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👋 Good morning. Meet Verne. Luverne, Minnesota, just unveiled the world’s tallest nutcracker — a 65-foot-tall, Uncle Sam lookalike named Verne the Patriot. Why, you might ask? Because the town has a thing for nutcrackers: It's home to 7.5k+ of them, outnumbering its ~5k human residents. Verne is complete with a working jaw, by the way. Now we just need to find him a really big walnut…

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NEWS FLASH

💧 The easiest meal is somehow getting easier: After a five-year development period, the instant noodle technologists at Nissin are ready to debut its first Cup Noodle made with cold water. Only available in Japan for now, the noodles will need to soak for five minutes to be ready to eat but eliminating the need for boiling hot water will be a relief for diners during hot months — and also immeasurably improve conditions in communal dorm kitchens.

🐭 Weird, but OK: The Walt Disney Co. and Kraft Heinz announced a long-term “strategic alliance” that’ll put food brands like Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft macaroni in prominent places across the Disney universe, including theme parks, resorts, and cruise ships, which makes sense, but also… film and TV shows? In the next “Avengers” movie, when Captain America stops mid-battle for a refreshing squirt of Heinz ketchup, this is why.

👁 A sight for sore eyes: Brain-computer interface startup Science Corporation won European approval for PRIMA, a tiny chip that’s implanted behind the eye and works with smart glasses to restore vision for people with age-related macular degeneration. The startup says the device has already allowed patients to get back to their usual hobbies, like crossword puzzles and reading.

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

Pharmacy for the whole family: CVS said it will now fill pet prescriptions, including insulin, antibiotics, and flea-and-tick meds at thousands of its pharmacies.
Tips for trips: Regional war has been rough on Dubai’s tourism numbers, so the city’s offering residents benefits worth ~$800 if they can lure non-resident friends and family to town.
Nerds are spending freely: Hasbro announced that revenue from "Magic: The Gathering" popped 32% in Q2, with the 30-year-old card game eclipsing $500m in quarterly revenue for its first time ever.
Know when to fold ’em: Most Polymarket users roughly broke even over a six-week period this spring, according to a Pew study of 12k accounts, but one in three of the platform’s most active traders lost $1k+.

PRODUCT PIVOTS

7 Products That Outshined Their Predecessors

Genius product pivots by Apple, Tesla, Coke, and more

Before the iPhone, there were iPods (shouts to shuffle).

Before Tesla’s Model 3, gas guzzler supremes ruled the streets.

And before Netflix streaming (*shudders*), we rented our movies by mail….

Thank goodness for innovative businesses. Here are seven times a shining product outpunched its predecessors, with mini case studies on big brands like Coke, Instagram, and AWS.

Originals (except us) are overrated. Steal these strategy notes and see how you can flip some unsuspecting industry on its head.

7 killer sequel products

THE BIG IDEA

Dogs are living the suite life at luxury hotels

Until recently, traveling as a pet owner meant you were either scrambling to find boarding and feeling guilty about leaving the little guy, or taking them along and staying at whichever hotel you could find to accommodate them — not the nice one you were hoping would be the backdrop of your vacation.

To the delight of pampered pups and their doting owners, that’s no longer the case.

From the US to Thailand, upscale hotels are now extending their hospitality to our four-legged friends, with a host of dog-friendly services and amenities on par with those of their bougiest human counterparts, per Bloomberg.

Offerings range from the expected — dedicated dog menus, on-site dog-walking services, designated potty areas and walkways, personalized amenity kits, and “stick libraries” — to the woo-woo and luxurious:

There are pet psychics and sonic meditation; bathrobe service, facials, and massages; and rentable wardrobes.
In New Orleans, The Windsor Court’s $150 Bark Happy program includes dog-inclusive high tea with “Chompagne” and nightly bone-broth turndown service.
In New York, the Baccarat Hotel offers a $1k in-suite consultation for 18K gold and diamond dog collars.

Driving the trend…

… are “dinkwad” couples — an abbreviation for “dual income, no kids, with a dog” (even though it sounds like a mean name you’d call someone who blows money on dumb things like dog reiki).

Many dinkwads are choosing to forgo having kids either because they don’t want them or, despite having two incomes, feel they can’t afford them.
That’s left a lot of extra cash lying around to support a lavish lifestyle for Fido, who doesn’t need a college fund and is now filling that child-sized void.

“It’s less about spoiling your dog and more about this is what I have the ability to do,” one 30-something dinkwad told Bloomberg. “People are saying, ‘Yeah, I can’t support a kid, but you know what I can afford? A dog and the 50 extra bucks a night to take it on vacation.’”

Beyond hotels

Demand for pet-friendly travel — a global market projected to grow from $2.4B in 2024 to $4B by 2030 — has introduced other major upgrades.

There are several dog-first airlines, and last year Cruise Tails launched the first dog-friendly cruise.
And since vacations only start at hotels, some museums and tourist attractions have also started welcoming furry friends.

Soon, the hardest part of traveling with your pup may be convincing them to come home.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You should run your life like it’s a $100m business. You're worth it. Here’s how.

NEWSWORTHY NUMBER

Weight, in pounds, of Big Boy 4014, the world’s largest operating steam-engine train. Built in 1941 to haul freight across the Wasatch Mountains, the old American locomotive was decommissioned in the 1960s, replaced by cheaper diesel trains, per The Wall Street Journal.

Now, it’s hitting the tracks again on its first coast-to-coast tour, with thousands of trainspotters traveling to see the hulking machine in action — a sight that’s reportedly bringing grown men to tears.

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: In 1998, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was released in theaters. Every day since, a dad has exhaled heavily before referencing the WWII epic’s opening scene.

💠 How to: make a circuit board out of origami.

📏 That’s fun: Compare the heights of fictional characters.

👾 Game: It’s basically Tetris but the board rotates and drives you mildly insane.

🐶 Aww: Making friends.

SHOWER THOUGHT

Music conductors probably get the closest to how it must feel being a wizard casting a magnificent spell. SOURCE

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🏨 Hotels go to the dogs