Every Friday
Space week edition
If you read last week’s edition, you may know that half of the crew has been reading Project Hail Mary. Artemis II launched this week (read more below). Space is in the spotlight this beautiful Spring season and with it a pull towards the energizing, magnetic feeling that comes from witnessing people strive for something great. Maybe it’s just the rise out of the bleak midwinter (just coming off watching the Peaky Blinders movie, sorry, iykyk) depression phase of the year, but having inspiring things sprinkled into the feed for once is a nice change.
We aren’t letting you down with this week’s track, we promise.
The view of Earth is absolutely spectacular... it makes you appreciate, actually, how fragile our existence is.
— Sally Ride
From space, I saw Earth as a precious, fragile ball of life... we must protect and preserve it.
— Ron Garan
Top of Mind
Liftoff! NASA Launches Astronauts on Historic Artemis Moon Mission, (NASA)
Spurred by American ingenuity, astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are in flight, preparing for the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
NASA is back in a big way with the Artemis II launch this week, harkening back to a more emblematic time for space travel in America. There is a lot to be said about how similar the technology / methodology is to the rockets of the ‘70s and ‘80s. However, we’re happy space is back on the menu and hope it ushers a new space age alongside the flurry of private space investment. We wish the Astronauts well, and cannot wait for the 2027 Artemis III project. The 2020s will be defined in history through moments like this, we’re lucky to witness it.
Name us something else that inspires this level of childlike wonder.
OpenAI acquires TBPN, (OpenAI)
YOU’RE WATCHING TBPN
Relay (as you know) is terminally early, a byproduct of being chronically online. TBPN is at the top of our pedestal. We were listeners on the first episode and followers on Twitter under 1,000. This week, OpenAI acquired them for “low hundreds of millions”; it seems to be a mix of traditional acquisition and acquihire. TBPN is the tech podcast of Silicon Valley and the technology brothers are universally loved, we couldn’t be happier for Jordi and John. It is puzzling why OpenAI would do something like this, only a week after Sam Altman initiated a “No More Side Quest” mandate at the firm. Regardless, this deal is larger than Joe Rogan’s initial 2020 Spotify deal and up there with Jeff Bezos’s 2013 acquisition of the Washington Post.
People vastly underestimate what can be done in 12-18 months.
ICYMI: Happy Hour Edition
“A testament to the rich history of the Caribbean, Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena is housed within a collection of beautifully restored landmarks, including the 16th-century San Francisco Temple and Club Cartagena, a 1920s beaux-arts masterpiece.” - Four Seasons
Texas Monthly put out its updated list of the top 50 barbecue joints across the state (they update it every few years or so & people treat it like scripture). I (James) am back in Texas for Easter & I’ll be dragging my family to 2M Smokehouse.
Best of Substack this Week
This Week in Relay’s Shopping Cart
Field-Spec 90s Boxy Heavy Tee, (Jack)
Back in Nashville for one long weekend and Buck Mason gets me just like that… it’s hard to resist. The Nashville storefront is quite the place.
West Elm x Emma Chamberlain Demi-Lune Side Table, (James)
Emma Chamberlain X West Elm collab released this week. There are a few great standouts (check out the lamps) — but this end table is being added to my never-ending note of potential house purchases.
It’s Not That Deep, Randy
Thanks for reading—or for mega scrolling all the way down here.
The internet is an overwhelming mess of headlines, ads, and mid takes from the worst people you know. Big Tech owns our attention spans. Everything is content. Nothing makes sense.
We’re not here to “fix discourse” or “build a better internet.” Relay is just our attempt to riff on what we’re already talking about at happy hour without feeling like we’ve been hit by a content truck. Some analysis, some memes, call it a day.
You might like it. Tag along.
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YOU’RE WATCHING TBPN