David Lidsky's Blog, page 245

Why we need to leverage AI to address global food insecurity

With a rising population but stable number of farms, the world requires sustainable agricultural solutions.

The modern international food trade currently plays a significant role in breaking food insecurity in parts of the world. Although innovative, the downsides are the high expense of transit, supply chain vulnerability, and potential for environmental harm. The alternative? Helping farmers worldwide to successfully and sustainably overcome crop stressors such as insects that take a toll on crops grown to feed the populations close to them. AI can help make a positive difference.

Millennials are plagued by ‘phantom wealth’: Why the generation doesn’t feel rich despite their net worth quadrupling

Millennial wealth is surging, yet many still feel like they’re struggling because their cash is tied up in assets not readily available.

Millennial wealth in the United States has nearly quadrupled since 2019, outpacing both Gen X and baby boomers, yet most millennials don’t consider themselves rich.

Everything wrong with the AI landscape in 2025, hilariously captured in this ‘SNL’ sketch

In a recent ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch, Bowen Yang and Timothée Chalamet managed to highlight several glaring flaws with the current technology.

“Isn’t AI supposed to make things simpler?” asks a student in a new Saturday Night Live sketch.

ADHD diagnoses are rising. Here’s how to recognize signs of the condition

ADHD diagnoses have been rising for decades but seem to have accelerated in the past few years.

Allison Burk’s teenage daughter struggled with uncontrolled emotions, a shrinking attention span and a growing tendency to procrastinate. A family doctor suggested ADHD testing, which led to an unexpected discovery: The teen had ADHD—and Burk did too.

The Super Bowl logo conspiracy theory is roaring back to life with the 2025 Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup. Here’s why

Is it a coincidence that the Super Bowl 59 logo has the same colors as the two teams playing in the big game? Some fans don’t think so.

Is it a coincidence that this year’s Super Bowl LIX logo turns out to have the exact same colors of the teams playing? Did the National Football League know the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles would be playing Super Bowl 59 on February 9 in New Orleans all along? Or are fans taking this conspiracy theory one step too far?

Want to be a full-time influencer? Consider freelancing

More than half of Gen Z aspires to be influencers, but the recent TikTok uncertainty shows why it’s a good idea to diversify your income.

More people than ever aspire to become influencers on social media, given YouTube’s proliferation as an entertainment source and the popularity of Instagram and TikTok. Some 57% of Gen Z aspire to be influencers, according to a 2023 survey of 1,000 U.S. respondents. It makes sense after seeing influencers earn big payouts while having more freedom and flexibility to work on their terms.

Netflix knows you’re looking at your phone—and it’s changing how shows get made because of it

According to reports, Netflix seems to be optimizing at least some of its original content for background viewing.

Watching TV no longer just means watching TV. After the rise of tablets and smartphones in the late aughts, a second-screen experience became the new standard for home viewing. Live-blogging the latest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, or buying a new T-shirt during it, is now just reflexive for millions of people. According to a 2023 YouGov study, 91% of Americans at least sometimes look at their phones while watching TV. For generations weaned on TikTok, that “sometimes” might be a little closer to “always.” As Saturday Night Live’s Michael Longfellow recently joked about the app’s brief ban: “What do I even watch during a movie now?”

3 things leaders should do to increase trust

If you want an engaged workforce, you must demonstrate real and sustained support for employees. Here are three ways to actually do this.

Much has been written about the lack of trust in today’s workplace. And no wonder: A 2023 Gallup study found that only 21% of U.S. employees strongly trust the leaders at their organization. Without that trust, there are real and detrimental outcomes: Employees disengage, innovation slows, and turnover increases. 

Spending out of control? These 3 tricks will help you rein it in

If accounting for every penny feels like cruel and unusual punishment, here’s how to keep tabs on your spending without tearing your hair out.

Years ago, a friend was alarmed to discover $2,000 missing from her bank account. She couldn’t imagine how someone had managed to steal from her—until she had the dawning realization that she was that someone. Over the course of a very stressful six-week period, she had blown two grand in dribs and drabs, never shelling out more than $45 at a time.

How climate change shifted from a scientific question into a partisan issue

The first reason came during the election campaign of 2000.

After four years of U.S. progress on efforts to deal with climate change under Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s return to the White House is swiftly swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction.