A fascinating (and telling) insight from last month's survey: 83%(!) of you wouldn't give up your ability to travel internationally in exchange for $250,000.
***
The world-famous "Buy Any Bag, Get Any Accessory For Free" (BABGAAFF) deal ends tomorrow. The name says it all!
|
|
Minaal recommends: Breb, Romania
Located in the MaramureΕ region of northern Romania β a landscape so beautiful it's almost mystical β Breb is a rustic hamlet known for its traditional wooden houses, medieval hayricks, and bucolic way of life. Incidentally, four of the houses are owned by King Charles III, who's as besotted with Breb as we are. If you're searching for Old Europe, search no further.
|
|
|
|
If you enjoy looking down your nose at American McMansions but believe that Europe is somehow immune from such "taste", we recommend this excellent essay by McMansion Hell. Nestled in the spectacular foothills of the German Alps, at first glance Neuschwanstein Castle seems like the real thing β but a closer inspection reveals it to be an almost definitive example of kitsch.
This takedown features some of the best castle burns since the Windsor Castle fire of 1992. Not only is Neuschwanstein "haunted by the ghost of misappropriated state funds", it was built after the Industrial Revolution, a time when "the only thing it's guarding against is having to grow up." |
|
|
|
As AI models like ChatGPT get more convincing, some people are developing intense emotional attachments to the bots they talk to. When you're constantly flattered by a sycophantic bot that passionately agrees with your pet theories about the meaning of life, it's easy to feel that conversations with real people are dull and unpleasant by comparison. So begins your descent into what your spouse might call a "void", but what your new AI guru insists is "the beginning of your awakening". As Rolling Stone points out in a pretty startling investigation, expressing yourself by writing in your journal or talking to a therapist can obviously be valuable. But journals don't talk back, and therapists (usually) have your best interests at heart β which isn't the case with an amoral bot. |
|
|
|
If harrowing reads aren't your thing (even when tinged with optimism and humor), then please ignore this father's account of a near-miss with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
On the other hand, if you have kids or are thinking of having them β or simply want to reflect on how precarious and yes, precious, life is β then it's truly worth your time. As a side note, it wasn't easy to find the right words for this paragraph after reading the following:
"In my head, London was full of rubbernecking acquaintances thinking mostly about how lucky they were, and eliciting lurid details about our mental collapse from the people who cared enough to come and see us. I liked to speculate to Ruth about how they were spending their evenings. Life is so precious β hold them close tonight, these fictional villains were texting their group chats, before turning back to their takeout and Grand Designs, or drafting another Instagram story going out to all the new parents finding it so tough: Youβve got this!!!" |
|
|
|
This month, instead of a survey with one person getting store credit, everyone gets a free accessory with any bag.
Ends tomorrow.
Grab yours here π |
|
As always: let us know what you liked, what you'd like to see more of, your preferred AI model, that sorta thing.
J, D, & the Minaal team
|
|
Made with β€οΈ all over the π by the Minaal crew.
2025 MINAAL / PRIVACY
You had me at opt-in.
Wanna part ways?
go here
Minaal | 14525 SW Millikan Way Beaverton, OR 97005-2343
|
|
|
|
|
