it's my birthday!

This is not the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. But maybe, it's the end of the beginning.

Author

Micael Balioni
August 07, 2025

A MESSAGE


Dear reader,

This is the 50th edition of this newsletter. Can you believe it?!

That’s 100 weeks, over +125,000 words written, and countless reflections shared. I truly hope you’ve learned something from reading it, felt a little warmer or more connected to me (or at least got a clearer sense of who I am).

Strangely enough, I feel like I’ve gotten to know you more as well — through your replies, the stories you’ve shared, or even just the quiet act of opening these emails week after week. Every interaction has meant the world to me.

And that’s why… I’ve decided this will be the final edition. (You’ll have to read the What About Me section for the full story.)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this edition as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

M.

THE MUSTS

World

 augustus gloop, o comilão; o grande bobo, trapalhão

 Obesity is on the rise worldwide

 Fitness Generation? Apparently, not so much. An analysis has shown that, by 2050, more than half of the world's adults will be overweight or obese.

  • To give you an idea, today there are 2.11 billion overweight adults - which means that one in four people worldwide are weighing more than is considered healthy.

The countries that will have the most people in this condition are China, India and the USA, followed by Brazil and Russia. That's because together, the first three will have 1.4 billion obese inhabitants, almost half the current number in all countries.

And what is behind this? Basically, people's diets, which are eating more and more ultra-processed foods. Among teenagers, fast food is already a trend: More than 70% of young people said they eat fast food at least every month.

Globally, it is estimated that obesity will cost the world economy more than US$ 4 trillion by 2035, equivalent to almost 3% of current global GDP.

What else in on

  • El Salvador: The Congress of the country approved changes to the Constitution that allow for indefinite presidential reelection and increase the presidential term from 5 to 6 years. (Read)

  • USA: The US banned trans athletes from women's categories. The new rule does not directly mention the term “transgender,” but refers to the “Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports” order signed by Trump earlier this year. (Read)

  • China: The country has just announced the construction of the world's largest dam. Its capacity is so great that it is almost three times larger than the current record holder, the Three Gorges Dam. (Read)

  • Palestine: Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation to make such an announcement in recent days. (Read)

 

Economy & Business

get in my picture, get in my frame

Your Feed Is the Front Page Now

 Goodbye, TV. Hello, social media. For the first time in history, social media and video platforms have surpassed TV and traditional websites as the main sources of news.

  • 54% of people say they get their news from platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, X, and TikTok.

  • TV accounted for 50%

  • News websites for 48%.

The phenomenon is driven by Gen Z and Millennials, who increasingly rely on creators, podcasters, and influencers.

Among the protagonists of this scenario is podcaster Joe Rogan, who was cited as a source of news or commentary by 22% of Americans last week.

  • TikTok is the fastest-growing platform for news consumption (17%), while competitors such as Threads and Mastodon have a reach of less than 2%.

Zooming Out: The movement further weakens traditional journalism — and strengthens an alternative, fragmented, and increasingly personalized media ecosystem. And you? Where do you get your news from? (besides tanamesa of course…)

What else is on:

  • Disney Company: The NFL and ESPN announced a deal Tuesday that will see the league’s NFL Network and other media assets headed to the cable television giant in exchange for a 10% equity stake in the Disney-owned company. Perhaps this deal marks the beginning of a new phase, in which sports leagues become partners with their own distributors. (Read)

  • Netflix: The streaming service has teamed up with a Saudi Arabian streaming network to launch the Middle East's first joint streaming subscription. While Shahid leads the Middle East's $1 billion streaming market with a 22% share, Netflix ranks third with 17%. (Read)

  • Three times more than expected. Figma raised US$1.2 billion in its IPO on the American Stock Exchange and saw its shares skyrocket 242% on the first day, closing at US$115.50 — more than triple the initial price of US$33. (Read)

  • Going for pistachio? Goldman Sachs prepares to buy Häagen-Dazs’ owner. Nestlé is expected to maintain its 50% stake in the business — and may use the next few years to transfer more brands into the joint venture. (Read)

  • Meta: The company now counts 3.48B daily active users across its apps, meaning over 60% of global internet users use one of Meta’s apps every day. And even at that scale, daily users still grew by 6% YoY. (Read)

  • EssilorLuxottica: Revenue from sales of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses more than tripled year over year, the company revealed as part of their most recent earnings report. (Read)

 

Technology & Science

hopefully rent is more affordable there

Scientists find signs of life on planet 124 light-years from Earth

 

With the help of the James Webb super telescope, scientists at the University of Cambridge have announced a discovery that could be the most promising clue yet in the search for life beyond Earth.

They detected two gases in the atmosphere of a distant planet called K2-18 b—dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)—which, here on Earth, are only produced by living organisms, such as phytoplankton in the oceans.

  • K2-18 b is about 2.6 times the size of Earth and is 124 light-years away, in the constellation Leo. It orbits in the so-called “habitable zone” of its star, where the temperature would allow liquid water to exist.

Okay, but what does that mean? It's not exactly a photo of an alien waving, but it's what scientists call a biosignature — a chemical sign that there may be life there.

Zoom out: Since the 1990s, more than 5,800 exoplanets have been discovered. But this one, in particular, stands out as one of the most promising.

What else is on:

  • OpenAI: ChatGPT has launched “study mode” designed to help you learn from explanations and avoid “copying and pasting.” Study Mode uses the Socratic method, asking questions and offering hints to convey the knowledge being sought, essentially acting as a real-life teacher. (Read)

     

     

EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Movies

lavender Lamborghini, roll up in a blue bikini

 F1 by Joseph Kosinski: Brad Pitt slips behind the wheel — and straight into the heart of a turbo-charged Formula One melodrama — in F1: The Movie, a film that’s as cheesy as it is gloriously slick. Think Cars (yes, the Pixar one) meets Top Gun with a sponsorship deal. It’s a big-budget, brand-licensed thrill ride (remember when I talked about this two editions ago?), with dazzling real-life race footage, roaring engines, gleaming logos, and Pitt himself tearing across the screen in an unreasonably priced car.

Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, an ex-champ turned racing rogue with a mysterious past that includes professional gambling and NYC cab-driving. Called back into the game by his old buddy-turned-team-owner (Javier Bardem), Sonny is asked to rescue a failing team and mentor a hotheaded rookie (Damson Idris). Predictably, sparks fly, egos clash, rules are broken — and it’s a joy to watch.

Is it full of clichés? Absolutely. But clichés land for a reason, and this film leans into them with such confidence and energy that you can’t help but get swept up.

With Lewis Hamilton on board as producer and a cameo, plus a pulse-racing soundtrack and gorgeous, over-the-top cinematography, F1 delivers. It’s not subtle, and it’s certainly not reinventing the wheel — but I left the cinema with a grin on my face and my heart still pounding. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it this much. But I really, really did. (Rating 8/10)

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Micael

hold your breath and count to ten

 

A lot of people here know that I’ve always been really insecure about my height. In fact, when I was a kid, I used to say to my dad — almost like I was blaming him — that my biggest fear in life was becoming a short guy.

My dad, who isn’t very tall himself, once paused, looked me in the eyes, and said:


“Well, I’m not tall. And your mom isn’t tall either… — so there’s a chance your biggest fear might come true. But if it does, maybe that’s a good thing. Because once you face your biggest fear, there’s nothing left to fear anymore.”

Years passed… and here I am: two meters tall.

But he was right in his own way. I did grow up — and although I’m still insecure about my height sometimes, I live a pretty good life for someone whose “worst case scenario” actually happened.

What my dad didn’t tell me, though, is that once you conquer one fear, a new one takes its place. And the cycle continues.

  • Here’s a confession: I’m a very fearful person. I think I hide it pretty well, but so many of my choices and behaviors are shaped by fear. I tend to be cautious. I always have a plan A, plan B, plan C… and backup options for when those fail. I like to research, ask mentors, think things through — all because I’m afraid. Afraid that things won’t work out. Afraid that I’ll fail and not have a safety net. Afraid of falling and not getting back up.

A few years ago, over dinner, my friend Bruno stopped me mid-conversation. I was telling him I was choosing a safer path for my future — something solid, something I could depend on. He looked at me and said:

❝

“Look at what you’ve already accomplished. Have you ever stopped to think about what you could’ve done if you weren’t always driven by fear?”

Honestly? Fuck Bruno. That sentence has haunted me ever since — in the best way. It became a recurring topic in therapy, a few songs, and many long nights of reflection.

After I moved past the fear of being short, new ones took over. Some of them were quieter, but heavier. And recently, one of those fears came true. A big one. A very personal one. And once again, I found myself face to face with the thing I dreaded most.

But here I am: Still standing. Still showing up. Still trying.

I don’t think I’ll ever become fearless. But I also don’t think that’s the goal. Fear can protect us from danger — it has its purpose. But fear shouldn’t lead our lives. I genuinely believe the universe sometimes puts us in front of our biggest fears just to remind us of how resilient we are. Just to whisper: “See? You’re stronger than you thought.”

I’m learning a lot about my own resilience. And more than that — I’m learning to trust it.

  • Some days I still wake up scared. I rehearse the worst-case scenario. I draft the backup plan. I pretend I’m in control. But there’s also a growing part of me that knows — for real — that I’ll figure it out when I get there. That not everything needs to be predicted or protected. That fear doesn’t have to be a wall; it can be a signpost.

And maybe that’s what courage really is: Choosing to believe in the person you're becoming.

With love,
Micael.

P.S. So, about that dramatic exit in the intro… No, this isn’t the real end of the newsletter. That was just a nice little clickbait moment to celebrate the 50th edition. I just wanted you to read this message.

Thank you for being here. Always.

 

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