Dez Reads. Game Night Goes High-Tech

We’re late this week because Dez is very busy! Thanks for your patience as we get this week’s Dez Reads out the door just after the bell.

I enjoyed editing this one. Mark Emerson leads us off with a look at a sad casualty of Los Angeles’ misplaced priorities; Annie Moore bristles at a ridiculous criticism of food delivery consumers; Mike Bova identifies a solution to Millennial housing challenges in Texas; Jen Hirshon joins me on the Art Skepticism beat; and I look at a great human application of artificial intelligence.

I think the inadvertent theme of this week’s DR is the intersection of tech and human flourishing, which seems to be going pretty well for now! When the worm turns and the robots attack, we’ll be sure to provide the latest cultural commentary in the waning days of our civilization.

Thanks, as always, for reading along with us.

Here we go.

Culture.

LA Times. ‘Simpsons’ producer’s epic tree house may get the ax after ‘absurd’ fight with city

A 24-year-old treehouse built by The Simpsons producer Rick Polizzi may soon meet its demise, and not because it’s unsafe or unwanted, but because of a bureaucratic nightmare.

Polizzi built the three-story treehouse dubbed “Boney Island” for his daughters, and over the years it became a beloved Sherman Oaks, California landmark. Celebrities visited, kids played, and even The Simpsons itself paid tribute to it in an episode. But after years of legal battles, the city of L.A. is forcing Polizzi to either tear it down or navigate a permitting process so absurd it would make an actual Simpsons episode look reasonable. The city has requested everything from soil reports to ADA compliance measures for you guessed it, a treehouse.

Polizzi is now out of patience as he has already spent $50,000 on legal fees. He says he won’t pour another $30,000 into fighting City Hall, meaning “Boney Island” is likely coming down.

The saga is a reminder of what happens when bureaucracy loses rationale. A harmless, well-loved structure that has stood for decades will be lost forever – uprooted by red tape.

– Mark Emerson

Substack. The Rise Of The “Treatlerite”

I subscribe to a Substack called “Garbage Day” that provides commentary on some of the most insane things happening around the Internet. It’s quite entertaining and keeps me informed on topics that my own personal algorithm isn’t showing me. One of their recent posts talks about how people are getting cancelled for ordering a “personal taxi for their burrito,” aka food delivery via DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. While I don’t do it often, I personally love the convenience of having things delivered straight to my door – and so do tens of millions of Americans, or Amazon wouldn’t be one of the biggest companies in the world.

Apparently, people like me who indulge in food delivery at times are being labeled as a “Treatlerite.” Confused? You must be normal. It’s a mashup of “Treat” and “Hitlerite.” Anyway, sure, go outside, touch some grass, and pick up your food yourself. But also, when you’re DoorDashing, you’re helping a delivery driver put food on their family’s table.

You’re supporting the local economy. You’re helping small businesses keep their doors open. Oh, the outrage of keyboard warriors. There are real problems in the world – ordering a personal taxi for my Chipotle bowl is not one of them.

– Annie Moore

Tech.

The Economist. How artificial intelligence can make board games better

I’m interested in applications of AI that empower meaningful human relationships. I’m learning about new such use cases every day, which has helped fuel my gradual transition from curious luddite to budding AI enthusiast. I’m almost 40 years old, and I live in the Midwest; my people are generally a couple of years behind the curve.

This story on AI’s use for modeling and perfecting board games presents a great example of how we can use tech in analog settings. Many great friendships have been nurtured over games like Chess and Settlers of Catan; with AI empowering game developers to create fun and challenging games using carefully calibrated models, it will only help maintain and grow the interpersonal connections that make life worth living.

– Josh Culling

Business.

Yahoo! Finance. Austin Rents Tumble 22% From Peak on Massive Home Building Spree

It looks like if you build it, they do come. Rents in Austin, Texas, have tumbled 22 percent from their peak in August 2023. This is largely due to the massive amount of supply that flooded the market after Austin became a hotspot for technology companies and people moving from states like California.

Developers dumped almost 50,000 rental units on the city in 2023 and 2024, according to Fannie Mae data. That represented a 14 percent increase in supply, the largest such growth of any major US metro area. This change was largely driven by significant reforms to building codes that kicked off in 2022 when housing became the top issue in city politics. These changes have been so popular that the Republican-dominated Texas statehouse is beginning to embrace these ideas from the Democratic leaders in Austin.

As a member of the Millennial generation that is always told to stop whining about housing costs and how we have it so hard, it appears there is a solution to high rent prices and access to housing: Simply allow people to build more.

– Mike Bova

Art.

WaPo. Three starving piglets were in a Danish art exhibit — then they vanished

There is no single definition of art that is universally agreed upon, and because of that, actions taken in the name of art often receive a wide berth. Some art, I honestly don’t understand at all – I simply don’t get it. Take Comedian, affectionately known as “banana taped to a wall.” I also don’t understand the hype around the Mona Lisa. Yeah, I said it.

If art – by one of its many definitions – is meant to evoke emotion, then a Danish artist has certainly succeeded. But at what point does doing something in the name of art become a mask for what it truly is – grotesque?

In a concept piece intended to expose and protest Denmark’s pork industry, an artist curated an exhibit in which three piglets were left to die. Unsurprisingly, this sparked outrage from animal welfare groups and the public. Was there really no other way to make this statement? Other artists, such as Santiago Sierra, have staged politically charged exhibits that provoke strong reactions. But I have to wonder – does the medium become the message here? And if the “art” is too revolting to witness, does that message get lost entirely?

In an unexpected twist, one of the artist’s own team members faced a moral dilemma and ultimately sabotaged the exhibit – by feeding the pigs and handing them over to a welfare group. Good on you.

– Jen Hirshon

Don’t forget to check out the latest monthly issue of Our Take!

Subscribe now