Sunday Soup: Corn Moon, Google, The One Sport to Play, Food Expiration Dates

We’ve got a fresh batch of articles and podcast streams that captured our attention over the last several days. They run the gamut from a deep dive on Google GOOGL with the folks from Acquired to deciphering food expiration dates to why tennis may be the activity we should all be doing more of. 

We’ve also got more on fasting from Andrew Huberman, and suggestions on how to tackle back pain. As you plan your weekend, consider taking in the Corn Moon. All that and a few more surprises to share below.

If you have a recommendation to share, we’d love to hear about it in the Comments section below.

Now enjoy this latest offering of Sunday Soup.

Articles 📰

What Are the Best Exercises for Back Pain?

"When you’re in pain, exercising may feel like the last thing you want to do. But a growing body of research suggests that, while it’s not a cure, physical activity may be a useful tool for managing chronic low back pain. And, over time, inactivity may make symptoms worse."

Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?

"When you open your fridge, how often do you check the dates on your food? The yogurt container says it’s still good for a few more days, but the label on the half-used barbecue sauce says it was best before last Sunday. Should you still eat it? The answer is complicated."

Why It’s Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist

"For the lucky few in the position to buy, Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy advises they take advantage of this window of opportunity. Competition has been muted by high mortgage rates and broader economic jitters, including stubborn inflation and concerns about tariffs. Meanwhile, inventory has grown, giving buyers more choice and leverage to negotiate; 27% of July listings included a price cut, the highest for any month since January 2018."

If You Must Play One Sport, Make It Tennis

"Tennis is a full-body workout. It not only builds muscle but also elevates your heart rate. It is notably more aerobically challenging than pickleball, which has, for the past few years, infringed on tennis’s court space and crowded the zeitgeist. To reach the tennis ball before its fateful second bounce requires horsepower, and you’re responsible for covering a lot of ground — more than double the pickleball plot. The tennis net is also, ahem, two inches higher at center court, making it harder to clear. Frequent tennis play improves bone density, which staves off fractures and osteoporosis."

Corn Moon 2025: How to Best See September's Lunar Show

"While the September full moon is often referred to as the "Harvest moon", this name is actually given to the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. This means that for this year, the October full moon gets the name. The Corn Moon is called such because it appears during late summer through early fall, when corn is traditionally harvested across much of the northern United States."

Psychologist Says AI Is Causing Never-Before-Seen Types of Mental Disorder

"Mental health professionals are calling it "AI psychosis": turning to the AI models for advice, users soon become entranced by the sycophantic machine's human-like responses. It becomes not just a tool but a companion — and the worst kind, constantly plying you with what you want to hear and validating anything you say, no matter how wrong or unbalanced. That leads to cases like a man who was repeatedly hospitalized after ChatGPT convinced he could bend time, or another who believed he'd discovered breakthroughs in physics. Sometimes, it turns horrifically tragic: interactions with AI chatbots have allegedly led to several deaths, including the suicide of a 16-year-old boy."

What We’re Streaming 📺📲

What We’re Reading 📖

We’re still finishing up our last recommendation, "Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts" by Annie Duke, but we’ll be back with a new recommendation soon.