Happy Friday! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format differs from the rest of the week. On Fridays, I pause to write the "Weekender," my "week in review" type of thing, or to share something else I think you may find interesting. Thanks for reading! — Dan
Should I Start a Now I Know Online Community?
Hi!
Short note today, so do me a favor: spend the two minutes you’re not spending reading to reply instead 😀
Yesterday, beehiiv — the company I use to manage the newsletter — announced a bunch of new features to the platform. The big one is a community feature — a section on the site that lets readers connect with one another. I’m intrigued. For a newsletter that has a more specific audience — my other one, for example, is meant for communications professionals — creating a networking opportunity for the community makes a lot of sense. But for Now I Know, I’m not so sure. So I’d like your feedback: would this be interesting to you, and if so, how would you use it?
Reply to this email to let me know, and I’m also dropping poll below. I don’t expect a Now I Know online community to be something you’re collectively interested in, so please be honest and feel free to say “no.”
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
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The Now I Know Week In Review
Monday: Why UAE Will Pay You To Get Married: Well, not me, because I don’t live there.
Tuesday: Waymo Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go: You don’t need a driver to rat you out.
Wednesday: Holy Toledo: Michigan and Ohio go to war over Toledo. For real.
Thursday: The Pokémon That Got Banned for Something It Didn't Do: Poor Porygon.
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And thanks! — Dan
Long Reads and Other Things
Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:
1) “I Got Slopped” (New York Times/gift link, 17 minutes, July 2026). The subhead: “Someone used A.I. to write my biography. Thousands more of those books are polluting Amazon. Who is behind all this drivel?”
2) “How the FBI Discovered a Real-Life Indiana Jones in, of All Places, Rural Indiana” (Vanity Fair, 32 minutes, November 2021). But did they name the dog Indiana?
3) “My Pet Rabbit Lost Her Companion. Then She Went Speed Dating.” (Harvard Magazine, 19 minutes, June 2026). The title made me laugh. The story made me think.
And a bonus: I appeared on the Comms Confidential podcast this week — check it out (and you’ll get to see some of my Mets hats in the background)
Have a great weekend!
Dan