The \Brief — Backslash

A weekly snapshot of the latest in culture, technology, and business.

STI-Screening Tampon UK health startup Daye has released a tampon that allows users to test for STIs from home. A sample is collected after insertion, which then gets mailed to a lab and checked for chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomon

Backslash - 11/14/23 Backslash - 11/14/23

STI Screening Tampon, Green Caskets, Sensory-Friendly Stores

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Now and Then With the help of AI, the Beatles released their final song featuring all of the original members. An unfinished track written and recorded by John Lennon was extracted from a cassette, allowing the band to pair his vo

Backslash - 11/7/23 Backslash - 11/7/23

Now and Then, UGC Gaming, Light Phone II

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Body Confident Sport Nike and Dove have teamed up to launch a body confidence coaching program for girls ages 11 to 17. Teenage girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys, with lack of body confidence as the number

Backslash - 10/31/23 Backslash - 10/31/23

Body Confident Sport, Magic Capsule, Uber Balloon

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Adaptive Intimates Victoria’s Secret has debuted its first-ever collection of intimates for women with disabilities. Features include magnetic closures, sensory-friendly fabric, fully adjustable front bra straps, and more. Brands

Backslash - 10/24/23 Backslash - 10/24/23

Adaptive Intimates, AR Education, Women’s Work Strike

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Netflix House Netflix is getting into retail with a new brick and mortar concept launching in 2025. Netflix House locations will combine shopping, dining, and live entertainment related to the latest Netflix hits. Brands can feed

Backslash - 10/17/23 Backslash - 10/17/23

Netflix House, Silver Pride, Roblox EDU

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Smoke-Free UK The UK Prime Minister has proposed a plan to ban younger generations from ever buying cigarettes. The plan would raise the legal smoking age by one year every year—completely phasing out smoking as soon as 2040. With

Backslash - 10/11/23 Backslash - 10/11/23

Smoke-Free UK, Zero Carbon McDonald’s, Workplace Readiness Week

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WHOOP Coach Fitness company WHOOP is partnering with OpenAI to create a hyper-personalized health and fitness coach. By tapping into biometric data, the coach can create custom recipes and training plans, as well as answer questions

Backslash - 10/3/23 Backslash - 10/3/23

WHOOP Coach, Influencer Education, Music as Medicine

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Backslash - 9/26/23 Backslash - 9/26/23

Mocktail Sports Sponsor, AI Sportscasters, Plus-Size EDU

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Death Studies Later this year, the University of Padua will offer Italy’s first master’s degree on death. The curriculum will cover themes like processing loss, cultural attitudes toward death, bioethics, and more. Death talk is movi

Backslash - 9/19/23 Backslash - 9/19/23

Death Studies, Roblox Romance, Neuro-Inclusive Jobs

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Space Babies SpaceBorn United wants to make it possible for humans to reproduce in space through IVF. The company is testing how gravity affects embryos, and says their research could also improve IVF on Earth. As the space race co

Backslash - 9/12/23 Backslash - 9/12/23

Space Babies, Kindle’s AI Crackdown, Braille Graffiti

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E-Scooters Begone Paris has become the first European capital to ban rental electric scooters. Ninety percent of people voted to ban the scooters in April, citing safety concerns and cluttered sidewalks. With e-scooters falling out

Backslash - 9/6/23 Backslash - 9/6/23

E-Scooters Begone, Home Coffee Shop, Braille Bricks

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Will of Fortune College students in Singapore created a card game that aims to dispel taboos around end-of-life planning. Players are forced to make decisions related to insurance, estate planning, funeral arrangements, and more. W

Backslash - 8/29/23 Backslash - 8/29/23

Will of Fortune, Bee&Bee, Cancer Check Tags

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myvox A new music platform called myvox lets artists license and monetize their own AI voice models. Artists maintain control over the whole process by defining their own royalty splits. AI platforms are breaking down barriers to m

Backslash - 8/22/23 Backslash - 8/22/23

myvox, Guilty Flavours, Brown Lawn Pride

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Taobao Offer Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao is supporting new graduates with an in-app job searching feature . By searching “offer” or “graduation job search,” users can browse over 60,000 job listings and apply with one click.&n

Backslash - 8/16/23 Backslash - 8/16/23

Taobao Offer, Fandangoe Discoteca, Climate Perks

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Crayola Studios Crayola is moving into entertainment with the launch of a new kids-focused content studio . The first series, “The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian,” will be based on a popular sci-fi podcast. With today’s kids const

Backslash - 8/8/23 Backslash - 8/8/23

Crayola Studios, Peppermint Clubhouse, Money Games

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Hologram Zoo The world’s first hologram zoo has opened in Australia, featuring over 50 virtual animals. The 1,000-square-meter exhibit blends AR visual with 4D effects for a fully immersive experience. Hailed as a more ethical alte

Backslash - 8/2/23 Backslash - 8/2/23

Hologram Zoo, The Original Map, Au revoir, French

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Neopets Revival Neopets, one of the longest-running virtual pet websites, is relaunching with a new homepage and improved games. Rather than bringing in Web3 technologies, the rebrand will stay loyal to the site’s origins.  In

Backslash - 7/25/23 Backslash - 7/25/23

Neopets Revival, AIGO Bookstore, Superhero Chatbot

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Inclusive Driving Brazilian car rental company Localiza is paying for 30 people with Down syndrome to take driving lessons.  Despite it being completely legal, only two people with Down syndrome in Brazil have their driver’s li

Backslash - 7/19/23 Backslash - 7/19/23

Inclusive Driving, Heat-Reducing Paint, SUV Fee

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Water Cremation The UK is introducing a greener alternative to gas-fired cremation: water cremation .  The process involves dissolving a body in 160°C water, and is expected to slash carbon emissions by 50%. The desire to be su

Backslash - 7/12/23 Backslash - 7/12/23

Water Cremation, Latinistas, eCycle

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Phone-Free Island This summer, tourists can visit the first phone-free island off the coast of Finland. Although voluntary, the tourism board is urging visitors to completely unplug and "genuinely enjoy the islands." As tech fatigue

Backslash - 6/27/23 Backslash - 6/27/23

Phone-Free Island, AI Sports Commentator, In-Flight Wellness

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