David Lidsky's Blog, page 247

Meet the hot dog king of the NFL

From the Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium to the Kentucky Derby, Andy Lansing continues to redefine stadium fare for sports fans.

It’s two hours to tip-off between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers when I meet Andy Lansing in an executive-level conference room at the Kia Center. A side door swings open and in walks a chef, touting an oversized cutting board lined with two rows of Wagyu beef hot dogs—one with just mustard (never ketchup, says Lansing), the other garnished with a mango salsa for a little local Florida flare.

Frustrated with today’s ‘attention economy’? You’re really going to hate what comes next

The ‘intention economy’ is coming. It’s like Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception,’ but instead of using dreams to influence people’s actions, stakeholders will use AI.

In the 1990s, the internet was a bit of a wonderland. It was new and liberating and largely free of corporate and government influence. Thirty years later, I don’t think any of us would describe the internet this way. Worse, if subscribers to the Dead Internet Theory are correct, much of what we see on the internet today isn’t even created by humans anymore—a trend that is likely only to accelerate with the rise of generative AI technologies.

Ageism at work affects everyone

Why a multigenerational workplace brings value—and we shouldn’t hide our age!

If you’re under 40, ageism probably hasn’t crossed your mind much—yet. And that’s okay. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I wasn’t thinking about it, either. But there’s something about entering that sixth decade that makes ageism glaringly real. And unfortunately, it’s not just someone else’s problem; it’s everyone’s problem.

What embracing climate data in your marketing will do

Data can help you become a sustainability leader.

Business thrives on data. We know that data drives strategy, innovation, and decision making, yet many businesses fail to unlock its full potential. While budgets are allocated and data is gathered and analyzed, a common issue arises: A lot of data remains underleveraged in the long term.

Did you show ‘negative sentiment’ for insurance companies after the UHC CEO shooting? Police were watching

A newly reported document reveals the government was monitoring the wave of support for executive-killer Luigi Mangione on social media.

When news broke that the United Healthcare CEO was shot in broad daylight early last month, outrage erupted online. But it wasn’t aimed at the assassin. Instead, it was directed at the broken U.S. healthcare system he represented. But, it turns out, for those who expressed “negative sentiment” about insurance companies online, the government was watching.

How an AI-generated ‘expert’ sank into media deadlines

As AI tools improve, internet ‘slop’ clogs the web with misinformation, raising urgent questions about the future of digital content.

Ashley Abramson first came across Sophie Cress in a cold pitch to her work email. Cress was asking to be an expert source for any stories Abramson was working on as a freelance reporter. “I’ve got over 8 years of experience and qualifications in Psychology and Couples & Family Therapy, and I’m enthusiastic about exploring potential collaborations, especially in the areas of love, relationships, or LGBTQIA+ topics,” Cress wrote. 

How engineers are creating oxygen for future moon missions from material found on the moon

In groundbreaking experiments, carbothermal reduction fuels new possibilities for sustaining life and fueling spacecraft far from Earth.

Space engineers now know how to make oxygen on the moon, and they’re working on perfecting the science so that astronauts can live off the lunar base more easily.

Lunar soil, or regolith, is filled with valuable materials, such as oxygen, as well as metals including iron, titanium, and lithium. And a team at Sierra Space, a private aerospace and space technologies company, is working on extracting it. Doing so, it says, will help astronauts on the moon to breathe and can provide fuel for future missions—an important step for sustaining life on the moon or other planets.  

Meta’s Threads is finally getting ads

We knew this was coming.

Threads, Meta’s rival to X and Bluesky, is testing ads with certain brands in the United States and Japan, the company said Friday.

Costco shareholders defended DEI hiring against anti-woke attacks and won—for now

As anti-DEI directives are spilling out of the White House from the Trump administration, the wholesale retailer’s shareholders voted decisively to reject a conservative proposal.

With a swath of anti-DEI and other executive orders spilling out of the White House during the first week of Trump’s second term, many companies are likewise changing or rolling back their own DEI programs or policies, including Amazon, Boeing, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, and Meta.

Retail apocalypse: 15,000 stores could close in 2025, with Party City, Big Lots, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, Macy’s on the doomed list

A new report predicts this year will only get worse for the already-struggling retail sector, with the number of location closings expected to double.

It’s no secret that 2024 was a tough year for many retailers. From home goods stores like LL Flooring, to pharmacy chains like Walgreens, to automotive parts providers like Advance Auto Parts, numerous retailers announced store closures last year.