Good evening. They say “don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” but that phrase apparently hasn’t made it to Mark Zuckerberg. The Meta CEO dropped a manifesto last week declaring war on the iPhone, the same device hundreds of millions of users use to access the social media giant’s products.

In the manifesto, Zuck lays out his vision of “personal superintelligence,” which ultimately involves delivering an Apple-like experience that combines software and hardware.

• The software in question: Whatever gets built by the company’s superintelligence team, a group of AI avengers ~50 top AI scientists, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT co-creator, that Zuck in recent months has dropped three-commas assembling.
• The hardware in question: Meta’s smart glasses, made in conjunction with Ray-Ban, which look like regular eyeglasses but have a tiny camera, microphone, and speaker. Zuck thinks a robust personal assistant could be mostly interacted with through voice and camera-connected point-and-see features, removing the need for a keyboard and touch screen—and potentially a phone.

It’s not just Meta in the AI devices game: Amazon in late July acquired Bee, an AI wearables startup. And don’t forget about what Jony Ive and Sam Altman are cooking up.

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Each of the following events happened on August 4. Your challenge is to put them in the order in which they occurred by year, earliest to latest. Answers at the bottom!

• A) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, an irreverent comedy based in the outlandish world of American stock car racing, premieres in US theaters.
• B) Great Britain enters WWI in response to the German invasion of Belgium, while the US declares its neutrality. America would enter the war ~2.5 years later because of Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram.
• C) US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton establishes the Revenue Marine Service, which becomes the US Coast Guard. Ironically enough, its first task was tariff enforcement.
• D) The secret annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and seven others were hiding was discovered by the Gestapo. All were sent to concentration camps, with only Otto Frank surviving.

Hint: TN—if it ain’t first, it’s last

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Another Conjoiner sequence is fresh off the presses.

The first clue of today’s sequence is: “Stephen A. Smith comes up with one of these regularly”...

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

Mini

Our newest mini crossword is…well, if you know you know.

• Play today’s puzzle here. Can you beat our CEO Branndon’s time of one-minute, 45 seconds?

Sudoku

It may not be the Microsoft Excel World Championship, but today’s sudoku will still test your skill at putting numbers into cells.

• Try a fun challenge; play today's puzzle here.

Fast-food chains may not have an OF link in bio, but they’re still making an effort to pump out spicy content. From March to June, US restaurant chains collectively launched 76 new spicy menu items, representing roughly 5% of new menu items, according to new data reported by CNBC.

This includes Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Cava, and Chipotle—which in June introduced Adobo Ranch, its first new dip in five years, who have all jumped on the trend in a bid to boost floundering summer sales.

• ~95% of restaurants now offer at least one spicy item on their menu, according to Datassential.

And they hope it’ll drive more visits from younger consumers. Up to 50% of Gen Z eats at least one spicy meal per week, according to data from soda brand Sprite, which has been playing up its tangy flavor profile.

On a similar note

Another thing restaurants use to spice up their offerings and appeal to diners is mascots—from the Taco Bell Chihuahua to Colonel Sanders to Wendy. And we need your help to determine which is the best.

Compete in the Best Fast-Food Mascot Challenge and cast your vote for the GOAT.

🏆 BEST SPORTS RIVALRIES

1. New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
2. Army vs. Navy (football)
3. Ohio State vs. Michigan (football)
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
5. Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

Explore the full list.

C, B, D, A

• C) 1790: US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton establishes the Revenue Marine Service, which becomes the US Coast Guard. Ironically enough, its first task was tariff enforcement.
• B) 1914: Great Britain enters WWI in response to the German invasion of Belgium, while the US declares its neutrality. America would enter the war ~2.5 years later because of Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram.
• D) 1944: The secret annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and seven others were hiding was discovered by the Gestapo. All were sent to concentration camps, with only Otto Frank surviving.
• A) 2006: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, an irreverent comedy based in the outlandish (fictionalized) world of American stock car racing, premieres in US theaters.