Good Morning / Afternoon Friends!
As many of you know, long, long ago Zoe and I published a somewhat regular newsletter devoted to our favorite things from the internet, social media and tech. You can read between the lines but since late December 2019 (aka FOUR whole years ago) we have not sent out a single missive of our beloved TEI.
If Auld Lang Syne means “long long ago” then it seems an appropriate phrase as we reanimate our love letter to our fave things on the internet. Needless to say, in four years we’ve missed a veritable We Didn’t Start the Fire’s worth of internet news and so, so many memes.
A truncated archive of previous TEI issues is available here, for your enjoyment.
As we enter our 15th year (!) of doing very Serious Business, our New Year’s resolution is to do ever more things that bring us joy, and to share that joy with the people we love. The only lingering issue is the name… The Excellent Internet doesn’t really represent what we do here anymore and HERE is not even really the same place it was four years ago.
So now, The Excellent Internet becomes… I Hope This Email Finds You Well. It may not roll off the tongue like some of your other favorite newsletters but it’s a phrase we’ve used thousands of times as PRs and now it’s got its own meme which feels good enough for us.
But genuinely, we do hope THIS email finds you well and even if it doesn’t maybe it can brighten your day by a few %.
Without further ado–this is so long already–let’s dive into issue 48 which is splashing around just below the jump. Please note, if you’re receiving this from us, you’re already subscribed but if you want to forward to a friend, they’ll need to click the “Subscribe now” button below (“Pledge your Support” on mobile) to sign up; it’s gloriously FREE and not usually this lengthy!
Happy New Year and excited to be back!
xoxo
Krista + Zoe
I Hope This Email Finds You Well: Issue 48
Our weekly-ish love letter to the best (and worst) of the web and assorted post internet news.
In this week's edition: A fair use AI / media lawsuit for the ages, the terrifying story of “erotic sleep hypnosis”, AI’s own DMT creation... and more! Enjoy !! (◕‿◕)♡
JUST SAY NO: The AI George Carlin Standup Special
A few days ago, an AI-assisted podcast published a creepy AI-created George Carlin standup special and understandably, people are pissed! So many things to say here but let’s all agree to never let this happen again, k thanks.
NYT v. OpenAI
NYT’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft is heating up as it’s the first lawsuit from a major publisher to be filed, but certainly not the last! OpenAI wants to use NYT’s copyrighted content to train AI models AND use it in results for users; they believe the content is covered under Fair Use. NYT obviously disagrees with this points out in their lawsuit the slippery slope of offering AI users free media content in a world where nobody will in turn, subscribe to media publications. There are also concerns around false attributions and NYT “content” being fed to users even if ends up being something “hallucinated” by a bot. Yikes.
Bambi Sleep Files = An Actual Nightmare
A series of recordings called the “Bambi Sleep Files” (created anonymously and posted online in 2017) that fall under the category of “erotic” sleep hypnosis” (a subcategory of BDSM) is coming under fire for completely changing the personalities / identities of its users and using hypnosis to enlist some of them into a creepy sex cult. One of the users said she started listening to Bambi and her entire personality changed seemingly overnight; she adopted a valley girl accent, ditched her goth aesthetic for blonde hair and pink clothing and much more. More of this absolutely insane story (worth reading in its entirety) after the jump. TW: power dynamics, alleged sexual violence
What IS Spatial Computing Anyway?
Sure, Apple Vision Pro looks incredibly uncool in the way only very high-tech things can… but every tech writer who knows anything is saying Apple Vision Pro is “cool” and definitely “better than MetaQuest 3” so let’s investigate this freak show!
Spatial Computing is a term Apple is throwing around and very much trying to own as they launch Apple Vision Pro - the AR/VR hybrid goggles - but what does that even mean and what can you actually do with these expensive and dumb looking goggles?!
Immersive movie/video/streaming/gaming experiences
feat. spatial audio
iPhone and iMac mirroring with no physical controller
“The computer senses what you are interested in interacting with by watching your eye movement and then looks at your hands to determine what you want to do.” - ok cool but also a lil’ creepy.
“There is no need for a desk (or lap) to place the device, and there are no limits on the size of the perceived viewing area.” - Harvard Biz Review
The TL:DR on the “suggested use cases” outlined thoughtfully by HBR are honestly, there aren’t really that many. Apple is sure to sell out of the first batch of these BUT they will still need to sell the functionality a little bit harder if they are to lead in this space.
Generative AI Art + the Happiest Bunny
A ChatGPT user recently asked it to make a happy bunny and then make it even happier with each prompt. The final result is what can only be described as a true collaboration between DMT and Lisa Frank; AI-generated art that begs so so many questions about what AI knows, who the heck programmed it and why does continuing to make something ______ier in AI always have a 5D ending?
A Kickstarter 14 Years in the Making
A feel-good story that is only tangentially an internet story: one of the first Kickstarter campaigns we ever supported (back in ye olde 2010) and it is finally coming to fruition!
It was announced earlier this week that the floating east river +POOL is greenlit for testing this Summer in NYC and set to open to the public in 2025 when it will finally be time for Cool Girls / Pool Girls to have their Summer.
LINK L♡VE
READ
Lauren Sherman’s twice weekly fashion newsletter LINE SHEET is the absolute best. Who even knew we could like Fashion biz news this much? Not us!
Design-focused substacks from OG Serious Biz buds Leo + Kelsey are essentials.
More OGs:
Aaron Gell’s newsletter includes long, thoughtful and well-researched reads: Dread + Distraction.
Reminder to pre-order Sloane’s new book Grief Is for People.
LISTEN
Krista made an ADHD playlist that you can enjoy even if you don’t have ADHD.
WATCH
Scavenger’s Reign (streaming on MAX) is beautiful and binge-worthy even if you aren’t into sci-fi or animated shows.
Todd Haynes’ May December (Netflix) is soooo good; it doesn’t seem like Netflix cares much about marketing or promoting their content which is such a shame so we’re doing it for them! Also loved listening to first-time screenwriter Samy Burch talk to our very funny friend Greg Johnson about writing the flick in her closet.