🎥 Is Oppenheimer too long?

Good morning! It’s Friday, July 28 — people are talking about the pros and cons of facial recognition tech, Oppenheimer’s 3-hour runtime, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

📸 In the news: Facial recognition technology

Facial recognition technology is making a comeback. Some worry that it’s racist, but others say it’s helpful and should be used more often.

📸 TheStreet: A 2020 video of facial recognition software being used at a Portland gas station went viral on TikTok. The Jacksons chain of gas stations uses the software to prevent theft, but Portlanders don't love it.

📸 The technology is definitely problematic, says Scientific American. It doesn't work well on Black people’s faces, which leads to racial profiling.

📸 But Amazon thinks the tech is more helpful than harmful. It can assist with everything from banking to healthcare. We should welcome it with open arms!

📸 Senstar sees both sides: The tech can be helpful. It can help find missing persons and improve security, but it comes with big privacy drawbacks.

🎥 Cultural trend: Is Oppenheimer too long?

Christopher Nolan’s newest movie Oppenheimer has a whopping 3-hour runtime. There’s a diversity of opinions on whether that’s far too much.

🎥 Christopher Nolan's movie Oppenheimer is a whopping 3 hours long. Elon Musk says it's waaay too long. Is it?

🎥 Forbes says yes, absolutely. It's such a muddled and complicated movie, and the 3-hour length makes its really tough to get through.

🎥 But Inverse says no way — it's a masterpiece that needed to be 3 hours. The length gave plenty of screen time to the star-studded cast!

🎥 The Guardian agrees — it's surprisingly dense, given its length. It’s ambitious, and a solid 4 out of 5. Well worth a watch!

Quick hits from yesterday

🏛️ Federal prosecutors announced new charges against Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case, for attempted deletion of security footage. (WaPo)

🔥 The World Meteorological Organization says July will likely be the hottest month in recorded history. (Forbes)

🏀 LeBron James Jr. (aka Bronny) was discharged from an LA hospital after suffering a heart attack during USC basketball practice. (ESPN)

🔫 The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Memphis Police Department's use of force. (AP News)

That’s it for today! Message me at [email protected] with your takes, topic suggestions, or anything at all. Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We’d love to hear what you think.