Morninâ. Itâs tough times out there: The economy is cooling, the geopolitics are warming, and the temps are still too damn high.
So hereâs a heartwarming story about 4,000 beagles thriving a year after their rescue.
âThey roll on the grass, enjoy long walks and lick birthday cake to celebrate the anniversary of their rescue.â
Dâawwww. We feel better already.
âAndrew âTwo Frenchiesâ Nusca, Marques âSheâs Part Coyoteâ Edge, Tim âDonât Call Her Puglyâ Leong, Eric âMy Cat Acts Like a Dogâ Alt
Buffed/Nerfed
Whatâs up and down in the world rn.
Buffed: The Chicken Man. Rest in power actor Mark Margolis, best known as the bell-ringing cartel chief Hector âTioâ Salamanca in Breaking Bad. He was 83.
Nerfed: Misogynists. Authorities in the Mexican city of Chihuahua will fine performers of songs that promote violence, discrimination, marginalization, or exclusion of women up to the equivalent of $74,000. Call it a mic drop.
Buffed: Kate McKinnon. Mattel has unveiled a new doll based on the talented comedianâs Weird Barbie role from the hit movie. To channel a different McKinnon character, we say only: Wow.
Nerfed: Cheaters. Call of Dutyâs Ricochet Anti-Cheat system will now notify players in real time when frauds have been removed from the game. To quote many a movie: So longâŠwell, you know the rest.
Buffed: Quadragenarian athletes. The all-star Phoenix Mercury player Diana Taurasi logs a WNBA record 10,000 points with a swish from way downtown. How dominant is DT? The next active player is almost 3,300 points behind her. âAN
Roll Call: 5 video game references in pop music
Line âem up.

Sure, sure. We know all about music in games.
But what about the other way around?
Though consumer video games as we know them rose in the 1970s, it took some time for them to work their way into many homesâŠand therefore the lyrics of popular music.
A generation of âSpace Age Whiz Kids,â as Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh put it in 1983, grew up to be pioneering artists in their own rightâand they didnât shy away from making referencing to their favorite games in their lyrics.
We asked contributing writer Joey Held to round up five great game lines in contemporary songs.
Shameless plug: Get ready for âOverwatch 2: Invasionâ
Look, weâre more than a little excited for Aug. 10, when Overwatch 2 expands to the Steam platform.
That debut brings with it a new seasonâdubbed âInvasionââof Blizzardâs free-to-play, team-based hero action game.
In the mix is a first-ever set of PvE (player versus environment) story missions, a new PvP (player versus player) mode with two new maps, and a new hero.
To paraphrase support hero Brigitte: We wonât be disappointed.
Extractor: D&D for group therapy
Investigations of interest.
Dungeons & Dragons as a group therapeutic tool?
Itâs a relatively novel concept, but some psychologists see it as a medium that can help patients manage depression, combat social anxiety and isolation, make friends and sustain relationshipsâeven process trauma.
Contributing writer Evan Lewis explores how D&D has grown in popularity as a therapeutic tool in the wake of the pandemic.
Your moment of meme
Mixtape Monday
To quote Jigga: Turn the music up in the headphones.
Hereâs what weâre listening to this week:
Joywave, âDestruction.â Entrance music for your favorite wrestler (if that wrestler lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube. (Recommended by Ann Pham, Activision)
The Impossibles, âThe Week of August First.â Do you have a history of asymmetrical haircuts? Did we just conclude the week of Aug. 1? Well then. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube. (Recommended by Jordan Blitzstein, Blizzard)
Jungle, âBack on 74.â Summery, happy, soulful harmonies with a whole lotta cowbell. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube. (Recommended by Eric Ottery, Activision)
Aphex Twin, âBlackbox Life Recorder 21f.â Electronic pioneer Richard James, subversive influencer to a generation, is back with more breakbeats. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube. (Recommended by Calvin Hatcher, Activision)
Small Leaks Sink Ships, âPsychotic Opera.â The progressive indie band layers on the vocals for a tune thatâs part Modest Mouse, part âBohemian Rhapsody.â Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube. (Recommended by Edward Elliott, Activision)
Wormhole
Click the following image andâŠwell, we donât want to ruin the surprise.
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