49. Voice Notes: Doors, Deepfakes, and the Algorithm I Built

Jun 25

Three things are capturing my attention in pop culture this week, and they have almost nothing to do with each other — which is exactly why I can’t stop thinking about them.

First: Threads. I was never a Twitter person, I deleted TikTok to be less distracted, and lately Instagram just feels like too much. But Threads has become one of the happiest, most affirming, genuinely funny places I land — people writing mini novels in the comments, telling wild stories, all of it. I built an algorithm that actually feels like me, and the funny part is it’s a Meta platform. So now I’ve got a full-blown love-hate relationship with Meta, all because of Threads.

Second: the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. A little over a year ago I saw this strange building going up by the lake and had no idea what it was. Now that it’s done, it makes complete sense — the speech carved as lattice into the windows, the door-of-no-return symbolism, and the fact that it’s not just a presidential library but a community center with basketball courts, a sledding hill, and a Chicago public library. What moved me most was who showed up: the Obamas, the Clintons, and the Bushes, genuinely respecting each other across the aisle. That, and a Michelle Obama speech that was epic, funny, and authentic.

Third: The Capture (on Peacock in the US). A British thriller that was years ahead of its time on AI, video, and surveillance — back for a third season and more relevant than ever. The whole premise turns on “Correction,” where live video gets edited in real time using AI. It’s a complicated, genuinely entertaining look at technology we haven’t figured out how to live with yet. Holliday Grainger is captivating, and fun fact: season one starred Callum Turner — now Dua Lipa’s husband and rumored next James Bond.

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“Somehow this company I have a love-hate relationship with is the one giving me life this week. I landed on the right side of the algorithm — and it’s the one I built”

— David Peck

In This Episode, You'll Learn

Why Threads became my favorite corner of the internet — and why it’s complicated that Meta built it
What makes the Obama Presidential Center so much more than a library
The door of no return, and what it meant to see presidents show up across the aisle
Why The Capture feels more on time now than when it premiered — and what “Correction” is.

Transcript

I have a love hate relationship with the algorithm and two other things that are making me happy this week. So I really have gotten to enjoy threads. I was never a Twitter person and I deleted TikTok to help me become less distracted, plus, you know, hashtag privacy concerns with new ownership, all of the things. Instagram, I'm just not feeling as much right now. For whatever reason, I am not wanting to get on it, it just feels like too much.
And I've really enjoyed getting into threads. because it can be one of the happiest, most affirming places, like so funny, genuinely funny. there's even trends of people writing like mini novels in a thread comment or following crazy stories like the Bro Cruz. Like it just it
makes me incredibly happy. And I also feel like I was able to construct an algorithm relatively quickly that I loved, and that felt like me. And I feel like I landed, in my opinion, on the right side of threads. which is really funny because obviously it's a meta platform and the Instagram and Facebook of it all I'm not totally into. So somehow, you know.
This company that I have a love, I I've developed a love-hate relationship with Meta because of threads. so that is something that's bringing me joy this week. I just yeah, I I probably spend too much time on it now and I lurk. so I sometimes f post funny things there. So if you wanted to follow, you could.
the other thing that is bringing me a lot of joy this week is the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. So a little backstory.
a little over a year ago, we were in Chicago for a choir conference for my oldest son. And we were able to spend a little time exploring the city. And we went down to the Museum of Science and Industry and the University of Chicago campus. And we saw this huge building being built by the lake. And I'm like, what is this stra it looked very strange and
it you know, it was it just felt completely out of context and didn't know what it was. And I did a little research and was like, this is the future home of the Obama library. I'm like, that's interesting. I got I wonder what they're doing. Well, spoiler alert, this last week it opened just in time for Juneteenth, which I just
There there's just so many levels of thoughtfulness that went into the opening of this center. And what I love most about it is it's not just a presidential library. you know, every president has one and they they build them for, you know, whatever reason to pre yeah, I guess help cement and preserve their legacy. but what I love about this new one for the Obama Presidential Center, it really is a it's a community center.
It's got basketball courts, a sledding hill, a Chicago public library. It's just very inclusive. And you don't even I mean the tickets are sold out until I think November or something like crazy like that, but you can still go and enjoy the grounds. It's right on the lake. It's a beautiful setting. I love the architecture. Like when I first saw it being built, I didn't understand it, admittedly. And then now that I see it done.
it makes so much sense.
The symbolism. I love the speech carved into the top, as sort of lattice for the windows at the very top of the building. And then I love the door of no return symbolism. There's a door that a very famous photo of Obama was taken in the doorway, basically called the door of no return, which is the door that's people who were enslaved.
basically went through never to come back again. And the welcoming opening door of the Presidential Center is very reminiscent of the door of no return. And it just feels very symbolic and hopeful, you know. I I I think that just and speaking of hope, what I really loved about the opening is the people who showed up to celebrate it. I loved
that the Bushes were there and George Bush's friendship with Michelle Obama, I think, is just so special. And, you know, you can like or dislike whatever pres president or have been in support of their policy or have mixed feelings about them. You know, all of those feelings are are valid. And and then no one person or especially a president is perfect. But what I really loved about seeing the
Obama's the Clintons and the Bushes at that opening is how much they genuinely respect each other, even if they don't agree politically, they could come together in this moment. And I thought that was incredibly powerful. And, you know, Michelle Obama is just one of my favorite people of all time. And the speech that she gave was just epic and funny and so genuinely authentic. Like
I mean, to be able to speak like that is just, you know, she's on another level. So that's making me very happy.
The other thing that is making me happy, which is kind of in stark contrast to you know, a presidential center and library opening is called The Capture. If you watch it, you can find it on Peacock in the US. but it's a British show that started like seven, eight years ago and it
it it's an interesting show because it was a little bit ahead of its time in its dealing with AI, especially AI video and surveillance. And that it's come back basically the reason I'm talking about it is it's come back for a third season a couple of years after the second season. And it's you know, technology's a you know evolved in some ways and you look at
kind of the moral and social issues that surround the use of AI and video surveillance and you know, they have there's this whole thing called correction basically where you know they take live video footage and correct it in real time using artificial intelligence. And I what I love is yes, it's a thriller type show and you just the acting is so incredible. And I love the lead actress, Holliday Grainger She's just fantastic and so captivating.
And side note, like the first season stars Callum Turner, now the, you know, husband of Dua Lipa is rumored to be the next James Bond. so it's got a lot of, you know, star power in people who are just at the top of their game. But I love that it is a complicated and also entertaining look at, you know, AI and
technology and surveillance and sort of this battle that we have of dealing with it as a society because it can be obviously used for so much good, but obviously the moral and social ramifications of its misuse are just incredibly large. And we haven't fully come to terms with how to deal with that as a society, as governments, as, you know,
It it's all incredibly, incredibly complicated. And I think the show just does such a good job of capturing all that.
So those are the things that are capturing my attention in pop culture this week. Let me know what are you thinking about? What are you watching, reading, listening to? I loved getting so much of your feedback last week about what you were reading and I've added many of them to my list so they may show up in an upcoming episode.
So until next time.

Know someone who’s quietly curated the one corner of the internet that actually makes them happy? Send them this one — they’ll get it.

Key takeaways

The internet feels like yours when you build the algorithm instead of letting it build you.
A building becomes something more when it belongs to the neighborhood, not just the legacy.
Respect across real differences is still possible — and seeing it modeled matters more in disjointed times.
Art that felt “ahead of its time” is worth a second look once the time catches up to it.