530: Texas eclipse, prompted AI audio, and apple juice scams
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The Texas Eclipse Festival was exceptionally poorly organized, although once within the festival container, the lights/crowds/drones/music/etc did indeed deliver. I wonder if it’s because the organizers are doing these eclipse shows as one-offs and thus organizing in new places with new teams each time.
Either way, you’d think they’d have figured it out better by now. I asked 8 different staff members upon entry where to get my wrist band and not a single one knew! And they cancelled the entire thing on the last day due to ‘weather concerns’, though I also heard chatter of fentanyl deaths onsite as well, so who knows.
The eclipse itself was wonderful and well worth it, in my opinion. It’s quite distinct from a sunset, regardless of what the hater web denizens would have you believe.
Here’s every solar eclipse of the next 50 years, if you wanna catch the next one. Nothing in North America for another 20 years, but Spain has one in 2026!
Technology
Reader and dad Mark sent me this new YC startup that lets you create music using text AI prompts. Impressive results, although not entirely there yet IMO/
Ideologies
My favorite streamer Atrioc had a good piece on the dirty secrets of modern food marketing. Ex: smoothies and juice are mostly apple juice due to cost and sugar content, which allows them to say ‘no added sugar’.
Memes
Check out this footage of skydivers diving during the eclipse itself - wild!