This week at Try Hard Studios - June 12, 2026
I don't watch any sports regularly. The only exception to that is every four years I watch as close to 100% of the World Cup as I can. Even the games where it's two little countries that have no chance, I like to watch them.
There's something about the four-year nature of it, the four-year cycle that helps with that. It's not rote, it's not mechanical. It doesn't happen every single year. There's something special that, for some reason, there's a four-year break between it all. And it's not just one game. The World Cup is an endurance sport and you have to come live in a different country for a month, hopefully, while you play the group stages, the round of 32, 16, however far you get. I like the sport of it. I like soccer. I think it's truly a beautiful game. It's like bullfighting mixed with ballet.
But more than that, I like seeing it unfold on Twitter. If I'm being honest, I like the little German kid that's touring the southern United States and stopping at Buc-ee's. I like that he got invited to the New Orleans Saints stadium and got to meet the quarterback. I like that the Scottish are playing their bagpipes and wearing their kilts. I like that Lawrence, Kansas is hosting Algeria and all of the people in Lawrence, Kansas are suddenly Algeria fans. It's like when there's this common ground for us to bond over, everything else melts away. The Mexicans and the South Koreans were dancing to Gangnam Style last night. The Algerian coaches put on a training clinic for the kids in Lawrence, Kansas.
This is not a soccer-solves-the-world's-problems take. This is an everyone-wants-to-belong take. Everyone wants to feel like they're a part of something, and unfortunately the World Cup only happens every four years. But I think everyone just really wants to belong. They want a community. They want to be a part of something. They want to be part of a group. I think the trick is figuring out how we can do that at a micro level.
I think at a micro level you can plan more supper clubs. You can have more guys' breakfasts. You can plan more yearly reunions. You can have a regular cadence of seeing your friends. Nobody wants to plan any of this, and everybody wants to be invited to something like this.
So go watch the World Cup, root for the U.S. and optionally Algeria, and make a plan to see your friends.
Things I found this week
Just a heads up that each Twitter/X screenshot has a link to the original post if you want to go follow the account.
As I'm thinking through what I want my next office to look like, stuff like this is standing out.
Not only because it needs to be aesthetic on camera, but because it feels really nice and cozy.
I think there was a time in my life where I was very into minimalism and trying to keep everything super minimal, but in my advanced age, I'm really loving this warm and cozy vibe a lot more.
This is a fantastic article about the changing landscape of media, and if you've ever wondered why OpenAI bought TBPN, this will give you a lot of insights.
You really have to look at the details of this thing. This is called Breaking Home Ties by Norman Rockwell. It's just devastating.
The boy's looking for the train. He's all dressed up, sitting up straight. He's got his books and his suitcase with the pennant that says State U. Seems like he's heading off to college.
The dad is exhausted, clearly a working man looking the opposite direction, but look how their legs are touching. He loves his boy.
Every dad wants his son to have a better life, so you can tell there's a deep sense of pride and also a deep sadness as his boy surpasses him.
SpaceX IPO'd this week, and this is a pretty funny Reddit comment about why Starlink could never happen. The next big controversial thing is “AI in space.” I don't think AI in space is really going to be a thing, but I also don’t have enough hubris to say that it could never work!
It's a hard line to balance when you're in the position where everybody says this thing can't work and you're like... but I think it actually can. I don't know how to square the circle between listening to sound advice and having a delusional belief in yourself.
Read this whole comment from a very, very smart armchair expert about why Starlink is impossible, and then remind yourself that Starlink actually worked.
Pessimists sound smart, but optimists get rich.
Every now and then, for a giggle, it's fun to have your mind melt.
This is one of those videos that you'll watch and then, after you're done, think... "what the hell did I just watch?"
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That’s it for this week! I enjoy reading all of your replies, so if you see something interesting or just have a thought you want to share, please hit reply and let me know.
Talk soon,
Aaron