Good evening. A small, yet seemingly well-designed study just dropped that showed programmers who use AI tools worked 19% slower—even while these same programmers believed the tools were helping them work 20% faster.

Trying to make sense of this data? Just bring it up around any vibe coder, and watch their hidden rage from bug-quashing boil to the surface.

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Each of the following events happened on July 16. Your challenge is to put them in the order in which they occurred by year, earliest to latest. Answers at the bottom!

• A) Apollo 11 lifts off from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four days later two of its astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, become the first humans to set foot on the Moon.
• B) The US tests the first atomic bomb near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• C) J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is published, and subsequently forced on every high school student taught in every high school across the country.
• D) Saddam Hussein becomes president of Iraq. His rule, which lasted 24 years, is marked by costly and unsuccessful wars with neighbouring countries as well as atrocities against the Iraqi people.
• E) American baseball player Joe DiMaggio sets an MLB record for the most consecutive games with a hit (56)—one analysts say will likely never be broken.

Hint: Baseball, though many say it is the bomb, is b/f the bomb + space

Created in partnership with the premier destination for historical storytelling since 1995, the officially licensed HISTORY Channel Trivia Game Bundle is a dream come true for history buffs.

Bundle includes two games:

• Through the Years: The game where you line up history
• Stats & Facts: The game of getting your facts straight

Set boasts 600 fact-filled cards. 2 players+, ages 14+. 30-45 minute playtime.

Welcome to Conjoiner, an original word game we developed where each answer to a crossword-style clue gives indications as to the next. In other words: the answers are more connected than identical twins who communicate telepathically.

Today’s puzzle requires you to answer 12 clues to complete the sequence.

The first clue: “When someone uses aggressive, uncompromising, and even ruthless tactics to achieve one's goals”...

Note: A (potentially important) clue for today’s Conjoiner can be found at the bottom of our AM send. Just search “🍩 *Signed with autopen*“ in your inbox.

Mini

If Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, completed today’s mini crossword (titled: 🔥Fire) she’d prob ace it. Our Managing Editor—not so much. Can you beat his time of two minutes, twenty-three seconds?

• Play today’s puzzle here.

Sudoku

If the third time’s the charm, today’s Sudoku, titled “#3,” must be filled with marshmallows and cereal pieces. But the lucky part will have to be up to you.

• Play today’s Sudoku here (easy difficulty).

If you read yesterday morning’s DONUT, you’ll know there’s a fierce battle underway between Buc-ee’s, the Texas-sized gas station chain in the midst of a multistate expansion, and some local Colorado townsfolk, who count a billionaire land baron among their “no development here” allies.

But forget about this clash for a second. There are ~150,000 active fueling stations located across the US, selling gas and snacks under various brands. But while these stores largely shill the same things, they can command strong brand loyalty—be it for their bathroom cleanliness, location, etc.

According to a 2022 survey from Payless Power:

• Costco was America’s favorite gas destination, while Exxon was the most-hated.
• People are willing to drive 21 minutes out of their way to visit Buc-ee’s.
• Wawa is the gas station with the best food.

Have strong opinions of your own? We’re looking to put together a data-driven list of the GOAT gas stations, but we need you to weigh in.

Compete in the Best Gast Station challenge and cast your vote for the GOAT.

E, B, C, A, D

• E) 1941: American baseball player Joe DiMaggio sets an MLB record for the most consecutive games with a hit (56)—one analysts say will likely never be broken.
• B) 1945: The US tests the first atomic bomb near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• C) 1951: J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is published, and subsequently forced on every high school student taught in every high school across the country.
• A) 1969: Apollo 11 lifts off from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four days later two of its astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, become the first humans to set foot on the Moon.
• D) 1979: Saddam Hussein becomes president of Iraq. His rule, which lasted 24 years, is marked by costly and unsuccessful wars with neighbouring countries as well as atrocities against the Iraqi people.