ZWF: Forget a cage match, Mark Zuckerberg just KO'd Elon Musk
Zander's Weekend Facts #74: Sunday, July 9, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, how Threads has become the Twitter killer, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 110 features the latest news surrounding conference realignment in college sports. Go download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, July 9, 2023:
Meta launches Threads to take on Twitter
While it’s become the latest dream of internet fanboys who pledge to trust one of the world’s richest men with planting a microchip in their brain, it’s not likely that Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg will ever battle it out in the ring.
Even so, it seemed like Zuckerberg took a massive swing that ultimately connected right to Musk’s jaw this past week.
On Wednesday evening, Meta, the company in charge of Facebook and headed by Zuckerberg, launched its newest social media innovation, Threads. Threads is the latest imitation of Twitter, an app that has sorely needed a successor since Musk took charge in October of last year.
In the almost 10 months since Musk became Twitter’s chief, the app has forced users to pay $8 per month to acquire a blue verification check - meaning your friendly neighborhood basement dweller can now pose as a verified information outlet, unbanned many far-right conspiracy theorists and elevated their platforms, suspend the profiles of actual journalists, blocked links from other social media platforms, declared “cisgender” a slur, and finally on July 1 limiting how many posts users can view per day.
In summary, Twitter has become a cesspool, and the only thing that’s stopped its users from migrating to a new site is the lack of a functional, accessible, and easy-to-use alternative.
There have been many Twitter alternatives that have floated around in the last few months. There’s been Mastodon, Post, Spoutible, Blue Sky, Spill, and others, but they just haven’t been able to garner enough attention to become a serious threat to the blue bird. Until now.
With the launch of Meta’s Threads, Twitter has finally found a competitor that has left Musk quivering. So much so that he’s already threatened a lawsuit.
At first glance, Threads is nothing special, even compared with Twitter. Its features are limited are launch, there’s no desktop version for your computer, and there’s no way at the moment to only show the accounts you’re following in your feed.
But for those just seeking a steady ship to jump on to as the blue check trolls continue to infest the Twitter-verse with the most distasteful garbage a human can muster, Threads is perfect.
Its connection with another Meta social media product, Instagram, allows users to instantly follow everyone they were on Instagram on Threads. And something that’s plagued other Twitter alternatives, a lack of power users, is not an issue for Threads. For sports fans, Adam Schefter, Adrian Wojnarowski, and other reporters have already set up shop. Celebrities like Shakira and Kim Kardashian have also migrated to the platform. Even top news platforms like NBC News, CNN, and ABC News have created accounts.
It’s basically become what Twitter was before right-wing zealots began to take reign, just without some useful tools to make the app great, which will surely come along in the near future.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are still many reasons not to feel an affinity for Mark Zuckerberg. However, if the fight is between him and a man who’s platformed nazis on Twitter, I’m gonna choose Zuck. And with over 90 million users having signed up since Wednesday, it’s clear to see that Zuck will be taking this round.
(By the way, you should follow Zander’s Facts if you’re on Threads by going to this super awesome link: https://www.threads.net/@zandersfacts)
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from The New York Times - Threads Becomes Most Rapidly Downloaded App, Raising Twitter’s Ire
What Zander’s been reading
In 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered the main synagogue in Munich, Germany to be destroyed, one of the first to be destroyed under his rule. In the over 80 years since, no evidence of rubble from the synagogue had been found, until last week.
Check out this week’s featured article at NPR - Parts of a Munich synagogue demolished by Nazis are found in a river 85 years later - (Apple News link)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
MLB All-Star: The 2023 MLB All-Star Game is set to take place on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The top overall vote-getters to play in the game were designated hitter Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels for the American League and outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. from the Atlanta Braves for the National League. The game is set to begin at 8:00 pm et on Tuesday on Fox. On Monday, the Home Run Derby will take place at 8:00 pm et on ESPN. The derby is set to include Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., New York Mets right fielder Pete Alonso, and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Mookie Betts.
Soccer Transfers: The summer transfer window in soccer has opened, with many players having found their new clubs. PSG star Kylian Mbappe has been instructed to either sign a new contract in Paris or be sold this summer as his contract currently runs out next summer. Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has signed a deal with EPL rival Manchester United, while United failed to reach a new deal with longtime goalkeeper David de Gea. Amongst American players, Christian Pulisic has reportedly agreed to a move to AC Milan in Italy from Chelsea, Ricardo Pepi has signed a deal with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, while Falorin Balogun and Yunus Musah are expected to be sold from Arsenal and Valencia, respectively.
Damian Lillard: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has requested a trade from the NBA franchise. After months-long rumors on how much longer the 32-year-old would want to stay with his hometown team, Lillard formally asked to be moved last week. While reports from Lillard’s camp indicate he would only want to be traded to the Miami Heat, he still has several years remaining on his contract that does not include a no-trade clause, meaning the Trail Blazers can send him anywhere the team gets the package in return. In other NBA news, the league unveiled the format of its new In-Season Tournament on Saturday night, with the finals taking place December 7 and 9 in Las Vegas.
Concacaf Gold Cup: The quarterfinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup began last night and wrap up later today. On Saturday, Panama shut down Qatar 4-0 and Mexico took care of Costa Rica 2-0. Later today, Guatemala will face Jamaica at 5:00 pm et, with the United States taking on Canada at 8:00 pm et. Both matches will take place in Cincinnati and air on FS1 and Univision. The semifinals will take place on Wednesday on FS1 and Univision, with Panama facing the U.S. or Canada at 7:30 pm et in San Diego, and Mexico facing Guatemala or Jamaica at 10:00 pm et in Las Vegas. The final will take place in Los Angeles next Sunday at 7:30 pm et on Fox and Univision.
Hot Dog Eating Contest: The annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest took place on Tuesday, with Joey Chestnut once again taking the top spot. Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win his 16th Nathan’s Famous and eighth straight. Chestnut also holds the record for most hot dogs eaten in a single competition, having eaten 76 in 2021. In the women’s competition, Miki Sudo won her ninth Hot Dog Eating Contest by eating 39.5 hot dogs and buns.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Social Media/Government Contact: A U.S. District Court judge in Louisiana ruled this past week that some government agencies could not ask social media companies to moderate their content. Government agencies like the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services were barred from discussing the “removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech,” under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The Biden administration responded on Friday by asking a federal judge to halt the order, calling it “both sweeping in scope and vague in its terms.”
Record Heat: The unofficial record high for Earth’s average temperature was set three times last week. According to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, the planetary average temperature hit a record high on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with Thursday’s temperature coming out to 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius.) Previously, the average daily temperature never got over 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) in the 44 years the University of Maine has been tracking data. Scientists say the cause of the record heat has been long-term warming from greenhouse gas emissions and warming from a natural El Niño. NOAA noted that it could not confirm the results from the data, as it relies on computer modeling.
Ukraine Weapons: The United States announced on Friday that it will be sending controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine as part of a new weapons package. The U.S. has never sent cluster bombs to another country, which were first used in World War II. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty signed by 123 countries banned the weapon, although neither Russia, Ukraine, nor the U.S. has joined the treaty. Cluster bombs disperse dozens or hundreds of bomblets that can cover a wide area. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross found that 10%-40% of the bomblets dropped fail to detonate on impact, leaving them vulnerable for years.
Netherlands Government: A coalition government in the Netherlands collapsed last week. The four parties forming the government couldn’t agree on asylum policies, ending the one-and-a-half-year-old coalition. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD party was attempting to install new caps on the number of relatives of war refugees the country takes in but were rejected by other government parties. Rutte announced his resignation, along with all members of his cabinet, on Friday. Rutte had served as the country’s prime minister since 2010, the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.
Produce Bag Ban: New Zealand has become the first country to institute a ban on single-use produce bags at grocery stores. Secretary for the Environment James Palmer said that the ban could remove up to 150 million plastic produce bags from circulation each year. The country previously banned stores from providing single-use plastic shopping bags in 2019, which eight states in the U.S. have followed. Single-use plastics have been found to clog storm drains, kill wildlife, and increase litter. The country also banned the manufacture, sale, and distribution of single-use plates, bowls, and cutlery.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out the Zander’s Facts Linktree page for more on everything Zander’s Facts related, including the all-new Zander’s Facts website. At ZandersFacts.com, get the latest on all the facts that Zander is putting out, and check out the freshest styles at the Zander’s Facts shop!
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, July 16, 2023.
