PlayStation 5 Prices, Girls’ Flag Football, and Why AI Researchers Are Smoking Cigs

PlayStation 5 consoles cost more than they ever have, girls-only flag football leagues are taking root nationwide, and the surprising reason tech employees are taking up smoking. Three Big Conversations: 1. PlayStation 5 consoles cost more than they ever have - 13:34 ➡️ https://www.gamestop.com/consoles-har... 2. girls-only flag football leagues are taking root nationwide 20:54 ➡️ https://www.axios.com/2026/09/16/girl... 3. the surprising reason tech employees are taking up smoking. - 29:55 ➡️    • Full interview: Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar   Song of the Week : “Boston” by Stella Lefty - 00:48 ➡️    • STELLA LEFTY - Boston (Lyrics)   🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. ➡️ https://axis.org/thetable ➡️ Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. ➡️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ➡️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mV3kwx... ➡️ Instagram:   / axisconversations   ➡️ YouTube:    / axisconversations   ➡️ For more Axis resources: https://axis.org In Other News: - 40:34 1. The first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew, featuring Led Zeppelin and multi-colored, psychedelic visuals, is available for all to see (and have divided opinions about). ➡️    • NARNIA: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW | Official T...   2. Have you heard “Higher” by Creed more in the past two years than you ever did in the 2000s? Apparently Instagram was suggesting the song too much. We’ll let you decide whether this was a genuine software bug or an intentional Creed psyop. ➡️ https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/08/entert... 3. Dressmaker, a video game about, well, making dresses, is the talk of the (internet) town this week. Even if consoles are getting more expensive, wholesome indie “cozy games” that run on your pre-COVID laptop will never die. ➡️ https://www.ign.com/articles/this-coz... 4. Speaking of wholesome, “bloomscrolling,” an awkwardly named counterpoint to doomscrolling, is catching on. The goal is to fill your feed with “uplifting, calming, or inspiring content.” Will this make you feel better than doomscrolling? Probably. Would it be better to just go experience those things in person? Also probably. ➡️ https://mashable.com/life/bloomscroll... 5. Mike Flanagan’s television adaptation of Carrie has dominated Prime Video’s streaming charts this week. It’s a modern take on the twisted coming-of-age story and doesn’t pull its punches with language and intense depictions of bullying. ➡️ https://collider.com/stephen-king-car...