 300-million-kilometer round trip. Because asteroids like Ryugu formed 4.6 billion years ago when the planets were being born, and have remained largely unchanged since, the discovery offers a window into the chemistry that existed at the dawn of our solar system. NASA found the same building blocks on asteroid Bennu, and they’ve turned up in meteorites that fell in France and Australia. This “does not mean that life existed on Ryugu,” lead author Toshiki Koga said. “Instead, their presence indicates that primitive asteroids could produce and preserve molecules important for the origin of life.” The implication is staggering: life on Earth may not have started here — it may have been delivered by rocks falling from space billions of years ago.

Math

What is the value of ?

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

The 98th Academy Awards on March 15 crowned One Battle After Another as Best Picture, but the night’s most lovable storyline belonged to songwriter Diane Warren. With her 17th consecutive loss in Best Original Song, Warren now holds the record for the most Oscar nominations without a competitive win. Warren is the powerhouse behind iconic hits like Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and Tony Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” — songs that defined entire movie moments and topped charts worldwide. Warren took it in stride, declaring she’d rather have the title of “biggest loser ever” than a single win, posting: “Well at least I’m consistent!” A legend who proves showing up matters more than trophies.

Forty years after young warriors in constellation armor first captivated readers, creator Masami Kurumada has announced Saint Seiya: Tenkai-hen (“The Heavens Arc”), launching May 14, 2026 in Weekly Shonen Champion. The franchise, which first appeared in 1985 and has over 50 million copies in circulation, follows mystical Saints who wear sacred armor to protect the goddess Athena — a story built on friendship, sacrifice, and burning through impossible odds with sheer willpower. Now 72, Kurumada is finally delivering the heavenly realm storyline fans have waited decades for. Saint Seiya is one of the most popular anime of all time worldwide, especially in Europe and Latin America, where it rivals Dragon Ball Z — in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, it shaped an entire generation’s relationship with anime and manga.

Andy Weir — the author behind The Martian, the 2015 blockbuster starring Matt Damon — is back with Project Hail Mary, about a schoolteacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory and a mission to save Earth. The film hit theaters on March 20 starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The results are spectacular: it opened to $80.6 million domestically, the biggest launch of 2026 and the best opening ever for Amazon MGM Studios. Critics gave it a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, calling it “a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart.” It’s now the second-best opening for a non-franchise film ever, just behind Oppenheimer. The hero is a science teacher who uses biology, physics, and problem-solving to save humanity — and the alien friendship at the story’s center is one of the best in all of science fiction.

Sports

[Soccer] The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals are set, and they’re loaded. Barcelona demolished Newcastle 7-2 in the second leg (8-3 on aggregate), Bayern Munich crushed Atalanta 4-1 (10-2 on aggregate), and Liverpool steamrolled Galatasaray 4-0. Two English giants were sent home: Chelsea fell 0-3 to PSG (2-8 on aggregate), and Manchester City lost 1-2 to Real Madrid (1-5 on aggregate). The quarter-final matchups are now: Sporting CP vs Arsenal, Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, Barcelona vs Atlético de Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool — with first legs on April 7-8. The final is scheduled for May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Barcelona and Bayern look devastating, Real Madrid are doing what they always do in this tournament, and Liverpool are quietly building a case as the most complete team left standing.

[Table Tennis] The German Tischtennis Bundesliga has been the strongest table tennis league in Europe since 1966, and Borussia Düsseldorf is its most dominant club — holders of a record 34 league titles and 12 Champions League trophies, more than any club in competition history. Saarbrücken has emerged as their chief rival, with the two meeting in four consecutive Bundesliga finals. Düsseldorf just announced the signing of Chinese superstar Fan Zhendong on a one-year contract for the 2026/27 season, sending shockwaves through European table tennis. The nine-time World Champion and former world number one for over 250 weeks will leave current club Saarbrücken, where he led the squad to the German Cup title in January. Saarbrücken expressed disappointment but gratitude, while Düsseldorf instantly becomes the Bundesliga and Champions League favorite heading into next season.

[Snooker] British snooker superstar Ronnie O’Sullivan made history on Friday with a break of 153 against Ryan Day at the 2026 World Open — the highest ever in professional snooker. In snooker, a “maximum” break is 147, but a rare free ball rule let O’Sullivan effectively create an extra red at the start of the frame, opening the door to surpass it. The achievement eclipses Jamie Burnett’s 148 from 2004, a record that stood for 22 years. At 50, O’Sullivan already holds records for most world titles (7, tied), most ranking titles (41), most maximum 147 breaks (17), and the fastest maximum — five minutes and eight seconds, unbeaten for 28 years. As fellow champion Neil Robertson put it: “The best ever and the best there ever will be.”

[[Baseball] On January 3, 2026, the U.S. military launched strikes across Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro in a predawn raid on his compound in Caracas. Ten weeks later, Venezuela’s baseball team arrived in Miami for the World Baseball Classic — in the backyard of 250,000 Venezuelan expatriates. Their first target: defending champion Japan, stacked with MLB superstars including four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The game opened with fireworks as Venezuela’s Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ohtani traded lead-off home runs in the first inning. Japan built a 5-2 lead, but their bullpen collapsed — Wilyer Abreu hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth, and the eight runs were the most Japan have ever conceded in a single WBC game. It was Japan’s worst-ever finish in tournament history. Venezuela then beat dark horse Italy in the semis before facing star-studded Team USA in the final. Bryce Harper hit a dramatic game-tying two-run homer in the eighth — but Venezuela answered in the ninth when Eugenio Suárez doubled in the winning run for a 3-2 victory. After the final out, the team sang their national anthem in tears on the center field stage, with thousands of Venezuelan fans weeping alongside them. This was Venezuela’s first WBC title and their first baseball world championship since 1945. For a country in political turmoil, it was a moment that transcended baseball.

This Day in History

On March 22, 1934, a new golf tournament teed off in Augusta, Georgia, USA — and quietly changed the sport forever. Founded by legendary amateur Bobby Jones on the site of a former plant nursery, Augusta National hosted what became the Masters — one of golf’s four major championships and the only one played at the same course every year. Today it’s golf’s most sacred ground: membership is invitation-only with no application process, and even three-time champion Gary Player was recently denied a tee time with his grandsons. Volunteers who work the full Masters week earn a rare reward — one round on “Appreciation Day.” For everyone else, Augusta remains a beautiful, tantalizing dream behind locked gates.

Art of the Week

Around 1831, a 70-year-old Japanese artist created what has been called “possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art.” Katsushika Hokusai had spent decades in obscurity, changed his name over 30 times, and moved house 93 times. Just before his masterpiece, he’d suffered a stroke, lost his wife, and was nearly broke — writing: “No money, no clothing, barely enough to eat.” Then came The Great Wave off Kanagawa: a towering wall of water about to swallow three fishing boats, with sacred Mount Fuji sitting tiny and calm in the distance. The massive wave dwarfs the mountain through dramatic perspective — nature’s fury frozen in the instant before the crash. The composition fused Japanese and European techniques, and went on to inspire Van Gogh’s swirling skies, Monet’s landscapes, and Debussy’s La Mer. On his deathbed at 88, Hokusai reportedly said: “If only Heaven will give me just another ten years…” Proof that it’s never too late to make something the whole world remembers.

Funny

Previous Issues

March 15, 2026, The Unstoppable Kimi

March 07, 2026, Facing the Storm

March 01, 2026, The Making of a Hero

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

On Friday afternoon, I was driving to Qiantan, Shanghai to drop off my boy to a STEAM class. I don’t drive often. It felt good to take a ride out every now and then.

AMAP, the leading map service in China owned by tech giant Alibaba, gave me the usual directions from my iPhone in the Tesla. It was doing the usual “please turn right at the next junction” or “please keep going straight on this road for the next 1.2 km”, etc.

Then, suddenly and subtly, it said:

“According to your usual driving behavior, you might want to take the second lane on the right …”.

I was like, what?! How.do.you.know.THAT?

Obviously, now I think about it, this is pretty easy for Alibaba to do - it can record all my driving activities, including which lane I usually take and give me tailor-made advice.

But honestly, I wish it didn’t do that. The machine knows too much about me.

The trend is going the other way though. Kimi just became an $18 billion unicorn in record time, thanks to the worldwide phenomenon of OpenClaw, which allows everyone to delegate many daily tasks to AI agents, by giving intimate personal information to the machine. OpenClaw meetups or bonanza are spreading to major tech hub cities in China.

Are we going too far?

Tech

Nvidia is committing $26 billion over the next five years to build open-weight AI models — the largest investment in open-source AI development in history. Confirmed via SEC filings and reported by Wired, the move transforms the GPU giant from a pure chipmaker into a frontier AI lab. The timing is strategic: Chinese labs like DeepSeek and Alibaba’s Qwen have dominated the open-model landscape while major U.S. players keep their best models proprietary. Nvidia has already released Nemotron 3 Super, a 128-billion-parameter model optimized for its hardware. America is back in the open-source AI race — and Jensen Huang is writing the check.

Beijing-based Moonshot AI, the Chinese AI foundation model company behind the open-source Kimi large language models, has become the fastest Chinese company ever to reach decacorn status — a valuation exceeding $10 billion — achieving the milestone in roughly two years, outpacing even ByteDance and Pinduoduo. And it’s not stopping there: the company is now seeking up to $1 billion in an expanded funding round that would value it at approximately $18 billion, more than quadrupling its valuation in just three months. Alibaba and Tencent are among the backers fueling the frenzy. The explosive growth was driven by the launch of Kimi Claw, powered by the K2.5 model — after which Moonshot’s monthly sales exceeded its total revenue for all of 2025. Founded in March 2023 by former Tsinghua professor Yang Zhilin, the company’s name was inspired by rock band Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon — Yang’s favorite album. From $300 million seed valuation to $18 billion in under three years: Moonshot is rewriting the rules of AI fundraising.

The gaming world’s biggest developer gathering, GDC (Game Developer Conference), took place in San Francisco from March 9-13. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a dark fantasy RPG from small French studio Sandfall Interactive, dominated the Game Developers Choice Awards with five wins including Game of the Year, Best Debut, Best Visual Art, Best Narrative, and Best Audio. The game is a loving evolution of the classic Japanese RPG genre with a distinctly French-inspired aesthetic — proof that a tiny debut studio can outshine industry giants. Meanwhile, NVIDIA and CD PROJEKT RED announced a collaboration to integrate a new RTX Mega Geometry foliage system into the massively anticipated The Witcher 4, promising path-traced environments with millions of detailed plants and trees — a glimpse of how next-gen games will look.

Global

Every spring, millions of people across India and around the world celebrate Holi — the Hindu Festival of Colours. This year it fell on March 3-4. Friends, families, and complete strangers take to the streets to throw brightly colored powders and splash colored water at each other in a joyful, messy, rainbow-hued free-for-all. Nobody is spared — not your neighbor, not your teacher, not even your grandma. The festival celebrates the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. During Holi, differences in age and background melt away as everyone becomes equally drenched in pink, purple, yellow, and green. If you ever get the chance to experience it, wear white — it won’t stay white for long.

Imagine cycling across the sea on a 70-kilometer path that hops between six islands, crossing soaring suspension bridges with the sparkling Seto Inland Sea stretching out below you. That’s the Shimanami Kaido — Japan’s most famous cycling route, connecting Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari in Ehime Prefecture. And right now is the perfect time to ride it: cherry blossoms typically bloom along the route in late March to early April, lining the island roads and bridge approaches in soft pink. The entire path is marked with a blue line painted on the road, so you literally just follow it — no getting lost. Along the way, expect fishing villages, citrus groves, fresh seafood lunches, and views that will make you forget to pedal.

On March 20, over 300 million people worldwide will celebrate Nowruz — the Persian New Year marking the first day of spring. With roots stretching back over 3,000 years to ancient Persia, it’s one of the oldest celebrations in human history. Nowruz is the biggest holiday of the year in Iran — but it’s also widely celebrated across Afghanistan, Central Asia, Kurdistan, Turkey, and Persian-speaking communities on every continent. Families set a special “Haft-Seen” table with seven symbolic items that all start with the letter “S” in Persian — including sprouted wheatgrass for rebirth, garlic for health, and vinegar for patience. Kids jump over bonfires in the days before Nowruz to symbolize leaving the old year’s darkness behind. The holiday ends thirteen days later with “Sizdah Bedar” — Nature Day — when the entire country heads outdoors for a massive nationwide picnic.

Economy & Finance

Dubai’s real estate market has been hammered by the US-Israeli-Iran war, with the DFM (Dubai Financial Market) Real Estate Index plunging roughly 30% since February 28 — falling from 16,140 to around 11,500, its lowest level since April 2025. The index had delivered extraordinary gains — 63% in 2024, 38% in 2023 — before war erased all 2025 and 2026 gains in just two weeks. Iranian retaliatory strikes hit UAE soil, damaging landmarks including the Burj Al Arab and Fairmont The Palm, shattering Dubai’s “safe haven” image. Industry insiders insist long-term fundamentals remain intact, but the psychological blow to investor confidence is undeniable. A seismic moment for the Gulf’s hottest property market.

Nature & Environment

A rare mountain lion standoff in San Francisco ended peacefully on January 27, after a 30-hour search involving multiple city and state agencies. The 77-pound, two-year-old male was spotted roaming the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood near Lafayette Park, prompting emergency alerts and temporary closures of the park and a nearby school. Officials eventually found the cat hiding in a courtyard between two apartment buildings on California Street, where it was tranquilized and safely caged. The cougar was later released into the Santa Cruz Mountains, fitted with a GPS tracking collar. Experts say young mountain lions increasingly wander into the city after separating from their mothers, as shrinking habitat on the peninsula pushes them northward.

Every winter, hundreds of thousands of flamingos fly from Siberia and Central Asia to Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan, turning India’s largest inland salt lake into a spectacular sea of pink. The birds feed on algae in the shallow, salty water — the same algae that gives flamingos their famous pink color. A January 2025 census counted over 100,000 migratory birds at the lake, a massive jump from just 7,000 the year before. Sambhar sits along the Central Asian Flyway — one of the world’s great bird migration highways. From October to March, so many flamingos pack the lake that it earns the nickname “India’s Pink Lake” — visible from satellite images, the sheer density of pink turning an entire landscape into something that looks more like another planet than Rajasthan.

Science

March 14 (3/14) is Pi Day — a celebration of π, the number that begins 3.14159… and never ends. Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, meaning every circle in the universe — from a pizza to a planet’s orbit — follows this exact same number. First calculated by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes over 2,000 years ago, it has since been computed to over 100 trillion digits without ever finding a pattern or an end. People celebrate by eating pie, holding digit-memorizing competitions, and geeking out over math. The world record for reciting pi from memory? 70,000 digits by India’s Rajveer Meena in 2015 — that took nearly 10 hours.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

What is the total weight in the last picture?

When conductor Teodor Currentzis cancelled his March 5–7 Rome concerts due to illness, pianist Yuja Wang (王羽佳) seized the moment — transforming a scheduling crisis into a landmark event. Returning to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia after a nine-year absence, Wang performed double duty: playing Barber’s Piano Concerto under substitute conductor Eric Jacobsen in the first half, then assuming the dual role of soloist and conductor for Prokofiev’s ferociously difficult Piano Concerto No. 2. Directing the orchestra from the keyboard in one of the repertoire’s most punishing scores, Wang delivered three nights of what Italian critics called a potentially legendary event.

Tencent’s tactical shooter Delta Force, developed by its Team Jade studio, has exploded into one of China’s biggest games ever. The game recently hit 30 million daily active players in China alone, rivaling global giants like Call of Duty and Battlefield. Players have spent over $300 million on the mobile version in just five months. Tencent has now launched a 24-team esports Pro League featuring China’s top gaming organizations, with a World Cup planned for later this year. The game’s success has prompted a major strategic shift at Tencent, with executives seeing a change in Chinese gamer tastes from mobile-first casual gaming toward PC and shooters — a category long dominated by Western studios. Delta Force may be the first Chinese-made shooter to seriously challenge that order.

Sports

[Racing] Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian sensation, claimed his first ever Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, becoming the second youngest race winner in the sport’s history — only Max Verstappen was younger when he first won. After becoming the youngest ever pole-sitter on Saturday — breaking Sebastian Vettel’s 2008 record — Antonelli briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton at the start but retook it before the end of lap two and was never headed again, finishing 5.5 seconds clear of teammate George Russell. He is also the first Italian to win an F1 race since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix — a twenty-year wait for the country that gave the world Ferrari. Hamilton completed the podium, taking his first Grand Prix rostrum for Ferrari. Antonelli only passed his regular driving test six weeks before his F1 debut, and Mercedes gave him a road car he can’t legally drive in Italy because it’s too powerful for new licence holders. Though he can win at 350km/h, he can’t drive himself home. Mercedes now hold a commanding 1-2 in the championship after just two races. A star is born.

[Rugby] The Six Nations Championship — Europe’s premier annual rugby union tournament featuring England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales — delivered high drama on its Super Saturday finale. Wales ended a 15-match losing streak spanning 1,099 days with a commanding 31-17 victory over Italy at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The tournament, contested every spring since 2000 in its current six-team format (and dating back to 1883 as the Home Nations), remains one of rugby’s most storied competitions. Aaron Wainwright starred with two tries as Wales built an insurmountable 31-0 lead before Italy’s late consolation scores. A cathartic day for Welsh rugby.

[NCAA] Fourth-seeded Dayton pulled off a stunning 70-69 upset of top-seeded Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinal at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, delivering one of the wildest finishes of Championship Week. Three lead changes in the final 11 seconds told the story: Jacob Conner drilled a deep three to put Dayton ahead 68-66, then A-10 Player of the Year Robbie Avila answered with a clutch three of his own to reclaim the lead 69-68 for the Billikens (Saint Louis’ mascot) with 6.6 seconds left. On the final play, Jordan Derkack drove to the rim but his layup fell short — only for Amaël L’Etang to tip in the putback with 0.6 seconds remaining, sealing a 70-69 Dayton win. Pure March Madness.

[NBA] Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards on March 10, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 81 for the second-highest single-game total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 - both considered impossible to break. But the achievement sparked fierce debate. Adebayo’s 43 free-throw attempts set an all-time NBA record, and the Heat intentionally fouled the Wizards multiple times late in a blowout to create extra possessions. Adding to the controversy: Adebayo averages just 20.0 points per game this season — a solid center known more for defense and rebounding than elite scoring. For many fans, the spectacle encapsulates everything wrong with today’s NBA: a foul-baiting, free-throw-laden stat chase replacing the beautiful, flow-driven basketball that made legends like Kobe transcendent. When records are engineered rather than earned, the game loses a little of its soul.

[NBA] Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (“SGA”) broke a record held by Wilt Chamberlain for over six decades, scoring 20+ points for his 127th consecutive game in a 104-102 win over Boston Celtics on March 13. Yet even on his historic night, the controversy followed. Celtics star Jaylen Brown shouted “That’s not basketball!” after a foul call on SGA, and the reigning MVP has faced constant “free-throw merchant” chants on the road from fans who see his game — the foul-drawing, the arm extensions, the contact manipulation — as boring or mechanical. Undeniably dominant, yet polarizing — a historic week for the NBA record books that leaves fans debating not just who’s the best, but what kind of basketball they actually want to watch.

[Soccer] Federico Valverde struck the first hat-trick of his career as Real Madrid swept aside Manchester City 3-0 in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu. Right foot, left foot, volley — all three goals came within a devastating 22-minute first-half blitz, completing only the fifth first-half hat-trick in Champions League knockout history. With Mbappé, Bellingham, and Rodrygo all injured, Madrid needed someone to step up — and the Uruguayan midfielder delivered emphatically. Remarkably, the hat-trick was no one-off: Valverde has now scored five goals across three consecutive games, adding a last-gasp winner at Celta Vigo and a curling strike against Elche in Saturday’s 4-1 La Liga win. Not bad for a midfielder not known as a goalscorer.

[Badminton] Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) made history on March 9 by becoming the first Taiwanese player to win the men’s singles title at the All England Open, badminton’s oldest and most prestigious tournament, dating back to 1899. The 26-year-old left-hander defeated India’s Lakshya Sen 21-15, 22-20 in a grueling 57-minute final in Birmingham. After trailing 4-9 in the second game, Lin clawed back and converted his second match point, collapsing onto the court in celebration before tossing his jersey and racket to fans. It was a golden day for Taiwanese badminton overall — Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan (葉宏蔚/詹又蓁) also took the mixed doubles title, giving the island two crowns at a single All England for the first time.

[Cycling] Jonas Vingegaard has crushed the 2026 Paris-Nice field in his first race of the season, allaying any doubts about his ambitions after a difficult winter. The two-time Tour de France champion won two stages, including a devastating 20km solo attack on stage 5 that left even teammate Victor Campenaerts declaring “Jonas just destroyed everybody.” Heading into Sunday’s final stage around Nice, the Dane holds a commanding 3:22 lead over Dani Martínez — a margin almost unheard of in a race typically decided by seconds. After Tadej Pogačar swept the Giro-Tour double last year in historically dominant fashion, the cycling world wondered who could challenge the Slovenian in 2026. Vingegaard’s Paris-Nice demolition job is a compelling answer — the sport’s greatest rivalry isn’t over yet.

This Day in History

On March 15 in the year 3019 of the Third Age in Lord of the Rings, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields erupts outside Minas Tirith, the great city of Gondor, as the dark lord Sauron’s army smashes through its gates at dawn. All hope seems lost. Then, just as the sun rises, horns echo across the hills — the Riders of Rohan have arrived! In the battle that follows, brave Éowyn and the hobbit Merry do the impossible: they slay the Witch-king, whom no man can kill (Éowyn’s famous reply: “I am no man!”). King Théoden falls heroically, and Aragorn arrives with reinforcements to turn the tide against Sauron’s forces. Meanwhile, far away in Mordor, Frodo and Sam escape captivity and begin their final trek toward Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. Three great battles rage simultaneously across Middle-earth on this single day. It’s basically the Lord of the Rings equivalent of the Avengers assembling — except Tolkien wrote it first!

Art of the Week

In 1949, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso drew a simple, beautiful lithograph of a white dove for the Paris World Peace Congress — and it became one of the most recognized symbols of peace in history. The story behind it is personal: Picasso’s father was a painter who loved pigeons, and young Pablo grew up sketching them as a boy in Málaga, Spain. His friend, the French poet Louis Aragon, chose the image for the congress poster, and it spread worldwide. Picasso later named his daughter “Paloma” — Spanish for “dove.” Today, with conflict raging across the Middle East, Picasso’s The Dove feels more relevant than ever. Sometimes the most powerful message comes not from words or weapons, but from a simple drawing of a bird carrying hope.

Funny

Previous Issues

March 07, 2026, Facing the Storm

March 01, 2026, The Making of a Hero

February 21, 2026, Celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

My mother is a retired professor in translatology - the science of translation, interpreting, and localization. She has taught many students who have become English professors and teachers.

Right before the Lunar New Year, she received a greeting letter from her university congratulating that the book she wrote many years ago, “Chinese to English Translation Course Guide”, has been selected into the list of 38 national-level course guides for undergraduate study by the Ministry of Education of China.

This is heart-warming, a great recognition for my mother’s decades of work.

Though the timing is a bit ironic. Some universities have recently stopped teaching translatology. Translation was the first industry that got hit pretty hard when this wave of AI revolution arrived in late 2022 with the launch of chatGPT. Many in the industry think that machines can do translation better than humans.

That would start an endless debate, but maybe a more practical question is, how can we use AI’s power for translation to work for us?

The Sunday Blender is one such experiment. Many interesting stories are discovered originally in Chinese news media, and I just asked Claude to draft an English write-up.

Hope you enjoy this hybrid work of machine and man. You can forward this to another family with curious kids if you find it helpful. Thank you!

Tech

Apple did something different this week — no keynote, no livestream. Instead, it rolled out products over several days, saving the star for last: the MacBook Neo, its most affordable laptop ever at $599. Powered by an iPhone chip and available in four fun colors, it’s Apple’s first real play at the budget market. The week also brought the iPhone 17e with an A19 chip, faster MacBook Air and Pro models, a refreshed iPad Air, and two new Studio Displays. Apple even accidentally leaked the MacBook Neo’s name early — a rare slip for the famously secretive company.

AI needs a lot of electricity — and people are starting to feel it in their power bills. On March 4, seven of the world’s biggest tech companies — Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI — signed a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” at the White House, promising to build or buy their own power supply for AI data centers instead of relying on local electricity grids. AI data centers currently consume about 4% to 6% of U.S. electricity but are projected to reach as high as 12% by 2028. The race to secure power is already underway: Microsoft has signed a $1.6 billion deal to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island, Meta locked in 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear power from Illinois, and Amazon is buying nearly 2 gigawatts from a Pennsylvania nuclear plant. One thing is becoming clear: the AI race isn’t just about who builds the smartest model — it’s about who can keep the lights on.

On March 2, Anthropic’s popular AI assistant Claude went down for nearly three hours, and something funny happened — millions of software engineers suddenly couldn’t do their jobs. Many developers have become so used to AI helping them write code that when Claude disappeared, they were stuck. Social media filled with jokes about programmers forgetting how to code on their own. The outage was caused by “unprecedented demand” — too many people trying to use Claude at once after it shot to the top of the App Store. It was a reminder of how quickly we’ve come to depend on AI tools, and how lost we can feel when they’re taken away — even for the people who build technology for a living.

Just a year after China’s DeepSeek shook up the American AI scene, the favor is being returned. OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger and recently acquired by OpenAI, has sparked an intense development frenzy across China’s tech sector. Unlike chatbots that just talk, OpenClaw actually does things — managing emails, browsing the web, and automating tasks on your computer. Chinese AI companies like MiniMax and Moonshot AI are racing to offer their own cloud-based versions, a booming side hustle has emerged around on-site installation services charging 500 yuan a visit, and developer meetups in Beijing are drawing crowds of 300. Could this be AI’s iPhone 4 moment — the point where it stops being a novelty and starts becoming part of everyday life?

Alibaba’s Qwen team released its Qwen 3.5 model family in February and March 2026, and it immediately shook up the AI landscape. The small model series — spanning 0.8B, 2B, 4B, and 9B parameters — was designed from the ground up for efficiency rather than distilled from larger models, using a clever design that squeezes maximum intelligence out of minimal computing power. The 9B variant scored 70.1 on visual reasoning benchmarks, outperforming cloud-based models from Google and OpenAI. Community members reported the 2B model running smoothly on iPhones at 30–50 tokens per second. For a growing number of developers and hobbyists, running capable AI on personal devices is starting to feel like a real option.

Global

The 350-kilometer railway connecting Budapest and Belgrade is set to fully open in March 2026, capping off a decade of planning and construction. The modernized line will cut travel time between the two capitals from a grueling eight hours to roughly three and a quarter hours, with trains reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h on the Serbian section. The project is a flagship piece of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, designed to link the Chinese-operated Port of Piraeus in Greece with Central Europe. Freight traffic on the Hungarian section launched in late February, with passenger services expected to follow shortly after.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a video of himself tasting the chain’s new Big Arch burger — and it backfired spectacularly. Speaking in monotone, he repeatedly called it a “product,” and when he finally took a bite, it was tiny. The internet had a field day. Burger King then posted a clip of its president Tom Curtis, taking a massive bite out of a Whopper, wearing a “Flame Grilling Since 1954” apron and working the kitchen — a sharp contrast to Kempczinski’s boardroom vibe. Wendy’s president then jumped in too, filming himself eating an entire burger. Who knew a single bite — or lack thereof — could start a fast-food war?

Between 1508 and 1512, Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, producing one of the most celebrated works of art in history. The ceiling features nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the iconic Creation of Adam. He later returned to paint the Last Judgment on the altar wall, completing it in 1541 — a dramatic scene depicting the second coming of Christ. But over the centuries, the millions who came to admire his work left something behind. Tiny particles from human perspiration reacted with the plaster walls, forming a white film that gradually dulled the fresco’s vibrant colors. With five to six million visitors passing through each year, Vatican restorers are now carefully cleaning the buildup — using special paper and purified water to gently lift the residue away, revealing Michelangelo’s original colors for the first time in 30 years. The work is expected to be completed by early April.

Economy & Finance

Shanghai-based MiniMax made history earlier this year as the largest IPO among AI foundation model companies when it listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January. On March 2, it released its first-ever earnings report — what analysts called “the AI industry’s first open book.” Revenue hit $79 million in 2025, up 159% year over year, with over 70% coming from international markets. The company has served 236 million users across 200 countries. A four-year-old startup with just 428 employees, MiniMax’s market cap now sits at around HK$227 billion (~$29 billion) — already approaching that of Baidu, a tech giant that took over two decades to build.

American payment technology company Block just reported strong fourth-quarter results, with gross profit up 24% year over year. And yet, CEO Jack Dorsey cut more than 4,000 employees, nearly half its global workforce, taking it from over 10,000 down to just under 6,000. This wasn’t a panic move — it was a bet. Dorsey argued that AI tools and smaller, flatter teams are fundamentally changing how companies operate, and he chose to act now rather than make repeated rounds of cuts as the shift plays out. He went further, predicting most companies will eventually do the same. Whether he’s right or premature, the message is clear: the age of agentic AI is rewriting how businesses think about headcount.

Nature & Environment

Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth — so dry that NASA uses it to test its Mars rovers. But beneath its barren surface, life is thriving. An international team of scientists discovered surprisingly diverse communities of nematodes — tiny worms invisible to the naked eye — living in the desert’s soil. The team collected hundreds of soil samples and found 36 different groups of nematodes across sand dunes, salt flats, mountain zones, and fog-fed oases. In the harshest zones, many of these worms reproduce without needing a mate — a clever survival trick. Even in the most extreme places, life finds a way.

Science

The United Nations released a report on Friday showing that international patent applications in digital communications and semiconductors surged in 2025, driven by the global rush to invest in artificial intelligence. China topped the world rankings with 73,718 filings, a 5.3% increase from the year before, followed by the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Germany. Patents are like official claims on new inventions — when someone comes up with something new, they file a patent to protect the idea. U.S. patent filings continued to slide for the third straight year, while China’s Huawei held its spot as the world’s top corporate filer since 2017.

Deep beneath the hills of southern China, 700 meters underground, sits one of the most ambitious science experiments on Earth. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory — or JUNO — is the world’s largest transparent spherical detector, built to study neutrinos, tiny “ghost particles” that pass through everything, including you, by the trillions every second. The project cost around 2.7 billion yuan and brings together over 700 scientists from 74 institutions across 17 countries — with about 40% of the team coming from outside China. In just 59 days of operation, JUNO measured two key properties of neutrinos with greater precision than the previous 50 years of experiments combined. It’s a powerful reminder that the biggest questions about our universe can only be answered when countries work together.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

March 4 marked World Obesity Day, and this year’s theme — “8 Billion Reasons to Act on Obesity” — hit close to home, especially for kids. Childhood obesity rates among school-aged children have surged from 4% in 1975 to nearly 20% in 2022, with the steepest rises in lower-income countries. By 2035, half the world’s population — around 4 billion people — is projected to be living with overweight or obesity. Small habits make a big difference — drinking more water instead of sugary drinks, staying active for at least 30 minutes a day, eating more fruits and vegetables, and cutting back on screen time. Your body will thank you later.

China’s short drama industry hit new heights this Lunar New Year. During the Spring Festival window, short dramas racked up 8.67 billion views, with AI-generated comic dramas accounting for nearly 30% of the total. Among those, AI “hyper-realistic” dramas — featuring lifelike digital actors instead of real ones — contributed over 80% of AI comic drama views. One title, produced by a three-person team in just five days, crossed 200 million views in 29 hours. With production costs expected to drop from over a million yuan to as low as 100,000, industry insiders are calling 2026 the breakout year for AI-generated dramas.

When Formula 1, Disney, and Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster team up, you get something wild. The 2026 Circuit Collection features eight styles of sunglasses that reinterpret the structural language of racing cars through Gentle Monster’s unique design lens. The standout F1-Wing 4 takes its shape directly from the front wings and air ducts of an F1 car, with sharp wraparound frames that look like they belong on the starting grid. Three of the eight designs are inspired by Disney’s Mickey and Friends, blending playfulness with full-throttle mechanical energy. Pop-ups in Seoul and Shanghai will feature a monumental Mickey Mouse sculpture standing next to an actual F1 car. Racing aesthetics have never looked this cool off the track.

Sports

[NBA] LeBron James added another chapter to his legendary career on Thursday, March 6, 2025, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA history. James hit a turnaround 12-foot jumper over Denver’s Zeke Nnaji with 12 seconds left in the first quarter, giving him 15,838 career field goals. Abdul-Jabbar had held the record since retiring in 1989 — nearly 37 years. The milestone came during his remarkable 23rd season in the league. James already holds the all-time scoring record, having passed Abdul-Jabbar for that mark back in February 2023. The record-breaking night was bittersweet, though — the Lakers still lost 120-113 to the Nuggets, with James also leaving the game with a sore left elbow.

[NBA] Luka Doncic put on an absolute masterclass Friday night, erupting for 44 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in just three quarters as the Lakers cruised past the Pacers 128–117. He drilled seven three-pointers on 14-of-25 shooting before sitting out the entire fourth quarter. With LeBron James resting, Doncic carried the offensive load from the jump, and the performance marked his 10th 40-point game of the season — making him only the fourth Laker to reach that milestone, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West. He also leads the NBA in 40-point games this season, surpassing Anthony Edwards. Doncic is playing at a level this season that puts him in the company of legends — and he’s making it look effortless.

[Soccer] Barcelona came agonizingly close to pulling off a miracle. Trailing 4-0 from the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, Barça stormed out at Camp Nou and delivered one of their best performances of the season. 18-year-old Marc Bernal scored twice and Raphinha converted a penalty to make it 3-0 on the night — just one goal short of forcing extra time. Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso made several crucial saves, and Lamine Yamal curled a late strike just past the far post in the dying seconds. Atletico held on to advance 4-3 on aggregate, reaching the Copa del Rey final for the first time in 13 years.

[Tennis] Venus Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Together with her younger sister Serena, the two dominated women’s tennis for over two decades, winning a combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles. Now 45, Venus never officially retired — but she took a 16-month break due to health issues before returning to the tour last July, where she won her comeback match in Washington D.C. Since that lone win, however, things have been rough. Her first-round loss at Indian Wells this week extended her losing streak to eight consecutive matches. In 2026, she’s 0-5, falling in the opening round at every tournament entered. At 45, with nothing left to prove, Venus Williams keeps showing up, just for the love of the game.

This Day in History

On March 7, 1082, the famous Chinese poet Su Dongpo was out walking with friends when a sudden rainstorm hit. Everyone panicked — but not Su Dongpo. He strolled calmly through the rain, singing and tapping his bamboo walking stick. When the sun came out, he wrote a poem called “Calming Wind and Waves” (定风波), about how rain and sunshine are really no different — what matters is how you face the storm. At the time, Su Dongpo was living in exile after being punished for criticizing the government through his poetry. He was so poor he divided his savings into daily portions hung on a string. Yet he found joy in simple things — farming, cooking, and writing some of China’s greatest poems. Nearly a thousand years later, his words still inspire millions across Asia. The image of Su Dongpo smiling in the rain has been painted again and again by artists through the centuries, and the poem is memorized by schoolchildren across China to this day. His message? Don’t let life’s storms get you down.

Art of the Week

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, Casablanca is set during World War II in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca — a real-life crossroads where refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe gathered, hoping to secure passage to freedom in the Americas. It’s in this desperate, uncertain setting that Rick, an American café owner played by Humphrey Bogart, reunites with Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman. What unfolds is a story about sacrifice, doing the right thing, and putting something bigger than yourself ahead of your own happiness. The black-and-white cinematography, iconic music, unforgettable dialogue, and a supporting cast that included actual war refugees give the film an emotional weight that still hits hard — so much so that in some cities, watching it on Valentine’s Day has become a tradition.

Funny

Kid: Mom, what does “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” mean?

Mom: It means if you’re on your Apple phone all day, you can kiss that PhD goodbye.

Previous Issues

March 01, 2026, The Making of a Hero

February 21, 2026, Celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse

January 31, 2026, The Dawn of Machine-to-Machine Society

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Children are a very ephemeral species.

When they meet each other again on Monday in school after a long holiday, they don’t say “hey, how was your vacation, and where did you go?”

As they leave school on Friday afternoon, they don’t ask “what’s your plan for the weekend?”

They just hang and play. They live in the present, however for a fleeting moment that might be.

At the same time, all the AI tools in the world try very hard to make sure adults don’t forget anything. We’re always haunted by our memory from the past and anxiety into the future.

My mother-in-law graduated from Shanghai High School (SHS) many years ago. See if you can find the clue in this issue that references SHS. It still shines ever more brightly.

Can you feel how hard I try to tell the audience what’s going on in the world without saying what’s going on in the world? You feel me?

If you do, share this issue with a friend. This issue is a personal favorite.

Tech

Chinese AI models have stormed to dominance on OpenRouter, the world’s largest LLM (large language model) API aggregation platform. As of late February 2026, Chinese models account for 61% of total token consumption, with the top three spots all held by Chinese labs. MiniMax M2.5 leads with 2.45 trillion tokens consumed in a single week — a 197% surge followed by Moonshot AI’s Kimi K2.5 and Zhipu AI’s GLM-5. The catalyst? Programming tasks have grown from 11% to over 50% of all token consumption on OpenRouter, with agentic workflows now generating the majority of output tokens — a shift turbocharged by AI assistant OpenClaw’s viral explosion in early 2026, which brought autonomous multi-step AI agents to hundreds of thousands of developers practically overnight. At 10–20x cheaper than Western counterparts like Claude Opus 4.6, Chinese open-weight models are tailor-made for these token-hungry agent loops. **Andreessen Horowitz estimates roughly 80% of startups using open-source AI stacks now run Chinese models.

Anthropic’s Claude rocketed from #131 on Apple’s US App Store in late January to #1 by March 1 — leapfrogging ChatGPT and Gemini for the first time ever. The surge wasn’t just headlines. Free signups jumped 60% since January; daily registrations tripled since November, breaking all-time records every day last week. Paying subscribers more than doubled this year. Claude Code became the most widely adopted coding agent across startups and enterprises. Its state-of-the-art model Opus 4.6 took the top spot on both Artificial Analysis benchmarks and Arena.ai blind tests. Katy Perry posted a heart over her Pro subscription.

Global

After 144 years of construction, Barcelona’s Sagrada Família reached a historic milestone on February 20, 2026, when the upper arm of the cross on the Tower of Jesus Christ was installed, completing the external works of the basilica’s central tower Vatican News. Standing at 172.5 meters, it is now the world’s tallest church, surpassing Ulm Minster in Germany. The basilica was designed by Antoni Gaudí, widely regarded as one of the greatest architects of all time, who transformed a neo-Gothic design into a masterpiece of Barcelona’s famously ornate, nature-inspired architectural style after taking over the project in 1883. The structural completion marks the end of one of architecture’s most extraordinary sagas.

The Middle East’s skies went dark this weekend. After joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, at least eight countries — Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE — closed their airspace, shutting down some of the world’s busiest aviation corridors. More than 1,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, with Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad — carriers that collectively move around 90,000 passengers daily through Gulf hubs — all suspending operations. Iran’s retaliatory strikes hit Dubai International Airport, forcing evacuations, while drone strikes damaged airports in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. With Russian airspace already closed from the Ukraine war, Europe-Asia traffic that had rerouted through the Middle East now has nowhere left to go. As of Sunday, disruptions are entering their second day with no end in sight.

President Trump’s record-length State of the Union address on February 24, 2026 produced its most powerful moment when he turned to honor a centenarian war hero. Retired Navy Captain Royce Williams, 100 years old, received the Medal of Honor for a 1952 Korean War dogfight in which he engaged seven Soviet MiG-15s alone for 35 minutes (the longest dogfight in US Navy history), shot down four, and survived 263 bullet holes to his aircraft in blizzard conditions. The mission was classified for over fifty years — he couldn’t even tell his wife. As a military aide carried the medal down the House gallery stairs, First Lady Melania Trump placed it around his neck. The entire chamber — both sides — rose for a standing ovation lasting more than three minutes. Williams is the last living Korean War Medal of Honor recipient.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan was a 26-year-old former KPMG accountant on his very first rescue mission when catastrophe struck. On July 4, 2025, the Guadalupe River surged from 3 feet to nearly 30, devastating Camp Mystic — an all-girls summer camp in Texas Hill Country with over 700 campers. His helicopter crew made a calculated call: leave the rookie on the ground alone while the chopper airlifted the first children out. For three hours — no radio, no cell service, no backup — Ruskan was the sole rescuer, triaging nearly 200 terrified girls. He bandaged wounds, carried barefoot children across jagged terrain, and organized extractions wave by wave, youngest first. He saved 165 lives. In a teary moment at the 2026 State of the Union, Trump reunited Ruskan with 11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond — one of the girls he carried to safety — for the first time since that day, then awarded him the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism.

Nature & Environment

Jackie and Shadow, the beloved bald eagle pair, have captivated millions as stars of the Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains. Perched 145 feet high in a Jeffrey pine tree overlooking Big Bear Valley, this devoted couple symbolizes resilience and family bonds. Jackie, the experienced female, and Shadow, her loyal mate since 2018, share incubation duties, prey deliveries, and nest maintenance with endearing teamwork. They’ve raised eaglets like Sunny and Gizmo in past seasons, drawing global viewers to the 24/7 livestream. This season has been a rollercoaster. Jackie laid two eggs in late January — then ravens destroyed both while the couple was away. Fans were devastated. But Jackie’s hormones reset, and on February 24 she laid a brand new egg — the start of a second clutch. A second egg followed on February 28. Fans cheer their persistence amid habitat threats, celebrating this iconic duo’s grace, strength, and second-chance spirit in the wild.

Science

Harvard and Google spent a decade mapping a single cubic millimeter of human brain — half the size of a grain of rice — and found 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses, all compressed into 1.4 petabytes of raw data. The imaging alone took 326 days: 5,000 tissue slices, each 30 nanometers thick, run through a $6 million electron microscope, then stitched into 3D by Google’s AI. The humbling math: the full human brain is one million times larger — mapping it at this resolution would produce roughly 1.4 zettabytes, approximately equal to all data generated on Earth in a single year. We are walking universes.

2024 MIT Putnam winners, as no public photo exists yet for 2025’s

The Putnam Competition is the most prestigious undergraduate mathematics contest in the world — a six-hour, twelve-problem exam so brutally difficult that the median score is typically 2 out of 120, and only five perfect scores have been recorded in its 86-year history. This year, 4,329 students from 487 institutions competed on December 6, 2025, with the top score reaching 110. MIT won the team title again — their tenth in twelve years — with four of five Putnam Fellows: Cheng Jiang, Luke Robitaille, Chunji Wang, and Zixiang Zhou. Jack Hu of the University of Chicago was the lone outsider in the top five. Chicago placed second, Harvard third, Stanford fourth, Caltech fifth. Jessica Wan of MIT won the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize Mathematical Association of America as top-scoring woman. Both Jiang and Wang graduated from Shanghai High School (SHS). MIT’s stranglehold on elite mathematics is now less a streak than a dynasty — the rest of the world is competing for second place.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

On February 16, 2026, American professional wrestler and boxer Logan Paul’s PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card sold at Goldin Auctions for a jaw-dropping $16.492 million, making it the most expensive trading card ever sold. Paul originally purchased the card for $5.275 million in 2021, netting a near 212% return on his investment. Only 39 Pikachu Illustrator cards were given out to illustration contest winners in 1998, and Paul’s was the only one graded a perfect 10. The record-breaking sale reflects the staggering cultural power of Pokémon, which has grossed over $100 billion to become the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, surpassing even Disney. Guinness World Records officially confirmed the record on-site.

In a charming first-person piece for British magazine The Guardian, Swim Deep keyboardist and freelance writer James Balmont explores why mid-level British indie bands are finding massive, passionate audiences in China. Swim Deep’s biggest UK festival show drew 500 people — months later they played to 10,000 at Guangzhou’s Strawberry Music Festival, enjoying VIP treatment, luxury hotels, and fervent fan adoration. He attributes this boom to China’s growing appetite for grassroots British indie music, post-pandemic cultural openness, and easier visa access for UK artists. The cultural connections are wonderfully random — Sea Power broke through via the video game Disco Elysium, The KVB were told they resemble Chinese soap opera characters, and Galway’s NewDad went viral on Rednote for their album art.

The BRIT Awards — Britain’s biggest annual music ceremony, the UK’s answer to the Grammys — made history on February 28, 2026, leaving London for the first time in its 46-year existence, setting up at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena. Olivia Dean dominated the night, sweeping four awards — Album of the Year for The Art of Loving, Artist of the Year, Pop Act, and Song of the Year for her Sam Fender collaboration “Rein Me In”. Wolf Alice won Group of the Year, Lola Young took Breakthrough Artist, and Rosalía became the first Spanish-language artist to win International Artist. Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” made history as the first K-pop win at the BRITs. Ozzy Osbourne received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award with a tribute performance from Robbie Williams, and Harry Styles made his first public performance in three years.

Sports

[Marathon] At the 2026 Osaka Marathon, 23-year-old Hibiki Yoshida delivered one of the most thrilling marathon debuts in recent memory. The former Hakone Ekiden star surged ahead of pacemakers before 8km, pushing projected finish times deep into 2:03 territory — a staggering pace for a first-timer targeting the Japanese national record of 2:04. He passed halfway in 1:02:39 with stunning composure, but the marathon’s brutality struck after 25km. Compounding his troubles, he missed four of his first five drink bottles, and dehydration took its toll. He crossed the line in 2:09:33. This audacious feat is almost unheard of in marathons. In an era of cautious pacing and calculated splits, Yoshida threw the playbook out the window and delivered a pure tour de force — all guts, no fear, and the kind of reckless brilliance that makes legends.

[Ice Hockey] At the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Team USA captured its first men’s ice hockey gold medal in 46 years, ending a drought stretching back to the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” — when a scrappy squad of American college players stunned the four-time defending gold medalist Soviet Union 4–3 at the height of the Cold War, in what Sports Illustrated voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century. This time, the miracle came courtesy of NHL stars. Jack Hughes scored one of the most dramatic goals in Olympic hockey history, netting the winner 1:41 into overtime to give the U.S. a 2-1 victory over Canada. Connor Hellebuyck was sensational in net, making 41 saves, including stopping all 14 shots he faced in the third period to force overtime. Remarkably, the U.S. also won gold in the women’s tournament, beating Canada in overtime as well — a historic sweep that cemented American dominance on Olympic ice.

[Cross-Country Skiing] Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo made history at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics by becoming the first athlete to win six gold medals at a single Winter Games, sweeping every men’s cross-country event he entered. His victory in the 50km mass start shattered the nearly 50-year record set by American speed skater Eric Heiden, who won five golds at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The 29-year-old now holds 11 career Olympic gold medals — the most of any Winter Olympian in history — and trails only Michael Phelps (23 golds) across all Olympic sports. His final race featured a Norwegian sweep of the podium, capping a dominant Games for Norway.

[Ski] Team China delivered its best-ever overseas Winter Olympics performance at Milano Cortina 2026, winning five golds, four silvers, and six bronzes — surpassing the previous record of 5-2-4 set at Vancouver 2010. Star freeskier Eileen Gu defended her halfpipe title and added two silver medals, becoming the most decorated freeskier in Olympic history. Snowboarder Su Yiming won slopestyle gold, while speed skater Ning Zhongyan upset favorite Jordan Stolz to claim the men’s 1,500m with a new Olympic record. In a remarkable family story, five-time Olympian Xu Mengtao defended her women’s aerials title, while her husband Wang Xindi won the men’s event — a rare married couple both winning individual golds at the same Games.

[Soccer] Der Klassiker, Germany’s premier soccer rivalry, pits Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in a clash of titans that often shapes the Bundesliga title race. Known as the “German Clásico,” it pits Bavaria’s dominant powerhouse — famous for consistent supremacy, multiple Champions League triumphs, and stars like Harry Kane — against Dortmund’s passionate, youth-driven “Yellow Wall” supporters. In a thrilling Der Klassiker on Saturday, Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park, stretching their Bundesliga lead to a commanding 11 points. Nico Schlotterbeck headed Dortmund in front in the 26th minute, but Harry Kane leveled after halftime and then converted a penalty for his 30th league goal of the season. Just when Dortmund looked finished, Daniel Svensson’s stunning volley made it 2-2. But the drama wasn’t over — Joshua Kimmich sensationally volleyed home the winner in the 87th minute, breaking Dortmund hearts and all but sealing the title race for Vincent Kompany’s side.

[Soccer] Liverpool thrashed West Ham 5-2 at Anfield on Saturday in a display that showcased a remarkable set-piece turnaround. Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister all scored from first-half corners, making Liverpool only the second team in Premier League history to net three set-piece goals in a single half. The result capped an extraordinary transformation: across their first 20 league matches, Liverpool scored just three set-piece goals — the fewest in the division. They have now scored nine in their past eight games, more than any competitor, making them the league’s most prolific set-piece side in 2026. West Ham fought back through Souček and Castellanos, but Gakpo and a Disasi own goal sealed a vital win in Liverpool’s push for Champions League qualification.

This Day in History

On March 1, 1872, US President Ulysses S. Grant did something no leader in history had ever done — he signed a law declaring that a piece of wild land belonged not to any person or company, but to everyone, forever. That land was Yellowstone, and it became the world’s first national park. Two million acres of geysers, hot springs, grizzly bears, and bison, protected by law in an era when America was busy conquering its frontier, not preserving it. The idea was radical: nature has value beyond what you can dig out of it or build on top of it. Today, over 4,000 national parks exist worldwide across more than 100 countries — every single one traces its lineage back to that one audacious signature 154 years ago today.

Art of the Week

Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí spent 43 years of his life on a single building — the Sagrada Família in Barcelona — and died in 1926 knowing he would never see it finished. He didn’t care. “My client is not in a hurry,” he said, meaning God. Gaudí didn’t design buildings the way other architects did. He studied trees, bones, and shells, then turned nature’s geometry into stone. His columns branch like forests. His rooftops ripple like ocean waves. Nothing is straight because, as he put it, “the straight line belongs to man, the curved line belongs to God.” A century after his death, his masterpiece was finally completed on February 20, 2026 — and it looks like nothing else on Earth, because Gaudí looked at the Earth itself for inspiration.

Funny

Previous Issues

February 21, 2026, Celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse

January 31, 2026, The Dawn of Machine-to-Machine Society

January 24, 2026, Destination: China - The Return of Western Rock Bands

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Howdy! We’re back after a two-week break from school break during the Lunar New Year.

On the occasion of the Year of the Red Fire Horse, wishing you and your family a joyful New Year, happiness at home, and soaring success in your endeavors!

2026 seems to be a year like no other. Rules are being rewritten. Old paradigms are being dismantled. Jobs are being redefined.

Are you ready yet?

Tech

In a move that sent shockwaves through the AI community, OpenAI announced on February 15, 2026, that Peter Steinberger — the solo developer behind viral open-source agent framework OpenClaw — was joining the company to lead its next generation of personal agents. Originally launched in November 2025 as ClawdBot (later rebranded after a trademark dispute with Anthropic), OpenClaw exploded to 1.5 million active agents in just weeks. OpenClaw will move to an independent open-source foundation, but the hire signals a decisive industry shift — from AI that talks to AI that acts. The irony is that Anthropic handed OpenAI their biggest win of 2026. OpenClaw was built on Anthropic’s AI model Claude, named after Claude, and used Claude Opus as its default model — making Steinberger arguably Anthropic’s biggest unpaid evangelist. Then Anthropic’s legal team sent a trademark notice over the name “Clawdbot,” and as one writer put it: “Anthropic’s lawyers sent the letter. OpenAI sent the offer.”

New Delhi’s AI Impact Summit 2026 marked a historic shift in global AI governance — the first in the Bletchley-Seoul-Paris series to be hosted by a Global South nation. India positioned itself as a bridge between advanced economies and developing nations, pointing to its massive digital public infrastructure as a model for deploying AI at scale. Standout announcements included Google’s $15 billion AI infrastructure commitment to India, a new America-India fiber-optic connectivity initiative, and a $30 million AI for Science research fund. Indian AI lab Sarvam AI unveiled powerful new large language models built for Indian languages. Not all was harmonious, however — cameras caught an awkward moment when OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei visibly avoided holding hands during a group photo with Prime Minister Modi, a subtle reminder that the OpenClaw saga had left some tension between the two rival labs.

China’s most-watched television event, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, delivered a stunning statement of technological ambition this Lunar New Year. Four humanoid robotics startups — Unitree, Galbot, Noetix, and MagicLab — took center stage in performances that left last year’s handkerchief-twirling robots looking primitive. Highlights included over a dozen Unitree humanoids performing backflips, aerial spins, and a full kung fu routine alongside child martial artists wielding swords and nunchucks. The contrast with Tesla’s Optimus robot was hard to miss — Musk had just admitted on an earnings call that no Optimus robots were yet doing “useful work” in Tesla factories, even as he acknowledged China as his biggest competition, calling them “an ass-kicker next level.”

ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, unleashed Seedance 2.0 on the world in February 2026 — and Hollywood immediately reached for its lawyers. The AI video model, capable of generating hyper-realistic cinematic clips from a simple text prompt, went viral within hours as users shared videos of Tom Cruise brawling with Brad Pitt, Donald Trump fighting kung fu masters, and Kanye West singing in Mandarin through a Chinese palace. Disney and Paramount fired off cease-and-desist letters, the Motion Picture Association declared it “mass copyright infringement,” and Deadpool screenwriter Rhett Reese delivered the line everyone in the industry was thinking: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

Google DeepMind quietly dropped one of the most disruptive demos in gaming history when it rolled out Project Genie to Google AI Ultra subscribers in late January. Built on the Genie 3 world model, the tool lets anyone type a text prompt or upload a sketch and instantly explore a fully interactive 3D environment — no code, no game engine, no development team required. Users quickly generated knockoff versions of Zelda and GTA, video game stocks slid, and the internet declared the death of traditional game studios. Google itself was careful to say Genie is “not a game engine” — but the gaming industry wasn’t entirely convinced the distinction would matter for long.

Global

A football field-sized slab of snow broke loose near Castle Peak in California’s Sierra Nevada on February 17, killing nine backcountry skiers in the deadliest avalanche in the United States in 45 years. The group of 15 — eleven clients and four guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides — were on the final day of a three-day hut trip in the mountains north of Lake Tahoe when one skier shouted “avalanche” before the snow overtook them. Six survived, located by emergency beacons in whiteout conditions. Six of the victims were later identified as close friends — mothers and wives from the Bay Area — who had bonded over a shared love of the mountains. The six survivors — huddled in a makeshift tarp shelter, located by emergency beacons and iPhone SOS signals — had spent hours in gale-force winds waiting for rescue teams who could only travel the final two miles on skis.

Economy & Finance

When Hong Kong markets reopened after the Lunar New Year holiday, investors wasted no time. Shares of Zhipu — China’s first publicly listed large language model company — surged 43% on February 20, while rival MiniMax jumped 15%, pushing both companies’ market capitalizations past HK$300 billion. The gains capped a remarkable run: since their back-to-back IPOs in January, both stocks have risen more than fourfold. The rally reflects a broader investor rotation out of established internet giants like Alibaba and Tencent into pure-play AI startups, driven by new model releases, surging user growth, and intensifying conviction that China’s AI race has entered a new commercial phase.

Nature & Environment

California’s Highway 1 through Big Sur had barely celebrated its triumphant reopening when nature had other ideas. After a three-year closure due to the infamous Regent’s Slide — finally resolved 90 days ahead of schedule in January 2026 — the iconic coastal road was forced to close again on February 17 after powerful storms dumped over 30 inches of snow in the Sierra and unleashed rockslides and debris across a 45-mile stretch between Ragged Point and Big Sur. Caltrans crews scrambled to clear mud that had overtopped concrete barriers. In a memorable subplot, one impatient driver moved road closure barriers to sneak through — and promptly got stuck in a mudslide. The road finally reopened again on February 20.

For the first time, scientists have a complete picture of floating algae across every ocean on Earth — and the view is alarming. Led by researchers at the University of South Florida and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the landmark study used AI to analyze 1.2 million satellite images taken between 2003 and 2022, training a deep-learning model to detect algae blooms invisible to traditional methods. The findings, published in Nature Communications, reveal macroalgae blooms expanding at 13.4% per year in the tropical Atlantic and western Pacific, with the Indian Ocean seeing a three-to-four-fold increase. Scientists attribute the surge to ocean warming and agricultural nutrient runoff. In open water, algae support marine ecosystems — but once they reach coastlines, the decaying biomass devastates tourism, economies, and human health. The global ocean, researchers conclude, has undergone a fundamental shift: it now actively favors algae growth.

Science

Scientists have unveiled Spinosaurus Mirabilis, the first new Spinosaurus species discovered in over a century, unearthed from a remote fossil site in Niger’s central Sahara. Led by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno, the team found skulls from three individuals during a grueling 2022 expedition — guided into the desert by a local Tuareg man on a motorbike. The 40-foot, 5–7 ton predator sported a dramatic scimitar-shaped skull crest unlike anything seen before in its family. Crucially, the find was located up to 1,000 kilometers from the nearest ancient coastline, dealing a decisive blow to the theory that Spinosaurus was a fully aquatic swimmer — painting it instead as a wading “hell heron,” stalking fish from shallow inland rivers.

For the first time in more than half a century, humans are preparing to leave Earth orbit. NASA’s Artemis II mission — targeting launch no earlier than March 6 from Kennedy Space Center — will send four astronauts on a 10-day, 600,000-mile journey around the Moon and back. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen entered quarantine this week after a successful fueling rehearsal cleared the final major technical hurdle. The mission carries historic firsts: Glover will become the first person of color, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to venture beyond low Earth orbit. It won’t be a landing — but it will pave the way for Artemis III to finally return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Every Lunar New Year’s Eve, nearly a billion Chinese people sit down together. China’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala — running continuously since 1983 — is less a television program than a national ritual, pulling in hundreds of millions of viewers and reaching audiences from Shanghai penthouses to remote village homes. This year’s show, themed “Joy and Auspiciousness, Festive and Cheerful,” blended Silk Road dance and Peking opera with cutting-edge humanoid robots performing backflips and kung fu, threading ancient tradition alongside China’s technological ambitions. The 2026 edition was also the most international in the Gala’s 40-year history: John Legend performed “All of Me” before midnight, while Lionel Richie joined Jackie Chan at a sub-venue in Yiwu — China’s cosmopolitan trading capital — for a cross-cultural performance that felt like a deliberate East-meets-West handshake. For migrant workers separated from family, elderly grandparents, and tech-savvy youth alike, the Gala serves the same quiet purpose it always has: a shared moment that says, whatever divides us through the year, tonight we watch together.

On February 17, as China rang in the Lunar New Year with robot acrobatics and billion-viewer galas, South Korea marked the same moment in characteristically quieter fashion. Seollal — Korea’s most cherished holiday — brought the country to a near-standstill across a three-day national break, as tens of millions made the annual pilgrimage back to hometowns clogged with the season’s legendary traffic. This year carried extra weight: 2026 is the Year of the Red Horse, a rare cycle that only arrives once every sixty years, combining the Horse’s natural fire — energy, ambition, restless forward motion — with the intensifying force of the red flame element. Families rose early to perform charye, the ancestral memorial rite, before sharing bowls of tteokguk and watching children bow deeply to elders in the sebae ritual.

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny delivered a halftime show for the ages at Levi’s Stadium — the first ever headlined by a Latino solo artist and performed almost entirely in Spanish. Every generation has its defining halftime moment: Michael Jackson standing motionless for two minutes in 1993 until 130 million people collectively lost their minds; Prince playing guitar through a biblical rainstorm in 2007, performing “Purple Rain” as real rain poured down in one of sport’s most cinematic scenes. Bad Bunny’s contribution was different but equally seismic — a full-throated celebration of Puerto Rican culture on America’s biggest stage. Opening in an elaborate sugarcane field set, he waved the Puerto Rican flag and tore through hits alongside surprise guests Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Pedro Pascal. The 128.2 million viewers made it the fourth most-watched halftime in history, and his Spanish-language single rocketed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 days later.

When YouTube star Mark Fischbach, known as Markiplier, announced he was self-financing and self-distributing a sci-fi horror film adapted from a cult indie video game, Hollywood raised an eyebrow. Then Iron Lung opened on January 30, 2026, and the industry’s jaw dropped. The film — shot for just $3 million and marketed almost entirely through Markiplier’s 74 million YouTube followers — debuted at number one on Friday with $8.9 million, eventually finishing the weekend at $18.2 million, narrowly behind Sam Raimi’s big-budget Disney thriller Send Help. It has since crossed $43 million worldwide, earning over 14 times its budget. Markiplier reportedly keeps 50% of global box office receipts — a deal no studio would ever offer.

Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias” — IMDb (Internet Movie Database)’s undisputed greatest single TV episode for 13 years — has finally lost its perfect 10. The culprit? Its own fans. When HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms went viral for its stunning fifth episode, briefly touching a 10.0 rating, Breaking Bad loyalists flooded its page with one-star reviews to protect Heisenberg’s throne. Game of Thrones fans retaliated in kind, bombing “Ozymandias” until it dropped to 9.9. Both fandoms drew blood — and both lost. The real winner? Six Feet Under’s series finale, which quietly ascended to IMDb’s number one spot while the fanboy armies were busy fighting each other. History, it turns out, has a sense of humor: the exact same thing happened in 2008 between The Dark Knight and The Godfather — and The Shawshank Redemption claimed the top spot then too.

Sports

[Olympics] With just one day remaining before the closing ceremony, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have delivered a historic medal race. Norway has dominated, claiming 17 gold medals — a new all-time Winter Games record, surpassing their own mark from Beijing 2022. The United States sits second overall with 27 medals, edging out host nation Italy in third. Team USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin captured slalom gold in a triumphant return, while China’s Ning Zhongyan stunned the speed skating world with an Olympic record in the 1500m. In a storybook moment, Brazil claimed their first-ever Winter Olympic gold. With the Games closing February 22, Norway leaves Milan having rewritten the record books.

[Olympics] Four years after finishing seventh in Beijing, 26-year-old Ning Zhongyan stood on top of the world in Milan. On February 19, the Chinese speed skater shattered the men’s 1500m Olympic record with a stunning time of 1:41.98 — more than a second faster than the previous mark — to claim gold ahead of pre-race favorite Jordan Stolz of the United States. It was the first Asian athlete to win Olympic gold in the event since the Winter Games began in 1924. Ning, who had already earned two bronzes at these Games, wept as he circled the ice draped in China’s flag. “It felt like there was a mountain in front of me,” he said afterward. “Today was the day I finally got over it.”

If you watched figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics and kept seeing the same tall, bald Frenchman in a different national team jacket every few minutes, you weren’t imagining things. Benoît Richaud, 38, a choreographer and coach based in Nice, became one of the unlikely stars of the Milan Games after cameras caught him switching jackets between consecutive skaters — once changing from Georgia to Canada in just 14 minutes. Richaud was working with 16 skaters from 13 countries, including athletes from the US, France, Canada, Mexico, and Georgia — all legally permitted under Olympic rules. “As soon as they step on the ice,” he said, “I’m already in their world.”

[NFL] The Seattle Seahawks claimed their second Super Bowl title on February 8, 2026, dismantling the New England Patriots 29–13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The story of the night was quarterback Sam Darnold, once written off as one of the NFL’s biggest busts, who signed with Seattle and led them to the championship in a remarkable redemption arc. The real work, though, was done by his defense — Macdonald’s squad sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times and held New England scoreless through three quarters. Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards, and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu sealed it with a 45-yard pick-six late in the fourth.

[NBA] The NBA’s bold new format paid off in a big way at the 75th All-Star Game, held February 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. A three-team round-robin — USA Stars, USA Stripes, and Team World — replaced the traditional East vs. West matchup, and the result was the most competitive All-Star showcase in years. Victor Wembanyama set an electrifying tone for Team World, finishing with 33 points across two razor-thin losses. But Anthony Edwards was the night’s defining figure, scoring 32 points to lead the young-gun USA Stars to a 47-21 blowout win over the veteran-laden Stripes in the championship game, earning MVP honors and the Kobe Bryant Trophy.

[Soccer] Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff win at Benfica on February 17 was meant to be about a brilliant goal. Instead, it became another chapter in Vinícius Júnior’s exhausting fight against racism. Moments after curling a sublime finish past goalkeeper Trubin, the Brazilian accused Benfica’s young Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a monkey — covering his mouth with his shirt as he said it. The referee halted play for ten minutes under FIFA’s anti-racism protocol as Madrid’s players briefly left the field. Prestianni denies it. Benfica’s manager, controversially, suggested Vinicius had provoked the incident. UEFA has opened a formal investigation. For Vinicius, it was his 18th racism complaint since 2022. The second leg is February 25 at the Bernabéu — a powder keg waiting to ignite.

This Day in History

In one of the Cold War’s most stunning diplomatic reversals, President Richard Nixon touched down in Beijing on February 21, 1972, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China. Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong at Zhongnanhai in a historic encounter that shattered more than two decades of American isolation policy toward communist China. The groundwork had been quietly laid the previous year, when the U.S. ping-pong team’s surprise visit to China — the famous “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” — signaled both nations’ readiness for a thaw. Nixon’s week-long visit ended with a landmark joint agreement that reopened relations between the two superpowers and reshaped the global balance of power against the Soviet Union.

Art of the Week

Few images are more synonymous with Chinese modern art than Xu Beihong’s horses. The early 20th-century master fused Chinese ink brushwork with Western anatomical precision, producing galloping stallions of extraordinary vitality — muscles taut, manes flying, hooves barely touching the ground. Where traditional Chinese painters rendered horses as symbols of imperial power, Xu transformed them into something more urgent: expressions of freedom, resilience, and national spirit during China’s turbulent years of war and occupation. His 1942 masterpiece Galloping Horse became an icon. Today his works command tens of millions at auction. The horse, for Xu Beihong, was never just an animal — it was a nation in motion.

Funny

Previous Issues

January 31, 2026, The Dawn of Machine-to-Machine Society

January 24, 2026, Destination: China - The Return of Western Rock Bands

January 17, 2026, The Attack of Robots, Elephant, Banksy, and Heat

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

This has been a crazy week. Everyone I know from crypto and AI or just tech in general is playing with Clawdbot. Friends who disappeared years ago resurfaced and texted me to exchange notes. This feels like a bigger impact than the chatGPT moment 2 years ago and even the DeepSeek moment a year ago. The hype certainly owns the air wave.

If anything, Clawdbot gave me a convenient excuse to replace the good old 2018 MacMini with an M4 Pro MacMini, toward the noble cause of creating my 24/7 AI assistant, making the world a better place, and finding the answer to the ultimate question in the universe.

While that mission takes a bit of time, I was able to use Clawdbot to slash 2 hours from the publication process of this Jan 31 issue of the Sunday Blender. In the past, I would have to glue myself to the keyboard and do a lot of copy-n-paste with claude.ai to do story summations. Despite the intellectual joy of rendering the world in a more positive and interesting lens, the process of putting together all the pieces is a drag. Zelda, my Clawdbot agent, wrote the summations for me with prompts I provided on Telegram. It handled the research and writing of all the 20+ stories.

We’ll take a break during the Spring Festival. Your Sunday Blender will return on Feb 14.

Tech

The Clawdbot phenomenon exploded in late January 2026 as an open-source, self-hosted AI agent that goes far beyond chatbots. It runs locally (often on dedicated hardware like Mac Minis), connects to messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage), and actually performs tasks — clearing inboxes, managing calendars, sending emails, booking flights, controlling devices, and more — with proactive notifications and persistent memory. Powered by models like Claude or local LLMs, it gained massive traction, amassing over 60,000 GitHub stars in days and sparking viral hype on X. The frenzy also triggered chaos — crypto scams, security warnings about exposed credentials, and even reports of surging hardware sales for Apple. It highlights the excitement and risks of truly agentic, always-on personal AI. Even hotter emerged Moltbook, a Reddit-style social network built exclusively for these AI agents (humans observe only). It lets OpenClaw agents post, comment, upvote, form communities, debate philosophy, share tips, and even coordinate — with over a million agents registered and explosive growth. Called “the most interesting place on the internet right now” by experts like Simon Willison, Moltbook highlights emergent agent societies, raising profound questions about autonomy, alignment, privacy, and the surreal dawn of machine-to-machine social worlds.

Arduino made big waves at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this January, showcasing their revolutionary UNO Q board that combines traditional Arduino simplicity with Qualcomm’s powerful processors. This new “dual-brain” system lets young makers create projects that were impossible before, from smart robots that recognize faces to voice-controlled home devices. The partnership with Qualcomm has also launched fresh development tools, including new libraries for the Nesso N1 IoT board and expanded Modulino sensor collections that make complex electronics projects easier to build. Students can now tackle advanced projects like machine learning and edge computing while keeping the familiar, beginner-friendly Arduino programming style.

In Hefei, China, the MAEXTRO Super Factory builds electric cars with an invisible partner — a “digital twin” that lives in the cloud. This virtual copy acts like a living brain for the factory, receiving 300,000 data points every second from cameras and sensors as robots assemble each vehicle. The twin watches, learns, and helps workers spot problems before they happen. Built by carmaker JAC and tech giant Huawei, this smart system uses artificial intelligence to constantly improve itself. Every car leaves the factory with two versions: one you can drive, and one that lives forever in the digital world.

On January 29, China announced plans to build a massive network of satellites that will process artificial intelligence in space. The company GuoXing Aerospace Technology has already put an AI model on its orbiting satellites, making it the first in the world to run advanced AI programs directly in orbit. These satellites can answer questions and solve problems without sending data back to Earth first. The company plans to launch 2,800 computing satellites by 2035 to create a space-based cloud computing system. This new technology could change how computers work by moving powerful processing into orbit.

Global

Brazil’s President Lula announced this week that Chinese citizens can now visit Brazil without needing a visa, making travel between the two countries much easier. This decision comes after China gave the same benefit to Brazilian visitors last year, creating a friendship exchange where both countries treat each other’s citizens the same way. The new rule allows Chinese tourists, students, and business people to stay in Brazil for up to 30 days without the paperwork that used to be required. This change will help more families visit each other, boost tourism, and strengthen the economic partnership between Brazil and China, two of the world’s largest countries that want to work together more closely.

YouTube star IShowSpeed just did something epic — he visited 20 African countries in one wild trip. The 19-year-old streamer, famous for his chaotic energy, didn’t just sightsee. He ate spicy local foods, danced with villagers, and even got his own Ghanaian passport after meeting the president. His videos racked up millions of views, but here’s the cool part: he actually connected with people. Instead of fancy hotels, he hung out in neighborhoods, played soccer with kids, and tried speaking local languages. Fans loved his genuine curiosity. Not bad for a guy who usually just screams at video games.

On December 21, 2025, the city of Hyderabad in India made history when over 2,300 computer programmers gathered at Malla Reddy University for “Agentathon 2025,” breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest AI agent coding event ever held. Organized by Google Developer Groups Hyderabad, this massive hackathon brought together thousands of developers who spent two days creating artificial intelligence programs called “agents” that could solve real-world problems for governments and businesses. This achievement marked Hyderabad’s first AI-related world record and helped establish the city as a major global center for artificial intelligence innovation and technology development.

In South Korea, gaming cafes called “PC bangs” are like community centers where friends gather to play computer games together, and League of Legends continues to rule them all. According to 2025 data, LoL captured 36 percent of all gaming time in these cafes, far ahead of any other game. Korean gaming culture thrives on teamwork and competition, with players meeting face-to-face to strategize and compete in this team-based battle game. The cafes offer high-speed internet and powerful computers that many families cannot afford at home. This dominance shows how some games become more than entertainment—they become social experiences that bring communities together, creating lasting friendships through shared digital adventures.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently completed a historic four-day visit to China, the first by a British leader in eight years. He brought over 60 business executives from major companies including HSBC bank, pharmaceutical giant GSK, aircraft maker Airbus, and luxury car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover. This diplomatic mission aimed to strengthen trade relationships between the two countries, especially in finance, healthcare, clean energy, and manufacturing. When world leaders meet with business delegations, they work to create new opportunities for companies to sell products, share technology, and create jobs in both nations, demonstrating how international cooperation can benefit millions of people.

Economy & Finance

SpaceX is preparing for the biggest stock market debut in history this June 2025. Elon Musk’s rocket company plans to sell shares worth $50 billion, giving the entire company a value of $1.5 trillion – that’s more money than most countries have. This makes SpaceX worth more than Apple or Microsoft at their peaks. The timing isn’t random either – Musk wants to launch during a rare planetary alignment that happens near his birthday. If successful, this IPO will let regular people own pieces of the company that sends astronauts to space and plans Mars missions. Historic.

Silver’s price has surged over 50% in January 2026, reaching record highs near $115 per ounce, as demand soars across multiple industries. This precious metal isn’t just for jewelry and coins — silver is essential for smartphones, computers, and medical equipment because it conducts electricity better than any other metal. Its antimicrobial properties make it valuable for hospital devices and wound dressings, while the green energy boom drives demand for solar panels and electric vehicle components. This price surge reflects silver’s growing importance in our technology-driven world, affecting everything from gadget costs to renewable energy development.

Nature & Environment

Scientists predict climate change will significantly expand malaria’s reach across Africa by 2050, as warming temperatures allow disease-carrying mosquitoes to survive in new highland areas. According to recent research published in Nature, changing weather patterns could lead to 123 million additional malaria cases across the continent between 2024 and 2050. Countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda may see malaria spread to previously safe mountain regions where cooler temperatures once prevented transmission. Health organizations are preparing by developing new mosquito control methods, improving early warning systems, and strengthening healthcare systems in vulnerable areas to protect communities from this expanding threat.

Science

Google has awarded grants to twelve research teams using artificial intelligence to tackle major scientific challenges. These scientists are working on incredible projects like building AI scanners that can detect dangerous bacteria in under an hour instead of days, creating digital maps of plant diseases to help farmers grow stronger crops, and using AI to reduce methane emissions from cows by studying their gut bacteria. Other teams are mapping unknown molecules in food to make healthier diets, decoding the human genome’s mysteries to cure rare diseases, and developing carbon-capture materials using robot laboratories that work alongside human scientists.

Scientists in two Chinese cities, Hefei and Hangzhou, have become cosmic detectives working together to solve one of space’s biggest mysteries. Like partners searching for clues 300 kilometers apart, they’ve built the world’s first quantum sensor network to hunt for dark matter — invisible stuff that makes up over a quarter of our universe. Their special detectors work like super-sensitive detective tools, watching for tiny signals when Earth passes through dark matter clouds. Even though these invisible particles leave traces as faint as snowflakes in a crowded square, this detective duo hopes their teamwork will finally reveal the universe’s hidden secrets and help us understand how space really works.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Gaming fans are buzzing about 2026’s biggest console releases bringing new adventures to their favorite systems. Sony PlayStation leads with Marvel’s Wolverine, an action-packed superhero game where players slash through enemies as the famous X-Man mutant. Nintendo continues expanding their Switch 2 library with Super Mario Bros Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, featuring enhanced graphics and new levels in the Flower Kingdom that weren’t possible on the original console. Meanwhile, Copa City arrives on multiple platforms in March, offering players the chance to build and manage their own soccer empire with realistic team management and stadium construction.

Sports

Alex Honnold completed a free‑solo climb of Taipei 101, the 1,667‑foot‑tall skyscraper in Taiwan, on January 25, 2026. Using no ropes or nets, he reached the top in 1 hour and 30 minutes during Netflix’s live Skyscraper Live broadcast, which drew 6.2 million viewers. Honnold first scouted the building in September 2025, testing sections with ropes, and waited for perfect weather after rain delays. Known for his rope‑free ascent of El Capitan, he now pushes the boundaries of building climbs, demonstrating extreme athleticism on another global landmark.

China’s Under-23 men’s soccer team made history by reaching the final of the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marking the first time in 22 years that any Chinese men’s national team has reached an international competition final. The young Chinese players defeated Vietnam 3-0 in the semifinals before facing defending champions Japan in the championship match. Although Japan won the final 4-0, China’s achievement sparked nationwide celebration and praise from sports officials who described it as “igniting new hope” for Chinese soccer. This breakthrough performance by the next generation of Chinese players represents a significant step forward for the country’s soccer development and has raised expectations for future international competitions.

Super Bowl LX takes place on February 8, 2026, featuring the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, an MVP contender this season, will become one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to start a Super Bowl at just 23 years old. This marks New England’s first championship game appearance in seven years and their first opportunity to win a title since the Brady-Belichick era ended. The Seahawks, who earned six Pro Bowl selections this season, present a formidable challenge for the young Patriots squad.

Norwegian triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt recently set a new world record for VO2 Max, measuring 101.1ml/kg/min in controlled laboratory testing. VO2 Max measures how much oxygen your body can use during intense exercise - think of it as your engine’s maximum power output. The higher the number, the more efficiently your body can fuel your muscles during endurance activities like running, cycling, or swimming. Blummenfelt’s achievement surpassed the previous record of 97.5ml/kg/min, demonstrating the incredible athletic capacity that has helped him become one of the world’s top triathletes, including recent podium finishes at major Ironman championships.

This Day in History

On January 31, 1930, the 3M Company introduced Scotch tape, a transparent adhesive tape that would become a household essential. Engineer Richard Drew invented the clear cellulose tape to help people seal packages and mend torn items. The product arrived during the Great Depression, when many families could not afford to replace broken things. Scotch tape allowed people to repair books, windows, and household items instead of buying new ones. The name “Scotch” came from an early version of masking tape that a painter said was too stingy with adhesive. Today, 3M produces hundreds of tape varieties used worldwide.

Art of the Week

In 1565, during the “Little Ice Age,” Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted one of history’s most famous winter scenes. “The Hunters in the Snow” shows three tired hunters trudging home through deep snow with their dogs, while villagers below ice skate and tend fires. This painting is special because Bruegel captured real country life exactly as it was, not making it prettier like other artists. People love this masterpiece because it feels like stepping into a frozen world from 450 years ago, showing how families survived harsh winters through hunting and finding joy in simple everyday winter activities.

Funny

Previous Issues

January 24, 2026, Destination: China - The Return of Western Rock Bands

January 17, 2026, The Attack of Robots, Elephant, Banksy, and Heat

January 03, 2026, An Incredible Journey From Wuhan To Singapore

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Check out the sports section of this issue. It’s got quite a variety.

If you have come this far, you must come from a family of readers in the pursuit of intellect and knowledge - a rare species in 2026. Congratulations!

Do you know of any other friend’s family who might also be in the same pursuit?

If you do, please forward the Sunday Blender to them, surprising them with the proof that the art of reading has not died, yet.

Thank you.

Tech

Google announced on January 21 that its AI assistant Gemini now offers free, full-length SAT practice exams — a direct challenge to the multibillion-dollar test prep industry. The SAT is a standardized test most American high schoolers take for college admissions, covering reading, writing, and math. Using content developed with The Princeton Review to mirror real exam conditions, Gemini scores each section after completion, identifies strengths and weaknesses, explains incorrect answers, and helps build a personalized study plan. With private tutors charging $135–155 per hour, the free tool could reshape how the nearly two million annual SAT takers prepare.

Turing Award winner Yann LeCun has launched Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) Labs, a Paris-based startup pursuing “world models” — AI systems that understand physics and simulate cause-and-effect rather than simply predicting text like large language models. LeCun, who left Meta in November 2025 after 12 years as Chief AI Scientist, serves as executive chairman, with former Nabla CEO Alex LeBrun running operations. The company is reportedly seeking US$586 million at a US$3.5 billion valuation before even launching. LeCun has long argued that scaling LLMs alone won’t achieve human-level AI, and believes world models can solve the hallucination problems inherent to current systems.

At Davos, Switzerland, this week, Anthropic (the developer of Claude AI) CEO Dario Amodei and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis appeared on stage together and found themselves agreeing on something uncomfortable: the disruption is coming faster than most realize. Amodei took the aggressive stance, predicting AI will replace most software engineering work within 6–12 months and reach “Nobel-level” scientific capability by 2027. Hassabis was more cautious, saying current systems are “nowhere near” AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and estimating a 50% chance of achieving it within 5–10 years, noting AI still needs “one or two more breakthroughs.” Both warned that half of white-collar jobs could vanish within five years.

Elon Musk made his first-ever Davos appearance this week, predicting AI will surpass individual human intelligence by the end of 2026 and exceed all of humanity’s collective brainpower within five years. Interviewed by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Musk forecast robots will eventually outnumber humans, with Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots going on sale to the public by the end of 2027 — initially for elder care in aging societies. He declared self-driving “essentially a solved problem,” with Tesla robotaxis expanding across the U.S. this year. Musk also called human aging “a very solvable problem” and warned that electricity — not chips — is now the limiting factor for AI growth.

Global

On January 17, over 300 athletes raced on handmade wooden skis wrapped in horse hide at the Ancient Fur Ski Race held at Jiangjunshan International Ski Resort in Altay, Xinjiang, China. The event celebrates the region’s claim as the birthplace of skiing — a 2005 discovery of rock paintings in nearby Handgait township depicts ancient hunters on fur-covered skis, estimated to be at least 12,000 years old. In 2015, skiing historians from 18 countries signed the Altay Declaration recognizing Altay as the world’s oldest skiing region. The traditional skis, still crafted by locals today, were even displayed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics museum.

Japan bid farewell to its last giant pandas this week as twin siblings Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei departed Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo for China on January 27. Born at the zoo in 2021, the pair had their final public viewing on January 25, with visitors limited to one-minute slots allocated by lottery — some days saw 24 applicants competing for each spot. Their departure marks the first time since 1972 that Japan has been without a panda, ending over 50 years of continuous panda presence that began when China gifted two pandas to commemorate the normalization of diplomatic ties. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara noted that pandas have “contributed to improving public sentiment” between the two nations.

Economy & Finance

Canada is breaking ranks with the United States on Chinese electric vehicles. During Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing last week, Canada agreed to slash its 100% tariff on Chinese EVs down to just 6.1%, opening the door for affordable electric cars from manufacturers like BYD. The deal caps imports at 49,000 vehicles annually, rising to 70,000 by 2030 — with over half expected to be priced under $24,500. In exchange, China will reduce tariffs on Canadian canola from 84% to 15%. The move marks a significant pivot away from U.S. trade policy, as Carney seeks to diversify Canada’s economy amid strained relations with Washington.

Nature & Environment

Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula is experiencing what locals call a “snow apocalypse” — the heaviest snowfall in over 140 years. In December 2025, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky received 370mm of snow — more than three times the monthly average. Snow depth has reached 1.7 meters, with drifts up to 2.4 meters, burying cars and blocking building entrances up to the second floor. The surreal images of people tunneling out of their homes and entire streets vanishing under white have drawn comparisons to the 2004 Sci-Fi disaster blockbuster film The Day After Tomorrow. Schools and businesses are closed, roads remain impassable, and stores are running short on essentials as the remote region struggles to dig out.

Polar bear trackers are reporting encouraging news from Hudson Bay, Canada this January, with GPS data showing mothers and yearlings — including the popular “AAC Bear” — currently hunting seals deep on the sea ice during the sunless Arctic winter. However, researchers are also flagging a troubling development: some Arctic regions are experiencing an unusual “no-snow” crisis, with unseasonably warm temperatures leaving patches of ground completely bare. Scientists warn this is disorienting for local wildlife — polar bears rely on snow for denning, while Arctic foxes depend on their white winter coats for camouflage, now useless against the exposed dark terrain.

A major study released January 20 reveals that Antarctic penguins are breeding up to two weeks earlier than they did a decade ago. Researchers tracking Gentoo, Adélie, and Chinstrap penguins found that Gentoos are adapting so quickly they’re now out-competing the other species for prime nesting sites. But scientists warn this accelerated timeline could backfire: if baby penguins hatch before peak krill and plankton season, they may face food shortages during their most vulnerable weeks. The shift highlights how climate change is reshaping Antarctic ecosystems in complex ways, creating winners and losers even among closely related species.

Science

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore have created molecular devices that can switch roles on command — acting as memory, logic gates, processors, or artificial brain synapses depending on how they’re stimulated. The team built 17 specially designed ruthenium-based molecules that reorganize their electrons and ions dynamically, allowing a single device to store information, compute with it, or even learn and unlearn. “With the right molecular chemistry, a single device can store information, compute with it, or even learn and unlearn,” said lead researcher Pallavi Gaur. The breakthrough could lead to AI hardware that physically encodes intelligence into the material itself—computers that learn the way brains do.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday of January, honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., America’s most influential civil rights leader. Born January 15, 1929, King championed nonviolent resistance to end racial segregation, delivering his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. Following his assassination in 1968, a campaign for a federal holiday began, finally signed into law by President Reagan in 1983. The holiday, first celebrated nationwide in 1986, is also designated as a National Day of Service — encouraging Americans to volunteer and embody King’s vision of the “Beloved Community”. This concept, central to King’s philosophy, described an achievable society transformed by justice, equality, and unconditional love — where poverty is eliminated, racial harmony prevails, conflicts are resolved through dialogue, and former enemies become friends through understanding.

The vampire epic Sinners dominated the 2026 Oscar nominations, earning a record-breaking 16 nominations — the most in Academy history, surpassing the 14 held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). The film, starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, scored nominations across major categories, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor — Jordan’s first Oscar nomination. Following behind were One Battle After Another with 13 nominations, and Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value with nine each. Sinners marks the fifth collaboration between director Ryan Coogler and Jordan, following Fruitvale Station, Creed, and both Black Panther films.

Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring will travel to Japan this summer in a rare international loan. The 17th-century masterpiece, often called the “Mona Lisa of the North,” will be displayed at Osaka’s Nakanoshima Museum of Art from August 21 to September 27 while its home, the Mauritshuis in The Hague, closes for renovations. The painting almost never leaves the Netherlands — its last international trip was a 2012–2014 world tour that drew 1.2 million visitors in Japan alone. Mauritshuis director Martine Gosselink noted this may be “the very last time” the work travels to Japan, making it a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

After years of limited access following the pandemic, international rock acts are heading back to mainland China. The Pixies bring their 40th anniversary tour to Shanghai’s VAS LIVE venue in May 2026, while Mac DeMarco, Behemoth, and Oneohtrix Point Never are also confirmed for 2026 dates. This follows a broader thaw: Kanye West’s surprise 2024 Hainan concerts signaled Beijing’s renewed openness to foreign performers. China’s live music market generated nearly US$8 billion in ticket revenue in 2024, and expanded visa-free policies for dozens of countries are making touring logistics easier. For bands like Suede — who have a cult following since their 2014 MIDI Festival appearances — China represents both nostalgia and a massive untapped market hungry for live rock.

Sports

[Fencing] Hong Kong’s men’s foil team struck gold at the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) World Cup in Paris this January, staging a thrilling comeback against the United States in the final. Trailing 4-10 early on, the squad — featuring two-time Olympic champion Edgar Cheung Ka-long and reigning world champion Ryan Choi Chun-yin — rallied to win 45-38, with Choi delivering a decisive 5-0 final bout. It marks Hong Kong’s second World Cup team gold, following their 2024 home victory. The triumph continues the city’s fencing renaissance sparked by Cheung and Paris Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong, who retired after last summer’s Games. Hong Kong will host the 2026 World Fencing Championships in July.

[Pickleball] Pickleball superstar Anna Leigh Waters is off to a blazing start in 2026. The 18-year-old from Allentown, Pennsylvania, just became the first pickleball athlete to sign with Nike, joining the brand’s elite global roster after her previous Fila deal expired. Days later, she backed up the hype at the PPA Masters in Palm Springs, claiming her record-extending 40th career Triple Crown by sweeping singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. Waters, who holds the world No. 1 ranking in all three disciplines, lost just five games across the entire tournament. With 181 career gold medals and landmark deals with Nike and Franklin paddles, she’s cementing her status as the undisputed face of pickleball.

[Rubik’s Cube] The Rubik’s Cube world has been shattered — literally in seconds. On January 11, 2026, China’s Xuanyi Geng set a new 3x3 World Record Average of 3.84 seconds at the Beijing Winter event, breaking the once-mythical “sub-4 second” barrier that cubers long considered the holy grail. He surpassed the previous 3.90-second mark held by child prodigy Yiheng Wang, and during the round posted a jaw-dropping 3.37-second counting solve. Geng also holds the single-solve world record at 3.05 seconds (set April 2025), with many believing a sub-3 second solve is imminent. Meanwhile, blindfolded cubing saw its own breakthrough: Stanley Chapel from USA shattered the 2-minute barrier for 5x5 Blindfolded with a time of 1:58.59 — one of the most mentally demanding feats in speedcubing.

[Yo-Yo] Japan’s Hajime Miura has cemented his status as a yo-yo legend, claiming his eighth world championship title at the World Yo-Yo Contest 2025 in Prague. At just 22 years old, he’s now the second most decorated yo-yo player in history — trailing only Shinji Saito’s 13 titles. Miura competes in 3A, a style where players control two yo-yos at the same time, one in each hand. His jaw-dropping three-minute routine marked a triumphant comeback after finishing fourth last year. The contest drew over 300 competitors from 43 countries. Miura has dominated the scene since winning his first world title in 2014 at age 10.

[Snooker] Chinese snooker made history at the Championship League in Leicester this week as three players delivered perfect 147 breaks within two days. On January 21-22, Xiao Guodong, Wu Yize, and reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong each cleared the table flawlessly during Group 6 matches. For Wu and Zhao, these were career-first maximums, while Xiao notched his third. The trio’s display pushed the season’s 147 tally to a record-breaking 21 — smashing the previous high of 15. Remarkably, Chinese players have now contributed more than a third of those 21 maximums this season, underscoring the country’s growing dominance in professional snooker.

[Soccer] Arsenal sit atop the UK’s Premier League with a commanding seven-point lead after 22 matches — their biggest advantage at this stage in club history. Mikel Arteta’s side ended 2025 leading both the league and Champions League group phase, going unbeaten in October with six wins and zero goals conceded. Their dominance rests on elite defending (Gabriel-Saliba partnership), set-piece mastery (14 league goals from dead balls, highest percentage ever for a potential champion), and improved depth following £250 million in summer signings including Martin Zubimendi. After three consecutive runner-up finishes, Arsenal finally look like a team that won’t collapse — chasing their first title since 2004.

[Soccer] Real Madrid have endured a chaotic few weeks. After losing the Supercopa de España final 3-2 to Barcelona on January 11, the club sacked Xabi Alonso just 233 days into his tenure, citing “mutual agreement” — though sources indicate it was a dismissal following reports of player unrest, particularly with Vinícius Júnior. Former right-back Álvaro Arbeloa was promoted from the reserve team to replace him. His debut went disastrously: a 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete. But Arbeloa bounced back emphatically, thrashing Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League on January 20, with Mbappé scoring twice against his former club. Madrid sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona.

[NBA] The Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8) have emerged as the league’s dominant force, holding a commanding six-game lead atop the Western Conference over the surprising San Antonio Spurs. Out East, the Detroit Pistons (32-11) are the story of the season — a shocking turnaround from perennial lottery team to conference leaders, ahead of the defending champion Celtics and resurgent Knicks. Individually, Luka Dončić is scorching nets at 33.5 points per game to lead all scorers, while Nikola Jokić continues his nightly triple-double pursuit, pacing the league in both rebounds (12.2) and assists (11.0). “The Joker”’s all-around dominance makes him the early MVP frontrunner.

[NBA] The NBA unveiled a groundbreaking format for the 75th All-Star Game: USA vs. World. For the first time, two American teams will face one international squad in a round-robin tournament at LA’s Intuit Dome on February 15. Luka Dončić (Slovenia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) led fan voting, headlining a stacked World team alongside Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), and Victor Wembanyama (France). The USA starters feature Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown. Notably absent: LeBron James missed the starting lineup for the first time since his 2003-04 rookie season, ending a 22-year streak. Reserves will be announced February 1.

This Day in History

On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold flakes in the American River while building a sawmill for John Sutter in Coloma, California. Though Sutter tried to keep the find secret, word spread rapidly. By 1849, some 300,000 prospectors — dubbed “forty-niners” — flooded into California from across the U.S. and the world. The Gold Rush transformed San Francisco from a tiny settlement into a booming city and accelerated California’s path to statehood in 1850. It reshaped the American economy, spurred westward migration, and devastated Native American communities. Ironically, neither Marshall nor Sutter profited — both died in poverty. As of 2026, California would rank as the 5th largest economy in the world, trailing only the United States, China, and Germany.

Art of the Week

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a small oil painting created around 1665 by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. It depicts an unknown young woman in an exotic blue and gold turban, glancing over her shoulder with parted lips and a luminous pearl earring catching the light. What makes it extraordinary is Vermeer’s mastery of light — the way the pearl gleams, the soft glow on her skin, and the mysterious dark background that makes her seem to emerge from shadow. Her ambiguous expression has drawn comparisons to the Mona Lisa. The painting was virtually unknown until the 1990s, when it became a global icon after inspiring a bestselling novel and Hollywood film starring Scarlett Johansson.

Funny

Wife: You’re not buying new books, are you?

Husband: Absolutely not. These books were published years ago.

Previous Issues

January 17, 2026, The Attack of Robots, Elephant, Banksy, and Heat

January 03, 2026, An Incredible Journey From Wuhan To Singapore

December 27, 2025, The Age of One-Person Billion Dollar Company

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

We’re back! We played quite a few games last weekend, so we had to skip an issue.

Publishing a weekly newsletter requires a lot of work. It would not have been possible without Claude, one of the best AI tools in 2026. If you are into creating content - whether that’s text, audio, or video, AI can be a huge productivity boost and a total game changer.

While being a weekly digest for curious kids, the Sunday Blender is also an experiment on how much AI can level the playground of content sourcing, curation, synthesizing, publication, and marketing. Claude helped me write 7 Python scripts to automate several repetitive and tedious steps that would otherwise take me not hours but days to finish.

I have shared my experience on this fun journey at a recent workshop with Peking University - “How Content Creators Should Use AI in 2026”.

Take a read if you are interested or share that with your friends in media.

Tech

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang opened CES 2026 (Consumer Electronics Show) at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, declaring that AI is scaling into every domain and device. “Computing has been fundamentally reshaped,” Huang said, noting that “$10 trillion of computing is now being modernized.” “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here — when machines begin to understand, reason and act in the real world,” Huang announced. He unveiled Rubin, Nvidia’s next-generation AI platform now in full production, promising to deliver AI tokens at one-tenth the cost of previous platforms. He also introduced Alpamayo, an open reasoning model family for autonomous vehicles, with the Mercedes-Benz CLA becoming the first passenger car featuring the technology.

After 30+ years of R&D, Boston Dynamics unveiled the production Atlas at CES 2026. The all-electric humanoid has 56 degrees of freedom, allowing its head, torso, and hands to rotate 360° — moving more efficiently than humans in tight spaces without turning its whole body. Four-fingered hands with tactile sensing in fingers and palms enable dexterous manipulation. When battery runs low, Atlas autonomously swaps its own batteries and returns to work. It can rise from a folded position to minimize idle footprint, and limbs are field-replaceable in under five minutes. Once one Atlas learns a task, the skill deploys instantly across the entire fleet. First deployments go to majority shareholder Hyundai and new AI partner Google DeepMind. Hyundai plans to use Atlas in its car plants by 2028 for parts sequencing, expanding to component assembly by 2030.

Lego unveiled its Smart Play system at CES 2026 (Consumer Electronics Show), calling it the most significant innovation since the Minifigure debuted in 1978. The Smart Brick is a standard 2x4 brick packed with a tiny 4.1mm chip, sensors, accelerometers, and a miniature speaker—all enabling screen-free interactive play. Using copper coils, magnetic fields, and Bluetooth, Smart Bricks communicate with Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures to produce sounds and lights in response to movement. Launching March 1, 2026, the first sets feature Star Wars themes, with prices ranging from $70 to $160. Some play experts have raised concerns about digitizing a traditionally analog toy, though Lego emphasizes this complements rather than replaces classic building.

When Apple launched Siri in 2011, it was the first mainstream voice assistant - years ahead of Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. Fourteen years later, that lead has evaporated. Apple and Google announced a multi-year collaboration where the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini. Siri’s brain will now run on a competitor’s technology. Apple is paying roughly $1 billion annually for access. After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation — an acknowledgment that its own models weren’t cutting it. Internal evaluations revealed Siri was failing complex queries about 33% of the time. For a company that built its identity on vertical integration, this is a pragmatic concession: partner now, compete later. The pioneer has become the customer.

In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, staking its entire identity on a virtual world that never materialized. Four years and $73 billion later, the company is quietly dismantling that vision—cutting 1,500 Reality Labs jobs this week, shuttering VR game studios, and redirecting resources toward AI wearables and chatbots. The pivot marks one of the most expensive strategic retreats in tech history. Meta is now betting that AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, not VR headsets, will define the next computing platform. Whether this represents hard-won wisdom or simply another hype cycle remains Silicon Valley’s billion-dollar question.

Launched in 2008, Q&A forum Stack Overflow quickly became the go-to hub for programmers seeking answers to coding problems, fostering a community-driven repository that powered everything from startup scripts to enterprise software. For years, it was an almost universal experience: find a thread, copy the top-voted answer, run it, problem solved. At its peak around 2014, the platform received over 250,000 questions per month. By early 2026, monthly questions have collapsed to about 300 — levels not seen since 2009. Developers are switching en masse to AI assistants like GitHub Copilot and Claude Code directly that answer without the platform’s notoriously hostile culture where newbies were routinely humiliated for asking “basic” questions. Ironically, Stack Overflow’s own content trained the very AI models now supplanting it.

On January 7, 2026, millions of Mac users discovered their Logitech mice and keyboards had suddenly lost all custom functionality—button mappings, gestures, and scroll settings reverted to defaults or stopped working entirely. The culprit: an expired Apple Developer Certificate that Logitech failed to renew. The certificate, last renewed on January 5, 2021, expired on January 6, 2026 — and because macOS blocks apps with expired certificates, the software froze at launch. The outage lasted over 12 hours, disrupting workflows globally. The incident exposed a troubling reality: our increasingly sophisticated tech ecosystem rests on fragile foundations. A single overlooked calendar reminder — renewing a certificate — paralyzed millions of devices worldwide.

Global

The Hakone Ekiden is a two-day, 217-kilometer road relay run by Japan’s top university teams between central Tokyo and the mountain resort town of Hakone, near Mount Fuji. The race was first held in 1920, making this year’s edition the 102nd. It’s the event Japanese distance runners grow up watching — like the Tour de France in cycling, it shapes recruiting, coaching careers, and public reputations. Each team fields 10 runners covering roughly half-marathon distances per stage, passing a traditional sash called a “tasuki” between teammates. This year, Aoyama Gakuin University won with a record time of 10:37:34, smashing their own course record by nearly 4 minutes. This made them the first university to complete two separate three-peats in the race’s history.

The United States — a country built by generations of newcomers seeking opportunity — recorded more people leaving than entering for the first time in at least half a century. A Brookings Institution report estimates net migration of -10,000 to -295,000 for 2025, a stunning reversal from 2.8 million arrivals just a year earlier. The shift stems less from deportations than from a sharp drop in entries, suspended refugee programs, reduced visas, and a chilling effect that’s kept would-be migrants away. Brookings warns the trend will dampen labor force growth, consumer spending, and GDP, with negative migration likely continuing into 2026. For a nation whose identity is woven from immigrant stories, the numbers mark an unsettling turning point.

A lone male elephant has terrorized India’s Jharkhand state since January 1, 2026, killing at least 22 people in nine days. The single-tusked bull attacks under cover of darkness — striking villages, trampling victims in their homes, then retreating into dense forest by dawn. Victims include entire families, children, and even a professional elephant handler. Authorities believe the elephant may be in “musth,” a mating phase when testosterone surges make males extremely aggressive. Despite deploying 80 personnel, drones, and wildlife experts from neighboring states, officials have failed to track the animal, which crossed into Odisha state. Jharkhand has recorded 1,300 elephant-related deaths over 23 years amid escalating human-wildlife conflict driven by habitat loss.

Economy & Finance

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January 14-17 visit to Beijing—the first by a Canadian leader in eight years — produced a landmark agreement aimed at resetting bilateral relations. Meeting with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other top officials, Carney secured preliminary deals to slash canola tariffs from ~85% to 15% by March 1, with China also dropping duties on lobster, crab, and peas. In exchange, Canada will allow limited Chinese EV imports. The nations established new frameworks for energy cooperation (oil, gas, nuclear, renewables), financial dialogue, and law enforcement collaboration. Carney called it a “new era” in Canada-China relations amid rising U.S. trade tensions.

Luxury department stores Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman — names that defined American luxury for over a century — are now going bankrupt. Saks Global filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, crushed by debt from its $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus just over a year ago. The deal was supposed to create a powerhouse, backed by tech heavyweights Amazon and Salesforce. Instead, Saks couldn’t pay vendors, who began withholding inventory — leaving shelves bare during the critical holiday season. Running out of cash, Saks sold the Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills flagship last month and scrambled for emergency financing. “Department stores used to be the gateway to luxury,” notes Vogue’s Jenna Rennert. “Today, they’re the middleman that luxury brands no longer need.” Shoppers simply walk into Prada or Louis Vuitton directly.

A proposed California ballot measure — the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act — would impose a one-time 5% tax on net worth exceeding $1 billion, with a critical catch: it applies retroactively to anyone who was a California resident on January 1, 2026. This provision triggered a scramble among the state’s estimated 200-250 billionaires to flee before the deadline. Google co-founder Larry Page relocated business entities and purchased $173 million in Miami properties. Oracle’s Larry Ellison sold his San Francisco mansion. Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya estimates $1 trillion in billionaire wealth has already left. Even Governor Newsom opposes the measure, warning it’s “really damaging.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is a rare exception, saying he’s “perfectly fine” with paying.

OpenAI acquired health-tech startup Torch for a reported $60-100 million in equity—remarkable given that Torch was founded in 2024 with just four employees, had no publicly launched product, and existed for barely a year. The founders — Ilya Abyzov, Eugene Huang, James Hamlin, and Ryan Oman — previously worked together at Forward Health, an AI-powered primary care company that raised over $400 million before abruptly shutting down in late 2024. Torch’s “unified medical memory” technology, designed to aggregate fragmented patient data from hospitals, labs, and wearables into one AI-readable platform, solved a critical bottleneck for OpenAI’s newly launched ChatGPT Health. The timing proved serendipitous: Forward’s collapse freed a team with deep healthcare AI expertise just as OpenAI needed exactly that capability.

Nature & Environment

The Great Migration is the largest terrestrial mammal migration on Earth — a continuous, year-round movement of approximately 1.5–2 million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The animals follow an 800 km clockwise loop between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara, chasing rainfall and fresh grass in a cycle unchanged for thousands of years. January marks the start of calving season in the southern Serengeti and Ndutu region. Over 1.5 million wildebeest have gathered on the short-grass plains, with approximately 8,000 calves being born daily — totaling 500,000+ by March. The volcanic ash-enriched soil from ancient Ngorongoro eruptions produces nutrient-rich grasses ideal for nursing mothers. Calves stand within minutes of birth and run with the herd within three days — essential for survival as lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and leopards descend for the feast. Peak calving occurs in February, making January–March the prime window for witnessing this dramatic spectacle.

The year 2025 was the third-hottest in recorded history, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service — trailing only 2024 (the hottest ever) and 2023 by a mere 0.01°C. Global temperatures averaged 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels, and for the first time, the three-year average (2023-2025) exceeded the critical 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement - a 2015 international treaty in which nearly 200 countries committed to limiting global warming to well below 2°C — and ideally 1.5°C — above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The past 11 years have now been the 11 warmest on record. What made 2025 particularly alarming: temperatures remained near-record despite La Niña’s cooling influence, which typically suppresses global heat. “The world is rapidly approaching the long-term temperature limit,” said Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “We are bound to pass it.”

Science

NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than February 6, 2026, will send astronauts beyond Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 — a 53-year gap. The 10-day mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. Glover will become the first person of color and Koch the first woman to travel to lunar distance. The mission will test the Orion spacecraft - made by Lockheed Martin - for its life support and navigation systems, paving the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2028.

What if the Big Bang wasn’t the start of everything — but merely a transition? Nobel laureate Roger Penrose, now in his 90s, proposes a radical alternative: our universe is just one stage in a potentially infinite cycle of cosmic extinction and rebirth. Here’s how it works: The universe expands, matter clumps together, and eventually gets swallowed by supermassive black holes. Over unimaginable timescales, those black holes evaporate, leaving behind a cold, empty cosmos. That dying universe then becomes the seed for the next Big Bang. Penrose claims faint “Hawking points” — hot spots in the cosmic microwave background — are echoes from a previous universe. Most cosmologists remain skeptical. But it’s a poetic idea: our universe as one chapter in an eternal story with no first page.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

The 83rd Golden Globes on January 11 crowned Hamnet as Best Picture (Drama) and One Battle After Another as Best Picture (Musical/Comedy). Beijing-born Chloé Zhao — who made history in 2021 as the first woman of color to win the Oscar for Best Director (Nomadland) — directed, co-wrote, produced, and edited Hamnet, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about Shakespeare’s family and the death of his son. Jessie Buckley won Best Actress (Drama) for the film. Timothée Chalamet took Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) for Marty Supreme. Paul Thomas Anderson’s political satire One Battle After Another — starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary — swept the comedy categories with four wins including directing and screenplay.

Sports

[Table Tennis] Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong celebrated his first title in Germany as his club Saarbrücken lifted the German Cup after a 3-1 victory over Fulda-Maberzell at the Liebherr Cup Final Four in Neu-Ulm. In front of a record crowd of 5,200 spectators at the ratiopharm arena, the Olympic champion played a decisive role, defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Ruwen Filus both in straight games. For Saarbrücken, it was the club’s third cup victory after 2012 and 2022. “It was my first Cup Final Four, and it was a special moment in my career,” said Fan. The victory marks the first step in the club’s ambitious “triple mission,” with further title opportunities ahead in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

[Soccer] Real Madrid’s nightmare start to 2026 continued on January 14 when Albacete — a team from Spain’s second division — knocked them out of the Copa del Rey with a stunning 3-2 upset. The defeat was a disastrous debut for new manager Álvaro Arbeloa, appointed just two days earlier after Xabi Alonso was fired. Despite controlling the ball for most of the match, Madrid conceded a heartbreaking goal in the 94th minute from Jefte Betancor — seconds after they thought they’d forced overtime with a late equalizer. It was Madrid’s first-ever loss to Albacete in 15 meetings between the clubs. Combined with their Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona days earlier, Madrid have now been eliminated from two competitions in a single week.

This Day in History

British super rock band Led Zeppelin is arguably the heaviest, most sonically powerful rock band in history — progenitors of hard rock and heavy metal whose crushing riffs and raw intensity obliterated everything before them. John Bonham’s earth-shaking drums hit like artillery. Jimmy Page’s distorted guitar carved through speakers like a chainsaw. Robert Plant’s primal wails pushed the human voice to its limits. Together they forged a blueprint spawning generations of metal from Black Sabbath to Metallica. Fifty-seven years ago on Jan 17, 1969, their self-titled debut album dropped in the US — recorded in just 36 hours, delivering a heaviness radio had never heard. It has since sold over 10 million US copies and become one of the most famous rock albums of all-time. As the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame declared, Led Zeppelin was “as influential in the 1970s as the Beatles were in the prior decade” — except louder, heavier, and far more dangerous.

Art of the Week

Banksy, the anonymous British street artist whose satirical works have appeared on walls from London to Gaza, has spent decades mocking the art establishment while becoming one of its most valuable commodities. In October 2018, he pulled off art history’s greatest prank. Seconds after his Girl with Balloon sold for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s London, a hidden shredder activated inside the gilt frame, slicing the canvas into ribbons as stunned bidders watched in disbelief. The stunt could have destroyed the work’s value. Instead, it created a legend. Re-authenticated and renamed Love is in the Bin, the partially shredded canvas returned to the same auction house in October 2021. It sold for $25.4 million — 18 times the original price. Sotheby’s went to great lengths ahead of the 2021 sale to make sure Banksy was not planning any additional funny business. They weighed the framed canvas to make sure there were no hidden components and double checked that the batteries had been removed from the shredder. Banksy had set out to mock art market absurdity. Instead, he accidentally proved its most perverse truth: even destruction is just another form of appreciation.

Funny

Previous Issues

January 03, 2026, An Incredible Journey From Wuhan To Singapore

December 27, 2025, The Age of One-Person Billion Dollar Company

December 13, 2025, So Many AI Reports, So Little Time to Read

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

At the age of 82, my dad started learning piano. He sent us a video of him playing Auld Lang Syne, with two hands no less. I don’t have any Scottish friends around me. I don’t know if the Scottish are aware how popular and famous this song is for Chinese people. Literally every Chinese, from young to old, knows this song.

My mom has been playing piano for over 20 years. My wife started learning piano during Covid days and is now working on Turkish March by Mozart. My son’s forte is violin but he can play simple piano tunes if he wants to - he’s a natural. My brother used to practice Guzheng.

That leaves me as the only deprived soul in the family who cannot manage a musical instrument. I exceeded many personal goals in 2025 but failed this one - couldn’t spend enough time learning guitar.

Because I have been vibe-coding too much, to bring you another issue of The Sunday Blender.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the world, my hometown Wuhan became famous again, not for Covid this time.

Tech

In late December 2025, Meta acquired Manus, a Singapore-based AI startup, for an estimated $2 billion to $4 billion. Founded by Xiao Hong - a serial entrepreneur who started in Wuhan and built tools for millions of students before creating the popular Monica browser extension — Manus is celebrated for its “general-purpose” autonomous agents. The team’s rise was meteoric: they began 2025 in a rented office and reached a $100M revenue run rate in just nine months. Leveraging a “vibe-coded” approach and cloud-based virtual machines to execute complex tasks like coding and research, the startup’s explosive growth and “action-oriented” tech led to its acquisition by Meta only 10 months after its public debut.

In late December 2025, NVIDIA finalized a massive $20 billion deal to acquire the core assets and talent of Groq. This “reverse acqui-hire” allowed NVIDIA to bypass lengthy antitrust reviews by licensing Groq’s Language Processing Unit (LPU) technology rather than buying the legal entity. Founded in 2016 by Jonathan Ross — the former Google engineer who co-invented the TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) — Groq became legendary in the developer community for its “software-first” approach. Crucially, Groq’s secret weapon was its use of functional programming language Haskell. The team utilized Haskell to build its high-performance compiler and assembler, ensuring the mathematical determinism required for its chips to hit record-breaking inference speeds.

In late December 2025, a Tesla owner named David Moss achieved the long-awaited “holy grail” of autonomous driving by completing a zero-intervention coast-to-coast trip. Driving a Model 3 equipped with FSD v14.2, Moss traveled 2,732 miles from Los Angeles to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in under three days. The system handled all driving tasks, including city streets, complex highway interchanges, and even autonomous parking at 30 Supercharger stops. This milestone fulfills a prediction made by Elon Musk in 2016 and showcases the massive leap in Tesla’s neural-network-based AI, marking the first documented transcontinental journey without a single human takeover (no touching of the steering wheel or pedals).

In 2025, Chinese automaker BYD officially dethroned Tesla as the world’s top seller of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). BYD delivered a record 2.26 million pure EVs, a28% increase from the previous year. In contrast, Tesla’s sales fell 9% to 1.64 million, marking its second consecutive annual decline. BYD’s surge was driven by its vertical integration, diverse model lineup, and aggressive expansion into markets like Europe and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Tesla faced headwinds from an aging lineup, increased competition, and the expiration of U.S. tax credits. Including hybrids, BYD’s total 2025 sales reached a staggering 4.6 million vehicles.

In January 2026, SpaceX announced a major reconfiguration of its Starlink network, planning to lower approximately 4,400 satellites from an altitude of 550 km to 480 km. This strategic move aims to enhance space safety by moving nearly half the fleet into a less congested orbital shell with fewer debris objects. At this lower altitude, atmospheric drag is significantly stronger; if a satellite fails, it will now deorbit and burn up in months rather than years. The decision follows a rare December 2025 incident where a malfunctioning Starlink satellite created debris, highlighting the risks of orbital crowding.

Global

On New Year’s Day 2026, a catastrophic fire and subsequent “flashover” explosion devastated Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing at least 40 people and injuring 119. The tragedy occurred at 1:30 a.m. during holiday celebrations. Investigators believe the blaze was ignited when sparklers on champagne bottles set fire to highly flammable acoustic foam on the ceiling. The fire spread within seconds, causing a deadly crowd surge as young revelers—many of them teenagers—struggled to escape through a narrow staircase. Switzerland has declared five days of national mourning following one of its worst-ever tragedies.

On December 27, 2025, a massive natural gas leak near Castaic forced the total closure of Interstate 5 Highway in Northern Los Angeles County. The rupture involved a high-pressure, 34-inch transmission line, which sent plumes of dust and debris into the air. Residents reported a deafening roar “like a jet engine” and a strong sulfur odor that spread as far as the San Fernando Valley. While no injuries occurred, over 19,000 residents were ordered to shelter in place for several hours. Officials cited significant land movement and mudslides from recent heavy rains as the most likely cause.

On December 30, 2025, thousands of travelers were stranded following a major power failure in the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK and France. The disruption, caused by damaged overhead electrical cables, forced the suspension of all Eurostar and Le Shuttle services during the peak New Year travel period. Some passengers were trapped underground for over four hours on a failed Le Shuttle train, while others spent up to eleven hours stuck on stationary Eurostar services with limited power and heating. The ordeal culminated in a dramatic “under-sea evacuation,” where passengers were forced to walk through the central service tunnel to reach rescue shuttles.

Economy & Finance

Christian Aid’s annual report found that extreme weather events made more likely by climate change caused over $120 billion in economic losses worldwide in 2025. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires in California topped the list at $60 billion in damage, leading to more than 400 deaths. Second were the cyclones and floods that struck Southeast Asia in November, causing $25 billion in losses and killing over 1,750 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malaysia. No continent was spared, the report noted, calling these disasters “not natural—but the predictable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay.”

Nature & Environment

Camera traps in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park captured China’s first-ever footage of a wild Amur tigress with five cubs — an extraordinary sighting recorded in November 2025 and released in early January. WWF China called litters of five “extremely rare,” as Amur tigers typically give birth to one to four cubs even under ideal conditions. The nine-year-old tigress and her six-to-eight-month-old cubs represent a beacon of hope for a species once nearly extinct. By the 1930s, fewer than 30 Amur tigers remained; today, roughly 70 roam China’s northeast — proof that decades of habitat protection and anti-poaching efforts are paying off.

Science

A Nature magazine article highlights a growing concern that peer-review reports generated by artificial intelligence are increasingly difficult to distinguish from human-written reviews. Researchers tested current AI-detection tools and found they fail to reliably identify AI-generated peer reviews, raising alarms about the integrity of the review process. This issue exacerbates existing pressures on peer review for the scientific and academic community, including rising submissions and limited reviewer availability, potentially undermining scientific quality control. Scientists warn that unchecked use of AI in peer review could dilute accountability and make it harder to ensure trustworthy evaluations of research.

A University of Arizona-led study published in Science Advances on December 24 confirmed that scientists are now identifying over 16,000 new species annually — the highest rate ever recorded. Remarkably, 15% of all known species have been discovered in just the past 20 years. This “Golden Age” is fueled by technological breakthroughs: environmental DNA (eDNA) allows researchers to detect cryptic species previously impossible to observe directly, while AI-driven models trained on satellite imagery and eDNA samples are demonstrating remarkable ability to predict species distributions and detect new organisms. These discoveries span insects, plants, fungi, and hundreds of new vertebrates—proof that Earth’s biodiversity remains far richer than we ever imagined.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

In late 2025, American philanthropist Ellen Michelson donated Lewis Carroll’s personal copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to the University of Oxford. This rare volume, one of only 23 surviving first editions from the suppressed 1865 run, returned to Carroll’s former college, Christ Church, and the Bodleian Library. As Carroll’s own working copy, it is uniquely significant, featuring ten original pencil sketches by illustrator John Tenniel and the author’s handwritten notes for the subsequent Nursery Alice. This acquisition provides scholars with unparalleled insight into Carroll’s creative process and the collaborative evolution of one of literature’s most beloved masterpieces.

On December 25, 2025, Frankfurt’s Palmengarten was transformed into a magical winter wonderland through its annual Winterlichter festival, running from November 29, 2025 to January 11, 2026. Visitors strolled through colorfully illuminated garden landscapes featuring around 30 artistic light installations — giant luminous moons, glowing snowdrops, and floating hearts that turned trees and pathways into enchanting backdrops. Sound and video installations created an extraordinary sensory experience, while hot drinks from garden vendors offered warmth against the winter chill. This year’s edition emphasized energy efficiency, proving that sustainable practices and spectacular artistry can beautifully coexist in Germany’s beloved botanical garden.

Katy Perry performed at Bilibili’s 2025 New Year’s Eve Gala, becoming the undisputed highlight of China’s biggest youth-oriented countdown celebration. The gala peaked at 350 million live viewers across 200+ countries, generating over 10 million real-time bullet comments. Perry delivered electrifying renditions of “Firework” and her emotional new single “Bandaids,” teasing an upcoming music video release. Chinese audiences voted her performance the best of the entire show—a testament to her enduring star power among Gen Z fans who affectionately call her “水果姐” (Fruit Sister).

Sports

[Cycling] At the 2026 Exact Cross Mol, Mathieu van der Poel claimed a dominant solo victory amidst a brutal snowstorm at the Zilvermeer. The race featured an epic showdown with Wout van Aert, who had successfully closed a 25-second gap to challenge the world champion. However, the duel ended tragically on lap six when Van Aert suffered a heavy crash on a slick, frozen corner. The Belgian sustained an ankle fracture requiring surgery, abruptly ending his cyclocross season. Van der Poel navigated the treacherous ice to win by over a minute, with Toon Aerts and Felipe Orts completing the podium.

[Tennis] On December 28, 2025, women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faced Nick Kyrgios in a modern “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition in Dubai. To balance the play, the court on Sabalenka’s side was reduced by 9%, and both players were limited to a single serve per point. Despite the handicaps, Kyrgios, who ranked 671 in men’s single world wide, won 6-3, 6-3. While the atmosphere was lighthearted — featuring Sabalenka dancing to the “Macarena”—the event drew sharp criticism. Many fans and analysts labeled it a “gimmick” that lacked the cultural weight of the 1973 original between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, with some arguing the modified rules actually highlighted physical disparities.

This Day in History

On January 3, 1920, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth’s contract to the New York Yankees, beginning a championship era for New York and decades of heartache for Boston. Prior to the sale, the Red Sox had won five of the first fifteen World Series titles — more than any other team. Ruth had contributed to three of those championships. In the 84 years following the sale, the Yankees played in 39 World Series, winning 26 — while Boston’s drought lasted until 2004, when the Red Sox finally broke the “Curse of Bambino” after 86 years. George Herman “Babe” Ruth is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. His most famous nickname is “Bambino”, for his playful nature, enormous appetites, and joyful approach to the game.

Art of the Week

Wu Zuoren (1908–1997) was a towering figure in 20th-century Chinese art, celebrated for his masterful fusion of traditional Chinese ink painting with Western oil techniques. After studying in Paris and Brussels under the mentorship of Xu Beihong, Wu developed a unique “spontaneous” ink-wash style that emphasized anatomical precision and realistic proportions within a freehand aesthetic. This famous painting, likely from his acclaimed yak series, reflects his deep connection to western China. During his travels to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 1943, he was captivated by the raw power of the Tibetan yak. Using bold, condensed brushwork and subtle ink washes, Wu captures the “potent spirit” and momentum of these majestic animals. His portrayals of yaks and camels became iconic, symbolizing the endurance and nationalistic spirit of the Chinese people.

Funny

“Quick—hide the electronics! They’re here to study our ’traditional’ musical culture!”

Previous Issues

December 27, 2025, The Age of One-Person Billion Dollar Company

December 13, 2025, So Many AI Reports, So Little Time to Read

December 06, 2025, Humans Are No Longer the Only Species to Use Fiber Optics

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Have you noticed that reading articles on website has become a very unpleasant experience?

Those webpages are full of ads in every corner. They are in the beginning of the article, even before the body of the article is loaded. They are on the left and the right margins of the page - just to make sure you will not miss them. They are planted in the middle of the paragraphs, so that you have to look at them in order to read on. They also jump into your face as a pop-up window, often with a cancellation sign that is hard to detect. Who would care to read them, humans or AI bots?

While people’s attention in the end of 2025 is shifting toward apps, social media platforms, and AI chat windows, the original World Wide Web is slowly degenerating into a wasteland that few would visit.

Getting quality content from an ad-free newsletter is one alternative route to fight against this overlord. Savvy?

Tech

On December 21, a fire at a power substation caused a massive outage affecting roughly 130,000 homes and businesses - about a third of San Francisco. With traffic lights knocked out citywide, robotaxi company Waymo’s self-driving cars became stranded at intersections, blocking roads and causing traffic jams. Though the vehicles are programmed to treat dead signals as four-way stops, a sudden flood of “confirmation requests” to Waymo’s remote support team overwhelmed the system. The company temporarily suspended service. Waymo says it successfully navigated over 7,000 dark stoplights that day and is now rolling out a software update to handle outages more decisively. Elon Musk seized the moment, posting on X: “Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage” — though notably, Tesla doesn’t actually operate a driverless robotaxi service in San Francisco.

Luminar, the lidar (“Light Detection and Ranging”) maker once valued at over $3 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 15 after a tumultuous year. The collapse came shortly after Volvo — its largest customer — canceled a five-year contract in November. Luminar developed longer-range lidar sensors—laser-based technology that helps autonomous vehicles perceive road conditions, obstacles, and objects around them. Elon Musk has long dismissed lidar as unnecessary, famously calling it “a fool’s errand” — Tesla relies on cameras alone instead. Ironically, Tesla was actually one of Luminar’s biggest customers, contributing over 10% of its Q1 2024 revenue. The company cited slower-than-expected adoption of autonomous vehicle technology as a key factor in its downfall.

China’s Cyberspace Administration released draft rules today targeting AI services that simulate human personalities and engage users emotionally. The regulations cover AI products displaying simulated personality traits, thinking patterns, and communication styles through text, images, audio, or video. Key requirements include warning users against excessive use, intervening when addiction signs appear, and implementing safety measures throughout the product lifecycle — including algorithm reviews, data security protocols, and personal information protection. Providers must ensure services are ethical, secure, and transparent. The draft is now open for public comment, reflecting Beijing’s proactive stance on consumer-facing AI governance.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that his “little group chat with tech CEO friends” has a betting pool for when the first one-person billion-dollar company will emerge — “which would have been unimaginable without AI and now will happen.” Data shows the share of solo-founded startups has risen sharply, with over one-third of new companies in the first half of 2025 launched by single founders. Author Tim Cortinovis believes 2025 will be remembered as the year the necessary tools became available, and Anthropic’s Mike Krieger suggests the milestone is “closer than you think.” Companies like Cursor ($200M Annual Recurring Revenue with 20 people) and Midjourney (~$500M ARR with 10 employees) hint at what’s coming.

Notion, the productivity platform founded by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last in 2013, has grown to 100 million users and a $10 billion valuation. In a recent essay titled “Steam, Steel, and Infinite Minds”, Zhao argues that every era is shaped by its “miracle material” — steel forged the Gilded Age, semiconductors powered the Digital Age, and now AI has arrived as “infinite minds.” His co-founder Simon, once a “10× programmer,” now rarely writes code — instead orchestrating multiple AI agents simultaneously, becoming a “30-40× engineer.” Yet Zhao cautions that AI struggles more with general knowledge work than coding: context is fragmented across dozens of tools, and unlike code, knowledge work lacks verifiability through tests. Notion itself now deploys over 700 AI agents handling meeting minutes, IT requests, and onboarding — but Zhao believes the real limitation isn’t technology, it’s imagination and inertia.

Global

Storyteller becomes corporate America’s hottest job title. Professional social network LinkedIn’s job postings including the term doubled in the past year, with 50K+ open roles. Major tech companies like Google and Microsoft are building dedicated storytelling teams - Google for its Cloud division to drive customer acquisition, Microsoft for cybersecurity narrative. The surge reflects two converging trends: the collapse of traditional media (journalist roles down 25% since 2000, print circulation dropped 70% since 2005) and the flood of AI-generated content creating distrust. As one CEO noted, brands winning now are “the most authentic and human.” Companies mentioned “storytelling” on earnings calls 469 times this year versus just 147 a decade ago.

Hudson’s Bay Company — founded in 1670, before Canada itself existed — is North America’s longest continuously operating company. It once controlled vast fur-trading territories across British North America. Now, the 355-year-old retailer is fighting to avoid a full shutdown in a Toronto courtroom. The chain filed for creditor protection in March after losing money and shoppers to the pandemic, inflation, and U.S.-Canada trade tensions. High-end department stores have struggled across North America — the pandemic boosted online shopping, inflation tightened budgets, and luxury brands increasingly bypass department stores to connect directly with customers. “This marks the end of a nearly 400-year-old institution,” said one retail expert, warning of major consequences for malls that rely on department stores as anchors.

The Hong Kong Professional Education Publisher (HKPEP) recently released its 2026 Global Most Competitive International Schools Top 100 ranking. Evaluating over 1,500 schools worldwide on education input, process, and effectiveness, the list highlights Shanghai’s prominence in global education. America and UK contributed 34 and 27 schools, combining for over 60% of this list, continuing a steady trend over the past decade. 19 schools from China made the list, including 6 from Shanghai: YK Pao, Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID), Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy (WFLA), Shanghai Pinghe School, Shanghai American School (SAS), and Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, underscoring Shanghai’s growing global influence in international education.

Economy & Finance

Yiwu, a city in eastern China, now produces an estimated 60% of the world’s Christmas decorations. Global supply chains have made importing resin ornaments from Zhejiang cheaper than carving them locally, and stall fees in major markets have risen to the point where only vendors with access to bulk-manufactured goods can afford entry — pricing out local artisans. What began as medieval winter fairs provisioning households before roads froze has become a sea of identical imports. Some cities are pushing back: Strasbourg bans mass-produced goods and requires regional sourcing, while Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt preserves a dense ecosystem of local craftsmen.

The phrase “US kill line” has gone viral on Chinese social media, sparking discussion about economic vulnerability in American society. Borrowed from video games — where a “kill line” is a health threshold below which a character can be instantly defeated — the term describes a brutal financial collapse mechanism: once savings, income, or credit fall below a critical point, the system pushes individuals toward irreversible collapse. The case of Jack, a Seattle programmer earning $450,000 annually, illustrates the phenomenon: burdened by $12,000 monthly mortgage, $3,000 car payments, and $1,500 insurance, a sudden layoff triggered foreclosure, then a $60,000 emergency visit crushed him — six months later, he was living under a bridge.

American outdoor apparel brand Patagonia has released its first comprehensive “Work in Progress” report covering fiscal year 2025. In September 2022, founder Yvon Chouinard and his family transferred ownership of the company to the Holdfast Collective and the Patagonia Purpose Trust — a structure that directs all excess profits to environmental nonprofits rather than private shareholders. The outdoor brand’s carbon footprint rose 2% to 182,646 metric tons, attributed to more carbon-intensive materials in new packs and duffels. The company reached 98% renewable electricity and targets net zero by 2040 without offsets. Patagonia was blunt: while it runs North America’s largest repair center, 85% of its products lack end-of-life solutions.

Nature & Environment

Mars’ Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system, standing 16 miles high and 374 miles wide — bigger than Hawaii and two and a half times taller than Everest. It grew so massive primarily because Mars lacks mobile tectonic plates. Unlike Earth, where moving plates spread magma around, Mars’ crust remains fixed over a stationary hotspot, allowing lava to pile up in the same spot for billions of years. Weaker gravity and less erosion from weather also helped. It’s a shield volcano — slowly oozing lava rather than explosively erupting. Scientists believe it may still be active and could erupt again.

A study published in Nature Climate Change calculates when each of Earth’s · glaciers will disappear under various warming scenarios. Even at the Paris Agreement(a global treaty adopted in 2015 to combat climate change by limiting global warming to well below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels)’s most ambitious +1.5°C target, roughly half would survive to 2100 — about 100,000 glaciers. At +4°C warming, only 18,000 would remain, with peak extinction around 2055 losing 4,000 glaciers annually. The Alps face severe losses: of 3,000 current glaciers, just 430 would survive at +1.5°C, dropping to about 20 at +4°C. Researchers emphasize this transforms glacier loss from a scientific concern into a deeply human story.

Science

In The Atlantic magazine, Charlie Warzel explores what he calls the “phone-based retirement” — adult children noticing their aging parents consumed by devices, constantly scrolling TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. In multiple instances, people reported that some of these adults seemed to not pay much attention to their grandchildren. A 2019 Pew study found people 60+ spend over four hours of daily leisure time on screens, while 40% of adults aged 59-77 report feeling anxious without device access. Warzel notes the irony: for years, parents worried about kids’ screen time, but now the problem exists “on the opposite side of the age spectrum.” Adult children are increasingly reporting that their aging parents have developed what looks remarkably like the smartphone addiction typically associated with teenagers.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s epic sci-fi franchise, was released on December 19, 2025. The film follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as their family grapples with grief and faces a new aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash People, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), amid escalating conflict on Pandora.Praised for stunning IMAX 3D visuals and action sequences, it explores darker Na’vi perspectives. Despite a softer domestic opening of ~$88 million (below The Way of Water’s $134 million), it achieved a strong ~$347 million global debut and crossed $500 million worldwide by late December, boosted by holiday legs, helping Disney surpass $6 billion in annual box office. Reviews highlight technical marvels but note less narrative innovation.

Stranger Things Season 5, the epic final chapter, unfolds in three parts on Netflix. Volume 1 (episodes 1-4) launched November 26, 2025, followed by Volume 2 (episodes 5-7) on Christmas Day, December 25. The two-hour finale, “The Rightside Up,” arrives December 31. Set in fall 1987, the story centers on the Hawkins friends’ desperate united front against Vecna’s apocalyptic threat from the Upside Down. Themes of enduring friendship, sacrifice, grief, identity, and found family shine through emotional arcs amid intense action, powers awakening, and revelations about the Upside Down’s origins. Volume 1 shattered records with 59.6 million views in five days, the biggest English-language series premiere ever, topping charts in 90 countries. Reviews praise nostalgic spectacle and closure (~84-85% on Rotten Tomatoes), though some critique familiar plotting; audiences remain enthusiastic overall.

Sports

[NBA] Nikola Jokić made NBA history on Christmas Day, recording 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists in Denver’s 142-138 overtime win over Minnesota — becoming the first player ever with a 55/15/15 game. He scored 18 points in overtime alone, setting an NBA record for the highest-scoring overtime period by an individual. His 56 points rank third-highest ever on Christmas Day, behind only Bernard King (60 in 1984) and Wilt Chamberlain (59 in 1961). Anthony Edwards scored 44 for Minnesota and hit a clutch shot to force overtime, but was ejected late after picking up two technical fouls. Teammate Peyton Watson summed it up: “We’re watching history on a night-to-night basis.”

[Soccer] Erling Haaland scored twice in Manchester City’s 3-0 win over West Ham on December 20, passing Cristiano Ronaldo on the Premier League all-time scoring list. The Norwegian now has 104 Premier League goals in just 114 games — while Ronaldo needed 236 appearances across two stints at Manchester United to reach 103. That’s 122 fewer games to surpass the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. With 38 goals in 28 games for club and country, this is shaping up to be the most prolific season of Norwegian superstar Haaland’s career. At his current pace, Haaland is on course to break his own single-season record of 36 goals — with Alan Shearer’s all-time career mark of 260 for Premier League now firmly in his sights.

This Day in History

On December 27, 1988, Dutch striker Marco van Basten received the Ballon d’Or — with AC Milan teammates Ruud Gullit finishing second and Frank Rijkaard third. It marked the first and only time in the award’s history that the top three finishers came from the same club and shared the same nationality. The award crowned Van Basten’s extraordinary Euro 1988 campaign, where he scored five goals including that unforgettable volley against the Soviet Union in the final — considered one of the greatest goals ever struck. “Marco, the Ballon d’Or? It’s both brilliant and normal at the same time because he’s the best in his position,” said Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff. “Mentally, he’s very strong. A wall! He’s my spiritual son.” It would be 22 years before Barcelona’s Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi replicated the club sweep. Van Basten would win two more Ballon d’Ors, cementing his place among the all-time greats.

Art of the Week

Qiu Ying (仇英, c.1505-1552) was a remarkable rags-to-riches story in Chinese art history — a lacquer craftsman from a humble family who became one of the “Four Masters of Ming,” alongside Shen Zhou (沈周), Wen Zhengming (文徵明), and Tang Yin (唐寅). His “江南春” (Spring in Jiangnan) is a 7-meter handscroll inspired by Yuan poet Ni Zan (倪瓒)’s lyrics, showcasing his mastery of blue-green landscape painting. The work blends meticulous brushwork with literati elegance — praised as “refined without being rigid, beautiful without being saccharine.” After Qiu completed the painting, Wen Zhengming, Wang Chong (王宠), and eight other Wu School (吴门画派) masters added poetic inscriptions, forming a complete artistic chain of “poetry-painting-verse”—a rare collaboration that elevates it beyond mere painting into a cultural treasure.

Funny

“Hold on. Let me take a picture to prove I’ve delivered it.”

Previous Issues

December 13, 2025, So Many AI Reports, So Little Time to Read

December 06, 2025, Humans Are No Longer the Only Species to Use Fiber Optics

November 29, 2025, Who Will Lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar or Estevao?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

I always enjoyed playing badminton when growing up. It however completely vanished from my life as I started working, traveling, and moving from one country to another. I picked up the racket at the end of last year to keep the game interesting for my son, who loves the sport. It has since then become our family sport and we plan to keep it that way for years to come.

Shanghai Badminton Open will take place on Dec 20-21, 2025. Just for fun, I registered for myself and my wife under the mixed double category, thinking the lottery odds would be too low for us to take this seriously.

But surprise! We won the lottery. We’re listed as one of the 50 teams for mixed double, along with many professional players and even Olympic silver medalists. Massive public humiliation awaits us next week.

The Sunday Blender will take a break for next week as a result. I will be busy collecting shuttlecocks on the floor. Can’t wait!

Tech

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, recently made a significant move into the hardware space by launching an AI-powered smartphone prototype in China that integrates their operating-system-level AI assistant, Doubao Mobile Assistant. Designed to be a seamless, unified interface, the Doubao assistant utilizes ByteDance’s Doubao large language model to execute complex, cross-application tasks—like finding a dinner reservation while cross-referencing user schedules and reviewing social media—all through natural voice commands. While the phone quickly sold out, its aggressive integration prompted major rivals like Tencent (WeChat) and Alibaba (Alipay) to immediately restrict Doubao’s access to their apps. The controversy centers on security and the threat to established business models that rely on controlling user traffic, forcing ByteDance to temporarily disable some of the assistant’s advanced, cross-platform capabilities.

The recent OpenRouter State of AI report, based on analysis of over 100 trillion tokens, reveals several key shifts in AI usage. Contrary to the productivity narrative, creative role-playing accounts for over 50% of open-source model usage, surpassing coding and other tasks, due to fewer content filters. Furthermore, the report highlights the “rise of agents,” noting that models with multi-step reasoning and tool-use capabilities now dominate traffic, transforming AI from a text generator into a task executor. Chinese models are rapidly gaining open-source market share, and a “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper Effect” suggests that models that solve a high-value problem perfectly retain users much better than models that are only generically superior on benchmarks.

The recent OpenAI State of Enterprise AI report reveals that enterprise adoption is deepening significantly, though still in its “early innings.” The volume of custom, complex workflows, such as specialized Custom GPTs and reasoning token consumption, has surged by over 300% year-to-date, indicating a shift from casual querying to integrated, production-level tasks. While most workers report modest daily productivity gains of 40–60 minutes, a widening gap exists, with “frontier” users achieving dramatic increases (over 10 hours per week) by deeply integrating AI into processes. Crucially, the report finds that organizational readiness, not model performance, is now the primary constraint for enterprises looking to fully capture AI’s value.

President Trump reversed Biden-era export controls on December 8, approving Nvidia’s H200 AI chip sales to “approved customers” in China, with the US government taking 25% of revenues. The decision sparked bipartisan congressional opposition and national security concerns, as H200s power advanced AI systems including military applications. The move marks a shift from security-focused restrictions to transactional trade policy. Beijing held emergency meetings with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent to assess demand but may cap purchases or restrict H200 use in strategic sectors to favor domestic alternatives like Huawei’s Ascend chips. Nvidia’s CEO expressed uncertainty whether China would accept the offer given Beijing’s self-sufficiency drive.

Global

Australia enacted the world’s first social media minimum age law on December 10, 2025, requiring platforms to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Major services including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat must implement “reasonable steps” to block underage users or face penalties up to $50 million. The legislation places responsibility on platforms rather than parents or children, mandating age verification systems while protecting user privacy. The controversial law passed despite opposition from digital rights advocates and mental health experts concerned about privacy invasion and cutting off support channels. Australia’s move signals potential global regulatory momentum on youth social media access.

In Indonesia, at least 961 people were killed in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, with 293 still missing and over 5,000 injured. More than 1.1 million people were affected, with 570,000 displaced, making it Indonesia’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. Over 156,000 homes were damaged and 975,075 people are in temporary shelters. Flash floods carried logs that smashed houses, while contaminated wells and shattered pipes forced survivors to boil floodwater for drinking, causing children to fall ill. Aceh’s governor reported people dying from starvation rather than flooding, with critical shortages of medical personnel.

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s northeastern regions, including Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, on Monday night, December 8, 2025. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed early reports of at least 30 injuries and one residential fire. The strong tremor triggered tsunami warnings and advisories, prompting the evacuation of about 90,000 coastal residents to higher ground. Tsunami waves up to 70 centimeters were observed, though the warnings were later lifted. The Japan Meteorological Agency has cautioned that there is an increased risk of another large quake in the same area in the coming week, urging residents to remain vigilant.

Economy & Finance

Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) found itself at the heart of a massive takeover battle after falling into significant debt and putting its assets up for sale. Netflix first secured an agreement to acquire WBD’s studio and streaming businesses—a package including the DC Universe, HBO, and the Harry Potter franchises—valued at approximately $82.7 billion. Days later, rival Paramount Skydance launched an unsolicited, all-cash, $108.4 billion bid for the entire WBD company. This struggle has profound entertainment implications: the winning bidder will control one of Hollywood’s most valuable content libraries, dictating the theatrical future of films and, crucially, reshaping the theme park industry by gaining direct ownership or control over licensing for lucrative intellectual property like DC Comics and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions currently licensed to competitors.

HashKey Holdings operates Hong Kong’s largest licensed crypto exchange, offering trading, custody, staking services, and tokenization businesses. This IPO marks the first time a dedicated crypto exchange has sought a public listing in Hong Kong, distinguishing it from OSL Group, which entered crypto after its IPO. HashKey is one of 11 virtual asset trading platforms recognized by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, part of the city’s 2022 push to position itself as a global hub for digital assets. If successful, the listing could serve as a reference point for future cryptocurrency exchange offerings in the city and influence how other digital-asset firms structure their fundraising plans. The IPO tests Hong Kong’s ambitions to become Asia’s regulated crypto center despite mainland China’s continued cryptocurrency ban.

Nature & Environment

Scientists warned that Indonesia’s deadly flooding was an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat. Only classified as a species in 2017, fewer than 800 Tapanulis remain in the wild, confined to Sumatra’s Batang Toru region. As many as 35 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans — 4% of the species’ total population - may have been wiped out, with one carcass already found. Over 9% of their West Block habitat was destroyed. Indonesia’s government acknowledged that industrial plantations, hydropower, and gold mining contributed significantly to environmental pressure, announcing suspension of operating permits pending review.

Science

Nature Magazine’s 10 for 2025 spotlights individuals who shaped the year’s most significant science stories, from groundbreaking discoveries to political battles over scientific integrity. The list includes deep-sea explorer Mengran Du, who descended 9,000 meters beneath the ocean to discover strange new ecosystems, and physicist Tony Tyson, whose decades-long work enabled the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. Chinese financier Liang Wenfeng disrupted AI development with DeepSeek, an open-weight model built with minimal resources that scientists can download free, while Brazilian researcher Luciano Moreira opened the first factory producing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes for disease control. Toddler KJ Muldoon flashed a chubby-cheeked smile seen around the world after receiving innovative gene-editing therapy that cured his ultra-rare metabolic disorder. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) director Susan Monarez was fired after refusing to compromise scientific integrity under political pressure. The list also features researchers advancing Huntington’s disease treatment, pandemic negotiations, and research integrity watchdogs who exposed publication fraud.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Kiran Desai’s “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” achieved rare distinction as the only book appearing on all three major year-end lists: The New York Times Best Books of 2025, Amazon Best Books of the Year, and Barnes & Noble Books of the Year. The novel, a Booker Prize and Kirkus Prize finalist, tells a sweeping story about two young people whose fates intersect across continents and years. It’s an epic exploring love, family, India and America, tradition and modernity by the Booker Prize-winning author of “The Inheritance of Loss”. Readers praised it as “unforgettable,” cementing its status as 2025’s standout literary achievement across diverse critical perspectives.

The original painting that introduced Star Wars to the public sold for $3.875 million at auction, setting a record as the most expensive Star Wars memorabilia ever. Created by artist Tom Jung in acrylic and airbrush, the artwork first appeared in newspaper ads on May 13, 1977, giving Americans their first glimpse of the galaxy far, far away. Producer Gary Kurtz kept the painting on his office wall before passing it to his daughter, who put it up for auction at Heritage Auctions with bidding starting at $1 million. The sale surpassed the previous record holder - Darth Vader’s lightsaber at $3.6 million.

The 83rd Annual Golden Globe nominations were announced on December 8, 2025, with the ceremony airing January 11, 2026 on CBS. “One Battle After Another” leads film categories with nine nominations, including best musical/comedy and best director, while “The White Lotus” leads television with six nominations. Major surprises included nominations for Dwayne Johnson and Julia Roberts, while “Wicked: For Good” was notably snubbed from the best musical/comedy category. For the first time, the Golden Globes will honor podcasting with a new category featuring nominees like Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” and “Call Her Daddy”. Comedian Nikki Glaser returns as host.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leaped to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, securing its 19th week atop the chart and seventh consecutive holiday season dominance. In the UK, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” displaced Taylor Swift to claim the top spot as the official Christmas Number 1 race kicked off December 12. Thirteen of Billboard’s current top 20 songs are classic holiday tracks, with six released between 1946 and 1963. Contenders for the UK Christmas No. 1 include Netflix phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden,” Kylie Minogue’s “XMAS,” and RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” Christmas classics continue their annual chart domination.

Sports

[Soccer] The week’s soccer headlines are dominated by the global phenomenon of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both securing their futures while creating massive World Cup buzz. Messi extended his contract with Inter Miami through the 2028 MLS season, reaffirming his commitment to the league after capping the recent season by leading his club to the MLS Cup. Meanwhile, the seemingly ageless Ronaldo, who recently turned 40, extended his lucrative contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia until 2027, inspiring younger stars with his exceptional longevity. Crucially, the looming 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to be the final international tournament for both legends, leading to unprecedented fan frenzy; the latest phase of ticket sales saw prices for matches featuring Argentina and Portugal soar to record highs, driven by the chance to witness the final chapter of the epic rivalry.

[Soccer] FIFA revealed 2026 World Cup ticket prices this week, sparking outrage among supporters, with the cheapest final ticket costing over $4,185. Football Supporters Europe described FIFA’s approach as a “monumental betrayal” of fans and called for immediate halt to ticket sales. Premium final tickets at MetLife Stadium in New York are priced at $8,680, compared with roughly $1,600 for equivalent category in Qatar 2022. FIFA implemented dynamic pricing at a World Cup for the first time, with prices fluctuating based on demand. The pricing dramatically departs from FIFA’s 2018 bid document projecting group stage tickets starting at $21. Despite backlash, FIFA received 5 million ticket requests in 24 hours.

[F1 Racing] Lando Norris captured his maiden Formula 1 World Championship in 2025, defeating Max Verstappen by just two points (423-421) in a dramatic Abu Dhabi finale. Oscar Piastri finished third with 410 points, making it McLaren’s first constructors’ title since 1998. Lewis Hamilton’s debut Ferrari season proved challenging—finishing sixth with 156 points and no podiums, marking a stark contrast to his Mercedes glory years. The seven-time champion struggled to adapt to Ferrari machinery while teammate Charles Leclerc secured fifth place. McLaren dominated the constructors’ championship, clinching their tenth title in Singapore and ending Red Bull’s recent dominance.

[Cycling] Tadej Pogačar was snubbed from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 nominations despite his staggering season featuring 20 victories, including three monuments, the Tour de France, and both European and World Road Race titles. This marks the second consecutive year the Slovenian cyclist missed the shortlist. The six nominees announced were Mariona Caldentey (football), Terence Crawford (boxing), Armand Duplantis (pole vault), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (athletics), Shohei Ohtani (baseball), and Mohamed Salah (football). The omission sparked outrage, with fans calling it “an absolute joke”. Critics highlighted the frustrating double standard in recognizing cycling greatness compared to other sports, despite modern cycling having some of the most rigorous anti-doping measures in all sport. Even sports fans outside cycling expressed surprise at overlooking Pogačar’s dominant achievements. The snub underscores cycling’s ongoing struggle for mainstream recognition in major sporting awards.

[NBA] The Oklahoma City Thunder started the 2025-26 season with a historic 24-1 record, tying the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. The defending NBA champions are beating opponents by an average of 17.4 points per game, putting them on pace to challenge the 73-9 regular season record. Across their last 82 games, they’ve outscored opponents by 1,189 points—the largest point differential in any 82-game stretch in league history. The Thunder destroyed the Phoenix Suns 138-89, Phoenix’s most lopsided loss in franchise history. Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 32.6 points, the Thunder have seven players averaging double figures.

This Day in History

On December 13, 1577, Sir Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, aboard the Pelican ship, commencing a secret, state-sponsored mission to circumnavigate the globe and raid Spanish holdings. This expedition, lasting nearly three years, was of profound historical significance as it directly challenged Spain’s claim to global dominance. Drake returned in 1580, having successfully completed the first English circumnavigation, bringing back immense wealth that greatly enriched the English crown and cemented Drake’s status as a national hero. This act of privateering severely heightened Anglo-Spanish tensions, accelerating the path toward war and establishing England as a formidable maritime power.

Art of the Week

Before 1931, there were many different depictions of Santa Claus around the world, including a tall gaunt man and an elf. While Coca-Cola didn’t create Santa Claus, its advertising played a major role in standardizing his image. In 1931, Coca-Cola commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint Santa for Christmas advertisements. From 1931 to 1964, Sundblom created images showing Santa as a plump, cheerful man with rosy cheeks, white beard, and twinkling eyes, dressed in red and white—colors matching Coca-Cola’s branding. Coca-Cola turned to Santa hoping the popular figure would help boost winter sales. Sundblom’s paintings appeared on magazines, billboards, and store displays worldwide, cementing the modern Santa image we recognize today.

Funny

Previous Issues

December 06, 2025, Humans Are No Longer the Only Species to Use Fiber Optics

November 29, 2025, Who Will Lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar or Estevao?

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

A few days ago, while driving to a badminton court, my wife and I were listening to the podcast episode of the Nov 29 issue of The Sunday Blender from Spotify. The 15-minute show is moderated by a duo of male and female cohosts.

They speak native English and are very eloquent. They finish each other’s sentences, delivering a spirited and snappy dialogue. It would be hard to distinguish them from Anderson Cooper and Megyn Kelly. They identified quite a number of patterns in the 20+ stories, for similarities and contrasts.

I planted some of those hidden cues when selecting the stories. It was satisfying to see that the podcast cohosts were actually able to detect them and weave them into a holistic and engaging narrative. They even re-arranged the order of the stories from the original issue to align news with common themes together. That is very smart and a pleasant surprise.

What’s more impressive is that they are AI-generated voices, by this AI tool NotebookLM from Google. All I had to do, was to feed the PDF version to Google, and it generated the mp3 file of this dynamic podcast show in 5 minutes.

Try it out yourself on Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sunday-blender-podcast/id1853996806).

Tech

President Trump signed an executive order launching the “Genesis Mission”, described as “comparable in urgency and ambition to the Manhattan Project”. Like its nuclear predecessor, the initiative mobilizes America’s national laboratories - the same facilities that once developed nuclear weapons - to pivot entirely to AI research. Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the secret city vital for uranium enrichment in the original Manhattan Project, has been reborn as the hub of AI development, housing the world’s leading supercomputer, Frontier. Both projects consumed approximately 0.4% of US GDP annually - equivalent to $100 billion today. The Genesis Mission marshals federal datasets, computational infrastructure, and public-private partnerships to accelerate transformative scientific breakthroughs in energy, defense, and manufacturing.

Moore Threads, dubbed “China’s Nvidia,” made a spectacular stock market debut on December 5, 2025, surging over 400% on Shanghai’s STAR Market. Shares closed at 600.5 yuan, over five times the IPO price of 114.28 yuan, following a $1.1 billion listing. Founded in 2020 by Zhang Jianzhong, a former Nvidia executive, the GPU startup represents Beijing’s push for semiconductor self-reliance amid US sanctions. The IPO gained approval in a record 88 days. Despite being unprofitable with cumulative losses of 4.6 billion RMB, early investors saw returns exceeding 6,262 times their initial investment. The company develops AI chips, graphics processors, and aims to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in China’s booming AI market.

Samsung unveiled its first multi-folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z TriFold, marking a major expansion in foldable technology. Built on a decade of foldable category innovation, the device uses an inward-folding design that reveals an immersive 10-inch display when unfolded twice. At just 3.9mm thick at its thinnest point, the device features Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a 200MP camera, and a 5,600mAh three-cell battery. Priced at $2,450, it launches in South Korea on December 12 with US availability in Q1 2026. The Galaxy Z TriFold is the first mobile device to feature standalone Samsung DeX, enabling desktop-like productivity from anywhere.

Anthropic recently released alarming research showing AI agents can autonomously hack blockchain smart contracts and steal cryptocurrency with terrifying efficiency. Testing advanced models on 34 smart contracts deployed after March 2025—beyond the AI’s training data—the systems successfully exploited 19 contracts, generating $4.6 million in simulated theft. The AI discovered previously unknown “zero-day” vulnerabilities, scanning 2,849 new contracts for just $3,476 in under 48 hours—averaging $1.22 per exploit attempt. Profits exceeded costs, making automated AI hacking economically viable. Anthropic warns that AI may already be behind half of 2025’s cryptocurrency hacks, signaling a dangerous new era where anyone can deploy autonomous hacking agents.

ElevenLabs, a voice AI startup founded in 2022, has raised over $300 million in total funding, reaching a $6.6 billion valuation in September 2025, making it one of Europe’s most valuable startups. The company initiated a $100 million employee tender offer led by Sequoia Capital and ICONIQ Growth, doubling its valuation from January’s $3.3 billion Series C round. ElevenLabs has seen its annual recurring revenue surpass $200 million this year and is aiming to reach $300 million by the end of 2025. The startup’s voice synthesis technology serves over 60% of Fortune 500 companies, with enterprise revenue growing over 200% year-over-year.

Chinese smart electric vehicle company Xpeng held its 2025 AI Day on November 5 in Guangzhou, themed “Emergence”, unveiling breakthrough “Physical AI” technologies. The company launched VLA 2.0, a 72-billion-parameter vision-language-action model that revolutionizes autonomous driving by eliminating traditional language translation steps. Xpeng announced three purpose-built robotaxi vehicles launching in 2026 with 3,000 TOPS computing power using vision-only systems. The next-generation IRON humanoid robot was also showcased. Volkswagen became the first automaker partner to adopt VLA 2.0 technology. CEO He Xiaopeng positioned Xpeng’s transition from mobility company to Physical AI leader, with pilot testing beginning late December 2025 for select users.

Global

Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in late November 2025, unleashing the country’s deadliest natural disaster since 2017. The cyclone killed at least 607 people, damaged more than 50,000 homes and pushed 170,000 people into relief centers, with 214 people still missing. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called it the most difficult rescue operation the country has ever seen, stating “this is the first time the entire country has been struck by such a disaster”. The cyclone triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides across nearly the entire island, with some neighborhoods completely buried under mud. Economic losses are estimated at $6-7 billion.

Chinese tourists are rapidly redirecting travel plans from Japan to South Korea and Thailand following Beijing’s November 14 travel warning. Around 30% of 1.44 million scheduled Chinese trips to Japan have been cancelled, threatening to wipe out $1.2 billion in revenue by year-end. South Korea emerged as the top destination for Chinese travelers over the November 15-16 weekend, surpassing Japan for the first time in months. Thailand became the top destination for winter vacation bookings (January 15-February 10, 2026), while Russia saw flight bookings surge 1.5 times year-on-year. Singapore and South Korea saw up to 15% jumps in new bookings, while Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam saw increases up to 11%. Airlines swiftly expanded routes to capitalize on the shift.

Hong Kong’s government ordered the immediate removal of scaffolding nets from over 200 buildings by Saturday, December 6, following the devastating Tai Po fire at Wang Fuk Court that killed 159 people. The deadline came after suspected false safety certificates for mesh were found at two building sites, with authorities discovering that contractors had installed cheaper, non-fire-resistant netting to deceive inspectors, accelerating the fire’s spread. A Shandong manufacturer allegedly falsified documents. Construction firms scrambled to meet the three-day deadline while repair work ceased. Seven out of 20 samples from Wang Fuk Court failed fire safety tests. Police arrested 15 people for suspected manslaughter.

Economy & Finance

Nicolas Puech, an 81-year-old Hermès heir, lost a staggering $15 billion fortune through what can only be described as astonishing negligence. For years, he signed blank documents that his wealth manager Eric Freymond filled in later, maintaining a completely hands-off approach to his billions. Puech remained unaware his shares were being sold for nearly 20 years. The wake-up call came in 2022 when he casually asked why household staff hadn’t thanked him for a million-dollar gift—only to discover the money never arrived. A Swiss judge ruled Puech had “blind trust” in his advisor and willingly allowed complete control. At 82, he’s now reportedly penniless, having lost one of history’s largest personal fortunes to financial mismanagement.

Nature & Environment

Ukrainian soldiers from the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” discovered an abandoned bird’s nest constructed almost entirely from fiber optic cables near Toretsk in Donetsk Region. These non-biodegradable cables are debris from FPV drones used extensively in the war, left scattered across battlefields after missions. The birds have adapted by incorporating this artificial material alongside natural elements in their nest-building. The brigade described it as “nature’s adaptation to war,” noting that birds were among the first to repurpose the fiber optic remains for their own needs. This discovery highlights an unexpected consequence of modern warfare technology, showing how wildlife adapts to survive amid ongoing conflict and environmental changes.

The Cold Moon, December’s full moon, appeared on December 4, 2025, marking the final supermoon of the year. Named after frigid winter temperatures, it’s also called the “Long Night Moon” because it rises during the year’s longest nights near the winter solstice. As a supermoon, it occurred when the moon reached perigee—approximately 222,000 miles from Earth, about 17,000 miles closer than average—making it appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than typical full moons. This Cold Moon was the highest-rising full moon of 2025, climbing higher in the night sky than any other because it occurs opposite the sun’s lowest winter position.

A 14-foot male thresher shark died on December 3, 2025, after becoming stranded in shallow water at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance received multiple calls about the distressed shark but arrived moments after it died. Thresher shark strandings are common during fall migration season along Cape Cod shores, as the animals attempt to navigate south toward warmer waters. The shark became trapped in Wellfleet’s inner harbor after taking a wrong turn. Unable to tolerate prolonged cold exposure with bay temperatures below 50 degrees, the shark became cold-stunned and died. A necropsy was conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

During Thanksgiving weekend in Ashland, Virginia, a raccoon broke into a local liquor store and threw itself quite the party. The ambitious creature managed to open multiple bottles and drank until passing out in the bathroom. Store staff discovered the chaos on Saturday morning—shelves ransacked and their uninvited guest unconscious among the bottles. Hanover County Animal Control safely transported the intoxicated raccoon to their shelter, where it slept off its hangover for several hours. After confirming the party animal suffered no injuries from its wild night, officials released it back into the wilderness - hopefully having learned a valuable lesson about breaking and drinking.

Science

MIT Media Lab completed the first brain-scan study tracking ChatGPT users over four months, revealing concerning cognitive costs. Researchers monitored 54 participants writing essays with ChatGPT, Google Search, or no tools while measuring brain activity through EEG scans. The findings were stark: 83.3% of ChatGPT users couldn’t quote from their own essays minutes after writing them, compared to just 11% of non-AI users. Brain connectivity patterns showed significant under-engagement in alpha and beta neural networks. Most troubling was the “cognitive debt” - participants who stopped using ChatGPT continued showing impaired brain activity and weaker neural connectivity than those who never relied on AI. While essays were technically sound, educators described them as “robotic” and “soulless.” The paradox: AI delivers speed but offloads the cognitive effort essential for learning and memory formation. The best performers? Those who started without AI, then added it strategically as an enhancement tool rather than a mental replacement.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Spotify unveiled its 2025 year-end charts, revealing Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” as the top global song with over 1.7 billion streams. Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” climbed from third to second place, demonstrating remarkable longevity, while ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” secured third position. Bad Bunny claimed the #1 global artist spot for the fourth time in his career with 19.8 billion streams, also securing the top album. Taylor Swift dominated in the U.S. but ranked second globally. Bruno Mars notably appeared on both the #1 and #3 songs. Morgan Wallen led all artists with 12 tracks in the top 100. The 2025 Wrapped redeemed itself after 2024’s heavily criticized AI-driven version.

The Jonas Brothers — Kevin, Joe, and Nick - cemented their Hollywood legacy on December 3, 2025, with a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre, marking their 20th anniversary. The New Jersey natives became a defining pop-culture phenomenon of the late 2000s, selling over 17 million albums worldwide and becoming the youngest band to grace Rolling Stone’s cover in 2008. Through Disney Channel’s Camp Rock movies, which drew over 8 million viewers, and their own series Jonas, they became tween idols compared to The Beatles and The Monkees by industry executives. After splitting in 2013, their 2019 reunion proved their enduring appeal when “Sucker” became their first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating how they successfully bridged Disney Channel nostalgia with mainstream pop success. Powerball Jackpot crosses $800 million

The Game Awards 2025 announced its Game of the Year nominees in November, featuring six contenders: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Clair Obscur leads all games with a record-breaking 12 nominations, the most in Game Awards history. Game auteur Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach earned eight total nominations across multiple categories, tied with PlayStation’s Ghost of Yōtei for second-most nominations. Death Stranding 2 has demonstrated exceptional player engagement, with 33% of players logging over 20 hours and 4% exceeding 50 hours of gameplay. Meanwhile, Ghost of Yōtei boasts an impressive 93% return rate, meaning nearly all Ghost of Tsushima players purchased the sequel. The ceremony will be livestreamed globally on December 11, 2025.

The 2025 Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel went to different works. The Hugo honored Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup, a fantasy mystery where a detective investigates murders in which trees erupt from victims’ bodies. The Nebula went to debut author John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In, described as a “creepy, charming” fantasy romance told entirely from the monster’s perspective as the creature seeks love and connection. This divergence is notable, as these two prestigious awards often recognize the same work. Both selections showcase innovative storytelling that pushes genre boundaries and challenges traditional narrative perspectives.

The Powerball jackpot surged to $820 million for Saturday’s December 6 drawing after no one won Wednesday’s $775 million prize. Winners can choose between the jackpot amount paid in 30 annual payments or a one-time cash option of about $383.5 million. This marks the second-largest Powerball prize of 2025, following the $1.787 billion jackpot split between two winners in Missouri and Texas on September 6. Wednesday’s winning numbers were 1-14-20-46-51, Powerball 26. The jackpot ranks among the top 10 largest Powerball prizes in history, with odds of winning at 1 in 292 million. This marks the third time Powerball has crossed $800 million in 2025, showing unprecedented lottery excitement this year.

The Transportation Security Administration issued warnings urging airport travelers to avoid public USB charging stations and unsecured WiFi networks due to cybersecurity threats. The TSA warns about “juice jacking,” where hackers install malicious software in public USB ports that infects or steals data from plugged-in devices. The agency recommends travelers bring their own TSA-compliant power adapters or battery packs instead. Additionally, the TSA warned against using public Wi-Fi in airports, with an added warning to never make online purchases while using it. Cybercriminals create “evil twin” networks that mimic legitimate airport WiFi to capture banking credentials and private messages, making travelers vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

Sports

[NBA] Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s greatest point guards, was abruptly cut by the LA Clippers on December 3, 2025, just four months into what was meant to be a celebratory retirement season. The 40-year-old legend is a 12-time All-Star, second on the all-time assists list with over 12,500, and known as “The Point God”. He led the league in assists five times and steals six times. Paul is a five-time All-NBA First Teamer, member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. He transformed the Clippers during his 2011-2017 tenure, becoming the franchise leader in assists and steals. Despite averaging just 2.9 points in 16 games this season, the abrupt split shocked the basketball world and ended an otherwise legendary career unceremoniously.

[Soccer] French football legend Zinedine Zidane visited China in late November 2025 for a 7-day promotional tour, his first trip in seven years. The 53-year-old traveled to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hangzhou for World Cup promotional events and gave a masterclass to young players at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The trip’s viral moment came when Zidane spontaneously joined local residents on Shanghai’s Bund to play Chinese street sport shuttlecock. Videos of him skillfully kicking the shuttlecock with Chinese aunties went viral on social media, delighting fans. Zidane also appeared on CCTV’s football program and expressed genuine interest in Chinese culture, including mahjong, demonstrating his approachable nature beyond football.

[Snooker] Chinese players dominated the 2025 UK Championship at York’s Barbican Centre, with a record-breaking 12 reaching the last 32—matching England’s total for the first time. This smashed the previous record of nine set in 2020. Five Chinese players were seeded in the world’s top 16, another record. The surge reflects the combined impact of pioneer Ding Junhui’s 2005 UK Championship victory and Zhao Xintong becoming Asia’s first World Snooker Champion in May 2025. However, by the semifinals on December 6, all Chinese players had been eliminated. The final four are Judd Trump versus Neil Robertson, and Mark Selby versus Shaun Murphy, with the final scheduled for December 7.

[American Football] The New England Patriots’ turnaround is one of the NFL’s most remarkable stories. After consecutive 4-13 seasons in 2023-24, New England sits at 11-2 with a 10-game winning streak in 2025—the best record in football. They’re the first team since 1999 to win 10 straight after losing 13+ games the previous season. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye is leading the charge, emerging as the MVP favorite with 3,412 passing yards while completing 71.5% of passes. Under coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have transformed from worst-to-first, clinching their division hopes and positioning themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

This Day in History

On December 6, 1877, Thomas Edison achieved a breakthrough at his Menlo Park laboratory by successfully recording and playing back sound for the first time. Edison spoke the nursery rhyme “Mary had a little lamb” into his newly invented phonograph, creating the first known audio recording in history. The device used a tinfoil-wrapped cylinder to capture sound vibrations, which could then be reproduced. This invention fundamentally transformed how humans could preserve and share audio, establishing the groundwork for the entire recording industry. Edison’s phonograph made it possible to capture moments in time through sound, launching decades of innovation in music, broadcasting, and communications technology. Later Edison founded General Electric, one of the most iconic American industrial conglomerate companies.

Art of the Week

“Clearing Snow Along the Riverbank” (江干雪霁图) is attributed to Wang Wei (699-761), the legendary Tang Dynasty poet-painter known as the “Poet Buddha.” This silk handscroll depicts a serene post-snowfall riverscape using ink wash and white space techniques to convey the ethereal quality of snow. The composition shows snow-laden houses, conversing figures, and distant mountains shrouded in mist, embodying Wang Wei’s Buddhist-influenced aesthetic. It pioneered monochrome snow landscape painting and exemplifies Su Shi’s famous description: “poetry within painting, painting within poetry.” Though authentication remains debated, this work profoundly influenced Chinese landscape painting traditions and currently resides in Japan’s Kotoin Temple in Kyoto.

Funny

“How is Spotify supposed to know who I am, when I’ve played ‘Wheels on the Bus’ five hundred times for our son?”

– Cartoon by Chris Gural, December 4, 2025, The New Yorker

Previous Issues

November 29, 2025, Who Will Lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar or Estevao?

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

South Korea is making an aggressive push for AI sovereignty. The country has emerged as a magnet for major US tech companies, with Nvidia, OpenAI, and AWS pouring billions into investments — including Nvidia’s ~$10 billion deal to supply 260,000 Blackwell GPUs and AWS committing $9 billion for AI data centers. Domestically, Seoul committed ~$390 million to fund five “AI champions” — LG, SK Telecom, Naver, NC AI, and Upstage — competing to build Korean-language foundation models, with underperformers eliminated every six months. The goal is a “full-stack” sovereign AI industry combining Korea’s memory chip dominance with indigenous AI development, positioning itself as an alternative to US and Chinese dependence.

Alibaba launched its Quark AI Glasses on November 27, marking its first consumer smart glasses. The lineup includes the flagship S1 starting at ¥3,799 (~$536) with dual micro-OLED displays and swappable 24-hour batteries, plus the lighter G1 at ¥1,899. Powered by Alibaba’s Qwen AI models, they offer real-time translation, AI-generated meeting notes, voice commands via “Hello Qwen,” image-based Q&A, and navigation. The glasses integrate with Alibaba’s ecosystem including Alipay, Taobao, and QQ Music. They’re positioned to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses at roughly 30% lower price. Currently, it’s only available in China.

Jeff Bezos is returning to an operational role for the first time since stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021, taking the co-CEO position at Project Prometheus, a new AI startup that has raised $6.2 billion in funding. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore, growing it into one of the world’s most valuable companies spanning e-commerce, cloud computing, and streaming. He’s currently the world’s second-richest person after Elon Musk. Project Prometheus is building “AI for the physical economy,” focusing on engineering and manufacturing in aerospace, automobiles, and computers—work that could tie closely to Bezos’s space company Blue Origin. The startup has hired about 100 employees from OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta.

Global

A devastating fire engulfed the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killing at least 94 people—making it the city’s deadliest blaze in over a century. Hundreds remain missing as rescue operations continue. The fire spread rapidly through bamboo scaffolding and highly flammable styrofoam materials used during ongoing renovations. Authorities upgraded it to a Level 5 alarm—the first since 2008. Three individuals connected to the renovation contractor have been arrested on manslaughter charges. Chief Executive John Lee called it a “massive catastrophe,” and President Xi Jinping pledged emergency relief funds and urged “all-out efforts” in rescue work.

Devastating floods across southern Thailand have killed at least 145 people, with Songkhla province alone accounting for 110 deaths. More than 1.2 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in 12 southern provinces. Hat Yai, the region’s commercial hub, received a record 630mm of rain over three days—the highest in 300 years—submerging hospitals and stranding thousands. Prime Minister Anutin declared a state of emergency citing “unprecedented severity.” As waters recede, rescuers are recovering more bodies while widespread damage to roads, power lines, and buildings is being revealed.

Afghanistan’s ancient sport Buzkashi — imagine polo, but replace the ball with a headless goat carcass — roared back in November 2025 with over 450 riders competing across five provinces. Dating back to Genghis Khan’s era as training for mounted warfare, the brutal game sees horsemen wrestle for a 50kg carcass while galloping at full speed. Champion horses, imported from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, cost up to $200,000 — and can play for 20 years. A skilled rider (chapandaz) typically peaks in his forties, as the sport demands decades of physical training and observation. Thousands of spectators called the matches “a symbol of pride and unity.”

McGill University, one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious institutions, recently announced the elimination of 25 varsity and competitive teams across 15 sports starting in 2026–27. The cuts include long-running programs such as men’s and women’s track and field, badminton, fencing, rowing, rugby, tennis, and more. For an institution founded in 1821 and celebrated for producing 156 Olympians, the move cuts deep. Longstanding teams—some with more than a century of tradition—will vanish, taking with them the rituals, rivalries, and community that helped define life on campus. Beyond the immediate shock, the cuts threaten McGill’s identity as a place where academic excellence and athletic ambition thrived together, leaving students and alumni questioning what will remain of the university’s rich sporting legacy.

The 3rd Budapest Ballet Grand Prix wrapped up November 21 at Hungary’s National Dance Theatre and Palace of Arts. Over 80 dancers aged 14-24 from 22 countries competed for scholarships and career opportunities—organizers note a single invitation can launch an entire ballet career. The jury included New York City Ballet principal Megan Fairchild and Semperoper Ballet artistic director Kinsun Chan. Why Budapest? Hungary has been a ballet powerhouse since 1884, when the Hungarian National Ballet was founded alongside the ornate State Opera House. Hungarian choreographers pioneered fusing folk dance with classical technique, creating a distinctive national style that influenced European dance for over a century.

Economy & Finance

Chinese conglomerate Xiaomi has seen its stock plunge over 30% from its June highs, erasing tens of billions in market value. Multiple factors converged: a fatal SU7 crash in Chengdu in October wiped out ~$10 billion in a single day, while warnings about rising chip costs and reduced EV tax breaks spooked investors about 2026 margins. CEO Lei Jun’s public relations missteps worsened matters — his deflection to “paid trolls” after the crash, rather than addressing safety concerns directly, sparked public backlash and triggered mass order cancellations. The company went from “market darling to worst-performing Chinese tech stock” in just months.

Nature & Environment

The ghost silverfish, a 1cm-long paper-eating insect first identified in Sri Lanka in 1910, is rapidly spreading across Japan and threatening the country’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records, and delicate scrolls. Discovered in Japan in 2022, the pest has now crawled into institutions across 19 prefectures after reportedly arriving in a shipment of documents or artwork. The insect reproduces parthenogenetically — females lay eggs without fertilization — allowing populations to explode quickly; one silverfish can become 20,000 in three years. Museums and libraries, with their climate-controlled environments ideal for preserving artifacts, ironically create perfect conditions for the pest to thrive.

Science

Terence Tao — widely considered the world’s greatest living mathematician, Fields Medal winner, and UCLA professor known for his work across virtually every mathematical subfield — has published results from testing Google DeepMind’s AlphaEvolve AI tool on 67 unsolved math problems. The tool evolves Python code rather than raw numbers, letting it discover structured solutions humans might miss. Highlights: it rediscovered the optimal “Gerver sofa” for the famous moving sofa problem and cracked this year’s IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) Problem 6. However, Tao notes AlphaEvolve excels at finding solutions “within reach” of current math, but can’t generate the deep insights needed for truly hard problems.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place on November 27, bringing joy, nostalgia, and style to Manhattan. Cynthia Erivo opened the show with a breathtaking performance of “Feeling Good.” The parade featured 32 giant character balloons, 27 floats, 11 marching bands, and over 600 clowns. New balloon debuts included Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Shrek’s Onion Carriage, and Mario. Performers included Ciara, Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, and Lainey Wilson. HUNTR/X from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters performed their hit “Golden.” Millions gathered along the route from the Upper West Side to Herald Square.

Stranger Things Season 5 premiered November 26, 2025, bringing the beloved saga to its epic conclusion, and has already made history—it’s the first Netflix series to have all four previous seasons charting in the streamer’s Top 10 English-language series simultaneously as fans rewatched ahead of the finale. Season 4 remains Netflix’s third most-watched English-language series ever with 1.8 billion hours viewed. Set in the 1980s, the series follows a group of teenage friends in Hawkins, Indiana, as they battle supernatural forces. At its heart, the show celebrates the power of friendship, loyalty, and courage in the face of unimaginable darkness. Through five seasons, we’ve watched this tight-knit group grow up together, learning that trust and unity are their greatest weapons against evil.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spoke at the University of Cambridge, where he received the 2025 Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship Award. He told students that being a CEO is far from glamorous: “Most people think it’s about leading and being in command and being on top. None of that is true. You’re in service of the company.” Huang described leadership as “a lifetime of sacrifice,” involving painful decisions during difficult times. He credited his immigrant upbringing and his mother, who always told him he was “special,” for instilling the resilience needed for leadership. When asked what matters most as intelligence becomes cheap, Huang answered: “courage, intellectual honesty, letting go of one’s ego, and the ability to show vulnerability.”

Sports

[Badminton] Legendary Chinese mixed doubles pair “YaSi” Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong won the 15th National Games mixed doubles gold with a dominant 21-11, 21-12 victory over Wei Yaxin/Zhou Zhihong. This was their “last dance”—the final competitive match of their eight-year partnership. The gold completed their “Super Grand Slam,” as they had won every major title (Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, All England) but Huang Yaqiong had twice finished with National Games silver. With 43 international titles, they surpassed Korea’s Kim Dong-moon/Ra Kyung-min as the most decorated mixed doubles pair in badminton history.

[Soccer] Chelsea’s 18-year-old Estevao became just the third teenager in history to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, joining an elite list occupied only by Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Against Barcelona, he cut inside, glided past his marker, and rifled the ball into the top corner from a tight angle. BBC noted that Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal “found himself overshadowed” by the Brazilian, with Yamal recording just 64 touches—the fewest in a single match this season. South American football expert Tim Vickery declared Estevao “the most talented player out of Brazil since Neymar.”

[Soccer] Kylian Mbappé scored the second-fastest hat-trick in Champions League history and four goals in total as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Olympiacos 4-3 in Piraeus. After trailing to Chiquinho’s early strike, the France superstar launched a one-man mission, scoring in the 22nd, 24th, 29th, and 60th minutes. Only Mohamed Salah’s six-minute treble against Rangers in 2022 was faster. The haul took Mbappé to nine goals in five Champions League games, making him the competition’s top scorer. It was a magical pass from Vinícius Junior—who was at times impossible to contain—that changed the match, with the Brazilian becoming the joint second-highest assist provider for Madrid in UCL history.

[Soccer] Neymar has suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee—his fourth injury of 2025—and will miss the rest of the year, requiring arthroscopic surgery. Since 2013/14, he’s endured 45 different injuries, missing 1,429 days and 265 matches. Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t called him up once since becoming Brazil coach, demanding “continuity, minutes, and physical condition—talent alone isn’t enough.” With the Brazilian season not resuming until late March, Neymar has almost no runway to prove fitness before the World Cup. As 18-year-old Estevao dazzles in the Champions League, the torch may have already passed.

[NBA] James Harden scored a Clippers franchise record 55 points, including a franchise record 27 first-quarter points, while tying his career high with 10 three-pointers in a 131–116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The 36-year-old broke the previous franchise record held by Bob McAdoo (52 points) from the 1970s. Harden also holds the Houston Rockets’ single-game record with 61 points in 2019—making him the only player in NBA history to hold the single-game scoring record for two different franchises. This was his 25th career 50-point game, tying Kobe Bryant and trailing only Michael Jordan (31) and Wilt Chamberlain (118).

[Sprinting] On November 20, 2025, 36-year-old Chinese sprint legend Su Bingtian ran his final race at the 15th National Games, competing as the first leg in the men’s 4×100m relay for his home province Guangdong. As the classic Cantonese song “Can’t Say Goodbye” (by Alan Tam) played, he walked around the track bowing to the crowd in an emotional moment. Su became the first Asian-born athlete to break 10 seconds in 2015 with 9.99. His crowning achievement: a 9.83-second Asian record at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first Chinese sprinter in an Olympic 100m final. Beyond raw speed, Su’s legacy lies in proving that with scientific training and relentless determination, Asian sprinters could compete at the highest level globally.

[Snooker] Zhao Xintong defeated Neil Robertson 5-2 in the final to win the 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, claiming his first title since his World Championship victory in May. The 28-year-old Chinese star pocketed £250,000 and compiled back-to-back century breaks of 131 and 134 to pull away in the final. En route to the title, Zhao defeated Shaun Murphy and world number one Judd Trump, compiling a tournament-high break of 138. “I really needed it at this moment—a good title run to prove myself,” Zhao said. This caps a remarkable comeback for the player who returned from a 20-month match-fixing ban to become China’s first World Champion.

[F1 Racing] In a twist rivaling scenes from Brad Pitt’s blockbuster F1, both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after post-race inspections found their cars’ skid blocks worn below the minimum 9mm thickness. Norris’s breach was just 0.12mm—thinner than a human hair. Team boss Andrea Stella blamed unexpected “extensive porpoising” that caused excessive ground contact, not aggressive setup choices. The disqualification erased Norris’s second-place finish, cutting his championship lead to 24 points with two races remaining. The FIA ruled it unintentional.

[NCAA Football] Michigan is chasing history in their rivalry with Ohio State, aiming for a fifth consecutive victory—something not achieved in 99 years since the 1920s. Despite entering as 10.5-point underdogs, the Wolverines’ recent dominance includes last year’s stunning 13-10 upset that sparked chaos when Michigan planted their flag at midfield. The stakes couldn’t be higher: Michigan’s playoff hopes hang in the balance while Ohio State seeks to protect their undefeated record. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, despite winning last season’s national championship, faces mounting pressure with his 1-4 record against Michigan. This rivalry has evolved from competitive to combustible, fueled by sign-stealing scandals and on-field confrontations.

This Day in History

On November 29, 1972, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell installed Pong at Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, marking a pivotal moment in gaming history. The simple tennis-style arcade game, designed by Allan Alcorn, featured two paddles and a bouncing ball with the instruction “Avoid missing ball for high score.” Within days, the machine broke down—not from malfunction, but because the coin box overflowed with quarters. Pong’s instant popularity demonstrated video games could be commercially viable, launching the arcade era and establishing Atari as an industry pioneer. This tavern test proved gaming had mass-market appeal.

Art of the Week

Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) is one of the most iconic paintings in Western art, created during his stay at the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence asylum. The swirling sky, luminous stars, and bold, rhythmic brushstrokes capture an emotional, dreamlike vision rather than a realistic night scene. Van Gogh painted it from memory, blending observation with imagination to express turbulence, longing, and awe for the natural world. The quiet village below contrasts with the sky’s movement, emphasizing inner turmoil versus peace. Though uncelebrated in his lifetime, Starry Night later became a symbol of artistic genius, emotional depth, and the expressive power of post-Impressionism.

Joke

Teacher: “If I gave you 3 dogs today and 5 dogs tomorrow, how many dogs would you have?”

Student: “Nine.”

Teacher: “No, listen carefully. If I gave you 3 dogs today and 5 dogs tomorrow, how many would you have?”

Student: “Nine!”

Teacher: “How?!”

Student: “Because I already have one dog at home!”

Previous Issues

November 22, 2025, The Most Intelligent AI Model Yet?

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

I listen to many podcasts and toyed with creating my own half-heartedly a few times in the past. Couldn’t really get one going though. The setup is intimidating. I don’t have the chops of Stephen Fry. It is very time-consuming to convert a transcript into audio form.

Well, Google proved me wrong. One of its AI killer apps, NotebookLM, transformed the PDF version of the Nov 15 issue into a podcast episode in just five minutes, with two AI-generated hosts that would give Jake Tapper a run of his money. It was a magical moment.

Boys and girls, you can now listen to “The Sunday Blender Podcast” on Apple, Spotify, and Xiaoyuzhou, while brushing your teeth in the morning.

What do you think of the male and female hosts? They seem to know what they are doing. Leave your comments at the end of the article (on the web).

Tech

On November 18, 2025, Cloudflare experienced a major global outage that knocked numerous high-profile websites offline. Roughly one-fifth of webpages and a third of the world’s 10,000 most popular websites were affected, including X, ChatGPT, Spotify, Zoom, and Coinbase. The root cause was an automatically generated configuration file for managing threat traffic that grew beyond expected size, triggering crashes in traffic-handling software. The incident highlighted the fragility of internet infrastructure, where a single point of failure at one company can cascade across vast portions of the web, disrupting businesses and services worldwide.

Google released Gemini 3 on November 18, 2025, after weeks of social media hype, with early leaked benchmarks sparking excitement among developers. Testing shows it outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 on key benchmarks. Gemini 3 introduces “generative interfaces” that create visual layouts and dynamic views instead of plain text responses, with developers praising its ability to intuitively understand coding intent and fill in gaps without explicit instructions. In head-to-head coding tests, Gemini excelled at rapid prototyping, adding features like keyboard controls unprompted. The release came just six days after OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 update, intensifying AI competition. However, Claude 4.5 maintains advantages in code debugging, while GPT-5.1 offers better cost efficiency. The rapid-fire releases have created “integration fatigue” among developers.

Elon Musk and Jensen Huang spoke at the US-Saudi Investment Forum on November 19, 2025, at Washington’s Kennedy Center, discussing AI’s future and announcing plans to build a 500-megawatt AI factory in the Saudi desert equipped with Nvidia GPUs. Musk predicted work would become “optional” within 10-20 years, claiming AI and humanoid robots would eliminate poverty, while he also suggested money would eventually become irrelevant. Huang countered that AI would actually make people busier in the near term, citing radiologists who became more productive rather than unemployed. Musk also proposed space-based AI computing using solar power and zero-gravity cooling as the future solution to energy constraints. Huang jokingly asked Musk for advance warning before currency becomes irrelevant.

The November 2025 TIOBE index shows Python maintaining dominance at 23.37%, representing a 9.3% annual growth that earned it 2024’s “Programming Language of the Year” award. Python’s lead stems from its central role in AI, machine learning, data science, and automation, powered by frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch. TIOBE CEO Paul Jansen notes Python has plateaued recently after years of unprecedented growth. Meanwhile, Rust sits at eighth place with 1.98%, gaining recognition as the top secure language adopted by Microsoft, Google, and AWS, with government agencies like NSA and CISA pushing memory-safe languages including Rust for critical infrastructure. Rust has been rising through 2024 and could reach the top 10 soon.

Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station achieved a first by using a new hot air oven to cook food in orbit in early November 2025. The Shenzhou-21 crew cooked marinated chicken wings and black pepper steaks, with the wings taking approximately 28 minutes to bake. The upgraded oven reaches 190 degrees Celsius, enabling genuine cooking with chemical reactions rather than just reheating, using high-temperature catalysis and multi-layer filtration for smoke-free, oil-free baking. Experts note hot meals help keep crews psychologically grounded during long missions. The device is rated for 500 uses, significantly exceeding earlier ISS demonstrations, marking an important advancement for sustaining astronauts on extended deep-space missions where fresh food preparation becomes crucial for crew morale and nutrition.

Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on November 13, 2025, marking its second flight, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE mission—twin spacecraft that will study how Mars lost its atmosphere. The 320-foot-tall rocket is powered by seven BE-4 engines generating over 3.8 million pounds of thrust. Crucially, Blue Origin successfully landed the first-stage booster on its seafaring platform Jacklyn for the first time, after the booster exploded during the inaugural launch attempt in January. This achievement makes Blue Origin only the second company in history to recover a rocket during an operational flight, positioning the company to compete with SpaceX’s dominant market position. Even SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell congratulated Blue Origin, calling it “Magnificent”.

Global

Beijing’s Yitu School, founded in 2016 by former McKinsey partner and Gates Foundation China head Li Yinuo, recently “imploded” amid financial crisis. In November 2025, Li revealed the school couldn’t pay teachers’ salaries starting October, with her co-founder borrowing personally to cover half of October’s wages. Li blamed their partner school Zhizhi for borrowing over 50 million yuan using the school’s cash flow as collateral, then diverting funds to related companies. Li admitted “poor management capability” led to the crisis and acknowledged pursuing legal action to recover misappropriated funds. Once dubbed the “pioneer of innovative schools”, Yitu attracted elite families with its slogan of cultivating “children with fulfilled hearts”, but faced teacher layoffs, management chaos, and enrollment losses.

Europe’s first rare-earth magnet plant officially opened September 19, 2025, in Narva, Estonia, built by Canadian company Neo Performance Materials with a $75 million investment. Supported by €14.5 million from the EU’s Just Transition Fund, the facility has an annual capacity of 2,000 metric tonnes—enough to supply magnets for over one million electric vehicles or 1,000 offshore wind turbines. This addresses Europe’s critical dependence on China, which currently supplies 90% of EU permanent magnet demand. The plant is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs in Narva, a city transitioning from oil shale extraction, marking a significant step toward European strategic autonomy in green technology supply chains.

A French court ruled November 19 that Perrier can continue marketing as “natural mineral water” despite an ongoing scandal over Nestlé’s use of banned water treatments. The controversy erupted in 2024 when media revealed Nestlé Waters had illegally used ultraviolet treatment and activated carbon filters on multiple brands including Perrier, Vittel, and Contrex. A Senate inquiry found French government officials had concealed these unauthorized treatments for years. The ruling allows one of France’s most iconic beverage exports to remain on shelves, though Nestlé now acknowledges on its website that “Perrier water carries the designation ’natural mineral water,’ even though it may not fully qualify as such”. The decision raises questions about consumer trust in “natural” labeling standards and European water quality regulations.

Google DeepMind announced November 19, 2025, the opening of a new AI research lab in Singapore, its first built entirely from the ground up in Southeast Asia. The expansion follows Google DeepMind more than doubling its Asia-Pacific team over the past year. The lab will focus on advancing Gemini AI capabilities with emphasis on linguistic and cultural inclusivity for the region’s diverse populations. The facility aims to position Asia-Pacific as an AI creator rather than merely a consumer, working with governments, businesses, and academic institutions. Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 and Smart Nation 2.0 initiatives, along with openness to global talent, made it an ideal location. The lab will collaborate on applications spanning healthcare, cybersecurity, and public services.

Economy & Finance

The US Mint stamped its final penny on November 12, 2025, in Philadelphia after 230 years of production, following President Trump’s February directive to halt production due to mounting losses. Each penny cost 3.69 cents to produce, resulting in an $85.3 million loss in 2024. This marks the first US coin elimination since the half-cent in 1857. While existing pennies remain legal tender, the abrupt cessation without federal guidance has created shortages nationwide, forcing retailers to round cash transactions. The government expects to save $56 million annually, though cash transactions now comprise only 14% of all US transactions.

Nature & Environment

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event occurring from November 3 through December 2, peaking this year on November 17-18 with 10-15 meteors per hour visible under dark skies. The shower occurs when Earth passes through debris left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. With favorable viewing conditions this year—a waning crescent moon providing minimal light interference—the best viewing window is between midnight and dawn on November 17-18. While the comet takes 33 years to orbit the sun, occasionally producing spectacular meteor storms with thousands per hour, the last major storm occurred in 2002. The shower’s name comes from meteors appearing to radiate from the constellation Leo.

Science

At Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal this month, Théau Peronnin, CEO of Alice & Bob (Nvidia’s quantum computing partner), warned that quantum computers will be powerful enough to crack Bitcoin’s encryption shortly after 2030. Google’s 105-qubit Willow chip demonstrated in January 2025 showed significant error reduction, making quantum threats feel increasingly practical. A Federal Reserve study warned about “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, where adversaries collect encrypted blockchain data today for future decryption. Approximately 6.51 million Bitcoin—worth over $700 billion—remains quantum vulnerable in older address formats. Peronnin stated Bitcoin “needs to fork by 2030, basically”, though implementing quantum-safe transitions could take seven years.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Tom Cruise received his first Oscar - an honorary Academy Award—at the Governors Awards on November 16, 2025, recognizing his unwavering commitment to filmmaking, vital support of the theatrical experience, and unmatched body of work. Cruise’s films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide as lead actor, with box office hits spanning four decades since the late 1980s, making him one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. From his 1986 breakthrough with Top Gun—the year’s highest-grossing film—through the Mission: Impossible franchise he’s led since 1996, to 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick earning over $1.4 billion, Cruise remains Hollywood’s last true action superstar. Presenter director Alejandro González Iñárritu declared “Tom Cruise doesn’t just make movies, he is movies”. In his emotional speech, Cruise humbly celebrated fellow honorees before paying tribute to cinema’s unifying power.

Nintendo released the first official set photos from the live-action Legend of Zelda movie on November 17, 2025, showing Link and Zelda in full costume against New Zealand’s lush landscapes. The images sparked an overwhelming fan frenzy, with reaction videos, comment threads, and social posts filled with excitement as longtime fans said seeing the characters in live action made the project “feel real for the first time”. Fans praised the costume accuracy and applauded details like the pointed Hylian ears, relieved Hollywood wouldn’t tone down fantasy elements. Social media immediately lit up with reactions about how faithful the adaptation appears, with fans expressing they’re “already hyped” while questioning whether it can capture the games’ magic without feeling “too Hollywood”. The hashtag #ZeldaMovieCasting trended for hours, with some fans declaring they’d “been waiting 20 years for a Zelda movie”, though cautious viewers remain nervous about Hollywood’s involvement with the beloved franchise.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 sparked controversy at launch over AI-generated calling cards featuring Studio Ghibli-style artwork that players deemed “AI slop”. Activision confirmed via Steam disclosure that it uses “generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets,” after players spotted telltale signs like a zombie Santa with six fingers. The backlash was severe enough that some players secured Steam refunds, with one completing the entire campaign before citing undisclosed AI content. Reddit users expressed frustration at being fed AI content in a full-price AAA title already packed with microtransactions. The controversy drew political attention when US Congressman Ro Khanna called for regulations preventing companies from using AI to eliminate creative jobs. Black Ops 7 plummeted to a 1.7/10 Metacritic user score, the lowest in franchise history.

Collins Dictionary named “vibe coding” as its Word of the Year 2025, a term describing software development that uses AI and natural language to write computer code. The term was coined by AI pioneer Andrej Karpathy, former Tesla AI director and OpenAI founding engineer, to describe creating apps while being able to “forget that the code even exists”. Lexicographers monitored the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus and noted a large uptick in usage since the term’s first appearance in February 2025. Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said the selection “perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology” and signals “a major shift in software development, where AI is making coding more accessible”. The shortlist reflected society grappling with authenticity in an increasingly AI-dominated, performative world.

A silver titanium Speedwell bicycle ridden by German electronic band Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider in the 1984 “Tour de France” music video recently sold at auction for $57,600—over 14 times its initial estimate. The 1983 electronic anthem became synonymous with cycling culture, serving as Channel 4’s theme music for UK Tour de France broadcasts, cementing its status as the race’s unofficial soundtrack. The innovative track used sampled cycling sounds like chain rattles and gear shifts, becoming a blueprint for later techno and house genres while positioning itself as a timeless electronic sports anthem. Kraftwerk’s celebration captured the race’s spirit through hypnotic rhythms mirroring cycling’s mechanical nature, with references to mountains, valleys, and the coveted yellow jersey. The band released a full album for the race’s 100th anniversary in 2003, which became their first number-one album in Germany.

David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize on November 10 for his sixth novel, Flesh, becoming the first Hungarian-British author to win the award. The Booker Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, with winners receiving £50,000 and international publicity that usually leads to significant sales boosts. The spare, propulsive novel follows protagonist István from adolescence to old age through events beyond his control. Judging panel chair Roddy Doyle said judges kept returning to Flesh “because of its singularity,” noting they’d “never read anything quite like it”. Szalay wanted to explore Europe’s cultural divides while writing “about life as a physical experience, about what it’s like to be a living body”. This was his second Booker nomination.

Thanksgiving 2025 falls on Thursday, November 27, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, a tradition established by US Congress in 1941. The holiday traces back to 1621 when Pilgrims and Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast after the Native Americans helped colonists survive a harsh winter. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday in 1863 to unite Americans during the Civil War. Traditional celebrations include family gatherings with roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, while parades like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade mark the festivities. This year’s late Thanksgiving date creates a shorter holiday season with less than four weeks until Christmas, making it one of the busiest travel periods.

Koroshigaki(枯露柿) is a premium Japanese dried persimmon specialty from Yamanashi Prefecture, particularly the Matsuri district of Kōshū. Made from large Kōshū Hyakume persimmons weighing 350-400 grams each, production begins in early November when the fruit is carefully peeled and hung to sun-dry for approximately 40 days. Premium koroshigaki develops a beautiful amber color adorned with white crystallized sugar coating called “ko,” creating an appearance like a delicate veil. The tradition dates back 500 years to warlord Takeda Shingen, who promoted dried persimmon as portable provisions. During autumn, strings of orange persimmons hanging from eaves create iconic curtains throughout the region, symbolizing Japanese patience and artisanal craftsmanship in preserving seasonal bounty.

Sports

Table tennis star Fan Zhendong successfully defended his men’s singles title at China’s 15th National Games on November 16, 2025, defeating Hainan’s Lin Shidong 4-1 in the final held in Macau. With this victory, Fan became the second player after Ma Long to win consecutive National Games men’s singles titles. The win brought his National Games gold medal total to six, making him the active table tennis player with the most National Games gold medals. In the dramatic first game, Fan rallied from a 4-9 deficit by scoring seven consecutive points to win 11-9. Following his Paris Olympics gold medal, Fan had spent time playing for German Bundesliga club Saarbrücken before returning for the National Games after a 469-day absence from competition.

LeBron James made his highly anticipated 2025-26 season debut on November 18, 2025, becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter’s previous record of 22 consecutive seasons. The 40-year-old returned after missing the opening 14 games with sciatica and posted 11 points and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz. James made two three-pointers to surpass Reggie Miller with 2,561 career triples, moving into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list. He also extended his remarkable streak of consecutive games with double-digit scoring to 1,293, dating back to January 2007. When told seven Jazz players hadn’t even been born when he made his NBA debut, James joked: “That just made my back hurt”.

Curaçao became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup on November 18, 2025, with a population of just 156,000, securing their spot after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica. Haiti qualified for the first time in 52 years, sparking jubilant celebrations in Port-au-Prince. Scotland qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after a dramatic 4-2 victory over Denmark, with two stoppage-time goals sealing their historic return. Panama also booked their spot on the same night. Among European qualifiers, the 12 nations that secured automatic qualification as group winners are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland. Major shock eliminations include Nigeria, Greece, Cameroon, and Serbia. The 2026 tournament will be the first expanded 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Roger Federer was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, announced November 19, 2025. He will be inducted in Newport, Rhode Island in August 2026. Federer became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including eight Wimbledon championships, six Australian Opens, five US Opens, and one French Open. He held the world No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks total, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and won 103 tour-level titles. At his peak, Federer reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005-07, winning eight, part of an unprecedented era alongside rivals Nadal and Djokovic.

This Day in History

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, sending shockwaves across America and the world. The nation entered a period of profound mourning as television networks broadcast continuous coverage of the tragedy. Kennedy’s state funeral drew leaders from over 90 countries, reflecting his global stature. His death marked the end of an era characterized by youthful optimism and the promise of a “New Frontier.” Kennedy’s legacy endures through his vision for civil rights advancement, the space program that would land Americans on the moon, and the Peace Corps. His eloquent calls for public service—“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”—continue to inspire generations, cementing his place as an iconic figure in American history.

Art of the Week

“Freedom from Want”, painted by Norman Rockwell in 1943, depicts an idealized Thanksgiving dinner scene featuring a grandmother presenting a golden turkey to a multigenerational family gathered around a table. Part of Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” series inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, the painting became one of America’s most recognizable images. Published in The Saturday Evening Post, it resonated deeply during World War II, symbolizing American abundance and domestic harmony. The warm, detailed portrayal of middle-class prosperity embodied what Americans were fighting to preserve. Though sometimes criticized for its sentimentalized vision, the painting remains a powerful cultural touchstone representing American values of family, gratitude, and plenty.

Previous Issues

November 15, 2025, The Return of Chinese Rock in Kuala Lumpur

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Rock is not really a thing anymore in China. But when I see thousands of people jumping up and down on the arena floor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Nov 12, I know the spirit is still there, just brewing in some unlikely corners.

Not just in China. Does anyone still rock in America? The last three rock bands I listened to were Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, and X-Japan. Music is not the same anymore after that.

Many things have changed: music, the web, and news.

Sometimes, they are still better in the old-fashioned way.

Tech

AI coding startup Cursor raised a landmark $2.3 billion Series D funding round that propelled the company to a $29.3 billion valuation. The funding round was among the largest venture capital raises in recent tech history and highlights the massive investor interest in AI-powered development tools. Cursor has been gaining significant traction as developers increasingly adopt AI assistance for coding tasks. The enormous valuation reflects growing confidence in AI’s ability to transform software development and the competitive race among tech companies to dominate the AI coding assistant market. The funding will enable Cursor to accelerate product development and expand its engineering capabilities.

Google announced a massive $40 billion investment in Texas through 2027, marking its largest commitment to any U.S. state. This funding is primarily aimed at building new Cloud and AI infrastructure, including three new data center campuses in Armstrong and Haskell Counties. The investment will create thousands of jobs and fund workforce development programs for electrical workers and apprentices, strengthening the state’s technical talent. Furthermore, Google is expanding its energy initiatives, including adding renewable energy capacity to the Texas grid and establishing a $30 million Energy Impact Fund. This move solidifies Texas’s role as a major hub in the global AI race.

Global

Chiang Mai, Thailand’s enchanting Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivals took place on November 5-6, 2025, coinciding with the full moon of the 12th lunar month. Yi Peng featured thousands of glowing sky lanterns (khom loi) released into the night sky to symbolize letting go of misfortune and welcoming blessings, while Loy Krathong involved floating decorated baskets (krathongs) made of banana leaves and flowers on rivers to honor the water goddess. Due to safety regulations, sky lanterns were banned in the city center, so organized ticketed events were held outside the city at venues like CAD Cultural Center and I Love Ban Thi, featuring ceremonies, cultural performances, traditional buffets, and fireworks. Free celebrations occurred throughout Chiang Mai at the Ping River, Tha Phae Gate, and temples decorated with colorful lanterns, parades, and traditional Lanna dance performances.

Christmas at Kew, London’s original festive light trail, has been a beloved seasonal tradition since 2013, pioneering illuminated winter events across the UK. Now in its twelfth year, the event attracts over 2.5 million annual visits to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 2025 edition runs November 14 to January 4, featuring eight world premiere installations including the first-ever illumination of the historic 18th-century Great Pagoda. The 3km trail showcases new interactive displays, the stunning Temperate House finale, and returning favorites like the Fire Garden and Christmas Cathedral. Visitors enjoy festive food, Father Christmas visits, and botanical beauty transformed by dazzling lights.

In November 2025, a Czech shepherd led his flock of sheep and goats on a four-day trek from summer pastures in the Brdy Hills to their winter grazing grounds in Čížkov, a village near Plzeň, Czechia. Traveling entirely on foot — without vehicles — the journey honors an ancient transhumance tradition. Along the route, shepherds crossed streams, rested with their animals, and helped preserve the biodiversity of the protected Brdy area.

Economy & Finance

Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 secured the #1 and #2 positions as the world’s best-selling electric vehicles in September 2025, with the Model Y selling 140,904 units and the Model 3 selling 67,374 units globally. CEO Elon Musk highlighted this achievement on X after tech watcher @XFreeze posted the global sales data. The ranking is particularly impressive considering both are premium-priced models and the list includes both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Tesla’s strong September performance likely benefited from its end-of-quarter delivery push and the expiration of the $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit on September 30. The Model Y also reclaimed its title as Europe’s best-selling car overall in September, regardless of fuel type. Chinese cars, especially BYD, dominated the rest of the chart.

Nature & Environment

by Lu Wei, Massachusetts, USA

This week’s spectacular northern lights were triggered by an X5.1 solar flare—2025’s strongest—that sent charged particles hurtling toward Earth. When these particles collided with atmospheric gases, they created breathtaking displays of green, pink, purple, and red dancing across the night sky Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The auroras were so intense they reached unusually far south to Florida and Texas, stunning residents unaccustomed to seeing this typically Arctic phenomenon. Even urban skygazers in Chicago, Boston, and Denver witnessed glowing skies from downtown locations. Social media exploded with breathtaking photos showing shimmering curtains of color, while smartphone cameras revealed delicate hues invisible to the naked eye.

Science

Scientists discovered the world’s largest spider web spanning 106 square meters in Sulfur Cave on the Albania-Greece border, home to approximately 111,000 spiders—69,000 Tegenaria domestica (domestic house spiders) and 42,000 Prinerigone vagans. The Czech Speleological Society first spotted the web in 2022 during an expedition. This marks the first documented case of colonial web formation in both typically solitary species. The entire ecosystem is powered by sulfur-oxidizing microbes consumed by midges, which the spiders eat. Genetic analysis revealed the cave spiders are becoming genetically distinct from outside populations, with an abundant food supply possibly driving this unprecedented colonial behavior.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai ran from April 13 to October 13, 2025, on Yumeshima Island under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”. The centerpiece was the Grand Ring, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest wooden structure—a 2-kilometer circular walkway designed by Sou Fujimoto. Over 150 pavilions from nations worldwide showcased innovations in sustainability and technology, including standout designs by renowned architects like Kengo Kuma, Lina Ghotmeh, and Shigeru Ban. Popular attractions included the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE Pavilion, Japan’s Better Co-Being pavilion, and the Future City pavilion featuring interactive experiences. Kura Sushi opened its largest restaurant ever, serving dishes from 70 participating countries on the longest conveyor belt in company history.

finalist “Droughts in the Amazon”, by Musuk Nolte, Peru/Mexico, Panos Pictures, Bertha Foundation

The World Press Photo 2025 exhibition—the most renowned exhibition in the field of photojournalism worldwide runs November 7-December 14 at Barcelona’s CCCB, marking its 21st consecutive year in the city. Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf won Photo of the Year for “Mahmoud Ajjour, Nine Years Old,” showing a nine-year-old Gaza boy who lost both arms in a March 2024 Israeli attack. Both photographer and subject were evacuated to Doha, Qatar, where Abu Elouf captured this powerful image for The New York Times. Selected from nearly 60,000 entries by 3,778 photographers across 140+ countries, the exhibition features 42 winning photographers addressing urgent issues including conflict, migration, and climate crisis.

Sports

World number one Shi Yuqi delivered an epic comeback against Sun Chao (ranked 171 in the world) at the National Games men’s badminton team final on November 14, battling for 94 minutes and saving four match points to win 16-21, 21-17, 25-23. After losing the first game, Shi fell behind again in the second but rallied to level the match. In the decisive third game, Sun Chao surged from behind with a 6:0 run to lead 20-18 with match point. Shi saved four consecutive match points in a heart-stopping finish, finally prevailing 25-23 to give Jiangsu a 1-0 lead. The world champion threw down his racket and roared in celebration after this grueling victory, showcasing incredible mental toughness under extreme pressure.

Stephen Curry delivered a spectacular 49-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday during NBA Cup play, shooting 16-of-26 from the field. The historic night saw Curry tie Michael Jordan for the most 40-point games after turning 30, marking his 44th such performance. The Warriors star came alive down the stretch after San Antonio held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, leading Golden State’s comeback victory. Only one other Warrior, Jimmy Butler, scored more than 10 points in the game, making Curry’s performance even more crucial to the win.

The 2025 FORUM8 Rally Japan, held November 6-9 as the WRC’s 13th round, was contested over twenty special stages covering 305.34 km in the Aichi and Gifu prefectures. Based in Toyota City, the event featured narrow, twisty asphalt stages lined by barriers and dense trees. Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais won for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, claiming his sixth victory of the year with maximum points and moving to just three points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans. Kalle Rovanperä’s title hopes faded after a mistake cost him five minutes, leaving him 24 points behind heading into the Saudi Arabia finale.

Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France Saitama Criterium on November 9, 2025, completing 17 laps of a 3.5 km circuit through Saitama, Japan. The Danish cyclist crashed with 16 kilometers remaining but was helped back by UAE Team Emirates rider Davide Stella. Vingegaard joined a breakaway with Primoz Roglic, Tim Wellens, and Jonas Abrahamsen, then dropped his former teammate Roglic on the final lap for a solo victory, with Jonathan Milan second and Kaden Groves third. Vingegaard called himself “finally back to his best” after recovering from a 2024 crash that caused a punctured lung and broken bones.

Aston Villa’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 6, 2025, unfolded against an extraordinarily tense backdrop in Birmingham, UK. Birmingham’s demographics played a crucial role in the match atmosphere—with 30% of the city’s population identifying as Muslim according to the 2021 census, representing the highest Muslim population of any UK local authority. Over 700 police officers were deployed as pro-Palestinian protests erupted outside Villa Park, resulting in 11 arrests. Maccabi fans were banned from attending due to safety concerns following violent clashes in Amsterdam, where antisemitic riots had targeted Israeli supporters the previous year. Maccabi Tel Aviv declined their ticket allocation, citing safety concerns amid what they called a “toxic atmosphere.” On the pitch, Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen scored for Villa, but the football was completely overshadowed by the intense security operation and community tensions surrounding this politically charged encounter.

This Day in History

German astronomer Johannes Kepler died on Nov 15, 1630, in Regensburg. Kepler transformed astronomy through his three revolutionary laws of planetary motion. His First Law revealed that planets orbit in ellipses, not circles, challenging centuries of assumptions. The Second Law showed planets move faster when nearer the Sun, sweeping equal areas in equal times. The Third Law mathematically linked orbital periods to distances from the Sun. Kepler’s meticulous analysis of Tycho Brahe’s observations demonstrated that mathematics could describe celestial mechanics, paving the way for Isaac Newton’s gravitational theory. His work exemplified the Scientific Revolution’s empirical approach, proving that natural phenomena follow discoverable mathematical laws rather than philosophical speculation.

Art of the Week

French painter Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” (1872) is the seminal work that gave Impressionism its name. Monet captured this scene at Le Havre harbor in Normandy, northern France, depicting an orange sun rising through morning mist over water during what appears to be early winter or late autumn. His loose brushstrokes captured fleeting atmospheric effects rather than precise details. When exhibited in 1874, critic Louis Leroy mockingly called the artists “Impressionists” based on this painting’s title—a label the movement proudly adopted. The work revolutionized art by prioritizing the artist’s immediate visual impression over academic realism. Its emphasis on light, color, and momentary perception broke from traditional painting conventions, launching one of art history’s most influential movements and fundamentally changing how artists approached their craft.

Funny

“There are few things more romantic than the sun setting early enough to watch it from the office.”

Cartoon by Lindsey Budde for The New Yorker

Previous Issues

November 08, 2025, Who Wins In This AI Bonanza?

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

October 25, 2025, The Greatest Performance in Baseball History

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

Just now, my son successfully beat a Lynel in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, his first Lynel kill in a Zelda game. Lynel is a lion-centaur hybrid monster in Zelda. It drops epic monster parts that are essential for the final boss fight. It’s a very difficult fight that requires a lot of patience and careful planning. I have been struggling with Lynel for weeks, but my son just beat me to it.

Kids of today are so lucky. If they want to play a good game, they have Switch 2 and Zelda. If they want to play badminton, they get a coach of national-first-class. If they want to learn programming, they have a plethora of AI tools to goof around with.

If they want to read up on current affairs and aspire for a bigger world in the future, they have The Sunday Blender.

Tech

OpenAI signed a seven-year, $38 billion cloud computing agreement with Amazon Web Services, marking its first major partnership with a leading cloud provider. The deal gives OpenAI extensive access to NVIDIA GPUs to power training for future AI models and secure the compute needed to sustain global demand. The collaboration represents a major strategic move for Amazon as it expands deeper into the AI infrastructure stack, positioning AWS as a direct rival to Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. This partnership addresses OpenAI’s massive computational needs while strengthening Amazon’s position in the competitive AI cloud services market.

Amazon announced 14,000 corporate job cuts, potentially reaching 30,000—the largest in company history, affecting cloud computing, logistics, and human resources. This marks a watershed moment: AI is hitting white-collar workers and middle management first, not factory floors. When the world’s second-largest employer declares AI will shrink its workforce, it normalizes a transformation others will replicate. Experts call it a “wake-up call.” Yet 60% of firms see “minimal returns despite substantial AI investment,” raising questions whether AI provides cover for traditional cost-cutting amid economic uncertainty.

The Alpha Arena AI trading competition concluded November 3, 2025, with Alibaba’s Qwen 3 Max claiming first place. The event pitted six leading LLMs—Qwen 3 Max, DeepSeek, GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, and Grok 4—against each other in real cryptocurrency trading on Hyperliquid exchange. Each model started with $10,000 to trade autonomously with no human intervention. Only two models finished profitable: Qwen 3 Max and DeepSeek, with Chinese models dominating the competition. Qwen’s success stemmed from disciplined execution with just 43 trades over 17 days, while U.S.-based models all ended with losses, revealing that specialist design and risk management trump general intelligence in trading environments.

OpenAI updated its ChatGPT usage policy on October 29, prohibiting the AI from providing medical, legal, or other professional advice requiring certification. Instead of personal recommendations, ChatGPT now “only explains principles, outlines general mechanisms and tells you to talk to a doctor, lawyer or financial professional.” The policy prohibits naming medications, giving dosages, providing lawsuit templates, or offering investment tips. However, OpenAI’s head of Health AI clarified this isn’t a new change and model behavior remains unchanged—ChatGPT continues offering health and legal information as an educational resource. Testing confirmed ChatGPT still provides extensive legal help including drafting employment contracts and explaining legal procedures, though it now includes disclaimers about consulting licensed professionals.

China completed the world’s first commercial wind-powered underwater data center off Shanghai’s coast in October 2025, investing $226 million in the 24-megawatt facility located in the Lin-gang Special Area. The underwater pods use ocean currents for natural cooling instead of energy-intensive air conditioning, with the company claiming 90% energy savings for cooling and 30% less total electricity consumption compared to land-based centers. Over 95% of the facility’s power comes from nearby offshore wind farms, reducing water use by 100% and land use by over 90%. China had previously launched its first commercial underwater data center in Hainan, with plans to build 100 underwater cabins to support its expanding digital economy and AI computing needs.

Global

Zohran Mamdani, 34, emerged from obscurity as a little-known Queens assemblyman to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Born in Uganda, he was raised across three continents before settling in New York at age seven. After working as a foreclosure prevention counselor, he won his Assembly seat in 2020. His meteoric rise stemmed from personal magnetism, digital savvy, and a populist platform focused on affordability—free childcare, rent freezes, and free buses—that mobilized young voters and built a formidable grassroots movement. New York’s mayor is often the second-most recognized political figure in the United States after the president. The position oversees over 300,000 staff, $120 billion budget, and a GDP of $1.3 trillion - bigger than many countries and top 10 globally.

The World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation Index ranked Switzerland first for the 15th consecutive year, followed by Sweden, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore in the top five. China broke into the top 10 for the first time, ranking 10th and replacing Germany, which fell to 11th place. The UK, Finland, Netherlands, and Denmark round out the top 10. The index evaluates 139 economies using 78 indicators including R&D spending, venture capital deals, high-tech exports, and intellectual property filings. China contributed about a quarter of international patent applications in 2024, remaining the biggest source, while the report noted slowing growth in innovation investments globally.

Typhoon Kalmaegi (locally named Tino) killed at least 114 people with over 100 missing in the Philippines, making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. The storm battered central provinces on November 4-5, 2025, with Cebu province suffering the most casualties—71 deaths from drowning in flash floods. The typhoon dumped one-and-a-half months’ worth of rainfall in just one day, engulfing residential communities and forcing residents onto rooftops. Six air force personnel died when their rescue helicopter crashed during humanitarian operations. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national emergency to expedite emergency funding, while forecasters warned another tropical cyclone could strengthen into a super typhoon and hit northern Philippines.

Shanghai is launching the Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone near Pudong Airport, approved by China’s State Council in February 2024. The 880,000-square-meter zone (equivalent to 120 football pitches) will connect Pudong Airport and the under-construction Shanghai East Railway Station. Foreign visitors arriving through Pudong Airport can enter the zone without a standard Chinese visa if invited by a registered business, with visa-free stays lasting 30 days and extendable. On-site port visa services are available for those wishing to explore more of China. Construction of the first phase is set to finish by ** late 2025**, coinciding with Pudong’s 35th development anniversary, with full operations expected by 2030. The zone will feature meeting spaces, exhibition halls, legal and financial services, international-standard medical services, and support for foreign payment methods.

Economy & Finance

Starbucks announced Monday it will sell controlling stake of its China operations to investment firm Boyu Capital in a $4 billion deal, one of the most valuable divestments of a China unit by a global consumer company in recent years. Boyu will hold up to 60% while Starbucks retains 40% and continues to own the brand and intellectual property. The move comes as Starbucks’ China market share plummeted to 14% in 2024 from 34% in 2019 due to fierce competition from cheaper local chains like Luckin Coffee amid China’s economic slowdown. The deal marks a dramatic shift for a company that once opened a new store every 15 hours in China, signaling challenges Western brands face in the world’s second-largest economy.

China’s baijiu industry faces its worst decline in a decade, with industry champion Kweichow Moutai posting its slowest profit growth since 2015. Moutai’s Q3 2025 revenue grew just 0.56% year-on-year to RMB 39.1 billion, with net profit up only 0.48%—a dramatic slowdown. The sector’s crisis stems from China’s 2012 anti-corruption crackdown that killed lavish official banquets, now compounded by economic weakness. The real estate collapse—sales down 50% since 2021—devastated key consumption scenes. Traditional pillars like gifting and business entertainment are disappearing as younger Chinese consumers reject baijiu’s old drinking culture. Feitian Moutai’s official retail price is 1,499 yuan ($208), but wholesale prices crashed from speculation peaks of 3,400-3,500 yuan down to around 1,860-2,000 yuan recently—a dramatic 40% plunge reflecting collapsing demand in China’s struggling luxury baijiu market.

November 11 Festival, known as Singles’ Day or “Guanggun Jie,” originated at Nanjing University in 1993 when four single male students chose 11/11—the four “1"s representing single people resembling “bare sticks” in Chinese slang—to celebrate being unattached. In 2009, Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang transformed it into a 24-hour shopping festival offering massive online discounts. Today, Singles’ Day generates over $150 billion in annual sales, exceeding Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day combined, making it the world’s largest shopping event. For 2025, the festival has expanded to five weeks, with major platforms launching promotions in mid-October, as retailers combat China’s economic slowdown and integrate AI-powered shopping experiences for the first time at scale.

Nature & Environment

November’s full “Beaver Moon” reached peak illumination on November 5, 2025, at 8:19 AM EST, appearing as the largest and brightest supermoon of the year. At its nearest point, the Beaver Moon was 221,817 miles (356,980 kilometers) from Earth, making it the closest supermoon of 2025. A supermoon occurs when a full moon happens at or near its closest point to Earth in its 27-day orbit, appearing up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. The name “Beaver Moon” references the time when beavers retreat to their lodges with stored food for winter. Skywatchers worldwide captured spectacular photos of this celestial phenomenon.

Science

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object ever observed, discovered July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. It comes from outside our solar system, billions of years old, traveling at over 137,000 miles per hour. The comet has surprised scientists by turning distinctly blue near the Sun and brightening rapidly—behavior far exceeding typical comets, which usually appear reddish. NASA detected unusual acceleration not caused by gravity alone, and the comet appears to have lost significant mass, yet post-perihelion (closest point to the Sun) images show no expected debris plume or tail. It passed closest to the Sun on October 29, 2025, and will approach Earth at 167 million miles on December 19, posing no threat, before exiting our solar system toward Jupiter in March 2026.

Lifestyle, Entertainment & Culture

Tesla introduced “Tron Mode” in October 2025 as a tie-in with the Tron: Ares movie premiere. The feature, accessed through the Toybox menu, transforms the vehicle’s on-screen avatar into a glowing Light Cycle from the Tron franchise. The update changes the driving visualization on Tesla’s center display, showing the car as a Tron digital motorcycle in a cyberpunk-style interface. Vehicles with RGB ambient lighting extend the immersive theme throughout the cabin. The feature is part of Tesla’s software update 2025.38 and is available on newer Tesla models with AMD Ryzen processors. Tesla describes it as an optional Easter egg hidden in the Toybox, following the company’s tradition of fun in-car features alongside serious technology development.

Valve’s October 23, 2025 CS2 (Counter Strike 2) update triggered a $272 million market crash, plunging from $609M to $337M in hours. The new trade-up contract lets players craft knives from five Covert skins, democratizing access. Butterfly Knife prices crashed 28%. Those iconic high-end knives that traded at $20,000 saw dramatic devaluation as accessibility replaced exclusivity. In the meanwhile, Covert “crafting fuel” skins exploded—P90 Asiimov surged 1,400%. Buy volume on red-tier skins spiked 400% overnight as traders rushed to stockpile inputs, creating an entirely new market dynamic. The CS2 market became “more alive than ever” in a “digital gold rush,” though investor confidence shattered as casual players celebrated while collectors watched fortunes evaporate.

A modern California gold rush has emerged as gold prices doubled over two years, reaching an all-time high of over $4,380 per ounce in October 2025. YouTuber Matt James, who runs the “Mountaineer Matt” channel, has been collecting gold nuggets from northern California’s hills and riverbeds using metal detectors. His social media channels saw a surge in traffic, generating income through product commissions and sales. Fellow prospector Cody Blanchard, a sanitation worker who runs Heritage Gold Rush, tripled his yearly finds from one to three ounces using high-tech metal detectors costing thousands of dollars, while organizing paid gold-digging tours amid renewed prospecting interest.

Mexico’s Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is celebrated from October 31 through November 2, blending Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture. According to tradition, heaven’s gates open at midnight on October 31, allowing children’s spirits to rejoin their families for 24 hours, with adult spirits following on November 2. This multi-day festival involves families gathering to honor deceased loved ones through vibrant celebrations featuring colorful altars called ofrendas, decorated with marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, photographs, and the deceased’s favorite foods. Unlike Halloween, it celebrates death as a natural part of life, treating the departed as honored guests in a joyful reunion.

On November 1, 2025, participants wearing historical attire gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, for the traditional “Prague Mile” high-wheel bicycle race. The event was organized by the Czech high-wheel bicycle club, which was founded in 1880, and members met for their annual race. The competition, also called the “One Mile Race,” took place at Letná Park, where enthusiasts rode penny-farthing bicycles—vintage cycles featuring one large front wheel and one small rear wheel. This tradition became popular in 1993 when Prague first hosted the annual “Mile of Prague” penny-farthing festival, with bicycle enthusiasts gathering every autumn to resurrect the spirit of the Victorian age.

Sports

The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon was held on November 2, with more than 55,000 athletes from nearly 150 countries traversing the five boroughs. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the women’s race in a course record time of 2:19:51, shattering Margaret Okayo’s 22-year-old record of 2:22:31. Benson Kipruto won the men’s race in a photo finish, edging Alexander Mutiso by just three-hundredths of a second, both finishing in 2:08:09—the closest finish in race history. Legendary runner Eliud Kipchoge, turning 41, finished 17th in his New York City Marathon debut, completing his quest for the Seven Star Hall of Fame.

Luka Dončić scored 200 points through his first five games, becoming only the third player in NBA history to reach this milestone, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s records of 264 (1962) and 256 (1961) points. He surpassed Michael Jordan, who previously held third place with 197 points. Through five appearances, Dončić is averaging 40.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.2 assists. He became the first player ever to record 200+ points, 25+ rebounds, and 25+ assists through five games. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as only the second player to start a season with three consecutive 40-point games. What makes this run even more remarkable is the context: LeBron James remains sidelined with an uncertain return date, forcing Dončić to carry the offensive load. The Slovenian superstar has risen to the challenge spectacularly, leading the Lakers to a strong start while rewriting NBA history books.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over Valencia, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Jude Bellingham netting for the third successive game. Real Madrid led 2-0 through Mbappé’s double when Bellingham struck just before half-time, with Vinícius Júnior having a penalty saved earlier. Álvaro Carreras added a fourth with an 82nd-minute piledriver to complete the rout. The victory put Madrid seven points clear of second-placed Villarreal and eight ahead of Barcelona, ahead of their Champions League trip to Liverpool on November 4.

Bayern Munich won their opening 16 competitive fixtures of 2025-26, setting a new record for the start of a season by a team in Europe’s top five leagues. This surpassed AC Milan’s historic mark of 13 consecutive wins from 1992-93, with no team in Europe’s big five leagues ever winning more to start a season. Their +29 goal difference after nine Bundesliga matches represents the best start in German top-flight history. English striker Harry Kane has been phenomenal with 22 goals from 16 matches, helping Bayern score 56 goals across all competitions. Kane reached 100 Bayern goals in just 104 games, faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland in Europe’s top leagues. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern dominate both Bundesliga and Champions League tables.

This Day in History

John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon on November 8, 1960, becoming America’s youngest elected president and first Catholic commander-in-chief. The 43-year-old Massachusetts senator and decorated World War II veteran would profoundly shape America’s future despite serving less than three years before his 1963 assassination. Kennedy’s boldest vision came in his iconic 1962 speech declaring, “We choose to go to the Moon,” launching the Apollo program that achieved lunar landing in 1969. His legacy includes advancing civil rights, navigating the Cuban Missile Crisis, establishing the Peace Corps, and inspiring a generation with his call to public service: “Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask, what you can do for your country”.

Funny

- by Ali Solomon on The New Yorker

Previous Issues

November 01, 2025, When Yang Meets Yang: Celebrating Life at the Peak of Autumn

October 25, 2025, The Greatest Performance in Baseball History

October 11, 2025, Djokovic Falls to Vacherot at 2025 Shanghai Masters

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with friends who might also find it interesting and refreshing, if not for themselves, at least for their kids.

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup initially part of the hedge fund High-Flyer, has released an open-source model, DeepSeek-R1, that outperforms leading AI models from Western companies like OpenAI on several benchmarks, despite limited resources. DeepSeek refined their AI using software-driven resource optimization and innovative model architecture rather than relying on extensive hardware. By open-sourcing their model, DeepSeek fosters collaborative innovation crucial for their advancements, potentially challenging current US AI export limitations.

Rubin Observatory is a new telescope under construction in Chile, atop a mountain that is 2,682-meters (8,800-feet) tall. The telescope will catalogue billions of new objects and produce a new map of the entire night sky every three days with the largest digital camera ever made. By the end of the survey, this 3.2-gigapixel camera will have catalogued 20 billion galaxies and collected up to 60 petabytes of data—roughly three times the amount currently stored by the US Library of Congress.

OpenAI and SoftBank have announced a significant AI infrastructure project in the U.S. called Stargate, set to cost $100 billion initially, potentially increasing to $500 billion. This venture aims to build extensive data centers and virtual infrastructure to support the next generation of AI advancements, creating around 100,000 jobs immediately. It marks a close collaboration between SoftBank, OpenAI, and other tech giants like Microsoft and Nvidia.

ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is planning to invest over $12 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025. This move comes as ByteDance faces pressure from Washington to sell TikTok’s US operations and amidst new US export controls limiting the availability of advanced AI chips to China. ByteDance aims to buy 60% of its domestic AI chips from Chinese suppliers like Huawei and Cambricon. This substantial investment aims to bolster ByteDance’s AI capabilities, especially for its chatbot Doubao, amid strong competition from Chinese tech giants like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent.

OpenAI released Operator, an AI agent designed to automate web-based tasks such as booking flights, filling forms, and managing expenses through a browser. Currently in a U.S.-only research preview for ChatGPT Pro users, Operator leverages GPT-4o’s vision and reasoning capabilities to interact with apps like Uber and Instacart. While promising efficiency gains, early reviews note its reliance on human oversight for complex tasks. Critics warn of potential job displacement in sectors like customer service and administrative roles.

Google is investing an additional $1 billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI competitor known for its Claude family of AI models. This increases Google’s total investment in Anthropic to $3 billion as part of its strategy to enhance its position in the AI sector and compete with major companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. Anthropic, which reached $1 billion in annual revenue in December, is also expected to secure $2 billion from other investors. Founded in 2021 by ex-OpenAI employees, Anthropic distinguishes itself with a focus on AI safety and innovative AI capabilities, such as computer control.

Startup Stegra began constructing the world’s first industrial-scale green steel plant in Sweden, using hydrogen produced via renewable energy. This initiative aims to cut CO₂ emissions from steel production, which currently surpasses India’s total output. The project aligns with EU mandates for carbon-neutral heavy industries by 2030.

Samsung launched its latest AI-powered smartphone, the S25, in an attempt to challenge Apple’s dominance in the US market. Despite a market share of 23% compared to Apple’s 53%, Samsung is aiming to leverage its AI advancements to capture more market share. The S25 boasts improved performance with a 40% boost in neural processing, and enhanced integration with third-party apps like WhatsApp and Spotify. Samsung’s S25 introduces a shift from traditional touchscreens to an AI voice assistant-driven experience.

TikTok resumed U.S. operations following a one-day ban after President Trump signed an order granting a 75-day reprieve. However, ByteDance-owned apps like CapCut and Marvel Snap faced disruptions, prompting competitors like Instagram to launch rival services (e.g., Edits). Legal uncertainty persists, with lawmakers debating forced divestiture or permanent bans. Analysts predict further volatility as Trump’s administration weighs national security risks against economic interests.

Global

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin must not win the war in Ukraine. Global leaders discussed various topics, including financial deregulation under President Trump and cryptocurrency regulation.

The Trump administration is discussing imposing a 10% punitive duty on Chinese imports, citing concerns over trade imbalances and fentanyl trafficking. The EU is also scrutinized for its trade surpluses with the U.S.

A Seoul court approved a detention order for President Yoon Suk Yeol over alleged abuse of power and constitutional violations, marking Korea’s first sitting president to face criminal investigation. Protests erupted, deepening political turmoil.

Germany’s Scholz faces a no-confidence vote ahead of February elections, while France’s Macron struggles with a fragmented parliament. The EU’s competitiveness plan, led by Mario Draghi, seeks $800B annually to counter U.S. and China.

Economy & Finance

The WEF 2025 in Davos addressed global issues, including Middle Eastern peace progress, efforts to end the Ukraine war, U.S. deregulation under President Trump, the integration of cryptocurrency into mainstream finance, AI’s impact on the workforce, and shifts in the energy sector due to U.S. policy changes.

The U.S. has increased its share of global foreign direct investment projects to a record 14.3%, driven by strong consumer demand and government incentives under President Trump’s administration. In contrast, China and Europe’s shares have declined due to geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs.

China’s economy grew by 5% last year, matching government targets. However, the growth was uneven, with many citizens reporting worsening living standards as industrial and export gains have not fully translated to consumer benefits.

The return of President Trump has prompted EU ministers to call for urgent economic improvements to enhance competitiveness. Concerns include lagging behind the U.S. and China in key technologies and the need to reduce regulatory burdens and energy costs.

Science

Towana Looney from Alabama has become the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant, thriving with a pig kidney for 61 days. This success marks a significant advancement in xenotransplantation, offering hope amid the shortage of human organs for transplant.

Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, launched on January 15, has sent back spectacular images of Earth as it journeys to the moon. Carrying NASA experiments, the spacecraft is expected to land on the lunar surface on March 2.

President Donald Trump has suspended $300 billion in federal loans designated for clean energy projects, affecting manufacturing and renewable energy initiatives across the U.S. This move has raised concerns within the clean energy sector about the future of such projects.

Nature & Environment

On his inauguration day, Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and WHO, citing sovereignty concerns. Following his announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, leaders from the EU, UK, Canada, and China have reiterated their dedication to the accord. Concerns arise over meeting the 1.5°C temperature cap, already breached last year, as the U.S. abolishes measures limiting fossil fuel use.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed 2024 as the first calendar year where global temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. While not a permanent breach, it signals accelerating climate risks, with extreme weather costs exceeding $229 billion globally.

Temperatures above 40°C (104°F) triggered fire bans in Victoria and NSW. Australia’s 2024 was its second-hottest year, with 40% of years since 2000 exceeding historical averages, stressing climate-driven extremes.

Historic wildfires fueled by Santa Ana winds (80–100 mph) ravaged drought-stricken LA, displacing 70,000 residents. Scientists linked the fires to prolonged dryness from back-to-back wet winters, highlighting climate-driven disaster patterns.

Thailand enforced a plastic import ban to curb environmental and health risks, addressing its role as a dumping ground for Western waste since China’s 2018 ban. Critics question enforcement capacity amid rising global plastic trade.

Brazil reported 6,068 dengue deaths in 2024, driven by climate-worsened mosquito breeding. The government allocated $50 million for containment, but 2025 cases are projected to rise, stressing global health-climate linkages.

Entertainment & Culture

Amid concerns over a potential TikTok ban in the U.S., millions of American users migrated to RedNote, a Chinese social media app known domestically as Xiaohongshu. This surge saw RedNote’s U.S. daily active users skyrocket from fewer than 700,000 to approximately 3.4 million within days. RedNote, originally focused on lifestyle and shopping content, became a platform for cross-cultural exchange. American users shared various content from their daily lives, which sometimes clashed with Chinese cultural norms and created numerous LOL moments. In response to the influx, RedNote recruited American influencers to promote the app, aiming to highlight its user-friendly design and international appeal.

The 2025 Oscar nominations, announced on January 23, highlight a significant international presence. Leading with 13 nominations, “Emilia Pérez” has set a record for non-English-language films. Following closely, “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” each received 10 nominations. Sebastian Stan earned a Best Actor nod for portraying Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” The nominations reflect a shift towards global cinema and diverse storytelling in Hollywood.

As of November 20, 2024, China’s film sector reported a total box office revenue of 39.54 billion yuan ($5.42 billion), marking a 28% year-on-year decrease. The decline reflects challenges faced by the industry amid changing market dynamics.

Sports

Lewis Hamilton completed his first official laps as a Ferrari driver at Fiorano, Italy, on February 19, ahead of pre-season testing. Fans and media dissected his transition from Mercedes, with Ferrari confirming a hybrid livery reveal at their Maranello event.

The FIA announced the 2025 Formula 1 calendar, featuring 24 races starting in Melbourne, Australia (March 14–16) for the first time since 2019. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were moved to April due to Ramadan, with six Sprint weekends confirmed in China, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Brazil, and Qatar. Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and pre-season testing in Bahrain (Feb 26–28) are major talking points.

Chinese racer Shi Wei, also known as Tie Dou, has been announced as a Wild Card entry for the 2025 F1 Academy season opener in Shanghai. Shi Wei’s participation marks the first time a Chinese driver will compete in the F1 Academy, aiming to inspire future generations in motorsport.

Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 3–0 victory over Valladolid, cementing their position atop La Liga. The French forward’s performance reignited debates about his Ballon d’Or candidacy.

China’s Zheng Qinwen defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling semifinal to reach her second consecutive Australian Open final. Her aggressive baseline play and improved serve have made her a global tennis sensation, with over 200 million Chinese viewers tuning in.

The Lakers vs. Warriors game on January 25 drew 12.4 million viewers, the highest regular-season audience since 2018. Stephen Curry’s 45-point performance led Golden State to a 128–122 win, reigniting MVP debates.\

Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills secured spots in the AFC Championship after defeating the Texans (34–10) and Ravens (31–23), respectively. The Chiefs aim for a historic Super Bowl three-peat.

Freestyle skiing star Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu) will headline China’s 170-athlete delegation at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin. The event highlights China’s growing influence in winter sports.

Chinese mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping reached the Indonesia Masters final, showcasing China’s dominance in badminton ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Funny

A botanic garden in New York attracted numerous visitors eager to experience the rare blooming of the “corpse flower,” known for its pungent odor resembling rotting flesh. The event drew crowds despite the unpleasant smell, highlighting people’s curiosity about unusual natural phenomena.

A British choir with an average age of 94 was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest choir. The group’s achievement celebrates longevity and the joy of communal singing among the elderly.

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