Monday, June 1st Edition

Today’s Big Story

Is It ‘Microcheating’?

 

Or is it just being online today?

 

It’s a popular new cultural term. Have you heard about “microcheating”? Or is it micro-cheating? In any case, it has to do with technology mostly but has nothing to do with AI—refreshing, right?

It includes all sorts of internet behavior that, to many people, might just seem innocent. I’ve certainly dealt with it and found it annoying and troubling as hell. Some might see it as absurd, others might deem it simple as black and white.

As with old fashioned infidelity, microcheating can be tricky to define and depends on the couple. As The Atlantic points out, what’s fair game to one person might be egregious treachery to another. Many people have attempted to catalog it anyway. According to a number of lifestyle publications, a micro-cheater could be someone who, while in a relationship, maintains an active Hinge profile or sends thirst traps to another person. They could have done something that might otherwise seem banal: “liking” someone else’s Instagram post, perhaps, or messaging a colleague about something other than work.

In a Vogue article advising readers on how to properly recognize a micro-cheater, a couples therapist concluded that micro-cheating could be anything, really: “a glance, a laugh, or non-sexual touching that’s too familiar or intimate.”

Americans are divided about a lot, but when it comes to cheating, we’re in agreement: Don’t do it. But do you know when you’re doing it? Vox explores how technology is shaping the way we think about our romantic relationships and asks, is it “microcheating,” or just being online these days? More and more, our first connection or intro to someone can be through tech. Our devices allow for an unprecedented kind of intimacy with others, even those we haven’t ever met IRL.

And one expert makes an interesting point, since so much of our lives our public-facing with social media. “You might not actually object to your boyfriend liking some girl’s post. What you actually might be concerned about is the message that it’s sending to this person, given the social meaning that we’ve now assigned collectively to likes and comments and follows.”

But ultimately, it comes down to trust and communication, right? Those bedrocks of a healthy relationship remain the same.

 
Red Flags:

If you’re worried you might be guilty of some of these microcheating patterns, here are some of the most common behaviors.

Has Trump Hit a Stalemate?

 

In Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran, his early declarations of easy wins have given way to reality

It’s not easy making peace. And President Trump has often promised quick and simple solutions to complicated situations. However, many experts are saying that Trump has hit the stalemate phase of his presidency.

First In Ukraine, then Gaza and now the war with Iran is clearly at that stage. When he declared a cease-fire on April 7, Trump said that the end of combat operations would be conditional on “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” It wasn’t. Even if commerce now resumes across the strait under a memorandum of understanding still under negotiation, it will still leave the future of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs exactly where they were in February: stuck in a further negotiation that the administration insists will be “time limited,” probably to 60 days.

Trump has had trouble securing a deal and over the weekend requested edits to the peace deal his envoys negotiated. Iranians sense White Houses’s reluctance to restart combat operations that are deeply unpopular in the United States, and most Iran experts say they expect Tehran to try to stretch the negotiations for months or years—as they have with past administrations.

 
Meanwhile:

Roughly 2,000 U.S. diplomats have been laid off or forced to retire, taking with them decades of institutional knowledge.

There's a New Oura Ring

 

It’s thinner, smarter and somehow lasts longer

There are plenty of wearables without a huge screen that can track your health and wellness accurately, but the Oura seems to be the one leading the pack. Now the company is now looking to widen its lead with the Oura Ring 5. It’s 40% slimmer than its predecessor (an impressive feat given that the Oura Ring 4 is already quite sleek) but Oura says it has packed even longer battery life and more powerful sensor LEDs for improved accuracy.

Men’s Health says they’ve tested every Oura Ring since the first release, and say the 5 introduces proprietary software features that combine your historical clinical metrics with real-time biometric insights for a more predictive view of your overall health. An overhaul of the ring’s electrical, mechanical, battery, optical and sensing designs makes for a ring that their testers found is “both lighter and has a smoother curvature for a more natural, all-day fit.”

 
Dig Deeper:

Have you ever noticed the little notch on an Oura ring? Do you know why it’s there?

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Today’s Member Extras

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Today on

 

You could argue we're living through a golden age of sandals. After extensive testing, we've narrowed the category down to the pairs that deliver on style, comfort and versatility.

 
 

From a Mister Rogers’ collab to a geometric table.

 
Tip of the Day:

Don't overlook aftershave; it's the key to soothing and repairing your skin after shaving, finishing the job your razor started.

Morning Motto

Keep moving.

 

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