Small Talk: We've Been Promised Flying Cars
Plus: what pizza orders at the Pentagon might prove ...
Welcome to Small Talk, an email I serve out every Monday morning exclusively to our Breakfast Club members in NYC and Charleston. The premise is simple: my top of mind topics for the week’s worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ahead anytime some chatter is required. From now on, I’ll be sharing it with subscribers of The Supersonic as well. Enjoy, and crib topics as necessary.
Just in: this week's dinner table conversation cheat code. Let's go.
For consideration …
Road Bots
Imagine a road trip without boredom. That's the future, according to a new article in The Wall Street Journal that sits somewhere between futurism and public relations. The automotive industry is bullish on self-driving cars and, sooner than you'd think, long drives to grandma will fly by as robots massage us while watching hours and hours of Love is Blind on Netflix. The cars of tomorrow will be powered by A.I., won't have steering wheels, and will monitor your health. That sounds like science fiction, but according to Fast Company, Google's Waymo self-driving cars are a hit in tech-forward San Francisco, capturing nearly a quarter of the Bay Area's rideshare business in just 20 months. Now, imagine a road trip without roads. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order removing more red tape from the air taxi industry. The goal? Loosen regulations to accelerate growth. The trend started in 2024, when the FAA created the first new category of aircraft in 80 years: the "powered-lift aircraft." Federal Aviation Administration head Mike Whitaker said this will allow air taxis to begin sharing the skies with helicopters and small planes. Coming soon: self-flying cars.Kart Blanche
For a while, the White House’s tariff plans nearly sparked a revolt when rumors spread they’d raise the price of Nintendo’s Switch 2. That video game system is one of America's favorite non-pharmaceutical anti-anxiety drugs. Luckily, for now, the video game console is available for purchase in the United States, if you can find one. How did the Switch 2 escape being a trade war casualty? The Guardian says it’s a mix of luck, smart moves on Nintendo’s part, and the administration’s on-again, off-again policy. The release this past Thursday was chaotic but good news for Nintendo. Some fans waited outside stores for hours, while others spent their free time reloading websites. The Switch 2 launches with about 25 games, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and just as many are rumored to be on their way. Mario Kart World, the 17th entry in the series, comes bundled. The reviews? Mostly positive.Give Cheese a Chance
Finally, a story that combines high-stakes geopolitical crises with large Extravaganza pizzas from Domino's. The Takeout popularized a Cold War-era theory earlier this year that's gaining traction again: one sign that there’s a potential national security risk brewing is an uptick in pizza deliveries to the Pentagon. At its most basic, the theory says that during threats, DoD hungry wonks are chained to their desks, and emotional eating is a must. It's not that different from pulling an all-nighter in college, only the fate of the free world may or may not be at stake. The so-called Pizza Meter is built on various Beltway legends, the first being that the Soviet Union spied on D.C. deliveries as a way to gauge activity in the capital city of their great enemy. In 1990, Domino's franchise owner Frank Meeks told The Los Angeles Times that he noticed multiple orders to the Pentagon coincided with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the event that triggered the first Gulf War. More recent examples connecting pizza delivery surges to global conflicts have occurred in 2024, with a notable instance just last week, when Domino's was ordered amid high tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran.
Quicker hits …
The French Open delivered some finals, and some fashion. The backstory on the inspo behind Alcaraz and Sinner's fits.
Introducing: the drink of the summer.
Hooters, the creepiest place to eat lousy wings, is filing for bankruptcy.
Local NYC blog lists 100 favorite restaurants.
TikTok's "last meeting" theory.
Enjoy your week.
BL
Ben Leventhal
Founder + CEO
Blackbird