Up, Up and Away

Is Humanity Facing a Reproductive Crisis?

A recent study says so. Researchers collected samples from 153 men and found the average sperm concentration had declined from around 101.2 million to 49.0 million sperm per milliliter from 1973 to 2018 — a 51.6% drop. In 2017 the same team found sperm concentration had halved in 40 years — but the study covered only Europe, North America and Australia. The new findings, from 53 countries across Asia and Central and South America, spell “a huge problem for society,” said professor Richard Sharpe, “as less and less young folk will be around to … support the increasing bulge of elderly folk.” (Source: The Guardian)

Amazon Slashes Staff Numbers in Latest Round of Big Tech Downsizing

Around 10,000 employees, or 3% of the entire Amazon workforce, will be let go. The downsizing has already begun in the Boston, Vancouver and Bay Area offices, as well as the home base in Seattle. It’s a change in direction for the tech giant, which hired huge numbers of staff in the past decade of expansion, and is the largest round of layoffs to date. One observer said the massive staff cuts in the tech industry could be a sign of an imminent recession: tech companies “got significantly bloated, and they’re not built for a softer economy like we’re seeing.” (Source: WaPo)

Ticketmaster Can’t Shake Off Swift Fans

“FIX THIS” pleaded desperate Swifties as demand for presale tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour throttled the website. Ticketmaster denied the website had crashed but did say “there has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up” for tickets for her “The Eras Tour” beginning next year. Megafans were given a code for early access. It’s another notch for Swift who has reclaimed her spot at the top of U.S. pop music with the release of new album Midnights last month. She became the first artist to claim all 10 top spots of the Billboard Hot 100 on release. (Source: CNN)

For Sale: Jobs’ Shoes, Heavily Worn

There’s being an Apple fan and then there’s this ... One superfan of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs bought a pair of well-worn Birkenstock sandals formerly owned by the late tech giant for a whopping $218,750. Julien’s Auctions in California, which oversaw the sale, said an NFT was included in the purchase. Jobs was frequently seen in the shoes during the early days of Apple. “These beloved Birkenstocks were worn by Jobs as he made history in the making of the Apple computer and were the tech icon’s signature staple,” Darren Julien, CEO and founder of the eponymous auction house said. (Source: UPI)

Puffing and Not Bothered, Uncle Chen Runs a Marathon

A Chinese runner known as Uncle Chen, 50, has again stunned the running world and the internet alike after completing the Xin’anjiang Marathon. He came in at 3:28:45 and finished 574th in a race of 1,500. That’s impressive enough on its own, but that he chain-smoked the whole time is remarkable. It’s all part of Uncle Chen’s game plan. Chen first went viral after completing the Guangzhou Marathon in 2018 and the Xiamen Marathon a year later — both while smoking. In 2018, he finished at 3:36, meaning he’s shaved off a few minutes in the years since. (Source: CBS Sports)

EPISODE ONE NOW STREAMING!

Featuring the WNBA's Didi Richards