Hey you!!
Important question: Have you ever seen owls in towels?
Hey friend,
How are you? It feels like a while since we’ve chatted properly - I’ve been filling my life up with other things recently (ran 17km today!), so have just been sending you some of my recommended content from across the internet. I hope you don’t mind.
This little newsletter has been on the back of my mind over the past few weeks. It’s fair to say that it hasn’t been a focus for me for the first half of the year, but I’ve still enjoyed the exercise of staying disciplined and dropping you a note each Sunday.
What does the second half of 2025 look like for Luck Radius (what I’m currently calling this thing - more on that here)… I’m not sure yet. But I’d like to return my focus to it, and write and publish more.
When I think about what I’ve enjoyed writing about the most over the last year and a half, these few stories are the first to come to mind:
My favourite things to share seem to be the longer-form, investigative deep-dives. The ones that take a bit of time - synthesising research and my thoughts to create something impactful.
I also find it particularly satisfying when I can get a few more people informed about injustices in our communities, doing my part to hold the powerful to account.
I think I’m going to do a bit more of that.
I’ve been working on a piece about Waikato billionaire Nick Mowbray and his siblings - the founders and owners of ZURU, a plastic toy and consumables company.
They're the richest people in New Zealand, and are constantly praised by the media. But what don’t you know about them? You might be surprised to learn that the Mowbray empire is not all fun and games.
I’ll get that story out to you next week, or maybe the week after. We’ll see how I go.
By the way, Jacinda Ardern’s new book has just came out. I've got a copy and am looking forward to giving it a read. It’s been interesting to watch some of her press round, like this soft interview with Jesse Mulligan. Jesse wrote about the behind-the-scenes of that interview in his newsletter - just as interesting. I’ll let you know what I think of the book!
Have a great week and talk soon,
Ben x
p.s. Have you ever seen owls in towels?
Nine songs I’ve been playing on repeat this week
Check them out here.
Four quotes I loved this week
Mark Manson on learning vs. doing:
Beware: learning more is a smart person’s favorite form of procrastination.
The daily journal of 80-year-old Raymond Herbert:
I think that keeping a journal, diary or daily reminder is one of the best independent methods for self expression, knowledge and experience. A journal can be started at any time in your life and the longer it is maintained, the more valuable it becomes to you...
James Clear on today:
Today might be the best chance you have to take action.
The longer you wait, the more deeply embedded you get in your current lifestyle. Your habits solidify. Your beliefs harden. You get comfortable.
It will never be easy, but it may also never be easier than it is right now.
Former lawyer and professional poker player Cate Hall on asking for things that feel unreasonable:
Ask for things. Ask for things that feel unreasonable, to make sure your intuitions about what's reasonable are accurate (of course, try not to be a jerk in the process). If you're only asking for things you get, you're not aiming high enough.
Seven news stories that caught my eye this week
The University of Waikato is pressing ahead with its third medical school proposal, despite all indications it is now on life support. The Otago Daily Times has obtained a document advertising the position of an "independent commissioning agent" for the project. "It is important to note that this procurement exercise is being conducted in parallel to the approval of the detailed business case being considered by government for a proposed medical school," the document said. "We are seeking respondents that have demonstrable experience in successfully delivering independent commissioning agent services on projects with a similar nature to ensure a seamless set-up and handover of the building to the university." Green MP Francisco Hernandez said there was a level of desperation to these documents. "Setting up a new medical school at a university with no track record of delivering medical graduates and which will require substantial levels of capital investment is a bad use of time and resources." In the Otago Daily Times.
ChatGPT is the world’s 8th most-visited website, with over 400 million weekly users. It’s become the global low-hanging fruit for anything and everything. And, like a journal that talks back, it can be used as a virtual therapist. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised; mental health issues are at pandemic proportions, and globally, over half of those suffering from mental health issues have unmet needs when it comes to receiving adequate support. The treatment gap is an enormous issue. ChatGPT overcomes three major, long-known barriers to mental health support: it’s free, it’s accessible, and the support is around-the-clock. Read more in this Culture Vulture feature that made me think.
Boeing has agreed to pay $1.1 billion in fines to avoid federal prosecution related to the pair of 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 300 people. The jet maker signed a non-prosecution agreement requiring it to invest $455 million in compliance and safety programs and pay out an additional $444.5 million in compensation to the families of those who died in the crashes. Boeing admitted as part of the agreement to a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Evaluation Group, which had been evaluating the 737 Max’s flight control system in the years preceding the crashes. In the Investopedia.
When Harvard’s ability to enroll international students came under fire, Chinese student Chen Zimo’s “first response wasn’t to contact a Harvard administrator, or the university’s International Office, or the law school.” Instead, he turned to ChatGPT, which delivered a 32-page legal brief that correctly predicted Harvard’s restraining order win. The computer science student used OpenAI’s o3 model to map out worst-case scenarios, grace periods, and ICE enforcement likelihoods, then proceeded to stay up until 4 A.M. sending follow-up questions to the chatbot. “After working with it for four or five hours, I felt like there was nothing I should be too worried about,” he said. In the New Yorker.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the company is on “the cusp of a real transformation” in computing and predicted that AR glasses will surpass the Apple Watch in popularity by the end of the decade, dismissing the latter as merely “a phone accessory.” This shift positions Gen Alpha as the first fully AR-native generation, much like Gen Z was mobile-native; we’ll see! In The Information.
Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, has signed a 20-year agreement to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy's Illinois facility starting in June 2027. The deal is the first of its kind in the US. The move follows a growing trend among tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, which are partnering with energy companies to secure reliable, low-carbon electricity for their data centers and AI initiatives. Artificial intelligence systems demand large amounts of energy, much of which currently comes from fossil fuels contributing to climate change. The deal will expand the plant's clean energy output by 30 megawatts, preserve around 1,100 local jobs, and generate $13.5M in annual tax revenue. In the Associated Press.
The BBC has managed to get its hands on one North Korea’s state-issued smartphones. The phone, designed to limit foreign influence and tighten state surveillance, reflects just how far the regime is going to keep its grip on information. The device includes built-in propaganda, blocked language, and an automatic screenshot feature that quietly captures the screen every five minutes. The images are stored in a locked folder that only the government can access. There’s also censorship via autocorrect - Type “Oppa” (a South Korean slang term for boyfriend) and the phone changes it to “Comrade.” Type “South Korea” and it becomes “Puppet State.” In the BBC.