Posts

Canada’s Race to Rebuild Military Triggers a Defense-Tech Gold Rush

By Tony Hicks
Image
There are two kinds of national awakenings. The first is the slow, responsible kind—white papers, committees, polite applause, a bilingual press conference where everyone agrees to “continue the dialogue.” The second is the moment when someone in Ottawa looks at the global news cycle, exhales sharply, and says, “Oh. We need to fix this. Like… yesterday.” Canada has entered Phase Two. After decades of treating defense spending like that gym membership you technically still have but try not to think about, the country is suddenly sprinting toward military modernization with the energy of someone who just realized winter is not optional. And in the background? Venture capitalists are doing what venture capitalists do best: sniffing opportunity. Welcome to Canada’s defense-tech gold rush. The Polite Superpower Problem For years, Canada has cultivated a global brand somewhere between “reliable peacekeeper” and “the world’s calmest neighbor.” It worked. It still works—until it doesn’t. The w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rocky’s, Retail Darwinism, and the Great American “Everything Must Go” Era

By Tony Hicks
Image
Nothing says late-stage capitalism with a side of melancholy quite like a liquidation banner sandwiched between a subscription pitch and a dividend king teaser. And yet here we are. After 54 years in business, Rocky’s Great Outdoors — a Burton, Michigan institution — is closing its doors. Not bankrupt. Not imploding in scandal. Just… done. A family business that started in 1971 selling motorcycle parts, evolved into a 50,000-square-foot temple of boots and bait, and now joins the ever-growing Hall of Retail Ghosts. Let’s talk about what this actually means — beyond the press release language and the “macro pressures” greatest hits playlist. The Retail Hunger Games Dick’s Sporting Goods didn’t just survive the retail apocalypse — it thrived. Academy Sports + Outdoors ? Also fine. Meanwhile, the list of fallen names reads like a mall directory from 2008: Modell’s Sporting Goods Bob’s Stores Moosejaw Orvis Eastern Mountain Sports The Sports Authority And now...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Loungewear Sets I’ve Been Living in This Winter

By Tony Hicks
Image
There was a time—gather ‘round, children—when winter required Structure. Denim. Buttons. Waistbands with ambition. That time is over. This winter, I have lived in loungewear. Not visited it. Not occasionally dabbled. I have relocated my personality into matching knit sets. If there were a census category labeled “Primary Residence: Soft,” I would check it confidently. And no, this isn’t one of those breathless “I discovered comfort!” lifestyle awakenings. I have always believed in comfort. I just used to believe it had to be earned. You know. Productivity first, softness later. Winter said: absolutely not. So here we are. Below are the loungewear sets I’ve been living in this season—the heroes, the enablers, the elastic-waisted confidants who have seen me through early mornings, late nights, and the existential spiral that happens when it’s dark at 4:37 p.m. 1. The Elevated Sweat Set That Pretends I Have Plans 4 You know the one. Structured enough to look intentional. Soft enough to f...
Post a Comment
Read more

At a “Tea Party” With Scientists, This Ape Showed Some Imagination

By Tony Hicks
Image
There are few things more human than throwing a tea party. You gather cups no one actually drinks from. You assign roles. You pour invisible liquids with deep sincerity. You nod solemnly at someone who isn’t there. And now, apparently, you can add this to the list of deeply human behaviors: An ape sitting down with scientists… and serving up imagination. Let’s set the scene. A research lab. A table. Toy cups. Props. Curious primate eyes. Scientists hoping—quietly, cautiously—that something interesting might happen. And then it does. An ape begins engaging in pretend play. Not just manipulation. Not just copying. Not just “press lever, get grape.” But imagination . Now, before we all grab monocles and gasp into porcelain teacups, let’s acknowledge something: humans have been guarding imagination like it’s a private club membership. “Symbolic thought? That’s us.” “Pretend play? Exclusive.” “Tea parties? Reserved for toddlers and literary heroines.” But then along ...
Post a Comment
Read more