Axis Conversations

Hoodies are the new T-shirt for Gen Z, a store in Nantucket's "No Influencers" sign sparks a debate, and back to school season is officially upon us.
 
Song of the Week: "oh yeah?" by Steve Lacy (language)
→ Click here to read the lyrics
 
In Other News:
Spotify will add an "AI Persona" label on AI artists. In addition to flagging AI-generated content for users, these personas will be excluded from the company's algorithmic recommendations. The summer box office has earned $4 billion for the second time since COVID, thanks to hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and other blockbusters. Olivia Rodrigo played for a crowd of 1,000 in Brooklyn last week. Tickets were purchased at the box office that day for only $25. Compare this to her ticket prices for The Unraveled Tour (up to $1,100). Some grandparents have taken to unknowingly gifting their grandkids AI-generated slop books, to the consternation of many parents. A new rom-com, One Night Only, imagines a world where Congress has outlawed premarital sex. But for one night a year, the ban is lifted. You can read the content warnings here.
🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect
→ Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
→ Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel!
→ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.
→ For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Bruce McCluggage is a Professor of Philosophy at Pikes Peak State College, and a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary.
🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect
→ Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
→ Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel!
→ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.
→ For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Three Big Conversations:
Ariana Grande announces a break from public life - 7:56
history writer and influencer Hank Green faces backlash for using AI tools - 22:08
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has a wild opening weekend - 33:02
Slang of the Week: Larping - 00:58
In Other News: - 47:40
The current owners of Myspace (Tim and Chris Vanderhook) announced that they plan to relaunch the classic social media platform, though they did not say when. Let the record reflect that we are on the edge of our seats. According to the Wall Street Journal, this summer's "hottest drink" is officially a bottle of water. Try some today for $6!Vogue, on the other hand, has argued that the drink of the summer is "banana-milk coffee." And right behind that one: durian-mustard maté. Netflix is getting sued for $105 million for losing an unencrypted copy of Nicolas Cage's WWII film Fortitude. Kind of like we might lose a few subscribers after that obscure fruit-caffeine joke in point three. Finally, Christianity Today agrees with us that Instagram Plus is really just Instagram Minus. So glad our own Jenna Mindel was on the case!
🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect
→ Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
→ Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel!
→ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.
→ For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Ariana Grande announces a break from public life, history writer and influencer Hank Green faces backlash for using AI tools, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day has a wild opening weekend.
Slang of the Week: Larping
→ Click to see our interview on Educating Humans in the Age of AI (with Professor Jeffrey Bilbro)
In Other News:
The current owners of Myspace (Tim and Chris Vanderhook) announced that they plan to relaunch the classic social media platform, though they did not say when. Let the record reflect that we are on the edge of our seats. According to the Wall Street Journal, this summer's "hottest drink" is officially a bottle of water. Try some today for $6!Vogue, on the other hand, has argued that the drink of the summer is "banana-milk coffee." And right behind that one: durian-mustard maté. Netflix is getting sued for $105 million for losing an unencrypted copy of Nicolas Cage's WWII film Fortitude. Kind of like we might lose a few subscribers after that obscure fruit-caffeine joke in point three. Finally, Christianity Today agrees with us that Instagram Plus is really just Instagram Minus. So glad our own Jenna Mindel was on the case!
🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect
→ Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
→ Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel!
→ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.
→ For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Jeffrey is the editor-in-chief of Front Porch Republic and associate professor of English at Grove City College. He is the author of several books, including Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News, which we'll be discussing today.
🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect
→ Become a monthly donor today, join the Table.
→ Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel!
→ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org.
→ For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.