Signals In The Noise

☀️ The Debatable Fact

During my Bachelor’s years, I started working in marketing from the first year. I knew it was a competitive field and didn’t want to wait around. The university schedule gave me room for part-time internships, and I took it.

Thanks to that, I slowly started grasping how marketing works beyond theory. I was learning on the job, getting exposed to current tools, industry news, and real briefs. It also made some of my classes smoother as by the time we covered certain topics in lectures, I had already seen them in action.

But that mix of practical and academic learning sometimes created friction.

One day, during a lecture, one professor shared something that was…well, outdated. And, with good intentions, I raised my hand to offer a more up-to-date perspective. Let’s just say… it didn’t land well.

From that moment on, I felt like I had a target on my back: the “know-it-all” who dared to challenge the professor. I’m sharing this because, for a long time, I kept thinking of that moment as a misstep on my side. And not because I was rude or wrong, but simply because I had corrected someone in authority. Weird, right?

However, it got me wondering:

• When exactly did we learn that correcting someone older is “wrong”?

• When do we label a fair point as “misbehavior,” especially if it comes from someone younger, newer, or lower on the hierarchy?

• And how often do we carry these unspoken rules into friendships, work dynamics, or our digital lives?

This edition is an exploration of that quiet line between signal, noise and how power, context, and familiarity shape what we believe, what we dismiss, and what we dare to say.

📖 3 Articles to Spark Your Curiosity

1. The Relativity of Wrong

   Being wrong isn’t binary, but a spectrum. This essay explores Isaac Asimov’s famous concept that not all errors are equal. In fact, understanding how something is wrong can bring us closer to truth. A great reminder that progress often comes from refining our misunderstandings.
   → Read the piece

2. Aristotle on the Highest Form of Friendship
   More than shared hobbies or mutual benefit, Aristotle’s idea of true friendship was rooted in virtue: seeing the good in one another and helping each other grow. This piece is both philosophical and poetic, reminding us what real connection can look like.
   → Explore Aristotle's view

3. Honesty Is More Than Truth-Telling
   Being honest isn’t just about stating facts. It’s a practice shaped by self-awareness, timing, and care. This article challenges the idea of honesty as a blunt instrument and reframes it as a cultivated virtue that balances truth with relational sensitivity.
   → Read on Psyche

🗞️ 3 Headlines Worth Exploring

1. Mexico Bans Marine Mammals in Captivity for Entertainment
   A major win for animal rights: Mexico has officially banned the use of captive marine mammals, like dolphins and sea lions, in public entertainment shows. The law pushes for ethical treatment, rehabilitation, and conservation, signaling a cultural shift in how we relate to other species.
   → Read on The Happy Broadcast

2. Who Owns AI Music? No One Knows.

   Suno and Udio, two popular AI music generators, are now at the center of a legal battle over copyright. The RIAA claims these tools were trained on copyrighted music without permission. But who owns a track that no human composed or performed? This lawsuit could reshape how AI-generated content is treated under intellectual property law.
   → Read on The Verge

3. Cloudflare’s New Tool Lets Websites Charge AI Bots for Data Scraping

   As AI companies scrape more content to train their models, Cloudflare is offering websites a new way to fight back (or cash in, hmm). Their new marketplace allows publishers to set a price for bots that access their data, creating a potential revenue stream while raising fresh questions about data ownership and web accessibility.
   → Explore the launch

☀️ 3 Actions to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

1. Say “I don’t know” (and mean it)
   Admitting uncertainty can feel uncomfortable. This week, resist the urge to immediately fill in the blanks. Pause. Reflect. Let yourself sit with not knowing, and see what curiosity shows up in the silence.

2. Revisit a belief you haven’t questioned in years
   Pick something you’ve always assumed to be true, about people, work, or the world, and explore what led you there. Does it still hold up? Where did the idea come from? Have you grown past it? Discomfort often comes from confronting the invisible defaults we rarely challenge.

3. Let someone challenge your view (without fighting back)
   Invite a friend to debate you on something you care about and make it a rule not to defend your opinion. Just listen, take notes, and ask questions. It’s a small way to practice openness, especially in times when everyone’s expected to pick a side.

⚡ 6 Quick Resources

🪐 To admire: A rare light show above the Earth
Red sprites, aka stunning bursts of red light triggered by thunderstorms, were captured from space by NASA astronauts aboard the ISS. It’s a must see!
→ See on The Atlantic

🦵 To try: Mastering the humble squat
Squatting sounds simple, but most of us don’t do it well. NYT crafted this interactive guide that walks you through common mistakes, posture tips, and alignment corrections with easy visuals.
→ Explore the full guide

🏆 To watch: Cannes Lions 2025 Grand Prix Winners
The best creative campaigns of the year are here, including work by Apple, Dove, and New Zealand Herpes Foundation. If you watched them, let me know which one you enjoyed the most and why!
→ Watch the winners

🗣️ To think about: What makes an idea worth sharing?
Episode 1 of Public Speaking 101 breaks down how to spot ideas that resonate. It’s short, but surprisingly insightful.
→ Watch on YouTube

🎨 To explore: Musée d’Orsay, virtually
Wander through the halls of one of Paris’s most iconic museums, no ticket required. This Google Arts & Culture portal lets you zoom in on masterworks by Van Gogh, Degas, and more. A tab that’s worth keeping open.
→ Start exploring

📅 To check: How much of the year has passed?
Use this simple website as a starting point for a moment of reflection, as we’ve already passed the midpoint of 2025.
→ Check the year’s progress

🎲 This week’s wonderfully random corner of the internet 

🌌 Existential Hope: Possible Futures Map

What if we started looking at the future with a lens that acknowledge the potential for positive change in the world?

📝 Word of the Week

Alethiology (noun) - The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of truth.

It’s not just about facts, but about the frameworks we use to judge what's real, what’s trustworthy, and what deserves our attention.

🧘‍♀️ Question of the Week for Introspection

When was the last time you changed your mind about something you were once sure of?

What made you reconsider, a conversation, an experience, a piece of information? And how did it feel to let go of that certainty?

See you next Sunday! Until then, keep your eyes open, your questions big, and your sense of wonder alive.

Your curious internet friend,

Ruxandra