Christopher Zara

How a unique 'chatbot' is helping a small Chile community push back on AI Ask 'Quili.AI' anything, and residents of Quilicura will answer your queries themselves—no data centers needed.

On Saturday, January 31, if you enter a query into Quili.AI, your question won’t be answered by a large language model, but instead by residents from the Chilean community of Quilicura

The 'day without AI' aims to highlight the environmental impact of AI use www.fastcompany.com/91483599/how...

very meta that my article about Tilly Norwood's Wikipedia page ended up on Wikipedia

Tilly Norwood already has a Wikipedia page, and not even the editors are sure what to call it Is it a synthetic performer, an AI actress, or something else entirely? Debates among the site's editors reflect the semantic questions of our moment.

Since Wikipedia is trending, I might as well take this opportunity to post the rabbit hole I went down

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival represents everything wrong with the stand-up economy In an era when star comedians expect massive paydays, the craft has become more about taking money from power than speaking truth to it.

The era of seven-figure paydays for streaming comedy specials has brought get-that-bag culture to the art of speaking truth to power, and the Riyadh festival is its logical conclusion. I wrote about all that here.

Brandy Zadrozny moves from NBC News to MSNBC as the network's post-Comcast newsroom takes shape The Emmy-winning journalist is known for her coverage of the internet and disinformation. MSNBC and NBC News are in the process of decoupling.

Some news: I’m joining MSNBC where I’ll report on the fringe forces affecting our politics, public health, and … everything else. I’m thrilled to continue my reporting on a network that knows exactly what it stands for. Let’s go!!
www.fastcompany.com/91361764/msn...

No Kings Day: June 14 protests set to be biggest yet, will counter Trump military parade in locations nationwide. Here's what to know Millions of Americans are expected to turn out on Saturday, which is also Trump's birthday, for No Kings Day demonstrations organized by Indivisible.

‪Nationwide #NoKingsDay anti-Trump protests are gearing up to be the largest yet, with June 14 rallies scheduled in most major cities and towns across America. Here's everything you need to know in my latest for @fastcompany.com
www.fastcompany.com/91348664/no-...
#nokings #june14

that movie is such a you had to be there

As Joann fabrics stores finally close today, the internet grieves the beloved arts and crafts haven As Joann fabrics shuts its doors for good this weekend, Reddit and TikTok are lamenting the chain's demise with tearful tributes.

Joann fabrics is finally shutting its doors for good after a long, slow goodbye and people can't stop posting about it on social media.
www.fastcompany.com/91343659/joa... My latest @fastcompany.com

Disney Plus is offering an assortment of 'perks' to keep you from canceling when your favorite show ends Streaming service Disney Plus is offering an array of subscribers perks. The offerings come as media companies deal with churn.

The new perks program launched on Thursday.

Remember the sun? What happened to that?

How bogus stories about Amazon laying off 14,000 managers spread like wildfire across the internet A false figure made it into a string of recent news stories and social posts, demonstrating how the drive for clicks and engagement can win out over facts.

In reality, what’s happening is less a story about an e-commerce giant flattening its management structure, and more a cautionary tale about how quickly and indiscriminately false news can spread in our current media environment.

Bosses who think they're funny create emotional labor for employees, says study Michael Scott, begone: New research in the 'Academy of Management Journal' shows excessive humor in the workplace can make workers less happy.

Leadership is not trying to be funny at work

'It has nothing to do with government efficiency': JFK Library reopens after DOGE federal firings force abrupt closure The John F. Kennedy (JFK) Presidential Library and Museum in Boston temporarily shuttered Tuesday after a move from the Trump administration left it short-staffed.

The JFK Library reopens a day after DOGE cuts target the historic Boston institution. My latest for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91281248/jfk...

Why is there an egg shortage? How bird flu is making the political lightning rod even more expensive Egg prices have been a hot topic of debate this year, and they're only getting higher thanks to inflation, an outbreak, and a number of recalls.

Have you recently gone to the grocery store to buy eggs, only to find the section half empty or barely stocked at all? For @fastcompany.com, I explain why there’s an egg shortage, and why the ones that are available are so expensive.

www.fastcompany.com/91258532/why...

Instagram deletes AI profiles 'managed by Meta' after users complain of not being able to block them AI Instagram profiles managed by Meta attracted fresh criticism this week after news that the tech giant is ramping up its AI ambitions.

A spokesperson told me: "We identified the bug that was impacting the ability for people to block those AIs and are removing those accounts to fix the issue"

The AI profiles weren't new -- they were launched over a year ago -- but users were newly discovering them after a report that Meta plans to ramp-up its AI ambitions in an effort to boost engagement.

Update: Instagram has deleted those AI profiles that people weren't able to block.

I guess that's the end of Izzy's singer-songwriting career?

Sam Goody employee in Oregon denies reports that the last location is closing: 'We're not going anywhere' The once-ubiquitous music retail chain has just two remaining locations: one in Ohio and one in Oregon. One store may yet survive.

Reports of Sam Goody's death might have been premature. Sources tell us that the last remaining store, in Oregon, plans to stay open.

“We’re going to do the last Blockbuster kind of thing because we’re cool like that out here"

The surprisingly corporate retail origin story behind 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' Rudolph, the iconic Christmas reindeer, was created by a Montgomery Ward copywriter in 1939. The retail chain has since gone bankrupt.

"He dreamed of writing the great American novel, but life got in the way"

80 colleges could close by 2029, even as elite Ivy League schools thrive Some 80 institutions of higher learning could close by 2029, even as elite Ivy League and Ivy-Plus schools like Yale and MIT thrive.

American higher education is in crisis and many colleges are struggling financially as enrollment falls. Blame skyrocketing tuition and growing doubts about the value of a degree. Here's my story for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91245055/hig...

CVS, Anthem, other big corporations remove executive photos from their websites after UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting Days after Brian Thompson was gunned down in New York, the leadership webpages for a number of insurance companies have been edited to hide personal information.

Here's my latest for @fastcompany.com:

Days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in New York, the leadership webpages for a number of health insurance companies have been edited to hide personal information.

www.fastcompany.com/91242170/cvs...

again to board the flight. So they put me in a separate “passport verification” line, a minor inconvenience but confusing enough that you could easily see how a stowaway could have slipped through unchecked

Then I was pulled out of line at the gate after the face recognition thing seemed to fail to verify me. This was after they already told us we wouldn’t need our passports at the gate…

I will say there was some confusion with Delta’s face-recognition boarding process. I was able to get to the gate without having my passport verified

Stowaway flew aboard Delta flight from New York to Paris | CNN The individual, who did not have a boarding pass, completed security screening and bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations to board the aircraft, according to a TSA spokesperso...

Personal news: I was on this flight. Just glad they didn’t turn around midair www.cnn.com/2024/11/27/t...

This SOB won’t clear and now I’m not going to be able to sleep

I was fascinated to learn about thermopolium on my recent trip to #pompeii. They were the #fastfood restaurants of #ancientrome #historytiktok #traveltiktok #foodtiktok #italy🇮🇹 #oldstuff TikTok video by Christopher Zara

This is what you’re missing if you don’t follow me on TikTok: 2,000-year-old restaurants www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYr5sngV/

Hear me out:

If Trump uses the DOJ to investigate 2020 and declares himself the "winner" four years ago, wouldn't that nullify his 2024 win?

The 22nd amendment says: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice"

He'd have to leave, right?

Most Innovative Companies | Fast Company Join Fast Company Associate Editor Yasmin Gagne as she brings you the latest innovations transforming business and society—and highlights the companies that are reshaping industries and culture.

Bluesky, as everyone on here knows, is growing fast.

On the Most Innovative Companies podcast, Bluesky COO @iamrosewang.bsky.social discusses Bluesky’s core tenets, what the surge in users means, and whether Bluesky can succeed where others have failed: at being a permanent replacement for X.

Bark Social abruptly closes all locations, leaving employees without severance and dog lovers blindsided The popular "dog bar," which has locations in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and elsewhere, said it will enter bankruptcy after a funding crunch.

This is sad and also curious.

Bark Social was a well-funded chain of "dog bars" that recently broke ground on its fifth location and charged $365 a year for memberships.

Now it's shutting down all locations because of a money crunch.

No severance. No refunds. Gone just like that.