are you being chatfished?
+ EU banknote design, fridge cigarette redux, and more dopamine
A recent Bloomberg piece put a name to a new dating trend: chatfishing. People outsourcing their dating app convos to ChatGPT and Claude. The article’s quoted app founders admit – they don’t know yet what to do with this. Which means it’s up to us to smoke ‘em out.
So I [Ilze] put my research glasses on and did some digging if it’s such a prevalent problem in European side of the apps:
Guys say they haven’t detected that much AI action. While my girlfriend in Barcelona has noticed a whole new level of sloppiness: 👇
I asked Claude to make some witty prompts. So if you see any of these, know what you’re dealing with:
These ideas indeed almost attain the reality, but Claude is a bit too try-hard. And I mean no Japan, NTS Radio, or even a mention of the sauna? C’mon, Claude. Be more realistic.
What about the chats? We all already know the classic “it’s not X, it’s Y” construction, along with the overuse of words like “genuinely” and “delve.”
I asked it to come up with realistic conversation starters from my side. Again, the core idea is there, but Claude pushes it too hard.
if the goal is finding someone who loves you for who you are, then AI usage doesn’t really make sense.
Two Dutch immigrants banned from Bali, Indonesia for hosting a run club that allegedly excluded locals.
Matieres Fecales (yes, it means fecal matter) propelled to popular fashion designer forefront due to Zendaya donning their ‘angelic’ dress, and Gabbriette opting for their design for her bridal gown.
Avatar: Seven Havens official teaser released; we can’t wait to see the Earthbender Avatar starting this October.
Jennifer’s Body 2 is apparently totally happening. Hope it’s even more queer.
Blade Runner 2099 ‘TV-series’, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, coming late November 2026.
Ryan Coogler introduces David Jonsson (The Long Walk) as titular character in upcoming Black Panther 3.
Ghost Rider movie, starring Gosling, announced as well.
Apple TV announces new dating documentary series with renowned relationship expert Esther Perel
OpenAI launched a merch and it’s very pick-me circa 2024.
Charli xcx’s new album Music, Fashion, Film released
IKEA releases portable furniture designed for short-term renters.
ECB Future Euro Banknote Designs
The European Central Bank are in the process of redesigning the Euro banknotes, and have released the final shortlist of 10 (lots of famous people and birds). While the decision will be made late 2026, the notes will not be in circulation for a while.
This redesign has inspired other artists to create their renditions (arguably more… artistically appealing than the ECB shortlist).
Colaspresso
Remember the ‘fridge cigarette’? Here’s an upgrade: also dubbed a fridge cigarette, these dirty sodas/colaspressos/espresso coke ‘floats’ are all over the feeds. It’s existed for a while; the American Mormon culture has been a huge trendsetter recently (e.g. Crumbl Cookies, now dirty soda).
It’s diet coke (or ‘full fat’ if you’re feeling cheeky), a shot or two of espresso, often some vanilla, and a whipped cold foam (or dash of cream if you don’t wanna whip it). Some even add cherry syrup/cherry coke.
The verdict? If you like a ‘dirty coke’ and desire the bitterness of coffee you’ll enjoy this caffeinated concoction. However…others concur it truly tastes like its namesake: a cigarette.
Dopamine Sites
This feels very Black Mirror: in South Korea fake shopping websites are gaining traction. On sites such as Food Never Comes and Dopamine Shop people browse, add items to cart and fill in delivery details with no actual product, payment or courier involved. The dopamine hit supposedly comes from the checkout process.
Ringer tees
The unofficial uniform of summer '26 – the ringer tee — contrast collar and sleeve trim, perhaps a cheeky little graphic on the chest. Usually running tad bit smaller.
Savory Yoghurt Bowls
With heatwaves hitting Europe (wishing well to all those affected by wildfires!) nobody wants to cook, so we’re just throwing toppings such as boiled eggs, pickles, veggies ontop a cold (yes, protein-rich) bowl of yoghurt.
