The Download: How AI affects creativity, and CRISPR babies

The big story

Is the digital dollar dead?

July 2023

In 2020, digital currencies were one of the hottest topics in town. China was well on its way to launching its own central bank digital currency, or CBDC, and many other countries launched CBDC research projects, including the US.

How things change. Three years later, the digital dollar—even though it doesn’t exist—has become political red meat, as some politicians label it a dystopian tool for surveillance. And late last year, the Boston Fed quietly stopped working on its CBDC project. So is the dream of the digital dollar dead? Read the full story.

—Mike Orcutt

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Ever wondered why we can only see one side of the moon? Wonder no more.
+ Not to wish the remainder of the summer away, but it’s time to order your seeds for the fall.
+ Alien isn’t just a great sci-fi film: it’s a great mystery, too.
+ I could watch this heated wire slice into foam all day long.