On the Desk of Brian

Episode 015: Passwords, Pluribus, and Payouts


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🎙️Episode 015: Passwords, Pluribus, and Payouts


This week’s roundup brings a mix of education, economics, sports, tech, and entertainment stories.


In Education, Stephan Day’s Paper Robots article highlights how college athletes are spending their NIL earnings and why financial literacy hasn’t kept pace. With alarming data on former pro athletes facing financial trouble, Day points to key CFPB skills everyone should know: finding reliable information, understanding it, and making decisions that stay on track.


In Economics, Jessica Dickler of CNBC explains how a new Visa/Mastercard settlement could let merchants reject certain card types, group cards into acceptance categories, and add small surcharges—changes that may eventually impact credit-card rewards. Patrick Means at Schwab breaks down the core differences between investing and sports betting, emphasizing risk management, long-term thinking, and intentional behavior versus the chance-driven, emotional nature of betting.


In Sports, John Voita (Bright Side of the Sun) discusses Phoenix Suns rookies Kahman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming getting valuable G League and NBA minutes, while Justis Mosqueda (Acme Packing Company) covers Jaire Alexander’s injury-affected career and recent trade to Philadelphia. Michelle Gardner (AZ Central) reports on ASU coach Kenny Dillingham urging local businesses to ramp up NIL support.


In Technology, Ryan Christoffel (9to5Mac) highlights major upgrades to Apple’s Passwords app in iOS 26—including full credit-card entry, system-wide autofill, and version history for logins, making it a more viable alternative to third-party managers.


In Entertainment, Gina Vivinetto (Today) explores why Apple TV+’s Pluribus—created by Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn—has scored a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.


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Sources:

Education

https://paperrobots.substack.com/p/how-college-athletes-spend-all-that 


Economics

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/13/visa-mastercard-legal-settlement-what-you-need-to-know.html

https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/sports-betting-vs-investing-4-key-differences


Sports

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/suns-roster/92785/khaman-maluach-rasheer-fleming-g-league-progress-rookie-development-tempe-valley

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/green-bay-packers-news/74435/jaire-alexander-to-step-away-from-eagles-contemplate-retirement

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2025/11/17/dillingham-lobbies-for-businesses-to-elevate-asu-football/87323189007/


Technology

https://9to5mac.com/2025/11/11/ios-26-has-made-apple-passwords-the-only-password-manager-i-need/


Entertainment 

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pluribus/umc.cmc.37axgovs2yozlyh3c2cmwzlza

https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/pluribus-rotten-tomatoes-perfect-score-100-apple-tv-critics-watch-rcna243055


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On the Desk of BrianBy Brian