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Happy Friday, Future Party. On Monday, September 8th, Saban Community Clinic will host its annual Creators In Action cocktail party. Taking place at the Range Media Partners offices in Santa Monica, the event brings together leading voices in digital media and the creator community to network and raise funds for a meaningful cause. You can sign up here if you’d like to attend.
Have a restful and relaxing Labor Day weekend!
DAILY TOP TRENDS
YouTube – Play Dirty
X
(Twitter)– Star Wars: StarfighterGoogle – Heidi Gardner
Reddit – Bugonia
Letterboxd – Thunderbolts*
Spotify – “Politix”
Trash Collection Is Going High Tech
Trash collection — one of the messiest and logistically complicated aspects of society — is in the midst of getting a big upgrade with new technology and clean energy.
The Big Picture: Americans produce a lot of trash. In 2018, the average American produced a literal ton of trash, according to the EPA. Figuring out how to get rid of that waste in a smarter and more efficient way could have major benefits for both public health and the environment.
Between The Bins: There are several ways your trash pickup is about to get disrupted.
Many cities are experimenting with “containerization” — “large, centralized bins shared by a street or neighborhood,” per The WSJ. NYC is testing them as an alternative to curbside piles and individual bins.
AI-powered bins and dumpsters could also alert sanitation crews when they’re full or emitting odors, streamlining pickups and reducing wasteful trips.
Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corp built an EV garbage truck that has “an advanced driver-assistance system — including 360-degree cameras, pedestrian detection, and automated braking.”
The company is also piloting a self-driving robot named “Harr-e,” which can come directly to homes, collect trash, and deliver it to central drop-off sites.
Last Bag: Other than basic trash collection, recycling remains a headache for most Americans. Many households still struggle to figure out what can and can’t be recycled. Cities like NYC, Chicago, Denver, and LA are adopting a “single-stream model,” which lets residents toss all potentially recyclable items into one bin. AI-equipped cameras and robots then sort through the pile, directing each item to its proper place. They can also handle the disposal of harmful materials (like batteries) and harvest valuable metals (like copper).
Hopefully, all of these changes make our communities just a little less stinky.
Next Pickup: One day, a company will finally figure out how to build a robotic system that not only takes out the trash for you but also brings the bins all the way to the curb.
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The Boom Of Nuclear Fusion
The Big Bet: Nuclear fusion — replicating how the Sun generates light and heat by fusing atomic nuclei — is considered the “Holy Grail” of the energy sector, according to The Verge. It promises virtually limitless energy without pollution or waste. Whoever manages to commercialize it could revolutionize nearly every aspect of modern life.
Behind The Power: The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) has compiled a map of all active nuclear-fusion projects worldwide.
Fifty-three companies have received a total of $8.9 billion in private funding and $795 million in government subsidies, per the Fusion Industry Association. That’s almost 5x more funding than in 2021.
For example, Microsoft has struck a deal with Helion Energy to purchase energy from a generator estimated to be ready in 2028.
Additionally, Google purchased 200 megawatts of “future carbon-free power” (aka fusion energy) from Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Massachusetts. The hope is that generators will be online sometime in the 2030s.
The Future: Despite the hype, we’re still decades away from realizing our nuclear fusion dreams. Still, it’s understandable to see why there’s hope. Just three years ago, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved the field’s biggest breakthrough — a net energy gain from a reaction known as “fusion ignition.” A few months later, they repeated the feat, generating even more energy.
These were small but monumental steps for the entire industry — and likely what’s powering today’s surge in investment.
Prediction: It’s no surprise that the race for nuclear fusion is coinciding with the rise of AI — the latter may need the former to become economically viable on a grand scale.
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DEEP DIVES
Listen: Rapid Response chats with Runway AI CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela about the impact of AI on creativity.
Read: Wired details how “ghost cars” in NASCAR and Formula 1 races are created.
Explore: The NYT’s Manohla Dargis offers a great overview of some very good dogs in film.
56.8% of you voted Protecting user privacy in yesterday’s poll: When it comes to online safety, which priority matters most: Protecting user privacy, Enforcing strict age verification, or Balancing both equally?
“If parents want to control what their kids learn in school, they don’t get to pass off controlling what they access online to the government. It’s the guardian’s responsibility to protect the minor.”
“I just want to be secure when I go online.”
Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.
QUICK HITS
→ Entertainment / Media
🎥 California has distributed the first funds from its revamped film and TV tax-credit program, signaling positive signs of a job rebound in the industry.
💻 NBCUniversal’s Peacock is now available on Amazon Channels, as the streamer explores bundling options to juice growth.
📺 Apple TV+ has licensed its sitcom Trying to the BBC in a first-of-its-kind deal for the service.
→ Technology
📱 ByteDance’s latest share buyback values the company at a whopping $330 billion, with revenue hitting $48 billion.
🤖 Anthropic announced that it would start training Claude on user chat transcripts and coding sessions. Yes, there’s an opt-out button.
🛰️ NASA’s largest-ever antenna satellite, “NISAR,” has deployed in space and will now track Earth’s forests, glaciers, and crust.
→ Fashion / E-commerce
🛒 Shopify has acquired design firm Molly, which will now serve as the foundation of the company’s Shopify Product Design Studio.
🖼️ Sotheby’s is planning to launch an auction series in Abu Dhabi in December.
💰 Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning, the creator of Labubu, is now worth $27.5 billion following the success of the toy line.
Let us know how we are doing...
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.