Description

🎙️Episode 009: Reading Declines, Chicken Rises

In Episode 9, Brian dives into the sharp decline of reading for pleasure, reflecting on his own shift to audiobooks while exploring why leisure reading still matters. He also unpacks the return of McDonald’s Snack Wrap and what it says about America’s ongoing “chicken wars,” before shifting to sports with Raja Bell’s memorable clothesline of Kobe Bryant, the Packers’ blockbuster deal for Micah Parsons, and ASU football’s new fan incentives. A tongue-in-cheek Not a Sponsor segment pokes fun at our fading relationship with books, while productivity tips highlight five laptop accessories to make work easier. On the tech side, Discord adds Handoff support, and Brian previews Apple’s September event with rumored iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. Wrapping up in entertainment, he covers Apple TV+ dropping Friday Night Baseball, raising its price, and why it remains his favorite streaming service.

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Sources:

Education

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/08/20/american-reading-declines-attention-spans/ 

Economics

https://sherwood.news/culture/mcdonalds-snack-wrap-pawn-in-the-chicken-wars/ 

Sports

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/raja-bell-on-clotheslining-kobe-bryant-during-the-2006-playoffs 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46098144/sources-micah-parsons-traded-packers-gets-record-contract

https://www.packers.com/news/packers-agree-to-terms-on-trade-with-cowboys-acquire-micah-parsons

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2025/08/23/kenny-dillingham-looking-reward-arizona-state-football-season-ticket-holders/85800571007/ 

Productivity

https://www.bgr.com/1938849/laptop-accessories-for-productivity/ 

Technology

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/19/discord-updated-with-handoff-support/

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/26/apple-september-2025-event/

https://mashable.com/article/apple-iphone-17-event-what-to-expect 

Entertainment

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/20/apple-tv-reportedly-abandoning-mlb-coverage/

https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/20/apple-tv-reveals-darker-cutthroat-return-of-the-morning-show-in-new-trailer/

https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/21/apple-tv-subscription-price-increase/

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