OZY - Daily Dose

10 MUST READS TODAY

Tuesday
March 19, 2019

1	Rising Stars

Rising Stars

The Outlaw Brewer Running for Thailand's Future

Taopiphop Limjittrakorn’s revolution started with a cold brew denied. Now he’s running for Parliament.

Democracy is returning to Thailand for the first time since the 2014 military-led coup. Joining the lineup of political stalwarts and proxy appendages for the military junta ahead of elections this Sunday is Future Forward, a boldly progressive, social-media-savvy party founded by a billionaire. Among its legion of new faces is an outlaw. He’s not an exiled member of the political elite or a shamed member of the royal family, though. He’s a 30-year-old former lawyer who was busted for making craft beer.

Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, or Tao, is in many ways a typical millennial. Tall and affable, he loves internet memes and ’90s pop culture references. After earning a law degree from Thammasat University, Tao worked for a big Thai conglomerate for two and a half years, which, he says, took a toll on his soul. “I didn’t like it. I quit because I was taking land from poor people,” Tao says. After bailing on his law career, he made ends meet as a tour guide and spent most of his free time on his singular focus: making and drinking good beer. Until, that is, he was tapped by the Future Forward Party last year to run for Parliament.

2	Fast Forward

Fast Forward

Artificial Intelligence Begins Exercising Power Over Your Home Fitness

Machines and apps that design personalized workouts, motivate and test you are emerging as the next big leap in fitness.

You’re running on the treadmill when the trainer tells you that you need to speed up further. As you’re cooling down after your workout, the trainer designs your routine for the next day. You did well, it tells you. Yes, you read that right. The trainer isn’t a human. It’s an artificial intelligence-driven platform that gleans what your body needs and what it’s capable of, and then designs your workouts and oversees your routines, even offering motivation when you need it.

This isn’t science fiction. For years, fitness enthusiasts looking for at-home routines suited to their needs and convenience have had to rely on personal trainers who make house calls. But these trainers aren’t affordable for most — the national average for a one-hour personal training session is between $80 at the gym and $120 at home. Now, a growing number of fitness firms are turning to AI to offer affordable, personalized training at home, relying on technological advances unavailable at the start of the decade. They’re tapping into an already lucrative fitness equipment market that’s expected to reach $12 billion by 2022 globally. In the last five years, the personal training industry in the U.S. has grown to an estimated revenue of $9 billion for 2019, according to market research firm IBIS World.

Good Sh*t

The Better Way to Carry Your Cat — On Your Back

Getting your feline to the vet is hard enough. A bubble carrier makes it easier on you, and hopefully on kitty too.

The thing my cat Smitten loves more than anything else is being told how beautiful he is. The thing he hates more than anything else is going outside. But all cats must eventually go outside, especially when they eat things they’re not supposed to and must travel back and forth to the vet several times to stave off medical disaster.

This is where the problems arose: Smitten’s Paris-based vet is within easy walking distance, but it also means he had to be carried 15 minutes each way in his serviceable cat carrier. And being a Parisian cat who loves eating, Smitten weighs about 17 pounds, which means carrying him is like carrying about six MacBook Airs if MacBook Airs were really angry about you taking them outside.

Opinion

Want to Delete Depression From Your Brain? Listen to OZY's New Podcast

We might one day be able to erase mental illness from our brains. But first, let’s change the way we think about mental health.

5	Fast Forward

Comeback Kid: Macron's Great Debate Helps Revive His Popularity

The French president is clawing his way back up the ratings, thanks to a series of popular consultations across the country.

Opinion

The Mueller Thread: How to Almost Indict a President

Several Watergate prosecutors proposed an alternative to indicting Richard Nixon — one that could still be invoked in the Mueller probe today.

Acumen

1 in 5 Californians Is Poor. Housing Prices Are to Blame

The sky-high cost of living is turning a land of opportunity into a land of disparity for many Golden State residents.

Flashback

This Hollywood Haunt Is the American Birthplace of Fettuccine Alfredo

What do you get when you combine morning sickness, cheesy pasta and silent film superstars? A timeless L.A. hangout.

9	Rising Stars

The Inventor Trying to Suck Water From the World's Driest Air

With 5 billion facing water shortages by 2050, artist Ap Verheggen has developed patent-pending technology to quench the world’s thirst.

10	Fast Forward

Female Artists Challenge Vietnam's Gender Stereotypes

Defying censorship, these artists are transforming the face of art in Vietnam, opening up conversations long seen as taboo.

You Should Know This


Special Briefing: Common Criminal — or Jamaica’s Modern-Day Musical Hero?

How did we do?

Why not rate our email

OZY isn’t like other media companies: We want to hear your love and your loathing, so we can be even better at serving up tantalizing stories. You can also email us at replies@ozy.com.