Is it lame to be on your phone all time? After all, the coolest people don’t waste their time posting (or even checking) social media all that much, right? But there is something to be said for those who are plugged-in and know what’s up with the cultural zeitgeist. Like everything, the key must be moderation.

After all, there are myriad statistics that reveal the extent of our smartphone dependence. For instance, Americans check their phone on average once every five minutes. Nearly 90% look at their devices within the first ten minutes of waking up. Fifty-seven percent of Americans admit to being addicted to their smartphone—a number that, honestly, feels a little low. Perhaps the most illuminating piece of evidence comes from a recent statement from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. In a California courtroom this year, he said 16 hours of Instagram use was “problematic” behavior. But he did not call it addiction. I wonder how many hours would add up to addictive behavior in his view.

While riding the train or standing in line, have you looked up to notice everyone around you hunched over their phones? It’s led to widespread back and neck problems, but even more troubling, Esquire says that hunched posture makes us all look “subhuman. Prone. Weak. Uncool.” And they’re not wrong.

But we might be on the precipice of a cultural shift. Last month, the writer Kate Lindsay called attention to an emerging trend. As she wrote in her popular Substack newsletter Embedded, that being chronically online is kinda … cringe.“Now, we’re all going offline … our lack of screen time is a new social indicator,” she wrote. “If getting offline is aspirational, then staying online is now … trashy.”

Of course, no one is abandoning their phones and going completely dark on social media. That’s simply unrealistic given the ubiquity of these devices and apps. Instead, Lindsay describes what’s happening as a correction. That seems like a welcome change. And, yes, it’s ironic to have this conversation online and in an email newsletter, but you get it. It’s about balance.

Iran broadened its strikes on major energy facilities in the Middle East, eliciting strong warnings from Gulf Arab states that called it a dangerous escalation that threatened to draw them into direct combat with Tehran. The strikes come after Israel killed Iran’s intelligence minister and reportedly attacked the world’s largest natural gas field in Iran as the war escalated pressure on the region’s economic lifeblood: energy.

But late Wednesday, President Trump—in an effort to de-escalate the situation—said that Israel will not conduct further attacks on Iran’s main natural gas facility. Of course, Axios points out that the announcement came just hours after he green-lit the Israeli strike on the facility that marked a significant escalation in the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump coordinated about the strike and the aim was to try and deter Iran from continuing to disrupt oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz.

To continue efforts, the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war. That’s an enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict. According to the Associated Press, the national debt surpassed a record $39 trillion on Wednesday, a milestone that comes just weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war.

We knew this was going to happen. Val Kilmer, the badass star of iconic films Heat, Top Gun and Tombstone, tragically died last year at 65 after a battle with throat cancer. But a new report in Variety says that Kilmer's real-life death might turn out to be short-lived—on the silver screen, at least.

The article says that Kilmer will be fully revived via AI to star in a movie called As Deep as the Grave. In it, a figure with his likeness will play Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. Kilmer was cast in the role five years ago, but never actually made it to set due to his ongoing health struggles. Now, with his daughter’s blessing, Kilmer will supposedly have his role “acted” via this new technology. The film’s director says that Kilmer wanted it as well.

But the idea that an uncanny technology, uneasy in likeness and concept, would bring a deceased actor’s likeness “back” to perform in a movie where they never set foot on set is upsetting for many people from any number of angles. Kilmer’s family and estate are apparently on board in this case—but what happens when it’s more contentious? Men’s Health asks “Who’s ready to see Sean Connery digitally inserted into a low-budget gangster movie?” And Esquire warns “Predictions about Hollywood’s AI takeover can only scare us so much … we might need a taste of the real thing to actually learn something.”

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